Mark Ruffalo made a passionate speech at a Hands Off Our Vote event in New York City on Sunday night, slamming U.S. President Donald Trump and saying he’s going to “Hulk out” if he attempts to restrict voting in the upcoming midterm elections.
The midterms are set to take place on Nov. 3 and could have a large impact on U.S. politics, giving Democrats the chance to take back control of Congress and curb Trump’s agenda. The Hands Off Our Vote rally on Sunday was meant to mobilize voters and also featured speeches from Robert De Niro and Mo Amer.
Taking the podium at the event, Ruffalo began: “This is a big, big deal, this election. There’s a lot hanging in the balance. And we all know that we’re going to kick their asses — but we all know that they’re going to steal it. They’re going to do everything in their power, and it isn’t going to be over the night we all win.”
The “Avengers” and “Spotlight” actor then pointed out the issue of cybersecurity in voting, calling out Elon Musk in the process. “We need to be on guard for what we may not see coming: Elon,” he said. “That’s the cybersecurity of these elections. And while I’m not an expert, I’ve been talking to experts. And the one thing I’ve heard repeatedly is that there is a vulnerability of the votes when they’re transferred from the polling places to the county headquarters and then to the states.”
In order to counter this, Ruffalo encouraged voters to join the organization Free Speech for People in challenging insecure voting systems to make sure election results are as accurate as possible and “safe from any domestic or foreign interference,” as he put it.
Ruffalo then turned his attention to Trump, saying: “We gotta get this dumbass, fool ass, tired ass, lame ass, duck ass out of office. We got to make him a lame duck! We have to stop his policies now. Another two years of this, and who knows what he’ll be doing? He’s calling to throw Democrats out of the country. And he means it! The guy means everything he says. I know we’re all tired, we are so tired, but we can’t give up now … They’re going to try and stop us from taking our country back, and we’re not going to let ’em. Trump, we’re not letting you! Hands off our fucking vote!”
At that moment, a person in the crowd yelled out, “You tell ’em, Hulk!” — referring to Ruffalo’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the giant green superhero.
Ruffalo laughed and responded, “I’m gonna Hulk out. You won’t like me when I’m angry.” He paused and added: “Hey, I’m still here! They thought I was out for the count — I’m still here, I’m still playing the Hulk.”
He concluded his speech by telling the crowd not to be afraid or intimidated — and to, of course, get out and vote.
“We can’t hide. We have to be together and we have to fight for each other and we have to be brave. Our time to be brave is coming, I’m telling you brothers and sisters,” he said. “They’re going to do everything they can to keep us in our homes. They’re going to do everything they can to make us feel small. They’re going to do everything they can to make us feel lost, to make it feel inevitable. It’s not inevitable! We’re inevitable — the truth is inevitable.”
Ruffalo is no stranger to speaking out for what he believes in. His appearance at the Hands Off Our Vote event comes just over a month after he caused controversy with his criticism of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which has now been approved and is expected to close this week.
In late August, he shared a clip on Instagram of Paramount board member Safra Catz outlining “really profoundly scary technologies” that Oracle — the tech giant co-founded by Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, who is involved in the merger’s financing — used to help the Israeli military after the Oct. 7 terror attack. He also likened Larry Ellison to a “classic oligarch” and warned of the consequences if Paramount and Warner Bros. are allowed to merge, alleging that the Ellisons “are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance.”
In response, Paramount accused Ruffalo of invoking “antisemitic tropes,” and he was also called out by Jewish advocacy groups. Ruffalo denied the accusation, saying in a statement that it was “appalling and fundamentally dishonest.”
After the news that the merger had closed last week, Ruffalo once again spoke out against it. “This merger will stifle creativity, weaken free speech, and cost people their jobs — it is a bad deal for this country and should never have been approved,” he wrote. “This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for the hundreds of thousands of us who stood up to block it, but it’s also not the end. This grassroots movement isn’t going to fade away and neither is our resolve.”
John de Mol’s Talpa Studios, whose hit formats include quiz show “The Floor,” is heading to next week’s TV market Mipcom with a slate of new entertainment formats, led by “Sing With Me” and “The Golden Elevators.”
“Sing With Me” is a feelgood music entertainment format developed in collaboration with Dutch producer IDTV, the creator of “The Traitors.”
