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Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer is set to play Tigris Snow in the upcoming Lionsgate film, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
May the odds be ever in our queen’s favor. Years after the book trilogy became a beloved movie franchise, the games are back to tell the dark and twisted backstory of the infamous President Snow.
Lionsgate has fed fans with teasers and trailers ahead of the film’s premiere. Now, they have delivered new character posters for us to obsess over. The posters show Coriolanus Snow (Blyth), Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), and others. Like Scahfer’s Tigris!
The trans actress wears a dazzling two-piece blush pink ensemble with shoulder pads and matching rosy makeup. We are in love! The caption reads, “Meet the future of Panem.”
Credit: Instagram/@rottentomatoes
Who is Tigris?
Tigris Snow is the cousin, and confidante of Coriolanus. Fans of the book series by Suzanne Collins may remember her as a stylist for the Games who ultimately helps the rebel group take down Snow.
A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
In the upcoming film by Francis Lawrence and Lionsgate, a young Coriolanus Snow (Blyth) faces the daunting task of saving his family’s legacy in the post-war Capitol. His anxiety grows when he’s paired with a tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Ziegler). Despite his doubts, Coriolanus joins forces with Lucy Gray to improve their success chances.
This film serves as a prequel to the well-known Hunger Games franchise, taking place many years before Coriolanus becomes the oppressive president of Panem. It’s set approximately 64 years before Katniss and Peeta’s victory in the 74th games, a moment that ignited a new rebellion.
The star-studded cast also features Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones, alongside Blyth, Scahfer, and Zegler. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswill premiere in theaters on November 17. For those hoping to get tickets, good luck!
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa spoke with Elle UK all about his growing career, from playing Eric Effiong to taking on the role as Dr. Who in Dr. Who, as well as his views on labels and sexuality.
Previously, Gatwa has denied commenting about his sexual identity, stating it was “a safety and mental health thing.” However, while telling Elle a moving story where he attended Pride in Manchester, the young actor decided to open up about his personal experience.
“I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it up when I saw this woman who looked exactly like my auntie,” Gatwa recalled. “We were holding hands, and she said to me, ‘I don’t really know why I’m here. I’m just here.’ I told her, ‘Honey, you don’t need to know. You absolutely. Do not. Need. To. Know. You’re here. Be proud of who you are.’”
“I had never met another queer Rwandan person before,” Gatwa continued. “I thought I was the only one in the world.”
Ncuti Shares His Distaste in Labels
Though this conversation with Elle is the first time Gatwa has ever confirmed his sexuality, it is not the first time he has been asked to speak on it. His role as a young gay black man in the sex-forward and diverse series Sex-Education led to many questions about the stars own sexuality.
Netflix
“After Sex Education, we all became public property, to an extent,” he told British Vogue. “You have to fight for your right to privacy after that, but you also do feel like you owe people something. In setting my boundaries, I knew I wanted to separate the private and public, and that I never wanted my personal life to overshadow my work,” he explained.
“I also believe that everyone is on their own journey, and it’s important that no one feels an obligation to others in relation to what’s happening to them internally. And that’s what Sex Education is about – taking things at your own pace,” continued Gatwa.
While speaking with Elle, he continued to set boundaries for what he will and won’t share with the public. Though others will surely make assumptions about him for proudly wearing a corset, that does not mean they know anything about him.
“Clothes are to play with,” he said. “I love seeing men in ‘women’s’ clothing. There doesn’t need to be a label. I believe that fully: that’s why I don’t like to label myself – and I don’t owe it to anyone.”
Playing Dr. Who
Since starring in Sex Education, which is gearing up to premiere its last season later this month, Gatwa is moving on. He recently took on the role as a Ken in Greta Gerwigs’ critically acclaimed Barbie movie and will be the first Black, gay Dr. Who in the BBC franchise. Unfortunately, some haters have written off Gatwa’s career as Hollywood looking to “tick boxes.”
“What are you going to do, tell the same stories? Have the same people fronting things for all of eternity? You people with your tiny mindsets — open a book, look out the window, and then f**k off.”
Dr. Who will return on BBC on November 23, 2023. Gatwa will join an incredibly queer cast, including Jonathan Groff, Neal Patrick Harris, Heartstopper‘s Yasmin Finney, and Jinkx Monsoon.
“He vowed revenge, but he never got it. He never got me back.”
In a lively new interview with the director of the beloved queer film, Red, White & Royal Blue, Matthew López discusses the overwhelming response to the movie, acknowledging the demand for more content from fans, including a sequel. He also shares a humorous anecdote about a prank he played on Nicholas Galitzine during filming.
Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry in Prime Videos Red, White & Royal Blue.
López Talks Red, White & Royal Blue 2
Red, White & Royal Blue has been making waves, and the excitement surrounding it is nothing short of phenomenal. Thousands of memes and edits have surfaced online in response to the fictional love between Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz. The response to the film, which is based on the novel by Casey McQuiston, has been so great, fans are eager for more content – whether it be deleted scenes or a sequel.
