Dejana

Of course I know that IRL, Madison would be a terrible candidate to be someone else's surrogate but the writers tend to lay it on thick and not be concerned with reality. Also, writers would more likely than not go with a connected character, for the drama. I was surprised the doctor didn't suggest it. Maybe the odds are even lower? Of course, some people have ethical concerns, I think it's illegal in some states (though that's not a problem in California), and there is the issue of money but since this is TV, the latter tends to get handwaved.

IIRC, he has a job in IT, with his own office. My feeling is that the gestational surrogacy idea is being saved for a later date/season. IRL, the actor's sense of style is equally if not more extra than Toby's, so he probably likes his goatee situation as is. My wild prediction is that Kate and Toby go the surrogacy route, Madison the carrier gets pregnant with twins, overlapping Kate conceiving naturally, fulfilling the Circle of Life whereby one of the Big Three becomes the parent of an unorthodox set of triplets.

I took the original poster's comment to me that Beth could send some horrible made up tip about Kevin to a site like blind item site like Crazy Days and Nights or BlindGossip, to drive Zoe away, if she wanted. Of course, you would have fans who'd get bent out of shape about Kevin in an interracial relationship, but I don't see a site like TMZ getting huge traffic from stories about a sitcom star dating a hot, single civilian or it being a huge deal these days.

The monologues! I've watched every episode, but not for a while and I forgot about how much it can be. So, just like Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception, Jack and Rebecca ultimately connect and go the distance despite the odds! Kate and Toby will have a baby! Or, Beth is related to a Steelers legend, lol. The flash forwards show the Toby storyline going to a dark place, otherwise I'd figure that he and Kate were heading toward a gestational carrier. Still convinced that she's going to end up with multiples before the show is over.

I think that is only for individual rather than a collective disappearance due to some sort of cataclysmic event like a missing plane, and even that can vary by jurisdiction. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declared_death_in_absentia Apparently, death certificates were issued days after the Titanic sank and 9/11, though in those events, there were remains to be found right away, so the presumption of other deaths would be easier to make. Looking back, I thought Olive was a bit hesitant where her father was concerned, beyond the enormity of their predicament, then we learned that she knows all about her mom moving on with someone else.

I saw Twitter speculation last night that Grace's new boo is a woman, not sure if that's based on anything but it would differentiate the story from the Michaela/Jared/BFF triangle.

I guess all the luggage is being held for investigation? That would suck. Grace has moved on, too! What was that about her being queasy-is she pregnant? The show jumps around a bit too much for my liking, I can barely get invested in a scene when it's on to the next one. Was not expecting the plane to blow up at the end!

September 21–23, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) The House With A Clock In Its Walls $26,850,000 | 3,592 Theaters | $7,475 Avg. | $42M Budget | $26,850,000 2 (3) A Simple Favor $10,400,000 | 3,102 Theaters | $3,353 Avg. | $20M Budget | $32,562,414 3 (2) The Nun $10,250,000 | 3,707 Theaters | $2,765 Avg. | $22M Budget | $100,895,307 4 (1) The Predator $8,700,000 | 4,070 Theaters | $2,138 Avg. | $88M Budget | $40,435,122 5 (5) Crazy Rich Asians $6,515,000 | 2,802 Theaters | $2,325 Avg. | $30M Budget | $159,439,483 6 (4) White Boy Rick $5,000,000 | 2,504 Theaters | $1,997 Avg. | $29M Budget | $17,410,368 7 (6) Peppermint $3,720,000 | 2,680 Theaters | $1,388 Avg. | $25M Budget | $30,332,559 8 (N) Fahrenheit 11/9 $3,101,000 | 1,719 Theaters | $1,804 Avg. | $4-5M Budget | $3,101,000 9 (7) The Meg $2,350,000 | 2,003 Theaters | $1,173 Avg. | $130M Budget | $140,522,919 10 (8) Searching $2,175,000 | 1,787 Theaters | $1,217 Avg. | $23,115,344 11 (N) Life Itself $2,106,200 | 2,609 Theaters | $807 Avg. | $2,106,200 (one of the worst saturated opening weekends ever) 12 (10) Unbroken: Path to Redemption $1,335,000 | 1,484 Theaters | $900 Avg. | $6M Budget | $4,590,522 13 (9) Mission: Impossible – Fallout $1,165,000 | 871 Theaters | $1,338 Avg. | $178M Budget | $218,139,667 14 (11) Christopher Robin $1,053,000 | 1,252 Theaters | $841 Avg. | $70-75M Budget | $96,888,797 15 (N) Assassination Nation $1,028,600 | 1,403 Theaters | $733 Avg. | $1,028,600 The Wife $975,788 | 468 Theaters | $2,085 Avg. | $4,976,965 BlacKkKlansman $650,000 | 454 Theaters | $1,432 Avg. | $15M Budget | $47,129,350 Colette $156,788 | 4 Theaters | $39,197 Avg. | $156,788 The Sisters Brothers $122,028 | 4 Theaters | $30,507 Avg. | $122,028 International Box Office: INCREDIBLES 2: $588.8M Overseas Total | $1.195B Global Total MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT: $559.8M Overseas Total | $777.9M Global Total ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: $401.6M Overseas Total | $617.5M Global Total THE MEG: $375.9M Overseas Total | $516.4M Global Total HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION: $341.5M Overseas Total | $507.5M Global Total MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN: $267.4M Overseas Total | $387.6M Global Total THE NUN: $191.7M Overseas Total | $292.6M Global Total CRAZY RICH ASIANS: $47M Overseas Total | $206.4M Global Total THE EQUALIZER 2: $81.6M Overseas Total | $183.6M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $67.9M Overseas Total | $164.7M Global Total THE PREDATOR: $54.5M Overseas Total | $94.9M Global Total BLACKKKLANSMAN: $29.3M Overseas Total | $76.4M Global Total SEARCHING: $31.1M Overseas Total | $54.2M Global Total A SIMPLE FAVOR: $10M Overseas Total | $42.5M Global Total

