Paramount+ today released first look images from the all-new romance film AT MIDNIGHT, and announced the movie will premiere on Friday, Feb. 10 exclusively on Paramount+ across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil and Italy. Premiere dates for other Paramount+ international markets will be announced at a later date.

A charming romantic comedy, AT MIDNIGHT centers around Alejandro (Diego Boneta, “Father of the Bride”), an ambitious hotel manager, and Sophie (Monica Barbaro, “Top Gun: Maverick”) a movie star navigating the politics of Hollywood. He’s focused on opening his own boutique hotel. She’s trying to focus on shooting her new superhero film “Super Society 3,” in hopes of getting her own spinoff, but catches her co-star (and boyfriend!) Adam (Anders Holm, “Workaholics”) cheating. Fate strikes when the shoot brings them all to Alejandro’s hotel in Mexico. Despite their radically different lives, Alejandro and Sophie begin to secretly meet At Midnight…

AT MIDNIGHT also stars Casey Thomas Brown (“Father Of The Bride”) as Chris, Sophie’s talent manager and old friend; Catherine Cohen (“Netflix’s Catherine Cohen: The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous”) as Rachel, Sophie’s loyal and free-spirited best friend; Fernando Carsa (“Acapulco”) as Tachi, Alejandro’s best friend and bartender at the hotel; Whitney Cummings (“Good Mourning”) as Margot, a powerful Hollywood agent who represents both Sophie and Adam; and Maya Zapata (“Selena’s Secret”) as Aurelia, the hotel manager and Alejandro’s strict boss.

AT MIDNIGHT for Paramount+ is produced by Paramount’s international studios and Fred Berger (“La La Land”), David Bernon (“Hearts Beat Loud”), Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (“Loving”), Eréndira Núñez Larios (“Sundown”), Josh Glick, and Diego Boneta through his production company, Three Amigos. Executive producers include Michel Franco, Gemma Levinson and Cory Crespo. AT MIDNIGHT is directed by Jonah Feingold (“Dating & New York”), and written by Feingold, Maria Hinojos (“Cindy la Regia”) and Giovanni M. Porta. Porta, Hinojos and Natalia Boneta serve as co-executive producers.

(Photo credit: Paramount+)

Disney+ announced today a pilot greenlight for “Witch Mountain,” a reimagining of the successful film franchise. The series is a modern reinvention of the cult classic that takes place in the shadow of “Witch Mountain,” following two teens that develop strange abilities and discover their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems.

Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World: Dominion”) stars in the leading role as “Audrey,” Tia’s devoted and loving mother. Her husband died from a mental illness and she tries to reassure a fretful Tia that she shows no sign of following her father’s dark spiral. A warm mama bear type, but like everyone in this town, not everything is as it seems.

Howard is a multi-hyphenate creator who continues to work both on-screen and behind the camera. As an actor, she recently starred alongside Chris Pratt in Universal’s “Jurassic World” franchise and next stars in Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller ”Argylle” for Apple TV+. Earlier this year, Howard lent her voice to the Star Wars character “Yaddle” in the animated Disney+ series “Tales of the Jedi.” Howard is represented by Entertainment 360, WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.

Isabel Gravitt (“The Watcher”), Levi Miller (“Streamline”), Bianca “b” Norwood (“We Crashed”) and Jackson Kelly (“Straight Man”) have been cast in the pilot.

Travis Fickett and Terry Matalas co-wrote the pilot and are executive producers; Augustine Frizzell (“Euphoria”) will direct and is executive producer on the pilot. John Fox and John Davis of Davis Entertainment are executive producing as well as Gary Marsh. The Disney Branded Television series is produced by ABC Signature, part of Disney Television Studios.

Isabel Gravitt (series regular) as “Tia,” a straight-A student who’s regarded by her classmates as “perfect,” although she regards herself as flawed. She’s terrified of failure and is plagued by nightmares and fears that her late father’s schizophrenia is starting to exhibit itself in her. Tia has “hallucinations” in which people around her step outside their living bodies and voice their deepest, darkest fears and desires and rages. Gravitt is known for her series regular role as “Ellie Brannock” in Netflix’s hit limited series “The Watcher.” She made her debut in CBS’s pilot “The History of Us” and had recurring roles in ABC’s “American Housewife” and Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere.” Gravitt is represented by Buchwald and Randy James Management.

