Last week, I offered "Should Elizabeth Banks ever be allowed to direct a film again?" about the horrible 2019 film CHARLIE'S ANGELS.
Thandie Newton was offered a role in the Drew Barrymore CHARLIE'S ANGELS (a fun action movie that I really love). She turned it down. She's revealing why. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER explains:
Newton additionally revealed a run-in with producer and former Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairperson Amy Pascal that was racially charged. She recalled, while considering a role in the 2000 remake of Charlie's Angels, that the studio head told her that if she was cast, changes would have to be made from the script so the character would be "believable." Newton told Vulture, "I was like, 'What do you mean? What changes would you have to make?' She’s like, 'Well, you know, the character, as written, she’s been to university and is educated.' I’m like, 'I’ve been to university. I went to Cambridge.' She went, 'Yeah, but you’re different.'... I didn't do the movie as a result." Pascal said in a statement to Vulture that “While I take her words seriously, I have no recollection of the events she describes, nor do any of her representatives who were present at that casting session.” She additionally said, “I’ve long considered Thandie a friend; I’m thankful that I’ve had the chance to make movies with her; and I hope to work with her again in the future."
I believe Thandie. I'm surprised THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER let it go at that. DEADLINE reports on the same comments and they note this:
In 2015, Pascal stepped down from her position at Sony Pictures after and email hack revealed racially insensitive emails between Pascal and producer Scott Rudin about President Obama. In the private exchange, the two joked that the President’s favorite films were black-themed movies like Django Unchained and 12 Years A Slave.
Amy Pascal has a history. I believe Thandie.
"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Corona, corona.
From her album CHALK MARKS IN A RAIN STORM, that's Joni Mitchell performing "A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina)."
Starting
in the US and with me. A blogger e-mailed noting that he was
discussing the need for masks at his site and was encouraging others to
do so as well. He doesn't want a link so I won't link to him or name
him -- if he changes his mind, I will note him.
Masks.
It's not my job to tell you what to do. Presumably most of you are grown ups.
I can share what I do.
I wear a mask in public. I wear a mask in private if more than six people are present.
I'm in several at risk groups -- including medical (I'm diabetic and I'm back on chemo).
Do I think a mask is a save all?
No.
I
assume the mask helps others you're around. I also take the attitude
with the masks that we had regarding condoms during the AIDS crisis.
They weren't 100% effective (they can break) but you were safer using
them when you had sex.
What about our rights?
We're
in a pandemic. Traditionally, that means some rights get curtailed.
If the wearing a mask is an infringement on rights, it's an infringement
that I personally can go along with.
Other infringements, I probably would object to.
What should you do?
That's up to you. The numbers are increasing, in the US and in the world.
That's
Najaf in Iraq. It's all around the world, not just the US. If you
have ideas for how to reduce the spread of coronavirus, share them.
Share them online. If you want, you can even send them here and I'll
post regardless of where you stand on the issue -- for the rest of this
week only. It could spark a conversation that we need to have.
The
hope was always that the summer, the warm weather, would send the virus
packing for a few months or at least the warm weather would see a
significant reduction in new cases. That has not happened.
We would all love to see a vaccine but I'm doubtful we'll have that by the fall.
We need to have a national conversation on this issue.
The
president hasn't helped. Congress has outright failed us (refusing to
push for $1,200 a month for every American adult was failure -- and it's
cute how Bernie wanted to lead the charge vocally but didn't do a thing
to make it come true in the Senate).
People who feel the mask is a violation of their rights should especially be discussing what's going on right now.
This
is about public health and public safety. It's a dialogue that, in
this country, every one needs to take part in. That's what democracy is
about.
If you need something noted on cornavirus this week -- e-mail common_ills@yahoo.com and we'll note it.
According to WORLD OMETERS INFO,
Iraq has had 62,275 cases of coronavirus with 2,567 deaths. The CIA
estimates Iraq's population (no census has been done in decades) to be
38 million.
It's a serious issue in Iraq. Last month, Iraq saw a 600% increase in covid 19 cases. AP notes:
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the COVID-19
pandemic provides new opportunities for the Islamic State extremist
group, al-Qaida and their affiliates as well as neo-Nazis, white
supremacists and hate groups.
The U.N. chief said it's too early to fully assess the implications of the coronavirus pandemic on terrorism, but all these groups seek to exploit divisions, local conflicts, failures in governing, and other grievances to advance their aims.
Guterres told the launch of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week that the Islamic State group, which once controlled a vast swath of Syria and Iraq, is trying to reassert itself in both countries, ``while thousands of foreign terrorist fighters battle in the region.''
The U.N. chief said it's too early to fully assess the implications of the coronavirus pandemic on terrorism, but all these groups seek to exploit divisions, local conflicts, failures in governing, and other grievances to advance their aims.
Guterres told the launch of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week that the Islamic State group, which once controlled a vast swath of Syria and Iraq, is trying to reassert itself in both countries, ``while thousands of foreign terrorist fighters battle in the region.''
In other news, AL-MONITOR notes:
Notable Iraqi security analyst Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated in Baghdad today, according to multiple reports.
On Monday, Agence France Presse reported that Hashimi was walking out of his Baghdad home when three gunmen on two motorcycles shot and killed him at close range.
Hashimi was a known and respected
commentator on Iraqi affairs who was particularly knowledgable on the
Islamic State. Just about an hour before his death, he tweeted
that division in Iraq was the result of the ethnic and religious quota
system put in place following the 2003 US invasion. The tweet, which
some shared after his death, has now been liked more than 11,500 times.
On that last Tweet, Depth Tweets a reply.
Condemn of killing 1 man, but not condemn the killing of servals Kurdish people by Turkish Airstrike. Bravo bravo you corrupt politican!
You people deserve to be overthrown and being punished by the law!
Yes, Turkey's assault on Iraq continues. TRINITY CHANNEL offers this report.
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