Hollywood has-been seeks spotlight with Emmy race war



Progressive actor John Leguizamo isn’t doubling down on woke. He’s tripling down, and he’s putting his money where his mouth is.

The “Carlito’s Way” actor paid cold, hard cash for a full-page New York Times ad (yes, print ads still exist) begging Emmy voters to select minorities when filling out their ballots.

“Please let this be the year we finally embrace change …the year we truly find Equity, and see artists of color represented across not just one category, but ALL categories.”

Little-known fact: Up until now, various awards shows have exclusively nominated white male stars, even in the Best Actress categories.

Right? Wait … that isn’t the case? Weird.

Actors have been delicately stepping away from woke in recent months. Tom Hanks slammed sensitivity readers. Dame Judi Dench mocked trigger warnings. Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson have asked Hollywood to let canceled Oscar winner Kevin Spacey make movies again.

Not Leguizamo. The progressive star is going down with the woke ship.

Warner Bros. puts Fredo in charge

Hollywood bean-counters are all smart and stuff. Why else would they take an unprofitable, 26-year-old movie with little cultural heft and turn it into a franchise?

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are in talks to reprise their witchy roles in “Practical Magic.” The 1998 film brought in $68 million globally on a $75 million budget.

Math is hard, but we’re pretty sure Warner Bros. lost a bundle given that theaters keep a percentage of the profits. Why, it’s like the studio hired Fredo to oversee new projects.

“I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says! Not dumb, I'm smart, and I want respect!”

Batty 'Boys' boss bloviates: 'Go watch something else'

Hollywood is slowly starting to realize that insulting the audience means fewer people watch its products. It explains why recent awards shows toned down the political lectures.

Tell that to Eric Kripke.

He’s the showrunner behind the once mighty Prime Video show “The Boys,” which returns June 13. Kripke acknowledged some fans aren’t pleased with the show’s increasing amount of progressive messaging, which magically has coincided with its creative decline.

And he doesn’t care.

"I clearly have a perspective, and I’m not shy about putting that perspective in the show. Anyone who wants to call the show 'woke' or whatever, that’s OK. Go watch something else. But I’m certainly not going to pull any punches or apologize for what we’re doing.”

Here’s betting more than a few viewers will do just that. Oh, and Kripke announced the dark superhero series will end with Season 5.

Can 'Extinction' distraction save Bill Murray?

Bill Murray is in Hollywood’s doghouse.

The “Saturday Night Live” alum was once a comedy legend who could do no wrong. They even made a movie of his colorful public appearances. Then, he allegedly behaved badly on the set of a film and became professionally radioactive.

He’s still working, but his brand within the industry took a hit with the murky revelations.

Now, the star is joining the Extinction Rebellion movement, which recently interrupted a Broadway show to spread its climate alarmism, in a new production to run this week.

Has Murray taken a stand for the environment over the years? He’s no Jane Fonda. Why now? Coincidence? Damage control? You be the judge.

Ryan Reynolds takes in 'The View' from the cheap seats

Ryan Reynolds suffered a professional black eye when he starred in the superhero dud “Green Lantern.” It stalled his career and crushed any hopes of a new DC Comics-based franchise.

That can’t compare to the professional punishment he endured this week.

The “Deadpool” star sat in “The View’s” studio audience alongside his mum. Even worse? He admitted Mama Reynolds watches “The View” every day and dreamed of being in the show’s audience.

Thoughts and prayers for the A-list star in this troubling time.

'Too bad they went all white!': Actor John Leguizamo complains 'Super Mario Bros.' reboot has no 'Latinx' actors in lead roles — and gets taken to task



Longtime actor John Leguizamo — who identifies as "Latinx" on his Twitter bio and starred as "Luigi" in the original "Super Mario Bros." movie from the early 1990s — complained about the "all white" cast of the movie's 3-D animated reboot and said no "Latinx" actors are in lead roles.

"So glad #superMariobros is getting a reboot! Obviously it's iconic enuff," he wrote in his Monday post. "But too bad they went all white! No Latinx in the leads! Groundbreaking color-blind casting in original! Plus I'm the only one who knows how to make this movie work script wise!"

What are the details?

For the reboot — set to hit theaters Dec. 21, 2022 — Chris Pratt will play Mario, Charlie Day will play Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy will play Princess Peach, Jack Black will play Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key will play Toad, Seth Rogen will play Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen will play Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson will play Kamek, and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco will play Spike, according to Deadline.

The cast for the animated ‘SUPER MARIO BROS’ movie includes…- Chris Pratt as Mario- Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach- C… https://t.co/BDjfGt5xp3

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1632436786.0

"Each voice actor was cast for their ability to capture the unique spirit of their character," a news release about the movie read, the outlet added.

How did folks react to Leguizamo's tweet?

Philly Voice writer Michael Tanenbaum noted that Leguizamo's "all white" criticism "isn't accurate" due to the castings of Michael-Kay and Richardson — and that Taylor-Joy "spent the early part of her life in Argentina" and "identifies as a white Latina."

Here's what other observers had to say:

  • "Mario and Luigi are Italian. So why are you crying about it?" one commenter asked. "Are you afraid that people will forget that mess of a movie you were a part of? Please stop it."
  • Another commenter replied to the aforementioned post with the following: "TY for saying that. As [an] Italian/Sicilian (we are not white, but brain dead common people think we are) Mario and Luigi are NOT LATIN. And shame on him for using the word Latinx. I'm also not offended they got 2 white guys to voice them as long as they can pull off the accent."
  • "I love you man, and your Luigi rocks, but as a 'latino' myself, stop saying 'latinx.' It sounds so dumb," another user noted. "Besides, Mario, Luigi, and Peach are already defined in the games. No reason to force race into this."
  • "Look everyone! Someone needs attention. Why does it have to be about race? Especially since all they are doing is voice acting," another commenter wrote. "You don't even know the auditioning pool they had to pick from. I would guess they picked the best suited."