Levi Miller (series regular) as “Ben,” a troubled teen who makes ends meet by writing papers for other students but he’s got a hot temper and if he slugs another student, he’ll be expelled. Ben is best friends with Corey, his co-worker at the diner. He’s recently made a troubling discovery about himself, he can force others in his vicinity to move according to his will and there’s something drawing him inexplicably in the direction of Tia. Miller is best known for his roles in “Pan,” “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Better Watch Out.” Most recently, he was seen in the indie film “Streamline,” is also starring in Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter,” and attached to the upcoming British indie “Beach Boys.” Miller is repped by Verve, Rogue Management in the UK, Eaton Management in Australia and attorneys Fred Toczek and Jared Bloc.

Bianca “b” Norwood (series regular) as “Corey,” Ben’s closest friend, an outsider with tattoos, Corey is a very mature teen who comes across older than they are. They are one step away from expulsion and puts more care into looking like a My Chemical Romance song that became an anime fan. Corey works at the local diner alongside Ben and is in his circle of trust, but doesn’t appreciate it when he tries to act as their protector. Norwood most recently starred in the New York Theatre Workshop production of “American (Tele)visions.” Most recently, they can be seen in the AppleTV+ series “We Crashed,” as well as the Showtime series “Let the Right One In,” and can be heard voicing a lead role in the new QCODE fantasy podcast series “Birds of Empire.” Norwood is represented by Innovative and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.

Jackson Kelly (series regular) as “Peter,” Tia’s closest male friend. Peter is lovesick on the subject of Tia, but she’s unaware of his charms, and equally unaware of his devotion. But when Tia expresses her concerns about the seemingly impossible happenings around them, she learns that Peter’s observant, cautious nature might be an asset in figuring out the mystery around them. Jackson has a busy year ahead with the release of his major recurring role in the highly anticipated AMC series “Straight Man” and “Hard Miles.” He’s currently starring in the fifth installment of the cult-followed Shudder franchise “V/H/S/99.” Kelly is represented by Talent Works and 11:11 Entertainment.

By Justin Waldman

Yesterday afternoon, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a conversation with Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, moderated by Vincenzo Natali in a post-screening Q&A about PINOCCHIO, now streaming on Netflix. If you’ve ever had the distinct pleasure of listening to del Toro speak, you will know the man doesn’t mince his words, loves to tell stories, and isn’t afraid of shying away from speaking from the heart. His conversations regarding his own works are usually phenomenal and this special event was no different as he went and talked with Gustafson and Natali for a near hour! We had the privilege of sitting-in on the entire and below are some of the highlights of the magical talk, be warned though there is certainly some choice language.

Natali: “Why did you choose to explore what Pinocchio was?”.

del Toro: “Why don’t we make a movie about a father being a real father, instead of a movie about a boy being a real boy which is absolute bullshit.”.

Gustafson: “In the film, Pinocchio comes in the world kind of the way we all do, which is naked, and he goes through the whole story like that and everyone he gets in contact with by the end is changed for it.”.

Natali: “Why the small grim eyes for Pinocchio?”.

del Toro: “I found the art in 2002/2003 of Gris [Grimly] and I just knew this was my Pinocchio….it can be a little bit creepy. At the beginning we decided we didn’t want to make him cuddly.”.

Gustafson: “And he was carved when Geppetto was blind drunk!”.

There was a question posed by Natali about how he pitched the story of this darker re-telling of Pinocchio, to which del Toro originally told a story about how Sony Animation originally greenlit his Pinocchio pitch unheard, but he decided he wanted to pitch it and then Sony decided maybe it wasn’t the project for them because he wanted to tell Pinocchio with Mussolini and the backdrop of World War II. He followed it up by saying, “When someone doesn’t want to do your movie, it’s the second-best news. I learned it in Mimic and the Weinsteins tortured me because they wanted to do Alien 3.5 and I wanted to make mimic. I seek unemployment for the truth.”.

Some other fascinating tidbits of information were when Gustafson mentioned they had 32 puppets of Pinocchio, to which del Toro replied, “It’s like playing with your toys in the most expensive place”.

When probed about why they decided to make their Pinocchio such a dark version, Gustafson indicated, “We decided to never talk down to children, we knew they could handle it”. del Toro decided also to weigh-in with the following “I don’t think Animation is a fucking genre for kids. It’s a medium that can explore sadness and tragedy, and we keep it in that medium [for children] because of economic decisions.”.

This is a sentiment that has been said by many Directors in the past about how Animation should not be seen as a lesser medium, and isn’t always for children.

