Source: https://www.objectiffestival.fr/news/articles/82nd-venice-screenings-dates/index.php

Radical concept: James Bond re-imagined as a cerebral, borderline-dweeby, George Smiley smarty-pants type…fully capable of self-defense but no one’s idea of fiercely aggressive. And no seducing the broads.

“Don’t give up”? “You have the power”? “Let’s not be defeated”? “I don’t regret a day of it”?

That’s it?

That thin, chirpy, vocal-fry voice….that vaguely sassy-whiney tone…the reflexive cackling.

Variety and THR are reporting that Jeremy Strong will probably play Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Network, Part II. As I undersand the situation, Strong wouldn’t be “taking over” the role of Facebook founder from Jesse Eisenberg as much as succeeding Eisenberg. Original Social Network author Aaron Sorkin has written the sequel’s screenplay, and will direct as well.

Candance Owens’ Zoom interview with the imprisoned** Harvey Weinstein posted yesterday (7.30.25).

I’m kinda rushed and am saying nothing at this juncture. Give me time. I’m listening and taking notes as we speak.

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This morning I read a day-old Chris Willman Facebook riff on Richard Curtis‘s Yesterday, and subsequently a 5.20.21 Uproxx / Vince Mancini piece about Jack Barth’s original screenplay (“Cover Version”).

This led me back to my original, six-year-old review (mostly a pan) of Yesterday (“Faker From The Heart“). And then to an article in which I passed along three alternate endings.

“Faker From The Heart,” posted on 6.29.19:

Posted six years ago: In the comment thread for yesterday’s McCartney Colbert riff, a guy named “Silver” mentioned an amazing ending for Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis‘s Yesterday — one that would have blown 100 million minds and restored Boyle’s reputation to where it was around the time of Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and 28 Days Later

It goes without saying that this kind of ending is so far beyond where Curtis, a softball peddler of romantic formulas, lives and creates that it could never happen with Curtis’ involvement, but imagine the seismic impact!

HE alternative. Intrigued by Jack Malik’s visit to his beach house, the 78 year-old John Lennon (Robert Carlyle) attends one of Malik’s concerts. Lennon wanders backstage after the show to offer congratulations, and joins a throng waiting for selfies and autographs.

Standing next to Lennon is an alternate-universe Mark David Chapman, who’s packing heat and looking to shoot Malik. Why? Because Chapman, like that older hippie couple Malik has spoken to in Act Two, knows all about Malik’s Beatle scam and is looking to punish him for being a fraud.

The quicksilver Lennon notices that Chapman is beset by dark vibes, and leaps into action when Chapman pulls out his snub-nose .38. Lennon punches Chapman in his Adam’s Apple and takes his gun. Malik is spared.

Alternate ending #2: Lennon tackles Chapman before he can shoot Malik, but is accidentally shot himself as they struggle on the floor. The horrified Malik cries out “somebody call 911!” and holds Lennon’s head in his lap as the elderly Liverpudlian slowly dies from his wounds.

Alternate ending #3: Malik is shot by Chapman but the assassin is quickly subdued by Lennon and other fans, and is arrested. Lennon kneels next to the wounded Malik, holding his hand and offering words of love and compassion as Malik draws his last few breaths.

The September 2019 consensus was that alternate ending #3 was the best. I agree.

I have no idea who painted this or how old it is or anything. Anyone? I just noticed it last night.

Will you look at those twinkle-toe beach sandals that Albert Einstein is wearing here? My mom used to wear summer shoes like this; ditto Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck. I understand that genius types are usually indifferent to macho fashion statements and traditional male garb, but this is embarrassing, man!

Kamala Harris’s forthcoming campaign memoir “107 Days” (Doubleday, 9.23) will not admit failure on her part. Listen to her shpiel tonight when she chats with Stephen Colbert. Laying her cards face-up on the kitchen table is not her specialty. I don’t think she knows what “cards face up” even means.

She will not admit that she torpedoed herself when she said on The View there were no Biden policies that she disagreed with. She will not admit that her campaign had no interest in listening to, much less trying to win over, alienated white males and young right-leaning black dudes. She won’t admit that she erred in picking Tim Walz instead of Josh Shapiro as her vp running mate.

Harris sees herself as an evangelist for ambitious, well-educated women and willful women of color in particular, and so she can’t let hair down. And so her book will dodge, equivocate, sidestep, blah–blah and shilly–shally.

I voted for Harris but her missteps (the View thing in particular) really pissed me off, and all I can say now is that she really, really needs to forget about running again in ‘28.

The Dems need to go with Rahm, Gavin or Pete…a tough but sensible moderate liberal dude…not a woman this time.

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If I was a USC film student who wanted to direct, and if guest lecturer David Fincher told me to “shut up and siddown” after asking me for a movie pitch, I would either say (a) “wait…hear me out…it all comes together at the end” or (b) “don’t be rude, dude…have a little patience…a little faith”.

Good Sex star Natalie Portman looks a good 10 years younger than someone born on 6.9.81. One of her costars in Lena Dunham‘s film is Role Model (aka 28 year-old Tucker Pillsbury). Two nights ago (7.28) Portman danced on-stage with Role Model at Madison Square Garden as he sang “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out“.

Last time I checked (roughly four months ago) Portman was romantically involved with Tanguy Destable, a French music industry guy wih short gray hair and a closely cropped, salt-and-pepper beard.

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