#The first season 5 trailer dropped the first of June last year right? It feels like forever ago

[kyouka-supremacy]

You had to be there

[sleepykittypaws]

2020 Theatrical Holiday Premieres

Updated: December 10,  2020

Lina From Lima (holiday-set drama written and directed by Maria Paz Gonzalez; starring��Emilia Ossandon, Sebastian Brahm and Cecilia Cartasegna; A Peruvian woman working for a wealthy family in Chile prepares for a Christmas trip home to see her son, her first in a decade, but things don’t go as planned) - Jan. 4, festival (Trailer); also available on HBO Max as of Oct. 8

The Lodge (Christmas-set horror film starring Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell and Alicia Silverstone; A soon-to-be stepmom gets snowed in with her fiancé's two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.) - Feb. 7, Rated R (Trailer); also available on Hulu as of May 5 

The Crossing (a.k.a. Flukten Over Grensen; Norwegian-language film directed by Johanne Helgeland; In WWII Norway, two young children’s parents, active in the resistance, are captured by Nazis just days before Christmas, leaving them to fend for both themselves and the Jewish children they find hidden in their house) - Feb. 14, Norway/US TBA (Trailer, Website)

Tidy Tim’s (holiday comedy starring Shane Woodson, Rich Williams and Jennifer Day, about a father and son run who run a rickety used car lot in Southern California that is facing foreclosure.) - Feb. 15, Rated PG-13, festival (Trailer) also available on DVD Oct. 6

12 Days of Christmas (holiday movie starring Annie Newton and Drew Petriello; directed by Michael Boyle; Best friends home from college on Christmas break navigate an unplanned pregnancy, making it a tricky holiday with their families) - Mar 7, Cinequest Film Festival (Facebook, Website, Trailer) also available on DVD Sep. 1

The Last Christmas Party (indie drama starring Samantha Brooks, Anna Clare Kerr, Lainey Woo, James Williams, Martin Drop and Gabriel Armentano; directed by Julian Santos; Three college couples attend the last fraught party before Christmas break; filmed in New York) - June 7, Festival (Website, Trailer) available on Amazon Prime Nov. 13

Merry Christmas, Yiwu (Documentary from director Mladen Kovacevic focusing on life for workers in the Chinese city that has over 600 Christmas ornament and decor factories.) - June 24, Hot Docs Film Festival (Website, Facebook, Teaser)

A New York Christmas Wedding (starring Chris Noth, Avery Whitted, Joe Perrino, Adriana DeMeo and Tyra Ferrell; written and directed by Otoja Abit; As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, a woman is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she’d allowed her feelings for her childhood friend to flourish instead.) - Aug 21, Festival (Trailer, Trailer 2) also available on Netflix as of Nov. 5

A Christmas Cancellation (holiday movie starring Lauren Melty, Marcus Ellison and Elliott Kashner; written and directed by Justin Timpane; A group of fictional TV characters who become sentient as their show is set to end; filmed in Washington, D.C.) - Aug. 31, American Golden Picture International Film Festival (Website, Facebook, Trailer) available on Amazon Prime Nov. 13

A Christmas Tree Love Story (holiday movie starring Gregory Piccirilli and Ashley Holliday Tavares, filmed in Georgia; Two old friends reminiscence while searching for the perfect Christmas tree) - Sep 8, Richmond International Film Festival (Website, Trailer); also available on Amazon Prime as of Dec. 21

Blackbird (drama starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Sam Neill, Mia Wasikowska and Rainn Wilson;  A woman with ALS who wants to end her life on her own terms, gathers her family for one final Christmas celebration) - Sep. 18, Rated R (Trailer) also available VOD

We Three Kings (faith-based film from writer-directors Joseph and Stacie Graber; starring Michael W. Smith, Rebecca St. James and Nice Davies; The story behind the Christmas carol; filmed in Denver, Colo.) - Sep. 27, festival (Website, Trailer)

It Cuts Deep (horror-comedy from writer-director Nicholas Santos; A couple on Christmas vacation trying to figure out their future have their lives turned upside down by a disturbing stranger; filmed in Cape Cod, Mass.) - Oct. 8  (Website)

The War With Grandpa (holiday-set family comedy starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Jane Seymour, Rob Riggle and Cheech Marin; A grandfather comes to live with his daughter, ousting his grandson from his room and prompting a declaration of war from young to old) - Oct. 9, Rated PG (Trailer), available on digital Dec. 15 and DVD Dec. 22

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (holiday-set horror comedy written, directed and starring Jim Cummings, alongside Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster and Chloe East; A small town sheriff tries to keep control of a panicking small town as a string of murders on full moons makes the townspeople think supernatural thoughts) - Oct. 9, Rated R (Trailer)

The Food Club (a.k.a. Madklubben; Danish film directed by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg and starring Kirsten Olesen, Stina Ekblad and Kirsten Lehfeldt; A women abandoned by her husband on Christmas Eve leans on her friends, a widow and lifelong singleton who take her to Italy to take part in an culinary adventure) - Oct. 22 Denmark (Danish Trailer)

Fair Haven (partially crowd-funded indie from Red Skies Studios starring Bobby McGruther and Amandalyn McLellan; A death in the family brings a musician on the verge of making it back to his hometown for the holidays) - Oct. 24, Catskills International Film Festival (Facebook, Indiegogo)

Friendsgiving  (a.k.a. Dinner with Friends; starring Kat Dennings, Malin Akerman, Christine Taylor, Aisha Tyler, Jane Seymour, Chelsea Peretti and Ryan Hansen; directed by Nicol Paone; Friends host a chaotic Thanksgiving dinner) - Oct. 23, Rated R (Trailer) also available on blu-ray Oct. 27

Gledelig Jul (a.k.a. Another Happy Christmas; Norwegian comedy starring Anne Marit Jacobsen and Otto Jespersen; directed by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken; The story of a family coming together for holidays for the first time in years, where secrets are revealed.) - Oct. 30, Norway  (Website)

A Christmas Gift from Bob (sequel to 2016′s A Street Cat Named Bob, based on the book; starring Kristina Tonteri-Young and Luke Treadaway; A ginger cat saves a homeless man at Christmas) - Nov. 6 UK (Trailer)