The Predator continues the less than amazing box office of the franchise and Blake Lively has another mid-level hit. It was fascinating to see the marketing for A Simple Favor shift from selling it as a Blake Lively/Anna Kendrick two-hander for months, to adding about a thousand percent more Henry Golding in the last 2-3 weeks. September 14–16, 2018 Final Numbers: 1 (N) The Predator $24,632,284 | 4,037 Theaters | $6,102 Avg. | $88M Budget | $24,632,284 2 (1) The Nun $18,238,263 | 3,876 Theaters | $4,705 Avg. | $22M Budget | $85,114,588 3 (N) A Simple Favor $16,011,689 | 3,102 Theaters | $5,162 Avg. | $20M Budget | $16,011,689 4 (N) White Boy Rick $8,860,431 | 2,504 Theaters | $3,539 Avg. | $29M Budget | $8,860,431 5 (3) Crazy Rich Asians $8,688,369 | 3,385 Theaters | $2,567 Avg. | $30M Budget | $149,540,273 6 (2) Peppermint $6,004,227 | 2,980 Theaters | $2,015 Avg. | $25M Budget | $24,180,031 7 (4) The Meg $3,862,851 | 2,851 Theaters | $1,355 Avg. | $130M Budget | $137,145,041 8 (5) Searching $3,179,538 | 2,009 Theaters | $1,583 Avg. | $19,600,641 9 (6) Mission: Impossible – Fallout $2,285,225 | 1,761 Theaters | $1,298 Avg. | $178M Budget | $216,105,562 10 (N) Unbroken: Path to Redemption $2,238,723 | 1,620 Theaters | $1,451 Avg. | $6M Budget | $2,238,723 11 (7) Christopher Robin $2,150,149 | 1,902 Theaters | $1,130 Avg. | $70-75M Budget | $95,143,636 12 (9) BlacKkKlansman $1,260,890 | 942 Theaters | $1,339 Avg. | $15M Budget | $45,911,840 13 (8) Operation Finale $1,159,258 | 1,472 Theaters | $788 Avg. | $20-24M Budget | $16,305,563 14 (20) The Wife $1,122,185 | 541 Theaters | $2,074 Avg. | $3,430,924 15 (10) Alpha $1,074,896 | 1,534 Theaters | $701 Avg. | $51M Budget | $34,415,913 International Box Office: INCREDIBLES 2: $577.8M Overseas Total | $1.183B Global Total MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT: $544.8M Overseas Total | $760.9M Global Total HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION: $337.8M Overseas Total | $503.1M Global Total THE NUN: $143.6M Overseas Total | $228.7M Global Total CRAZY RICH ASIANS: $37.9M Overseas Total | $187.4M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $58.7M Overseas Total | $153.7M Global Total BLACKKKLANSMAN: $26.2M Overseas Total | $72.1M Global Total THE PREDATOR: $30.7M Overseas Total | $54.7M Global Total SEARCHING: $26.2M Overseas Total | $45.8M Global Total

