Author: bestmedeal

TVThere is currently a lot to do about a statement by Christophe Ramont. Theformer ‘Blind Married’ face expressed on Twitter that he does not agree withthe way Dziubi and Brecht are portrayed. He criticized, among other things,”the toxic image that even if two men marry, there is a male and a female”.Meanwhile, the makers of the program also responded to the situation. “We havealways taken into account Brecht and Dziubi and what made them feel good.”

The discussion arose after some statements by Christophe on Twitter. “So thegentlemen are allowed to speak at the wedding. Wow, we are 2022,” it sounded.”Extra painful and what I have always resisted: the toxic image that even whentwo men get married there is a male and a female, apparently Dziubi is thefemale.” He was referring mainly to the first episode, where the group wassplit in two. The brides were separated from their grooms, and Dziubi wasassigned to the group with the ladies, while the traditional roles wereretained, with one of the men waited at ‘the altar’, and the other walkedtowards it.Dziubi was also carried over the threshold by Brecht.

(Read more below the tweet.)

Christophe Ramont > @c_ramont >

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Good communication

However, according to the makers of ‘Blind Married’, everything has been welldiscussed in advance. “It was important to us that everyone felt comfortable.We never created the ‘male-female’ image. Brecht and Dziubi have neverexperienced this either,” said a producer.

He also explains that the new concept made it necessary to divide thecandidates into two groups. “We thought it was important that the candidateshad already seen each other beforehand, especially because such a big weddingwas to follow. The division of the two groups has been proposed in advance.Everyone agreed. There have been no further questions about that.”

Watch: Ex-participant Christophe lashes out at TV makers ‘Blindly married’

Other decisions have also always been made in consultation with the duo. “Whenit comes to the ceremony, Dziubi has indicated that he would rather wait atthe altar. The same applies to the speeches. We asked them who would like tosay something. In the end, it was Brecht who wanted to take this on,” itsounds further to the makers. “There is really no line. It is not ourintention to portray anyone in any particular way.”

No underlying message

The makers indicate that they understand why Christophe feels this way. “Butif you look further at the program, it becomes even clearer that there is noline. There is no underlying message. Nothing has been done on purpose to makepeople appear a certain way. Something that is nicely refuted by Dziubihimself.”

Dziubi, who gave his yes to Brecht in the current season of ‘Blind Married’,confirms in an interview with Showbits that he has indeed never experiencedthe situation that way. “I never followed through on that,” it sounds, amongother things. “I get it, but actually everything is very natural and set upwithout premeditation.” The moment Brecht carried him over the threshold wasalso spontaneous: “Brecht thought that was symbolic.”

(Read more below the tweet.)

Christophe Ramont > @c_ramont >

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Christophe, who does not want to elaborate further on the story, is notexclusively negative. He also clearly follows the course of Brecht and Dziubi.”Praise to the production for putting Lady Gaga in the background during thestory of Brecht and Dziubi… Wipe away a tear,” it sounded on Twitter afterMonday’s episode.

A #MeToo affair, how do you deal with that as a pop group with an image thathas hitherto been characterized by an atmosphere of holiness and community?Arcade Fire is silent during the current European tour. The 71 crew members ofthe Canadian band are working hard to bring the bombastic show to the bighalls, even though the Ziggo Dome was only half full on Wednesday. The topring remained closed and there were large holes below it. Organizer Mojo doesnot announce ticket sales.

That got a big blow on August 27 when the authoritative music websitePitchfork published an article about the alleged transgressive behavior ofArcade Fire singer Win Butler. Four people accuse the 42-year-old pop star ofsexual misconduct in the years 2016-2020, ranging from unwanted touching andsending explicit text and image messages to pursuing relationships with muchyounger fans.

Butler did not deny, but engaged a publicity agency to disclose that sexualcontacts with 18- to 23-year-olds had been consensual, he said. He apologizedfor his behavior and promised his nine-year-old son that he will make amends.Wife Régine Chassagne, musician and singer in the band, rallied behind herhusband and said soothingly: “He lost his way and found it again.”

Also read: Feist withdraws from tour with Arcade Fire over sexual misconductallegations

Cacophony of sound

Under those circumstances Arcade Fire gave a loaded concert in the sparselypopulated Ziggo Dome, starting with the desperate ‘Age of Anxiety’ from thelatest album WE. “It’s the age of doubt,” Butler began his litany of theconfusing world we live in, accompanied by roaring bass and a cacophony ofsound that barely caught breath for the next hour and a half. Arcade Firesounded louder, fuller and often faster than the band has sounded in itstwentieth anniversary.

