The New Mutants director, Josh Boone, in a recent interview with EW, went on record to confirm that his upcoming film never went through any re-shoots despite the mountain of rumors. This revelation is just another step on the long road of actually seeing this movie air. The New Mutants has gathered a reputation for itself as the little movie that could, once thought never to see the light of day, now the movie is one month away from release.
The saga of The New Mutants starts back in 2017 after Josh Boone and Knate Lee pitched the movie to Fox, the duo started filming between July to September 2017. The idea was to show a more mature horror take on the X-men franchise, with the premise of having a group of teenagers realizing that they have powers. Inspired by the New Mutant comic of the same name, the idea was greenlight following the success of Deadpool and Logan. The New Mutant was first slated to release in April 2018.
The movie quickly went through some trouble with rumors coming out that Fox wanted reshoots because the movie wasn’t scary enough. This rumor was finally shut down by Boone as he said in a phone interview, “Everybody said we did reshoots! We’ve never done reshoots,” he tells EW over the phone in late February. “And I’ll tell you this: if there hadn’t been a merger, I’m sure we would’ve done reshoots the same way every movie does pickups. We didn’t even do that because by the time the merger was done and everything was settled, everybody’s older.” With rumors of reshoots finally coming to a close, the real question now is, why did it take so long for the film to come out? The most accepted answer seems to be the Disney merger. The New Mutants finished filming by September 2017, news of the merger was announce December of the same year, leaving everyone confused. “We had heard nothing because of the merger,” Boone adds. “It was radio silence for about a year where we had no new information at all.”
After the merger was announced, the only X-men related films that premiered were X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and Deadpool 2. Both movies were sequels or successful franchises. The New Mutants is a spin-off with nothing to go on other than a strong cast, with a fantastic trailer. The movie quickly went silent, and no news came for almost a year.
After the merger, Disney announced Disney+ a streaming service promising the most extensive Disney collection of movies and tv shows. More rumors started coming in that Disney wasn’t interested in the movie, or that they were going to dump it in Disney+ with little fanfare. Not even Boone knew about the movie until he received a call to finish the post-production. “When they called me right before I went to go make The Stand and said, ‘Would you come finish the movie?’ I said, ‘I would f—in’ love to come finish the movie!’” While we may never know what the original plans for The New Mutants were, it is interesting to see how fans will react to the movie now, and more importantly, will this movie have any effect on the larger MCU.
The New Mutants is set to premiere April 3, 2020, directed by Josh Boone. Starting Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, and Alice Braga.
It’s been almost four years since Frank Ocean released his album Blonde, and visual album Endless. Since 2016, Frank has released an array of singles, and we may be getting a new one sometime soon.
Last year, Frank launched a preorder for a 7″ vinyl edition of an unreleased Acra remix featuring Skepta, called “Little Demon.” Those who purchased the 7″ received an email from Blonded.co this morning, that “Little Demon” will no longer be on the record. Instead, fans will be receiving another “new, unreleased Frank Ocean song.”
The email didn’t provide any further information as to what the song is, or when the 7″ will be shipped. We can only hope that the song will be released some time soon.
Image via @TeamFrankDaily on Twitter.
The new single will follow a number of singles that Frank released in tandem with his PrEP+ club nights during 2019, including “DHL” and “In my Room.” Frank will be headlining Coachella this April along with Travis Scott and Rage Against the Machine.
Netflix has reportedly won an intense bidding war for the rights to a feature length Documentary on the late Nipsey Hussle, directed and produced by Ava DuVernay, according to Deadline. The news comes just one day before her own series Cherish the Day is set to premiere on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
Netflix, who also secured her 2016 documentary, 13th, payed a figure rumored to be in the “high eight figures,” in order to beat out others in the intense bidding war. Apple and Amazon were said to be among some of the serious contenders.
The deal is made less than a year after the rapper was fatally shot in South Los Angeles. DuVernay introduced a tribute to the late rapper at the Grammys, two weeks ago.
Getty Image via Complex.com
DuVernay is also known for directing the 2018 science fiction film, A Wrinkle In Time, and the Emmy-Award Winning When They See Us. This will be DuVernay’s first return to documentary since the release of 13th.
Nipsey’s estate reportedly reached out directly to DuVernay, due to their admiration for her work, specifically 13th and When They See Us.
Joji’s new single “Run” will once again have you crying and in your feelings, but what else is new? The singer released the single early on Thursday, and later released it’s music video a few hours later. Joji released his single “Sanctuary,” in June, and we can only hope this means that a new album is on the way this year.
