November 4, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Melinda Sue Gordon; ©2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.(LONDON) — Director Christopher Nolan broke his silence on Tenet‘s post-pandemic performance in an interview published in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

The thriller was delayed by the pandemic’s shuttering of movie theaters in the States, but the filmmaker was steadfast that the Warner Bros. film starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson get a theatrical bow and not be shunted to streaming services.

Nolan says he was “thrilled” with the film’s nearly $350 million worldwide gross, but worries major studios got the wrong message. “Rather than looking at where the film has worked well and how that can provide them with much needed revenue, they’re looking at where it hasn’t lived up to pre-COVID expectations and will start using that as an excuse to make exhibition take all the losses from the pandemic instead of getting in the game and adapting — or rebuilding our business, in other words,” he explained.

Nolan added, “Long term, moviegoing is a part of life, like restaurants and everything else. But right now, everybody has to adapt to a new reality.”

By George Costantino and Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

November 4, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Darren Gerrish/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — It’s that time of year again when Gwyneth Paltrow’s website goop highlights this year’s must-have holiday gifts. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the website chose to feature gift ideas that “meet the needs of today: less travel and more snacks, self-care, and booze.”

The official 2020 goop Gift Guide, released Tuesday, highlights an array of intriguing, charming and downright bizarre gifts that would certainly make a statement under the Christmas tree.

Goop broke up this year’s fantastic finds into several gift categories, from “The Ridiculous but Awesome” to “The Foward-to-Your-SO” guides.  What’s making the headlines, however, are the items listed under “Ridiculous but Awesome.”

The name is apt, as the selections include a $38,000 Avocado Green Mattress — which the site claims is, “handcrafted to your unique comfort preferences and style, including firmness, wood finish, base style, and height” — as well as a $7,500 birthing chair from designer Stiliyana Minkovska, and a $35,000 pyramid-shaped dresser. In case you’re wondering why the latter is particularly pricey, Goop says it, “energetically lifts the vibrations of whatever room it’s in.”

Another offering is the Edie Parker Ouija board, fetching a price of $1,995 (or four interest-free payments of $498.75,) which is a “hand-poured, glitter-bombed acrylic” spirit board that is sure to be a conversation starter — literally — at the dinner table.

For those who’d rather not contact the dearly departed, goop singled out a gift perfect for those who crave peace and quiet.  The “Studypod” is exactly what it sounds like, a $13,600 portable single-person study room that could be set up anywhere, even the great outdoors.  It comes with a detachable desk so it can become a yoga studio or even a bedroom.

Another item listed is a leather custom made watermelon bag by designer Tsuchiya Kaban, but prices vary based on the customer’s specific requests.

For the record, it’s a bag for holding a watermelon, not a bag with a fruit design.

Thankfully, not everything goop highlighted this year will put too much of a strain on shoppers’ wallets, as it also has a “Holiday Gifts under $100” category, which boasts items like Oregon Wine in a Can ($17 for a four-pack) and, of course, Gwyneth Paltrow’s infamous “personally” scented candle that retails for $75.

By Megan Stone and Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.