Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.
In Tom Selleck’s recently released memoir, You Never Know (via Business Insider), he reveals how he gave the crew of Magnum P.I. bonuses of $1000 after the studio refused.
Tom Selleck was in the process of renegotiating his contract with CBS for what would be the eighth and final season of Magnum P.I. The studio had decreased the budget of the series, but Selleck wanted them to agree to an eight-day schedule as well as a bonus for the crew if they were able to deliver under budget. “The studio said yes to the eight days. But they responded that they could not under any circumstances talk about crew bonuses, that it would set a dangerous precedent,” Selleck said. “They always invoked precedent when you had an original thought beyond their contractual boilerplate. Honestly, that pissed me off.“
Instead of fighting it, Selleck pushed the studio a “substantial” bonus to him, which they naturally agreed to, and when the season had finished shooting, he put his plan in motion with his agent and lawyer. “I called Skip [Brittenham] and Bettye [McCart] and told them to tell Universal — not ask them tell them — to issue thousand-dollar checks to every regular member of our ‘Magnum’ company in both Hawaii and LA,” Selleck explained. “And that since it was coming out of my bonus money, there was no precedent involved.” The studio had no choice but to do it, and Selleck got a nice thank you from the crew.
“When the checks came out, I got a picture from our L.A. crew standing on a bleacher with big smiles on their faces,” Selleck said. “In front of them was a very big oversized check for a thousand dollars. The caption below read, ‘Thanks, Tom. What a ‘grand’ gesture.’ That made me happy.“
Tom Selleck currently stars in Blue Bloods, but it was announced last week that the long-running series would be coming to an end with its 14th season. “For the past 13 years, it has been an honor and a privilege to work on a show that not only celebrates the men and women who protect and serve in New York City, but also displayed the importance of family,” Selleck said in a statement. “Working alongside these incredible actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew has been a dream come true and I’m grateful to have been a part of this extraordinary group for over 275 episodes.“
When Shawn Levy was offered the chance to direct Deadpool & Wolverine, he quickly signed on not just because he loved the character but because of a major regret.
“On the set of The Adam Project, Ryan asked me if I would consider doing Deadpool 3,” Levy told Empire. “And I remember him saying, ‘I know you’re gonna say no, but I’m really going to try and talk you into it.’ And my response was, ‘I’m not gonna f***ing say no, are you kidding? It’s a hard and immediate yes, sir!’”
For Levy, the opportunity to direct Deadpool & Wolverine allowed him to make up for turning down The Wolverine a decade prior. “When we were making Real Steel, Hugh was looking to do The Wolverine, and he asked me if I wanted to do it,” Levy said. “And like a moron, I said, ‘No’. Because I was thinking at that time, ‘Well, it’s your fifth time playing the character, I’m doing original films et cetera’. And I regretted it deeply for years. And so, when the opportunity came around again, thank God I was older and wiser enough to jump at the opportunity.” James Mangold wound up taking the helm of The Wolverine and also returned to direct Logan, which was meant to serve as Jackman’s final appearance as the character.
Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, and Rob Delaney as Peter. Deadpool 3 will also star Emma Corrin as the villain and Matthew Macfadyen as a TVA agent. Of course, the biggest addition to the Deadpool 3 cast is Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who finally broke down after being pestered by Ryan Reynolds for so many years. The film is also expected to feature cameos from characters throughout the history of 20th Century Fox’s Marvel movies, with a few already being revealed in the trailer, including Aaron Stanford as Pyro.
Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters on July 26th, making it the only MCU movie to be released this year.
Deadline reports that Apple TV+ has cancelled Constellation after one season. The sci-fi psychological thriller series starred Noomi Rapace as an astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster in space, only to find that key pieces of her life seem to be missing.
The first season of Constellation wrapped up its eight-episode run in March, and unfortunately for fans, it sounds like there are quite a number of plot threads left hanging now that the series has been cancelled.
Along with Rapace, Constellation also stars Jonathan Banks, James D’Arcy, Julian Looman, William Catlett, Barbara Sukowa and Rosie and Davina Coleman. The show, which was created and written by Peter Harness, dealt with “one woman’s desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and for her to recover all that she has lost.“
Our own Alex Maidy was intrigued by the series, but felt there was room for improvement. “The problem I continued to have watching this series is that as each episode unfolds, there are countless red herrings and misdirects dropped, many of which are not satisfactorily resolved,” Maidy wrote in his review. “By the end of the season, I was caught off guard that so much was left open-ended. Constellation is a thinking person’s thriller that blends jump scares, character drama, and contemporary fads like liminal spaces to build a series that has high expectations and a strong cast but does not quite stick the landing.” Maidy added, “The final episode sets up far more than it resolves and leaves viewers with a jaw-dropping final scene that will have some waiting excitedly for news of season two while others are going to be left scratching their heads.” You can check out the rest of Maidy’s review right here.
Did you watch Constellation? How do you feel about the series getting the axe?
FX spent years developing their adaptation of James Clavell’s Shōgun, which ranks as the most expensive scripted show the studio has ever done, but it all paid off big time with rave reviews and an impressively large audience. Despite being billed as a limited series, it’s possible that Shōgun season 2 could happen.
Deadline reports that Hiroyuki Sanada, who starred as Lord Yoshii Toranaga and also produced the series, has closed a deal to return for a potential second season. Nothing is set in stone, but FX hopes to get their ducks in a row for more Shōgun. THR added that there are “other extenuating circumstances” to overcome before FX can formally greenlight a second season. The show was the network’s biggest Hulu premiere, with 9 million streaming views globally spread across Hulu, Disney+ and Star+ in its first six days of availability.
Another indication of whether Shōgun season 2 will happen could actually come down to which Emmy Award category FX submitted the series in. The deadline for Emmy category submissions was yesterday, but it’s not clear if the show was submitted in the limited or drama categories. We have seen other shows switch categories during their runs, such as Big Little Lies, The White Lotus, and Downton Abbey, which were initially submitted in the limited category before moving to drama with their subsequent seasons.
The official synopsis for Shōgun: “The 10-episode limited series is set in Japan in the year 1600, at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Producer Hiroyuki Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga who is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants. Toranaga’s and Blackthorne’s fates become inextricably tied to their translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her and her duty to her late father.” You can check out a review of Shōgun from our own Alex Maidy right here.
The market for high-end collectibles like rare Pokémon cards has exploded in recent years, and GameStop seems to want a piece of it. The gaming retailer told some store managers this week that it would begin testing buying Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) graded trading cards later this month as it flails…
The market for high-end collectibles like rare Pokémon cards has exploded in recent years, and GameStop seems to want a piece of it. The gaming retailer told some store managers this week that it would begin testing buying Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) graded trading cards later this month as it flails…
Whether you have a bunch of free time or hardly any at all, whether you’re playing on console or PC, there are plenty of great games to obsess over right now. Our recommendations for what to play this weekend include everything from sci-fi thrillers and loot-driven action-RPGs to esoteric puzzle games and action…
