Month: December 2022

Between the deluge of Christmas romcoms, Netflix has another movie with a bigname this year. After the success of the three parts of The Princess Switch_with Vanessa Hudgens comes the streaming service with the return of grandedame Lindsay Lohan. Falling for Christmas (Netflix) is an amalgamationof Christmas movie clichés – millionaire’s daughter with amnesia, a singlewidower – meant to work on the laughter. Lohan’s role evokes vague memories ofher quality and enthusiasm _mean girls and Freaky Friday. This moviecertainly isn’t that good, but it’s a great opener to the Lohan issance.

HBO Max takes a stab at Christmas glory with A Hollywood Christmas , ameta-romcom about the Christmas movie department of a studio about to close.You can’t miss the parallels between the movie being played and the movieyou’re watching. They are named by the characters every few minutes. As aresult, the original premise loses all possibilities to become a reallysuccessful comedy. Still, in the rom-com department, worse things are onoffer.

Strikingly charming titles come from Amazon Prime Video this year. Like Something from Tiffany ‘s (Amazon), a film from Reese Witherspoon’sproduction house. Equally striking is the number of Christmas movies featuringa dead mother or dead husband to help the story along. There are already morethan six in this list. Something from Tiffany ‘s has both and is about asingle father and the owner of a cafe. Chaos ensues when the owner’s friend ishit by a taxi and rushes to the widower’s aid. During the rescue, the bagsfrom their Tiffany’s purchase get mixed up.

Your Christmas Or Mine (Amazon) also uses the clichéd switch plot, butthis time with humans. Miscommunication and a cleverly timed blizzard leavetwo drama students to spend Christmas at each other’s parents’ house, butseparately. The movie with Asa Butterfield ( Sex Education ) is pepperedwith British humour, charm and sentiment (yes, late mother).

Warm tears

Actually, Christmas and romkoms are a curious hybrid. Why should you find alife partner for the festival of lights? Christmas is all about being togetherwith family and friends, right? And open your heart to the stranger? Thehandkerchief film, the weep , fits better. Who wouldn’t cry over anattractive but single bestselling author who has to clean out his deadmother’s house and then meets an adopted woman who is looking for her unknownmother ( ** The Noel Diary** on Netflix).

The prettiest weep this year Julesstorm (Netflix). In this Norwegianmosaic series by Per-Olav Sørensen (from earlier Christmas series Hjem tilJul ) a group of passengers are stuck at Oslo Airport during a snow storm,preventing them from reaching their Christmas destination in time. That leadsto confrontations between grumpy people and nice people, with the grumpy oneseventually saying sorry. We follow a spoiled pop star, an abandoned dog, aretired pianist, a boy with an eye disease. But the tears really start to flowat the story of the sick bartender and the prodigal daughter.

Read also: Who makes all those Christmas movies anyway? (And why?)

Julesstorm by the way introduces a black Santa Claus. Why does Santa alwayshave to be a straight white man?

The bosses of an American Santa Claus course also ask themselves that questionin the heartwarming documentary Santa Camp (HBO Max). They actively seekout less traditional students, such as a trans Santa, a black Santa, and amentally challenged Santa, who doesn’t talk, but is a very good “How! How!How!” can call. The new students are received somewhat awkwardly and awkwardlyin the Santa Camp, but they are eventually embraced. However, the troublebegins outside the camp, where conservative Americans are not waiting for aninclusive Christmas. The scariest thing is a trans Santa who is besieged byfascist Christians. If that’s okay.

Of course it will be fine.

Fa la la la la

The warm sounds of Christmas carols also fly around your ears. The twotraditional musicals on offer, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (Netflix) andSpirited (Apple) are for the real enthusiast. They are actually quitelong. Where Spirited puts an original spin on the classic Scrooge story – agruesome businessman (Ryan Reynolds) is helped by the ghost of Christmas (WillFerrel) to get back on track – follows Scrooge virtually the original.Although there are a few new elements (dog) to raise child-friendliness. Itdoesn’t necessarily get scary, or really evil and they certainly haven’tforgotten the moral lesson.

