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Tag: science fiction (genre)

  • William Shatner Fast Facts | CNN

    William Shatner Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of award-winning actor William Shatner.

    Birth date: March 22, 1931

    Birth place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Birth name: William Shatner

    Father: Joseph Shatner, business owner

    Mother: Ann Shatner

    Marriages: Elizabeth (Anderson Martin) Shatner (February 13, 2001-March 3, 2020, divorced); Nerine Kidd (November 15, 1997-August 9, 1999, her death); Marcy Lafferty (October 20, 1973-1996, divorced); Gloria Rand (1956-1969, divorced)

    Children: with Gloria Rand: Melanie Ann, Lisabeth Mary and Leslie Carol

    Education: McGill University, B.A., Business, 1952

    Nominated for seven Emmy Awards and has won two. Was also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

    Nominated for one Grammy Award for a spoken word recording but did not win.

    His family is of Ukrainian-Jewish descent.

    In the shows “The Practice” and “Boston Legal,” he plays the same character, Denny Crane.

    His character, Capt. James T. Kirk, appears in 10 of the 13 Star Trek franchise films. Shatner portrays Kirk in the first seven.

    He breeds and owns champion horses.

    1954 – Joins the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario.

    January 1956 – Makes his Broadway debut in “Tamburlaine the Great.”

    1958 – “The Brothers Karamazov” premieres, his first major film role.

    1963 – Appears in “The Twilight Zone” episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”

    1966-1969 – Appears in the lead role of Captain James Tiberius Kirk in “Star Trek.”

    November 22, 1968 – The “Star Trek” episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” airs. It is the first interracial kiss shown on television, when Capt. Kirk is forced to kiss Lt. Uhura.

    1979 – Stars in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”

    1982-1986 – Stars in the police series “T.J. Hooker.”

    1989 – Stars in and directs “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”

    1997-2004 – Stars in the legal drama series “The Practice.”

    2004 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama series for “The Practice.”

    2004-2008 – Co-stars in “Boston Legal.”

    2005 – Wins the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for “Boston Legal.”

    December 14, 2006 – Is inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

    2011 – Begins performing a one-man show “Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It.”

    2016 – Stars in the NBC reality TV series, “Better Late than Never,” with Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, and Henry Winkler. The show is about a group of celebrities who travel across Asia with a young guide, comedian Jeff Dye.

    March 25, 2016 – Is sued by Peter Sloan for libel and slander. Sloan says that Shatner is his biological father, a claim which Shatner denies. The case is dismissed in June 2018.

    October 13, 2021 – Blasts off onboard a New Shepard suborbital spacecraft — the one developed by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, before parachuting to a landing, making Shatner the oldest person ever to travel to space.

    October 4, 2022 – Shatner’s biography, “Boldly Go,” is published.

    March 11, 2024 – Shatner publicly discusses his stage 4 melanoma diagnosis and treatment at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting. He did not disclose when it occurred.

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  • Matt Damon said no to a huge film franchise that he thinks could have made him $250 million | CNN

    Matt Damon said no to a huge film franchise that he thinks could have made him $250 million | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Matt Damon turned down a major role years ago – except this role was one that could have made the Oscar-winner upwards of $250 million.

    Appearing on Friday’s episode of CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” Damon spoke with the host about how in 2009, he was offered not just the lead role in James Cameron’s “Avatar,” but a percentage of the film’s earnings.

    “It’s something awful like that,” Damon joked when asked about his $250 million calculation, going on to say he’s “sure it’s the most money an actor ever turned down.”

    Damon said he was obligated to finish production on the “Bourne” series that he starred in between 2002 and 2016, and he didn’t want to “leave them in the lurch” to go do “Avatar.”

    Cameron ended up casting Sam Worthington in the lead role, alongside Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore and Michelle Rodriguez in the franchise’s first installment.

    “Avatar,” of course, went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time, with a lifetime gross of nearly $3 billion since its 2009 release.

