November 7, 2022 - Music Observer

Cast of ‘Hocus Pocus’ Reminisce Scarier Draft

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

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Hocus Pocus wasn’t what the cast expected.

Rather than a light family comedy about witches attacking young children, the film was almost a horror movie. The original cast said it wasn’t what they expected.

“I remember reading an original draft that was much scarier. And that was the draft we auditioned with,” Vinessa Shaw said in an interview with EW. Shaw played Allison – one of the three children from the original film.

“When we started shooting, it became a funny version, much lighter. It had the female Three Stooges element in it. And all the choreography that was added lent itself to a much more comedic movie bringing out the strength of the actresses,” she added.

The new sequel brings back Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters. The sisters are three witches from the Puritan era.

“I think that’s why the movie is beloved,” she stated. “Obviously, the witches and what they’re doing – sucking the lives out of children – is scary. But the fact that it’s done in a comedic fashion is palatable.”

Difference on Draft

Shaw highlighted the Sanderson sisters’ dialogue when asked about the difference between the original script of the film directed by Kenny Ortega.

“It wasn’t them fumbling around and bumping each other. And it was straightforward. It was more like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. It had a darker, ‘I’ll get you, my pretty’ quality. They’re a trifecta and can’t do anything without the other, which was stronger in the second draft,” she recounted.

Also, Omri Katz, who played Max, Allison’s love team, remembers his audition. He said the design was scarier.

“Once they had an idea of who they wanted to cast, I’m sure they had their two cents on it, too, and brought a more comedic, family-friendly, happier, not-so-sinister movie,” he elaborated.

“It was a different approach. I don’t remember a lot of those punchlines or one-liners being present.”

However, Kratz also admitted that he got stoned while filming some scenes. Maybe that’s why he found it all so hilarious.

Hocus Pocus 2

While Hocus Pocus didn’t gain much traction during its release, it marked a pop cultural event. All credited to season premieres on different Disney networks, eventually creating a Disney+ sequel in September.

The sequel broke the viewership record for streaming films in Nielsen tracking.

Furthermore, it stars Midler, Parker, Najimy, Doug Jones, Belissa Escobedo, Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham.

The shooting occurred starting October 2021 up to January 2022 in Rhode Island – from the previous Salem, Massachusetts location. Later on September 30, 2022, the production release the film.

Moreover, the film earned mixed feedback on performance, humor, and plot. People complimented the cast’s performances and humor while they criticized the plot.

Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 both are now available for streaming on Disney+.

Miss Grand International 2020 Candidates Open Doors on Special Day

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico are currently married: a couple of Missus.

In an Instagram post, beauty queens Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin shared that they had already gotten married. Notably, Varela represented Argentina while Valentin ran for Puerto Rico in the Miss Grand International 2020 pageant.

Therefore, the joint post on IG marked the first time the couple has made their relationship public.

Then, 26-year-old Varela and 22-year-old Valentin walked down the aisle to a courthouse in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 28, according to their joint Instagram post.

They wrote: “After choosing to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors to them on a special day.”

The two posted a number of candid photos of them together, including the proposal at home, which she did with the “Marry Me?” Balloons. Additionally, they spent some time outside the courthouse after their wedding.

In 2020, the newlyweds met as they walked to their respective countries during the Miss Grand International pageant. Organizers flocked to congratulate Varela and Valentin on Instagram.

“Congratulations to both of you,” they said. “MGIO always support ‘LOVE’ without boundaries.”

The couple’s colleagues during the contest, such as Miss Grand International 2020 title holder, Abena Akuaba, sent their greetings. In addition, Akuaba is the first black woman to receive the crown.

“MGI brought together a beautiful union,” Akuaba said in the comments of the pair’s post.

Miss Grand International Started the Romance

Varela made it to the top 10 at the Miss Grand International 2020. To note, she’s a model for several campaigns. Furthermore, she has participated in various initiatives that counter gender violence.

Meanwhile, Valentin also ended up in the top 10 of the Miss Grand International 2020. In addition, she has served in several modeling agencies, like one headquartered in Miami.