In the show, aspiring singers get the chance to share the stage with some of the country’s biggest artists. Every performance begins as a solo, but when one of the established artists hears something special, they can grab a microphone and join in, transforming the performance into a duet.
The format launches on SBS6 in the Netherlands on Nov. 7.
“The Golden Elevators,” a quiz show that combines general knowledge with social strategy, has been ordered by ITV in the U.K. and SBS6 in the Netherlands, where it is set to air early next year.
Ten contestants enter a skyscraper where they must choose between two elevators, each representing a possible answer to 10 questions. Choose correctly and you go up; choose the wrong one and you’re out.
Before the doors close, contestants may work together and share what they know – or deliberately send a rival into the wrong elevator – turning every question into a battle of knowledge, strategy and trust. Waiting at the top is a life-changing jackpot, to share with whoever makes it there.
Talpa Studios continues to expand its global footprint, with 26 formats active across 34 countries, and Sebastian van Barneveld, Talpa Studios’ director of global distribution, underscores the role that partnerships play in that growth, alongside the company’s investment in original IP.
Shows developed through partnerships now account for more than 40% of Talpa Studios’ catalog.
“In a rapidly changing market, strong ideas need more than creativity alone. Collaboration and flexibility are key to making them travel,” he said. “Our Mipcom slate reflects that approach: by combining original IP with creative partnerships and developing formats that can work across markets, platforms and audiences, we’re creating multiple routes for ideas to grow.”
The partnership model has delivered titles such as murder mystery format “A Party to Die For,” developed with ITV Studios, and “Let’s Play Ball,” originally co-developed by EndemolShine Nederland (part of Banijay Benelux), Talpa Studios and Signal.Stream. The format has since secured commissions in French Canada and Finland.
Signal.Stream, a strategic partner for Talpa Studios, focused on creating formats for the streaming generation, has developed several other titles that are gaining traction in the market. “Most Wanted” has new commissions in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania, while “Catch Us” has added new commissions from TV4 in Sweden and ProSieben in Germany, alongside adaptations in the Netherlands and Hungary.
Talpa Studios’ established brands continue to build momentum around the world. “The Floor,” for example, has reached more than 30 territories. Meanwhile, “The Winner Takes It All” secured its first international sale to France Télévisions and a recommission in the Netherlands.
Daily reality competition “The Alliance,” nominated for the Netherlands’ most prestigious television audience award, launched on Prime Video in India with a celebrity adaptation, and the streaming giant has confirmed a second season.
“Caught in the Middle,” a high-energy studio game show in which a duo must outsmart 100 opponents closing in around them, is returning for a second season in the Netherlands and continues to travel internationally, with adaptations in Spain for Atresmedia and Australia for Seven Network.
De Mol is a reality TV legend, who previously led Endemol and Talpa Media, the creators of such iconic brands as “Big Brother,” “Deal or No Deal,” “Fear Factor” and “The Voice.” Talpa Studios, formed in September 2023, is led by CEO Maarten Meijs.
Cosmic Talents, which represents leading international heads of department, is opening a London office. It will be led by Gabrielle de Cevins, who joins Cosmic Talents as the agency’s U.K.-based agent.
De Cevins brings eight years of in-house production experience to the role, including the last four at London-based feature film production company The Bureau (“Queen at Sea,” “Black Church Bay,” “A Long Winter”), and will oversee representation of the agency’s roster of directors of photography, production designers, costume designers and editors across the U.K. market for both features and commercials.
She will work hand in hand with Paris-based agents Marie Berg, Elodie Vongdara and Andréa Bernard.
In recent years, the agency’s talent have been responsible for the cinematography of films such as Edward Berger’s “Conclave” (Stéphane Fontaine), Magnus von Horn’s “The Girl With the Needle” (Michal Dymek) and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” (Mikhail Krichman).
Berg, managing director and agent at Cosmic Talents, said, “The U.K. market is exceptionally creative. Its directors and the stories they tell are a constant source of inspiration. By opening this office, we want to strengthen our presence in the U.K. and establish a deeper connection with this vibrant creative community.
“Having a local representative brings greater spontaneity to our relationships and allows us to build meaningful connections with directors, clients and production partners.