Pretty much all Oscar frontrunners in the last 20 years or so have gotten a backlash whether they were romantic in nature or not, but love stories (whether comedic or dramatic) often tend to get dismissed as frivolous and not as weighty as, say, a family drama or war movie. Still, even a war movie can get dismissed as "obvious awards bait" or "too grisly" or whatever. A Star Is Born goes into some pretty serious areas, at least, so I think it will be less susceptible to being dismissed as lightweight, though this film festival season has brought on multiple films about female singers rising to/coping with fame (Vox Lux, Her Smell, Wild Rose), and I already saw one critic tweet that Natalie Portman played a better version of Lady Gaga than Lady Gaga. So maybe that will be the angle, that ASIB is all very glossy and Hollywood compared to the gritty indie movie over there, among other things. Whatever the whisper campaigns are, I think an Oscar frontrunner can generally pull out the win so long as there's not another movie hanging around as a clear second all season, the way Moonlight was with La La Land. Even the year when 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture and Gravity got the most overall wins, there was American Hustle, which went home empty handed, but got 10 nominations, 4 in acting, so clearly it had big supporters in the Academy.

Box Office Mojo lumps all of those entities together, still using the "Buena Vista" brand name that was in place for Disney's distribution arm when the site started (it was rebranded Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in 2007), so it would make sense if the trades did, too. Anyway, a studio having the Top 2 movies for four weeks straight is apparently harder than it looks, as the "record" didn't pan out with the actual numbers. September 7–9, 2018 Final Numbers: 1. The Nun, $53,807,379 2. Peppermint, $13,423,255 3. Crazy Rich Asians, $13,148,404 4. The Meg, $6,094,327 5. Searching, $4,570,235 6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout, $3,885,798 7. Christopher Robin, $3,404,931 8. Operation Finale, $2,871,184 9. BlacKkKlansman, $2,609,915 10. Alpha, $2,517,768 11. God Bless the Broken Road, $1,386,254 12. Incredibles 2, $1,352,194 13. Mile 22, $1,206,503 14. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, $1,121,921 15. The Happytime Murders, $1,082,377

Yep: WB has already scheduled It: Chapter 2 for this weekend in 2019.

Huge achievement for The Nun (biggest opening weekend of The Conjuring Universe) and its studio: September 7–9, 2018 Estimates: 1 (N) The Nun $53,500,000 | 3,876 Theaters | $13,803 Avg. | $22M Budget | $53,500,000 2 (1) Crazy Rich Asians $13,600,000 | 3,865 Theaters | $3,519 Avg. | $30M Budget | $136,222,165 3 (N) Peppermint $13,260,000 | 2,980 Theaters | $4,450 Avg. | $25M Budget | $13,260,000 4 (2) The Meg $6,030,000 | 3,511 Theaters | $1,717 Avg. | $130M Budget | $131,572,774 5 (4) Searching $4,515,000 | 2,009 Theaters | $2,247 Avg. | $14,311,130 6 (3) Mission: Impossible – Fallout $3,800,000 | 2,334 Theaters | $1,628 Avg. | $178M Budget | $212,116,767 7 (6) Christopher Robin $3,196,000 | 2,518 Theaters | $1,269 Avg. | $70-75M Budget | $91,725,090 8 (5) Operation Finale $3,043,000 | 1,818 Theaters | $1,674 Avg. | $20-24M Budget | $14,107,446 9 (7) Alpha $2,505,000 | 2,521 Theaters | $994 Avg. $51M Budget | $32,447,518 10 (9) BlacKkKlansman $1,565,000 | 1,547 Theaters | $1,012 Avg. | $15M Budget | $43,454,530 11 (N) God Bless the Broken Road $1,562,000 | 1,272 Theaters | $1,228 Avg. | $1,562,000 (loosely based on the Rascal Flatts hit) 12 (11) Incredibles 2 $1,284,000 | 1,446 Theaters | $888 Avg. | $200M Budget | $604,397,505 13 (10) Mile 22 $1,210,000 | 1,802 Theaters | $671 Avg. | $50M Budget | $35,115,146 14 (8) The Happytime Murders $1,090,000 | 1,839 Theaters | $593 Avg. | $40M Budget | $20,025,427 15 (13) Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation $1,085,000 | 1,012 Theaters | $1,072 Avg. | $80M Budget | $164,196,613 Ya Veremos $770,000 | 369 Theaters | $2,087 Avg. | $3,315,037 The Wife $712,970 | 153 Theaters | $4,660 Avg. | $2,037,257 Juliet, Naked $670,120 | 467 Theaters | $1,435 Avg. | $2,457,583 The Little Stranger $65,000 | 477 Theaters | $136 Avg. | $680,058 International Box Office: JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM: $886.6M Overseas Total | $1.302B Global Total INCREDIBLES 2: $572.2M Overseas Total | $1.176B Global Total MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT: $514.5M Overseas Total | $726.6M Global Total ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: $395.4M Overseas Total | $610.2M Global Total THE MEG: $360.4M Overseas Total | $491.9M Global Total MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN: $257.3M OVerseas Total | $376.3M Global Total CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: $51.2M Overseas Total | $142.9M Global Total THE NUN: $77.5M Overseas Total | $131M Global Total BLACKKKLANSMAN: $22.1M Overseas Total | $65.5M Global Total ALPHA: $27.5M Overseas Total | $59.9M Global Total SEARCHING: $17.7M Overseas Total | $32M Global Total

