Tag Archives: Melissa McCarthy

Entertainment

Dan Aykroyd Defends Ghostbusters All-Female Movie With Melissa McCarthy

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Dan Aykroyd, one of many authentic Ghostbusters, is defending 2016’s all-female reboot of Ghostbusters, which was met with racist and sexist criticism from on-line trolls following its debut.

The actor and screenwriter, who starred as Dr. Ray Stantz within the 1984 film in addition to penned the script, opened up in a latest interview with Individuals about his appreciation for the complete franchise, together with the Paul Feig-directed installment starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.

“I favored the film Paul Feig made with these spectacular girls,” Aykroyd mentioned. “I used to be mad at them on the time as a result of I used to be imagined to be a producer on there and I didn’t do my job and I didn’t argue about prices. And it value maybe greater than it ought to, they usually all do. All these motion pictures do.”

“However boy, I favored that movie,” the Saturday Evening Dwell alum continued. “I assumed that the villain on the finish was nice. I cherished a lot of it. And naturally, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, you’re by no means going to do higher than that. So I am going on the report as saying I’m so proud to have been in a position to license that film and have a hand and have an element in it, and I’m totally supportive of it, and I don’t besmirch it in any respect. I believe it really works actually nice amongst all those which have been made.”

The forged of the 2016 reboot have beforehand spoken out concerning the hateful feedback they obtained, together with McCarthy and Jones. The latter recalled the “on-line abuse” in her memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, final yr, saying she “bought taken by way of the ringer.”

“Why are individuals being so evil to one another? How are you going to sit and kind ‘I wish to kill you.’ Who does that?” Jones added in her memoir. “Unhappy keyboard warriors dwelling of their mom’s basements hated the truth that this hallowed work of excellent artwork now featured — gasp! horror! — girls within the lead roles. Worst of all, in fact, was that one of many lead characters was a Black girl. For some males this was the ultimate straw.”

On the time, the Coming 2 America star additionally slammed Jason Reitman, the director of 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, for saying he was “not making the Juno of Ghostbusters motion pictures” and was “making an attempt to return to authentic method and hand the film again to the followers.”

Although Reitman later clarified that his feedback “got here out mistaken,” Jones wrote in her memoir that “the injury was performed.”

Entertainment

Writer of Seinfeld’s Pop-Tarts Movie Talks Jan. 6, Mad Men

[This story includes spoilers for the Netflix movie Unfrosted.]

The excitement round Unfrosted is heating up, with Jerry Seinfeld‘s closely fictionalized Pop-Tart origin story now streaming on Netflix.

Seinfeld, who stars within the comedy film that marks his function directorial debut, additionally co-wrote the venture’s screenplay. Contributing to the script was Spike Feresten, who labored with Seinfeld on the legendary NBC sitcom Seinfeld, with Feresten having penned one of many present’s most beloved and quotable episodes, “The Soup Nazi.”

Throughout a dialog with The Hollywood Reporter, Feresten mentioned a number of the most memorable moments for the movie that’s set in 1963. This features a plot level involving the Kellogg’s cereal mascots boycotting the corporate out of concern that the Pop-Tart will make them irrelevant, which results in a sequence during which the mascots storm the corporate’s workplaces à la the assault on the U.S. Capitol Constructing on Jan. 6, 2021.

Feresten defined that the sequence felt like the proper match resulting from a wide range of elements. He famous that Thurl Ravenscroft, the actor who initially voiced Tony the Tiger and is performed within the movie by Hugh Grant, got here near hanging in actual life resulting from feeling that he was underpaid.

Spike Feresten, Jerry Seinfeld, Beau Bauman and Kerry Lyn McKissick on the Unfrosted set.

Courtesy of Netflix

“Whereas we had been writing it, there was an precise strike at Kellogg’s happening,” Feresten says. “After which, in fact, there was the rebel, and we thought, ‘Why don’t we now have our personal mascot rebel?’ However actually, what it was about was costumed creatures doing violent issues. We thought that will be a humorous picture set of photos. We didn’t actually suppose the rebel was humorous, however we thought, ‘If we are able to pull off violent strikes with mascots, that may very well be a humorous scenario.’”

