Movies

Questlove To Direct “Live-Action/Hybrid” Remake Of Disney’s “The Aristocats”

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Hip Hop and Disney are once again colliding, and Questlove is at the helm of a new project. The music veteran has solidified himself as a respected icon in the industry. After helping curate a mega-performance at this year’s Grammys, Quest is moving on to The Artistocats. Deadline exclusively reported that Questlove, real name Ahmir Thompson, will make his official feature film directorial debut with this upcoming project. The remake of Disney’s animated 1970 classic is described as a “live-action/hybrid reimagining.” Additionally, Quest will also overhead the music for the film. It’s unclear if that means the soundtrack, the score, or all.

As far as the talent is concerned, we’ll have to wait for an announcement. Deadline didn’t share if Walt Disney Studios had anyone in mind to star in the film just yet. However, it was revealed that Two One Five Entertainment’s Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman would act as executive producers along with Olive Bridge. This is a huge move for Questlove, who won Best Documentary Feature at last year’s Oscars for Summer of Soul.

Questlove Tackles a Family Favorite

Disney has revisited several of their fan favorites over the years. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and most recently, The Little Mermaid have all received remakes. The Aristocats centered on a group of cats in Paris who will soon become rich after inheriting money from their owner. However, the butler is looking out for himself and tries to get rid of the felines. The kitties band together and go on a wild adventure to make it back home.

News about Questlove’s latest gigs arrives just one month after Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary was honored at the Grammys. It wouldn’t have happened without the help of The Roots icon, who orchestrated having dozens of Rap’s finest share the stage. It wasn’t an easy feat—some people didn’t get along, others were booked, and a few just didn’t want to participate. The drummer even took the criticism from fans in stride and answered questions from frustrated social media users. Yet, overall, the reception was positive, and many of our pioneers received their deserved flowers. Take a walk down memory lane and check out a clip of The Aristocats above.

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Halle Bailey’s Emotional Moment With Young “The Little Mermaid” Fan Has The Internet In Tears

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We’ll soon receive the new live-action The Little Mermaid, and it’s clear Halle Bailey’s inclusion in the film has touched fans. When Disney first announced that the songbird would tackle the lead role of red-haired Ariel, there were mixed reactions. One side of the fence celebrated Bailey in her new role, while the other condemned the film for adding a Black Ariel. Disney purists believed the character should remain porcelain-skinned, and racists made their voices heard on social media.

Throughout it all, the mild-mannered singer took the criticism in stride. Her support system, including her equally-successful sister Chlöe Bailey, defended her against naysayers, as did their supporters. Despite the backlash, Halle acknowledged the weight taking on this role would carry, especially for young Black girls looking for another Disney princess who looked like them. One such pint-sized fan ran into Bailey during a trip with Disney World, and the precious moment brought tears to the eyes of viewers.

Halle Bailey Hugs Excited Fan

On Instagram, Halle shared bits and pieces from her trip to the Magical Kingdom. In one clip, the singer held a little girl who clasped onto Bailey tightly. A woman off-camera, presumably a relative, told the singer that Ariel was her favorite princess. When it seemed that Halle attempted to end the embrace, it only elicited laughs because the little girl wasn’t ready to let go. The only thing that could divert her attention was questioning her about a photo. Even then, she only turned her head and still kept a tight grip on her new favorite Ariel.

“Met this beautiful baby Mila Rose who made me cry 🥺,” Bailey wrote alongside the video. “She just hugged me so tight ❤.” Elsewhere, another fan was thrilled when they stopped for the parade and captured Halle Bailey grooving with Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. The singer joined the first Black Disney princess in her car as they rode through the crowd and danced to the film’s favorites.

Taking It All In

In a recent feature for Edition Modern Luxury, Bailey spoke about her first reactions to the public’s pushback. “Seeing the world’s reaction to it was definitely a shock,” she said. “But seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and Black young girls, really tore me up emotionally.” Further, Bailey stated, “It’s honestly been such a crazy ride, and I genuinely feel shocked and honored and grateful to be in this position. A lot of times, I have to pinch myself and be like, is this real life?” Check out videos of Halle Bailey’s Disney World trip above.

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Jennifer Lopez Actually Cut Jane Fonda’s Face During ‘Monster-In-Law’ Slap Scene: ‘She’s Never Apologized’

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Ben Affleck may get a lot of flack for his grumpy face, but according to Jane Fonda, it’s Jennifer Lopez that the public should be worried about. During the legendary actress’ appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show alongside her 80 For Brady co-star Lily Tomlin, she dished about her time working with the singer on the 2005 film Monster-In-Law.