Clips: One Reason: Songwriter: A Way Out: 12 Notes: All together now:

Patrick was coaching. Others coach but he got busted. Serena should have just let it go, but didn't, and compounded the penalties. However, there is such a thing as swallowing the whistle. Who knows what would have happened without the game penalty? This is awkward as hell. Nice of Serena to tell the crowd to stop booing, but "We're going to get through this," lol.

Popular Film category postponed for now: http://oscars.org/news/academy-determines-new-oscars-category-merits-further-study

October isn't a bad place for a "prestige" movie with commercial potential: The Social Network, Gravity, Captain Phillips, Gone Girl and The Martian were October releases. Four Best Picture winners this decade were released in October: Argo, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman and Moonlight (three more were November releases). If a movie is held back too close to Christmas, it doesn't always get seen by enough people or build enough momentum to really maximize its awards potential. Oscar voters often prioritize watching things that have won earlier critics prizes or have made tons of money, but either path requires a movie actually being seen. Funny that you mention Hidden Figures, because I think it would have doubled its Oscar nominations count if it had come on the scene just 2-3 weeks earlier that year. Warner Bros was going to release ASIB in May and then the end of September, before settling on October 5. I think it's a good spot: it makes sure the movie is seen but lets some other, later release become the Oscar frontrunner and get the major backlash instead, plus it positions the soundtrack nicely for a Black Friday/holiday season sales boost, and it's likely to be on Blu-ray/streaming by the time the final Oscar voting takes place. WB has other plans for the holidays: their big Christmas release is Aquaman (but it wouldn't surprise me at all if A Star is Born makes more money in the end).

Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey, Gosford Park) did a Titanic miniseries in 2012 (that year also brought two more Titanic TV docudramas, and a different miniseries about the construction of the ship). Over the years, numerous films and TV episodes about the Titanic have been made. The objections about the 1997 movie focusing primarily on Jack and Rose have always seemed strange to me, because it's hardly the first Titanic story that featured fictional characters dropped into the real event. Even the first movie about the Titanic (released a month after the sinking) gave its star, an actress who'd survived the voyage, a fictional fiancé (named Jack!) to add drama, and it was a whopping 10 minutes long. There are plenty of documentaries and books about the ship and its survivors around to offer a more grounded perspective.

I don't mind adaptations being different from the source material, so long as the writing is mindful of the impact on those changes on the rest of the story. I remember thinking that exact thing the first time I watched this version, as Nick was so shocked/disappointed that no one wants anything to do with Gatsby anymore. Well, yes, he'd always kept himself at a distance to begin with, and as far as anyone knows, he killed his mistress in a hit and run once he lost interest: who wants to pay their respects to a person like that? Which completely undercuts the point Fitzgerald was trying to make. I always thought Tobey as Nick was a miscast, but that being Leo's longtime BFF gave him the inside track on the role. I do like Leo's take on Gatsby, love the party scenes and still listen to the soundtrack and orchestral score every so often.