In line with Feresten, the first impetus for the sequence was to assist push the story ahead. “It was by no means, ‘We wish to do a Jan. 6 factor,’” he continues. “While you’re constructing a narrative, you’re simply placing piece on high of piece. And that story led us there, and we thought, ‘If we do that rapidly and we make it humorous, possibly the viewers will get pleasure from it.’ And that was actually the purpose of all the things within the film: instructing jokes and scenes that’ll brighten folks’s day, even when it might mirror one thing that was ugly.”

One other memorable second entails Mad Males alums Jon Hamm and John Slattery showing as their characters from the Emmy-winning AMC sequence as they try to pitch Kellogg’s on a salacious Pop-Tarts promoting marketing campaign. Feresten remembers that Seinfeld was rewatching Mad Males through the pandemic because the Unfrosted workforce was engaged on the script, and that the writers would watch episodes over lunch.

Melissa McCarthy, Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan in Unfrosted.

Netflix / Courtesy Everett Assortment

“There was this nice scene with Jon Hamm pitching a lipstick producer, and he’s so imply to him,” Feresten says. “And Jerry mentioned, ‘I don’t get it. They’re simply writing advertisements. Why are they being so imply?’ Then somebody mentioned, ‘It’s ’63. In idea, these guys might come pitch Kellogg’s the Pop-Tart.’ And we went, ‘Oh, my God, can we try this? Is that too meta — a fictional film, however an actual TV sequence?’”

Feresten explains that everybody was rapidly supportive about revisiting the drama sequence. “We wrote the scene, after which we fell in love with the scene, after which it needed to occur,” he says. “Hamm and Slattery had been on board proper from the very starting. That scene nonetheless provides me chills once I watch it as a result of for Jerry, should you had requested him if there have been any drama he’d ever wish to be in, he would go, ‘It might be Mad Males.’ A few of the furnishings within the scene is from Mad Males. That’s actually Jerry residing out one in every of his fantasies.”

Moreover, Feresten praises Netflix for supporting the artistic workforce all through the method, provided that the writers hadn’t gotten permission from any of the manufacturers that they included of their script. “This wasn’t Barbie,” he quips. “We didn’t have Mattel on board. We’d type of written this secretly through the pandemic, by no means anticipating to make it. So we employed a clearance lawyer, Michael Donaldson, and he mentioned, ‘Nobody has an expectation of fact from Jerry Seinfeld. They’ve an expectation of humor, so go forward and do it. Quite a lot of the oldsters you’re speaking about are lifeless. We’ve a saying in clearance: the deader, the higher. You don’t should ask the permission to Walter Cronkite.’”

Feresten provides, “Right here we’re. After which Netflix mentioned, ‘Don’t fear about it.’”

Entertainment

Barbra Streisand Responds to Backlash Over Melissa McCarthy Ozempic Remark

Barbra Streisand is seemingly shocked by the backlash she has acquired concerning an Ozempic remark she left on Melissa McCarthy‘s newest Instagram publish.

The EGOT winner took to her social media Tuesday to supply an evidence for her comment, writing, “OMG — I went on Instagram to see the pictures we’d posted of the attractive flowers I’d acquired for my birthday! Under them was a photograph of my pal Melissa McCarthy who I sang with on my Encore album. She regarded incredible! I simply needed to pay her a praise. I forgot the world was studying!”

On Monday, McCarthy shared a photograph on Instagram of herself with director Adam Shankman on the Middle Theatre Group’s CTG The Gala occasion in Los Angeles from the day prior. The Bridesmaids star captioned her publish, “Pastels solely to honor the unbelievable @matthewbourne13 on the @ctgla gala final night time with this fella @adamshankman!! Thiiiiis a lot nearer to my dream of dancing on stage.”

A number of different A-listers took to her remark part to react to the publish, together with Glenn Shut, who wrote, “GORGEOUS!!!” and Octavia Spencer, who stated, “These lewks are yummy.” Nonetheless, it was Streisand’s remark in regards to the weight-loss drug that led to discourse amongst followers.

The singer-actress wrote in a since-deleted remark, “Give him my regards did you’re taking Ozempic?”

McCarthy’s reps didn’t instantly reply to The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for remark.

In recent times, Ozempic, a prescription diabetes treatment, has risen in reputation, together with amongst these in Hollywood, to assist individuals slim down. Whereas McCarthy has opened up about her well being journey up to now, she has not spoken publicly about utilizing Ozempic or different medicines for weight reduction.

Streisand and McCarthy beforehand labored collectively for the singer’s Encore: Film Companions Sing Broadway album in 2016, for which they carried out a duet of “Something You Can Do.”