Miss Grand International started its runoff in 2013. Here is the list of winners and venues of the show:

2013: Miss Grand Puerto Rico 2013 Janelle Chaparro, 22 (Puerto Rico)

2014: Miss Grand Cuba 2014 Lees Garcia, 27 (Cuba)

2015: Miss Grand Dominican Republic 2015 Anea Garcia, 20 (Dominican Republic)

Miss Grand Australia 2015 Claire Elizabeth Parker, 24 (Australia)

2016: Puteri Indonesia Perdamaian 2016 Ariska Putri Pertiwi, 21 (Indonesia)

2017: Miss Grand Peru 2017 Maria Jose Lora, 27 (Peru)

2018: Miss Grand Paraguay 2018 Clara Sosa, 24 (Paraguay)

2019: El Concurso by Osmel Sousa 2018 Valentina Figuera, 19 (Venezuela)

2020: Miss Grand United States of America 2020 Abena Appiah, 27 (United States)

2021: Miss Grand Vietnam 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, 23 (Vietnam)

2022: Miss Grand Brazil 2022 Isabella Menin, 25 (Brazil)

Casamigos Halloween Party Lit Hollywood Friday Night

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

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Halloween festivities bring about amazing outfits and characters from celebrities.

A few throwbacks to prominent 90s personalities were a highlight as the stars sashayed in Halloween costumes during the weekend.

One couple dressed as a pair came ahead of them. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly portrayed Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee on Friday night. The couple appeared at Beverly Hills’ Casamigos Halloween Party Returns.

This year, Anderson and Lee earned the recent limelight after the Hulu limited series Pam & Tommy.

Meanwhile, Josh Duhamel and his wife Audra Mari appeared as J. Howard Marshall and Anna Nicole Smith, respectively. Duhamel rocked every angle of old age makeup and a walker.

Some other known personalities who appeared at Casamigos included Tyga and Paris Hilton. The former sported a realistic prosthetic “E.T.” head, and the latter came as Sailor Moon. Furthermore, Hilton shared her costume on Instagram.

On the other side of Los Angeles, Halloween icon Vanessa Hudgens dressed as Natalie Portman’s “Black Swan” character. Additionally, she sported it with a regal and gothic twist and black feathers.

But most of all, the celeb that shone most this year was debatably Lizzo. On Instagram, she posted a set of photos showing her getup as Marge Simpson. She finished the look with head-to-toe yellow skin and a tall blue wig.

Moreover, Jessica Alba portrayed eerie standing-in-hotel-hallway twins from “The Shining” with her daughter. Finally, Jennifer Garner plunged into the Halloween season as a “late for the bus mom.”

Halloween Fun

Casamigos co-founders Rande Gerber, George Clooney, and Mike Meldman hosted the event on Friday at a private home. The party drew in a towering list of personalities and Hollywood tycoons.

Other attendees included Brian Gazer, Taylor Lautner, Leslie Mann, Trevor Noah, and Judd Apatow.

The notorious Casamigos Ice Shot Bell greeted the guests during their arrival. Additionally, skeletons served the guests. Everyone examined their skills as they tossed tequila shots from the ice bucket, looking forward to hitting the bell and taking a shot.

“The moment you enter, you are treated with Casamigos ice shots,” Gerber said. “You take a shot from an ice shot and throw it at a Casamigos bell. It’s a perfect way to enter our wild Casamigos Halloween party.”

In addition to the fun greetings, Gerber and co-hosts decorated the home with neon-lit art designs. The hosts also decked out a black and white Hitchcock-style video footage of flying birds, a black-lit neon agave area, and a personally-designed tech portal with visual art.

Gerber shared with Forbes that he wanted to hold the event in one or two rooms with both indoor and outdoor areas so that it looks put together.

“We always have an area for guests who want to let loose and dance as the night goes on and the party picks up the pace,” he said. “We keep it cool and cozy with great lighting and an intimate atmosphere, so everyone feels comfortable.”

The hosts treated guests to delicious cocktails. It includes the Blood Orange Margarita, Spicy Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita, and Smoky Casa Paloma. In addition, skeletons served those in diamond-reflected bars with a lit bottle design.

Christian Bale Works with Edgar Allan Poe in New Film ‘The Pale Blue Eye’

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

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After his new film Amsterdam, Christian Bale is currently wrapped up in another murder mystery. Now, however, he’s working with Edgar Allan Poe.

On the dot for the spooky season, EW revealed the first footage from his next film, The Pale Blue Eye.

Bale plays a local detective probing a killing in 1830 at the West Point military school. His sidekick is no other than the upcoming author of the pieces “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Harry Melling, widely known for playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movie series, portrays Poe.