My Dad’s Christmas Date (UK holiday-set, comedy-drama starring Joely Richardson, Jeremy Piven, Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Olivia-Mai Barrett; directed by Mick Davis and co-written by Brian and Jack Marchetti; A teenager struggling to cope with her mother’s death signs up her depressed, widower father for a dating service) - Nov. 6, limited (Website, Trailer, Trailer 2) Also available on iTunes

The Santa Box (family movie from writer/director Spanky Dustin Ward and starring Cami Carver and Shawn Stevens; A girl who thinks she’s cursed by Christmas finds a note in a Santa Box left on her doorstep that changes everything; filmed in Utah) - Nov. 6, limited (Facebook) also available via DVD and digital on Nov. 10

Julemandens Datter 2 (a.k.a. All I Want for Christmas 2; Danish-language family film sequel to the popular 2018 movie; After Lucia becomes the first girl to gain entrance to the Santa School, she most prove her best friend, Oscar’s, innocence, after he’s wrongly accused of a crime and expelled from school.) - Nov. 12, Denmark (Trailer)

A Wrestling Christmas Miracle (low-budget movie from right-wing Justice for All Productions, starring Ken Del Vecchio and Oriana D’Agostino and re-using many scenes from last year’s A Karate Christmas Miracle; A young wrestler gives up the sport to make a movie he hope will wake his comatose friend for Christmas) - Nov. 15, festival; also available as of Nov. 27 on Amazon Prime

Malous Jul (Danish-language fantasy film from Frederik Norgaard; starring Karla My Nordquist and Lars Ranthe; A troubled girl finds herself spending Christmas on an island with a family of elves) - Nov. 19, Denmark (Website)

Some Kind of Christmas (holiday movie written and directed by Davien Harlis and produced by his own Act1Scene2 Productions; starring Tomathan McGinnis, Mariela Perez Calderon, Andre Lamar and Derrell Lester; A man comes home for Christmas for the first time in years, but finds his holiday spirit tested when he hires a fake boyfriend to bring home for Christmas) - Nov. 19-21, Cinevision in Ga.  (Website)

A Carolina Christmas (right-wing, faith-based holiday movie from Dalton Pictures; A new city inspector tries to stifle a town’s Christmas celebrations; filmed in South Carolina) - Nov. 20, limited (Making Of Series)

Michael McClean’s The Forgotten Carols (filmed adaptation of the long-running, faith-based, original musical; filmed in Cedar City, Utah) - Nov. 20 in select theaters (Website, Trailer)

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (holiday movie sequel to the 2018 film starring Kurt Russell as a sassy Santa, Goldie Hawn, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Tyrese Gibson; directed by Chris Columbus; Kate Pierce—now a cynical teenager—is unexpectedly reunited with Santa Claus when a mysterious, magical troublemaker named Belsnickel threatens to destroy Christmas forever.) - Nov. 25 (Trailer) also available on Netflix

Fatman (action-comedy written and directed by Ian and Eshom Nelms, starring Walton Goggins, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Chance Hurstfield, and Mel Gibson as a “rowdy, unorthodox” Santa Claus who is fighting his popularity decline when a 12-year-old hires a hitman to do him in after receiving a lump of coal the previous season.) - Nov. 13, Rated R (Trailer), available on digital Nov. 17

A Christmas Carol (live-action animated feature starring Andy Serkis, Carey Mulligan, Daniel Kaluuya, Martin Freeman and Leslie Caron; abstract re-telling of A Christmas Carol when, during a children’s paper theater telling of the classic story, we enter the imagination of a child hearing it told.) - Nov. 19, limited release (Featurette, Trailer) also available in the UK starting Dec. 4

Katherine Jenkins: Christmas Spectacular (concert film featuring the Welsh opera singer's 2019 Royal Albert Hall Christmas show, including special guests Vanessa Redgrave and Bill Nighy) - Dec. 1 in UK, also available VOD

The Loss Adjuster (holiday movie starring Luke Goss, Martin Kemp, Joan Collins, Gary Siner and Cathy Tyson; An insurance adjuster’s wife leaves him a week before Christmas and his day just gets worse from there, until he discovers how truly lucky he is with the help of some Christmas magic) - Dec. 1 in UK (Trailer, Facebook) also available same day digital in the U.S.

Christmas in the Jungle (Latvian-Estonian family adventure movie, with mainly English dialogue; starring Paaru Oja, Tonu Kark, Rukman Rosadi; directed by Jaak Kilmi; When a 10-year-old girl is moved to the tropics by her parents, she has trouble getting into the holiday spirit, so she and a local friend head into the jungle in search of the Christmas Shaman; filmed in Indonesia) - Dec. 1 in Estonia

Saving the Spirit of Christmas (holiday musical written, produced and directed by members of the Grand Prairie Arts Council; A teen mourns the loss of her favorite Christmas traditions due to COVID, prompting the Spirit of Christmas to visit her) - Dec. 3, drive-in, benefit premiere at South Grand Prairie High School

Dear Santa (feature documentary from filmmaker Dana Nachman; based on the USPS’s Operation Santa, which allows people to adopt and answer children’s letters to Santa.) - Dec. 4 (Website, Trailer) Also available VOD

Lost at Christmas (holiday movie starring Natalie Clark and Kenny Boyle; After being dumped by his fiancé after a rejected proposal, two strangers stranded in the Scottish Highlands join forces to try and get home in time for Christmas; filmed on location in Scotland) - Dec. 4 in UK (Website, Trailer) also available VOD on Dec. 7 (UK only)

Nomadland (drama starring Frances McDormand, Gay DeForest and Patricia Grier; directed by Chloe Zhao; Exploring the life of a modern nomad, who travels the country looking for temporary seasonal work; starting at the holidays) - Dec. 4, limited (Trailer)

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Directed and written by Pedro Brenner, starring Guillermo Ivan and filmed in Mexico, the holiday-set, faith-based story of a reporter sent to research the meaning of a miracle who ends up needing one himself) - Dec. 10, limited (Trailer)

Silent Night (UK action-thriller written and directed by Will Thorne, starring Bradley Taylor and Cary Crankson; An ex-con hoping to go straight and spend a nice Christmas with his daughter, but who gets drawn back into the criminal life) - Dec. 11 in UK (Facebook) also available on UK VOD Dec. 14 and DVD Dec. 28 

Christmas on Mars (a.k.a. Un Natale su Marte; Italian Christmas comedy from director Neri Parenti; filmed in Rome) - Dec. 17 in Italy

