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A Deep Dive into a Tragic Story Hulu’s 'American Sports Story: The Aaron Hernandez Case' is an intensely gripping series from start to finish, depicting the real-life story of famous NFL tight end Aaron Hernandez and the choices he made that led to his conviction for several murders. The story follows Aaron throughout his life, exploring his childhood, his rise to fame, and his horrific crimes that altered his and many others' lives forever. The series is more than just a retelling of his crimes; it shows us the person Aaron was and how his own choices, as well as those beyond his control, led him down a dark path that forever altered his legacy. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision,...

Mikey Madison may be having her star-making moment, with recognition from multiple critics groups for her performance in Sean Baker’s “Anora,” as well as a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy at tonight’s Golden Globe Awards, but rather than revel, she’s taking time to pay homage to those who helped shape her own abilities. Taking a visit to New York’s Criterion Collection offices, Madison spent some time inside the Criterion Closet not only selecting goodies to take home, but acknowledging multiple performances that have stuck with her through the years, from Jackie Coogan in Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid” to Jack Nicholson in Bob Rafelson’s “Five Easy Pieces.”

“I really think it’s my favorite Nicholson performance,” said Madison of Rafelson’s film. “There’s just something about how he approaches this character, such a morally gray character,...

Charlie Chaplin has left an indelible mark in world cinema with his comedy films. Born in London in 1889, Chaplin was forced to provide for his family after his father died and his mother had fallen sick. His career kicked off on stage, where he played the character The Tramp and grabbed the audience’s attention. He went on to become a movie actor and won over viewers with films like The Kid, The Gold Rush, and City Lights.

Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan in a still from The Kid | Credits: First National

It wasn’t just his movies that gained worldwide attention. Chaplin’s personal life was also under a massive spotlight. He was married four times and had eleven children. He was married to his fourth wife, Oona O’Neill, until his death. Their relationship raised some eyebrows due to the age difference between them.

The shocking age difference between...

Former Disney star Demi Lovato met with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday as he signed into law two pieces of legislation to ensure children and teenagers who perform in online content are protected from financial abuse.

Lovato, who starred in Disney movies including “Camp Rock” and “Princess Protection Program” and is the subject of the Hulu documentary “Child Star,” championed the two new bills:

Sb 764 (Padilla) establishes financial and legal protections for minors featured in monetized online content by mandating their parent or guardian set aside a percentage of their earnings in trust accounts.

Ab 1880 (Alanis) expands the Coogan Law to include minors who are employed as content creators on online platforms, such as YouTube. The Coogan Law, which dates back t0 1939, protects child performers and creators by ensuring that their employers place at least 15 percent of their gross earnings in trust until they reach adulthood. It was named after child star Jackie Coogan,...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills into law in Los Angeles on Thursday that offer new financial protections to children who perform and appear in income-generating online content.

One of those bills, California Assembly Bill 1880, expands California’s longtime Coogan Law protections for child performers to influencers and online content creators who are minors. The Coogan Law, which was signed into law in the state in 1939 and was named after child silent-film star Jackie Coogan, mandates that 15 percent of a child performer’s earnings be saved in a protected trust that they can access when they reach adulthood.

The other legislation that was greenlit on Thursday, Senate Bill 764, states that online influencers featuring children in at least 30 percent of their output must put away a percentage of gross earnings in a trust for the minor to access when they become an adult. The bill also requires creators to maintain...

If you thought a premiere for a documentary about child stardom was going to start on time, you probably aren’t too familiar with the pressures of early fame. Despite a minor 30-minute delay, Demi Lovato’s latest Hulu doc “Child Star” premiered Thursday night in Hollywood, proving to be her most intimate and cinematic self-examination yet.

Following in the footsteps of “Stay Strong,” “Simply Complicated” and “Dancing With the Devil,” Lovato enlisted help from her fellow famous former child stars for her co-directorial debut (along with filmmaker Nicola Marsh) — and she got legitimate A-list names for it: Raven-Symoné, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Kenan Thompson, Alyson Stoner and JoJo Siwa.

The doc is all about the shared struggles that child stars experience, from Hollywood history-makers such as Shirley Temple and Jackie Coogan to modern social media influencers like Ryan. While their symptoms manifested in different ways, Lovato clearly felt connected...

