Woody Allen generally churns out one movie a year. For decades, he’s had a whole system in place – he’s writing a new script as he’s editing a film. By the time a film comes out, he’s already in production on another one. He churned out one film a year like clockwork, some of them award-winners (Blue Jasmine, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight In Paris), some of them utterly forgotten and uneventful. So what’s changed? The world. The appetite to look the other way when a “brilliant artist” is a predator in real life. Woody’s alleged molestation of his daughter Dylan Farrow got wrapped up in the #MeToo movement too, because Dylan forced the issue. And now it seems like Woody can’t get his annual films financed.

Woody Allen, after decades of churning out at least one movie a year, is taking a long-deserved break. “A Rainy Day in New York” — Allen’s 48th feature film — wrapped filming in November and is set to be released by Amazon before the end of the year. Negotiated in 2016 by then-studio head Roy Price, Amazon has a deal with Allen that leaves Amazon on the hook for three more films after “Rainy Day.” Earlier this year, a Hollywood Reporter article said that Amazon may decide to break the deal even if that means a hefty payout.

And the Woodman, 82, has no movie ready for release in 2019. IMDb lists an “Untitled Woody Allen Project” in pre-production for 2020. But sources say Allen has yet to secure financing for the project.

“Woody loves working. He never takes a vacation. But he will be taking time off this year until he can find a backer,” said one source.

“Woody always got great actors. Stars would work for scale because it gave them prestige, but with the #MeToo movement, he’s toxic,” one Hollywood producer told me.

Allen had troubles even before #MeToo. “His movies don’t make money,” said my source. “For years, he’s been going from one financier to another. He even went to Europe. But he’s run out of options.” A spokesman for Allen said, “None of this is true.”

[From Page Six]

It will be very interesting to see what Amazon does with his contract. His deal with Amazon was supposed to be a good deal for him, not because he would reap some huge financial windfall, but because Amazon was just going to quietly finance his projects and give him complete control, which is all he’s ever wanted as a filmmaker. His movies don’t make any money at the box office, which is another reason why Amazon was a good deal for him – they’re not about box office. As for this somewhat forced hiatus… I mean, we could gloat and say that thank God he’s having to face some repercussions. But he’s also an 82 year old man with multiple Oscars who might legitimately want to go into semi-retirement. Ugh.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Celebrity oversharer Jada Pinkett Smith is once again in a sharing mood. The 46-year-old actress, who has been with her husband, Will Smith, for over half their lives, Instagrammed her insight on relationships.

On Saturday, Jada posted a happy family photo with Will, his son Trey and their daughter Willow. In the caption, she observed that, “I’ve been watching a lot marriages dissolve around me. It’s been really painful. Marriages change.” She went on to elaborate, “Sometimes they need to be reimagined and transformed. Sometimes they are simply over … but either way, I pray that folks going thru this painful transition find the patience and the love within to not throw the ‘babies’ out with the bath water.”

I’ve been watching a lot marriages dissolve around me. It’s been really painful. Marriages change. Sometimes they need to be reimagined and transformed. Sometimes they are simply over … but either way, I pray that folks going thru this painful transition find the patience and the love within to not throw the “babies” out with the bath water. #family ?: @existentialcrisisboy

A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith) on Aug 25, 2018 at 1:48pm PDT

If that post didn’t give you enough to read into, the next day, she posted a “pillow talk” video on the ‘Gram discussing forgiveness. In the clip, she revealed:

“It’s been a deep journey for me because I’ve had to look into the shadows of my own heart and understand how I’ve hurt other people and forgive myself for any wrong acts that might have committed or any pain that I might have caused other people.”

She went on to say that understanding herself gave her the “power to forgive other people” and stated that, “None of us are perfect, we’re in this together, learning how to love.” And, if that wasn’t enough, the clip was accompanied by an enigmatic caption, where Jada says, “It’s all a delicate process where I also had to realize that just because my heart may embrace and forgive… doesn’t mean that person should be standing beside me.”

Forgiveness … My power to forgive others came from forgiving myself by looking into the shadows of my own heart. But… there are acts committed against us that are so horrific our only choice is to give it to the Mother/Father to fill us with a healing needed to find the “God Love” within that gives us the “Self Love” we need… to forgive. It’s all a delicate process where I also had to realize that just because my heart may embrace and forgive… doesn’t mean that person should be standing beside me. . Forgiveness… loving myself enough to let go? #pillowtalk

A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith) on Aug 26, 2018 at 8:25am PDT

Are these posts alluding to Jada and Will’s relationship, or is Jada referring to someone else? It’s hard to tell, although some believe that one of the dissolving marriages is that of the couple’s close friends Tisha Campbell-Martin and Duane Martin, who are in the throes of a potentially messy split.

Jada and Will have already acknowledged that they don’t refer to themselves as a married couple anymore, but declare that they have an unbreakable relationship. I really want to know what brought about the reflections on forgiveness, even though Anna Faris described it better in Just Friends. I hope all’s well in the Smith household.

The peace you gain when you realize YOU are your knight in shining armor. YOU are your best friend and the love, joy and kindness others have to share with you … is a welcomed addition ?