The Lost Christmas (Dutch comedy about a theater producer who tries to save his theater from a Coronavirus-caused crisis by putting on a spectacular holiday show that goes horribly wrong; filmed in Velsen) - Dec. 21, Netherlands (Instagram, Trailer)

Pieces of a Woman (partially holiday-set drama starring Vanessa Kirby, Shia LeBeouf and Ellen Burstyn; A home birth goes horribly wrong, leaving a family and community to pick up the pieces) - Dec. 30 (Trailer), available on Netflix, January 7, 2021

Creatures (holiday horror-comedy about a group of students who find an adorable injured alien, only to find he’s being chased by terrifying creatures) - Dec. in UK (Facebook, Trailer, Trailer 2)

[kayla1993-world]

2021 looks to be an exciting year for movies, especially because it will finally see the release of several notable projects that have been stuck development hell. At first glance, development hell is a dark creative abyss that pulls down eagerly-awaited movies and TV shows into an unknown future - shifting around scripts, directors and studios, and frustrating legions of faithful and hungry film fans in the process. Thankfully, some highly-anticipated films have finally escaped development hell, and are scheduled for a 2021 release.

Whether it's Mad Max: Fury Road or the new Guns n' Roses album, development hell is frustrating for fans and creators alike. And the irritation doesn't stop there: indeed, completed movies with a bumpy production history have rarely turned out questionably perfect (see: Alien Vs. Predator, and  John Carter). But despite the term's obviously negative connotations, snags in the creative process can be extremely beneficial to a project. It signals that a studio is unwilling to flippantly rush the film for the sake of filling a tentpole release date, and instead takes reasonable care in finding the right talent to breathe life into an important creative venture. More time on a project typically means more care taken in the thought process.

There are movies that have been gestating for ten years or more that will finally be getting their big pay-off in 2021. Whether they'll sink or swim is anyone's guess, but anticipation is naturally rife -- these films have been a long time coming.

1.  Pinocchio -- The upcoming Pinocchio is Guillermo Del Toro's long-awaited adaptation of the classic children's novel, popularized by Disney's 1940 animated film. Del Toro's project has had a awkward path towards principle production, having been cancelled in 2017 after Del Toro failed to acquire funding for his allegedly darker interpretation of the whimsical tale, which apparently retains its European setting but switches the 19th century setting for Mussolini's Italy. Del Toro has repeatedly called Pinocchio his passion project, claiming a "deep, personal connection" to the character.

After stagnating for over a year, Netflix came to Del Toro's creative aid on his career high from 2017's  The Shape of Water. Along with the Jim Henson Company, Pinocchio will finally materialize with co-director Mark Gustafson in tow. Gustafson's talents as animation director are essential for the film's stop-motion animation -- a unique, surreal style that could potentially be a nice change of pace from today's vapid, CG-overload fantasy tales. Incidentally, Disney's live-action Pinocchio is moving ahead. A release date is not yet set, and the film may be delayed while Del Toro completes Nightmare Alley, but production is progressing nicely with stars Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton and Christoph Waltz already on board. A 2021 release date on Netflix seems probable.

2.  Uncharted -- Naughty Dog's hugely successful video game franchise Uncharted is somewhat notorious for failing to muster a film adaptation. Talk of a movie featuring treasure hunter Nathan Drake dates back to 2009, after the success of Uncharted 2, and the project has since sifted through an array of directors. David O’Russell, Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Shawn Levy, Dan Trachtenberg and Travis Knight have all taken a shot at prepping Sony's eagerly anticipated blockbuster, but each director fled the Uncharted project for undisclosed reasons.

But the future seemingly grows brighter for Drake and company. In what is now an Uncharted origin story, Tom Holland has been cast as a young Nathan, and Mark Wahlberg, in a surprising turnaround, is now on board as Drake's mentor Sully (Wahlberg signed on as Drake in O’Russell's version, that was also to feature Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci). Antonio Banderas has also joined the roster of actors. They will be led by Venom director Ruben Fleischer, who took over from Knight in January, which (yet again) delayed the movie from its previous December 2020 release date, replacing Masters of the Universe on Sony's release schedule in the process. Assuming Fleischer doesn't join his predecessors in walking away from Uncharted, the movie is set for release on March 5th 2021.

3.  Space jam 2 -- The original Space Jam appealed to sports and classic cartoon fans alike, and its $230 million worldwide gross put a sequel on the cards almost immediately. However, plans for Space Jam 2 were scrapped in favor of 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action , which is currently Bugs, Daffy and friends' last effort on the silver screen. A sustained interest in the '90s classic has lead to a variety of stalled sequels in recent years. These featured the Tunesquad in different games with different sports celebrities, including golf with Tiger Woods and skateboarding with Tony Hawk.

The upcoming Space Jam 2  sequel is evidently a much more back-to-basics approach. NBA champion LeBron James is set to replace Michael Jordan as the Tunes' captain with director Malcom D. Lee filling Joe Pytka's boots as captain of production. Ryan Coogler even features in a Producer role. Actors Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green have joined the returning Looney Tunes favourites, who are sure to give the "Monstars" an exciting and madcap rematch.

4.  The batman -- Batman's next solo outing, The Batman , has swerved drastically since the DCEU culminated in 2017's horifically mismanaged Justice League . Initially intended to be directed and co-written by then-incumbent star, Ben Affleck, he left The Batman project in 2017 and recently citied a "loss of interest" in the character.

After briefly dropping out, Matt Reeves is back to oversee yet another reboot of the dark knight legend. Little is known of the narrative, except it will not incorporate the Affleck script, nor be connected to the virtually extinct DCEU. Reeves' ideas are intriguing: he has described it as a more detective-oriented story that takes inspiration from the graphic novel The Long Halloween. The caped crusader definitely has his work cut out in this picture, with Catwoman, The Penguin and The Riddler rounding out the movie's rogue's gallery.

Robert Pattinson was surprisingly Reeves' top choice for the role, and the actor's youthful appearance suggests it will center on Batman's early days. A rough, makeshift costume revealed in February supported this idea; more recently, images of The Batman's Batmobile were revealed. Assisted by Andy Serkis' Alfred, The Batman takes to the streets June 25th 2021.