In a year filled with many fresh takes on Cinema, del Toro left the audience with this quote, “We are only as good as our last shot”. And it suffice it to say this was a pretty superb last shot.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is now streaming on Netlfix.

(Photo credit: Genevieve Walker)

The Golden Globe Awards are back in their 80th edition! Selenis Leyva and Mayan Lopez unveiled this year’s nominees today and leading the pack in the Film categories are critical favourites EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN and THE FABELMANS. Meanwhile in Television categories, we see ABBOTT ELEMENTARY and THE WHITE LOTUS at the top of the pack with The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The Golden Globes air on NBC January 10, 2023.

FILM

Best Motion Picture — Drama
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
The Fabelmans
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick

Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Triangle of Sadness

Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language
All Quiet on the Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Close
Decision to Leave
RRR

Best Motion Picture — Animated
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Inu-Oh
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red

Best Director — Motion Picture
James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Baz Luhrmann, Elvis
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans

Best Screenplay — Motion Picture
Todd Field, Tár
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Austin Butler, Elvis
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Hugh Jackman, The Son
Bill Nighy, Living
Jeremy Pope, The Inspection

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Cate Blanchett, Tár
Olivia Colman, Empire of Light
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Ana de Armas, Blonde
Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Diego Calva, Babylon
Daniel Craig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Adam Driver, White Noise
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Margot Robbie, Babylon
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu
Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
Brad Pitt, Babylon
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness
Carey Mulligan, She Said

Best Original Score — Motion Picture
Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Hildur Gudnadóttir, Women Talking
Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
John Williams, The Fabelmans

Best Original Song — Motion Picture
“Carolina” by Taylor Swift, from Where the Crawdads Sing
“Ciao Papa” by Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Gullermo del Toro from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice from Top Gun: Maverick
“Lift Me Up” by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“Naatu Naatu” by M.M. Keeravani, Kala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj from RRR

TELEVISION

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Wednesday

Best Television Series – Drama
Better Call Saul
The Crown
House of the Dragon
Ozark
Severance

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
Kevin Costner, Yellowstone
Diego Luna, Andor
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Adam Scott, Severance

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Emma D’Arcy, House of the Dragon
Laura Linney, Ozark
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Hilary Swank, Alaska Daily
Zendaya, Euphoria

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Jean Smart, Hacks

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Black Bird
Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
The Dropout
Pam & Tommy
The White Lotus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Taron Egerton, Black Bird
Colin Firth, The Staircase
Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
Evan Peters, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Julia Garner, Inventing Anna
Lily James, Pam & Tommy
Julia Roberts, Gaslit
Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Claire Danes, Fleishman Is in Trouble
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Under the Banner of Heaven
Niecy Nash, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
Domhnall Gleeson, The Patient
Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Richard Jenkins, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy

It’s hard to believe another racing season at Woodbine Racetrack has concluded and we’re so thrilled to have been there start to finish. While I admit it gets a little tougher as the years pass and I get a bit older, what always brings me back is the stories, the lineage and relationships. Sometimes along the way I get a little reward for my $2 investments of a bet!

2022 was a standout year for horses based at Woodbine on a world stage. We got to see Hall of Fame Trainer Roger Attfield send-out his two top charges LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE and SHIRL’S SPEIGHT to top three placings at the Breeders’ Cup in November against the world’s best. We also saw our Queen’s Plate heroine MOIRA also made us proud finishing in the thick of things, not to mention locally-based CAIRO CONSORT finishing well also before being sold and taken under the wings of top Trainer Todd Pletcher.

Woodbine truly is proving its worth on an international stage, hosting Breeders’ Cup Win-and-You’re-In races. Time and again, we’ve shown the world that we not only are a stepping stone to the best. Some of the best in the world in fact are based right at home in Toronto.

A huge congratulations to our leading Trainer Mark Casse and Jockey Kazushi Kimura, once again taking year-end title honours! Kimura despite an absence due to injury, still made it back to reclaim his title which is super-impressive.

It was such a joy seeing fans back in full capacity this year with Covid restictions having been lifted. And every week I pop by, I marvel at how quickly the construction is coming along in the new Casino/Hotel portion of the venue. We welcome a new era soon!

In carrying-on my annual tradition, here’s my 2022 A Year in Horses Review, set to Harry Styles’ “As It Was”. All moments here lensed by yours truly. What a year!

April 22, 2023 will mark the start of a new racing season at Woodbine and I can’t wait.

