All posts tagged: John

John Lithgow Responds to Criticism of His Dumbledore Casting

John Lithgow Responds to Criticism of His Dumbledore Casting

Published by skeptic

John Lithgow is looking forward to playing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. Lithgow recently told BBC’s The One Show that he’s “very excited” yet “very intimidated” to be the next actor to take on a role which has been played before in the Harry Potter films by Richard Harris (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets) Michael Gambon (Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and by Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts movies (Crimes of Grindelwald, Secrets of Dumbledore). “I will be following the great Michael Gambon,” Lithgow said. “I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV. I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine.” The Conclave actor continued to explain how there’s been criticism of his casting because he is an American and the previous actors are from the U.K. “It’s an enormous thrill. But I know there were plenty …

Actor John Lithgow Reads 20 Lessons on Tyranny, Penned by Historian Timothy Snyder

Actor John Lithgow Reads 20 Lessons on Tyranny, Penned by Historian Timothy Snyder

Published by José

In 2017, his­to­ri­an Tim­o­thy Sny­der wrote the con­cise book On Tyran­ny: Twen­ty Lessons from the Twen­ti­eth Cen­tu­ry, which went on to become a New York Times best­seller. A his­to­ri­an of fas­cism (then at Yale, now at U. Toron­to), Sny­der want­ed to offer Amer­i­cans a use­ful guide for resist­ing the coun­try’s drift towards author­i­tar­i­an­ism. It was handy then and even hand­i­er now–especially as the feds bear down on dif­fer­ent insti­tu­tions under­gird­ing Amer­i­can civ­il soci­ety. Law firms, uni­ver­si­ties, cor­po­ra­tions, media outlets–they’re all get­ting squeezed, and many have already vio­lat­ed the first of Sny­der’s 20 lessons: “Do not obey in advance.” Above, you can hear actor John Lith­gow read a con­densed ver­sion of Sny­der’s lessons. You can order a copy of his book online, or explore here a relat­ed video series that Sny­der pro­duced a few years back. Find a cheat sheet below. 1. Do not obey in advance2. Defend insti­tu­tions3. Beware the one-par­ty state4. Take respon­si­bil­i­ty for the face of the world5. Remem­ber pro­fes­sion­al ethics6. Be wary of para­mil­i­taries7. Be reflec­tive if you must be armed8. Stand …

New Music Friday April 4: Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Ciara, Gracie Abrams and More

New Music Friday April 4: Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Ciara, Gracie Abrams and More

Published by skeptic

Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between. Elton John and Brandi Carlile released their collaborative studio album, Who Believes In Angels? They wrote and recorded the album in just 20 days. They also filmed a primetime concert special, An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile that will feature live performances, captivating stories about their enduring friendship and an intimate look at their new album. The special airs April 6 on CBS. Ed Sheeran has returned with a new single “Azizam” which is about the universality of emotion. Ed said, “Even though it’s completely different to anything that I’ve ever done before, Azizam feels familiar to me.”   CBS will air MTV Video Music Awards for the first time — airing live from UBS Arena on September 7. The three hour CBS broadcast will simulcast on MTV and a one-hour live pre-show will air across Paramount Media Networks. Katy Perry will …

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

Published by skeptic

In Everything Is Tuberculosis, John Green weaves a tapestry of historical insight, personal narrative, and medical exploration that transforms our understanding of what many consider a disease of the past. As someone who admits he “simply could not shut up about the disease,” Green has channeled his characteristic obsessiveness into a work that is both deeply informative and profoundly moving. Green, best known for young adult novels like The Fault in Our Stars and essays in The Anthropocene Reviewed, proves himself equally adept at medical history. This pivot might surprise some readers, but his trademark ability to find meaning in seemingly small connections serves him well in tracking a disease that has killed approximately one in seven humans who’ve ever lived. The Story at the Heart The narrative centers on Henry Reider, a young man Green meets at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. Initially mistaking the teenage Henry for a nine-year-old child due to his TB-ravaged body, Green forms a connection that draws him into the world of modern tuberculosis treatment. Henry’s story—along with …

Keanu Reeves plays down rumours of John Wick return

Keanu Reeves plays down rumours of John Wick return

Published by skeptic

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Keanu Reeves has played down rumours that he will return to the acclaimed John Wick franchise for another sequel. The Canadian actor, 60, played ace assassin John Wick in four films between 2014 and 2023, and is set to briefly reprise the role in the Ana de Armas-fronted spinoff prequel From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. Reeves’s character was killed off at the end of the fourth John Wick film, John Wick: Chapter 4, but fans have continued to speculate about a prospective return for the character. Speaking to Extra, Reeves addressed the possibility of reprising his role beyond the small appearance in Ballerina. “Oh my gosh, well there’s a version of it called Ballerina, which is in the John Wick world, and John wick makes a brief appearance. So, other than that, I have no idea,” he said. Asked whether he was keen to …