5.  Sherlock Holmes 3 -- Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are expected to reprise their roles as Holmes and Dr Watson respectively in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes 3 . The series that has long stalled squarely thanks to Downey Jr.'s MCU commitments, portraying Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Fans may have had three seasons of the BBC's Sherlock to get their fix, but certainly, some are eager to see Downey Jr.'s appealing performance as the Victorian detective once again, particularly after a decade-long absence.  Originally scheduled for December 2020, suspiciously, Sherlock Holmes 3  was delayed for an entire year.

Guy Ritchie directed the original 2009 film as well as its sequel, A Game of Shadows, but has vacated the chair for a potential third film. Hot from Elton John biopic Rocketman, British director Dexter Fletcher will replace him and has noted the inevitability that his sequel will be different to Ritchie's interpretation of the franchise.

Delays have been happening in the screenplay department for Sherlock Holmes 3. Chris Brancato is the latest writer hired to pen a script, after original's screenwriters Drew Pearce and James Coyne each turned in inadequate drafts of their own. Law has stated he and the filmmakers want the film to "be better" than the predecessors, so are understandably cautious about releasing a less-than brilliant "threequel." As the Sherlock Holmes 3 cast gears up, there's still time to perfect everything before its December 2021 release.

6.  Avatar 2 -- If anyone can believe it, Avatar was released more than a decade ago in 2009. Even before the movie's billion-dollar success, James Cameron had a rich vision and universe all laid out, which multiple sequels designed for him to draw from. Initially, Cameron envisioned Pandora and its surrounding worlds to be explored in a total of three sequels, with Avatar 2 finally releasing in December... of 2014.

Cut to seven years and multiple delays later, and there's not been a poster, trailer or much public interest to maintain faith in the continuation of the Na'vi story. But Cameron has evidently been working very hard. Development on the  Avatar sequels, although exhaustively drawn out, has never officially halted; Cameron has blamed an "involved writing process" for the Avatar sequels' setbacks, and even has hired some much-needed help in the form of four additional screenwriters, including Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

Always the pioneer, Cameron has also focused his efforts on helping the motion capture and 3D technology that made the original film so ground-breaking, although will not use the controversial HFR. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang will be back on Pandora on December 17th, 2021.

7.  Indiana Jones -- After the release of 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , Harrison Ford said that he'd love to do Indiana Jones 5 , if it didn't take "another 20 years" to be released. Well, half of that time has passed, and the quickest the sequel will be released is likely 2021.

Similar to Avatar, Indy 5's mid-2010s release date was replaced by a blowing tumbleweed. In the 12 long years since Crystal Skull, and some back and forth over the sequel's script, director Steven Spielberg has ultimately left the project. This is and isn't surprising. His mixed feelings about the fourth film seemingly indicated that he wanted to close off the series with a more satisfactory story, but his commitment to various projects over the past decade strongly suggested he was dragging his feet on helming the film.

Ford has always been game to return, and Spielberg is expected to join Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in a Producer capability. There is no word that David Koepp's script is finalised, but production is clearly moving along, as evidenced by Lucasfilm's hasty recruitment of Logan director, James Mangold. Ford himself expects to start shooting Indy 5  in two months.

It's known that the film will not kill off Indy, nor will it integrate Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams; however it remains a mystery what Indy's quest will be. Ford has been deliberately vague, only hinting at where the character will go, promising a "resolve" to Indy's story. Given Ford's age and that the series was intended as five films, it's only natural that everything concludes here -- although the ever-eager Disney will inevitably pursue the reboot path in due time. Director and script troubles notwithstanding, Indiana Jones 5 will likely join the other development hell movies to be released in 2021.

[junker-town]

2021 NBA player rankings, Nos. 91-101: Dion Waiters will always be a cult hero

We slip a personal favorite in just before the list concludes, then run through a couple interesting youngsters.

We begin our countdown of the 101 best players in the NBA in four years with a cult favorite, then hit a couple intriguing young prospects, some old reliables, and a particularly interesting case at No. 92.

Here’s how this countdown works. Read this before yelling at us.

Here’s the full #101of2021 list as its unveiled.

101. Dion Waiters

The one and only. Miami saved his career, and Waiters will be in his physical prime in 2021. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were top 50. He wouldn’t be surprised if he were top 10.

-Tom Ziller

Our reactions

CHRIS GREENBERG: I hope that we can all find someone who unconditionally believes in us the way that Ziller believes in Waiters.

TIM CATO: Given the current geopolitical state of the world, Waiters Island seems like a rather safe place to be. I’m gonna take the SB Nation yacht out for an extended stay if anyone wants to come.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Well, yeah:

Dion Waiters is my favorite https://t.co/syvtNsYH7m

— Tom Ziller (@teamziller) July 15, 2014

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: We started out with the most perfect pick. I hope the rest of this lives up.

MATT PINEDA, HOT HOT HOOPS: DO. NOT. TELL. DION. He won't like this.

But by this time, he'll just be an iso scorer.

100. Bol Bol

I'll let our neighborhood high school hoops expert handle this one: "Bol Bol is the 5-star recruit carrying a famous name and a tantalizing game" was the headline on a story published by Ricky in May.

That sounds impressive. Bol outscored Marvin Bagley III in a high-profile matchup that his team won handily around that time. That also sounds impressive.

This 7’2 kid is the son of Manute Bol. He was another tall gentleman who blocked lots and lots of basketball shots.

-Chris Greenberg

Our reactions

TIM CATO: If we were picking based off names, he’d go No. 1.

TOM ZILLER: Just beating out Mo Bamba.

99. Caris LeVert

My guy, Caris. They can sleep on you all they want. I ain’t gonna do it.

Real recognize real, and I see you, my guy. You finna develop a consistent three-point shot, be a legitimate two-way wing, show the world you can handle the ball especially in pick-and-roll scenarios, and be part of a Brooklyn team that will be .500 in 2021. Salute, fam.

-Kristian Winfield

Our reactions

MIKE PRADA: I thought long and hard about taking LeVert instead of the guy I took at 95, but I need to see more than a handful of intriguing games with a crappy team to fully jump on board. It wouldn’t stun me if he’s a lot higher than this, though.

MATT ELLENTUCK: I covered Maryland basketball for two years and saw this dude play a total of zero times at Michigan. Congrats to Caris on finally being healthy, and I hope things work out for him now.

TOM ZILLER: Quincy Douby once scored 32 points in an NBA game.

TIM CATO: More importantly, Rodrigue Beaubois dropped 40.