The Addams Family have been a fixture on screen since the 1960s with several actors who played Wednesday Addams helping the character become an icon. The classic characters are originally based on the 1938 single-panel New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, but it wasnt until the 1964 sitcom that The Addams Family would become pop culture staples. Since the sitcom, The Addams Family has been adapted on numerous occasions for movies and television. However, the most recently entry into the franchise, Tim Burton's Wednesday, suggests the family's eccentric daughter is the real star.

Wednesday Addams is the daughter of Gomez and Morticia and has inherited her parents fascination with homicide and torture, which she often practices on her younger brother Pugsley. With her deadpan tone and dark wit particularly in Christina Riccis version of the character Wednesday is often a highlight of The Addams Family movies and TV shows. Since The Addams Family...

Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most successful and fan-beloved actors in the entertainment industry who, despite being the son of two well-known celebrities, built his star-studded career on his own. Although he stumbled in the wild too, he also found his footing by himself; to the point where he is now regarded as one of the most outstanding celebrities ever in Hollywood.

Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Endgame. | Marvel Studios.

In fact, even while he was still in the early, progressive stages of his career, Downey Jr. learned quite a lot, especially while working on his ever-so-stunning masterpiece from 1992, Chaplin. If anything, this $12 million movie, which had a fairly young 25-year-old Rdj trying to make corrections to it, soon had him realizing his real place on a movie set.

How Chaplin Made Robert Downey Jr. Realize His Place on a Film Set

Robert Downey Jr. has undergone a...

Every day, the line between traditional and digital media gets blurrier. Content creators trying to break into movies, TV, and music is a pretty common occurrence these days, but plenty of celebrities who found their fame in the “traditional” manner have migrated to digital media. Everyone from popular athletes and beloved Disney channel starlets to record label execs and disgraced news pundits are starting podcasts and YouTube channels. Your favorite actor boosting their social media or your favorite YouTuber getting a part in an upcoming film feels less like jumping from one industry to another, and more like it’s all part of the same game. Despite doubt that YouTube was a viable business when Google acquired it in 2006 and speculation that the golden age of user-generated content (Ugc) has passed, YouTube is currently winning the streaming wars. With one billion (with a b) worldwide watch hours per day on televisions alone,...

A revolutionary new piece of state legislation protecting child influencers is now in effect in Illinois, ensuring that children under the age of 16 will be compensated for appearing in their parents’ social media content.

On July 1, the state of Illinois officially enacted an amendment to its existing Child Labor Law, which specifically states that children under the age of 16 are entitled to a share of the revenue from their adult guardians’ vlogging content, defined in the bill as “content shared on an online platform in exchange for compensation.”

According to the law,...

Editor’s note: this list was originally published in May 2024. It has since been updated in honor of Father’s Day.

Every family relationship is fertile material for any film, but none have been pillaged quite as extensively as the father/son dynamic. Blame the patriarchy, perhaps, for centering the male experience far more extensively in fiction, resulting in films where daughters and mothers tend to fall by the wayside in favor of drama between the men of the family.

Still, filmmakers and their work respond to the imperfect culture we all live in, and the relationship between a father and son can act as a vehicle to explore powerful ideas on screen. Familial expectations, pressures to uphold legacies, and the emotional repression that often defines heterosexual male relationships inform many of cinema’s greatest father stories, which can frequently be boiled down to the (somewhat reductive) label of “daddy issue” dramas.

Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel’s assured fiction debut opens in a typical town square in contemporary Athens. The square is leafy and shaded, with plentiful orange trees, but it’s not prettified or bourgeois. The people hanging out there are a mixture of tourists, locals and those of indeterminate status, including Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbah), a couple of young men seemingly watching the world go by on a nice day in the city. They observe a small boy jumping to snatch an orange from a tree, before setting their sights on an older woman relaxing on a bench. Chatila confirms her as their target and the pair set in motion a modest and well-rehearsed bag-snatching scam.

It’s the first of many attempts the pair will make to raise money. Chatila and Reda are Palestinians, stuck in Athens, hoping to reach Germany. The duo are cousins, and...

Did you know there are only two perfect horror movies? Or that there are only two perfect sci-fi films? At least, that's what Rotten Tomatoes would have you believe. The great arbiter of our collective cinematic taste has bestowed the hallowed 100% Tomatometer rating on just a handful of films across cinema history, and the result of this incessant ranking of art has apparently left us with two perfect "Toy Story" movies and just a single perfect "Godzilla" film. What a world.

Anyway, for whatever reason, Rotten Tomatoes scores remain consistently alluring to us all, even showing up on our streaming interfaces and instantly deciding for us whether a movie is worth a watch. Now, it's time to put cinematic legend and Hollywood hero Charlie Chaplin under the microscope and see how this giant of the industry can stand up to the mighty Tomatometer.