“With a background in production, Gabrielle has a strong understanding of the realities and challenges of producing in the U.K. Her experience enables her to bridge creative ambitions with the practical demands of production, making her ideally positioned to support projects in this market.”
De Cevins said, “I’m delighted to be joining a team with such a strong commitment to artistic vision. Cosmic has built an exceptional roster over the years. I’m looking forward to helping production find the right creative partners for their projects, and to championing Cosmic talents within the U.K. market.”
The songs of pop group phenomenon La Oreja de Van Gogh, which has just become the only Spanish band with a song in Spotify’s Billions Club, are heading for the big screen, set to be sung and power the emotional currents of an ambitious romantic musical, “Puedes Contar Conmigo.”
Director of blockbuster “Palm Trees in the Snow,” Fernando González Molina is on board to helm the movie. Preeminent Spanish producers Beltrán Cortázar, Domingo Corral and Gonzalo Sálazar-Simpson are set to produce. La Oreja de Van Gogh will also serve as executive producer on the film, which bids fair to become one of the biggest upcoming titles from Spain.
“Seeing that our songs will gain a new life in cinema is a dream for us,” La Oreja de Van Gogh said in a statement. The movie project roles off its extensive 2026 comeback tour with Amaia Montero back as lead vocalist which staged over 100 concerts and sold more than 400,000 tickets to packed concerts across Spain, which confirmed the huge resilient across-generations fandom of the group. The group has over 50 Platinum and Gold Discs.
“We’re at a beautiful moment at our career, feeling the affection of many, many people and we believe ‘Puedes Contar Conmigo’ will be a marvellous celebration of what unites us with our audience,” the band added.
González Molina has had his biggest audience success with romantic dramas particularly 2010’s “Three Steps Above Heaven” (€9.9 million: $11.2 million), 2012’s I Want You” (€12.1 million: €13.6 million) and 2016’s “Palm Trees in the Snow,” a lush period piece which stood out for its scale, production values and spectacular visuals which grossed €17.1 million ($19.8 million) at the Spanish box office.
Little is known about the musical’s plot, currently being written by González Molina and screenwriter Miguel López Martínez, save that it is an original story, will use La Oreja’s lyrics and is in an advanced stage of development and writing.
The possibilities, however, are enormous given the longevity of La Oreja de Van Gogh – founded in 1996 – and its enormous repertoire. Also key is La Oreja d Van Gogh’s accessible style of broader audience pop-rock and surging choruses and above all the songs’ highly relatable emotions, whether nostalgia after break-up (“Los Rosas,” “La Playa”), fleeting fated love, (“Jueves”) and happiness at having lived a great romance (“El último vals”), to name just a few of the group’s greatest hits.
The Ambition of ‘Puedes Contar Conmigo’
Whatever the storyline line, the movie definitely looks set to be highly ambitious.
“We’ve always told stories through our music and knowing that these stories will inspire such a big visual and narrative universe fills us with illusion,” the band said.
“Translating the universe of the Oreja into an original story is a giant challenge for me,” González Molina added. “It’s also fulfilling a dream of updating big romantic musicals, which I have always loved, with the codes of contemporary cinema. With this film I’d love to make a cinema event that moves audiences like the songs of La Oreja de Van Gogh have done for decades.”
“Being part of such a genuine mix of talent such as La Oreja de Van Gogh and Fernando is authentic luck for us,” said the producers. “We feel we have the bases of what could be a great film: Our challenge is to support them to make this dream as large as possible,” they added.
A Pedigree Producer Package
That ambition knits with the C.V. of its producers. Cortázar, for instance, is the former CEO of Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s Suma Content where his credits include Los Javis’ seven-part 2023 series “La Mesías,” a first instance of their full-on creativity, each episode with different genre influences, knit by a pop sensibility and varying formats across multiple timelines, all of which anticipated “La Bola Negra.”
Founder of Lazona, Sálazar-Simpson is behind Goya Best Picture winner “No Rest for the Wicked,” and has produced two of the three highest-grossing Spanish films in Spain: 2014 comedy “Spanish Affair” (€56.2 million: $63.5 million) and Spanish Affair 2 (€36.1 million: $40.8 million).
