Following the storm surrounding one pick for her book club on Apple TV Plus, Oprah has reined back on another.
Winfrey had originally chosen “My Dark Vanessa” by Kate Elizabeth Russell as the March selection for “Oprah’s Book Club,” but the decision has been taken to ditch the forthcoming novel, Variety has confirmed.
“Ultimately we did not end up moving forward with it as a book club selection,” read a brief statement from an “Oprah’s Book Club” spokesperson.
“My Dark Vanessa” centers around a fifteen-year-old girl who becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher. The novel has been subject to criticism online, notably from author Wendy Ortiz, whose 2014 memoir “Excavation” had a similar plot to Russell’s novel, only with a Latinx character at the heart of it.
“can’t wait until February when a white woman’s book of...
Winfrey had originally chosen “My Dark Vanessa” by Kate Elizabeth Russell as the March selection for “Oprah’s Book Club,” but the decision has been taken to ditch the forthcoming novel, Variety has confirmed.
“Ultimately we did not end up moving forward with it as a book club selection,” read a brief statement from an “Oprah’s Book Club” spokesperson.
“My Dark Vanessa” centers around a fifteen-year-old girl who becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher. The novel has been subject to criticism online, notably from author Wendy Ortiz, whose 2014 memoir “Excavation” had a similar plot to Russell’s novel, only with a Latinx character at the heart of it.
“can’t wait until February when a white woman’s book of...
- 3/5/2020
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Oprah Winfrey will premiere her interview with “American Dirt” author Jeanine Cummins as a two-part episode on her Apple Plus starting Friday, despite the recent controversy in which critics have claimed the novel to be a misrepresentation of the immigrant experience.
“If you read the book there is no doubt you heard about the controversy around it,” said Winfrey. “I heard and understand the concerns and wanted to bring together many voices to lean into this conversation because for 25 years on ‘The Oprah Show’ I learned that is the only way I think we can actually gain a better understanding of one another.”
In Part 1 of the interview, Winfrey and Cummins will be joined by authors Reyna Grande, Julissa Arce and Esther Cepeda, who have criticized the book, along with other members of the Latinx community for an in-depth discussion of “American Dirt” and real-life immigrant experiences. In the second part of the interview,...
“If you read the book there is no doubt you heard about the controversy around it,” said Winfrey. “I heard and understand the concerns and wanted to bring together many voices to lean into this conversation because for 25 years on ‘The Oprah Show’ I learned that is the only way I think we can actually gain a better understanding of one another.”
In Part 1 of the interview, Winfrey and Cummins will be joined by authors Reyna Grande, Julissa Arce and Esther Cepeda, who have criticized the book, along with other members of the Latinx community for an in-depth discussion of “American Dirt” and real-life immigrant experiences. In the second part of the interview,...
- 3/5/2020
- by Klaritza Rico
- Variety Film + TV
Underneath the veneer of a frivolous romantic comedy, “Las Pildoras de Mi Novio” (“My Boyfriend’s Meds”) packs a surprisingly potent message about the importance of talking about mental health issues with loved ones. Although to get to this useful kernel, the audience must first sit through some truly cringe-worthy scenes that not even Jaime Camil’s charm can smooth over.
It’s a message that goes down fairly heavy-handedly, but it’s possible that the movie could still move someone to be more open about what they’re going through. It’s also just as possible that the movie could leave viewers on a sour note from its bottom-shelf laughs and cheap gags.
Directed by Diego Kaplan, “Las Pildoras de Mi Novio” follows Jess (Sandra Echeverría), an ambitious marketing executive with a shot at a promotion if she figures out her tequila company’s new ad campaign on a staff retreat.
It’s a message that goes down fairly heavy-handedly, but it’s possible that the movie could still move someone to be more open about what they’re going through. It’s also just as possible that the movie could leave viewers on a sour note from its bottom-shelf laughs and cheap gags.
Directed by Diego Kaplan, “Las Pildoras de Mi Novio” follows Jess (Sandra Echeverría), an ambitious marketing executive with a shot at a promotion if she figures out her tequila company’s new ad campaign on a staff retreat.
- 2/21/2020
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
The writer seated across from me seemed at once pleased but tense. “I want to be sure you understand that I have no personal knowledge of the characters I’ve written about,” he cautioned. “I have never met a member of the Mafia. I come from an Italian family but we talk about books, not hit jobs…. My insight into the Mafia comes from the library.”
On behalf of Paramount, I had just paid Mario Puzo $35,000 to option The Godfather. Neither of us could realize that the deal would set the stage for an historic bestseller and movie. But Mario Puzo’s cautionary comments of 50 years ago seem persuasively relevant to a controversy that’s spilling over today from publishing to TV and film.
Its cause is a bestselling novel titled American Dirt that has stoked both praise and vitriol by focusing attention on this toxic issue: Does a non-Latinx...
On behalf of Paramount, I had just paid Mario Puzo $35,000 to option The Godfather. Neither of us could realize that the deal would set the stage for an historic bestseller and movie. But Mario Puzo’s cautionary comments of 50 years ago seem persuasively relevant to a controversy that’s spilling over today from publishing to TV and film.
Its cause is a bestselling novel titled American Dirt that has stoked both praise and vitriol by focusing attention on this toxic issue: Does a non-Latinx...
- 2/7/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Imperative Entertainment, the production banner behind the Clint Eastwood hit The Mule, has acquired the rights to American Dirt, the Mexican migrant drama novel by Jeanine Cummins.
Charles Leavitt, the scribe who penned the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Blood Diamond, has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.
Mixing ripped-from-the-homepage headlines with thriller elements, the story centers on a Mexican mother and son who are the sole survivors after cartel drug traffickers kill her husband and family. The pair undertake an arduous journey to America and safety, fleeing the cartel while also enduring ...
Charles Leavitt, the scribe who penned the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Blood Diamond, has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.
Mixing ripped-from-the-homepage headlines with thriller elements, the story centers on a Mexican mother and son who are the sole survivors after cartel drug traffickers kill her husband and family. The pair undertake an arduous journey to America and safety, fleeing the cartel while also enduring ...
- 1/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Imperative Entertainment, the production banner behind the Clint Eastwood hit The Mule, has acquired the rights to American Dirt, the Mexican migrant drama novel by Jeanine Cummins.
Charles Leavitt, the scribe who penned the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Blood Diamond, has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.
Mixing ripped-from-the-homepage headlines with thriller elements, the story centers on a Mexican mother and son who are the sole survivors after cartel drug traffickers kill her husband and family. The pair undertake an arduous journey to America and safety, fleeing the cartel while also enduring ...
Charles Leavitt, the scribe who penned the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Blood Diamond, has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.
Mixing ripped-from-the-homepage headlines with thriller elements, the story centers on a Mexican mother and son who are the sole survivors after cartel drug traffickers kill her husband and family. The pair undertake an arduous journey to America and safety, fleeing the cartel while also enduring ...
- 1/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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