With a cross section from the six albums, Arcade Fire looked for the buildingblocks that made the music ‘bigger than life’. Gone were the subtle folkelements of the early work; gone was the ability to start small and slowlybuild the songs into something bigger. Arcade Fire went all out with theshrill vocals of Régine Chassange in ‘Black Wave/Bad Vibrations’, the fatdisco beat of ‘Reflektor’ and a pompous ‘The Lightning I’ from the new albumin which the accordion plays a meaningless, completely snow-covered addition.

Early on, Win Butler jumped into the crowd to sing ‘The Afterlife’ close tothe fans, en route to a small stage in the center where Régine Chassagne thendanced lavishly under the disco ball. Later on, the entire band played arelatively subtle finale on that center stage after all the decibel violence.Butler dedicated The Suburbs to David Bowie, who taught him, “It’s cool to bea fucking weirdo.”

Prior to ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’, Win Butler gave the only indicationthat the #MeToo affair has not left him untouched: “This is for everyone withimperfect parents.” Arcade Fire overplayed itself at a time when somerestraint was in order.

Every year it hits: a fuss about the nominations for the Gouden Televizier-Ring. This year, the criticism of the nominated programs seems to be TheBeavers , The Hunting Season and Until here even more stubborn. ButTelevizier sees no reason to do anything about the voting procedure.

By Michiel Vos

“With two downright laughable nominations, it is impossible to maintain thatthis is still the prize of ‘the TV viewer’,” wrote TV columnist Angela de Jongin the newspaper. AD, after it became known that The Beavers and, TheHunting Season have a chance to win the prize for most popular program onDutch television this year.

According to De Jong, the “ever so prestigious audience award”, which has beenawarded by the public since 1964, is “bankrupt”. She joins a long list ofcritics of the voting procedure, including Carlo Boszhard, Jan Slagter,various other broadcasters and television scientists.

The columnist believes that the two programs simply do not attract enoughviewers to be seen as serious candidates for the audience award. The docusoapby folk singer John de Bever attracted an average of between 300,000 and400,000 viewers to RTL 5. To the YouTube success brought to television byTalpa Hunting season of StukTV, an average of 600,000 to 700,000 peoplewatched. Until here van Niels van der Laan and Jeroen Woe reached more thantwo million viewers more than once. The criticism is therefore not aimed atthat program.

The Beavers and The Hunting Season are therefore certainly not among themost watched programs. But thanks to the strong social media support of StukTVand the lobby of De Bever, which also received support from Johan Derksen,they managed to make it to the contenders of the Ring.

De Jong argues that the voting procedure should be overhauled and is not thefirst. Broadcasting MAX boss Jan Slagter previously called the Televizier-Ringan ‘Instagram prize’. He finds it unfair for program makers and presenters whodo not have a large number of online followers to encourage voting.

Chateau Meiland won the Golden Televizier Ring in 2019.

Photo: BrunoPress

Nomination rounds create online voting lobbies

So how exactly does the voting work? Voting for the Gouden Televizier-Ringtakes place throughout the year in four rounds. Each quarter, the fiveprograms with the most votes are forwarded to the next round. After that,Televizier adds five more wildcards to its own taste, after which 25 programscompete for the three nomination spots.

In recent years, program makers, presenters and broadcasters have becomeincreasingly active on social media in recruiting votes. According to criticssuch as De Jong and Slagter, the system therefore needs to be replaced. DeJong argues for a lower limit of one million viewers for nominees or a TVpanel that makes a pre-selection. Slagter is in favor of national researchwith telephone questionnaires.

‘In the end it’s up to the voter’

All not necessary, thinks Jeroen de Goeij of organizer Televizier. He remainssober under the fierce criticism of the price. “We have often had commotionabout programs that would not have been good enough to win or be nominated,”says De Goeij in conversation with NU.nl. By this he means, among otherthings, the profit of VI and Jan Smit’s reality soap. “In the end, it’s upto the voter.”

De Goeij emphasizes that the Gouden Televizier-Ring is not a professionalprize for the best program on Dutch television. “We are looking for thefavorite program through the votes.”

But does the prize in its current form say anything about popularity ifcandidates have a large online following? De Goeij also puts that criticismaside. “The price is not about viewing figures, but above all the connectionthat the voter feels with a certain program. Part of making TV is that youknow how to bind people to you. With only seeking publicity and advertising,you do not win the ring .”

And Slagter’s point that it is more difficult for Omroep MAX to mobilizevoters with older supporters who are less active online? According to DeGoeij, that is also not the case. “Programs like All of Holland Bakt areviewed by all generations. It’s too short-sighted to throw it at age. Andrévan Duin, who presents MAX for Omroep, is nominated and won last year.”

