FDA: Gay men can donate blood but there are restrictions

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor “Perfect Days,” which world premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, is reminiscent – in some ways – of “Groundhog Day,” but whereas in the latter film Bill Murray’s character, Phil, is trying to escape the repetitive nature of his existence, in Wim Wenders’ film the protagonist, Hirayama, is “embracing it,” the German director tells Variety. Both films show the lead characters waking at the same time each morning, but whereas, in “Groundhog Day,” Phil is awoken by an alarm clock, in Wenders’ film, as he points out, Hirayama, played by Cannes best actor winner Koji Yakusho, “wakes up on his own, or he wakes up because there’s an old lady brushing the street outside, always on time. He doesn’t need an alarm clock. He doesn’t even own one.” There is a sense that this is a man in harmony with nature, and at peace with his existence, rather than wrestling with it.

really starting to polish it,” Thea Kano says.The artistic director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington was referring to a rehearsal of “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” part of the group’s upcoming tribute to Dolly Parton. “Some of our songs are upbeat and fun and all that,” Kano says.

Refresh for latest…: Disney’s live-action take on The Little Mermaid is doing swimmingly at the domestic box office, with a three-day opening of $95.5M and a four-day projection of $117.5M. Factoring in the international box office bow of $68.3M, that makes for an estimated $163.8M global debut through Sunday. The offshore launch is lower than hoped for coming into the frame. But it bears noting there was something fishy going on in overseas markets with so-called review-bombing in such areas as France, Korea, Germany and beyond.

What has fallen flat at Pixar? This is the innovative animation studio that pushed all before it in the first decade of this millennium, that invented a way of turning the plastic finish of digital animation to its advantage in the towering Toy Story, that was prepared to start a film with a 20-minute scene with no dialogue in Wall-E – and revealed that kids didn’t care – and that would make an adventure film with a hero aged 78 years young in UP!. Kids didn’t care about that either, as it turned out, because Carl Fredricksen was a grumpy-gramps adventurer who also didn’t care what others thought of him. Pixar always had something new up its collective artistic sleeve. And yet here they are, coming out with a film as dull-witted and syrupy as Elemental. 

Brits who are staying in the UK this May half term could enjoy better weather than those jetting away to popular holiday destinations, the Met Office has explained. Last week northern Italy was hit by severe floods following heavy rainfall, while thunderstorm warnings were issued for parts of Spain.

Victoria Beckham has divided her fans after posing in a £1,000 black and white ballgown from her latest collection. The Spice Girls star, 49, revealed her incredible figure in the halter neck frock as she posed for some pictures to her 30.9million followers on Instagram. In the first shot, the fashion designer looks gorgeous as she stands in front of a backdrop of delicate white flowers in the flowy ivory gown.

“The Drew Barrymore Show” that was shared last week.Cord banking entails storing the blood from the umbilical cord so it can be used later to treat diseases, with manystorage companies likening it to a “biological insurance policy” — just in case anything happens later in life that the precious cells are needed for.Stem cells collected from an umbilical cord — as opposed to bone marrow — are particularly useful, as they can work even if some of the proteins don’t match, meaning more people can use them, as well as benefit from a shorter processing time.According to Dr. Christine Sterling, an OB/GYN and spokesperson for stem storage company Cord Blood Registry (CBR) — which sponsored the segment on Barrymore’s show — the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells with the potential to act like a “body’s own personal repair kit.”However, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association say the potential benefits of storing umbilical cord blood as “insurance” are outweighed by the high cost of storing blood that may never be used. Initial collection and processing alone could cost up to $3,000, according to a 2022 Forbes story and, after that, annual storage fees could reach $1,300 — or more.

