Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic You’ve heard the expression, “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Well, “The Grab” makes the case that society had best brace itself for disorder, since certain parties are gobbling up the world’s food and water resources while the rest of us are distracted by other things. Produced in association with the Center for Investigative Reporting, “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s astonishing, eye-opening doc hits us with the idea that the next world war won’t be fought over ideology, oil or border disputes, but basic resources like meat, wheat and water, none of which should be taken for granted. Experts call this field “food security,” and the entire system is more fragile than it looks. World populations are climbing while water resources are dwindling, which has led countries such as Saudi Arabia and China to seek farmland on other continents. Among its myriad examples, “The Grab” focuses on a 15-square-mile expanse in La Paz, Ariz., an arid desert locale where there’s no limit to the amount of water landowners can pump from the aquifers. Arizona’s policy of unrestricted access means Saudi investors can legally tap into the water table to grow fields of hay, which will be shipped home to feed their cattle, even if it means draining the wells of local farmers in the process.
‘The Glee Project’ Contestants Say ‘a Lot of Trauma’ Came From Reality Series: ‘It Was Abuse, Whether They Thought It Was or Wasn’t’
22.08.2022 - 20:21 / thewrap.com
Insider, former winners and runners-up of “The Glee Project” — including Damian McGinty, Samuel Larsen and Lindsay Pearce — admitted that the reality show was pretty emotionally damaging at times, saying that the producers “manipulated” the young contestants into storylines they wanted to see on screen.“It was abuse, whether they thought it was or wasn’t,” Pearce, who had a brief arc as Harmony “the Gerber baby” on the show, said. “They made a successful reality television show, but the cost was high for some of us.” Pearce recalled two specific moments on the show, in which she was involved directly.
One involved “Vulnerability Week” on the show, where “they sat us down and essentially asked us to tell them our deepest, darkest secrets.”Pearce discussed being sexually assaulted, and how she felt that, to process that trauma and the emotions around it, “I had to put on a front.” But, the actress says that the whole story didn’t end up making the show.“The cut is me saying people like me because I’m pretty, which makes me feel fake. That was gut-wrenching, ’cause I wouldn’t have shared my experience if I knew how it’d be edited,” Pearce said. “It didn’t fit the narrative that they were trying to make.” That said, Pearce told Insider that she doesn’t “hold any hatred or harbor any resentment” for the show or its creators.
Former contestant Cameron Mitchell was also unhappy with some of how his story was edited, after the show claimed he quit because of his religious values. In reality, he left because of a series of incidents, beginning with his “Baby It’s Cold Outside” video shoot with Pearce.In shooting the video, Pearce kissed Mitchell at the end — something he did not know was coming, and was not OK with, considering
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‘Farmer Wants A Wife’ Reality Series Rebooted At Fox
Fox is breeding another reality series reboot.
Art-House Film ‘Return to Dust’ Wins Weekend as China Box Office Dips to Three Month Low
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Art-house title “Return to Dust” was a surprise weekend winner, topping the mainland China box office in its ninth weekend of release. The astonishing feat occurred on an otherwise depressed weekend in which China’s cinema box office dipped to a three-month low. This reflected the summer season winding to an end and anti-COVID measures once again forcing major Chinese cities into retreat. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed “Return” grossing $5.3 million (RMB36.2 million) between Friday and Sunday. Those three days accounted for nearly half of the $12.7 million (RMB87.4 million) cumulative total it has earned since release on July 8, 2022.
‘Bullet Train’ Nears $200M WW As ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Reaches $995M; Overall Slow Frame Gets Holdover Boost From UK’s National Cinema Day Discount – International Box Office
This was yet another soft weekend at the international box office with no major fresh titles and as summer fully closes out in Europe and beyond.
BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Karen Hauer shows off new hair in moody boxing snap with show's new professional dancer
Professional dancer Karen Hauer looked sensational as she showed off her new hair in a photoshoot with one of Strictly Come Dancing's newest professional dancers.
Meet Strictly Come Dancing's sensational new professionals ahead of 2022 series
Strictly Come Dancing's four new professionals are set to be introduced to viewers in a cinematic routine filmed alongside the returning cast. European cup winner Vito Coppola, Chinese national champion Carlos Gu, former Under-21 British national champion Lauren Oakley and Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas complete the show's largest-ever line-up of 20 pros this year.They join the returning Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Cameron Lombard, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Giovanni Pernice, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu.The introductory routine will form part of the Strictly Come Dancing launch show airing on BBC One and iPlayer on 17 September.
Brandi Carlile Re-Records ‘In These Silent Days,’ Acoustically, as ‘In the Canyon Haze’
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Taylor Swift is not the only one re-recording fairly recent albums. Now Brandi Carlile has done it, although with very different reasons than the ones that prompted Swift to revisit her catalog. Carlile has gone back into the studio to redo last year’s “In These Silent Days” in its entirety, in a new, acoustic-focused version that’s been titled “In the Canyon Haze.” The newly recorded album will be out Sept. 28 and is preceded today by “You and Me on the Rock (In the Canyon Haze),” a remake that features her wife, Catherine Carlile, on harmony vocals. Carlile said that the project came about when she was looking at putting out a deluxe edition of “Silent Days” for the album’s upcoming anniversary, with bonus tracks, but settled on a way to make the entire album a bonus. The “canyon” part alludes to how the artist thinks the re-do aims for a vintage Laurel Canyon spirit in the reconfigured arrangements.