De Goeij says that Televizier is always in discussion about the development ofthe award ceremony, but that this year’s nominees are no reason to changethings up for next year. According to him, the election is getting bigger: thenumber of votes that come in is still increasing every year. And to those leftdisappointed without a nomination this year, he says, “Another round next

The closing film bo of the Netherlands Film Festival, which ends today, willalso be in cinemas nationwide this week. And if you’ve already seen it,there’s still plenty to choose from for a visit to your local movie theater.

bo

When the intrepid Bo travels to Georgia to visit the grave of her father – awell-known trumpeter – she runs into his former childhood friend Levan. Insearch of her roots and a better understanding of her father, she decides tohitch a ride in Levan’s truck. Despite the age difference, they gently give into the love they feel for each other. Bo’s father’s melancholic trumpetplaying accompanies their journey through the breathtaking Georgian landscape.The blossoming love between Bo and Levan makes them finally dare to sharetheir darkest secrets.

smile

After witnessing a bizarre and traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr.Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) is confronted with ominous events that she cannotexplain. As an overwhelming fear gradually takes over her life, Rose mustconfront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying newreality.

Beautiful Beings

Addi lives with his eccentric mother in Reykjavik, Iceland. After an incidentwith his classmate Balli who is being bullied, he decides to take care of him.Together with two of his comrades, the quartet explores their budding livesinto adulthood. They don’t shy away from aggression and violence, but theyalso learn about mutual loyalty and affection. As their behavior continues toescalate, Addi looks for ways to bring him and his friends back to a saferpath.

Ticket to Paradise

Oscar winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts reunite on the silver screen asexes on a common mission: to stop their lovesick daughter from making the samemistake they once made. Ticket to Paradise is a romantic comedy about secondchances that can turn out to be surprising.

Escape from Brazil

Joao, a Brazilian police officer, and Laila, his girlfriend, are robbed andshot by an assailant. They recover from their wounds and are left physicallyand emotionally scarred. Joao works on a case involving a kidnapped woman, whohelps her husband Freire during negotiations. Eva, a young and wealthymerchant, struggles to find meaning in life. She returns to an academic careerin the Netherlands, aided by the intellectual John Togg. She conducts researchinto global recovery policies, with the hope of solving socio-economicinequalities in the world. She meets Bram, a bon vivant, and pleads for heroptimism about humanity and the liberalism of the world market. During theirengagement party, Joao accidentally sends a message to Laila, ending therelationship because they don’t want to leave Brazil. He fights with hisbrother-in-law, Fabio, shoots him in front of the whole family and flees.While working with Togg, Eva is inappropriately groped by him, protests andruns off. Joao kidnaps Freire in an affluent neighborhood. He interrogates himand discovers that he has cocaine paste and orders the kidnapping and murderof his own wife. Joao hatches a plan to smuggle the cocaine into Europe andevade the police for Fabio’s murder. Togg reveals that he will no longer helpEva’s investigation. She stands dumbfounded and becomes depressed. Joao risksthe drugs flying into the Netherlands and manages to make his way throughcustoms. He hides it and randomly kidnaps Eva in her house. He meets the Dutchdrug dealer and can’t figure it out. They follow Joao to Eve’s house and holdboth hostages. Joao is gem

nowhere

The lonely existence of André in his fifties is shocked when a homeless boybreaks into his house. While André at first berates him, they soon turn out tobe more alike than expected. The two develop an unexpectedly close bond andhelp each other come to terms with their past. Nowhere is a layered portraitwith moving characters, about connection, hope and family roots.

femi

As the birth of his first child approaches, 21-year-old mentally unstableDennis (Yannick Jozefzoon) must face the loss of his Nigerian father who diedyoung in order to come to terms with himself.

Love, Spells and All That (Ask, Buyu vs.)

Twenty years after their affair ended, two women reunite on a day trip to thecharming Turkish island of Büyükada, where they first fell in love. They tryto break an old spell that one had cast over the other. It will be anunexpected journey through the past.

Napoleon: In the Name of Art

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) understood the value of art from an early ageand was captivated by its beauty. His worldwide conquests were thereforealways accompanied by collecting, studying, preserving and mapping art. Hebrought artworks from all over the world to France based on his belief thatculture and art should be accessible to everyone. The complex relationshipbetween Napoleon and art has many contradictory manifestations. He used artand culture to legitimize himself as an heir to the classical world, as aninstrument for the aesthetic, moral and bourgeois education of citizens, butart was also propaganda and spoils of war for revolutionary France. Oscarwinner Jeremy Irons takes us from the Brera Academy and Dom in Milan, to theLouvre in Paris, in the company of the best international art historians.