Thania Garcia Maluma will be hitting arenas across the United States later this fall in support of his upcoming album “Don Juan.” The world tour will hit 30 cities starting with Sacramento, Calif. on August 31, and visit venues such as the Forum in Los Angeles, Madison Square Garden in New York, and the Kaseya Center in Miami. “I am so excited to return to arenas around the U.S. this fall. I took a year off from touring to focus on perfecting what I feel is the best album of my career ‘Don Juan,” the Colombian music star said in a statement. “I can’t wait to perform the new songs from the album for my fans for the very first time alongside my greatest hits in what I consider to be my most ambitious concert production yet. I’ve waited to give my fans a music and concert experience unlike any other and I expect the ‘Don Juan U.S. Tour’ to be an exhilarating experience that they’ll never forget!”

Todd Haynes is having a great Cannes, isn’t he? His new film, “May December,” has earned rave reviews (including our own), with folks already predicting Oscars love. And now, it appears he has nothing but amazing projects to talk about coming in the future, including a new film with Joaquin Phoenix.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Cate Blanchett debuted her latest acting role in “The New Boy” at the Cannes Film Festival this week, but the Oscar-winner wouldn’t mind staying behind the camera a bit more. “I’m always trying to get out of acting,” Blanchett said. “I’ve been trying to stop acting my entire professional life.” Speaking at her Kering Women in Motion talk at Cannes, in conversation with her producing partner, Coco Francini, Blanchett said that her recent producing work behind the camera “feels an extension, for me, of my work as an actor.” “I remember an Australian film director saying to me really early on in my career that I had to stop taking small roles,” Blanchett recalled. “And I said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘That was the most interesting role.’ I didn’t want to play the lead. I want that one.”

Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, has picked up North American rights to the post-apocalyptic thriller Stronghold, directed by Julia Camara. In addition to US & Canada; Gravitas wants to add Latin American territories in addition to Mexico including the Caribbean and sub territories.”

In Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s “Black Flies,” silence is as scarce a commodity as hope. Young first responder Ollie Cross (Tye Sheridan) learns very early on that the job comes with two partners: the one sitting next to you and the relentless cacophony of sounds that cut through the vastness of night as shears.

For all of the success that Kenya Barris has had on TV, his film output as a director and especially a screenwriter is bizarrely spotty. For a project like “Girls Trip” (co-written with Tracy Oliver), we then have his directorial debut, Netflix’s “You People” from last January, co-written and starring Jonah Hill, which felt less like a comedy and more like a trap for anybody in front of the camera.

Jack Harlow this month, well, he’s officially in the industry, baby. The film industry to be precise.The same artist who recently claimed he was “the hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters” makes his acting debut with a remake of the 1992 sports comedy classic “White Men Can’t Jump.” But there’s nothing hard about this new movie, even with its R-rated language.

I feel like a broken record these days and it makes me want to scream.

EXCLUSIVE: Mandalay Pictures (Air) Yale Entertainment, and Post Film have partnered to produce a new thriller titled Barron’s Cove, starring Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect, X), and Hamish Linklater (The Big Short).

Joe Scarborough took some time to crack jokes about gay Republicans in the Senate on Wednesday’s “Morning Joe” after discussion of Florida’s investigation of a teacher who showed her students the Disney film “Strange World,” which features a gay character.Scarborough began with Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill, known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” which has Jenna Barbee is under investigation for potentially violating after she showed her class the film about environmentalism. Scarborough mocked the media reaction to the bill, which at first only applied to kindergarten through third grade for limiting sex education.

Even his co-stars are on the Jack Harlow thirst train.

Jack Harlow is opening up about his exhilarating experience on the set of his first film, “White Men Can’t Jump”.

Sophia Scorziello editor Jack Harlow makes his acting debut in the new remake of “White Men Can’t Jump.” “It was grueling. It was a hot summer,” the 25-year-old musician told Variety at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday night. He stars in the movie as Jeremy, a basketball hustler. While shooting the film, Harlow was also juggling the production of his latest album “Jackman.” “I just made it work,” Harlow said. “I’m a hardworker, I guess.” Sinqua Walls plays Harlow’s partner in crime, Kamal. On working with Harlow, Walls told Variety, “It was easy. He was one of my first castmates to ever call me before shooting to work on lines together. I have a lot of love for him. I’m telling you right now, this is just the beginning because the sky is the limit for my brother.