“Puedes contar conmigo” also stands out as the first movie announced by Domingo Corral, the former Head of Fiction and Entertainment at Movistar Plus, behind “La Mesías,” “Querer” and “Riot Police” in series and “Sirât,” “La Bola Negra,” “The Beloved” and “Sundays” in films.
“As producers, we want to make a film that is different and unique and at the level of ambition which merit La Oreja de Van Gogh and their songs. Many are part of our emotional history across several generations and they have an enormous fan base in Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic,” said Corral, noting that one key reference is “La La Land.”
“We are fortunate to have Fernando in,” he added. “We are convinced that his vision and passion will deliver a great film full of unforgettable emotional moments.”
ITV Studios has unveiled 10 new titles on its Mipcom formats slate, led by “The Chase Around the World,” and also revealed the unscripted lineup, which includes “70 Up,” the final chapter of the groundbreaking documentary series “7 Up.”
“The Chase Around the World,” a multi-country treasure hunt, is a spin-off of ITV’s game show “The Chase.” The series, comprising six hour-long episodes, is produced by Bright Entertainment for British broadcaster ITV.
The show sees six pairs of contestants attempt to track down some of the biggest brains in Britain – six individuals known as The Chasers – in undisclosed locations across Europe. Unravelling puzzles along the way, the winning pair will pit their knowledge against The Chasers in order to win a life-changing prize pot.
Also new to the slate is endurance experiment “Expedition Into the Wild.” The show had a very successful launch on Kanal 5 in Sweden, where it became the number 1 commercial title in its timeslot, outperforming the slot average by 60%, and has been commissioned for a second season. The show, which comprises 12 hour-long episodes, is produced by ITV Studios Sweden.
In the show, eight celebrity city dwellers with almost no survival skills are dropped into a remote natural environment for 18 days. Working in pairs, the contestants have only basic tools and limited food. They must build shelter, source supplies and tackle survival challenges.
“Celebrity Escape,” produced by Perpetual Entertainment for Three in New Zealand, sees seven comedians take on one of the most popular and fastest-growing activities in the world: the escape room.
Each hour-long episode of the show sees the comedians working as a team to navigate the puzzles, clues and scares of a new themed room, before voting out their competition.
All the while, another comedian, known as the Games Master, watches from the control room, chiming in to help or hinder as they see fit.
Over the six episodes, alliances shift, egos clash, and pressure builds as the group shrinks. In the finale, the last two contestants face a head-to-head escape where only one can win.
New food-entertainment series “Next on the Menu,” produced by South Shore for the U.K.’s Channel 4, sees four food superfans battle to create the next menu hit for a global brand, from Wagamama and KFC to Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme.
Each contestant must pitch, prototype and perfect their dream dish with their creations then stress-tested for taste, kitchen feasibility, and trialled with real customers, to win a place on the menu. The show is in four parts, with each episode an hour long.
Also new to the slate is “Apocalypse,” a new social experiment show from The Garden and ITV Studios Australia. It was the biggest unscripted original launch since 2024 for Binge, the Australian streaming service, and one of Channel 4’s biggest young-skewing entertainment launches of this year.
The series, which has eight hour-long episodes, sees 16 ordinary people enter an abandoned town that bears all the hallmarks of being ravaged by an apocalyptic event. With no running water, heating or electricity, they must survive for 28 days, scavenging for food and supplies and by reusing and repurposing anything they find.
“Secret Garden,” narrated by David Attenborough in the U.K., also joins the slate. The show, comprising five 60-minute episodes, is produced by Plimsoll Studios. It was the BBC’s biggest new factual series since 2025.
The series uncovers the wildlife stories hidden in the places we know best. Each episode follows one garden over an extended period, capturing animal behavior rarely witnessed by human eyes – from raising families and defending territories to hunting, courting and surviving the changing seasons.
Also on the slate is the reality format “How to Clean Up for Cash,” where loved ones secretly seek help for a family member or friend whose clutter has taken over their home.
While the unsuspecting homeowner is away for 48 hours, an expert team clears, sorts and values years of accumulated belongings, transforming the space that has become overwhelmed by clutter.
The six-parter, with each episode running for 30 minutes, is produced by MultiStory Media for ITV.
“Name That Tune,” which is based on the U.S. game show that debuted on NBC in 1953, is returning to the U.K. in 2027 after 29 years off air.