    The long-awaited sequel, “Avatar: The Way of the Water” came out last year, and is the third highest-grossing film ever, with a lifetime gross of $2.3 billion. “Water” sits behind “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame,” which has grossed nearly $2.8 billion since its release in 2019.

    It’s a decision that may haunt him, but all signs seem to indicate that Damon did just fine without venturing around Cameron’s planet of Pandora.

    For now, Damon stars in director Christopher Nolan’s latest war-era epic “Oppenheimer,” which premieres in theaters on Friday.

    As for Damon’s claim that his decision resulted in the most money an actor has declined ever, that’s debatable.

    Sean Connery was famously offered the role of the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s sweeping “Lord of the Rings” trilogy of films, but reportedly turned the role down because he “didn’t get it.”

    What’s more, he was allegedly offered $30 million dollars for each movie, plus 15 percent of the box office take, which in retrospect would have netted the “Bond” actor a sum in the vicinity of $450 million dollars.

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  • Michelle Yeoh set to return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in new ‘Star Trek’ movie | CNN

    Michelle Yeoh set to return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in new ‘Star Trek’ movie | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Live long and prosper, Michelle Yeoh.

    After winning a best actress Oscar for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” last month, Yeoh is preparing to step back into the Star Trek universe to reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the new “Star Trek: Section 31” movie.

    Yeoh was first introduced as the character in 2017, when the Emmy-winning “Star Trek: Discovery” TV series debuted on Paramount+.

    Paramount+ and CBS Studios announced the news on Tuesday. Yeoh will also serve as an executive producer on the project.

    Yeoh said in a press release that she is “beyond thrilled” to reprise her role in the “Section 31” movie, which she says “has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of ‘Star Trek’ launched.”

    “To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise),” she continued.

    It truly has been a year of dreams coming true for Yeoh, who made history as the first woman of Asian descent to win an Oscar in the best actress category in March. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” took home seven Oscars that night, including Yeoh’s big win and the top prize for best picture.

    “Section 31” will showcase Yeoh’s character as she joins a secret division of Starfleet and is “tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past,” according to an official synopsis.

    “Star Trek: Section 31” will begin production later this year.

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  • Adam Driver gets a weak taste of dino might in the sci-fi thriller ’65’ | CNN

    Adam Driver gets a weak taste of dino might in the sci-fi thriller ’65’ | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Adam Driver has his fans, but he seems determined to test their loyalty with some of his recent film choices, the sci-fi thriller “65” being the latest among them. Although the title refers to how many million years ago Driver’s character visits Earth – encountering dinosaurs when he gets there – it could just as easily denote the score the movie earns on a scale of one to 200.

    Driver still looks pretty human, but he’s actually an alien from long ago named Mills, who undertakes an exploratory mission before his spacecraft is struck by an asteroid and crash lands on Earth. The only other survivor is an orphaned young girl, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), which, shades of “The Last of Us,” resonates because Mills left an ailing child behind when he embarked on the journey.

    Koa essentially serves one basic purpose, giving Mills someone to talk to (even if they don’t speak the same language) and rescue from the jaws of hungry dinosaurs, as they schlep across the perilous landscape toward their one possible means of escape.

    Written and directed by the team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (whose writing credits include “A Quiet Place”), “65” somehow manages to include a lot of dinosaurs and still be fairly boring. Much of that has to do with the fact that practically every beat of the film is wildly predictable, including the arbitrary deadline the duo faces in terms of finding a way home.

    Driver certainly remains much in demand for leading-man roles, and he has exhibited an eclectic appetite in that regard. Yet after his Oscar-nominated turn in “Marriage Story” the tale of the tape has been pretty bleak, including “Annette,” “House of Gucci,” “White Noise” and now this tepid thrill ride, raising the question of whether it’s time for him to become a bit more choosy.

    Charitably, “65” can be viewed as an old-fashioned throwback to the kind of “B” movies that flourished about 65 years ago, just graced with the modern techniques now available for bringing ancient creatures to life.