98. Victor Oladipo

Oladipo is going to have a nice little career-saving experience in Indiana. He’s going to be a fan favorite in the Hoosier state, so his confidence will be sky high and he’ll be free to grow alongside a young and promising Myles Turner.

-Whitney Medworth

Our reactions

CAITLIN COOPER, INDY CORNROWS: Barely clinging to the top 100 amid pesky Gary Harris-hindsight will probably be inevitable for Oladipo, unless he blossoms into the elite defender he was projected to become or stops being reliant upon higher usage to compensate for limited shooting ability and sometimes-questionable decision-making.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Sneak peek at the Oladipo-Pacers:

why do the pacers always have to look so upset in every 2k trailer http://pic.twitter.com/zlQcy1zpSX

— Whitney Medworth (@its_whitney) August 16, 2017

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Thought this was a receipt-free zone, Matt.

ZITO MADU: Look, I can’t even vouch for him as a Nigerian. You’re on your own here.

97. JaMychal Green

Green’s already older, turning 27 in June. But he’s an athletic dude with a really solid jumper who reminds me of a Serge Ibaka starter kit, at least offensively. This is only his third year in the league after a four-year college stint and some time spent overseas, so it’s safe to call him a late bloomer. He’s already a decent player, so a few years of slight improvements should put him near the top 100, if not actually there.

-Tim Cato

Our reactions

JOE MULLINAX, GRIZZLY BEAR BLUES: JaMychal Green still being a relevant NBA player in 2021 would be a major accomplishment for a player who began his career in the D-League.

TOM ZILLER: This presumes JaMychal Green actually has a contract by 2021, right?

MATT ELLENTUCK: Can’t NOT be ranked in the top 100 if you don’t have a contract.

96. Serge Ibaka

Shrugs. I’m not that confident about this pick at all. While his athleticism will surely decline, I feel that he can still be a serviceable stretch four for championship teams in four years. It would be his 12th year in the league, but he will be 31 years old. I’m torn.

-Kofie Yeboah

Our reactions

MIKE PRADA: His game has really fallen off in the last couple of years. I was optimistic that his athletic decline in Oklahoma City was due to playing out of position with the emergence of Steven Adams, but he looked even less springy this year.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: I’m a huge fan of Serge the person but not a big fan of the basketball player he’ll be in 2021. Thirty-one is still pretty young, but his game won’t age well.

TIM CATO: Whatever the reason, it feels like he has hit his athletic peak and is on the decline at this point. Yes, he has developed his skill set, but his talents are still wrapped too far around athleticism for his decline to be a good thing for his future.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Ditto everyone else. Ibaka’s drop-off has been a sad one.

95. Taurean Prince

I just love this dude’s game. No idea if he’ll ever be good enough as a pick-and-roll player to be a high point scorer, but he’s forever the kind of player who every good team needs. A Jae Crowder for a new generation, and I mean that as a compliment.

-Mike Prada

Our reactions

JEFF SIEGEL, PEACHTREE HOOPS: Prince has the physical traits to be a high-level starting wing, but there are certainly questions about whether he'll be able to put it all together and if his skill on either end of the floor will be enough to vault him into the top tier of wings in the league.

MATT ELLENTUCK: Prince had a really solid rookie year, and I almost took him with me next pick. It’s still tough to deduce what his future will be like after one season, but with the Hawks in tank mode, he’ll get plenty of opportunity in 2018.

TOM ZILLER: Saying he’ll get plenty of opportunity for a moribund, invisible Hawks team is like saying I’ll get plenty of opportunity as an architect when I bust out the Legos with my kid this weekend. It’s technically true!

94. Tristan Thompson

Tristan Thompson is an extremely solid player who undoubtedly makes the Cavaliers way better in any series that isn’t against the Golden State Warriors. A clean-up and lob-finish player like him will last in this league, and though he may not have the tools to develop into a team’s best two or three players, he’s going to have a starting role for a while.

-Matt Ellentuck

Our reactions

CHRIS MANNING, FEAR THE SWORD: Thompson’s two best skills — rebounding and switching — and his durability should keep him on this list. Just imagine if he could develop just a bit of range between now and 2021.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Only problem here is that for Tristan to be this good, he needs to be on a good team. Who knows what happens to him in the inevitable LeBron James fallout with Cleveland.

TOM ZILLER: I remember how anonymous Thompson was on pre-LeBron Cleveland. That could be back next year.

TIM CATO: No doubt — but anonymous players can still fall in the fringe top 100.

93. Stanley Johnson

This is a total reach given what Johnson has done in his first two years in the league so far. I still believe, though. He has the size and mindset to defend anyone, and he can do a little bit of everything on offense. Give him a chance, Stan!

-Ricky O’Donnell

Our reactions

MATT ELLENTUCK: Stanley @ed SB Nation on his Instagram story to prove to us he hugged Frank Kaminsky one time. I don’t know what that means for his basketball future though.

TOM ZILLER: When your minutes get cut by 23 percent in your second season and not because the team improved its roster, that’s generally a bad sign.

MIKE PRADA: Ricky will starve on Stanley Johnson Island once Stan Van Gundy lays siege to it.

92. Jae Crowder

I think Jae Crowder can only improve. As his career goes on, he’ll be seen as consistent and an asset on both ends of the floor. His trade to Cleveland will make him more valuable, and he’ll put up better numbers playing with a great passer like LeBron James.

Even though he’ll be over 30 by 2021, I think playing with LeBron will do a lot for his career, the same way it has for others.

-John Ketchum

Our reactions

TIM CATO: Crowder’s the type of player who’s primed for the best season of his career simply because he’s playing with LeBron James. But the most impressive trick would be if Crowder can somehow play all four of the following seasons with James, wherever he ends up signing.

CHRIS MANNING, FEAR THE SWORD: If his 2016-17 shooting numbers hold up, and he doesn't slip too much defensively, Crowder should still be one of the league's best complementary players in 2021.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: I really hope Crowder doesn’t get stuck in Cleveland after LeBron bolts.

MATT ELLENTUCK: I think the opposite of Whitney. If LeBron bolts and Crowder builds on the improvement we saw from him on the offensive end last season, he’s a deserving starting small forward. Cleveland would suddenly have money to pay him, too.

CHRIS GREENBERG: Agree that Crowder can be a high-leverage, two-way asset while LeBron is in Cleveland. And I’m always here for ALL CAPS TWITTER. But it’s probably not a good sign for this pick that we’re referring to him as simply a “deserving starting small forward.”