Ningdu

Caught between demigods and mass madness, in a world of propaganda images,surreal collages and pop art animation, Lei’s family struggles to survive thetumultuous times of China of the 1950s and 1960s. Silver Bird and Rainbow Fishis an ode to family, memory and a reconstruction of family history in theHistory of China.

My Beessie and Me

A documentary about the inseparable bond between pets and their owners. Atragicomic quest for whether we need pets to fill a gap in our humanexistence. Because how nice is it to live with an intelligent pig, quirkynaked cats, a dancing dog, a spiritual slug or an Insta cat and what does thisactually say about ourselves? In a visual journey through average Dutchhouseholds, we see how various owners dedicate their lives completely to theirpets and they are an indispensable factor in their lives.

The Golden Calf for best film will go to the animation film on Friday evening_grunt_ gone. Earlier in the evening, the film already won two Golden Calves,for best director and best production design. The prizes were awarded duringthe closing evening of the 42nd edition of the Netherlands Film Festival inthe Utrecht City Theater.

By our entertainment editors

“I can cut half of my speech,” said grunt director Mascha Halberstad afterreceiving her second Kalf for best production design. Halberstad received theprize less than five minutes after the Golden Calf for best director.

At the end of the evening, Halberstad won the Golden Calf in the best filmcategory as the icing on the cake. Halberstad said of the film that whilemaking it, she kept whole lists of what she could have done better.

grunt is a special winner, because it is an animated film. The film is abouta nine-year-old girl. She gets a pig named Oink from her grandfather.

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Best lead roles for Jeroen Spitzenberger and Thekla Reuten

Jeroen Spitzenberger was together with Jennifer Hoffman ( Deep Shit ) andThomas Höppener ( disaster flight ) nominated for the Golden Calf for BestLeading Role in a Drama Series. The The year of Fortuyn actor said when hereceived the award that his children sometimes asked him “if he is going toplay someone who doesn’t die at the end”. “You know what it is, guys,producers like to see daddy die,” the actor joked.

Thekla Reuten also won the prize for best leading role, but in a feature film.She beat fellow actors such as Hanna van Vliet ( ANNE+ ), Joes Brauers ( DoNot Hesitate ), Julia Akkermans ( Pink Moon ) and Yannick Jozefzoon (femi ), which were nominated for the same award.

Best supporting roles for Charlie Chan Dagelet and Tobias Kersloot

disaster flight won the Calf for best drama series on Friday evening. Theseries by Michael Leendertse is about the Boeing 747 that crashed into a flatin the Amsterdam Bijlmermeer in 1992. The drama series follows two journalistswho are investigating the Bijlmer disaster.

The other nominees for the Best Drama Series category were Dirty Lines and_The year of Fortuyn_.

Charlie Chan Dagelet won with her role in Dirty Lines the Golden Calf forBest Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The actress could not be there inUtrecht and expressed her thanks for the prize via a video message.

The prize for best supporting role in a feature film went to Tobias Kersloot,who in Do Not Hesitate played.

Zie ookDit zijn de winnaars van de Gouden Kalveren: Knor en Rampvlucht

Everything on the table with Linda de Mol is not a public favorite

The audience’s favorite movie was this year Bon Bini Holland 3 by Pieter vanRijn. The public could vote for the three best-attended Dutch cinema films ofthe past year for this prize until midnight on 26 September.

Will Koopman, who was also nominated as audience favourite, was Everything onthe table earlier in the evening praised by Linda de Mol. According to DeMol, who played a role in the film, Koopman “finally received the recognitionof the film world that has been due to her for so long”. costa!! was thelast nominee for the public award of the Golden Calves.

Nick Cannon’s tribe keeps growing and growing — and we’re just trying to keepup.

On Sept. 30, the ** __**Masked Singer and _Wild ‘N Out _host, 41, announcedthe arrival of his tenth child, a son Rise Messiah Cannon with Brittany Bell.It was his second child to be born this month and third this year — with threedifferent mothers. Now that 10 has arrived — we knew it was long overdue(wink!) for a breakdown of all the Cannon kids and their moms.

So let’s meet the cannons…

10. Rise Messiah Cannon (b. September 2022)

Cannon’s crew officially entered the double digits with the birth of RiseMessiah, a big biblical name, on Sept. 23. It is Cannon’s third child withmodel Brittany Bell, and his second child in a two-week span (see: Onyx IceCole Cannon). the All That alum celebrated his latest “blessing,” butrevealed that it was “the most difficult labor and delivery I have everwitnessed.” Bell went through “48 hours of excruciating pain and life-riskingdanger” to deliver the 10-pound baby boy. He described himself as “so indebtedand grateful for the matriarch energy” and called Bell “the rock andfoundation of my fatherhood journey. She has taught me so much aboutparenting, psychology, spirituality, love and just life in general.” Thecouple also shares Powerful Queen and Golden Sagon.

