Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic “Elvis” shook up theaters with an estimated $30.5 million in weekend ticket sales, but — in a box-office rarity — “Elvis” tied “Top Gun: Maverick,” which also reported $30.5 million, for No. 1 in theaters.
Hollywood is bringing out some of its biggest and most reliable players for the 2022 summer movie season, which unofficially kicks off this weekend with the help of Marvel and Disney’s “Doctor Strange and the Multitverse of Madness” and runs through the end of August.
Actor-writer-director Ethan Hawke has returned with a new novel, "A Bright Ray of Darkness" (Knopf), which details the efforts of an actor to try and save himself through art following the failure of his marriage. "There are only two kinds of Shakespeare productions: ones that change your life, and ones that suck shit. Shakespeare is life, and life – if it is to be a great life – is not meek. Excerpted from "A Bright Ray of Darkness" by Ethan Hawke. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
cbsnews.comNEW YORK – Author James McBride and editor Chris Jackson were among those honored Thursday night by the Center for Fiction. Jackson, whose authors range from Ta-Nehisi Coates to Bryan Stevenson, was given the Medal for Editorial Excellence Award. Jackson runs the One World imprint of Penguin Random House. The Center for Fiction awarded its First Novel Prize to Raven Leilani for “Luster,” the story of a young Black woman's affair with a married, middle-aged white man. Finalists included this year's Booker Prize winner, Douglas Stuart's “Shuggie Bain.”
NEW YORK – When she learned that Ethan Hawke was working on a special audio edition of her acclaimed novel “Gilead,” Marilynne Robinson's response was to get a better idea of who he was. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, ”Gilead” is the first of four Robinson novels set in a rural Iowa community in the 1950s. Hawke has recorded an abridged narrative of “Gilead” that was commissioned by Manhattan's 92nd Street Y and can he heard Oct. 19-29 via www.92y.org/gilead. “In ‘Gilead,’ the Reverend John Ames contemplates ‘grace as a sort of ecstatic fire that takes things down to essentials,'" he said. ‘Gilead' is a great American novel, and Ethan Hawke is a great American actor."
Actress Maya Hawke, left, and director Gia Coppola pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere for the film 'Mainstream' during the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)VENICE Coronavirus lockdowns have kept most U.S. filmmakers and actors away from the Venice Film Festival, but Gia Coppola and Maya Hawke have brought a bit of todays America to the Lido with Mainstream, a skewering look at YouTube and influencer culture. And thats what feels so good about being here: that everyone is working together really, really well and respecting each other, she told The Associated Press on Saturday. The film explores the underbelly of influencer culture and the constant need to get attention from strangers on social media. The morals for me are that all that glitters is not gold, and community and connection is really important, Coppola said.
One of the most famous trumpet players in the 1950s, Chet Baker's unmistakable style made him an legend of the West Coast jazz scene, but struggles with addiction left his career and personal life in shambles. A new film, "Born to Be Blue," re-imagines this tumultuous time in Baker's life as he attempts to stage a comeback. Star Ethan Hawke and director Robert Budreau talk about the musician's life and his portrayal on the big screen.
cbsnews.com