91. Evan Fournier

Just as a preview of what’s to come from my erstwhile comrades, I thought Fournier was going to be my pick in the 60s. But these folks just kept picking worse prospects who will either still be children in ‘21 or will be on their athletic deathbeds. I should also note that this is Fournier’s ultimate triumph over Mario Hezonja, who unbelievably went unpicked.

-Tom Ziller

Our reactions

CORY HUTSON, ORLANDO PINSTRIPED POST: Fournier will be 29 in 2021, so it's fair to say he won't have fallen off a cliff by that point.

WHITNEY MEDWORTH: Tom is right! Just google him and see for yourself!

TIM CATO: Whitney. This is a family website.

MATT ELLENTUCK: I googled him, and you’re all invited to my funeral.

[wavenetinfo]

Stranger Things fans caught a glimpse of the new, much larger monstrosity coming for the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the trailer. But in case you need further confirmation, executive producer Shawn Levy says “season 2 makes the Demogorgon look quaint.”

During an interview on Facebook with The Hollywood Reporter, Levy teased a “darker” and “more ambitious” return for the Duffer Brothers’ supernatural phenomenon.

“I was just in the edit room with the brothers yesterday, and we’re like, ‘This is definitely darker. I hope everyone’s down with this,’ because the threats to Hawkins and to our characters are bigger, darker, often times scarier,” he said of the Netflix series. “So people who found season 1 too scary for them, probably you’re going to be more scared by season 2. But again, the best thing I can tell you is that through it all, it’s got the best heart. But it is, cinematically and budgetary, it’s definitely more ambitious.”

RELATED: 10 Rules If You Want to Hang with the Cast of Stranger Things As EW first reported in our exclusive cover story, Stranger Things season 2 picks up nearly a year after the season 1 conclusion. It’s Halloween and the boys are going as Ghostbusters, but Will (Noah Schnapp) is seeing images from the Upside Down and he’s not sure if they’re real.

Meanwhile, his mom Joyce (Winona Ryder) is trying to make things stable for him, while dating an old high school classmate (Sean Astin); Hopper (David Harbour) is trying to keep the events of last season under wraps to protect Joyce and the kids; and Eleven’s backstory will be explored. Plus, there are some new faces popping into Hawkins.

Levy warns season 2 might disappoint some fans, especially since Barb is not coming back from the dead. “I’ve had a lot of people, some huge celebrities, come up to me at these awards shows, like, ‘So, between us, Barb’s coming back, right?’ I’m like ‘No, you saw, she had like a creature, slug, worm, snake, coming out of her mouth. I don’t know that there’s a bounce back from that,’” he said. “So no, we are not going to cravenly service the wish list of fans. We’re going to service the Duffer instincts and what they feel is the right story to tell.”

Watch more from Levy in the video below.

The first trailer for Stranger Things season 2 dropped during the Super Bowl, and new episodes will premiere this Halloween.

17 June 2017 | 5:35 pm

Nick Romano

Source : Entertainment Weekly

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); June 18, 2017 at 12:05AM

[nostalgiaispeace]

536

Bold Survey

You are female:

You are in high school: You dropped out of high school: You graduated within the last 5 years: You live on your own: You live within 20 minutes of your best friend: You live within 20 minutes of the last person you kissed: You live within 20 mintues of your ex: You have hugged someone in the last 48 hours: You have been to the movies within the last week: You have had 3 or more boyfriends/girlfriends just this year: You have been a designated driver: You have broken merchandise and not paid for it: You have played strip poker: You are Catholic: You are Atheist: You recycle regularly: You are a brunette: You have dated a blonde: You are friends with a redhead: You are taller than your mom: You have a checking account: You’ve written a check for less than $5: You have visited the Statue of Liberty: You have visited the Eiffel Tower: You have visited Big Ben: You have visited the Colosseum: You have visited The Great Wall of China: You have never been out of the country: You have been a waiter/waitress: You own a Bible: You own something with a Pentagram on it: You have used a Ouija Board: You have been a witch for Halloween: You have been a zombie for Halloween: You have been a Disney character for Halloween: You don’t celebrate Halloween: You have your belly button pierced: You have your tongue pierced: You have your eyebrow pierced: You have a Monroe piercing: You have your nose pierced: You have an ankle tattoo: You have a wrist tattoo: You have a back tattoo: You have no tattoos: You have more than 5 tattoos: You straighten your hair: You have worn a dress in the last 3 days: You live somewhere that gets snow: You celebrate Hanukkah: You were at your own house last New Year’s: You were at a bar last New Year’s: You slept through last New Year’s: You have worked on Christmas Eve: You have worked on Christmas: You have been told ‘I love you’ by someone today: You were told by someone not who’s not family: You slept in your own bed last night: You are dating the last person you kissed: You regret kissing the last person you kissed: You enjoyed your last kiss: You are wearing a necklace right now: You are wearing something red: You are wearing something blue: You are wearing something purple: Your phone is fully charged: Your phone number ends with an even number: You have kissed the last person you called/texted: You last called/texted a boy: You are currently listening to music: You are waiting for something: You don’t like seafood: You have eaten deer sausage: You have given a complete stranger your phone number: You have been hit on at work: You have been hit on by someone more than 20 years older than you: You have been whistled at: You were creeped out by it: You are a good speller: You are very punctual: You were dating someone in December of 2008: You are still dating that person: You have cheated on someone: You have been cheated on: You have been on a cruise ship: You have camped out in your own backyard: You are wearing something that doesn’t belong to you: You are a Pisces: You are a Leo: You are a Capricorn: You have Irish heritage: You have Polish heritage: You have Japanese heritage: You have Israeli heritage: You have German heritage: You have Portuguese heritage: You have French heritage: You have Norwegian heritage: You have Korean heritage: You were born in May: You were born in June: You were born in October: You wonder what will happen when you die: You are afraid of the dark: You write in all capital letters: You have been told you have nice handwriting: You have had a song written for you: You have had a picture drawn of you: You have curly hair: Your phone provider is Sprint: Your phone provider is AT&T: Your phone provider is Verizon: You live within an hour of your birthplace: You are wearing a watch: You are wearing flip flops: You wouldn’t date someone who smoked: You know someone with the same birthday as you: You are a morning person: You are a night owl: You slept in past 10am today: You have big plans for next weekend: You are thinking of someone right now: Your job is stressing you out: You don’t have a job: You have never had a job: You were fired from your last job: You know sign language: You made your bed today: You will usually try something at least once: You have been swimming in the last month: You are pessimistic by nature: You have taken a ballet class: You have taken karate: You have taken gymnastics: You wish on shooting stars: You wish at 11:11: Your birthday has already come this year: You have been in a relationship that lasted longer than a year: You ended your last relationship: Your ex ended your last relationship: You are over your ex: You have gone after someone you knew was bad for you: You have let someone use you: You have been in a physically abusive relationship: You are engaged: You are married: You are divorced: You have a child: You were/are a teenage mom: You were named after someone: You like your name: Your last drink was water: You have visited somewhere said to be 'haunted’: You have skipped school just because you didn’t feel like going: You have taken medicine when you 'feel a headache coming on’: You are self-conscious about your body: You have a hangover: You have had a Jehovah’s Witness show up at your house: You have pet fish: You live on a farm: You live in a trailer: You live in Montana: You live in South Carolina: You live in Illinois: You live ini Maryland: You live in New Mexico: You have godparents: Your parents are still married: You have step-siblings: You are the oldest: You are adopted: You have a twin: You don’t want kids: You want more than four kids: You have a bad temper: You have made out with a complete stranger: You usually make the first move in an intimate situation: You regret losing your viriginity: You lost your viriginity to someone the same age as you: You lost your virginity to someone you were dating: You lost your virginity before you were sixteen: You have worked with a Kayla: You have gone to the movies with a Jared: You have hugged a Lexie: You have held hands with a Marcus: You have dated a Rachel: You have kissed a David: You have ridden in a car with a Nicole: You have had class with a Patrick: You have gone out to eat with a Chloe: You know a Kyle in the military: You are related to a Julie: You have gotten drunk with a Brent: You have broken your arm: You have had to get stitches on your face: You have had an MRI: Your fingernails are painted: Your fingernails are painted black: You like to read: You like to cook: You like to draw: You can play an instrument: You keep a lot of secrets from people: You are don’t think people would accept you if they really got to know you: You don’t trust people easily: You borrowed something you really need to give back to someone: You drive a car older than a 2002: You have lost a friend you never thought you would: You know a child who died of cancer: You know a teenager who died in a car wreck: You have done something illegal in the past 24 hours: You have cut your hair in the last week: You wear glasses: You have been pulled over for speeding: You love to drive with the windows down: Your favorite season is Autumn: Your favorite color is orange: Your favorite animal is a dolphin: You last rode in a car with a relative: You last rode in a car with a girl: You last rode in a car with the person you are dating: You regularly watch soap operas: You love Italian food: You love Mexican food: You love Chinese food: You can see a box of tissues from where you are: You can see your reflection in a mirror: You can see what’s on tv from where you are: Your best friend is older than you: You have to go to school/work tomorrow: You answered every question truthfully:

