High school students in New Jersey holding an encore of their stage production of “Alien” had an out-of-this-world surprise visit from one of the movie’s original stars: Sigourney Weaver.
Weaver, who played the character Ellen Ripley in the 1979 film that later spawned a franchise, surprised students at North Bergen High School on Friday evening when she attended the encore performance of "Alien: The Play.”
“How exciting is it to be here tonight?" Weaver reportedly told the audience, according to the North Jersey Record, which noted some 800 people attended the production Friday.
"This is the night I've been waiting for!" Weaver added. "I've only been here a couple of hours, but I can tell this is a very special place in a very special town, and in a school like this you have extraordinary teachers…I met the students and I want to say they are so great."
A video of Weaver greeting the play’s cast after the production has gone viral on Twitter, boasting nearly 230,000 views as of Saturday afternoon.
“Sigourney Weaver visiting the NBHS cast and crew at their encore performance of Alien after national media recognition was unbelievable!” Nicholas J. Sacco, who is the mayor of North Bergen and a state senator representing New Jersey's 32nd district, wrote alongside the video.
Gabriella Delacruz, 18, who was cast as the production’s main character, told the New York Post meeting the actress “was unreal."
“She’s the queen. I was praying that she’d show up, but I thought she was too busy for that!” she added.
North Bergen High School's Xavier Perez, 16, the Alien, is covered in slime by his handlers Eddie Mantilla, 15, and Cassandra Klima, 16, as they work on the play "Alien," an adaptation of the Ridley Scott movie, in North Bergen, N.J.
(Amy Newman/The Record via AP)
The production drew widespread praise after videos and images of the performances at the school were posted online. Weaver had taped a YouTube video this year in which she called the production "incredible."
The play, which was staged on a modest budget of $3,500, was also praised by the film’s director Ridley Scott, who applauded the students' creativity when it came to the show’s elaborate sets and special effects. In fact, Scott’s production company provided $5,000 so the school could put on an encore performance on April 26.
Additionally, the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is reportedly awarding scholarships to both the production’s cast and crew, per The North Jersey Record.
(There are some spoilers below for “Avengers: Endgame. Just so you are aware.)
Aside from “Spider-Man: Far From Home” coming out in July, there are no more Marvel Cinematic Universe movies on the calendar after “Avengers: Endgame.” Sure, Marvel is squatting on two release dates next year and plenty more beyond, but none of those dates have movies attached to them yet. We really have have very little idea what’s next for the MCU after all this insanity. But in a late scene, “Endgame” does give us one pretty big clue.
As “Avengers: Endgame” is wrapping up, one moment of sorely-needed levity after so many gut-punches comes when Thor leaves New Asgard on Earth and hitches a ride to parts unknown with the Guardians of the Galaxy. As they get ready to depart, Thor jokingly refers to the group as the “Asgardians of the Galaxy,” leading to a funny exchange with Peter Quill about who really leads the team.
While the name “Asgardians of the Galaxy” in “Avengers: Endgame” mainly served as a fun pun — and probably also to set up Thor as a full on Guardian in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” — in the comics it’s actually an existing superhero team, and the reference could be hinting at a fun new expansion of the Guardians.
Created by Cullen Bunn and Matteo Lolli, the Asgardians of the Galaxy is a team of, yes, Asgardian (or Asgard-adjacent) characters that debuted last summer in the first issue of their own ongoing self-titled series.
Formed after the break-up of the Guardians of the Galaxy during Marvel’s “Infinity Countdown” storyline — way too complicated to sum up here, but one thing of note is that Star Lord became the guardian of the Power Stone, sort of — the Asgardians come together to fill the “team of powerful space-faring heroes willing to get their hands dirty saving the universe” job vacancy.
Good thing too, because the villain Nebula had just forced the dwarves of Nidavellir to make her a powerful Asgardian weapon, then killed all but one of them. And then she ripped the fingernails and toenails off their corpses to make a fleet of Naglfar ships.
Which is where the Asgardians of the Galaxy come in. They’re assembled by Thor’s long-lost sister Angela (herself a former member of the Guardians), who recruits:
– Brunnhilde, AKA Valkyrie, the powerful Asgardian warrior who previously served with The Defenders and The Secret Avengers among other groups, who currently shares this plane of existence with:
– Annabelle Riggs. It’s complicated, but basically the same situation Thor has had with his human hosts. In addition to being able to switch places with Valkyrie as needed, Annabelle is also a gifted scientist.
– Kevin Masterson, AKA Thunderstrike. The son of Thor’s former host, Eric Masterson, he uses an enchanted mace that grants him Thor-adjacent powers.
