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He was initially an ambassador from the Hippie Nation, a force of irreverence armed with a sharp wit and a what-me-worry smile. Which is why, in the late 1960s, right when Flower Power was beginning to bloom in full and the escalating situation in Vietnam galvanized the youth generation, Donald Sutherland started to make a name for himself in… war movies. It’s funny to think of that factoid now, given the six decades of incredibly versatile work the late, great actor left behind when he died Thursday at the...

Legendary Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, who died on Thursday after a long illness and a celebrated Hollywood film and TV career, revealed why he never sought dual Canadian and U.S. citizenship by acquiring an American passport.

“Because we don’t have the same sense of humor. It’s true. We don’t. I’m a Canadian through and through,” Sutherland told the CBC radio show Q with Tom Power in March during one of his last media interviews.

Sutherland, who had been living in recent years in Quebec, around 12 miles from the U.S. border, recalled giving that answer to an American border guard who asked why the Canadian actor, who already had a green card to work stateside, didn’t get an American passport to more quickly cross the border to complete errands.

“Anyway, I love the country. I’m very, very proud that they gave me a stamp,...

We're very sad to report that Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88 after a long illness.

Sutherland appeared in countless movies and TV shows over the course of his six-decade career, taking on a wide range of roles. Early standouts include Pvt. Vernon Pinkley in The Dirty Dozen (1967), Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce in M*A*S*H (1970), hippie tank commander Sgt. Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes (1970), and the titular private eye in Alan J. Pakula’s Klute (1971).

Though he often played heroic characters, Sutherland also brought life to his share of villains, including a ruthless Nazi spy in Eye of the Needle (1981), and President Snow in the Hunger Games movies. He is also known for his devastating turn as a grieving father in Nicholas Roeg's sinister horror/thriller Don't Look Now (1973), which featured an infamously graphic (for its time) sex scene with Julie Christie.

The prolific actor's résumé also includes:...

Donald Sutherland, the tall, lean and long-faced Canadian actor who became a countercultural icon with such films as “The Dirty Dozen,” “Mash,” “Klute” and “Don’t Look Now,” and who subsequently enjoyed a prolific and wide-ranging career in films including “Ordinary People,” “Without Limits” and the “Hunger Games” films, died Thursday in Miami after a long illness, CAA confirmed. He was 88.

For over a half century, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor, who received an honorary Oscar in 2017, memorably played villains, antiheroes, romantic leads and mentor figures. His profile increased in the past decade with his supporting role as the evil President Snow in “The Hunger Games” franchise.

Most recently, he appeared as Judge Parker on the series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” and in the “Swimming With Sharks” series in 2022. His other recent recurring roles include the series “Undoing” and “Trust,” in which he played J. Paul Getty, and features “Ad Astra” and “The Burnt-Orange Heresy.

In 2012, the world’s film critics considered Federico Fellini’s 1963 Oscar-winning “8 ½” one of the 10 greatest films of all time. By 2022, Fellini’s landmark film had fallen out of the top 30.

Once upon a time, director/screenwriter/producer Martin Scorsese had reportedly cited it as his favorite film of all time. More recently it’s come in second for Scorsese, tucked behind Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Endlessly copied, cribbed from (both consciously and unconsciously) and parodied, it inspired Paul Mazursky’s 1970 film “Alex in Wonderland” (which includes a cameo by Fellini) and was the source material for the Tony-winning musical “Nine.”

Variety’s critic Bob Hawkins was effusive about the film straight out of the gate, reviewing it after its Rome premiere. He noted that it was “an exciting, stimulating monumental creation” and an example of what Hawkins’ deemed “the author-director picture par excellence.”

While Hawkins colorfully described...

Mumbai, June 19 (Ians) Young music composer Rishi Kumar has collaborated with comedian-actor-musician Alexander Babu and Qatar Influencer Fousiya for the Tamil Song ‘Naan Naan Dhaan’ for the streaming special ‘Alex in Wonderland’.

The young talent feels that AI consolidates its power over the art space, but the human touch is something that it will never be able to replicate.

He also spoke about how the artistes will fare in the age when artificial intelligence seems to be taking and what makes an artiste and their work insurmountable.

Rishi said: “I think it’s the human touch. AI makes everything sound robotic and perfect which is not the case in music, it needs to be human; a tad bit out of tune, a tad bit out of tempo. The creativity aspect of humans is also something to be considered. AI cannot compare with human musicians until and unless they develop a very human brain.

Character actor Michael Lerner, known for his Oscar-nominated role in Joel and Ethan Coen's "Barton Fink," has died at the age of 81. Lerner passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2023. His nephew, "The Goldbergs" star Sam Lerner, confirmed the news in an Instagram post the following day (via Variety).