The show is a global staple of entertainment, with over 25 countries, including Australia, France, Germany and Italy, having produced localized versions across the last seven decades. Accompanied by the Name That Tune Live Band and led by a celebrity host, contestants race against the clock (and each other) to identify legendary tracks across various genres and eras.
The series, comprising nine 60-minute episodes, is produced by Bright Entertainment for ITV.
Also new to the slate is “The Ultimate Summer Star,” produced by Magga og Anders and ITV Studios Denmark for TV2 Echo. It is a sun-soaked spin-off of the smash-hit Norwegian format “The Ultimate Christmas Star,” which continues to deliver strong ratings with a 13% increase in total viewers from Season 2 to 3 in Norway, with a fourth season returning this December, a third season returning in Denmark, and a newly announced first season in Sweden.
Chaos unfolds as 24 celebrities head to a lakeside cabin to compete in a lineup of bonkers challenges. From laugh-out-loud antics to outdoor adventures, the tasks are silly, light-hearted and packed with warm-weather fun, as they compete to be crowned The Ultimate Summer Star.
The show has 24 30-minute episodes.
And finally, there is “The Joy of Pets,” which is produced by Bandicoot for ITV. The show, which has five 60-minute episodes, is a warm-hearted factual entertainment format celebrating the bond between people and their animals.
This format travels across the country uncovering uplifting, emotional and often surprising stories of pets, their owners and the veterinary professionals dedicated to their care.
Each episode combines behind-the-scenes access to a local veterinary practice, a community roadshow featuring expert advice and audience interaction, and inspiring local stories that showcase the life-changing impact animals have on the people around them.
“70 Up”
Courtesy of ITV/Nick Wall
ITV Studios has also unveiled its full unscripted slate for Mipcom, led by “70 Up,” the final chapter of the groundbreaking series “7 Up,” the longest-running documentary series ever made.
“70 Up,” which comprises two 90-minute episodes, is produced by MultiStory Media for ITV.
The “7 Up” series, which follows the lives of 14 ordinary people, has been broadcast in 157 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, China, Australia and France.
“70 Up” marks the culmination of this journey across seven decades. Building on the forensic questioning of the late director Michael Apted, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia steps in to close the circle on a series that captures a lifetime from childhood through careers, marriage, parenting and beyond.
From Plimsoll Studios for ITV, comes the landmark natural history series “World’s Wildest Cities.” Across six hour-long episodes, the show follows a variety of urban animals to uncover the challenges of living alongside the human race. Each episode has a new cast of animals and focuses on one city: Rio de Janeiro, New York, Melbourne, Singapore and London, with the final episode revealing how the series was made, and the science behind the stories.
Another title looking at the changing world around us, “Ages of Ice,” which has three hour-long episodes, is produced by Northern Pictures for PBS and ABC Australia, and is narrated by actor David Tennant. It follows the brave scientists pushing the boundaries of exploration and human endeavor in Earth’s coldest corners to understand the changes of ice and what this means for our planet’s future. In the unforgiving grip of our planet’s polar regions, the series will follow these modern-day explorers as they try to understand how the fate of every place and every creature on our planet is tied to these frozen extremes.
New to the slate from Wonderhood Studios is a documentary series “Jesus Christ: The Man, The Mystery,” which has four hour-long episodes. Produced for the BBC, it draws on the latest historical research, archaeological discoveries, technological innovation and expert testimony to expand and sharpen our understanding of Jesus.
The story draws on the testimony recorded in the Gospel accounts, and elsewhere, to understand the world he inhabited and the foundations of the movement he inspired.
And finally, from Curious Films, there is “Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story,” which is produced for Channel 4. It has all the ingredients of an espionage thriller, but is a true story, with access to people caught up in the Russian spy network as well as FBI operatives and former Russian insiders.
In 2010, 11 deep-cover Russian spies were arrested across the United States, sending shockwaves around the globe. At the center of it all was Anna Chapman (née Kushchenko) — the femme fatale turned media sensation. But before she became the face of the spy ring, she was recruited, trained and indoctrinated in the U.K. The series reveals how the actions of a few would trigger seismic, long-lasting and deadly consequences.
It comprises two hour-long episodes.
Variety spoke to Julie Meldal-Johnsen, executive VP global content and content strategy at ITV Studios, about the slate.