— Red, White & Royal Blue on Prime (@RWRBonPrime) August 28, 2023
López expressed his joy at the situation, saying, “I feel great. I mean, it’s a wonderful problem to have that people just want more and more and more.
“There was a little period of time when I was like, ‘oh no, they don’t think my movie is sufficient,’” said López. “‘They don’t think it’s enough’. And I went, I’m an artist, and so there was a moment I was like, ‘they don’t like my movie.’ And then it took friends going, ‘you idiot. They love your movie and they love it so much. They want more.’
“And so I am very aware that this is hardly ever the way it goes. This is hardly ever the response, any movie gets, any play, any novel, and I just enjoying it. It’s the amount of time that was spent in creating this movie, not just by me, but by so hundreds of people. It’s just that it has been sort of received and met with so much love and so much excitement that people can’t get enough of it, that they just watch it on an endless loop. It’s very gratifying and it’s very, very, I genuinely makes us all very, very happy. I mean, it just sounds like a silly, small thing to say, but it, it’s just feels very, very good when people like what you’ve made.”
Though a sequel is not in the works yet, it’s not off the table.
“Look, the path to a sequel runs through the AMPTP, call Carol Lombardini and tell her you want a sequel, and the way to get a sequel is to get a fair deal for the actors and the writers.”
More Easter Eggs?
The conversation took a fun turn when they discussed Easter eggs in the film. López confessed to not knowing about some of them, like the Taylor Swift dress, and joked, “Keith Madden, our costume designer obviously is a Swifty. I didn’t know until I saw the meme about it.”
— Red, White & Royal Blue on Prime (@RWRBonPrime) August 22, 2023
The director also recently opened up about the behind-the-scenes of making a rom-com like this – such as helping to decide whether or not the leading stars should shave.
During an interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show with EW’s Patrick Gomez, López disclosed that actor Taylor Zakhar Perez had reservations about displaying his natural body hair in the film’s intimate scenes. He asked Lòpez to come to his dressing room and help him make the decision, and the story made headlines. Luckily, Perez did not mind.
“It was in the moment and I was like, ‘oh, it’s a good story. Should I tell the story? Yeah, let’s tell the story.’ So, afterwards I text him and I was like, ‘so I just told the story,’ and he was like, ‘yeah, that’s a good story. I’m glad you told it.’” Phew, crisis averted.
RW&RB Director Pranks His Stars
But the stories do not end there. The interview concluded with a playful story about López pulling a playful prank on Nicholas Galitzine shortly after filming his big karaoke scene.
so apparently nick was told not to sing well in the rwrb karaoke scene bc henry is supposed to be a bad singer and im like . THIS IS HIM TRYING NOT TO SING WELL??????!!!??!?!!!!!!!??!!!!!?!!!! pic.twitter.com/qa9BD4HCnK
“Do you want me to break a story? I get sometimes the devil in me a little bit, and I just decide to play tricks on people. And I know that as the director of the film, I didn’t do it too often, but our third day of filming was the karaoke scene and we spent all day doing it, and Nick either sang it live or lip synced to a wild track that he laid down early that day, at least 15, 16 times through the song performing, he performed his guts out on this thing. He really just, he killed it and it was a big day for him and it was great, and I knew how hard he worked. And then two days later, I don’t know where it came from, but I was like, ‘Nick, can I talk to you for a second?’
He’s like, ‘yeah, yeah. What was it?’ I was like, ‘so the dailies from Wednesday, they came back. They’re like, ‘yeah,’ I’m like, ‘and the data was corrupted. The data was something wrong with the camera and the data was bad and we didn’t get it.’ And he’s like, ‘how much of it?’ I was like, ‘none of it. We didn’t get any of it. We have to shoot the whole thing again.’ And his face just fell. And I felt I both did not feel guilty. I knew it was a great gag, but also I was like, ‘oh, I feel bad.’ So I just let him sit in it for just a couple of seconds. I’m like, ‘I’m kidding. It’s great. It’s brilliant. I watched every take. It’s wonderful.’ And he vowed revenge, but he never got it. He never got me back.
“I’m looking up for anvils over my head every single day,” he jokingly added.
Watch the full interview with Matthew López below.
Roger Ross Williams’ highly anticipated biographical film, “Cassandro,” featuring the remarkable Gael García Bernal as the iconic exótico luchador, has unveiled its first full-length trailer. It’s a dazzling spectacle that promises to be an absolute must-see!
Credit: Amazon Prime Video
From Luchador to Legend
This compelling cinematic journey delves into the true-life narrative of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso. With the guidance of a new manager, he crafts the persona of Cassandro, a character fondly dubbed “The Liberace of Lucha Libre.”
The trailer takes us back in time to offer a poignant glimpse into his humble origins. Armendáriz reminisces about his introduction to the world of lucha libre by his father, a memory that now remains bittersweet.