New Music Friday March 7: Elton John, Lady Gaga, JENNIE, Tim McGraw, j-hope, Kelsea Ballerini, Doechii & More

New Music Friday March 7: Elton John, Lady Gaga, JENNIE, Tim McGraw, j-hope, Kelsea Ballerini, Doechii & More

Published by skeptic

Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between. Lady Gaga has released her seventh studio album, MAYHEM. The album explores chaos and transformation, celebrating music’s power to unite, provoke and heal. Gaga executive produced the album along with her fiance Michael Polansky. ET sat down with Gaga where she opened up about working with Michael. She shared that “he’s a really beautiful person, he’s my best friend, he’s incredibly brilliant and he worked really really hard and that meant so much to me, to be in it with somebody else that you have that deep love connection with.” JENNIE has released her first studio album, Ruby. The album explores a variety of genres and features collaborations with Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, FKJ and Kali Uchis. Even before the album’s release, she already crossed 450,000 global pre-orders. She celebrated her new album last night in Los Angeles at the …

John Lithgow Circling Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter TV Show

John Lithgow Circling Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter TV Show

Published by Sam

John Lithgow may be donning long robes onscreen again sometime soon. According to Variety, the Conclave star is in final talks to take on the role of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in HBO’s forthcoming television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. One of the best-selling book series of all time, Rowling’s Harry Potter has already been adapted into eight mega-successful feature films between 2001 and 2011 for Warner Brothers, as well as a spin-off franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and a hit Broadway play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Still, the powers that be at Warner Bros. Discovery believe there’s more to the Potter story, and intend to expand upon territory covered in the original film franchise with the new television series. Each season of the series will be based on one of Rowling’s seven original novels, and Rowling herself—who has become a controversial figure over the past several years due to her commitment to making transphobic remarks on social media—is reportedly creatively involved …

New Music Friday February 7: Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, Doechii, LISA, Ashanti and More

New Music Friday February 7: Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, Doechii, LISA, Ashanti and More

Published by skeptic

Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between. Elton John and Brandi Carlile announced a new studio album Who Believes In Angels? out April 4 and released the first single “Who Believes In Angels?” The collaborative album was written by Elton, Brandi, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt and for the first time, Elton allowed cameras to film his writing and recording sessions. Elton and Brandi will take the stage at “An Evening With Elton John & Brandi Carlile at The London Palladium on March 26. Lady Gaga debuted a new single and video during the GRAMMY Awards – “Abracadabra” from her upcoming album MAYHEM. Gaga co-directed the video which showcases a dance battle between the light and dark sides of herself. Gaga told ET that she worked really hard on her album – “I wrote so many songs I produced over and over again and I made something that I really …

“I don’t need this”: John Mulaney cheekily quotes RFK Jr. while promoting new Netflix live talk show

“I don’t need this”: John Mulaney cheekily quotes RFK Jr. while promoting new Netflix live talk show

Published by Sam

“We will never be relevant,” quipped John Mulaney about his upcoming live talk show at Netflix’s 2025 preview event on Wednesday morning. And yet, the comedian did quote Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, from the confirmation hearing earlier that morning. In front of gathered journalists at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Mulaney introduced his upcoming series “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney,” which is inspired by his limited series “Everybody’s in LA” from 2024. “I will have the most successful talk show in world history.” Mulaney explained, “Netflix and I discussed this summer not being done with the show, and I was thrilled to do that. It was a total blast and it was one of those shows that neither Netflix nor I really needed to do. I never wanted to host a talk show, and they were getting out of the talk show game. So it was the perfect moment to do this.  “And I just heard Robert F Kennedy Jr. say during the confirmation …

John Cleese calls Piers Morgan ‘lazy’ and ‘sloppy’ as he weighs in on Hugh Grant row

John Cleese calls Piers Morgan ‘lazy’ and ‘sloppy’ as he weighs in on Hugh Grant row

Published by skeptic

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter John Cleese has weighed in on a row between Piers Morgan and Hugh Grant over Rupert Murdoch, with the Fawlty Towers star calling Morgan “lazy” and “sloppy”. Grant and Morgan have been engaged in a spat on X this week after the government ruled out a reopening of the Leveson Inquiry, which Grant has been leading calls for. Defence secretary John Healey insisted that there will be no new inquiry or restrictions into the activities of the media in the UK despite The Sun paying damages to Prince Harry this week. In response to the government’s decision, Grant had told Radio 4’s Today: “I have some sympathy, when I’m in a generous mood, for politicians terrified of the Murdochs.” Murdoch owns News Group Newspapers (NGN), owner of The Sun and the now defunct News of the World. Morgan then took to X to call Grant a “hypocrite”, claiming the actor had …