You’re reading an exclusive WrapPRO article for free. Want to level up your entertainment career? Subscribe to WrapPRO.
In 1996, “The Wonderful World of Disney” premiered the made-for-tv movie “Ruby Bridges,” a true-life story about the 6-year-old girl who helped desegregate a Louisiana elementary school in 1960. Critics lauded the film for its exploration of racism, and it went on to become a prominent part of school curriculums on American segregation.
Now the film has come under attack, with a Florida school considering a ban after a parent complained. The backlash against “Ruby Bridges” doesn’t surprise its creators, who exclusively spoke to TheWrap about the difficult process of getting the movie made in the first place and their thoughts on the attempt to suppress it today. Their story highlights how much is at stake as politicians seek to reshape the teaching of history, and how authors and filmmakers are getting caught in the middle.
In 1996, “The Wonderful World of Disney” premiered the made-for-tv movie “Ruby Bridges,” a true-life story about the 6-year-old girl who helped desegregate a Louisiana elementary school in 1960. Critics lauded the film for its exploration of racism, and it went on to become a prominent part of school curriculums on American segregation.
Now the film has come under attack, with a Florida school considering a ban after a parent complained. The backlash against “Ruby Bridges” doesn’t surprise its creators, who exclusively spoke to TheWrap about the difficult process of getting the movie made in the first place and their thoughts on the attempt to suppress it today. Their story highlights how much is at stake as politicians seek to reshape the teaching of history, and how authors and filmmakers are getting caught in the middle.
- 4/3/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Jennifer Hudson, Trevor Noah and Viola Davis are among the winners from the second night of the NAACP Image Awards‘ non-televised ceremonies.
Hudson won for hosting her eponymous daytime talk show, while the Noah-hosted Daily Show won best variety or game show series or special and Davis, just a little over two weeks after achieving Egot status with her Grammy win, took home the award for best literary work, non-fiction for Finding Me.
Other high-profile winners Tuesday night, which featured literary, variety show, reality program and news information categories, include Michael K. Williams and Jon Sternfeld’s Scenes from My Life and Stacey Abrams for outstanding literary work – children for Stacey’s Remarkable Books, written with Kitt Thomas.
Additionally, Lizzo’s reality TV series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls added to its trophy collection, winning best reality program, competition or game show series. And Robin Roberts’ conversation with Michelle Obama...
Hudson won for hosting her eponymous daytime talk show, while the Noah-hosted Daily Show won best variety or game show series or special and Davis, just a little over two weeks after achieving Egot status with her Grammy win, took home the award for best literary work, non-fiction for Finding Me.
Other high-profile winners Tuesday night, which featured literary, variety show, reality program and news information categories, include Michael K. Williams and Jon Sternfeld’s Scenes from My Life and Stacey Abrams for outstanding literary work – children for Stacey’s Remarkable Books, written with Kitt Thomas.
Additionally, Lizzo’s reality TV series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls added to its trophy collection, winning best reality program, competition or game show series. And Robin Roberts’ conversation with Michelle Obama...
- 2/22/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
1975: Another World's Iris took a bottle of pills.
1995: Days' Sami fainted at Austin and Carrie's wedding.
1997: An ultrasound couldn't find a heartbeat on Port Charles.
2010: As the World Turns' Barbara had a clown vision of James."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1969: On The Doctors, Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) clashed with his son, Mike (Peter Burnell), over Mike's recent behavior. Later, Mike apologized and asked Matt for advice in dealing with his feelings for Nancy Bennet (Nancy Donohue).
1975: On Another World, Iris...
1995: Days' Sami fainted at Austin and Carrie's wedding.
1997: An ultrasound couldn't find a heartbeat on Port Charles.
2010: As the World Turns' Barbara had a clown vision of James."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1969: On The Doctors, Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) clashed with his son, Mike (Peter Burnell), over Mike's recent behavior. Later, Mike apologized and asked Matt for advice in dealing with his feelings for Nancy Bennet (Nancy Donohue).
1975: On Another World, Iris...
- 7/29/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
1975: Another World's Iris took a bottle of pills.
1995: Days' Sami fainted at Austin and Carrie's wedding.
1997: An ultrasound couldn't find a heartbeat on Port Charles.
2010: As the World Turns' Barbara had a clown vision of James."The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1969: On The Doctors, Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) clashed with his son, Mike (Peter Burnell), over Mike's recent behavior. Later, Mike apologized and asked Matt for advice in dealing with his feelings for Nancy Bennet (Nancy Donohue).
1975: On Another World, Iris (Beverlee McKinsey) downed a bottle of sleeping pills. After taking...
1995: Days' Sami fainted at Austin and Carrie's wedding.
1997: An ultrasound couldn't find a heartbeat on Port Charles.
2010: As the World Turns' Barbara had a clown vision of James."The best prophet of the future is the past."
― Lord Byron
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1969: On The Doctors, Dr. Matt Powers (James Pritchett) clashed with his son, Mike (Peter Burnell), over Mike's recent behavior. Later, Mike apologized and asked Matt for advice in dealing with his feelings for Nancy Bennet (Nancy Donohue).
1975: On Another World, Iris (Beverlee McKinsey) downed a bottle of sleeping pills. After taking...