On “Run” we can hear how Joji’s voice has matured, as he gives one of his best vocal performances, that is accompanied by a metallica-like guitar. It’s a melancholy track where he reminisces over an ex-lover, who is now in a new relationship. He feels as if his only option is to run, which explains the accompanying video.
The “Run” video opens up with Joji waking up on a elongated limousine where he tries to run away from partygoers. There are shots throughout of Joji on the ground, where his face appears to be cracking to match the cracks on the ground.
The final shots show him waking up on a spaceship, with bed sheets made of tinfoil, and a repetitive computerized “wake up” alert. The ending seems to connect with the “Sanctuary” music video where he appears to be in a similar spaceship while covered with the same blanket. We can only hope this possible storyline is yet another sign of an upcoming album.
The Grammys have been in slow decline for years now, especially after this year’s grim airing of the award show. For years people have speculated that the award show is fixed, or shows some form of favoritism to certain artists and genres. The ongoing feud between the Recording Academy and former President and CEO, Deborah Dugan, who was put on leave just 10 days before Music’s Biggest Night, has confirmed these speculations, and has cast a dark cloud over the award show.
The cloud then thickened with the news of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, deaths in a helicopter crash, just hours before the show was set to air. Many artists paid their tributes throughout the show, as they should, but there was no mention at all of the crisis regarding the academy award and its voting process that crowned so many artists in the audience that night winners.
After being suspended, Dugan retaliated by filing a 44 page complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EOCC), alleging intense sexism, racism, and harassment, within the “boys club” organization, as well as voting irregularities, financial mismanagement, self dealing and conflicts of interest among the board and nomination committee. Dugan also claims that her predecessor Neil Portnow, who has made misogynistic comments about female recording artists, raped a female artist.
Since she became CEO, Dugan had begun establishing herself as someone who wanted to make the Grammys more inclusive and representative of the music industry. Variety reported that before she was ousted, Dugan had begun reaching out to artists who had felt “alienated or underrepresented by the Grammys in recent years.”
In an interview with the LA Times, Dugan explained that amongst the current contenders for song of the year, one nominee who she has not disclosed, placed 18 out of 20 during the nominations, but was still bumped to the top 8. The artist sat on the nomination committee, and is also represented by a member of the academy’s board. She says it favoritism like this that has caused artists in the past to miss out on nominations. This blantant favoritism, often times leaves African American musicians unacknowledged for their work.
Artists such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and other artists were absent from this year’s awards ceremony. After being honored at the Pre-Grammy Gala, Sean “Diddy” Combs, took the stage to talk about the Grammys, stating that “Hip-Hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black Music has never been respected by the Grammys to the point that it should be.” He points out that this institutional racism, by the organization whose mission statement is to protect the welfare of the musical community, is not a revelation and occurs not only in music, but sports, films, and other forms of entertainment and art. He then challenged the Grammys to make changes within the next year, and before the 2021 Grammy Awards.
“We need the artists to take back the control. We need transparency. We need diversity.” said Combs.
The underrepresentation is especially prevalent amongst artists who are bending genres, and executing their own unique styles, such as rapper/producer/singer Tyler, the Creator. Tyler, who gave a literally earth shaking performance, won Best Rap Album for “Igor,” even though it holds more to the pop standards than that of rap. Although he expressed his gratitude on stage for receiving recognition for his work, he later that night called the Grammys out on its inability to properly acknowledge the work of black artists in an interview.
“On one side, I’m very grateful that what I made could be acknowledged in a world like this,” he said in response to being asked about the controversies. “But also, it sucks that whenever we– and I mean guys that look like me– do anything that’s genre bending or that’s anything they put it in a ‘rap’ or ‘urban’ category, which is… I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. That’s just a politically correct way to say the N-word to me. When I hear that I think why can’t we just be put into pop?'”
Tyler points out that the crossing of genres is a one way street, where white artists can cross over into “urban” formats, but it’s much harder for black artists to crossover into non-urban categories. Take Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which he considers to be Country Rap. Upon its release the track charted the Billboard’s Country Hot Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, but was then removed from the country charts for “not embracing enough element’s of today’s country music,” even though it was receiving numerous plays on country stations.
Rolling Stone writer Elias Leight pointed out in an article that Lil Nas X isn’t the first African American to have trouble crossing over into other genres. Beyoncé reportedly tried to submit the song “Daddy Lessons,” of her album Lemonade, to the Grammy committee as a Country song only to be turned down. Juice Wrld’sDeath Race For Love, could have been “the most commercially successful rock album of 2019,” said Leight, but it will never appear on rock charts, a genre predominantly dominated by white artists.