A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith) on Aug 15, 2018 at 8:01am PDT

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Photos: Instagram, WENN, Getty

Does your kid need a motivational line to get them out the door in the morning? Try this one: “Better get to school, guys – Michael B. Jordan might drop in to say hi.” This is what happened Monday when a group of young men were exercising in the driveway of their school in Montgomery, Alabama. Michael, who is in town to film Just Mercy with Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson and O’Shea Jackson, Jr., happened to be driving by when he saw these boys doing jumping jacks in the hot August sun. Inspired by their dedication, Michael stopped to meet them. The kids, of course, lost it because, come on – Killmonger just showed up! He posted the video to his Instagram. Warning – this will make you feel good all over:

I was driving from set & saw these young kings standing in their school parking lot doing jumping jacks in 90 degree Montgomery Alabama heat! The sight of them inspires me & reminds me why I do what I do!!

A post shared by Michael B. Jordan (@michaelbjordan) on Aug 27, 2018 at 10:01am PDT

This story is so great. It wasn’t even arranged by the school or Michael’s PR. It’s so easy to forget that celebrities are motivated by the world around them just like the rest of us. I love how thoughtfully the boys listen and absorb Michael’s words as they gather for the photo. As for what Michael said, it’s solid advice:

“Y’all out here working hard… keep working hard, man, keep working hard… You gotta listen to your teachers though, man. You gotta listen to them right here… Make sure you listen to them, listen to your parents. Work hard down here in the South… just pay attention because school goes by real quick”

And when they all respectfully reply with, “Yes, sir” – oh my gosh, my little heart couldn’t take it anymore. (By the way, I had to re-watch to video about few dozen times to make sure that translation was as close as I could get it. No, seriously, that was why I had the video on loop all morning.)

My point – none. I mean, none other than Michael B. Jordan is awesome, and these kids are awesome, and watching things like this gives me hope. My kid is having a bit of a rough re-entry to school. I’ll show this to him – I’ll bet Michael’s words spread farther than Montgomery.

Just in case that story wasn’t enough, I will throw in Michael’s MBJAM, which is his annual fundraiser for Lupus research. Michael’s mother, Donna, suffers from Lupus and he is an ambassador for Lupus LA. Lastly, did any of you see the story about the young lady that took a cardboard cutout of Michael to the prom when her other plans fell through? Well, last month, Michael invited her to the set of Creed 2 and gave her the prom photos she’d dreamed of.

Photo credit: Instagram and Wenn Photos

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With a hearty slate of new, original romantic comedies available to couch surfers everywhere, Netflix has helped make the summer of 2018 the summer of rom-coms. The streaming service’s latest offering, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, has proven to be a hit. and there’s talk of a sequel to another genre-defining flick from one of the stars himself.

Taye Diggs, currently promoting his upcoming CW drama series All American, talked about his recent Netflix effort, Set It Up. The film, which evoked The Parent Trap, starred Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell as employees who set up their evil bosses, Taye and Lucy Liu, in an attempt to get out from under their oppressive thumbs. The movie has proven to be a critical success and audiences are curious to find out what happens next.

Taye told PEOPLE that “I had no idea that the movie would do as well [as it did],” and, as for the possibility of a sequel, he said that, “I’m a huge fan of romantic comedies and I’m all for doing more. I’m looking forward to working more with the creators of Set It Up and with Netflix. I had a really, really great time.”

Kayleigh Donaldson wrote a great think piece on Pajiba about the resurgence of the rom-com, pointing out that Netflix may have jumped on the rom-com revival because they “are inexpensive to produce, don’t need massive stars in the major roles, and can be made to appeal to a variety of age groups.” They are also welcome in this day and age:

Rom-coms make people happy and right now we want to be happy. We want love stories with guaranteed happy endings; we want to see good looking people fall in love across various barriers; we want love stories to be more inclusive; we want positivity and we want feminine coded narratives to get as much attention as anything featuring explosions or guns.

[From Pajiba]

I have yet to see Set It Up. I’m not a big fan of rom-coms and, besides, my Netflix queue is backlogged with unwatched episodes of OINTB and Kimmy Schmidt left to watch. And, every time I want to doing into the queue, I find something new to watch that takes precedence, like last night when Hurricane Bianca 2: From Russia with Hate showed up as a new release. I adore Bianca Del Rio and if you’re a Drag Race fan, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s cute and I want Rachel Dratch to be my BFF, stat. But I do have to agree that a good rom-com is like the warm hug we could all use right about now, and I’m all for more Taye Diggs on my screen.

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Photos: Getty, WENN and screenshots from Netflix

I’m superstitious so I don’t often post about the dead but I don’t think these details are intended to be sad. In fact, the way they’ve been presented, they’re meant to honour a once-in-a-lifetime presence, the legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Who arrived in major style to lie in state and o…

I’m superstitious so I don’t often post about the dead but I don’t think these details are intended to be sad. In fact, the way they’ve been presented, they’re meant to honour a once-in-a-lifetime presence, the legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Who arrived in major style to lie in state and o…

I’m superstitious so I don’t often post about the dead but I don’t think these details are intended to be sad. In fact, the way they’ve been presented, they’re meant to honour a once-in-a-lifetime presence, the legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Who arrived in major style to lie in state and o…

I’m superstitious so I don’t often post about the dead but I don’t think these details are intended to be sad. In fact, the way they’ve been presented, they’re meant to honour a once-in-a-lifetime presence, the legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Who arrived in major style to lie in state and o…

I’m superstitious so I don’t often post about the dead but I don’t think these details are intended to be sad. In fact, the way they’ve been presented, they’re meant to honour a once-in-a-lifetime presence, the legendary Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Who arrived in major style to lie in state and o…

We’re going through all the stages of teen obsession. First, we watched To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before as many times as humanly possible (I’m off today and I’m literally watching it again right now, my brand is strong). Then, we did a deep dive into the behind the scenes of the movie, specificall…