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin is, of course,...

My favorite comic strips are the ones where the characters' physicality has no basis in reality. Think of Calvin's untenable head-to-body-size ratio in "Calvin and Hobbes" or how every living creature in "The Far Side" is built like a pillow with sticks for arms and legs. The funny pages, like animation, have no real limits when it comes to the physics of their worlds, so why should their inhabitants be any different?

Charles Addams, in particular, wholly embraced this idea and ran with it while drawing his off-kilter, satirical "Addams Family" comic panels for The New Yorker from the 1930s up until his death in the '80s. The titular clan of ghoulish aristocrats embodied everything that stereotypical white American families did not in the 20th century, which manifested itself in their appearances. The Addamses had preternaturally oblong or round faces and builds. Most notably, the stocky, pale-white Uncle Fester...

Mama June Shannon confessed to taking money out of Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s Coogan account, which is supposed to be reserved for the child actor. When it came time for Alana to collect some of the money that should have been in the account, June shared that there wasn’t as much money in the Coogan as she thought. As more people learn the details of what Mama June did, they have found themselves asking what a Coogan account is. Here is everything you need to know.

Who Was Jackie Coogan?

A Coogan account is named after child actor Jackie Coogan. He is known as Hollywood’s first child actor. Jackie gained stardom through working in movies during the Silent Era and continued acting through the 1960s.

YouTube/Today I Found Out

However, Jackie Coogan actually got his start in acting before he was even able to talk.

It was revealed in a recent episode of Mama June: Family Crisis that June Shannon has stolen a significant amount of money from her daughter, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson. Now, Alana is begging fans for $150,000, but it doesn’t seem like fans are buying in. Continue reading to see why Honey Boo Boo claims that she needs $150K and how fans are responding.

Mama June Admits To Stealing From Alana Thompson

Most people weren’t too surprised to learn that Mama June Shannon has been stealing from her daughter, Alana Thompson, over the years. In a recent episode of Mama June: Family Crisis she confessed that she had taken money out of Alana’s Coogan account.

A Coogan account is set up for child stars like Alana to protect some of their earnings. The Coogan law states that 15% of a child’s earnings must be put into a trust...

Ah, "The Addams Family." They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky. And so on. The ghoulish Addamses were created by cartoonist Charles Addams in the pages of The New Yorker before Hollywood came calling, adapting Addams' comics into a TV series in 1964. The series followed a family of weirdos who live every day like it's Halloween, much to the confusion of the normal folks all around them. The original "The Addams Family" series lasted only two seasons, running between 1964 and 1966, but its impact and influence continued for decades. 

Sadly, the majority of the original cast of "The Addams Family" are no longer with us. But there's one main player who is still around. 

Read more: Actors Who Damaged Their Bodies Forever For A Movie Role

John Astin (Gomez Addams)

John Astin played Gomez Addams on the show. A former lawyer and frequent cigar smoker, Gomez...

Elvis Presley starred in a large number of films, often appearing in multiple movies per year during the 1950s and 1960s. These films featured a mix of recognizable actors and unknowns who would later become major names in the industry. Notable actors such as Dick Sargent, Walter Matthau, Donna Douglas, Charles Bronson, Angela Lansbury, and Barbara Stanwyck appeared alongside Elvis in his movies, taking on both major and minor roles. Even actors who had uncredited or minor roles in Elvis Presley films went on to have successful careers. Examples include Jackie Coogan, Lee Majors, Vincent Price, and Kurt Russell, who made his film debut in an Elvis Presley movie and later portrayed Presley himself in a television movie.

Throughout the 31 feature films that Elvis Presley starred in, there were plenty of opportunity for him to share scenes with notable stars. While the movies of Presley can vary in quality and...

While Netflix awaits Season 2 of its breakout hit “Wednesday,” the latest adaptation of the “Addams Family” franchise, it is already eyeing a way to expand that universe. Variety has confirmed that Netflix and producer MGM Television are indeed aiming to spin off “Wednesday” to focus on Uncle Fester.

Armisen’s casting was a surprise when it was first revealed in October 2022 during a trailer teaser drop. He joined the Addams family that also included star Jenna Ortega (Wednesday Addams), as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams.

Armisen first rose to prominence via his sketch comedy roles in “Saturday Night Live” and “Portlandia”; in recent years his TV appearances have included “Barry,” “History of the World, Part II,” “Unstable,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “The Kids in the Hall,” “Our Flag Means Death,” “Schmigadoon,” “Moonbase 8” and “Shrull.