It’s time for the Grammys to rethink the way they give out their awards. How can not only the Recording Academy, but the entire music industry be more inclusive to not only the hip-hop community, but black artists who are genre bending?
Before her leave, Dugan presented a report by a diversity task force whose findings lead to the recommendation of critical change within the Recording Academy. The task force suggestions included that the academy publicly report its demographics, implement ranked-choice voting in the “Big-Four” categories, and that their workplace policies be reviewed by an outside firm.
Before the ceremony began, the Academy proposed new diversity initiatives. Hiring a diversity and inclusion officer, examination of how it does meeting diversity initiatives over the next 120 days, and donating to women in music organizations are included so far. Change has to begin somewhere, and time will only tell if these will help to implement the needed change within this organization.
“We’ve got a lot to change,” said Alicia Keys as she closed the show. “We’ve got a lot to do. Keep speaking the truth. Peace and Love.”
It’s going to be a long fight for change, but as of right now, Dugan’s fight is at risk of being played out in secret. She recently sent a letter to the Executive Committee of the Academy’s board asking to be released from an arbitration agreement that requires any legal proceedings to be kept confidential. “The public and the music industry have the right to know what is going on behind closed doors at the Academy.” writes Dugan.
If the Academy is smart, they’ll release Dugan. The world and the music industry need to see a messy dissection of the Recording Academy and its practices. Dugan’s fight is one that goes beyond the music industry and the Recording Academy, and complete transparency of the process is needed in order to begin implementing change that is long overdue. As consumers of music and entertainment, it is up to us to stay informed in order to help protect the art and work of those we admire so much in the industry regardless of sex or gender.
We are four days removed from the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. The 41 year old NBA legend tragically died on January 26, 2020 after a helicopter accident alongside his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant age 13. Their untimely death has shaken up the world as numerous tweets and stories have poured the internet landscape with tributes, and condolences to the Bryant family.
Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, the son of former NBA star Joe Bryant. He attended Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, during his time in school he was recognized as the top high-school basketball player in the country. After graduation, he was declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick.
Bryant was soon traded to the Lakers where he played his entire 20-season professional career as shooting guard. As a rookie, Bryant became famous as a high-flyer leading to his 1997 Slam Dunk Contest victory, and he was named an All-Star by his second season. Kobe Bryant alongside his teammate Shaquille O’Neal worked together to lead the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000-2002.
Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 season. In 2006, Bryant scores a career-high 81 points, the second-most points scored in a single game in league history (behind Wilt Chamberlain). Bryant led the team to two consecutive championships in 2009-2010 and was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions. Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. He was also awarded All-Star MVP. His amazing talent also earned him two gold medals as a member of the U.S national team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics games. Outside of the NBA, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his short film, Dear Basketball.
At age 34 Bryant tore his Achilles tendon in 2013. Despite being able to recover, he would soon suffer season-ending injuries to his knees and shoulder. Bryant would officially retire after the 2015-16 season.
Kobe Bryant married his longtime girlfriend Vanessa in 2001. The pair would have four daughters Gianna Maria- Onore Bryant, Natalia Diamante Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant, and Capri Kobe Bryant. Tragically Gianna Maria- Onore Bryant also passed away alongside her father.
Honoring the Legend
Following Kobe Bryant’s death, the NBA legend was quickly honored during the GRAMMY award, and The WWE PPV Royal Rumble both events aired the same day as the tragedy. Many news networks also showed their respects toward the legend. Social Media was also filled with many fans also paying tribute. His long time friend Shaquille O’Neal was heavily affected by his sudden death, “I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while,” O’Neal said during a TNT tribute to Bryant on the Staples Center floor, where he was joined by Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Reggie Miller and Jerry West. O’Neal continued:
“We, our names will be attached together for what we did. People always ask about our relationship, and I tell them it’s just like me and Charles [Barkley]. You got two strong-minded people that are going to get it done that way … going to say certain things, but the respect will never be lost, but when it comes to being inside the lines and winning, that is what me and him, that is what we did.”
The long-running NBA 2k franchise honored Bryant with a loading screen Memorium.
RIP to a Legend. Thank you for your many contributions on and off the court. You are greatly missed pic.twitter.com/XesYS63Uhp
The tragedy of Kobe Bryant’s untimely death has had a massive impact throughout all media. His career will go down as one of the greatest of all time. However, it isn’t just his career that made Bryant such an icon. He was the official ambassador for After-School All-Star (ASAS), an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children in thirteen US cities. Bryant and wife also founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF). In order to assist the homeless. Above all Kobe Bryant will be remembered as a family man and a proud father.
We all here in the Sloppy Vinyl family also wish to send our best wishes.