Spirited is a two-hour assault on the senses with a huge budget and evenmore ambition. A gigantic song and dance number starts every few minutes. Forfans of Will Ferrells Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sage andRyan Reynolds humor this is a gem. For the rest, this is a great musical seat,if you go along with the slow pace.

The two musical romkoms Holiday Harmony (HBO) and Christmas With You(Netflix) stick to the standard Christmas movie formula. A talented singerhelps village children celebrate Christmas, and falls in love at the sametime. The difference is that the singer in Holiday Harmony a star in themaking, and the singer in Christmas With You already famous. Christmas WithYou is the better film, with the golden edge that the Mexican and PuertoRican culture are intertwined through the story. The film hits all the rightnotes and brings back 90s star Freddie Prinze Jr. as a piano dad.

Save Christmas!

Children’s Christmas movies always have the same premise: Christmas is underthreat, and the heroes must save the party. Indeed, just like in it_Sinterklaas news_ , but with clean cheeks. In the whodunnit A ChristmasMystery (HBO Max), for example, Pleasant Bay’s magical Christmas bells havebeen stolen. In Christmas at the mistletoe farm (Netflix) Dad wants tosell the inherited farm, just when the kids are having such a good time there.

Read also: Sinterklaas kills the Dutch Christmas film

Often the spirit of Christmas gets in the way because children have becomeindifferent and greedy. Like in the series The Santa Clauses (Disney):Due to mass apostasy, Santa loses his magical powers. The series builds on thethree previous films in which a commoner accidentally kills Santa Claus and istherefore called to office himself. Now that man wants to retire himself.Looking for a successor, he comes across a CEO of an Amazon-like company thatalso delivers parcels around the world. The candidate is played by Kal Penn(Kalpen Modi), so the new Santa is of Indian American descent.

They have never celebrated Christmas on the asteroid Knowhere, so the questionis whether the celebration should be saved there. Hero Peter Quill remembersChristmas from his childhood on Earth, and his alien friends are eager to givehim a Christmas just like old times. In the cheerful, energetic Marvel filmGuardians of the Galaxy: The Holiday Special (Disney) two of them go toEarth to do some Christmas shopping. The film actor Kevin Bacon is also ontheir wish list. But the film actor resists his kidnapping.

The now 75-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger is a multi-talented and trueentrepreneur. In addition to being an actor, he is also a bodybuilder,politician, producer, entrepreneur, director and writer. His net worth iscurrently estimated at $450 million.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most famous actors worldwide. He has attimes been the highest paid in the film industry. At his peak in showbusiness, he asked for a ‘salary’ of 20-30 million per film.

How it started Arnold was born in 1947 in a small village in Austria, with a father as headof the police force and his mother as a housewife. He refused to become apolice officer and as a teenager learned that famous bodybuilders had startedacting careers. So he started fitness and bodybuilding.

Arnold is the example of what can happen when you are full of ambition.Already in the 1960s he became champion of Austria as a bodybuilder. In 1965he won Junior Mr. Europe, and in 1967 he became the youngest Mr. Universe atage 20. The title Mr. Universe he won 3 more times, while he continued tostudy and work. He also won the Mr. Olympia several times.

How it went on In the 1970s he wanted to act and he left for the United States with all hissaved money prizes, without speaking English. Over the next 10 years helearned English, wrote a bestseller, won several bodybuilding titles and actedin several films. He already received a Golden Globe for his 2nd film.

He started in Hercules in New York and followed with a bodybuildingdocumentary Pumping Iron. The movie followed in 1982 Conan the Barbarian ,which made him known to a wider audience. Then followed _The Terminator_movies and established his name as an action hero.

Some salaries For the first The Terminator he received $ 75,000, while worldwide salesreached $ 80 million. Due to the success, he was able to ask for more on anincreasing basis. For the comedy twins earned the most. He left the salaryand agreed to 13.33% of the turnover in 1988, the film made more than 215million worldwide at the box office, so without considering other commissions.