The Addams Family movies have had varying degrees of success, with some being financially successful but receiving mixed reviews from critics. The first Addams Family movie from 1991 was a campy reinvention of the family, but its uneven tone didn't resonate well with critics. Addams Family Values, the darker and funnier sequel from 1993, is considered superior, with a great subplot and strong performances from the cast.

How do the Addams Family movies rank in comparison with each other? The Addams Family began life as a series of morbidly funny cartoons by Charles Addams for The New Yorker in the 1930s. Combining cute family comedy with some surprisingly dark punchlines, the cartoons were a huge hit that spawned a franchise. The first Addams Family movie was 1977’s television movie Halloween With The New Addams Family, and the brood reappeared in feature-length form 14 years later. Starring Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, 1991’s The Addams Family was a campy,...

TV fans are mourning the death of The Addams Family star Lisa Loring. The actor, best known as Wednesday Addams, died on Jan. 28, 2023, at 64. Many fans may not know Loring was also a soap opera actor, appearing on the CBS drama As the World Turns.

The Addams Family and As the World Turns star Lisa Loring I Bobby Bank/Getty Images ‘The Addams Family’ star Lisa Loring went on to star in ‘As the World Turns’

Loring rose to fame as a child star thanks to her role on The Addams Family. After the show’s cancellation in 1966, Loring continued to pursue acting. Yet, like many child stars, she had trouble finding success.

In 1980, Loring went from primetime to daytime TV when she was cast on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. According to Soap Hub, Loring played Cricket Montgomery. Cricket is the daughter of Lyla Crawford (Anne Sward...

Lisa Loring, the first actor to play the iconic role of Wednesday in “The Addams Family” franchise, died January 28. She was 64.

The news was reported by her friend Laurie Jacobson, who shared on Facebook that Jacobson suffered a stroke that put her on life support before her family made the decision to take her off.

“Beautiful, kind, a loving mother, Lisa’s legacy in the world of entertainment is huge,” Jacobson’s tribute reads. “And the legacy for her family and friends — a wealth of humor, affection and love will long play in our memories. Rip, Lisa. Damn, girl…you were a ton of fun.”

Loring was six years old when “The Addams Family” premiered on ABC in 1964. Based on The New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams, the series focused on the titular family, a bizarre clan of wealthy aristocrats with a love of the macabre. The series, which ran for two seasons and 64 episodes,...

Lisa Loring, best known for being the first person to play Wednesday Addams on the original "The Addams Family" sitcom, has died. She was 64. Loring began her career as a child, first starting out as a child model at age three before appearing on an episode of the 1960s TV series "Dr. Kildare." When Loring was six she landed the role of the gloomy child Wednesday Addams on "The Addams Family," which ran from 1964 through 1966. Loring would also return to the role for reunion specials, including "Halloween with the New Addams Family" in 1977.

"I learned to memorize before I could read," she said in regard to learning her lines. She went on to say:

"I didn't know how to read yet, I hadn't been to first grade, so [producer David Levy] wasn't prepared to see children that young, that he didn't know. But I had my hair down to here [indicates her waist], my mother put...

Original Wednesday Addams actress Lisa Loring has passed away at age 64.

Loring, who starred on “The Addams Family” from 1964-1966 for 64 episodes, died on Saturday after suffering a stroke.

Her daughter, Vanessa Foumberg, said: “She went peacefully with both her daughters holding her hands,” Variety reported.

“The Addams Family” cast in costume. Standing (L-r): Jackie Coogan (1914 – 1984), John Astin, Blossom Rock, and Ted Cassidy. Sitting (L-r): Lisa Loring, Carolyn Jones, and Ken Weatherwax. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Loring’s friend Laurie Jacobson also shared on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that I report the death of our friend, Lisa Loring. 4 days ago she suffered a massive stroke brought on by smoking and high blood pressure. She had been on life support for 3 days.

“Yesterday, her family made the difficult decision to remove it and she passed last night. She is embedded in the tapestry that is...

This Wednesday review contains no spoilers.

The Addams Family is iconic. Created by Chas Addams, the single panel cartoons debuted in 1938 in The New Yorker magazine. Director Tim Burton is an obvious fanboy, eager to put his unique spin on the family dynamic. The Netflix series Wednesday is an original spinoff. Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday Addams without much family support, the way the character prefers it.