“Down, down, down came the hot thrashing flurry,” the writerly cadet (Melling) says at one point. “Darkest night, black with hell-charneled fury, leaving only that deathly pale blue eye.”

The film chronicles Bale’s Augustus Landor calling West Point following a cadet being discovered dead in the dawn of a winter day. The dead man’s heart has been skillfully extracted. However, the code of silence binding the recruits makes it harder to find any leads.

Therefore, Augustus taps Poe – a cadet with a talent for poetry.

Scott Cooper directs the film. Bale has previously worked with the director on movies like Out of the Furnace and Hostiles.

The Pale Blue Eye is inspired by the novel of the same title by writer Louis Bayard. Furthermore, the first footage shows the supporting characters.

It includes Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Simon McBurney, Gillian Anderson, Hadley Robinson, Timothy Spall, and Robert Duvall.

The Pale Blue Eye will premiere in some theaters this December 23 and on Netflix on January 6.

The Pale Blue Eye Timeline

In February 2021, the production announced Christian Bale would play a character in the film The Pale Blue Eye. It is Bale and Cooper’s third movie together. Additionally, the two were set to produce with John Lesher and Tyler Thompson.

Later, they announced that Netflix pre-bought the film’s rights for approximately $55 million at the European Film Market on March 6, 2021.

Production started on November 29, 2021, at Laughlintown, Pennsylvania’s historic Compass Inn.

In addition, they revealed another set of casts. And it included Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Timothy Spall, Fred Hechinger, and Robert Duvall.

Bale on the Move

Bale is famous for the roles of physical transformations. In addition, he has played the leading man in movies of different genres.

Furthermore, he has earned several awards including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Forbes also included him in its list of highest-paid actors in 2014.

His known films include 2000’s American Psycho, 2004’s Machinist, 2005’s Batman Begins, 2008’s The Dark Knight, and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Some other films he has starred in include The Prestige (2006), Terminator Salvation (2009), Public Enemies (2009), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

The actor has had massive industry exposure since his breakthrough role in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun in 1987 at 13 years old.

‘Harry Potter’ Star Daniel Radcliffe Opposes J.K. Rowling’s Remarks on Trans People

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

The Chosen One explains why he decided to speak out against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s comment. The author, in particular, made controversial remarks regarding transgender individuals.

As many know, Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter in the film adaptation of Rowling’s highly esteemed book series.

In a June 2020 interview with The Trevor Project, Radcliffe disagreed with the author’s statement on trans issues. However, Rowling is always sharing her opinions on social media and in published articles these days.

Radcliffe told IndieWire he released the statement because he felt he had to say something to Harry Potter fans above all else.

“Transgender women are women,” he wrote.

“Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo [Rowling] or I.”

Radcliffe added to his statement: “Particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that. And so, seeing them hurt on that day, I was like.

“I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”

Harry Against Voldemort

The actor went on to say that if he hadn’t said anything about it, he wouldn’t have felt comfortable.

“It was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than ten years. And so I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything,” he said. “But it’s not mine to guess what’s going on in someone else’s head.”

Radcliffe initially entered the Trevor Project’s Circle of Hope in 2009. The program is a community of huge donors who play a vital role in the organization’s financial figurehead.

The Trevor Project is a national leader offering crisis mediation and suicide prevention services to the LGBTQ community.

The actor’s statements come after another Potter star came to Rowling’s defense, telling The New York Times that “the verbal abuse” on the author was “disgusting” and “appalling.”

Ralph Fiennes, who portrays Voldemort, said: “I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women.

“But it’s not some obscene, uber-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman. And I feel I’m a woman, and I want to be able to say I’m a woman.’ And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”

Harry Potter: 7 Books, 8 Films

Harry Potter spans seven books and eight films. Warner Bros. produced and distributed the film series.

Here are the film titles:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)

Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Goblet of Fire (2005)

Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)

Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

The film series stars Radcliffe, Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley).

Photo: The Daily Beast

Nicholas Brothers: A Dance Duo You Should Know

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

Nicole Nicholas, granddaughter of Black dance icons Nicholas Brothers, recently opened up about the duo.

“They are your favorite dancers’ favorite dancers,” Nicole said.

The dynamic duo Fayard Nicholas and Harold Nicholas composes Nicholas Brothers.

“Even if people do not know them, the people that they do know were admirers of them and their work,” she elaborated. “And if you see them and you see any of their films, you’ll never forget.”