In front of Command he received 2 million and before predator 3.5 millionwhile total recall was worth 11.5 million and continued to grow his incomeper film. True Lies brought him 15 million, The 6th day 25 million. Infront of terminator 3 he negotiated a salary of 29.5 million plus 20% inroyalties, an estimated 6 million. It is estimated that Arnold received 400million in film earnings. Of course, taxes are deducted from that.

Politician and entrepreneur Arnold Schwarzenegger married a politically favorable niece of John F.Kennedy, journalist Maria Shriver. Partly due to his fame and his marriage, hewas able to be governor of California for 8 years until 2011. Of course, thisalso involved knowledge, skill and courage.

Since the 1970s, Arnold Schwarzenegger has invested part of his wealth invarious pieces of land and buildings. He started those investments with hisprize money and was already a millionaire by the age of 25 before he was afamous actor. His real estate portfolio now totals more than 100 million.

More information is in Celebrity Networth’s article here. A lovely privatevideo of Arnold Schwarzenegger with his horse and donkey went viral on socialmedia during the pandemic. This 2020 video is below and on YouTube at CBS,showing off his friendly demeanor that has made him so beloved by many.

No conservar la ventaja ante Alemania (1-1) y la derrota ante Japón (1-2)tuvieron el mismo efecto de esas primeras gotas de sangre que hacen dudar a unboxeador más acostumbrado a dar que a recibir. No fueron dos mandoblescualquiera. España se ha ido a la lona castigada con las dos grandesdebilidades del plan de Luis Enrique, admitidas en los análisis internos de lafederación antes y durante el Mundial, y después de la eliminación. Losriesgos en la salida de balón le costaron a la selección el empate definitivoante los alemanes y el primer gol de los japoneses. El segundo puntovulnerable del libreto del seleccionador, la dificultad para jugar contradefensas cerradas, ya se vislumbró en la incapacidad para reaccionar anteJapón y se confirmó ante el repliegue intenso de Marruecos, con solo undisparo entre los tres palos en 120 minutos. Las dos reuniones mantenidas paracorregir errores y reforzarse como grupo no surtieron el efecto esperado. LuisEnrique y sus futbolistas se han ido de Qatar con la pelota bajo el pie, conun promedio por encima del 80% de posesión, pero sin saber qué hacer con ellapara desconfigurar a las selecciones que no quieren dominar el balón, pero sílos espacios.

España acudió a la cita de Qatar con el caldo de cultivo ideal para el éxito.Luis Enrique estaba convencido de su ideario y para los futbolistas era uncredo. Más allá del descontento individual de los que jugaron poco o nada, elambiente en la concentración estuvo marcado por la alegría juvenil que emanabadel grupo y por el liderazgo con mano izquierda de los veteranos comoBusquets, Koke, Jordi Alba, Morata y Azpilicueta. Las rimas picantes cuando uncompañero era forzado a terminar una palabra en -ano o -ino presidían de día anoche el ambiente distendido. La buena convivencia, sin embargo, no evitó elgradual bajón exhibido en el juego hasta tocar fondo contra Marruecos. Lainesperada eliminación, por lo madrugadora y la entidad del rival, dio pasoinmediato a la gran incógnita con la que España se presentó a la citamundialista. La continuidad de Luis Enrique tiene aristas que la complican yotras que la facilitan. Nunca hubo un seleccionador con tanto poder yprebendas. Firmó bajo la condición de no ser un activo en la promoción de lospatrocinadores y tanto el presidente de la federación, Luis Rubiales, como eldirector deportivo, José Francisco Molina, le han concedido todo lo que hapedido. No han comprendido algunas de sus decisiones, como prescindir dealgunos miembros del cuerpo técnico, como Jesús Casas, o han podido torcer elgesto con algunas presencias y ausencias en la lista de 26 jugadores. Encualquier caso, ambos asumieron que esas responsabilidades eran exclusivas delseleccionador. Su estrellato como streamer también ha sido un punto dediscordia porque puso en jaque y en guardia al departamento de comunicación.En este sentido hubo una declaración de Rubiales en el encuentro con la prensaque fue significativa: “Está bien, es divertido, veremos si después nos hacetanta gracia”.

Five women, including two actors who appeared on “The Cosby Show,” filed alawsuit in New York on Monday, Dec. 5, accusing disgraced comedy legend BillCosby of sexually assaulting them.

The plaintiffs named the actor, Kaufman Astoria Studios Inc., The Carsey-Werner Company and NBCUniversal Media as defendants in the 34-page lawsuitfiled in Manhattan Supreme Court.

“The Cosby Show,” which ran from 1984 to 1992 on NBC, was filmed at studiosnow controlled by Kaufman Astoria and produced by Carsey-Werner, according tothe civil action.

All the defendants are “culpable and liable because they knew and/or shouldhave known that Bill Cosby was sexually abusing, assaulting, and/or batteringwomen, including on their premises, but did nothing to stop it,” according tothe complaint.

NBC News does not typically identify victims of sexual assault, but the fivewomen in this civil action all named themselves in the complaint.

• Actor Lili Bernard, who appeared in a “Cosby” episode, said the defendant arranged for her transportation out of New York when he allegedly drugged and raped her — in New Jersey in August 1990 and then months later in Nevada.

• Eden Tirl, who was offered a small role on “Cosby” despite having no acting experience, accused Cosby and producers of pressuring her numerous times to have lunch with him in his private dressing room in 1989. When she relented, Cosby allegedly “touched her breasts and without her consent forcedly pressed his penis into” her back, according to the suit.

• Aspiring actor Jewel Gittens said that in “or around the late 1980s,” Cosby invited her to his home in Manhattan where she was given what she says was a tainted glass of wine. She says she felt sluggish as Cosby allegedly sexually assaulted her with his finger and “ejaculated from the sexual encounter.”

• Aspiring model Jennifer Thompson said she was 18 in the late 1980s when Cosby allegedly grabbed her “hand and forcefully placed it on his penis” and made the victim “masturbate him without her consent” at the actor’s Manhattan home, according to the lawsuit.

• Cindra Ladd, a “platonic” friend of Cosby’s said the actor drugged her in “approximately 1969” and allegedly raped her while she was passed out.

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The lawsuit did not name a dollar figure sought by the plaintiffs.

Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt called the civil action “frivolous” and accusedthe plaintiffs of seeking a payout.

“We believe that the courts as well as the court of public opinion will followthe rules of law and relieve Mr. Cosby of these alleged accusations,” Wyattsaid in a statement.

“Mr. Cosby continues to vehemently deny all allegations waged against him andlooks forward to defending himself in court.”

A spokeswoman for defendant NBC Universal Media LLC, the parent company of NBCNews and TODAY.com, declined comment.

Reps for the other two defendants could not be immediately reached for commenton Dec. 6.

Cosby was released from a Pennsylvania prison on June 30 last year after thestate’s high court overturned his conviction on three felony counts ofaggravated indecent assault in 2018.

The state Supreme Court ruled that Cosby’s rights against self-incriminationwere violated when a prosecutor declined to press a case against the actor in2014, allowing “America’s Dad”to speak freely in acivil lawsuit.

But a second prosecutor in the same jurisdiction later used the lawsuittestimony in a criminal trial, and that testimony was key in his convictionfor drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.

Cosby spent nearly three years behind bars before the state high court’sruling.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com .

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

Ryan Reynolds credits his icon status to his family’s support.

The Spirited actor, 46, received the Icon Award at the 2022 People’s ChoiceAwards on Tuesday night, presented to him by his Free Guy costar Lil RelHowery. (Reynolds was also nominated for male movie star of the year andcomedy movie star of the year for his time-travel movie The Adam Project.)

Reynolds first joked in his speech, “I feel like I’m at my funeral, except Iget to leave. I guess I finally tested positive for icon. Been avoiding it foryears but here we are.”

He continued by thanking the people in his life, explaining that thatgratitude list “starts with my family and it ends with my family.” Reynoldsgave a shoutout to his mom Tammy and three brothers (one sibling joined him atthe award show) and his late dad James, who died in 2015.