Michael Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1941. In the 1960s, he appeared on sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch" and "The Doris Day Show" and studied at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre before landing his first film role in "Alex in Wonderland" in 1970. In the decade that followed, Lerner would continue juggling movies, TV shows, and TV movies, making a number of guest appearances on shows like "Ironside," "The Bob Newhart Show," "M*A*S*H," "The Odd Couple," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Rockford Files," "Kojak," and "Wonder Woman."

In the 1980s, Lerner costarred in "The Postman Always Rings Twice...

Michael Lerner, the longtime character actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the artistically disinterested studio executive Jack Lipnick in “Barton Fink,” has died at the age of 81. The news was announced by Lerner’s nephew, actor Sam Lerner, on his personal Instagram page. While he did not offer any specifics about his uncle’s death, he used the post to pay tribute to the late Oscar nominee.

“We lost a legend last night,” Sam Lerner wrote. “It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was— in the best way. I’m...

Iconic director, performer and choreographer Debbie Allen has been selected to receive the Television Academy’s 2021 Governors Award, “in recognition of her numerous contributions to the television medium through multiple creative forms and her philanthropic endeavors around the world.”

Allen, a staple in TV and film for decades, was chosen by the Television Academy’s Board of Governors “for her unprecedented achievements in television and her commitment to inspire and engage marginalized youth through dance, theater arts and mentorship,” the org said. She’ll receive the award during CBS’ telecast of the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Last year, Tyler Perry and The Perry Foundation were honored with the award. Other recent recipients include “Star Trek,” Itvs, “American Idol,” A+E Networks, Marian Dougherty, June Foray, John Walsh and the It Gets Better Project, co-founded by Dan Savage and Terry Miller.

The Governors Award is handed out to...

EntertainmentSpending his time in a lockdown effectively, Alex has come up with ways to keep his fans engaged and entertained with his videos.Tnm StaffFile ImageThe coronavirus lockdown has surely brought out the entertaining side of celebrities in Tamil Nadu, who have been sharing videos of them working out, cooking etc with their fans. Comedian Alexander Babu or ‘Alex’, who is quite regular in posting videos on his YouTube channel, has posted a short video of him singing a popular Tamil song, but in English. The six-minute video, released on Sunday, shows Alex with his harmonium, translating lines from the song ‘Mandram Vandha’ from Mouna Raagam. At the outset of the video, Alex speaks about his first full-length stand up comedy show Alex in Wonderland, which was a musical comedy show. Around 52 songs from Tamil movies across eras were referred to in that show, which was received by the audience well.

This Supergirl review contains spoilers.

Supergirl Season 5 Episode 16

It’s a shame that Supergirl has taken pretty much all season to give us a true Alex-centered episode, but wow does “Alex in Wonderland” more than come through in the clutch. This hour somehow manages to not only move the Leviathan plot forward at last, but adds some fresh layers of introspection and intimacy to the Danvers sisters’ relationship.

That’s largely due to the fact that somebody somewhere realized that half the fun of virtual reality being such a big plot point in Season 5 is that it can – and should – allow us to play with alternate worlds and different versions of the places and characters we know and love, without needing doppelgangers or world ending apocalypses. “Alex in Wonderland” gives us Alex-as-Supergirl, complete with a black House of El sigil, a dramatic cape, and Melissa Benoist bangs, and it’s...

Supergirl returns this weekend but, for one week only, the title will refer to Alex Danvers rather than Kara. Called “Alex in Wonderland,” the sixteenth episode of the Girl of Steel’s fifth season will continue Alex’s adventures through Obsidian’s virtual reality world, following on from last week’s “Reality Bytes.” In that episode, we saw Alex eyeing up her own super-suit for a moment. Next time around, she’ll put it on and take to the skies as she gets a taste of her sister’s life.

Chyler Leigh has been teasing this development for a while, posting a behind-the-scenes snap of herself in the super-suit on social media. These new promo images give us a much better look at the costume, though. As you can see in the gallery below, Alex’s Supergirl suit resembles Kara’s, but with the red and blue swapped for black and turquoise.

InterviewIn a freewheeling chat with Tnm, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, Nenc’s director, and Alexander Babu share their experiences of revamping the play and bringing it back.Megha KaveriFacebook/TheatreZeroA set of plays that received a good reception a few years ago is back on the theatre circuit in a new avatar. For those who had watched the Tamil play Nagercoil Expressum Nadaga Companyum (Nenc) a few years ago, what awaits is a dash of nostalgia with some new elements added. In a freewheeling chat with Tnm, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, Nenc’s director, and stand-up comedian Alexander Babu share their experiences of revamping the play and bringing it back to the stage. As such, Nenc is not a new project. Playwright and actor Vinodhini Vaidyanathan wrote Nadaga Company in 2015 for The Hindu Theatre Fest. Nagercoil Express was written even before that. Both these plays were performed in 2016-17. However, as the play couldn...

