Hollywood Week: Cannes, Mohammed Rasoulof, Graceland Scam, Matthew Perry Death, Charlie Colin, Morgan Spurlock
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Saturday, 25 May 2024 09:33
- Written by Janet Walker
The 2024 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, ends today, with the festival top award, the Palme d'or, to be announced this evening during the festival's closing ceremony that includes a tribute to American Director George Lucas.
Mohammed Rasoulof, Iranian Director, Sentenced to Prison, Attends Cannes
Iranian Director Mohammed Raosulof, confronted by the harsh realities of dictatorship, attended the premiere of his film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. To ensure his film, which included actual demonstration from Iran's 2022 protests, was seen by the world, he fled his country, defied his government, after the dissident director was sentenced to an eight-year prison term plus public whipping for blasphemy.
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The hardships and determination to expose the brutalities of the Iranian regime should all but guarantee him the top prize of the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d'or.
"The Seed of the Sacred Fig," about an Iranian family living through the country's 2022 protests, was shot clandestinely in Iran and includes real videos from the demonstrations. Just ahead of its Cannes debut, Rasoulof, facing an eight-year prison sentence, fled Iran. He arrived in Cannes several days ago and, on the red carpet, held up photographs of two of his actors, Soheila Golestani and Missagh Zareh," APnews.com reported.
Graceland Foreclosure Scam
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, and the sole trustee of her mother's, Lisa Marie Presley, estate when she died in 2023, stopped the foreclosure and auction on Graceland, her grandfather's estate in Memphis, after a lawsuit alleged the signatures of the loan's original document were fraudulent.
"Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins said at an injunction hearing at Shelby County Tennessee Chancery Court on Wednesday morning that the proposed auctioning of the property on Thursday will not go ahead after the rock 'n' roll legend's granddaughter claimed documents pertaining to the case were fraudulent," Foxnews.com reported.
Tennessee real estate law claims Graceland is unique to the state and would cause irreparable harm with a foreclosure. It would be akin to auctioning off the Grand Ole' Opry or any other famous landmark, which holds high historic value and generates high consumer interest.
Keough, asks for an injunction to stay the immediate auction. The judge granted her the request. Each side will now have adequate time to prepare for discovery or settle the matter before trial.
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Matthew Perry Death Sparks Investigation
The death of Friend's television star Matthew Perry, who passed away October 2023, has launched a joint DEA and LAPD criminal investigation into the drugs analysis resulting from a post-mortem autopsy.
"Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy, which is said to help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, drug and alcohol problems, chronic pain and more. His last session had been a week and a half before he died. According to the autopsy, "the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy since ketamine's half-life is three to four hours or less," reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Charlie Colin, Train Bassist, Dies in Home Accident
Charlie Colin, one of the founding members of the music group, Train, known for their hits "Drops of Jupiter" and "Meet Virginia" and "Hey Soul Sister," died recently in a home accident, while house-sitting in Brussels, Belgium. He was 58.
Reports indicated Colin slipped in the shower where he was staying. His body was not discovered until his friends returned from their vacation. It is unclear when he fell.
Academy Award® Nominated Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock Dead
The family of the award-winning documentary filmmaking maverick, Morgan Spurlock, 53, announced today that he passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on May 23, 2024, in upstate New York from complications of cancer.
"It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan," says Craig Spurlock who worked with him on several projects. "Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him."
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Spurlock achieved worldwide recognition following his 2004 groundbreaking documentary Super Size Me, for which he received an Oscar® nomination. The film changed the conversation about fast food in America and is still featured as an educational aide in middle and high school health classes.
Spurlock fearlessly challenged modern conventions utilizing humor and wit to shed light on societal issues. His films inspired critical thinking and encouraged viewers to question the status quo. Over thirteen years, through his production company Warrior Poets, Spurlock found additional success producing and directing nearly 70 documentary films and television series.
Spurlock's wide-ranging works were fueled by addressing controversial and difficult subjects. His projects covered issues including the U.S. war in Afghanistan (Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?); minimum wage and immigrant labor (FX's 30 Days); consumer susceptibility to marketing (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold); trophy hunting and body modification (Showtime TV's 7 Deadly Sins); elder care and gambling (CNN's Morgan Spurlock Inside Man) and corporate pressure on family farms (Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!) in 2019.
He deeply valued the creative contributions of the talented people who worked on his projects, developing a cadre of freelance production professionals who came back time and again. A great lover of modern artists, Spurlock compiled an extensive art collection, which decorated the walls of his home and the Warrior Poets office in SoHo, New York.
A loving and dedicated friend, father, brother and son, Morgan leaves behind two sons - Laken and Kallen; mother Phyllis Spurlock; father Ben (Iris); brothers Craig (Carolyn) and Barry (Buffy); multiple nieces and nephews; and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein, the mothers of his children.
Memorial service arrangements will be announced soon. In Morgan's honor, please consider a generous donation to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in New York City.