“Boy, if he could see all the things going on, he wouldn’t be impressed withthis stuff; he’d be the most blown away by his three little granddaughters,”added Reynolds, who shares daughters James, 8 this month, Inez, 6, and Betty,3, with wife Blake Lively, who is currently pregnant with their fourth baby.

RELATED: Ryan Reynolds Says He ‘s Still a ‘Ball of Nerves’ Like His12-Year-Old Self: ‘I Hide It Well’

People’s Choice Awards Arrivals

Todd Williamson/Getty

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Elsewhere in his speech, Reynolds thanked Lively, 35, and their kids directly:”It’s gonna be a fourth child very soon. If it happens tonight while I’m hereI will be looking for a couch to sleep on for a little while. … But Blake andmy girls, you are quite literally my heart, my hope, my happiness. I joke thatmy family exhausts me, but in reality you give me more strength than any mancould possibly deserve.”

Back in November, Reynolds shared his reaction to being given the People’sIcon honor, telling E! News, “I feel like I’m getting old. For starters,that’s it, you know? And then I realize, ‘Yeah, I’ve been around.’ I’ve beendoing this job for over 30 years now. It’s a long time to do anything. And I’mlucky that I’ve been able to do it for 30 years.”

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“So much in the spirit of feeling grateful for the ability to do this job forthis long and stay in the industry that can very quickly be done with you —I’m approaching that honor with the same kind of gratitude,” he added.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend

Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Cassandra Tryon, SVP of entertainment live events at NBCUniversal Televisionand Streaming, previously said in a statement, “In any endeavor — whether it’sacting, producing, marketing or business — Ryan Reynolds has the uniqueability to create joy and authentically connect with his audience . He’sreceived many accolades over the years, but it’s these innate qualities thatmakes him so beloved.”

Last year’s People’s Icon recipient was Halle Berry. Past honorees includeJennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Melissa McCarthy.

Reynolds was honored last month with the American Cinematheque Award in LosAngeles. The Deadpool actor told PEOPLE on the red carpet that he won’t lethis kids follow in their famous parents’ footsteps until they’re older.

“Putting a kid in a business like this, it’s generally not about the kid. It’susually about the parents,” he said. “When they’re older they can do whateverthe hell they want. I’m excited for that. Our job is to foster as muchinterest in as many different things as possible at this point.”

Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, the Oscars slapheard around the globe and the magical sounds of “Encanto” dominated Google’stop trending search entertainment categories of 2022.

Depp was the top trending actor searched this year as the high-profile lawsuitunfolded from April to June. He was also the top trending search of any personoverall. Heard was third most-searched trending topic on the celebrity listand overall person list.

Will Smith was the No. 2 top trending actor following his slap of Chris Rockat the Oscars in March after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada PinkettSmith. Rock was fourth on the list and Pinkett Smith was seventh.

Meanwhile, the movie and song list was dominated by Disney’s “Encanto,”despite its November 2021 release date.

On repeat: ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ from ‘Encanto’ is now a No. 1 hits.How’d that happen?

It was the top trending movie search this year, and its hit “We Don’t TalkAbout Bruno” was the most trending song searched. “Surface Pressure” off thesoundtrack came in * second and “What Else Can I Do” clinched the * 10thspot on the song list.

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the DolbyTheater in Hollywood, California.

Will Smith and Chris Rock: Everything to know about the infamous Oscars2022 slack

People had other things in mind to search for in 2022, including Adam Levine(No. 1 on the artist and band list) and HBO’s “Euphoria” (which topped the TVshow list).

Nostalgia was also a big theme **** or trending search categories; Kate Bushwas the seventh on the artist and band list, and her 1985 hit “Running Up ThatHill (Deal With God)” made it sixth on the song list after it got a “whole newlease of life” in the fourth season of “Stranger Things.”

Kate Bush reacts after ‘Stranger Things’ gives ‘Running Up That Hill’ a’whole new lease of life’

This photo compilation shows actors Johnny Depp, left, and Amber Heard in thecourtroom for closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse inFairfax, Virginia, on May 27, 2022.

