Bend & Snaps! Our friends at Hollywood Suite enlisted our help crafting a yummy Legally Blonde-inspired creation as part of their Reel Meals Series. We’re so thrilled to hear Mindy Kaling will be co-writing Legally Blonde 3, one of our favourite underdog stories of all time! How timely, especially since Legally Blonde will be premiering on Hollywood Suite June 28, 2020? Be sure to check-out their Blog for more movie-inspired delectables on their Blog here.

While cookies aren’t technically a meal, who doesn’t love a snack while watching a movie?

These ginger snaps not only are sinfully buttery and full of spicy sass, but they also can be dolled-up like Elle Woods would! We challenge you to break-out the sparkliest sprinkles and the hottest pink icing to pay tribute to one of our favourite on-screen heroines.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup Crisco Golden
3/4 cup organic raw sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsps candied ginger, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Mix flour, spices, baking soda and salt together in one bowl.
2. Using handmixer, cream butter, shortening and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg and vanilla, beating till creamy.
3. Add molasses and mix till combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
4. Add flour mixture bit by bit with handmixer on low, combining fully.
5. Disperse candied ginger throughout cookie dough using hands. Shape dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour.
6. Using food processor, take 1/4 cup sugar and grind for about a minute. Pour sugar in a shallow platter.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. After chilled, allow dough to stand room temperature till pliable (about 15 or more minutes). Roll dough into equal-sized balls.
9. Dip dough balls into sugar and place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Dough should yield 20-24 cookies.
10. Bake 13-15 minutes depending how firm you want the cookie. When you see crinkles form, this means the cookies are done. Remove from oven.
11. Cool on sheet for about 20-30 minutes. Once fully cooled after minimum 1 hour, you may start dressing the cookies with icing and favourite Legally Blonde phrases and words like “Elle“, “Bruiser” and of course, “Bend” and “Snap“!  These are fine in the fridge for a week or more.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Hollywood Suite)

Reese Witherspoon x Kerry Washington team-up to give us LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, coming soon to Amazon Prime Video!

Synopsis:
Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster. Staring Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Jade Pettyjohn, Lexi Underwood, Jordan Elsass, Gavin Lewis and Megan Stott.

See the Trailer:

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE streams Friday, May 22, 2020 on Amazon Prime Video.

(Photo/video credit: Amazon Prime Video)

We’ve waited so long for this! HBO unveiled a Teaser for Season 2 of BIG LITTLE LIES.

See the Teaser:

HBO Canada premiere Season Two of BIG LITTLE LIES Sunday, June 9, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: HBO)

Another goodie unveiled at Disney‘s D23 Expo this weekend as Ava DuVernay (Selma)‘s A WRINKLE IN TIME‘s Teaser Trailer was shown for the first time!

A WRINKLE IN TIME is an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and ultimately, the triumph of love. The Film stars: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peňa, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, André Holland, Rowan Blanchard with Zach Galifianakis and Chris Pine and introduces Storm Reid.

See the Teaser:

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release A WRINKLE IN TIME Friday, March 9, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

We admit a month ago having known v. little about HBO‘s new series BIG LITTLE LIES, based on the novel by Liane Moriarty. Since discovering it though, we’re helplessly hooked. We have previewed the first six of seven episodes and cruelly were left hanging at the end of it.  It consumed us fully this weekend and it’s been on our mind all day.

The seven-part series follows the lives of three mothers in Monterey, California as they cope with family-life balance, each facing their own unique demons. We have Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), a well-to-do stay at home mom of two, invested in a local theatre production of Avenue Q much to the disapproval of the local mayor and conservative locals. Celeste (Nicole Kidman), a lawyer-on-hiatus, has a seemingly-perfect life too with twin boys, a gorgeous house and a handsome husband in Perry (Alex Skarsgård).  Enter to the picture, mysterious single mother Jane (Shailene Woodley) and her son who are new to the area, drawn to its affordable private school education at a public school cost.  Things begin to unravel one day at school when Jane’s son Ziggy (Iain Armitage) is accused of hurting Renata’s (Laura Dern) daughter Anabella (Ivy George). This ignites what becomes a rampant fire as we see these mothers go to all costs to protect their children. Passions flare as Celeste and Madeline rally to support their new friend Jane and the consequences are well, fatal.  As the story unfolds we get eyewitness accounts, some less reliable than others, and we learn the deep, dark secrets each of our three leading women are harbouring, leading them together to where they are today. Who dies?  Why? Who did it?  How?  We have so many questions.