As host Barrymore asked the pair about their memories of some of their most beloved characters when Fonda was asked about Monster-In-Law, of course, the infamous slap scene took center stage. “The thing that comes to mind right away is we have a slapping scene – I slap her, she slaps me,” said Fonda.

But as Fonda continued, things got a bit more interesting, “Well, Jennifer, as per Jennifer, she had this enormous diamond ring, and so when she slapped me one of the times, it cut open across my eye – my eyebrow,” and as the in-studio audience gasped she added, “And, she’s never apologized.”

TikToker users may add this story to their ongoing list of reasons not to like the star, but clearly, the interaction didn’t leave the pair with any bad blood. Especially given the fact that Fonda attended and was named by Lopez as one of her role models during her speech as she unveiled her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

Watch the full clip from The Drew Barrymore Show above.

Jonathan Majors Arrested In New York City For Allegedly Assaulting Woman, Rep Denies It

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Authorities arrested Jonathan Majors in New York City for allegedly assaulting a woman on Saturday (March 25). Moreover, TMZ reports that sources from law enforcement told them they took him in on Saturday morning on charges of strangulation, assault, and harassment. Furthermore, police reportedly responded to a service call in Manhattan, specifically Chelsea, around 11 a.m. ET. According to these reports, a woman claimed that she got into an altercation with the actor, who proceeded to attack her. Their relationship is unknown, and Majors’ representative denied these claims of wrongdoing.

Not only that, but the alleged victim displayed injuries such as a laceration behind her ear, reddened areas, and clear marks of impact on her face. Fortunately, she is in stable condition according to reports after officials transported her to a nearby medical center. Moreover, police apprehended Majors and took him to prison after belief that there was enough evidence for probable cause. Still, from what TMZ informs, he is already out of law enforcement’s hands.

Jonathan Majors Arrested For Alleged Assault

“He’s done nothing wrong. We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up,” the 33-year-old’s representative stated to the outlet. Of course, this news should come as a massive shock to those even remotely caught up with movies these days. After huge roles in the latest Ant-Man film and Creed III, he became one of the most acclaimed and admired screen actors of the moment. Not only have his roles impressed both casual and snobby movie audiences, but his charisma made him a favorite in the pop culture world.

For example, he recently showed some love to the rap world when talking about what music inspired him for his role as Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson in the latest Creed film. Specifically, he honored Nipsey Hussle and Tupac. Given his massive popularity right now and how much people seem to like him, many hope that these allegations are untrue. While it seems he and his team look forward to proving as such, it would be an unfortunate fate for a career with such promise if his actions hurt others. This is still a developing story, so come back to HNHH for the latest updates on Jonathan Majors.

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Kanye West’s Jonah Hill & “21 Jump Street” Post Gets Response From Directors

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Kanye West’s return to Instagram, thanking Jonah Hill in the film 21 Jump Street for making him “like Jewish people again” got a response from the film’s directors. Moreover, it was a pretty weird and still incredibly tone deaf post that caused many to clown or further criticize him. Still, as many fans pointed out, he could’ve said much worse. “Watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump street made me like Jewish people again,” the Chicago rapper wrote. “No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people. No Christian can be labeled antisemite knowing Jesus is Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill I love you.”

Furthermore, both Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who directed the film) had cheeky, brief, and comical responses to Ye’s proclamation. “Um… thanks for watching?” Miller tweeted with a screenshot of the post in question. On his end, Lord retweeted and replied to a tweet asking if there’s anything the directing duo can’t do. “Laughter is the best medicine,” Phil commented in response. However, Hill hasn’t spoken on that message yet, presumably because he doesn’t have social media.

“21 Jump Street” Directors Respond To Kanye West

Of course, it was only a matter of time before Kanye made some form of a comeback on social media, if only in the literal sense. He’s been laying relatively low for the past few months, with his most discussed behavior being his paparazzi interactions while out with wife Bianca Censori. While he’s not making the explosive and combative statements that sent public goodwill through a downward spiral, this seemed backhanded to many out there. More than that, it doesn’t indicate any understanding of wrongdoing, although it’s the typical Gram antic from the Yeezy mogul at this point.