Kerry Katona backs Ashley Cain to win Celebrity SAS: 'He's a warrior’
Kerry Katona took part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2021 alongside Ulrika Jonsson and Alexandra Burke, and now that the celebrity line-up has been revealed, she is backing Ashley Cain to win the series. Atomic Kitten singer Kerry, 41, gave a good go at the challenge and has revealed it "isn't what you expect at all" after previously saying it was like "therapy" for her. And speaking about this year's line up which includes Love Island star Amber Gill, 25, and TOWIE's Ferne McCann, 32, and Pete Wicks, 33, Kerry tells OK! they will all do "great".
‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Footage Screened For China Film Group With Surprise Greeting From James Cameron
Executives from China Film Group were recently treated to a screening of footage from Disney/20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way Of Water, receiving a surprise greeting from filmmaker James Cameron in the process. China Daily reported the news which Deadline has confirmed.
Chloé Zhao-Exec Produced Vincent Chin Scripted Series Adds Kogonada & Christopher Radcliff To Write & Direct
EXCLUSIVE: Participant’s Chloé Zhao-exec produced limited scripted series about Vincent Chin had found its writers and director.
Nick Cannon’s ‘junk’ never takes a break, ‘Wild ‘N Out’ host says
cannon never gets tired of blasting off.On the red carpet at the 2022 VMAs Sunday, “Wild ‘N Out” siren Justina Valentine spoke candidly about the show’s fertile frontman Nick Cannon, who announced the impending birth of his tenth child last week.“One thing about Nick, he doesn’t vacation and neither does his junk,” Valentine, 35, told The Post after jokingly being asked if Cannon, 41, planned to launch a “Wild ‘N Out” day-care center for his brood.On Thursday, Cannon and former beauty pageant queen Brittany Bell, 34, revealed on Instagram that they are expecting their third child, which will be his tenth, together.The pair already have a 5-year-old son, Golden, and a 1-year-old daughter, Powerful Queen.“He’s a hard-working man, across the board,” Valentine added with a chuckle. And she isn’t the only lady in Cannon’s life to poke fun at his rampant fruitfulness. Abby De La Rosa — who gave birth to his most recent set of twins, Zion and Zillion Cannon, in June 2021 and is currently pregnant with their third child — joked that the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” star is siring an entire generation. “Move over Kardashians, ‘Gen C’ is taking over baby,” penned De La Rosa, 32, as the in-text caption of an Instagram Story following Cannon and Bell’s virtual pregnancy announcement. She re-posted a clip from comedian Brian Moller, who wisecracked that Cannon’s 10 (and counting) kids might eventually “take on the Kardashians for world supremacy.”“And they said millennials aren’t having kids,” quipped Moller. “They’re not, Nick’s having them all!”Cannon’s incessant seed-spilling notwithstanding, he seems to be making an effort to spend quality time with his growing gaggle of little ones.
Short-Lived The Glee Project’s Former Contestants Reveal The True Hell Behind-The-Scenes! Alleged Unlivable Conditions, Manipulation, & MORE
This sounds way worse than getting a slushy to the face!
‘The Glee Project’ Alums Claim They Were ‘Manipulated’ by the Show: ‘It Was Very Traumatic’
Behind-the-scenes secrets — and some bad memories. The cast of The Glee Project detailed their experiences on the reality competition, and they weren’t all happy.
‘The Glee Project’ Contestants Open Up About ‘Traumatic’ And ‘Anxiety-Inducing’ Experience On The Show
It wasn’t all fun and games on Ryan Murphy’s “The Glee Project”, apparently.
Justin Timberlake to Perform at Children’s Hospital L.A. Gala Hosted by Chris Pine and Dad Robert
Carson Burton Justin Timberlake will perform live at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala on Oct. 8, with Chris Pine and his father, Robert Pine, serving as the evening’s co-hosts. The gala, which will be held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, will raise money for the hospital to provide critical care to pediatric patients.At the event, Panda Express and philanthropists Kristin and Jeff Worthe will all receive the Courage to Care Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations with exemplary humanitarian efforts in child care.
China censors ending of ‘Minions,’ changing Gru from evil to good
“Minions: The Rise of Gru,” were in for a surprise after the ending was altered to have Gru, the main villain of the Illumination franchise, turned from an evil man to a good dude.The Chinese version of the animated film has an array of post-credit scenes in which a variety of subtitles say Gru “eventually became one of the good guys” who was “dedicated to raising his family.”In the United States, viewers find out how Gru tricked the police and learned to defeat his enemies to become the ultimate villain.Since “Minions” takes place before the “Despicable Me” series, Gru is not supposed to be the hero.Other post-credit scenes also feature the cops arresting Gru’s mentor, Wild Knuckles.In the Chinese adaptation, though, the police are not deceived and instead apprehend Knuckles, who is later jailed for two decades for his crimes.