Labor Day Final Numbers (4-Day in Parentheses): 1 (1) Crazy Rich Asians $21.96M ($28.58M) | 3,865 Theaters | $30M Budget | $117,303,610 2 (2) The Meg $10.54M ($13.12M) | 3,761 Theaters | $130-178M Budget | $123,802,883 3 (4) Mission: Impossible – Fallout $7.03M ($9.32M) | 2,639 Theaters | $178M Budget | $206,661,700 4 (22) Searching $6.06M ($7.62M) | 1,207 Theaters | $8,123,515 5 (N) Operation Finale $6.02M ($7.87M) | 1,818 Theaters | $20-24M Budget | $9,601,678 6 (6) Christopher Robin $5.28M ($7.20M) | 2,925 Theaters | $70-75M Budget | $87,609,495 7 (7) Alpha $4.55M ($6.04M) | 2,881 Theaters | $51M Budget | $28,964,072 8 (3) The Happytime Murders $4.38M ($5.39M) | 3,256 Theaters | $40M Budget | $18,009,370 9 (8) BlacKkKlansman $4.20M ($5.65M) | 1,766 Theaters | $15M Budget | $39,841,980 10 (5) Mile 22 $3.77M ($4.81M) | 2,950 Theaters | $50M Budget | $33,000,282 Incredibles 2 $3.37M ($4.72M) | 2,890 Theaters | $200M Budget | $602,579,381 Kin $3.04M ($3.87M) | 2,141 Theaters | $3,867,703 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation $2.12M ($2.94M) | 1,421 Theaters | $80M Budget | $$162,844,423 Slender Man $1.82M ($2.20M) | 1,534 Theaters | $10-28M Budget | $28,560,595 Ya veremos $1.80M ($2.26M) | 369 Theaters | $2,259,362 The Equalizer 2 $1.46M ($1.85M) | 1,476 Theaters | $62M Budget | $100,748,027 Ant-Man and the Wasp $1.40M ($1.81M) | 830 Theaters | $162-195M Budget | $213,977,857 The Little Stranger $402K ($496K) | 474 Theaters | $496,528 International Box Office: JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM: $885.4M Overseas Total | $1.3B Global Total INCREDIBLES 2: $562.5M Overseas Total | $1.16B Global Total MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT: $442.7M Overseas Total | $649.0M Global Total THE MEG: $342.3M Overseas Total | $462.8M Global Total

I believe that was the plan at one point, but in following the promotional campaign so far (though it's early days yet), I think the strategy in using her stage name is to make her seem like that much more of a actress, by playing up the contrast of her image in the film vs. how extra L. Gaga is in real life.

Not really, I've seen lots of lukewarm reactions on the movie/awards sites I frequent, since the project was announced and after the first trailer (the second one released this week is a bit more engaging for me). I still planned to see it, because I like the people involved and I like space stories, but understood some of the fears it would be predictable, paint by numbers Oscar bait, and Neil Armstrong wasn't known for being the most dynamic guy (and in some ways the reviewers have validated these criticisms, even while being positive overall). Oddly enough, I think this backlash might help its critical/awards reception a bit, or at least give it some free publicity.

The fall film season is here with the festivals in Venice and Telluride underway, and Toronto soon to come. So far, the best reviewed awards contenders appear to be Roma and The Favourite, so Disney ABC is probably thinking they dreamed up that Popular Film category just in time! Though A Star Is Born is also going over pretty well so far, will be a big box office hit and seems likely (as of now, so much can change) to contend in major categories (Picture, Popular Film, Actor, Actress—in another year, I'd say Director, but the category is awfully stacked), plus will probably win for Song, and that would keep AMPAS happy, if not ABC (as ASIB is a Warner Bros film). Also, we already have our first awards season controversy with First Man (though its reviews started off strong)—there are outraged politician tweets, boycott threats, downvotes on IMDb and everything! Damien Chazelle has got to be thinking, "This again? Oh, come on!"

Reviews (Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic) There's been good buzz from industry insiders and other stars for months, but sometimes that doesn't pan out after the official premiere. It's about a month until opening day (October 5 in the US) and longer still until the Oscars, so I'm fully prepared for the inevitable awards season backlash/controversy(ies). From a Venice Film Festival press conference yesterday: