Tag Archives: John F. Kennedy

Soledad O’Brien Partners with Rob Reiner to Co-Host “Who Killed JFK?” Podcast

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Soledad O’Brien is searching for the truth about John F. Kennedy’s murder.

The 57-year-old half-Afro-Cuban American broadcast journalist and executive producer is teaming up with Rob Reiner to co-host Who Killed JFK? for iHeartPodcasts.

Soledad O’BrienThe 10-part series will take a deep dive into one of America’s greatest murder mysteries.

It will feature interviews with authors, witnesses and forensic experts as they look to connect the dots of JFK’s assassination 60 years later.

These include CIA officials, medical experts, Pulitzer-prize winning journalists, eyewitnesses and a former Secret Service agent who, in 2023, came forward with groundbreaking new evidence.

The duo will also discuss their own theories and ask why it still matters today.

The series will premiere on November 8 ahead of the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death on November 22.

“Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in broad daylight on the streets of Dallas. To this day, it remains the greatest murder mystery in U.S. history,” said Reiner. “The American people deserve to know the truth of what happened on that fateful day. Who Killed J.F.K.? will take the listener on an evidenced based journey to reveal that truth.”

“Throughout the series, Rob and I revisit the 1960s, through pivotal moments like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement to shine a light on where the great American divide started and through the lens of Kennedy’s assassination, we can understand how we’ve reached the pinnacle of political divisiveness in America today,” added O’Brien.

“We are grateful to be partnering with Rob and Soledad on the release of this series which aims to bring to light new information surrounding a historical mystery that has been dissected for decades,” said Will Pearson, President, iHeartPodcasts. “Their passion and talent for storytelling drove their dedicated efforts to uncover the truth behind one of the best kept secrets of the last century, and we are looking forward to sharing this important story with a new generation.”

Wagner Moura to Star as Paulo Freire in Upcoming Biopic “Angicos”

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Wagner Moura has landed a new role…

The 46-year-old Brazilian actor, director and filmmaker will star in the upcoming biopic Angicos about Brazilian educator and author Paulo Freire.

Wagner MouraFelipe Hirsch will write and direct the film.

Angicos begins in the town of the same name in Rio Grande do Norte in 1963, with the mission of educator Freire (Moura) to fight against illiteracy by teaching the entire village of blue-collar, domestic, and cotton farm workers how to read and write in only 40 hours – a seemingly impossible feat.

Funded by President John F. Kennedy to solidify the South American nation as an ally in the Cold War amidst worldwide social and economic tensions, the success of the endeavor resulted in the planned implementation of Freire’s literary system on a nationwide level. However, before long, political uprisings, a military coup and authoritarian local politicians resisted Freire’s education initiative, destroying texts, deeming the curriculum “subversive,” and eventually sending Freire into exile. These events demonstrated the power of literacy and education against autocratic rule – a testament to the significance of Freire’s methods.

“The enchantment amongst the people of Angicos by the battery-powered slide projectors Freire used in his classes is undeniable, especially as they associated the projections with cinema – something rare in their city at this time, as home television sets had not yet arrived,” said Hirsch. “To that end, Angicos doubles as a film about the power of cinema and the power of knowledge.”

Casting is underway for the film’s ensemble, with principal photography beginning in November of this year.

Moura’s previous credits include television appearances in Narcos, Narcos: Mexico and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, as well as film appearances in Wasp Network, The Gray Man and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Hirsch is a Brazilian film and theater director and one of the founders of Ultralíricos, a company where he develops award-winning and critically-acclaimed experiential art. He has been named by O Globo newspaper as one of the most influential thinkers in the country. In 2008, he won the Grammy for his work as the director of the show Homage to Tom Jobim.

In 2009, he directed his first feature film, Sunstroke, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In 2016, he directed Severina, his second feature film, which made its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival. Most recently, Hirsch developed the stage project Língua Brasileira with singer/songwriter Tom Zé, and also directed the concert special 2022 for HBO Max, featuring Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso and many other Brazilian musicians.

Pablo Larraín to Direct Kirsten Stewart in Princess Diana Film “Spencer”

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Pablo Larraín is taking on the portray of another legend…

The 43-year-old Oscar-nominated Chilean filmmaker will direct Kristen Stewart in the drama Spencer about Princess Diana. 

Pablo Larraín

The Steven Knight-scripted film covers a critical weekend in the early ‘90s, when Diana decided her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working, and that she needed to veer from a path that put her in line to one day be queen. The drama takes place over three days, in one of her final Christmas holidays in the House of Windsor in their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. 

“I’ve always been intrigued and fascinated by the Royal Family and how things are in that culture, which we don’t have where I come from,” Larraín said. “Diana is such a powerful icon, where millions and millions of people, not just women, but many people around the world felt empathy toward her in her life. We decided to get into a story about identity, and around how a woman decides somehow, not to be the queen. She’s a woman who, in the journey of the movie, decides and realizes that she wants to be the woman she was before she met Charles.

The film won’t deal with Diana’s tragic death after she left that palace life, but will examine the fraying of the relationship with her husband, and her ferocious love for her sons Prince William and Prince Harry.

“It’s about finding herself, about understanding that possibly the most important thing for her is to be well, and to be with herself and by herself,” Larraín explained. “That’s why the movie is called Spencer, which is the family name she had before she met Charles. It’s very contained, set over a few days in Sandringham. They spent Christmas there for many years and that’s where we set the movie in the early ‘90s, around 1992, we’re not specific. It’s Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day, three days, very contained. We get to understand what it is she wants and what she will do.”

“How and why do you decide to do that? It’s a great universal story that can reach millions and millions of people, and that’s what we want to do. We want to make a movie that goes wide, connects with a worldwide audience that is interested in such a fascinating life,” he adds.

Production is expected to begin in early 2021 on the film, which Larraín will also produce.

Larraín previously directed Natalie Portman in Jackie. The film follows Jackie Kennedy in the days when she was First Lady in the White House and her life immediately following the assassination of her husband, U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The film earned Portman an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Larraín’s other credits include Neruda, about poet Pablo Neruda, as well as the Spanish-language film No, Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and The Club.

Larrain Attached to Direct Annapurna Pictures’ “The True American”

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Things could be ringing True for Pablo Larraín…

The 40-year-old Chilean filmmaker, the Oscar-nominated director behind such titles as Jackie and Neruda, is attached to direct Tom Hardy in Annapurna Pictures’ The True American.

Pablo Larraín

The project is based on Anand Giridharadas’ nonfiction book of the same name, which is set in Texas in the days following 9/11. It follows the story of Rais Bhuiyan, a Muslim immigrant and Bangladesh Air Force veteran who narrowly survived a killing spree that took the lives of two other immigrants. Employed at a Dallas-area convenience store as he established himself in America, Bhuiyan worked to have his attacker, self-styled “Arab-slayer” Mark Stroman, spared from execution.

This is a project that has been kicking around for a few years now, with Kathryn Bigelow attached to direct at one point, but now it’s moving forward with Bigelow taking a producer role on the film.

Larraín is fast becoming one of the most sought after international directors after his recent effort Jackie, starring Natalie Portman as the former First Lady in the days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, was nominated for three Oscars.

His Spanish-language film Neruda, a twist on the biopic genre about the eponymous Nobel Prize-winning poet, was made in Chile and debuted at the Cannes Film Festival while his 2012 political satire No was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas was published in 2014 by W.W. Norton & Company.

Molina Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

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Mario Molina has earned a major presidential honor…

The 70-year-old Mexican chemist and environmental scientist has been named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mario Molina

Molina, the first Mexican-born citizen to ever receive a Nobel Prize in chemistry, joins a list of 16 individuals that includes jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, veteran Washington Post journalist Ben Bradlee, former President Bill Clinton and country singer Loretta Lynn.

The award established 50 years ago by President John F. Kennedy is the country’s highest civilian honor given to Americans who’ve made contributions “to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Molina, one of the most prominent precursors to the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, has received several awards and honors throughout his career, sharing the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Paul J. Crutzen for their discovery of the role of chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) in ozone depletion.

Molina had been assigned by President Barack Obama to form part of the transition team on environmental issues.

He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science.

This year’s other honorees include: baseball player Ernie Banks, Senator Daniel Inouye (posthumous), Nobel Prize-winning scholar Daniel Kahneman, Senator Richard Lugar, astronaut Sally Ride (posthumous), civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (posthumous), ex-UNC basketball coach Dean Smith, Gloria Steinem, civil rights leader Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian, and Judge Patricia Wald.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours,” said President Obama. “This year’s honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world. It will be my honor to present them with a token of our nation’s gratitude.”

Rodriguez Launching Limited-Edition Collection for Kohl’s

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His creations are regularly worn by Michelle Obama and Hollywood starlets like Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies and Rachel Weisz… But Narciso Rodriguez will soon be dressing the masses.

The 51-year-old Cuban American fashion designer, who outfitted the First Lady in a stunning black-and-red dress on election night back in 2008, is launching a is launching a limited-edition collection for Kohl’s.

Narciso Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s capsule collection, set to debut this fall, will reportedly be the first of several collaborations the retailer has lined up with noted fashion designers, according to Women’s Wear Daily.

In recent years, Kohl’s, which has a long-term contract with Vera Wang, has focused on celebrity collaborations, with lines by Daisy Fuentes, Lauren Conrad and Jennifer Lopez.

Rodriguez, who rose to acclaim when he designed Carolyn Bessette‘s dress for her 1996 wedding to John F. Kennedy, Jr., has since become well known for his red carpet creations.

He last partnered with eBay on an eight-piece collection in 2010.