– Skurge the Executioner. The former Asgardian supervillain-turned-hero who recently escaped from the afterlife.
– Throg, the Frog of Thunder. Formerly a human named Simon Walterson, Throg was turned into an actual frog by a vengeful witch. He moved into a frog kingdom in Central Park, and through some wacky adventures came into possession of a tiny piece of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, which he shaped into his own weapon, Frogjolnir — which grants him superpowers like Thor’s.
– The Destroyer. A walking, talking suit of remote-controlled armor — that is secretly being operated by:
– Kid Loki. The reincarnation of Loki who isn’t a villain, but is still the God of Mischief and as untrustworthy as someone can be and still be considered basically good.
Also, fun fact: they fly around in a space ship powered by a fragment of the bifrost.
They’ve had quite a few crazy adventures in their still-ongoing series, and are currently mixed up in Marvel’s “War of the Realms” crossover event.
Of course, we have no idea if name-dropping the team was anything more than a fun joke after some very, very intense “Endgame” moments. But if some version of the team does appear in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” — or (somebody get Taika Waititi on the phone) their own spinoff movie — it’ll be very different from the comics.
Not just because Thor isn’t a member of the Asgardians of the Galaxy in the comics. In the movies, Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, doesn’t have a human alter ego, and is also currently the ruler of Asgard, poor Skurge (played by Karl Urban) sacrificed himself to save the remaining Asgardian civilians at the end of “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor destroyed the Destroyer at the end of the first “Thor” movie, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is also dead and so far hasn’t been resurrected as a teenager, and there’s no version of Thunderstrike yet.
Also, Nebula (played by Karen Gillan) is a hero now, and a full-on member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And most criminally, there’s no Throg.
But you know what? It’s never too late to bring a frog with Thor’s powers into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Seriously, Marvel, get on that.
Since we haven’t heard anything about a fourth “Thor” movie, and with Thor joining the Guardians and Valkyrie leading the surviving Asgardians, it seems like a distinct possibility that the third “Guardians of the Galaxy” could incorporate the Asgardians in general rather than just Thor. But with returning director James Gunn tied up with DC’s “Suicide Squad” for a while, the next “Guardians” movie is probably a long way off. Which leaves us entirely too much time to speculate about what it means that Thor dropped that “Asgardians of the Galaxy” reference at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.”
Blac Chyna‘s apparent Harvard Online Business School scam may have flown undetected and under the radar had it not been for a slew of irate Harvard alums who contacted the school about it after she first made her announcement this week!
Apparently, when outlets like ours started reporting that Chyna had been accepted into a cohort to study business analytics in an online course at Harvard this year, real alums of the actual university reached out to the school for clarification — and that’s when the school realized her acceptance letter didn’t come from them.
Apparently, the online business school itself has long been a point of contention for alums who went to the real university, as they see the online students as fakes who are getting a piece of the Harvard education for none of the price/the real work put in… and the high-profile acceptance of a reality TV star like Blac Chyna was the final straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak.
Calls from alums demanding the school stop admitting everybody and stop damaging their rep led to Harvard’s investigation into Chyna’s acceptance, which they quickly realized wasn’t even real! As the school has noted this week, no person named Angela White was ever accepted into their online business school, so Chyna’s “letter” was obviously a fake. Further investigation by Harvard confirmed that Chyna has apparently not enrolled in the class, so its unclear whether she was duped into posting the letter, or she knew there was a scam afoot.
Blac Chyna, NOT Harvard material! / (c) Instagram/Blac Chyna
As we’ve been reporting, a social media/PR firm had been pitching a scam to celebs and influencers about paying them to “take courses” on the celebrity’s behalf at the online school, and while Chyna was pitched the scam, she denied using their services for the class — though it’s unclear if she they produced that phony acceptance letter, or they did and sent it to her, or something.
So crazy to think that there are companies out there that do things like this! And people want status so much that they’ll take ’em up on their scammy offers… insane!!!!
Either way, while Chyna’s actions may not be illegal like Lori Loughlin‘s alleged behavior, these are two major college scandals that look BAD for both celebs involved… Yikes!!
What do U think, Perezcious readers?! How crazy are all these wacky, weird college admissions stories? What is UP with people nowadays, seriously???? Sound OFF with your opinions about all this college controversy and admissions mayhem in the comment section (below)!!!
“Avengers: Endgame” is on its way to a record-breaking debut — to put it mildly — with an estimated $345 million from 4,662 North American locations.