Google’s data was taken from Jan. 1 through Nov. 27. The company definestrending items as “searches that had a high spike in traffic over a sustainedperiod in 2022 as compared to 2021.”

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Here top 10 trending search terms of entertainment categories:

Google’s top trending actor searches of 2022

1. Johnny Depp

2. Will Smith

3. Amber Heard

4. Chris Rock

5. Julia Fox

6. Joseph Quinn

7. Jada Pinkett Smith

8. Ezra Miller

9. Miles Teller

10. Ashley Judd

Ezra Miller speaks out: ‘The Flash’ star undergoing treatment for ‘complexmental health issues’

Google’s top trending artist and band searches of 2022

1. Adam Levin

2. Mary J. Blige

3. Lil Tjay

4. Kendrick Lamar

5. Migos

6. Tommy Lee

7. Kate Bush

8. Rick Martin

9. Young Thug

10. Foo Fighters

snubbed! Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Megan Thee Stallion ignored in 2023Grammy nominations

Google’s top trending movie searches of 2022

1. “Encanto”

2. “Thor: Love and Thunder”

3. “Top Gun: Maverick”

4. “The Batman”

5. “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

6. “Black Adam”

7. “Jurassic World Dominion”

8. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

9. “Morbius”

10. Turning Red

Must read: How the women of ‘Black Panther’ weathered grief together for’Wakanda Forever’

And this: I went ‘Maverick’ in Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ training plane anddidn’t eject my lunch

Google’s top trending TV show searches of 2022

1. “Euphoria”

2. “Stranger Things”

3. “The Watcher”

4. “Inventing Anna”

5. “House of the Dragon”

6. “Moon Knight”

7. “Yellowstone”

8. “The Summer I Turned Pretty”

9. “Obi Wan Kenobi”

10. “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”

Google’s top trending song searches of 2022

1. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” – “Encanto”

2. “Surface Pressure” – “Encanto”

3. “Jiggle Jiggle” – Duke & Jones and Louis Theroux

4. “Unholy” – Sam Smith and Kim Petras

5. “As It Was” – Harry Styles

6. “Running Up That Hill” – Kate Bush

7. “Glimpse of Us” – Joji

8. “About Damn Time” – Lizzo

9. “Anti Hero” ≠ Taylor Swift

10. “What Else Can I Do” – Encanto

Lizzo tells us about Chris Evans ‘ ‘baby,’ the joy of twerking and her newHBO Max doc ‘Love, Lizzo’

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter:@jordan_mendoza5 .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Google ‘s top trendingactor, movie, song and TV show searches of 2022

CelebritiesBritney Spears (41) suffered thirteen years under the curatorshipof her father Jamie Spears (70), after she had a breakdown in 2007. Her goodfriend Julianne Kaye (47) witnessed this difficult period from close by. “Ifyou knew her, you could see that something was very wrong,” she tells TheMirror.

JOVS 07-12-22, 11:30

Latest update: 12:09 Source: The Mirror, The Daily Mail, Instagram

November 12, 2021. It’s a day singer Britney Spears won’t soon forget. On thisday, after a long struggle, the reign of her father Jamie Spears came to anend. For thirteen years he determined the doings of his daughter. Thereceivership was the result of a much-publicized breakdown that Britney had in2007. Julianne Kaye, close friend of the ‘Gimme More’ star, now speakscandidly about this difficult period in a conversation with ‘The Mirror’.

Toll of fame

Kaye took up the job of a make-up artist at the age of 23 and accompanied thepop princess on world tours. They quickly became very close friends, allowingher to see with her own eyes the pressure Britney was struggling with.“Britney was a huge star. But during the receivership, that light that alwaysshone so brightly had disappeared,” she confesses. “You could see it in hereyes. If you knew her, you could see that something was very wrong.”

She goes on to look back to the beginning of the administration: “She had hermuch-publicized breakdown and when I saw her on ‘X Factor’ or any other show,it was like the lights were on but no one else was home. She never looked likeherself after that.”