The series opens with the traditional dysfunctional unity. Wednesday protects Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) from bullies because only she is allowed to torture her brother. Her ghastly genius sets the tone immediately. Swimming with piranhas in a school pool is all fun and games until someone loses a testicle. Then it’s a one-way ticket to Nevermore Academy, a place which encourages artful dodgers.

For The Addams Family, a plot is merely a device to hang gags on. Wednesday is a simple story. Girl goes to a new school,...

Fred Armisen describes how he prepared to play Uncle Fester in Netflix's Wednesday. Directed by Tim Burton, the upcoming comedy horror series takes its titular character from The Addams Family and follows her years spent at Nevermore Academy, where she attempts to get a handle on her psychic abilities and solve a 25-year-old supernatural mystery. Leading up to its November 23 premiere, a lot of the discussion surrounding Wednesday has focused on its star, Jenna Ortega, and the addition of Christina Ricci in a previously undisclosed role. However, with Burton and company choosing to keep the casting of Uncle Fester a secret, fans began to wonder who would take on the part, and many were surprised to see Armisen revealed in the show's latest trailer.

In an interview with Et, Armisen spoke about what it was like preparing to play Uncle Fester. When asked if he opted to look back on previous actors' portrayals,...

Dore Schary’s post-MGM personal production is a class act in every respect — Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan and Myrna Loy are well cast in a story of intimate emotional cruelty. It’s from a play derived from Nathanael West’s soul-crushing novella, and despite the talent involved, it can’t shake the feeling of an overheated TV drama. The acting and characterizations are riveting. Young Dolores Hart is a beacon of light amid the gloom and misery, and in her first movie, Maureen Stapleton’s’ fireball of anxiety and malice all but steals the show. The fine cinematography is again by the great John Alton.

Lonelyhearts

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date October 25, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton, Jackie Coogan, Mike Kellin, Onslow Stevens, Frank Maxwell, Frank Overton, John Gallaudet, Don Washbrook, Johnny Washbrook,...

Uncle Fester, is that you?

A new trailer for Netflix’s “Wednesday” series confirms Fred Armisen is playing the beloved hopeless romantic Addams Family member, Fester. The role was originally brought to the big screen with Christopher Lloyd in 1991’s “The Addams Family” and 1993’s “Addams Family Values.” Jackie Coogan played Uncle Fester in the original sitcom series.

The upcoming Netflix series stars Jenna Ortega as the titular teen Wednesday, along with her parents Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán in the partially Tim Burton-directed show, streaming November 23. Fellow “Addams Family” alum Christina Ricci also appears in the series as a teacher at Nevermore Academy, the school for gifted children where Wednesday taps into her psychic abilities. Gwendoline Christie plays the school principal.

Co-star Armisen confirmed to Vanity Fair that he shaved his head for the role of Uncle Fester instead of opting for a bald cap. The “Portlandia” creator...

Tim Burton is back with “Wednesday,” which is coming to Netflix on November 23, 2022. The live action Addams Family series will feature the return of Fester, Netflix announced tonight at New York Comic Con, revealing that Fred Armisen is playing the iconic character!

Uncle Fester was first played by Jackie Coogan in the original live action “Addams Family” series, with Christopher Lloyd taking over the role in the 1990s live action movies.

Nick Kroll more recently voiced Fester in the animated movies.

Head over to Vanity Fair for the full reveal and to learn more. And also watch the brand new trailer from Netflix below, which reveals our first look footage of the show’s Uncle Fester.

Christina Ricci will also appear in the show, playing a brand new role. The first footage of Ricci’s return to the world of the Addams Family is also featured in this new trailer!

Italian director, screenwriter and producer Marco Bellocchio has opened up about his career and upcoming projects during a masterclass at the 53rd edition of Visions du Réel, where he received an honorary award.

The 82-year-old master is guest of honor at the documentary film festival, which includes a retrospective of a dozen of his works and a screening of his latest film, “Marx Can Wait,” a documentary about his twin brother Camilo’s suicide in December 1968.

Featuring footage filmed during a family get-together, personal archive material and clips from his films, it is an intimate and poignant documentary that explores how his brother’s death deeply influenced Bellocchio’s work over the decades.

At the time, Bellocchio explained, “the revolution of ’68 was underway, there were protests and riots, and I said to myself ‘I have to do something.’ So in September, together with friends who had founded the Maoist movement,...

Person #9 is owed $39,361.29 – unclaimed money that The Actors Fund is holding in trust for a former child actor it can’t locate. Altogether, the Fund is holding $3,832,599 in 19,382 other unclaimed accounts, the single largest of which belongs to Person #9.