The final installment in the Avengers saga landed an enormous $156.7 million on Friday after a stunning international debut on Wednesday, which included a $107 million opening day in China. “Endgame’s” first Stateside day marks the highest opening day of all time, beating out “Star Wars: The Force Awakens'” $119 million. Since “Endgame’s” international debut, which saw openings in 46 markets, the Disney pic has accumulated an estimated $487 million overseas for a global total of $643.7 million.
Some estimates place its three-day haul in a more conservative range, between $310 million and $340 million. “Endgame’s” $156.7 million U.S. opening day marks a 47% increase over “Avengers: Infinity War’s” $106.3 million. “Infinity War” also currently holds the record for largest debut weekend with $257.7 million — a number sure to be obliterated by “Endgame.” The superhero blockbuster has also already broken the record for largest international debut, a distinction previously held by “Fate of the Furious” with $443 million.
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“Endgame’s” China total currently stands at $217 million, making it the Middle Kingdom’s highest-grossing three-day start of all time, a title previously held by “Infinity War” with $191 million. The Avengers has been the most successful foreign franchise to date in China, and “Endgame” looks to continue that streak.
The film is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The star-studded cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin. The film’s received the third A+ CinemaScore of the MCU, alongside “Black Panther” and “The Avengers,” and sits at a 96% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Meanwhile, a slew of holdovers will fill out the remaining spots at the box office as no one would dare open against “Endgame.” Marvel’s previous release, “Captain Marvel,” should hold down the second place spot with an estimated $9 million. The film surpassed $1 billion at the global box office, with $408 million from domestic theaters.
The second frames of Warner Bros.’ “The Curse of La Llorona” and Fox’s “Breakthrough” will battle for third with an estimated $7 million each, while “Shazam!’s” fourth weekend will round out the top five with about $5 million. “La Llorona” has totaled $65 million globally while “Breakthrough” stands at $28 million. “Shazam!” has taken in $328 million since its debut, marking a win for not-so-gritty superhero flicks.
The British actor and Sabrina Dhowre exchanged vows on Friday at the Ksar Char Bagh hotel during a three-day celebration of their love in Marrakech, according to British Vogue.
Dhowre, a model and former Miss Vancouver, wore a white, off-the shoulder Vera Wang dress for the ceremony before switching into another gown by the same designer – this one, embroidered with pearls, gemstones and lace – later in the night.
Friends and family of the newly-weds kicked off their days of celebration on Thursday with a “colours of souk” themed dinner at the Amanjena. And the festivities will continue on Saturday with an all-white party at the Mandarin Oriental, which will have a festival-like atmosphere.
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Idris Elba out and about
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TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Idris Elba speaks to the media at the premiere of 'The Mountain Between Us' during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by J. Countess/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 30: Idris Elba attends 'The Dark Tower' photocall at the Whitby Hotel on July 30, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 08: Idris Elba attends the UK premiere for '100 Streets' on November 8, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Idris Elba (L) and Sabrina Dhowre attend Idris Elba's Christmas Party at Kadie's Cocktail Bar & Club on December 9, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 06: Actor Idris Elba arrives for the 'Molly's Game UK film premiere in London, United Kingdom on December 06, 2017. (Photo by Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Director Idris Elba attends the 'Yardie' red carpet arrivals during the Sundance Film Festival at Picturehouse Central on June 1, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 19: Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Gareth Fuller - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 28: In this handout provided by FIA Formula E, Actor Idris Elba drives the Formula E track car. during the Paris E-Prix in the Paris ePrix, Round 8 of the 2017/18 FIA ABB Formula E Series at Circuit des Invalides on April 28, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Sam Bloxham - Handout/FIA Formula E via Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 05: Actor Idris Elba arrives on the red carpet for the Santos de Cartier Watch Launch at Pier 48 on April 5, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images)
BERLINALE, BERLIN, GERMANY - 2018/02/22: Idris Elba attends the 'Yardie' press conference during the 68th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Grand Hyatt Hotel. (Photo by Beata Siewicz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 21: Idris Elba attends as The House of Remy Martin celebrates the APEX Social Club at the WanderLuxxe House with Common and Friends on January 21, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Remy Martin)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba attend the 'Molly's Game' UK premiere at Vue West End on December 6, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 14:Idris Elba attends Ferrari: Under the Skin hosted by Deyan Sudjic and Alice Black, Directors of the Design Museum, and Dylan Jones, Editor of GQ at the Design Museum on November 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Kate Winslet and Idris Elba during filming of the Graham Norton Show at the London Studios, to be aired on BBC One on Friday evening. (Photo by Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Idris Elba (R) and guest attend the premiere of 'The Mountain Between Us' during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 10, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by J. Countess/WireImage)
LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 561 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Idris Elba talks with host Seth Meyers during an interview on August 1, 2017 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 31: Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba attend 'The Dark Tower' New York Premiere on July 31, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
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The couple got engaged in front of a crowd during a screening of Elba’s directorial debut, “Yardie” in February 2018, the same year the 46-year-old DJ was crowned “People’s Sexiest Man Alive.”