    That said, there’s a reason such films have, in theatrical terms, been pushed to the brink of extinction, and “65” represents such an uninspired effort as to look like a fossil even before the credits roll.

    “65” premieres March 10 in US theaters. It’s rated PG-13.

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  • ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ gives James Cameron his first $100 million domestic debut | CNN Business

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ gives James Cameron his first $100 million domestic debut | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    The highly anticipated “Avatar: The Way of Water” took in $134 million at the US box office, giving director James Cameron his first $100 million opening weekend — despite falling short of analyst predictions.

    Although notching the second highest world-wide opening this year didn’t quite match expectations, the film’s ultimate success will depend on its long term appeal, a notable attribute of many of Cameron’s movies. “Avatar: The Way of Water” has so far earned $435 million at the global box office.

    Though Cameron hasn’t revealed exactly how much it cost to make the “Avatar” sequel, one answer isn’t in doubt: a lot. Or in Cameron’s own words to GQ Magazine, “very f***ing expensive.” The star director estimated to industry executives that in order to break even the movie has “to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history.”

    That means it needs to make more than $2 billion. Earning nearly $3 billion, “Avatar” is the highest-grossing film of all time. And only one film during the pandemic era, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” has even come close to that mark, raking in nearly $1.9 billion.

    But for Cameron it’s all about the marathon, not the sprint.

    “The future of the Pandora isn’t going to be determined this weekend,” Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. “It’s going to be determined over the next many weeks as the film plays, and we’ll have, I think, strong week after week numbers.”

    The film might also be at the top of the list for viewers over the busy holiday period, which also won’t include any major blockbuster competition, Dergarabedian noted. However, the movie’s running time, 190 minutes, reduces the number of daily showings for theaters.

    The film could be a turning point for the movie theater industry too, which had been decimated by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film’s success will also depend on whether audiences will pay for the immersive 3D experience, which has decreased in popularity over time, along with dwindling ticket sales.

    In 2009, “Avatar” earned $77 million in its opening weekend and collected 80% of its gross from 3D showings. That film revolutionized 3D viewing — and for its sequel, premium formats such as IMAX and 3D accounted for 62% of the domestic box office haul.

    “The Way of Water” notched the second highest all-time IMAX global opening weekend and the biggest IMAX December global opening ever.

    “I think people are on the fence about 3D,” Dergarabedian said. “But with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ the 3D part of it is as woven in to its appeal as the movie itself.”

    Disney has placed a huge bet on the “Avatar” series. “The Way of Water” is one of four planned sequels, with a third installment set for release on December 20, 2024. The stars from the first film, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, returned as Jake and Neytiri. In the sequel, they live on Pandora with their family.

    – CNN’s Oliver Darcy contributed to this report.

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  • TikTok is testing a new option to create AI-generated avatars for profile pictures | CNN Business

    TikTok is testing a new option to create AI-generated avatars for profile pictures | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    TikTok is testing a new option to let users create AI-generated avatars for their profile pictures, the company confirmed to CNN on Wednesday, in a move with the potential to put recent advances in artificial intelligence technology front and center for millions of users.

    The new feature appears to create a stylized, illustrated image of the user based on an uploaded picture, according to a post from social media consultant Matt Navarra, who was first to spot the option.

    The feature is still in the early stages of testing and not widely available to TikTok users, according to the company, and there is currently no timeline for when the feature might roll out.

    “We’re always thinking about new ways to add value to the community and enrich the TikTok experience, as we continue to build a safe place that entertains, inspires creativity, and drives culture,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement provided to CNN. “In a few select regions, we’re experimenting with a new way to create and share profile pictures with the TikTok community.”

    AI-generated images have taken over the internet in recent months, but some tools have also raised concerns among privacy experts, digital artists, and users who have noticed the potential to sexualize images, make skin paler and make bodies thinner.

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