The Nicholas Brothers rose to prominence in the jazz industry during the Harlem Renaissance. They eventually appeared in worldwide and Hollywood films. Their amazing acrobatic dance techniques and tapping styles made the duo’s name echo.

Additionally, people remembered them for their musical performance, “Jumpin’ Jive,” which ended Stormy Weather in 1943.

Stormy Weather takes center stage as it is featured in the Academy Museum exhibit in the Stars and Icons section. The exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema 1878-1971 focuses on the contributions of pioneering figures of early Black cinema.

The portion of the musical in which the brothers do many splits along the stairs and jump over each other remains unprecedented.

“The Stormy Weather routine is the greatest dance routine ever put on film,” Tony, son of Fayard, said. “That’s just not me saying that, but Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Gregory Hines. They all agreed that this is without a doubt the greatest dance routine ever put on film.”

Unmatched Nicholas Brothers

It also seems pretty wild that the duo made it without rehearsing. However, this is nothing new for the Nicholas brothers.

“What Fayard would say was that even though they didn’t rehearse it, they could see it,” Nicole stated.

Tony calls the performance the Nicholas Brothers’ signature number. Notably, it received much appreciation and recognition for its use in promoting Regeneration.

The performance was a milestone of their unending trials to go beyond what they had already accomplished. This comes every time they perform on screen. Remarkably, defying physical possibility highlights the split-sequence.

Tony giggles, recalling the number of people jokingly doubted his identity as Fayard’s son.

“After seeing them do that routine and coming down those steps, I don’t believe the Nicholas Brothers could have children,” viewers often said.

Although the exhibit might highlight the Stormy Weather performance, Tony and Nicole look forward to Regeneration opening a door for Nicholas Brothers’ recognition.

“The Nicholas Brothers would say that they did everything in show business except opera,” Nicole added. “They did comedies. They did impressions. And they did Broadway. They did movies. And they did TV. They did live theater. Harold spoke over five languages.”

She continued: “They were extremely versatile artists. Stormy Weather captures a bit of their genius in their artistry. But as artists, there were certainly much broader than that.”

Museum Exhibition

The family collaborated with the exhibit’s curators, Doris Berger and Rhea L. Combs. They decided on what to share from their collection. It brought the digitization of the Nicholas Brothers’ collection of home movies for posterity.

“The Nicholas Brothers always show up with class, style, and grace. After having to endure the racism of their peers, like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, did not have to endure,” Nicole contemplated.

Tony added: “Regeneration is opening up the whole idea of the Nicholas Brothers. They incorporated everything in their dance. And they did ballet, jazz, hip-hop, everything. I feel this from the bottom of my heart. They should be considered the greatest dancers that ever lived.”

Regeneration is currently open at Los Angeles’ Academy Museum through April 9, 2023.

Matthew Perry Quit ‘Don’t Look Up,’ ‘Friends’ Saves Him

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

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Matthew Perry has given us a look at his departure from Adam McKay’s acclaimed political film Don’t Look Up.

Coincidentally, Perry was initially cast to play a Republican reporter in the film. The film starred Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as two astronomers. It follows the pair’s media tour to send caution to people about a comet approaching Earth that may wipe out all of existence on the planet.

In his forthcoming memoir, the Friends alum recalls another shocking event. His heart stopped beating for five minutes while in rehab for alcohol and drug addiction. Ultimately, this led to his exit from the film.

At one point, in the rehabilitation center in Switzerland, Perry pretended to have severe stomach pain to get medication from his doctors. In Friends, Lover, and the Big Terrible Thing, he says it was a need because he still couldn’t control his addiction.

“In fact, I was OK,” Perry wrote, according to Rolling Stone. “It still felt like I was constantly doing a sit-up. So, it was very uncomfortable, but it wasn’t pain.”

Friends Saved His Life

His doctors gave him hydrocodone. And before surgery for the pain, prescribed propofol – which is utilized as an anesthetic.

“I was given the shot at 11:00 am,” Perry recalled.

“I woke up eleven hours later in a different hospital. Apparently, the propofol had stopped my heart for five minutes. It wasn’t a heart attack. And I didn’t flatline. But nothing had been beating.

“I was told that some beefy Swiss guy really didn’t want the guy from Friends dying on his table and did CPR on me for the full five minutes, beating and pounding my chest.”