But first, a well-deserved rest for all!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Mr. Will & beanie

What a weekend! We were so lucky not only to have Mariah Carey in our City, debuting her MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL Show in Toronto. Above this, we got to see the two-city event before her hometown New York City! The Show heads to Madison Square Garden this week. More about the wonderful night and its surprises here.

You know how much fun we had at the Show Friday but so awesome seeing my all-time favourite Singer again today! Fashionably late for her show, Carey boarded her Sprinter Van bundled-up in a white sweater, before dazzling fans at Scotiabank Theatre. Carey threw waves to her many adoring fans, blowing air kisses through the window. This never gets old!

Until next time! Lamb for life here!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE is having a phenomenal year. After having premiered this Summer on Hulu/Disney+, THE BEAR has gone on to receive many accolades, including nominations at the People’s Choice, Critics’ Choice, Gotham and Satellite Awards, thanks in large part to his leading performance as Carmen Berzatto. The character goes from working in New York City as an award-winning Chef, to having to take over his family’s business, an Italian Beef Sandwich Shop in Chicago, following the death of his brother. Prior to that, he graduated right out of high school to land the role of Phillip Gallagher on the very popular series Shameless.

White last came to Toronto at TIFF ’18 to promote series HOMECOMING alongside Julia Roberts and has continued to see his star rise these past few years. He’s in town again working on upcoming Apple TV+ Feature, FINGERNAILS. The Film centers on a woman (Jessie Buckley) who works at an institution which determines whether or not a couple’s love is real. The Sci-Fi Romance directed by Christos Nikou, also is co-produced by Cate Blanchett.

We’re so glad we got a chance to catch-up quickly with White after meeting him at TIFF ’18. The Film just wrapped and White simultaneously is working on THE IRON CLAW, which centers on a the Von Erich family’s wrestling dynasty. The Film also stars Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson and Lily James.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Hulu)

Mariah Carey makes her return as the widely-acknowledged Queen of Christmas and was Toronto ever in for a treat! The international megastar brought her two-city tour for MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL here first, before bringing the celebrations to New York City. The show, which has her bringing out material from her iconic 1994 Merry Christmas album and 2010 follow-up Merry Christmas II You. The Show which she tells the packed house at Scotiabank Arena was meant as a way to help her fans keep their minds off all the things that held them back during the Pandemic, and this marked her first live show since the world went on lockdown.

The Concert running just under two hours wasn’t just Holiday hits! Carey as a surprise did a set featuring abbreviated versions of her smash hits including “Fantasy“, with a re-working of Latto‘s recent smash “Big Energy”; “We Belong Together”; “Emotions”; “Make it Happen“; and of course, “Hero“. The Show capped-off with timeless “All I Want for Christmas is You” in the Encore.

Carey brought out her eleven-year-old twins Morocco and Monroe, with the latter duetting with her mother on “Away in a Manger“. The world for the first time got to hear her talent and her smokey vocals are not unlike that of her mother!

A highlight reel of moments from MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL:

Some Snaps:

An unforgettable time and if you missed it, there is one more chance to see Carey tomorrow night as she completes the second of her two-night engagement in Toronto!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Not much change in the Top Two at the Box Office this weekend as BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER takes top spot a remarkable fifth consecutive week with $12.7 million, tallying at a total $411 million domestically for Disney/Marvel.

Second again is VIOLENT NIGHT with $8.2 million for Universal Pictures, a gross of $25.5 million over two weekends.

Third is Disney‘s STRANGE WORLD with $3.7 million, a total $30.5 million over three weekends.

In fourth is THE MENU with $2.5 million for Searchlight Pictures, a total $28.7 million grossed thus far.

Rounding-out the Top Five is DEVOTION with $1.9 million for Sony Pictures, a total $16.8 million to date.

Who isn’t excited for this Movie? A new Featurette has arrived for BABYLON speaking to the wonderful Music you get to hear in the Film. We did chat with Justin Hurwitz, Composer earlier in the year who gave us a sneak peek what to expect, but how cool is it to hear the final product?

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

From Damien Chazelle, BABYLON is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY

Damien Chazelle 

PRODUCED BY

Marc Platt, p.g.a., Matthew Plouffe, p.g.a., Olivia Hamilton, p.g.a.   

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY

Michael Beugg, Tobey Maguire, Wyck Godfrey, Helen Estabrook, Adam Siegel 

STARRING

Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, P.J. Byrne, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Tobey Maguire, Max Minghella, Rory Scovel, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Jeff Garlin, Eric Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde

Paramount Pictures Canada release BABYLON December 23, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)