Canada’s very own Jean-Marc Vallée does a phenomenal job at the reins here and while BIG LITTLE LIES at times is a bit of a meditative slow-burn, we nonetheless are invested every step of the way.  Our characters are richly-developed, complex, aware, intelligent and multi-dimensional. Nothing is ever just black or white with them, there is a rather large, beautifully-messy gray area. Domestic violence, consent, sexuality, infidelity are just some of the meaty matters the series examines with great depth and it leaves us with plenty to think about.

Although Witherspoon’s brand has become synonymous with being Elle Woods and Rom-Coms like Sweet Home Alabama, we really love her pairing with Vallée which as we saw in Oscar-nominated WILD, has given her a real opportunity to shine as a dramatic force. Kidman seldom disappoints and she has shown that when she is in full-control of her output (remember the outstanding Rabbit Hole?), as she is here serving with Witherspoon as Executive Producers, she is devastatingly good. We also really enjoy Woodley’s work as Jane, careful never to give too much away about her character as one of the story’s most fascinating aspects. And we love Laura Dern in a performance that is worthy of top-billing, as a woman on fire in the deeply-angry Renata.

See a Tease:

HBO Canada airs BIG LITTLE LIES Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 9 PM EST.

More here.

(Photo/video credit: HBO)

Universal Pictures Canada + Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see SING! The Animated Feature with an all-star cast was a huge hit at TIFF ’16! Screenings take place in the following cities:

Toronto 12/19 7:00 PM Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Montreal 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Forum Montreal
Edmonton 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Odeon South Commons
Vancouver 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex International Village
Calgary 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Odeon Sunridge Spectrum
Ottawa 12/19 7:00 PM Cineplex Cinemas Ottawa
Winnipeg 12/19 7:00 PM Silvercity St. Vital

Synopsis:
Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Sing stars Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a dapper koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal—some might even say delusional—optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.

Five lead contestants emerge: Mike (Seth MacFarlane), a mouse who croons as smoothly as he cons; Meena (Tori Kelly), a timid teenage elephant with an enormous case of stage fright; Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), an overtaxed mother run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets; Johnny (Taron Egerton), a young gangster gorilla looking to break free of his family’s felonies; and Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a punk-rock porcupine struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo.

Each arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life. And as Buster coaches each of his contestants closer and closer to the grand finale, he starts to learn that maybe the theater isn’t the only thing that is in need of saving.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post over at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK, indicate your City and tell us if you were to enter a singing competition, what would your song be?

Universal Pictures Canada release SING on Friday, December 21, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Since Suicide Squad and TIFF, Toronto hasn’t caught much of a break in terms of starpower. That is about to change soon.  While a slew of TV Series and Pilots continue to film in the City, we will be plenty excited to know that A-List names like Reese Witherspoon, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Neil Patrick Harris and Samuel L. Jackson are making their way north over the next few months.  That’s right!  Kicking-off 2016 proper!

DOWNSIZING, to be released via Paramount Pictures, is the latest endeavour for Oscar-nominated Director Alexander Payne who rocked our world with Sideways (2000) and The Descendants (2004).  Matt Damon will star as an Omaha man who joins the many others who opt to undergo a procedure which reduces them to a fraction of their size.  They then are moved-off to communities with many others like themselves.  Reese Witherspoon who worked with Payne in Election, Jason Sudeikis and Neil Patrick Harris also star.  Expect a late 2017 release, which means you guessed it… OSCARS and what could be a debut at TIFF ’17!   Filming runs April through July.

For those who like a bit more of a punch, the latest installment in the XXX franchise, THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE begins production in February through May and once again stars megastar Vin Diesel in the titular role.  Samuel L. Jackson returns and appearing also is MMA star Conor McGregor.  After Xander Cage (Diesel) is left for dead, he miraculously finds his way back and is sent on a new assignment by hander Augustus Gibbons (Jackson).

Production is to be based out of Pinewood Studios in Toronto for both Films.

