Regina King to debut film at TIFF
The Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday unveiled a lineup bearing little in common with its normal barrage of awards contenders and premier fall films, but featuring the directorial debut of Regina King.
Toronto, which is set to run Sept. 10 to 19, has plotted a largely virtual 45th edition. In normal years, TIFF is the largest film festival in North America.
Some of the notable films include Frederick Wiseman’s “City Hall,” a portrait of Boston’s City Hall; King’s drama about a young Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, titled “One Night in Miami”; Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer’s meteorite documentary “Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds”; “Pieces of a Woman,” Kornel Mundruczo’s family drama with Shia LaBeouf; and Glendyn Ivin’s “Penguin Bloom,” with Naomi Watts.
Keys producing PBS documentary: Alicia
Keys has been tapped to executive produce the upcoming PBS documentary “American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free.”
Based on historian Ruth Feldstein’s 2013 book “How It Feels To Be Free: Black Women Entertainers and the Civil Rights Movement,” the film will chronicle the stories of Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier with a focus on how they fought against racist stereotypes, while also transforming the entertainment landscape.
“Art is the most powerful medium on the planet, and I continue to be inspired by and learn from these powerful, brave and stereotype-shattering women who leveraged their success as artists to fearlessly stand up against racism, sexism, exclusion and harassment,” singer
and actor Keys said.
McConaughey writing book: Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey didn’t want to write an ordinary celebrity book.
“This is not a traditional memoir or an advice book, but rather a playbook based on adventures in my life,” McConaughey, 50, said in a statement about “Greenlights,” which comes out Oct. 20.
According to Crown, which announced the book Wednesday, the actor will draw upon a diary he has kept for 35 years.
Morgan, wife to divorce: Tracy Morgan’s representative said in a statement Wednesday that the actor-comedian and his wife of five years, Megan Wollover, have filed for divorce. “This is a challenging time for all involved, so I ask that you please respect our privacy,” Morgan said in a statement. The two married after Morgan recovered from a 2014 highway crash.
Rapper Malik B dies: Malik B, 47, a rapper and founding member of The Roots, has died. The cause of death was not released. The group announced the death of the Philadelphiaborn emcee in a social media post Wednesday. Malik B, whose real name is Malik Abdul Basit, was a major contributor to the group, which includes Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter.
July 31 birthdays: Actor Don Murray is 91. Actor Susan Flannery is 81. Actor Barry Van Dyke is 69. Drummer Bill Berry is 62. Actor Wesley Snipes is 58. Musician Fatboy Slim is 57. Author J.K. Rowling is 55. Actor Dean Cain is 54. Actor Eve Best is 49. Singer Zac Brown is 42. Actor B.J. Novak is 41. Actor Rico Rodriguez is 22.