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Friendship

“Britney was my client, but above all my friend. I really cared very much forher and I still do.” Julianne goes on to explain that Britney has always lovedperforming, but struggled with the spotlight and also wanted a ‘normal’ life.Now that the administration has come to an end in 2021, after thirteen years,she is very relieved and delighted that Britney has her freedom back. Shehopes that the newly married singer will find her happiness and sparkle again.

From Ambiorix to Alva, from the Neanderthals to the desk of King Albert I.Says The story of Flanders that it will guide the viewer through our entirehistory, then it doesn’t lie: in ten episodes the makers traverse 38,000years, from prehistory. The tour guide is – who else? – Tom Waes, who, as inTravel Wales know the attractions. He reports on the Battle of the GoldenSpurs, knocks on the door of Mary of Burgundy, rides on the very firstpassenger train in Europe and dives into the trenches behind the Yser.

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Tom Waes visiting the bravest of the Gauls. — © Bert DeDeken

READ ALSO. ‘Time travel Waes’, or how Tom Waes films in the Netherlands amongthe bravest of all Gauls (+)

That is to say: he does so in impressive sets that were recreated byhistorians, archaeologists, experts and actors. It took the makers threeyears. So searched’location hunters’ the perfect locations, hundreds of wigsand outfits were recreated, and special effects bring battles back to life.“But always historically correct”, it sounds: there was even onefoodarchaeologist on set, so that everything on the table is also accurate.

Research and money

“It was a feat,” says Tom Waes. He walks around in the scenes as a narrator,taking it beyond a dull history lesson. “Bringing 38,000 years of history tolife is a challenge. But I am very satisfied with the result.”

The story of Flanders also goes further than the ten-part series on One. Therewill be formats on MNM and Radio 2, and a look behind the scenes on VRT Max.Schools also benefit and can make use of the episodes. “We want to makehistory tangible for a wide audience,” says VRT spokesman Jan Sulmont. “Youcan’t do something like that half-heartedly. Making something of high qualitytakes time, effort and research.”

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The makers worked on ‘The story of Flanders’ for three years. “Everything ishistorically correct.” — © VRT

And also money, of course. The story of Flanders received support from theFlemish government and 100,000 euros from the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF).Even if that is probably just a trifle of the total budget. “We don’tcommunicate about the cost price,” says Sulmont. “We always work withdifferent partners for such projects (The city councils of Antwerp, Ghent andBruges also gave support, ed.). Because of course a lot of resources go intosuch a project.”

hit abroad

Striking: the series also includes merchandising. Mainly books, but also aboard game and a comic strip Suske and Wiske. Ideal for under the Christmastree, but also to feed the greenhouse. “The VRT gets 40 percent of itsoperating resources from the market anyway, as agreed with the government,”says Jan Sulmont. “There is also merchandising around Daily food, FC thechampions and Home. We reinvest the resources that the VRT raises in this wayin our operations.”

The story of Flanders will start on Sunday 1 January on One and VRT Max.Judging from abroad, it will certainly be a success: in Denmark, with Thekillingactor Lars Mikkelsen as narrator, and the local versions became a bighit in the Netherlands.

Open any streaming service and search for ‘ Christmas ‘. You are immediatelygreeted with dozens of posters. Videoland has fifty titles with the word’Christmas’ and Netflix has more Christmas films than there are December days.

The world of Christmas movies is full of car breakdowns, snow storms, miraclesthat must be performed to save businesses, miscommunications and spontaneousamnesia. It seems like writers throw a few standard situations into a Santahat and pull a few out for each film. You would think that after the twentiethfilm in which a secret European prince appears, the audience would have hadenough. But no, with each iteration, the magic of the Christmas movie formulaonly seems to grow. Predictability is not a weakness here, but the wholepoint.

Dozens of new Christmas movies are released every year. Who makes these? Manyof the Christmas movies on Dutch streaming services come from Hallmark. Theycan be recognized by the typical posters with two main characters smiling atyou. Hallmark not only sells greeting cards, it is also an American TVchannel. Their Christmas offer is traditionally broadcast during the so-calledCountdown to Christmas, which starts in October.