Referring to “70 Up,” she said, “I can’t think of another documentary project that is more ambitious, more far-reaching. There were so few filmmakers that could have done it justice [following the death of Michael Apted], but it’s incredible to be able to wrap up that endeavor, that vision, and bring back some people who haven’t been in it for a long time. Obviously, sadly, there have been a couple of deaths on the way. It is a feat of filmmaking that will be unparalleled. So that brings tears to my eyes every time, and we’re really, really, really proud of that.”
Turning her attention to “Jesus Christ: The Man, The Mystery,” she said, “It is very rare for us to have something in that space, but we were very keen. It’s a history documentary with archaeological discoveries thanks to new techniques, and some great expert testimony. We think this really will be a seminal documentary. And whether you’re Christian or not, I think it will be fascinating.”
She added, “ ‘World’s Wildest Cities’ features a different city every episode, and there are some really exotic animals, and this amazing drama that takes place in urban places. It’s quite a different approach to blue chip natural history.”
“Ages of Ice” has been three years in the making, she said. “We were excited to have it voiced by David Tennant, and the visuals on that are just stunning. It follows these polar-nauts to some of the most incredible and dangerous places on the planet, doing research to help us figure out how to manage water and changing climate.”
Talking about “The Chase Around the World,” a spin-off of ITV’s game show “The Chase,” she said, “What I love about ‘The Chase’ is taking the quizzes and the studio show and getting it out into the world. We say The Chasers are both beloved and feared, and to see them out of their environment – of a safe, comfortable studio – and out into the world is great. Some of the locations are just gorgeous. The photography in the series is really great too, and it’s fun, and it’s getting that scale – these wonderful locations – and I think it’s just a clever way of wrapping up a treasure hunt and bit of travel porn in a way.”
She also discussed “Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story.” “I think there’s always a demand for stories about spies,” she said. “People are endlessly fascinated by spies, true or fictional, and it’s a remarkable story. And she was this glamorous woman, which just adds to the intrigue.”
Production of Daily Wire’s pro-ICE film “Pawn Shop” has been temporarily halted in Livingston, Mont., following a Special City Commission Meeting held on Saturday.
The action comes as Livingston locals raised concerns about the film’s impact on local business — and notably the city’s sole food bank — as well as improper notification about hazardous stunts. During the meeting, residents voiced worries about the filming, saying it made them feel unsafe. City Commission member Cindy Daniels explained that she felt that “they’ve taken advantage of the situation to make their movie… We’re not profiting off that movie. So they’re not thinking of the veterans that live on K Street. They’re not thinking of the food resource center.”
The Livingston Commission concluded: “A motion to immediately temporarily suspend Bonfire Pawn Shop LLC’s permit while seeking legal opinion from the city attorney in a timely manner to amend, suspend, or revoke the permit to come back to the commission not after 5:00pm on October 5th.”
Daily Wire did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
The halting of filming comes days after locals in Livingston protested against the film’s production, which has been reported to include an opening scene depicting the fatal ICE shooting of Renée Good that occurred in Minnesota earlier this year.
The Livingston Food Resource Center posted a statement on Instagram on Friday, explaining how filming “Pawn Shop” has affected its clients.
“People who already face numerous obstacles to meeting their most basic needs are not facing additional completely avoidable barriers to accessing food because of how this production was permitted,” it read. “We were not notified of the plans to film,” the statement continued, noting that attendance at the pantry was down 17% on Tuesday, “an eight-week low from seeing 90-100+ households a day. That is unacceptable.”
Tom McCarthy’s biographical drama “Spotlight” won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2016. The film, featuring a stacked ensemble led by Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, was widely praised for chronicling the investigative reporting by the Boston Globe that exposed the Catholic Church’s systemic cover-up of sexual abuse of children by priests. A decade later, McCarthy says his influential film still hasn’t galvanized enough change within the church.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people who saw the movie. A lot of people who felt understood after the movie was released,” McCarthy told Variety Saturday night at the New York Film Festival. “Has it caused a lot of change within the Catholic Church? In my opinion, not really. Not enough. It’s not enough until every child is safe, as far as I’m concerned. And that’s a zero sum game. So, I would like to see more change.”