They met a year earlier while Elba was filming the thriller flick “The Mountain Between Us," which tells the story of a man and a woman – played by Kate Winslet – who get stranded in the wilderness following a plane crash.
“Falling in love while making a moving about falling in love is pretty special,” Elba told People at the time.
Still, he said his public proposal “was the most nerve-wracking thing ever.”
“It was a little spontaneous if I’m honest,” Elba told the magazine. “I was at a cast and crew screening and among people I loved. We had all worked so hard for this project so I was like I’m doing it right now, here, today.”
The last decade has seen a grand, 22-part opera that revolutionized modern cinematic storytelling. But now this phase, collectively termed the Infinity Saga, is over -- and several of our beloved characters are gone too. This means there's an opportunity to shake things up and really redefine what it means to be an MCU movie moving forward.
Here's what I want to see from the MCU now that Endgame is over.
Warning: Big spoiler territory going forward. Proceed at your own risk.
Fewer CG battles
Countless sci-fi and fantasy films end with massive conflicts between computer-generated armies. From Starship Troopers in 1997 to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we've long grown bored with faceless, nameless hordes crashing into each other. Just look at DC's Man of Steel to see how boring city-smashing CG can be.
Endgame's ending ambitiously brings together every MCU hero in a final clash with Thanos and his CG pets. It's an even denser retread of Infinity War's final battle, and while visually impressive, it's a jarring departure from the film's earlier intimate focus on the core Avengers. After sharing emotional moments with the characters we've come to love over the last decade, glorified cameos for the likes of Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy make things less relatable, detaching me from the experience.
Seeing all these guys in action is cool as hell, but we don't need to end every superhero movie with a massive battle anymore.
Bring the A-Force to the silver screen
What's the A-Force? An all-female version of the Avengers that appeared in Marvel comics in 2015. For a brief moment, we got a glimpse of what A-Force could look like in Endgame when Scarlet Witch, Shuri, Okoye, Wasp, Valkyrie and Gamora backed up Captain Marvel on her push to return the Infinity Stones to their proper timeline.
Sadly, the team-up was missing a key Avenger. Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow was last seen dead on an alien world -- but she's also set to finally headline her own movie in coming years, so maybe we'll see yet another hero resurrected.
Asgardians of the Galaxy
Thor's journey into space in Ragnarok reinvigorated the series and made me actually care about the Norse god of thunder. Now that Chris Hemsworth has tapped into his comedic side, he hefted around some heavyweight humor in Endgame.
The tease at the end showing Thor joining the Guardians of the Galaxy is just perfect. I anxiously await seeing Hemsworth spar with Chris Pratt's Star-Lord under the direction of James Gunn.
A new Captain America
The peaceful final moments of Endgame saw an aged Steve Rogers pass the baton (or shield) to BFF Sam Wilson. Even Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, gave Wilson the nod. Wilson has taken on the mantle in the comics, so let's see it on screen too.
I'm keen to see the Captain America franchise continue with a character that doesn't have the super-soldier serum, but possesses the same spirit and integrity as the original Cap. Oh, and metal wings are cool too.
Not all Marvel comic book characters are part of the MCU. Previously Fox had its own X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, but since Disney bought Fox those could now be unified under Marvel.
The Avengers tapped the Quantum Realm for time travel. Maybe they can travel to parallel universes too?
How does Deadpool co-exist with the rest of the Marvel universe?
Fox
But I don't want a clean reboot of the Fox franchises. I'd like to see Marvel Studios find a plausible way to incorporate the existing properties. I'd like to see an MCU where the Fantastic Four and X-Men are already out there, even if those films have proven hit-or-miss. And don't you dare reboot Deadpool.
Standalone stories
This may be a controversial request. Part of the MCU's appeal is the way each movie builds upon the next, with intertwining plot points and Easter eggs for fans. But as much fun as that's been, it also often took focus away from individual films. Watching Captain Marvel, for example, I was bracing to see how it fit in with Endgame.
Sure, let's get the X-Men in there and keep combining characters in interesting ways. But I'd love to enjoy a superhero film as its own standalone experience -- even if it means dialing back on the connections.
The original Iron Man didn't need a cinematic universe to offer a fun time. I'm hoping with the next phase, the fresh start will offer that kind of experience again.
Fingers crossed that the next Marvel movie to hit theaters -- Spider-Man: Far From Home -- will offer just that.