Which Christmas movies should you (not) see? Our film editors give tips

When it started, in 2009, it was only five movies. This year the channel hasforty. It’s a lucrative trade. According to Forbes is estimated to earn anestimated $350 million during the holiday season just from commercials on thechannel. According to Business Insider they are made for an average of twomillion euros each in about two weeks. That is a lot for Dutch standards, butin America it is dirt cheap.

Due to the low number of shooting days, the use of a limited number oflocations and little to no special effects, Hallmark keeps production costslow. The fact that cost savings mean that not everything is always well puttogether often leads to great hilarity online. But that has become part of theappeal. Hallmark also often works with the same actors who each year have adifferent Christmas adventure in a small snowy town.

Secret Princes

One of the most popular storylines in the Hallmark universe follows the(secret) European prince, where an American woman either takes a job in apalace in a made-up country or meets the undercover prince in America.Hallmark has made more than ten since 2011.

With one exception ( A Winter Princess 2019) it is always a male fictional_royal_. The fictional lands have names like Cordinia and Landora and seeminspired by ‘Genovia’, the fictional kingdom from The Princess Diaries thehit film from 2001 in which an American spontaneously finds out that sheherself is a European royalty.

Netflix is ​​also fishing in the prince pond. In 2017 they came up with AChristmas Prince set in fictional Aldovia. Other American TV channels such asLifetime and ION also have a stable of royal Christmas films, which are placedon the Dutch streamers. Videoland features from this genre, among others ARoyal Christmas Ball (2017), A Christmas in Royal Fashion (2018) __and ARoyal Queen ‘s Christmas (2021).

The Secret Prince is just one of many repeated storylines within the Christmasmovie universe. The films on Videoland include at least three snow storms,four cars that unexpectedly come to a standstill and five successful women whotrade their life in the city for a Christmas existence in the village.

Viewers would have been turned off long ago with most other film genres. Butwith Christmas movies, the popularity comes precisely from the simplicity.Viewers want the same movies every year, with a little variation. Thisphenomenon is so striking that countless scientific papers have been writtento explain it.

Psychologist Pamela Rutledge enrolls Psychology Today that Christmas moviesare successful because they simply make us happy. She describes happiness intwo types: hedonic and eudaimonic. For example, hedonic happiness is a goodcup of hot chocolate. Rutledge defines eudaimonic happiness as an experiencethat gives people purpose. According to the psychologist, viewers experienceboth forms of happiness when they watch Christmas movies. As a viewer, we knowexactly where the story will end up, and it’s always in a place we want to be.We want that assurance that the world will be all right. The movies give useasy solutions in difficult times.

Dutch Christmas Franchise

Dutch producers are also increasingly venturing into Christmas films. Netflixhas with The Claus Family (2020) the first major Dutch-Flemish Christmasfranchise. The third film in the series was released this year. In addition,has Modern Love Amsterdam (2022) on Prime Video a Christmas episode andcoming Goofy Women director Will Koopman this year with a Christmas film. __

Although Koopman is not familiar with the Hallmark phenomenon, she does seethe power of the fixed elements in Christmas films, she says on the phone: “Ithas to meet a number of things. It must be nice and fun, there must be one_love interests_ in, a Santa Claus, Christmas tree, that’s part of it. It canall start crazy, but it has to end well.” But Koopman also emphasizes the needfor originality. She is not yet allowed to say how she combined the two in herown film. Koopman himself recognizes the power of repetition during theholidays. “I watched every Christmas Sisi. It’s wonderful, to withdrawcompletely into your world for an hour and a half. Warmth and love, you justneed it.”

Much needed escapism, that’s what it’s all about in the end. The Christmasindustry also knows that people are not always looking for challenging pearlsof cinema. Millions of viewers therefore get exactly what they want:predictability and a happy ending.

En fin, para no seguir con el resto, ¿para México, el fútbol ha sido o será untema de interés federal? No y que bueno que así sea; ¿contamos con undesarrollo primermundista en medicina y ciencia del deporte? No, ni siquieraen el sistema de salud para los habitantes.