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Three generations of women confront the elephant in their room — a stepfather’s sexual abuse — in Chloe Abrahams’ “The Taste of Mango.” The filmmaker’s first feature reflects her background in gallery video art as it mixes impressionistic visuals, diaristic elements, home movies and other factors into a documentary that prioritizes emotional clarity over reportage. It’s an unusually affirming, poetic treatment of difficult subject matter that stresses resilience and healing over trauma. After gathering some festival prizes, it opens in New York and Los Angeles theaters this week, which broadcast on PBS’ “Pov” planned for April 28.

The title comes from Abrahams’ awareness that both her mother Rozana and grandmother Jean aka “Nana” consumed voluminous amounts of that fruit while pregnant — so the director “tastes” it when thinking of them. But one sweet detail can’t fully mask a fair amount of bitter experience in this maternal line. Those backstories only emerge in fragmentary,...

The beauty of a show receiving a second season is seeing how the writers — having firmly established their characters and world — broaden the show to encompass more. Some shows falter; “Colin from Accounts” soared.

Nowhere is that better expressed than in the plotlines concocted for the friends and family of Gordon (co-creator Patrick Brammall) and Ashley (co-creator Harriet Dyer), both of whom have the requisite oddballs in their lives who, in typical “Colin from Accounts” fashion, are tweaked just enough to be both over-the-top and recognizably human. If Ashley’s mother, Lynelle (Helen Thomson), served as a foil to her daughter (and a symbol of how Ashley became who she is) in Season 1, she gets a truly wild plot in Season 2 that allows both character and actor to step into the spotlight. Literally, when Lynelle takes centerstage for the Episode 7 benefit for Women Against Women Against Men (Wawam for short...

Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix is fiercely defending her man against trolls on the Internet who have nothing kind to say. They have been together for over a year and he has been extremely supportive of all her endeavors. Now, she is not taking any hate lying down. What is she saying to defend her man? Keep reading for more details.

Ariana Madix Fiercely Defends Her Man Against Trolls

For nearly a decade, Ariana Madix was involved with her Vanderpump Rules co-star, Tom Sandoval. She was his partner in crime and stood by him, even if he was doing something wrong. Then, it came out that he was having an affair with their co-star and her best friend, Rachel Leviss, and their relationship ended right then and there. Though she was broken, she still had a friend’s wedding to attend in Mexico and that was where she met Daniel Wai.

Patti Smith offered up an emotional rendition of Lana Del Rey’s song “Summertime Sadness” at her concert in Dublin last night. Smith, who performed at Vicar Street, played a setlist of several classics, but also took the opportunity to perform Del Rey’s 2012 hit.

Appearing with her band, Smith gave an intimate, pensive performance of the song, much to the delight of the crowd. The singer dedicated the song to her late husband and MC5 member Fred Smith, telling the audience it reminded her of their “wild youth.”

Patti...

After a phenomenal headlining performance at Coachella 2024 two weeks ago, Lana Del Rey returned to the desert to join Paul Cauthen’s set during the first night of Stagecoach this year.

Together, Del Rey and Cauthen sang the classic track’s chorus: “Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea/To the open arms of the sea/Lonely rivers cry, wait for me, wait for me/ I’ll be coming home, wait for me.”

Lana Del Rey cantando 'Unchained Melody' com Paul Cauthen pic.twitter.com/tuKhUvWcyi

— Lana Del...

Alexa, play 'Stand By Your Man' by Tammy Wynette.

Daniella was the only person in a whole town who had any faith in her missing fiancé during Tracker Season 1 Episode 8, and she was right to, because as we heard ad nauseum during this hour, your past does not have to define your present.

Sully's troubled past had everyone believing he was guilty of something, and Colter may not have been sure what the truth was, but he certainly wasn't going to take everyone's word for it.

Colter heads into many of his cases with pre-conceived notions he can't help but voice, at least initially.

Called to a case of a man disappearing a few weeks before he's set to get married. Logically, you can't rule out cold feet, even though Daniella was so adamant that couldn't be the case.