He added: “If I hadn’t been on Friends, would he have stopped at three minutes?”

“Did Friends save my life again? He may have saved my life, but he also broke eight of my ribs.”

Wasn’t Included in the Cut

Furthermore, Perry shared he was set to act in three scenes with Meryl Streep. However, with the procedure’s pain, he made the “heartbreaking” choice to depart from the film. He called it “the biggest movie I’d gotten ever.”

He did make a group scene with Jonah Hill and the others. But, unfortunately, it didn’t make the cut.

“I was on 1,800 milligrams of hydrocodone then as well. But nobody noticed,” he wrote of his time on set.

The movie didn’t quite work out for him. But he did learn a critical lesson.

“I was hirable in something big without putting on a show,” an excerpt read. “In that meeting, Adam and I had just been two men talking. I will treasure that moment, that day, that man. What a good guy. And I sincerely hope our paths cross again.”

In addition to those events, the actor plunges deep into his alcohol and opioid abuse in the memoir. It also mentions behind-the-scenes tales about his experience on Friends.

Perry added that co-actors Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc, all backed him up during his addiction.

“It’s like penguins. Penguins, in nature, when one is sick, or when one is very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up,” Perry shared with PEOPLE. “The walk around it until that penguin can walk on its own. That’s kind of what the cast did for me.”

Bono Jokingly Points Out Own Mistakes

Music Observer Staff on November 7, 2022

Bono has been through a lot – climbing the highest mountains and walking through several fields. However, it remains prone to bugs over the years.

The songwriter humorously apologized for a series of missteps he made during a fun segment titled “Apologies to Look Forward to in Bono’s Next Book.” He shared his apology in his extended The Late Show interview with Stephen Colbert.

First of all, he apologized for his particular glasses.

“I’d like to apologize for wearing sunglasses,” he stated, looking at a cue card Colbert handed him. “You see, when I take them off, I shoot lasers out of my eyes like Cyclops from the X-Men.”

Unfortunately, the U2 singer isn’t exactly hanging out with Marvel superheroes during his hiatus between award-winning music.

Bono explained why he wore sunglasses during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2014. He said he had suffered from an eye condition called glaucoma for more than 20 years.

Bono Apologies

He also knows that the band’s records contain a few false vows.

“Our 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb does not actually contain instructions as to how to dismantle an atomic bomb,” he stated, trying to hold his laughter, on The Late Show. “Just 11 really great songs.”

Bono added: “I’m sorry. Because after we released [the 1984 album] The Unforgettable Fire, I totally forgot about the fire.”

Ultimately, he raised a white flag in the air toward his fellow band members.

“Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., I’m sorry you’re stuck with guys who call themselves Bono and the edge,” he jested. “I didn’t realize we could just use our real names.”

However, there is another thing Bono confessed he’ll forever blame himself for: showing off a mullet in the 1980s.

“It upsets me,” he shared with Colbert. “We’re all dealing with s—, you know?”

He continued to share what he thought would happen in getting that haircut.

“In the decade taste forgot, the ’80s, the mullet was a kind of David Bowie lab experiment that went wrong,” he elaborated. “We all thought we were going to get it like David Bowie. It didn’t really look like that. And a man should really not look like his hair has been ironed, I don’t think.”

Hilariously Serious

Although he might have endured the look, Bono isn’t proud of that haircut era when he recounts the memory.

“Can you imagine Live Aid, one of the most incredible moments of anyone’s life, as a concert, fighting famine, organized by my mate Bob Geldof and Queen and just incredible artists, you know, in Philadelphia and London? And broadcast all over the world? I see that back now and just go, ‘Oh, bad hair day,'” he said.

But Bono did actually apologize for one mistake in a part of his book. (His memoir is titled Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story and was released on November 1 in The Guardian.) It is about time he gave everyone a free copy of U2’s 13th album, Songs of Innocence, on iTunes in 2014.

“I take full responsibility,” an excerpt read.

“Not Guy O, not Edge, not Adam, not Larry, not Tim Cook, not Eddy Cue. I’d thought if we could just put our music within reach of people, they might choose to reach out toward it. Not quite. As one social media wisecracker put it, ‘Woke up this morning to find Bono in my kitchen, drinking my coffee, wearing my dressing gown, reading my paper.’ Or, less kind, ‘The free U2 album is overpriced.’ Mea culpa.”