- 7/29/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Step Up 2 the Streets
The inevitable sequel to Step Up, 2006's surprise summer hit, Step Up 2 the Streets provides another dose of what its target teen audiences want: up-to-the-minute urban street dancing performed by sexy young stars displaying toned physiques and killer abs. As strictly formulaic as its predecessor, this installment generally gets the job done, essentially resembling a longform music video interrupted by a perfunctory plot.
The main attempt at originality in Step Up 2 is a reversal both of the gender and the striving of its protagonist. The original depicted the efforts of lead character Tyler (Channing Tatum, briefly seen here handing the reins over) to dance at an elite Baltimore arts academy rather than on the streets. This sequel deals with the desire of new student Andie (Briana Evigan) to get back to the streets.
Andie is naturally a misfit in her new surroundings, missing her old crew (a gang dubbed the 410, who in the film's openings scene is seen essentially terrorizing passengers on a subway train) and quickly running afoul of the school's stuffy, classically oriented director (Will Kemp), who dismisses her as "just a street dancer." Naturally, she also finds a romantic interest, in the form of hunky star student Chase (Robert Hoffman).
Comic relief is provided via various supporting characters, most notably a geeky student named Moose (Adam G. Sevani, scoring the film's biggest laughs) who reveals unexpected freestyle dance skills.
Director Jon M. Chu handles the dance, if not necessarily the dramatic, sequences with reasonable skill, thankfully avoiding the rapid-fire assemblage of random body parts afflicting so many modern musicals. The lead performers and large ensemble of supporting players get plenty of opportunity to show off their moves, especially in the climactic sequence in which Andie and her fellow students compete in a dancing battle dubbed The Streets that feels like the modern urban equivalent of an MGM musical production number.
Newcomer Evigan is appealing in the leading role, even if she doesn't quite convey the edginess that her character is supposed to possess, while Hoffman, though lacking the smoldering charisma of Tatum, brings a welcome lightness of tone to his portrayal.
The wall-to-wall soundtrack naturally features plenty of today's leading hip-hop and R&B artists, including Flo Rida, T-Pain, Missy Elliott and Trey Songz.
STEP UP 2 THE STREETS
Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures
Summit Entertainment in association with Offspring Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Jon M. Chu
Screenwriters: Toni Ann Johnson, Karen Barna
Producers: Patrick Wachsberger, Erik Feig, Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot
Executive producers: Bob Hayward, David Nicksay, Anne Fletcher, Meredith Milton
Director of photography: Max Malkin
Production designer: Devorah Herbert
Music: Aaron Zigman
Costume designer: Luca Mosca
Editors: Andrew Marcus, Nicholas Erasmus
Cast:
Andie: Briana Evigan
Chase: Robert Hoffman
Blake Collins: Will Kemp
Moose: Adam G. Sevani
Sophie: Cassie Ventura
Missy: Danielle Planco
Hair: Christopher Scott
Jenny Kido: Mari Koda
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The main attempt at originality in Step Up 2 is a reversal both of the gender and the striving of its protagonist. The original depicted the efforts of lead character Tyler (Channing Tatum, briefly seen here handing the reins over) to dance at an elite Baltimore arts academy rather than on the streets. This sequel deals with the desire of new student Andie (Briana Evigan) to get back to the streets.
Andie is naturally a misfit in her new surroundings, missing her old crew (a gang dubbed the 410, who in the film's openings scene is seen essentially terrorizing passengers on a subway train) and quickly running afoul of the school's stuffy, classically oriented director (Will Kemp), who dismisses her as "just a street dancer." Naturally, she also finds a romantic interest, in the form of hunky star student Chase (Robert Hoffman).
Comic relief is provided via various supporting characters, most notably a geeky student named Moose (Adam G. Sevani, scoring the film's biggest laughs) who reveals unexpected freestyle dance skills.
Director Jon M. Chu handles the dance, if not necessarily the dramatic, sequences with reasonable skill, thankfully avoiding the rapid-fire assemblage of random body parts afflicting so many modern musicals. The lead performers and large ensemble of supporting players get plenty of opportunity to show off their moves, especially in the climactic sequence in which Andie and her fellow students compete in a dancing battle dubbed The Streets that feels like the modern urban equivalent of an MGM musical production number.
Newcomer Evigan is appealing in the leading role, even if she doesn't quite convey the edginess that her character is supposed to possess, while Hoffman, though lacking the smoldering charisma of Tatum, brings a welcome lightness of tone to his portrayal.
The wall-to-wall soundtrack naturally features plenty of today's leading hip-hop and R&B artists, including Flo Rida, T-Pain, Missy Elliott and Trey Songz.
STEP UP 2 THE STREETS
Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures
Summit Entertainment in association with Offspring Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Jon M. Chu
Screenwriters: Toni Ann Johnson, Karen Barna
Producers: Patrick Wachsberger, Erik Feig, Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot
Executive producers: Bob Hayward, David Nicksay, Anne Fletcher, Meredith Milton
Director of photography: Max Malkin
Production designer: Devorah Herbert
Music: Aaron Zigman
Costume designer: Luca Mosca
Editors: Andrew Marcus, Nicholas Erasmus
Cast:
Andie: Briana Evigan
Chase: Robert Hoffman
Blake Collins: Will Kemp
Moose: Adam G. Sevani
Sophie: Cassie Ventura
Missy: Danielle Planco
Hair: Christopher Scott
Jenny Kido: Mari Koda
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 2/14/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.