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/05/26/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-52617/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 5/26/17

Here we are, on the verge of a 3-day weekend, which means nobody’s gonna read this thing. Still, “the show must go on”…

Well, the week was filled with spider news, as last Friday Sony announced that Tom Hardy will star in a Venom film. If you’re not “in the know”, Venom is a Spider-Man villain comprised of an alien symbiote suit and Peter Parker’s professional rival, Eddie Brock. Sadly, the film’s not meant to cross over with Spider-Man: Homecoming or any bit of Tom Holland’s portrayal. I’m starting to think Sony’s deal with Marvel Studios is actually a bad thing, as it seems like Spidey’s addition to the MCU is to the detriment of his expanded universe to which Sony still owns the rights. I don’t really care about a Venom without a Spider-Man. To add to that, yesterday, Sony announced a film starring Spider-Man supporting cast members Silver Sable and Black Cat, to be directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball). I really don’t think there’s much to say about these characters without the possibility of a Spider-Man cameo. I get where Sony’s coming from; they have all these characters, so they might as well do something with them. That said, earlier talks made it sound like they were building their own Spider-Man-centric film universe, but since the MCU deal went through, Spider-Man no longer seems to be part of the equation.

Meanwhile, the Licensing Expo was this week, and we got our first look at the poster for the animated Spider-Man movie, starring Miles Morales. Apparently it was created by a child. Maybe a Make-A-Wish kid? Seriously, that thing is terrible.

It wasn’t all bad Spider News, however, as we got the third trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming. They’re basically giving away the movie at this point, but I’m still a guaranteed butt in a seat. A lot of people are having issues with it, but I kinda like that this is basically Iron Man 4. I really didn’t need a new Spider-Man, so throwing Tony Stark in there is a good way to get me interested. I mean, I liked Tobey Maguire. I liked Andrew Garfield. I’m sure I’ll like Holland, but I’m kinda tired of the Spider-Man revolving door. Now that he’s tied into the MCU, I hope the Holland casting sticks. Then again, we’ve had three Hulks already, so…

This poster, however, is horrendous, but endearingly so. I mean, it’s really bad Photoshop, but I still kinda like it. It’s busier than Times Square at rush hour, but I love it in all its ugliness. It looks like it should be airbrushed on a denim jacket at the mall.

Across the aisle, things aren’t going so well for the DC movie slate, either. First up, Doug Liman has dropped out of directing the Justice League Dark film due to his commitment to Lionsgate’s adaptation of the young adult series Chaos Walking. In case you didn’t know, Justice League Dark would focus on the more mystical DC Comics characters, like John Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman and others, battling supernatural threats – ya know, like the kind the Suicide Squad had no business fighting. I’ve got no interest in this, but that’s ’cause I don’t really like magic. If they manage to get Swamp Thing into the movie, though, I think it’ll increase its appeal. Right now, though, they’re just a bunch of magical nobodies coasting on the Justice League name which might not even hold any power if that movie fails this Fall.

In sadder news, Zack Snyder bowed out of Justice League post-production work to spend time with his family as they grieve the loss of his daughter, Autumn, to suicide. It was revealed that Joss Whedon was brought in to finish the film, which now has fans cautiously optimistic. Just last week, there were reports that there had been so many reshoots that the film was basically a different movie from what was originally shot. It’s possible, however, that these reshoots were part of Whedon’s plan. It’s really unfortunate what the Snyder family is going through, and it’s deplorable that some folks are making jokes about the situation.