No one wants to believe the person they love...

Lana Del Rey brought her ethereal Venus energy to the Coachella main stage as she closed out Friday night at the festival. This marked her first Coachella performance since 2014.

Seated on the back of a motorcycle, Del Rey rode serenely towards the stage with a full motorcade trailing behind her. Lines from her 2012 song “Jealous Girl” played from the speakers — “Baby, I’m a gangster too/And it takes two to tango” — before she took the stage in a sparkling baby blue dress.

Del Rey commanded her set with a soft power,...

Oppenheimer continued its dominant awards season form on Sunday night at the American Society of Cinematographers’ ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards, with Hoyte van Hoytema taking the prize for theatrical feature film.

The win was Van Hoytema’s first ASC award, after previously being nominated for Dunkirk (2018) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2012).

On the TV side, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s M. David Mullen won the ASC prize for an episode of one hour of television, Barry‘s Carl Herse won for an episode of a half-hour series and Boston Strangler‘s Ben Kutchins won for limited or anthology series or motion picture made for TV.

Also on the night, Spike Lee was awarded the ASC Board of Governors Award and Don Burgess, whose work includes Academy Award-winning best picture Forrest Gump, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, Steven Fierberg accepted the ASC Career Achievement in Television Award, and Amy Vincent...

“Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema won Feature Film at the 38th ASC Awards, March 3 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Oscar favorite beat the other four Oscar nominees: “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” Poor Things,” and “El Conde”.

This marked van Hoytema’s first ASC win after three nominations (including “Dunkirk” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) and positions the Dutch-Swedish cinematographer for his first Oscar win. Significantly, “Oppenheimer” represents the culmination of his experimental IMAX collaboration with director Christopher Nolan. The duo achieved a new kind of intimate spectacle with this psychological thriller about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Best Actor nominee Cillian Murphy), the “father of the atomic bomb.” Van Hoytema used the large-format IMAX camera to explore the landscape of faces; namely, Oppenheimer’s in color from his perspective and Salieri-like adversary Admiral Lewis Strauss’ (Best Supporting Actor nominee Robert Downey Jr.) in black-and-white from his.

What a...

Hoyte Van Hoytema has taken top honors at the 38th annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards for his work on “Oppenheimer.”

Van Hoytema topped a field that included Edward Lachman for “El Conde, Matthew Libatique for “Maestro,” Rodrigo Prieto for “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Robbie Ryan for “Poor Things.”

The awards were handed out Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with Ed Helms hosting the festivities.

All five theatrical feature film nominees are also nominated for best cinematography at the Oscars.

In its 38-year history, only 17 have gone on to win the Oscar. Last year, Mandy Walker made history when she became the first woman to win an ASC award for her work on “Elvis.” The Academy Award ultimately went to James Friend for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

On the TV side, winners included Carl Herse for “Barry” and Ben Kutchins for “Boston Strangler.”

Van...

Lana Del Rey has confirmed she has a new album in the works and this time it’s a little bit country. The singer announced the LP, Lasso, at Billboard’s pre-Grammy event in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

During the event, Del Rey took the stage to fete producer Jack Antonoff, who is her collaborator on the new album. “If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country,” she told the crowd. “We’re going country. It’s happening.

(Updated with Showtime statement) Tammy Wynette had a huge hit in 1968 with “D-i-v-o-r-c-e,” but today the family of the legendary country singer’s fifth and final husband has taken Showtime to court to break up their relationship with George & Tammy.

Citing an alleged violation of a five-year old Non-Disclosure Agreement signed by Georgette Jones, the estate of songwriter George Richey want a wide variety of damages from the cabler. Richey’s fourth and final wife Sheila Slaughter and offspring Tatum Keys Richey also want the award winning 2022 miniseries pulled off streaming because “the Series conveys a negative and disparaging depiction of Richey.”

That’s the polite and legalese version of the way the suit says the self-described George & Tammy “villain” was presented.

“In summary, the Series depicts Richey as a devious husband who abused Wynette and Richey’s prior wife, facilitated and encouraged Wynette’s addiction to prescription painkillers, and...