Credit: Amazon Prime Video
After honing his skills as a wrestler in Mexico, initially portraying the role of a rudo, or heel, Sabrina (portrayed by Roberta Colindrez) suggests he try his luck as an exótico, a category of wrestlers who perform in drag, employing camp and flair to challenge the conventional machismo inherent in the wrestling realm.
Credit: Amazon Prime Video
Love and Wrestling
The trailer also shows scenes with Bad Bunny, who seems to be Armendáriz’s love interest in the movie. At first, Bad Bunny is excited about Armendáriz being a wrestler. But as Cassandro becomes more famous and flamboyant, things grow complicated.
Credit: Amazon Prime Video
The movie also features Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl Castillo, and the actual luchador El Hijo del Santo.
With its tantalizing blend of captivating storytelling, flamboyant characters, and heartwarming authenticity, Cassandro is poised to be a groundbreaking cinematic experience that will enthrall audiences.
You can catch Cassandro in specific theaters starting September 15, and it will be available for streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video from September 22.
In a recent interview, Angel Laketa Moore, widely known as That Chick Angel, shed light on the captivating story behind the summer hit “One Margarita.” From viral freestyles to a star-studded music video, her journey is nothing short of inspiring.
Angel, a talented lyricist, took us back to where it all began. It started during a podcast called “Here’s the Thing,” which she co-hosts with her friend Kevin Fredericks. The podcast primarily covers pop culture, and one day, they stumbled upon a viral video of a minister delivering an abstinence speech at a college. This clip served as the spark of inspiration for the now-famous song. Angel recalls thinking, “This sounds like the seed of a rap song,” and decided to freestyle right then and there. What followed was unexpected; the freestyle was not only funny but had a catchy New Orleans bounce to it.
Angel posted the clip on TikTok, anticipating that someone would add a beat to it, and that’s exactly what happened. Carl Dixon (Casa Di) and Steve Terrell composed a beat and structured a full song using Angel’s freestyle. The clip began to go viral, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The song has been streamed more than eight million times and has hundreds of TikTok users, including me, using the audio to create lip-sync videos.
However, what stands out in this journey is the unexpected inclusivity of the song. “One Margarita” became an anthem for people from all walks of life. Angel didn’t set out to make it a universal hit, but the song’s message of love and acceptance resonated with a broad audience, including the LGBTQ+ community.
“When we put out the song, the song I think hit DSPs or like hit, iTunes and hit Spotify on May 31st. So the day before Pride Week, I was super duper excited because I was like, I was seeing a lot of queer people use the song. And I do love the inclusiveness of the song, right? I love the fact that like we didn’t shy away. While I might not be someone who’s putting it in anybody’s bummer putting it in my own, there are people who do, and I’m not about to shame them because that’s how they get down.
“While I don’t think I set out thinking this will be the song that includes the whole diaspora of sexuality, I love the fact that that’s what it did. Because I know that’s not, that wasn’t the intention of the original sermon, but I do love that it got to be a part of the message that’s being received in the actual song.”
Saucy Santana Remix
Following the success of the song, Angel brought back Steve Terrell and Casa Di to create a new music video to encapsulate the steamy summer vibes of the track. Saucy Santana delivers a fiery rap verse that ignites summer clubgoers, while Cindy Crawford kicks off the music video by reimagining her ’90s Pepsi ad with a Casamigos margarita twist. Together, Angel and Saucy celebrate a hot girl summer, sending a message to all the ‘Sister Cindy’ types out there. Directed by Jake Wilson, the video showcases them living their best lives at Silver Lake’s El Cid restaurant, with surprise cameos including Casa Di and Steve Terrell as smitten bartenders, TikToker Terri Joe as a lively server, and even Angel’s husband, Marcus Tanksley. It’s an unforgettable summer sensation you won’t want to miss!
Angel Talks Success of “One Margarita”
Reflecting on her journey, Angel emphasized the importance of not selling oneself short and pursuing dreams, no matter how old they may be. This experience has shown her that dreams don’t have expiration dates, and she’s now ready to explore a new chapter in her artistic journey.
“For me, specifically being that I say I’m not a spring chicken, you know, I’ve been here for a little bit. Um, this, while this was not something I set out to do in 2023, or actually I can stay in adult life being, like a musician, being an artist in the music industry has always been like a quiet dream of mine. Not one that I, like I say out loud seriously, because of, of just feeling like, you know, I don’t fit in. I don’t know if I can do it. It’s amazing to me at the age that I am that I can still make dreams come true.
“So that’s the bigger part I feel like of this whole journey for me that I’m loving and I’m glad that I’m getting the chance to show up for myself.”
“One Margarita” is more than just a catchy song; it’s a testament to the power of creativity, inclusivity, and the unexpected twists that life can bring. Angel Nikita Moore’s journey from viral freestyle to sensation is a reminder that dreams can come true when you least expect them. Cheers to Angel and her journey to the top!
Watch the full interview with Angel Laketa Moore below.