In other movie news, it was revealed that Tom Cruise’s upcoming film, The Mummy, will kick off a Universal Monsters cinematic universe called Dark Universe. I bet they stayed up real late to think of that one! Anyway, Russell Crowe will portray Dr. Jekyll (who also appears in The Mummy), Javier Bardem will play Frankenstein’s monster, and Johnny Depp will play The Invisible Man. The next film in the franchise will be The Bride of Frankenstein, to be released on Valentine’s Day of 2019. Ya know what’s funny? DC’s Justice League Dark film was also going to be called Dark Universe. Somebody’s gonna have to lawyer up!

In TV news, it was reported that Hamilton scribe and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, will voice Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera AKA Gizmoduck in the upcoming DuckTales reboot. Cabrera? Really? He’s even brown now to go along with the name change. I know some folks are gonna have an issue with this. Hell, I even kinda have an issue with it. But if they’re gonna inject some diversity into Duckburg, I guess I’d rather them do this than, say, Launchpad McQuack-Jenkins.

While we knew that Bobby Moynihan was leaving Saturday Night Live, just hours before the season finale it was revealed that Vanessa Bayer would also be leaving. Then, Monday morning, it was reported that Sasheer Zamata would also be leaving the show. I’m really gonna miss Vanessa, as she definitely grew on me. Her characters have this adorable aloofness to them that I’ve come to enjoy. She’s got a big future playing the best friend in romantic comedies ahead of her. Sasheer was simply underutilized. She was always in the background of sketches, or only had a line or two. I hear that she really shined in the writers room, coming up with sketches like Black Jeopardy. I feel like SNL will merely be a footnote on her resume, as she goes on to bigger things, like Noël Wells and Jenny Slate.

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining some of my favorite people on the Nerd Lunch podcast, where discussed some of the greatest pop culture deaths. Nobody was safe, from Santa Claus to Michael Knight! And I finally got to join my pal Vincent (@RobotsPJs) on a podcast, which has been years in the making. We had a great time, and I think you’ll have a great time listening to it, so check it out!

Song of the Week

This week, I’ve got “It Ain’t My Fault”, by Brothers Osborne. Not only are they local boys, but I love the fact that this song/video has layers. Read the title and then watch the video. They’re trying to tell us something – the same kind of thing that sank the Dixie Chicks all those years ago. My how times have changed!

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Fresh off playing nurse Claire Temple in the Marvel Netflix shows, Rosario Dawson is in talks to play Dr. Cecilia Reyes in the X-Men spinoff film New Mutants. Just go to medical school already, Rosario!

Twin Peaks made its triumphant return for those of you who are fans. Based on the ratings, that’s not many of you…

The Get Down was canceled by Netflix after one season.

Chicago Justice was canceled by NBC after one season.

The Ben 10 reboot was renewed for a second season at Cartoon Network.

SpongeBob SquarePants was renewed for season 12 at Nickelodeon, taking it through its 20th anniversary.

Trial & Error was renewed for a second season at NBC.

The Black-ish spinoff, College-ish, received a 13-episode order on Freeform.

TruTV’s Impractical Jokers will enter national weekday strip syndication this Fall.

The bodies haven’t even gone cold and they’re already announcing a reboot of the Resident Evil franchise, this time produced by James Wan (Saw).

Tom Holland has been cast as young Nathan Drake in the film adaptation of the Uncharted video game.

In the realm of musical sequels that no one asked for, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! will be released July 20th, 2018.

Elizabeth Banks is producing a Charlie’s Angels reboot, scheduled to be released June 7th, 2019.

Tom Cruise announced that a Top Gun sequel is planned to begin filming next year. Fat Val Kilmer is waiting by the phone.

TJ Miller is leaving HBO’s Silicon Valley at the end of the season.

Surprising no one who’s been paying attention, Power Rangers continues the trend of just adding “Super” to the title of its latest incarnation’s second season with Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel

The Boss Baby 2 is a-coming, March 26th, 2021.

Sophia Bush is leaving Chicago P.D. after last night’s season finale

In the UK, there’s an annual event called Red Nose Day, where they’ve been raising money to end child poverty for nearly 30 years. Launched by the nonprofit Comic Relief, the event has since raised over $1 billion globally. The event came to the US in 2015, where you can buy a red nose at Walgreens for a dollar, with the proceeds going to the charity. One of the co-founders of Comic Relief happens to be Richard Curtis – writer and director of one of my favorite movies, Love Actually. Now, a lot of people hate the film because it gave way to Garry Marshall imitations like Valentine’s Day and New Years Eve. You know, those schlocky romantic comedies with an ensemble cast where all the storylines converge at some point. I don’t care, ’cause I happened to like those movies, too, but I especially like Love Actually.

Well, to celebrate this year’s Red Nose Day, Curtis reunited most of the cast of Love Actually to give us a 15-minute sequel to the film, called Red Nose Day Actually. We get to catch up on the characters 13 years later, and I have to say that I was smiling the entire time. It was great seeing those characters again, from Bill Nighy’s Billy Mack to Hugh Grant’s Prime Minister. I could’ve done without Rowan Atkinson’s meticulous shopkeeper, but it was even sorta nice seeing him again, too. You feel old as shit, though, when you see little Sam, who’s now 26 years old. I think his segment made me the happiest of all. Or maybe it was seeing Jamie and Aurelia and their kids. Or maybe it was seeing Martine McCutcheon again (why doesn’t she get more work stateside?!). I don’t know. I loved the whole damn thing.

The special originally aired in the UK in March for their Red Nose Day, but they’ve gone to great pains to keep it off the internet. Yesterday was the US’s Red Nose Day, and a new version of the short aired last night on NBC. Ya know, they should really have everyone celebrate on the same day worldwide, but what do I know? Anyway, I actually missed the NBC version because of things, but I was intrepid enough to find the UK version online. This morning, however, NBC posted it on their website so I was able to compare and contrast. The only real difference is that the UK version cut out the Laura Linney update, with Patrick Dempsey as her husband. It was a nice aside, but I guess British audiences don’t know who Dempsey is, so they didn’t miss out on much. Anyway, I wish more movies would give us short reunion updates, maybe on anniversary edition Blu Rays or something. It was nice to get just a taste of what everyone’s been up to, without them being burdened by a full film that would be more than likely fall short of the original. If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go watch this thing a few more times, but it’s safe to say that Red Nose Day Actually had the West Week Ever.