9. Onyx Ice Cole Cannon (b. September 2022)

lucky no. 9 — a baby girl given the gem name Onyx — was born Sept. 14, 2022 toCannon and former Price Is Right model and photographer LaNisha Cole. Thisis their first child together. Cannon shared a photo with mom and baby momentsafter the child was born, vowing “to protect, provide, guide and love thischild to the best of my abilities.” He also called for critics to direct anynegative comments about his open relationships — and multiple baby moms — tohim and not his partners.

“In this moment of celebration and jubilee, I wish to mute any low vibrationalfrequencies and only rejoice with the Highest Class of Civilization who aretruly aligned with our purpose here in this dimension,” Cannon wrote onInstagram. “I’ve given up on attempting to define myself for the world orsociety… Hopefully I can teach Onyx the same, to not let others shame orridicule her with their outside opinions, because when they do they are onlyprojecting their own harsh experiences, pain and social programming onto herunblemished beauty.” He added that he has “quite tough skin,” but noted that”not everyone in my family has that same level of strength. He called Cole”one of the most guileless, peaceful and non-confrontational kind souls” andsaid she “only deserves to revel in this moment of blissful joy.”

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8. Legendary Love Cannon (b. June 2022)

Cannon’s eighth child — a baby boy with the big name, in size and meaning,Legendary — was his first with model/ Wild ‘N’ Out regular/ _Selling Sunset_star Bre Tiesi. The child, called Legend, was born on June 28. Tiesi, who waspreviously married to NFL QB Johnny Manziel, said Cannon — or “Daddy,” as shecalled him — “showed the f up for us [during the natural home birth]. Icouldn’t of done it without you.” She revealed that she attempted to naturallyinduce labor at 41 weeks with “lots of sexy time,” so the baby could be bornbefore Cannon had to go out of town. News that the couple was expecting — viagender reveal party photos — surfaced one month after he vowed he had gonecelibate.

7. Zen Scott Cannon (b. June 2021, d. December 2021)

the America ‘s Got Talent _alum had his seventh child, Zen, with model AlyssaScott, who also appeared on _Wild ‘N Out. Born on June 23, 2021, Zen wasdiagnosed with a brain tumor and died just five months later, on Dec. 5.Cannon said, when revealing Zen’s death, that he was “so grateful to my entirefamily for coming together” to spend time with Zen — a name meaning peacefuland calm — in his final weeks. He called Scott “the strongest woman” and “bestmom.” On the first anniversary of Zen’s death, Cannon announced the launch ofZen’s Light, a pediatric care foundation, in the baby’s memory.

Nick Cannon, Alyssa Scott and Zen. (Photo: Nick Cannon Show)

5 and 6. Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir Cannon (b. June 2021)

Cannon’s second set of twins is a joint production between him and formerradio personality Abby De La Rosa. Zion, a name meaning “highest point,” and”Zilly,” whose money-centric name speaks for itself, were born June 14, 2021.De La Rosa said that having a child with Cannon “was something we weremanifesting” for a while before they learned they were expecting twins. Sheshared that they previously suffered a pregnancy loss the year before. Oftheir relationship, she said they became friends after meeting while hostingradio shows at rival stations — and soon friends “turn[ed] into family.”

4. Powerful Queen Cannon (b. December 2020)

Cannon became a father for the fourth time after welcoming a daughter with avery empowering name, Powerful Queen, on Dec. 24, 2020. This is his secondchild with Bell, who called Cannon “my rock through the most intense yetempowering natural water birth.” The birth also marked the first of four kidsCannon had with three women in a six month period. Of the baby spree, he said,“I’m like a seahorse out here with how I’m procreating.” But being serious, headded, “I’m having these kids on purpose. It ain’t no accident!”

3. Golden Sagon Cannon (b. February 2017)

Cannon’s third offspring, also with Bell, is his Golden child. The boy wasborn Feb. 22, 2017. As the boy started second grade — at just 5 years old —Cannon said he takes “none of the credit” for his smarts, saying he “gets hisgenius from his Mamma!”