Meanwhile, Amber Rose and Julia Fox both shared their experiences dating the 45-year old on the latter’s Forbidden Fruits podcast. Moreover, they discussed his tendency to make everything about him, whether it’s playing his music all the time or being the most well-known person in the room. Regardless, it’s clear that some of that attitude translates into him believing his Jonah Hill shout-out was warranted. Check out Miller’s response below and, for the latest news and updates on Kanye West, stick around on HNHH.

Ye’s Jonah Hill Shoutout Gets Response From Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

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Kanye West “Likes Jewish People Again” Thanks To Jonah Hill & “21 Jump Street”

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Kanye West is back on Instagram. With his first post, it appears the 45-year-old is feeling prepared to make amends with the Jewish community. Throughout much of 2022, he shared several anti-Semitic sentiments on social media, resulting in his ban from various platforms. Aside from getting the boot on Twitter and Instagram, Ye also lost out on several of his biggest brand deals. Among them was one with Adidas that’s rumoured to be picking back up after their public fallout late last year.

Upon being cancelled, West retreated from the public eye for some time. This left some former associates and followers concerned that he may have even gone missing. As rumours continued to swirl, it was revealed that he and Australian architect Bianca Censori have tied the knot. The couple has since been seen out and about in California, shopping, spending time with Ye’s oldest daughter, North West, and hitting up theme parks, among other things. From the sounds of his latest Instagram post, the “Flashing Lights” hitmaker has also been spending time re-watching classic comedy films from the last decade – more specifically, 21 Jump Street seems to have struck a chord with him.

21 Jump Street Leaves Ye Feeling Inspired

On Friday (March 25), the father of four’s feed lit up with a screenshot of the Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum-led 2012 movie. Apparently, it was watching the former comedian in 21 Jump Street recently that made West “like Jewish people again.” He later added, “No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people. No Christian can be labelled antisemite knowing Jesus is [a] Jew.”

He concluded his message with, “Thank you Jonah Hill, I love you.” Since arriving late last night, Kanye West’s post has already received upwards of 1.6M double taps, plus countless comments reacting to the Atlanta-born artist’s sudden change of heart. “I always knew Jonah Hill would save Kanye,” one person joked. “Waking up to this is truly incredible…” another added. What are your thoughts on the Yeezy founder’s most recent IG upload? Let us know below, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Halle Bailey Shared An Adorable Video Of A Little Fan Who Just Could Not Let Go Of Her At Disney World

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Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid is one of this spring’s most anticipated films. This week, as we are less than two months out, Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in the upcoming film, was seen at Disney World. A young fan spotted her and gave her a hug, holding onto Bailey as Bailey held the girl tight.

The fan’s mom shared a clip of the interaction to her Instagram stories, and though there is a lot of background noise in the clip, we can hear the mom telling Bailey, “Ariel’s her favorite.”

Bailey is also heard in the clip telling the mom, “she’s so beautiful and sweet.”

Later, Bailey shared the clip to her own social media pages, writing, “she made my whole day” on Twitter.

A first look at the live-action Little Mermaid was revealed last September. Upon the release, several parents shared clips of their young Black daughters’ reactions to the teaser, many of which were joyful and elated.

Bailey took to Twitter at the time to express her happiness toward the reactions over the teaser.

“people have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and i’m in truly in awe,” she wrote. “this means the world to me.”

The Little Mermaid arrives to theaters 5/23.

Kendrick Lamar & “South Park” Creators’ New Movie Gets More Details

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Of all the ways in which the greatest rapper of our generation could’ve broken into the film industry, this couldn’t have been on many people’s Bingo card. Kendrick Lamar and “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are producing a live-action comedy movie together, which just got some new details about it. While there’s no release date yet, Deadline reported the news last January that they’ll make the film for Paramount Pictures alongside Lamar’s creative partner Dave Free. Now, Above The Line reports that Parker will direct the flick. Shooting was supposed to begin last spring but faced conflicts with Parker and Stone’s schedules.

However, hopes are high that they’ll begin shooting this year. Of course, many reacted negatively to this news, but only time will tell whether this is something truly great or a throwaway venture. Still, it’s Kendrick Lamar we’re talking about, and his most divisive projects have proven to cause a lot of meaningful conversation regardless. Perhaps “South Park” was one of the inspiration points for “Cartoons and Cereal,” and if he’s passionate about it, odds are that it’ll be an unencumbered vision.

Kendrick Lamar’s Movie With “South Park” Creators Slowly Unveils

On that note, maybe it isn’t so weird that Kung Fu Kenny tapped in with the Book of Mormon creators. After all, through ownership of a tech company, they provided the deep fake technology for Kendrick’s “The Heart Part 5.” As far as other collaborators involved, Emmy Award-winning writer Vernon Chatman will handle script duties. Moreover, it’s not the first time he’ll work with a rapper, as he collaborated with Killer Mike and Snoop Dogg in the past.