The nine highest unclaimed accounts total more than $200,000.

The funds are held in blocked trusts commonly known as Coogan Accounts. Under California law – Senate Bill 210, which was signed into law in 2003 (read it here) – 15% of a minor’s earnings must be set aside until the performer turns 18 so that their parents can’t spend it all and leave them broke, as child star Jackie Coogan’s parents did in the 1930s.

Residuals continue to accrue in the accounts, and if employers and payroll companies can’t locate them or their parents, the law requires that the money be transferred to The Actors Fund, where it can sit for years waiting to be claimed.

When Britney Spears attorney Matthew Rosengart appears in Los Angeles probate court September 29 before Judge Brenda Penny and argues for his client’s release from a 13-year conservatorship overseen by her estranged father, the motion stands to correct a wrong that began long before #freebritney, or Chris Crocker’s plea 14 years ago to “Leave Britney alone!,” or even her 1993 debut on the Mickey Mouse Club.

The abuse of Spears’ conservatorship, which rendered her the legal equivalent of a child, also speaks to an abuse that threatens many child performers — kidfluencers, TikTok and reality stars, and anyone who lives in the 44 states that don’t embrace the Coogan Act. Child labor laws have not kept up with the entertainment landscape, and it’s the kids who stand to suffer from it

As a former child actor who later became a homeless teenager, I think about stage parents and our inadequate child labor laws a lot.

Photo: ‘Kid 90’ - Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg/Hulu Many of us have tried to keep a diary at various points in our lives, probably quitting after a few days--Soleil Moon Frye evidently never had this problem. The former child star, known for her leading titular role in the ‘80s sitcom ‘Punky Brewster’, meticulously recorded and preserved not only all of her written childhood diary entries but also her voicemails and camcorder footage that she shot candidly throughout her adolescence in the 1990s--20 years later, she’s assembled this priceless archival treasure trove in her new Hulu documentary ‘Kid 90’. The title, of course, refers to the fact that Moon Frye didn’t grow up in your typical American household--she came of age amid the ‘90s Hollywood child actor bubble. Thus, ‘Kid 90’ promises to not only be exploitation of nostalgia, but also to examine the lifestyle and...

Hello, everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to do an installment of my Phantom Thread series, but I’m finally back on the beat and this newest entry is quite an oddball in the realm of Phantom of the Opera-related adaptations. Directed by Gene Levitt and starring the likes of Peter Lawford, Jack Cassidy, Broderick Crawford, and Jackie Coogan (who most genre fans know from his role as Uncle Fester in the Addams Family TV series), this made-for-tv movie first aired on CBS in February 1974 and features a mysterious masked entity who is stalking the backlot of Worldwide Films as the studio prepares to sell the property off to the highest bidder.

And while there’s a lot of unevenness to The Phantom of Hollywood that makes its plotting feel choppy at times, as someone who adores the history of Old Hollywood, I...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for almost 30 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun now takes place nine times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is this Sunday, May 5th from 9:00am to 3:00p and actor Keith Coogan will be there. A Facebook invite can be found Here

Keith Coogan was born on January 13, 1970 in Palm Springs, California. The grandson of legendary character actor Jackie Coogan, Keith began his acting career doing TV commercials — his first gig was as a stand-in in a McDonald’s TV spot — as...

Nita Bieber, a onetime dancer and actress who appeared with the Three Stooges in Rhythm and Weep, with Judy Garland in Summer Stock and with Tony Curtis in The Prince Who Was a Thief, has died. She was 92.

Bieber died Monday in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, her son, Rocky, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A graduate of Hollywood High, Bieber also appeared as a dancer in The Jolson Story (1946), starring Larry Parks, and worked alongside the Bowery Boys in News Hounds (1947), with Jackie Cooper and Jackie Coogan in Kilroy Was Here (1947) and with Hedy Lamarr in A Lady Without Passport ...

Nita Bieber, a onetime dancer and actress who appeared with the Three Stooges in Rhythm and Weep, with Judy Garland in Summer Stock and with Tony Curtis in The Prince Who Was a Thief, has died. She was 92.

Bieber died Monday in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, her son, Rocky, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A graduate of Hollywood High, Bieber also appeared as a dancer in The Jolson Story (1946), starring Larry Parks, and worked alongside the Bowery Boys in News Hounds (1947), with Jackie Cooper and Jackie Coogan in Kilroy Was Here (1947) and with Hedy Lamarr in A Lady Without Passport ...