1. and 2. Monroe and Moroccan Scott Cannon (b. April 2011)

“Dem babies” need no introduction, do they? Cannon’s first set of twins arewith his then-wife Mariah Carey. The couple experienced pregnancy loss beforethey had their babies, on April 30, 2011. The public was so excited to seethem that they were introduced to the world in their own 20/20 special. Asfor their names, Moroccan was inspired by the decor on the top floor ofCarey’s NYC apartment, where Cannon proposed; Monroe was named after MarilynMonroe, one of Carey’s inspirations. The pair, who separated in 2014 anddivorced two years later, remained friendly post-split and have hit the carpetwith their kids since they parted ways. Cannon said in July 2022, “I willnever have a love like I had with Mariah… It was literally like a fairytale.”

However, it’s unclear how Carey feels about his baby-making spree. In Nov.2021, Carey gave a very Mariah answer when asked whether Roc and Roe would bespending the holidays with their step-siblings. “Is it step?” she replied,adding the shade, “I don’t think it’s step if you’re not married to theperson.” She went on to say, “I don’t know about that,” with a laugh. “That’sa different interview for you.” As if in response, Cannon posted a Christmasphoto of Roc and Roe with step-siblings Golden and Powerful Queen. He posted aseparate photo of twins Zilly and Zion, seemingly unable to get all six kidstogether at once. His post also included a throwback of baby Zen.

Exes Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon with Roe and Roc at the 2018 Kids’ ChoiceAwards. (Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Coming soon…

Is baby 11 on the way? De La Rosa is also pregnant again, first sharing thenews in June. She has kept mum on the identity of the father, leading tospeculation that it’s Cannon. Amid the mystery, she recently posted on socialmedia, “Move over Kardashians. Gen ‘C’ taking over, babyyyy.” She also spokeabout her open relationship with Cannon, saying, “Me being open in myrelationship does not change or take away from the type of mother that I am tomy kids. I’m excited for my kids to grow up and be like , ‘Mom and dad, y’alldid it your way. And I love that.'”

Cannon has fueled the gossip, saying, “If you thought it was a lot of kidslast year…” and hinting he’ll be topping last year’s number — of four births.He also joked about how many he has so far, holding balloons with alldifferent numbers for a photo shoot and quipping, “Anybody got a calculator?”

This story was originally published on Sept. 15, 2022 at 4:05 pm ET and hasbeen updated.

Bruce Willis has retired from making movies since his aphasia diagnosis, buthe may continue to be an action star. how? Well, technology.

The actor, whose family announced in March that he was stepping away frommoving-making due to his health, made a new deal with Deepcake to create a”digital twin” of the actor to appear in projects, including films, that areapproved by his estate. The company creates artificial intelligence-replicasof celebrities, and the production process doesn’t require the physicalpresence of a celebrity to be there.

Willis started working with the Delaware-based company in August 2021. Anauthorized deepfake of the actor was used in a Russian commercial for themobile communication company MegaFon. How it worked is an artificial neuralnetwork was used to impose Willis’s image onto the face of Russian actorKonstantin Solovyov. It took 15 to 17 days to make the training video. Thecompany was working to speed up the process to 3 to 5 days. The company boaststhat it’s much cheaper to use fakes for productions, and easier in the sensethat projects “don’t depend on schedule, circumstances, and special requestsfrom celebrities.”

How it works:

Willis’s image is all over the company website, including a quote about> selling his image for the MegaFon commercial last year: “I liked the> precision of my character,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to go> back in time. The neural network was trained on content of Die Hard and> Fifth Element , so my character is similar to the images of that time.> With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and> participate in filming, even being on another continent. It’s a brand new> and interesting experience for me, and I [am] grateful to our team.”

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Deepcake, which has not yet provideddetails on terms of Willis’s deal or when it was made. A rep for Willis hasnot yet responded to request for comment.

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In March, the Willis family said in a statement that the star had beendiagnosed with aphasia, a condition where a person loses the ability tocommunicate. As a result he was “stepping away from the career that has meantso much to him.”

The same day, the Los Angeles Times published a report in which nearly twodozen people who had been on set with Willis in recent years (for mostlystraight to VOD movies), expressed concern about his well-being. Among theclaims was that Willis unexpectedly fired a gun loaded with a blank on thewrong cue on the set of Hard Kill — a claim denied by the producer andarmorer. Multiple set sources claimed Willis often seemed confused on the setof 2022’s White Elephant once asking, “Why am I here?”

The same outlet did an exposé soon after on Hollywood producer Randall Emmett,who hired Willis to appear in two dozen films — mostly the straight to VODones — since 2006. It claimed the action star had his lines fed to him in anearpiece and couldn it kick open a door in the movie Midnight in theSwitchgrass. However, he continued to churn out movies. In the story,Emmett’s rep denied he was aware “of any decline in Mr. Willis’s health.”Willis still has three projects filmed prior to his retirement that have yetto be released.