InterviewAfter the roaring success of ‘Alex in Wonderland’, the stand-up comedian speaks to Tnm about his journey, clean comedy and from where he gets his inspiration.Megha Kaveriwww.alexinwonderland.in“I used to be the clown in our friends’ group and in the class,” begins stand-up comedian Alexander Babu, in his chat with Tnm. Alex, as he is popularly known, hails from Ramanathapuram and loves and breathes music - which is apparent from his 2-hour-long comedy special Alex in Wonderland which has completed 115 shows worldwide and is now an Amazon Prime special. Through the course of the show, he takes the audience on a joyride with Tamil songs from the time of Ms Viswanathan to Ilaiyaraaja and Ar Rahman. The show, which was released on the Ott platform a week ago, has been widely watched and celebrated. “When people around you say that (being the class clown), it keeps building inside you.

One of my favorite Oscar nominations this year was Mark Bridges getting the call for his work on Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice." I only wish David Crank and Amy Wells could have joined him because the design of this film was out of sight (to say nothing of Robert Elswit's lush lensing). Still, it's sort of serendipitous that it's Bridges and Anderson (in the adapted screenplay category) representing the film, as like Elswit, their collaboration goes all the way back to the beginning, but unlike Elswit (who won the Oscar for "There Will Be Blood"), Bridges had yet to be recognized for a PTA movie. I talked to Bridges, who did get his own trip to Oscar's stage for "The Artist" a few years ago, about that and a whole lot more earlier this week. The research and engineering that went into bringing these costumes — and, by proxy,...

If you’re looking for some good movies to watch this three-day holiday weekend, I’d like to suggest a double shot of Paul Mazursky, the under-appreciated filmmaker who died Monday. A whole marathon of his work is in order, really, especially if you’ve never seen Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice or Harry and Tonto or Next Stop, Greenwich Village (come at least for Bill Murray’s first film appearance and a great early Christopher Walken) or An Unmarried Woman (a terrific feminist classic) or the crazy Alex in Wonderland (come at least for the Fellini scene). But two of my favorites are his big releases in the mid-80s, Moscow on the Hudson and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and I think they make a perfect double feature for Independence Day. First up is Moscow on the Hudson, which in early 1984 led the wave of comedies involving immigration and migration to New York City (see...

Paul Mazursky, the innovative and versatile director who showed the absurdity of modern life in such movies as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and An Unmarried Woman, has died. He was 84. The filmmaker died of pulmonary cardiac arrest Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Mazursky's spokeswoman Nancy Willen. As a talented writer, actor, producer and director, Mazursky racked up five Oscar nominations, mostly for writing such films as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Enemies, A Love Story. He also created memorable roles for the likes of Art Carney, Jill Clayburgh and Natalie Wood. Later in life, Mazursky acted...

Paul Mazursky, the innovative and versatile director who showed the absurdity of modern life in such movies as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and An Unmarried Woman, has died. He was 84. The filmmaker died of pulmonary cardiac arrest Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Mazursky's spokeswoman Nancy Willen. As a talented writer, actor, producer and director, Mazursky racked up five Oscar nominations, mostly for writing such films as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Enemies, A Love Story. He also created memorable roles for the likes of Art Carney, Jill Clayburgh and Natalie Wood. Later in life, Mazursky acted...

 

If you're a member of Austin Film Society, tonight marks the first event in a new monthly series called Free Member Fridays! Actor Thomas Haden Church and director Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais will be at the Marchesa for a special screening of their new film Whitewash. It is free for Afs members and general admission tickets will also be available for $15 at the door subject to capacity. Afs also is presenting the new release Hateship Loveship on Sunday afternoon. While this IFC Films release is available on VOD, this (along with a second showing next Friday) is your only chance to catch it locally on the big screen. The movie stars Kristen Wiig and Guy Pearce and is an adaptation of a story by Alice Munro. Richard Linklater's Jewels In The Wasteland series returns on Wednesday night with a 35mm print of Coppola's 1983 feature Rumble Fish. Finally, the week in movies...

After the wife-swapping comedy-drama Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice captured the cultural zeitgeist and catapulted him to the A-list, director Paul Mazursky used the leverage he’d accrued to do what any self-respecting show-business narcissist would do: He made a movie about himself. Or rather, he made a movie about a suspiciously Paul Mazursky-like filmmaker contemplating his options and luxuriating in ennui immediately before the release of a Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice-like smash. Mazurksky flaunts his influences in Alex In Wonderland; if the title weren’t enough, Federico Fellini pops up about a half hour in (playing himself) to look ...