Mamie Van Doren Film Noir Collection

Blu ray

Kl Studio Classics

1957 – 1959 / 1.75:1, 1.85:1, / 216 Min. / Street Date – November 20, 2018

Starring Mamie Van Doren, Anne Bancroft, Lee Van Cleef, Lex Barker

Cinematography by Stanley Cortez, William Margulies

Directed by Howard Koch, Edward Cahn

Mamie Van Doren, née Joan Lucille Olander, was born in Rowena, South Dakota in 1931. In 1942 the family relocated to Hollywood where the camera-ready kid blossomed at the speed of light – a Pantages usherette at the age of 13, she racked up a string of attention-grabbing gigs that led to a reign as Miss Eight Ball and the inevitable merger with Tinseltown’s preeminent lounge lizard, Howard Hughes.

That arrangement generated a distinctly higher-profile for the industrious starlet – from an eye-popping Alberto Vargas pinup to swivel-hipped walk-ons in a series of forgettable potboilers and finally a contract at Universal. A cheeky studio exec christened her “Mamie” thereby hijacking the name of President...

By Adrian Smith

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James Bawden was a TV columnist for the Toronto Star, and Ron Miller was TV editor at the San Jose Mercury News and is a former president of the Television Critics Association. During their respective careers stretching back some fifty years the list of stars they have interviewed reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood. These two volumes bring together an incredible assortment of interviews from almost the birth of cinema itself, with Buster Keaton, Jackie Coogan and Gloria Swanson representing the silent era. The great leading men are all here, including James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas, Victor Mature and Cary Grant, and of course classic leading ladies like Bette Davis, Janet Leigh, Fay Wray and Joan Fontaine. Along the way they also met character actors and horror stars like Ernest Borgnine, Victor Buono, John Carradine, and Lon Chaney Jr.,...

Diana Serra Cary — born on Oct. 29, 1918, and best known by her stage name Baby Peggy — was one of the most well-to-do child stars of the silent film era thanks to a seven-figure contract signed at age 4.

Cary recently marked her 99th birthday by self-publishing her first novel, The Drowning of the Moon, a tome that follows her memoir and a biography of fellow child star Jackie Coogan. Cary says the "epic tale," set in "the fascinating Mexican-American colonial Empire of New Spain," is about a woman named Sirena facing the horrors of civil war.

Cary,...

The Addams Family has found a new leader. Variety reports Conrad Vernon has been tapped to direct MGM's upcoming film adaptation of the ABC TV show.The original 1960s series followed the macabre Addams family, which included Gomez (John Astin), Morticia (Carolyn Jones), Wednesday (Lisa Loring), Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax), and Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan). The show has been adapted for film before, with the 1991 movie starring Raul Julia and its 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values.Read More…...

And once more we dive into the overflowing sea of films “inspired by true events”, though it has a touch of the “biopic”. Much as with the recent Mark Felt and Thurgood Marshall movies, it doesn’t offer a “cradle to grave” overview of the person’s life. But it certainly covers a bigger “chunk” than those flicks, going from the first World War to the second. Plus, it can considered an “origin” story of a favorite popular culture icon as with last weekend’s Professor Marston And The Wonder Women (still miffed that it wasn’t shown to the press), and like the princess, one that’s still very favored by the younger set, starring in a still steady stream of feature films (though most go straight to home video). This is the saga of author A.A. Milne whose son inspired him to write the tale of Winnie the Pooh...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: In honor of “The Florida Project,” which has just started its platform release across the country, what is the greatest child performance in a film?

Jordan Hoffman (@JHoffman), The Guardian, Vanity Fair

I can agonize over this question or I can go at this Malcolm Gladwell “Blink”-style. My answer is Tatum O’Neal in “Paper Moon.” She’s just so funny and tough, which of course makes the performance all the more heartbreaking. She won the freaking Oscar at age 10 for this and I’d really love to give a more deep cut response, but why screw around? Paper Moon is a perfect film and she is the lynchpin.

This Week in Home Video‘They’re Playing With Fire’ Blends Bloody Violence and T&A Thrills to Surprising EffectPlus 13 more new releases to watch at home this week on Blu-ray/DVD.

Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!

Pick of the WeekThey’re Playing With Fire [Kl Studio Classics]

What is it? A sexy college professor seduces her student, and then people start dying horrible deaths.