Since the retirement announcement, Willis’s family has shared glimpses of hislife after movie making. We’ve seen him jam on his harmonica and go bikingwith his daughters.

Willis’s net worth has been estimated at over $250 million. As his healthdeclined, he’s sold off $65 million in real estate.

The film ‘El houb’ is about a Dutch-Moroccan family that avoids sensitivesubjects. “It’s a universal love story about a family that has to learn totalk about sensitive topics,” director and screenwriter Shariff Nasr explainsin the statement. movie newspaper. The Moroccan-Dutch Karim, the maincharacter in the film, returns to his parental home in Rotterdam after beingcaught with a man by his father. He tells his family that he likes men, buthis parents ignore his confession.

Also read: Dutch-Moroccan LGBTI film has already been sold to sevencountries

The existing image in the MENA community is that as a homosexual you have tochoose between your family and your sexuality. “But what if you want both, ifyou want to combine it?” asks Nasr. “This film was born from that idea. Tobring out a different image, something that we should talk about. I don’tthink there is a film about the MENA community or the Arab community that isabout dialogue. About emotional subjects are often not discussed. Not onlyabout sexual orientation, but also about subjects such as suicide, depressionand mental health in general. Because such topics are not discussed, one doesnot know what the other person thinks. That is not only something of the Arabworld; worldwide there are plenty of countries in which a culture of silencereigns. It was no different in the Netherlands in the past and I still hearharrowing stories from areas here,” said the director and screenwriter.

Yet the film is not an indictment. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want tocondemn or stigmatize. El Houb does not attack the community or the faith, buttells about a family that suddenly has to learn to deal with something.Everyone has their own point of view and that is what has been discussed andunderstood. It’s a kind of onion you’re peeling. Every time there is a newlayer and another layer. Like a psychological drama in which you get to knowthe perspectives and in which even the main character has not yet acceptedhimself.”

Nasr placed his film in the Moroccan-Dutch community and first involvedprotagonist Fahd Larhzaoui in his project, but he also often spoke with TofikDibi to clarify the perspective. “If the interest is genuine, there’s no otherway than a genuine film comes out. As long as you don’t do it as a gimmick,because something is hot or feels ‘exotic’. I know the Arab community insideout. There are definitely differences with the Moroccan community, but a lotis recognizable. I started talking a lot, not only with Fahd and Tofik, butwith dozens of people from the Moroccan community, to get everything asauthentic as possible and fact-checked. The actors also got a say in thescript and because of that it has become a very original story. Can I tell astory about this as a straight? I think so. I don’t think this is necessarilyan lgbtqia+ story, but a universal love story about a family that has to learnto talk about sensitive subjects.”

Also Read: Fahd Larhzaoui and Nasrdin Dchar together in “El Houb”

Nasr sees his film in the first place as a fervent plea for more dialogue.”Everyone has an opinion ready too quickly. We no longer listen to each other.Social media has greatly reinforced that. No matter how ridiculous youropinion is, you can always find like-minded people on social media. Then youwill soon no longer be ashamed. for a stupid opinion. I also see thispolarization in talk shows where one extreme is often put against the other.Everyone argues, we all don’t know, end of show. In the talk shows of the pastit seemed like the host at the end I wanted to draw some kind of conclusion. Imiss that now. Nobody says: I get your side, I understand your pain, what canwe change? When I watch a talk show these days, nobody is looking for asolution. What we are looking for being is a high pitched argument, ratingsand sensation, and disguised that as a good dialogue. What you see is not adialogue, but two monologues. We then listened to that and then we move onagain. I miss the grayscale and look for it me on i n El Houb. There is a lotbetween the black and white that surrounds us. Only when we really starttalking about it will we ensure a better future.”

El Houb by director Shariff Nasr will have its Dutch premiere on October 10 atKoninklijk Theater Tuschinski in Amsterdam.

updateGijs Rademaker (44), known as opinion pollster of One today at theNPO, switches from AvroTros to RTL. There he goes, among other things, the newprogram RTL Newspanel present and create a documentary series with Maartenvan Rossem about dinosaurs.

RTL announced this today. Rademaker remains active as an opinion pollster andin that capacity will be a guest more often in the talk shows of RTL, where healready sits regularly. RTL Newspanel will start next year. It is not yetknown what that program will look like.

Rademaker worked for eighteen years One today (formerly TwoToday ), ofwhich twelve years as a presenter of the opinion polls. He is now ‘reallyready for a new environment’, he writes on the site of the program.

“In this difficult time full of crises and political contradictions, itremains important to be able to gauge how the Dutch think about what is goingon in society,” Rademaker added. RTL News. ,,I look forward to doing that atRTL in the coming years and also developing myself in other areas.”