After selling to Europacorp during TIFF in September for a cool $17 million, gun control drama Miss Sloane, starring future Oscar winner Jessica Chastain also is pegged for a late winter start date. Chastain stars as a lobbyist who goes up against Washington to pass through gun legislation.  The Hollywood Reporter reports a March start date, while the Directors Guild of Canada report filming could start as early as February.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Although it was a competitive year, there would be no stopping Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s BIRDMAN from winning coveted BEST PICTURE at the 87th Academy Awards tonight!  This latest victory caps-off a Campaign for the Dramedy beginning with a release last October.  Since then, among others, it has nabbed several important Best Picture Awards including yesterday’s Independent Spirit Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and several more. Mexican Filmmaker Iñárritu was awarded Best Director for BIRDMAN, his second nomination after getting a nod for 2007’s Babel.

Winning Best Actor, first-time Nominee at the age of 33 was English Star Eddie Redmayne, recognized for his phenomenal work as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.  He took a moment to dedicate his win to ALS awareness.

After four previous nominations, a tearful Julianne Moore at long last gets a Best Actress trophy for her turn in STILL ALICE, in which she plays a Professor suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. The Actress stunned in a unique Chanel number, never before seen on a runway. She thanked her Family and took a moment to direct attention to finding a cure for Alzheimers, and also Richard Glatzer, Director/Writer of Still Alice, whom is suffering from ALS.

As expected, J.K. Simmons as expected took Best Supporting Actor for a stirring performance as a psychotic Conductor in WHIPLASH.  Patricia Arquette likewise would go on to take Best Supporting Actress for her performance in BOYHOOD, getting cheers from the likes of Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez after making a call to the Industry for equal rights and equal pay for Women.

See it again here:

Why Meryl Streep and J.Lo. freaked out over Patricia Arquette’s Oscar speech. http://t.co/v9IxK6xt8r pic.twitter.com/QbmGr1LSeY

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 23, 2015

Stars shined bright on the rainy Red Carpet tonight and turning many heads were Rising Star Margot Robbie in Van Cleef and Arpels in a sheer long-sleeve black gown with a deep plunging ‘V’. Seen widely prior as an Oscar Contender for her fantastic performance in CAKE, Jennifer Aniston donned her signature hair, stunning in a shiny Versace number, fitting her perfect. Reese Witherspoon seen for the first time in Tom Ford this Awards Season, looked stunning with an off-the-shoulder dress just days after being spotted at the Designer’s Show.  As for the Gentlemen, Performer Adam Levine and Presenter Josh Hutcherson displayed bespoke tailoring and impeccable grooming, both in Armani!

Star of Stage and Screen Neil Patrick Harris, hosted delivering the laughs with a spirited opening number where he was joined by Anna Kendrick and Jack Black, referring to Motion Pictures as “moving pictures”.  He even stripped down to his skivvies for the sake of entertainment!

See his Intro here:

Megastar Lady Gaga warmed the heart of Julie Andrews with a flawless Medley Tribute to the Sound of Music, easily one of the evening’s biggest Highlights!

And for a Canadian connection, Craig Mann, whom I am proud to say I went to High School with at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Pickering – we both took Musical Keyboarding – won Best Sound Mixing for WHIPLASH!

For a complete list of Winners, click here.

(Photo/video credit: Getty Images)

Holy!  Where did his come from? How did we have no idea?  Who’d have thought Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon would make such a great Team?  See this brand-new Trailer for the hilarious-looking HOT PURSUIT!

See the Trailer:

Synopsis:
In Hot Pursuit, an uptight and by-the-book cop (Witherspoon) tries to protect the sexy and outgoing widow (Vergara) of a drug boss as they race through Texas, pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen.

John Carroll Lynch (“Crazy, Stupid, Love.”) and Rob Kazinsky (“Pacific Rim”) also star.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release HOT PURSUIT on Friday, May 8, 2015.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros.)

The 87th annual Academy Awards Luncheon was held earlier today at the Beverly Hilton and in keeping with annual tradition, this year’s Nominees, along with Ceremony  Host Neil Patrick Harris, grouped together for a Class Photo.  Among the Nominees in attendance were the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Clint Eastwood, Emma Stone, Rosamund Pike, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Eddie Redmayne, Bradley Cooper and several more.

See the Class of 2015 (photo via Rebecca Keegan):

Oprah, Clint and 150 or so fellow Oscar nominees at today’s luncheon

A photo posted by Rebecca Keegan (@that_rebecca) on Feb 2, 2015 at 2:40pm PST

We adore this Photo of this year’s Lead Actress Nominees getting friendly:

Voting for The Academy still is underway with the fate of this year’s Nominees to be unveiled live on ABC Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 7:00 PM EST!

(Photo: Oscars.org/Rebecca Keegan)