Gabrielle Union has levied criticism towards the Walt Disney Company over its widely derided decision to take a soft stance regarding new anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in Florida. bit.ly/3qdRtfW
“Somebody asked me, ‘Are you disappointed?’ I’m disappointed when my order isn’t right at In-N-Out. I don’t even think that’s a word that you could use for something like this, where children’s lives are literally hanging in the balance," Union said. bit.ly/3qdRtfW
“We need to own that if you truly are taking stands against hate and oppression, you should not fund hate and oppression. Period. The damage is done," Union added. bit.ly/3qdRtfW
“There are so many states that are following suit [with Florida’s legislation], because there is no pushback, because no one in positions of power [or] corporations are taking a hard stance. Let’s look who’s donating to what & let’s call people out.” bit.ly/3qdRtfW
“I think a lot of people like to confuse accountability and consequences for cancel culture. And as long as you have a microphone and a stage that’s not cancel culture, honey… We have to campaign and fund for those people who stand for all of us.” bit.ly/3qdRtfW
Asked about Disney associates reaching out to CEO Chapek, Union said, “I think a lot of people reached out...If you have to see my child for that to be to be the difference maker, that’s not enough. There’s a lot of kids out there, not just famous ones.” bit.ly/3qdRtfW
Union also spoke about the anti-trans legislation in Texas: “There are bad people controlling your fate, but we are working our asses off to make sure that not only do you survive but that you thrive,” said Union, whose stepdaughter Zaya is trans. bit.ly/3qdRtfW
“There are so many more people that are working actively so that you have peace and that you can exist in the same way as everyone else has the ability to exist," Union said. bit.ly/3qdRtfW
"We are fighting and we will never stop fighting. As long as I have air in my lungs we will not stop fighting for you and I’m not alone in that," Union added. bit.ly/3qdRtfW
A same-sex kiss has been restored in Pixar’s upcoming film #Lightyear following staff uproar over Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill. bit.ly/36uYP7v
On March 9, LGBTQ employees & allies at Pixar sent a joint statement to Disney leadership claiming that Disney executives had actively censored “overtly gay affection” in its films. In at least one case, the statement appears to have made a difference. bit.ly/36uYP7v
According to a source close to the production, Pixar’s “Lightyear,” starring Chris Evans, does feature a significant female character, Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba), who is in a meaningful relationship with another woman. bit.ly/36uYP7v
Daniel Radcliffe isn't hopping on his Nimbus 2000 again anytime soon 🧹 The actor says a film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" is “not something I’m really interested in doing right now.” bit.ly/3Ipf03E
“This isn’t the answer that anybody’s going to want, but I think I was so able to go back and enjoy it because it’s not a part of my day-to-day life anymore,” Radcliffe told the New York Times of signing up for the HBO Max #HarryPotter reunion. bit.ly/3Ipf03E
“I’m getting to a point where I feel like I made it out of ‘Potter’ okay and I’m really happy with where I am now, and to go back would be such a massive change to my life," Radcliffe said. bit.ly/3Ipf03E
Dua Lipa was hit with two copyright infringement lawsuits surrounding her mega-hit “Levitating.”
While the song shares similarities with the plaintiffs’ work, expert musicologists explain why determining infringement requires more than meets the ear. bit.ly/3wdlznB
“Sounding alike is almost always unimportant,” says E. Michael Harrington, a musicologist who consulted on Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” case and was approached by plaintiffs in the Lipa suit in their attempt to defeat the pop star. bit.ly/3wdlznB
Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System accused Lipa of copying its 2017 song “Live Your Life.” Songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer allege that Lipa stole from two of their songs — “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” (1979) and “Don Diablo” (1980). bit.ly/3wdlznB
#Halo’s Season 1 showrunner Steven Kane estimates he wrote more than 265 drafts of the first nine episodes, balancing everything from the production’s needs to story notes from Steven Spielberg to the desire to fold in as much of the mythology as possible. bit.ly/3tgwafy
“The richness and the depth of the universe was immediately mind-boggling and incredibly exciting,” Master Chief actor Pablo Schreiber says of #Halo. “What it means as a storyteller is that there’s already been a huge amount of preparation and groundwork.” bit.ly/3tgwafy
#Halo Season 1 showrunner Steven Kane on Master Chief’s storyline: “We’re going to tell a story about a man discovering his own humanity.” bit.ly/3tgwafy
Sean Penn is on the ground in Ukraine filming a documentary about Russia’s invasion, Vice Studios confirmed. The filmmaker appeared at a press briefing Thursday in Kyiv listening to government officials speak about the crisis. bit.ly/3HcxaoB
“The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country,” a translation of a statement from the Office of the President reads. bit.ly/3HcxaoB
“Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty,” the statement continues. “Sean Penn is demonstrating bravery that many others have been lacking, in particular some Western politicians.” bit.ly/3HcxaoB