Overwhelmingly Intimate

At the same time, he leaves with ‘pain in the heart’, partly because he leftthe opinion panel of One today will miss. The 80,000 members are anonymous,but the investigations felt ‘very intimate’ to him.

‘Many told me everything: a lot of frustration about the functioning ofinstitutions. But also about loneliness, insecurity, sexuality and identity,discrimination and racism. You shared it en masse, with many tens of thousandsper survey. And that felt, in a good way, overwhelmingly intimate.’ The panelat One today continues to exist after Rademaker’s departure.

Content director Peter van der Vorst is happy that Rademaker is coming to RTL.“With everything that is happening in our society, it is valuable andimportant to know how the Dutch think and what concerns them. through the new_RTL Newspanel_ under the leadership of Gijs, we can have that conversationwith the viewer about many topics on a daily basis.”

Rademaker will also make other programs, such as a series of documentariesabout dinosaurs, for which he travels to the United States with historianMaarten van Rossem. The pair are already making a podcast about the creatures,the dinosaur. The docuseries should be a ‘wonderful quest for specialdinosaurs’.

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Rachel Nichols basketball journalism career has taken a new bounce.

The longtime sports reporter is joining Showtime’s sports division, where shewill work on the unit’s basketball content vertical as both a host andproducer.

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“We are delighted to welcome Rachel Nichols to the Showtime Basketballfamily,” said Brian Dailey, senior vice president of sports programming andcontent for Showtime, in a prepared statement. “Rachel brings unmatchedjournalistic credibility, great familiarity with our roster and a work ethicthat will take us to another level.”

She has also carried some baggage. Nichols left her previous employer, WaltDisney’s ESPN, after becoming embroiled in a controversy in which a videorecording of her complaining about a colleague, Maria Taylor, being awarded arole Nichols had been guaranteed under contract, became public. The revelationof the video spurred internal complaints and division within the sports-mediagiant. ESPN took Nichols off her daily basketball show, “The Jump,” and bothshe and Taylor ended up leaving the company.

Nichols has for the first time addressed the squabble and its causes. Speakingon “All The Smoke With Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, a Showtime Basketballvideo podcast, Nichols discussed the incident, noting that the recording wastaken of her while she was in a Florida hotel room to work on site for ESPN’sNBA coverage, inadvertently leaving open a video line to ESPN’s Bristol, CTheadquarters. The line was broadcasting for hours, she said, but no one atESPN told her. “One person decided to just sit and watch and start spying onme, like I was their own personal television show,” Nichols said. “When theyheard something they thought was juicy, they picked up their cell phone andthey started recording me.”

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At issue were hosting duties for ESPN’s annual coverage of the NBA Finals,something Nichols says she had been assigned as part of contract with thesports-media outlet. ESPN executives, Nichols says, wanted to give Taylorthose responsibilities, and pressured Nichols to give them up. But hosting theFinals had been a “dream,” she says, and so she discussed the issue duringphone calls while staying in the hotel room

“I feel very sorry that any of this touched Maria Taylor, because she is afellow woman in this business. It wasn’t her fault that any of this was goingon,” says Nichols. “To even bring her into that was a mistake on my part, andthat it caused her to be upset in any way — I don’t want to be that person.”Nichols says she tried to arrange a meeting with Taylor, but was unable to doso. Taylor is now working for NBC Sports, where she was recently named thehost of “Football Night in America.”

Basketball-themed content on Showtime includes feature length documentariesand docu-series. Some of the projects have been produced by LeBron James’SpringHill Company and Kevin Durant’s 35 Ventures.

Nichols has a long history with basketball. She helped create ESPN’s daily NBAprogram, “The Jump,” and hosted it from its inception in 2016. She spentnearly a decade writing for The Washington Post, where she covered the NHL,NBA, MLB, tennis and the Olympics. She also worked at Turner Sports from 2013to 2016 where she hosted CNN’s “Unguarded With Rachel Nichols” and, coveredthe NBA, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the MLB playoffs. amongother events. Her first stint at ESPN began in 2004, where she covered theNFL, NBA, contributed as a correspondent for E:60 and frequented SportsCenter.

She joins Showtime, part of Paramount Global, as speculation has begun to rampup about the next round of TV rights for the NBA. The league’s currentcontract with ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports lapses after the2024-2025 season. Business observers wonder whether Warner Bros. Discovery,which is grappling with a significant amount of debut since its formationearlier this year, will be eager to pay what are likely to be significantincreases in costs to keep the NBA under its aegis.

VIP+ Analysis: Why Sports TV Is Slow to Embrace FAST

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