McCarthy’s new film, “A Statement,” could be seen as a cathartic response to the lack of institutional change that followed “Spotlight.” Bolstered by a strong ensemble led by Paul Rudd, the film follows 20 experts who attempt to reach a consensus on a statement to Congress about the effects of carbon dioxide emissions on the climate.
Based on a real-life conference that took place in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1980, the film’s opening text calls the gathering “the first meeting dedicated to solving the climate crisis in America.” The group, ultimately, never reached a consensus — and nearly 50 years later, the debate over carbon emissions continues to divide American politics.
“I’m very proud of [‘Spotlight’],” McCarthy explained. “I think, as filmmakers, our job is to start a conversation, get people thinking about an issue, but draw a light on things. That’s what I think we’ve done with ‘Spotlight,’ and hopefully, we’ve done that with ‘A Statement.’ This movie doesn’t preach. There is a right and wrong here, but we want people to come to the table and have thaat conversation and listen.”
Coincidentally, “A Statement” premiered the same weekend Tom Cruise’s “Digger” bombed at the box office. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman panned the film as a “bombastically self-important satire” that attempts to be “the ‘Dr. Strangelove’ of climate change.” Nathaniel Rich, who wrote the 2019 nonfiction book “Losing Earth” that McCarthy based his script on, used the same adjective to describe “A Statement.” At the festival, he called McCarthy’s film the “first climate change movie written for adults” and praised it for being “not bombastic.”
“I haven’t seen [‘Digger] but I’m very curious to see it,” Rich said. “All I can say is there has not been a film like [‘A Statement’] before. There are some films like this on other social justice issues that movie beyond a kind of polemic into a deeper exploration of the material. That hasn’t happened with climate change in a feature film until now.”
On Thursday, 21 states sued the Trump administration over its repeal of federal greenhouse gas regulations for power plants. While the Trump-led EPA believes that eliminating the Biden-era limits will lower costs and boost American energy production, the Democratic-led coalition argues the rollback will set the country back decades in its fight against climate change. The back-and-forth is the latest example of how climate action, nearly half a century after the meeting depicted in “A Statement,” has become poisoned by partisan politics.
“Everything becomes politicized,” Rudd said. “This was not a politicized issue. This [gathering] was really smart people, Republicans and Democrats alike, who realized, ‘Oh, this is an existential threat and it is something that we should deal with. Now, how we go about dealing with it, we need to figure that out — but the science is there. We know.’”
But do we know? At the end of the film, Paul Giamatti’s David Slade (a government director at the Department of Energy) offers a reassuring one-liner to Tatiana Maslany’s character about the factual nature of science. The 1980 gathering took place just four days before Ronald Reagan won the presidency.
“Presidents come and go,” Slade said, “but if there’s one thing we’ll always agree on, it’s science.”
“Yeah, well,” Rudd laughed. “I think he said that with a bit of a wink.”
Sass Jordan, the singer, songwriter and longtime “Canadian Idol” judge, died on Oct. 2. She was 65.
Her family confirmed her death, noting that she “died peacefully” and was “surrounded by those who loved her most.” They remembered her as “an inimitable force of nature” and “an irreplaceable being of light and joy.”
Jordan began her recording career in 1986 as co-lead vocalist on “Come On (Baby Tonight)” from Bündock’s album “Mauve.” She quickly became a sought-after session singer in Montreal, most notably on The Box’s breakthrough “L’Affaire Dumoutier (Say To Me…)”, and appeared in the band’s video for “Closer Together.”
She was also a prominent songwriter. Michael Breen took her composition “Rain” onto the Canadian charts in 1987.
In 1989, Jordan won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year after her debut album, “Tell Somebody.”
After moving to Los Angeles in Jan. 1990, she released “Racine” in March 1992. It became the defining album of her career, selling an estimated 450,000 copies worldwide and 100,000 in Canada on the strength of “Make You a Believer,” “I Want to Believe,” “You Don’t Have to Remind Me” and “Goin’ Back Again,” with “Who Do You Think You Are” following in 1993.
“Make You a Believer” climbed to #11 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, and Billboard named her its top female rock artist of 1992.
She joined “Canadian Idol” as a judge in 2003, the only woman on the panel, and stayed for all six seasons. She continued performing and releasing music for two decades.