Why see it? I’ve been a Sybil Danning fan for more years than I care to recall, but somehow this one slipped past me before now. I’m not sure what teen me would have thought, but as an adult I’m in awe of just how off the rails it gets from its very clear T&A origin. From the cover to the copy the film sells itself as just another sex flick, but...

Women suffrage movie 'Mothers of Men': Dorothy Davenport becomes a judge and later State Governor in socially conscious thriller about U.S. women's voting rights. Women suffrage movie 'Mothers of Men': Will women's right to vote lead to the destruction of The American Family? Directed by and featuring the now all but forgotten Willis Robards, Mothers of Men – about women suffrage and political power – was a fast-paced, 64-minute buried treasure screened at the 2016 San Francisco Silent Film Festival, held June 2–5. I thoroughly enjoyed being taken back in time by this 1917 socially conscious drama that dares to ask the question: “What will happen to the nation if all women have the right to vote?” One newspaper editor insists that women suffrage would mean the destruction of The Family. Women, after all, just did not have the capacity for making objective decisions due to their emotional composition. It...

In this premiere episode of CriterionCast Chronicles, Ryan is joined by Aaron West, David Blakeslee and Scott Nye to discuss the Criterion Collection releases for February 2016.

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Links The Emigrants / The New Land The Emigrants/The New Land The Emigrants (1971) The New Land (1972) The Emigrants/The New Land: Homelands Liv Ullmann Reflects on Working with Jan Troell The New Land (1972) Amazon.com: The Emigrants / The New Land The Emigrants / The New Land Blu-ray – DVD Beaver Review The Emigrants / The New Land Blu-ray.com Review The Kid The Kid (1921) The Many Kids of Charlie Chaplin Jackie Coogan’s Star Turn The Kid: The Grail of Laughter and the Fallen Angel Amazon.com: The Kid The Kid Blu-ray – DVD Beaver Review The Kid Blu-ray.com Review Death by Hanging Death by Hanging (1968) David Reviews Nagisa Oshima’s Death By Hanging Reintroducing Nagisa Oshima’s Death by Hanging...

Outfitted with a new score and title sequence, reedited sans several scenes involving the woman, and rereleased in 1972, Charlie Chaplin’s first feature length film The Kid has finally made its way to home video in HD thanks to the Cineteca di Bologna’s gloriously meticulous restoration and 4k digital transfer. Originally released back in 1921 after about a half decade of acting and eventually directing wildly popular shorts for Keystone Studios, the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company and finally the Mutual Film Corporation, the film endured a year long production amidst personal and professional crisis. It was thought that Chaplin’s signature brand of comedic slapstick, which typically ran just two reels of film, could not support the length of a six reel feature, but as is evidenced within, the film perfectly fuses Chaplin’s penchant for melodrama with his masterful vaudevillian humor to create an astonishingly emotional comedy that plumbs...

Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.

The Kid (Charlie Chaplin)

Charlie Chaplin was already an international star when he decided to break out of the short-film format and make his first full-length feature. The Kid doesn’t merely show Chaplin at a turning point, when he proved that he was a serious film director—it remains an expressive masterwork of silent cinema. In it, he stars as his lovable Tramp character, this time raising an orphan (a remarkable young Jackie Coogan) he has rescued from the streets.

“Tramps And Orphans”

By Raymond Benson

The Criterion Collection continues its excellent re-issuing of Charles Chaplin’s major works with The Kid, the first full-length feature from the filmmaker. Released in 1921, Chaplin expanded on the two and three reelers he had been making (a “reel” at that time was approximately 10-15 minutes long) to the six-reels of The Kid (the original cut was just over an hour; Chaplin re-edited it in the early 70s to create the now standard 53-minute version). It’s still a short film, but longer than what were considered “shorts.”

The Kid received high acclaim on its release and was one of the writer/actor/director’s most popular pictures. This was in part due to the presence of young Jackie Coogan in the titular role. Coogan, who grew up to play Uncle Fester in The Addams Family television series of the 1960s, steals the movie...

One of the cutest of all child actors in the 1930s, Dickie Moore worked with Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Paul Muni and other luminaries, but may be best remembered for his one-year stint as a member of Our Gang. He not only survived the “awkward years” of adolescence and young adulthood, but built a new career for himself in the field of public relations. He also wrote one of the most candid and perceptive books about child actors, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (But Don’t Have Sex or Take the Car), published in 1984. It included contributions from such contemporaries as Shirley Temple, Jackie Coogan, and Mickey Rooney. Dick Moore died this week, just days short of his 90th...

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