Meanwhile, what really caused doubt in this project is the film’s outlined plot. “The film will depict the past and present coming to a head when a young black man who is interning as a slave reenactor at a living history museum discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his,” the description reads. While it sounds potentially insensitive and crude, it undeniably relates to a lot of concepts the Compton rapper spoke on before, especially on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. As such, it’s exciting to see him venture into risky territory yet again, and hopefully it actually results in something compelling and meaningful, whether in comedic or dramatic terms. Regardless, come back to HNHH for the latest updates on this story and more news on Kendrick Lamar.

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Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty And More Have Been Charged By The SEC For Promoting Crypto Without Disclosing They Were Paid To Promote Crypto

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After only just emerging back into the public eye as the spokesperson for Pepsi’s questionable concoction of milk and cola with the questionable nickname “Pilk,” Lindsay Lohan is in hot water with the SEC over pitching crypto without disclosing that she was paid for the endorsements. She’s also not alone. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lohan, Jake Paul, Kendra Lust, Soulja Boy, Ne-Yo, Lil Yachty, Akon, and Austin Mahone are all being charged in connection with their endorsements for TRON founder Justin Sun’s crypto companies.

“As alleged in the complaint, Sun and others used an age-old playbook to mislead and harm investors by first offering securities without complying with registration and disclosure requirements and then manipulating the market for those very securities,” said director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement Gurbir S. Grewal. “At the same time, Sun paid celebrities with millions of social media followers to tout the unregistered offerings, while specifically directing that they not disclose their compensation. This is the very conduct that the federal securities laws were designed to protect against regardless of the labels Sun and others used.”

The celebrities charged, except Soulja Boy and Mahone, have agreed to pay $400,000 and effectively plead no contest to avoid admitting wrongdoing. This isn’t legal advice, but they should all probably fire whoever gave them the legal advice that it’s cool to do paid crypto promotion without telling people (and the SEC) that you got paid.

These cases are different than other celebrity-endorsed-crypto cases in the recent past, including the FTX investors suing their celebrity endorsers for allegedly making crypto investments seem safer than they are. For now, most involved in this crypto flim-flam can chug a warm glass of pilk and be glad it’s all over.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Brandy Fans Rejoice Over Her Return To An Iconic Character In Disney Plus’ New ‘Descendants’ Movie

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Never mind all the bluster about Halle Bailey‘s starring role as The Little Mermaid. The real first Black Disney princess was Brandy. Back in 1997, the R&B icon starred in a made-for-TV production of Cinderella as the titular orphan alongside Whitney Houston as her fairy godmother. For years, Rodgers And Hammerstein’s Cinderella was consigned to the VHS collections of ’90s kids until making its debut on Disney+ in 2021 (Bernadette Peters played the wicked stepmother, a true triumph of casting).

But it turned out that Disney wasn’t content just to bring back the original movie. Late last year, it was announced that Brandy’s Cinderella — along with her Prince Charming, Pablo Montalban — was returning in the latest installment of the Descendants film series, which revolves around the children of Disney heroes and villains (Rita Ora is also cast to play the Queen of Hearts). Today, fans got their first look at the reunited couple in their reprised and revamped roles and caught all the feels, gushing on Twitter about the surge of nostalgia the sight brought on.

Of course, plenty of attention was lavished on a long-running gag about the genetics of the original TV movie continuing in the new one. Montalban, who plays the prince (Christopher Rupert Vwindemier Vlandamier Carl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory James), is Filipino, while his parents, the king, and queen, were portrayed by Victor Garber and Whoopi Goldberg. Suffice it to say, it’s been a source of endless, head-scratching delight for fans of the movie for the past 26 years.

Well, the tradition apparently continues; Cinderella’s son, Chad, is portrayed by Jedidiah Goodacre, who had previously appeared in the prior movies in the series. He’s obviously, well… not Black or Filipino. This is an amusing byproduct of his casting back in 2015 when no one had any idea what the series’ king and queen would look like. Now, it’s an accidental but hilarious nod to the colorblind castings of yesteryear and fans couldn’t help but point that out.

And, of course, for those poo-poo-ing the announcement out of ignorance and bigotry, fans had plenty to say about them as well:

Descendants: The Rise of Red is set to stream on Disney +.