“If you love music and you’ve been around as long as I have, you pretty much do what you got to do,” Jordan once said. “But I love music. I am a huge, gigantic fan.”
Born Sarah Jordan on Dec. 23, 1960, in Birmingham, England, she was the daughter of French literature professor Albert Jordan and former English ballerina Jean Lanceman. She began singing with friends at a young age and, by 16, was fronting bands in downtown Montreal clubs; later, she became singer and bassist for local favorites The Pinups.
She is survived by her husband, Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp (Daniel Yepes), stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan (Isabelle Courville).
After Johnson joked about her failed relationships, she said “I have really good friends. They don’t judge me, they’re really supportive. Ladies and gentlemen, my literal therapist.”
Swift then appeared onscreen — in what one Swiftie on X delightedly described as a “Taylor Swift jump scare” — and said, “I’m not your therapist, actually. You just show up once a week at my house with an empty bottle of wine and ask if I want some… You flop on my couch and overshare and every so often I say ‘Damn, that’s crazy,’” Swift continued. “And then you say…”
“Sleepover, yay!” said Johnson.
“Then I give you Pedialyte and my security drives you home,” Swift said.
Then the subject returned to Johnson’s dating life. Earlier in the monologue, after jokes about her “tight-ass latex dress” and the failure of “Madame Web,” the actress said, “What else has happened since the last time I hosted? Well, I went through two very public, very lame breakups with two very awesome musicians,” referring to Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Role Model. “Looking for a third,” she added. Mentioning that her new film “Verity” is a “psychosexual erotic thriller,” she noted, “So is dating musicians. Some of them don’t wear shoes, some of them are terrible in bed, but all of them are in my DMs. It’s not my fault, though. Some people leave concerts with merch, and I leave concerts with a two-and-a-half-year relationship.”
WIth Swift beside her minutes later, Johnson picked up the subject and continued, “Just quickly while we’re on the subject of musicians, I think actually I’m doing a public service by dating them, because, ladies, I am saving you a lot of money on Zoloft. So you’re welcome, America. And also England. And parts of Ireland. And Cleveland,” a reference to Travis Kelce, which led to the rejoinder, “Allegedly.”
Swift then squealed “It’s her birthday!” — just slightly prematurely, as Johnson had earlier announced her birthday would be arriving at midnight.
During the goodnights at the end of the episode, Swift brought a birthday cake out for Johnson.
There was no question of Swift doing a musical number on the episode, since the musical guest had long since been announced as Turnstile. But the singer turning up at some point on “SNL” this season seemed like an inevitability after Swift participated in an Easter egg-laden “Law & Order SVU” sketch on the Emmys. Behind her in the skit, a large “Saturday Night Live” emblem was tacked to a bulletin board… not her subtlest clue ever.
In the Oct. 3 cold open on “Saturday Night Live,” Andrew Dismukes and Ashley Padilla play Republican strategists who have their work cut out for them building buzz for their party.
Marcello Hernández comes in first as Marco Rubio, who speaks to constituents in Spanish, admits that Trump did not live up to expectations and his endless war is not making things better.
Mikey Day then shows up as a frozen Mitch McConnell in a wheelchair, only able to give the peace sign and nearly derailing the fourth wall of the sketch when he mistakenly tries to say “Live from New York” too early.
Vice President JD Vance stopped by, played by Jeremy Culhane, and his lack of charisma was mocked when he started his camera test by saying, “Hi, I’m JD Vance,” before getting dismissed.
The sketch’s highlight was Colin Jost returning as Pete Hegseth, who immediately chugs one of Tom Holland’s Bero beers, which he refers to as “Spider-Man’s new non-alcoholic bitch beer.”
The sketch, which parodied his unhinged “State of the Force” address this week, he also urges Republicans to do something shocking: “I need all you patriots at home to do the gayest thing ever and vote.”
He also noted that, “I’m putting God back in war and it’s working. Our soldiers are praying a lot more than they used to.”
Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, also dropped by, saying, “Let me cook.”
He also made fun of his real-life strategy to reimburse American voters for a Republican midterm win, saying, “If the Republicans win, I’ll give everyone $5,000 and that is not a bribe because I have no intention of following through on that promise.”
The episode’s host is Dakota Johnson and the musical guest is Turnstile.