The American Society of Cinematographers has unveiled the nominations for its 38th annual ASC Awards, honoring the year’s best in feature film, documentary and television cinematography.

The society’s marquee Theatrical Feature Film nominees are chock-full of awards-season favorite pics, with one surprise. Edward Lachman is up for the Netflix pic El Conde, joining the likes of Matthew Libatique for Maestro, Rodrigo Prieto for Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Ryan for Poor Things, Hoyte van Hoytema for Oppenheimer.

Prieto also lensed the year’s No. 1 movie, Barbie, but missed the ASC cut today.

The group’s film winner has gone on to claim the Academy Award nearly half of the time — 17 times in its 37 years — but not last year. Mandy Walker won the ASC’s top film prize in 2023, but the Academy Award went to James Friend for All Quiet on the Western Front.

On the small-screen front,...

“El Conde,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Poor Things,” and “Oppenheimer” were nominated by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) for outstanding achievement in theatrical film cinematography. Winners will be announced during the 38th Annual ASC Awards ceremony on March 3 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California; the event will also be live-streamed worldwide on theasc.com.

On the television side, the ASC singled out episodes of “Barry,” “The Bear,” and the “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” alongside sci-fi stalwarts “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “Foundation,” among others. The nominees for best anthology or limited series included episodes of “George and Tammy” and “Lessons in Chemistry” as well as made-for-tv movie “Boston Strangler.”

The ASC also singled out three documentaries: the first episode of the docu-series “Murder in Big Horn,” as well as the films “King Coal” and “Kokomo City.”

Below is the full list of nominations for the...

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s lensing of Martin Scorsese’s drama Killers of the Flower Moon and Robbie Ryan’s photography of Yorgos Lanthimos’ fantasy Poor Things are among the nominees in the feature competition of the 2024 American Society of Cinematographers Awards, which will be held March 3 at the Beverly Hilton.

They are nominated alongside Edward Lachman, for Pablo Larraín’s El Conde; Matthew Libatique for Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Berstein drama Maestro; and Hoyte van Hoytema for Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer. All five Oscar-nominated DPs have been previously nominated in this ASC category and each are seeking their first win. Lachman, whose previous credits include Carol and Far from Heaven, was the ASC’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award winner. This year, Prieto’s work also includes Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

A year ago, Elvis cinematographer Mandy Walker became the first woman to win the ASC feature competition. All Quiet on...

“Oppenheimer,” “Maestro” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” are among the films that received nominations for the American Society of Cinematographers Awards.

The ASC Award nominees for feature film, documentary and television cinematography represent the organization’s picks for the most compelling visual filmmaking.

Rounding out the feature film nominations are “El Conde” (Edward Lachman) and “Poor Things” (Robbie Ryan).

In television, “The Bear,” “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” were among the nominated series.

Last year’s feature film winner Mandy Walker made history when she became the first woman to win the ASC Award for her work on Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” However, she did not go on to win the cinematography Oscar, which went to “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Still, seven of the past 11 ASC winners went on to win the Oscar for best cinematography.

The ASC Award...

At this point in her career, Lana Del Rey could release an entire album of her excellent covers — from Sublime’s “Doin’ Time” to Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” to her newly-released rendition of Elvis’ “Unchained Melody.” Now she’s taken on John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

Del Rey’s take on the 1971 classic is unsurprisingly campy and Americana, with flourishes of emotions throughout the track.

Del Rey has continued to keep busy since wrapping her brief fall tour in October. Last month, she received...

IndieWire reached out to the cinematography nominees for the 75th Emmy Awards (Emmys). Once again, we used the data to build a chart and find tendencies. It seems that Sony takes the lead with the Venice. Also, it’s a nice surprise to explore the Kinefinity Mavo Edge and the Blackmagic Ursa 12K in that prestige list. Furthermore, there’s a solid presence of Red too.

The 75th Emmy Awards 75th Emmy Awards: Cinematography nominees and cameras

The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will honor the best in American prime-time television programming from June 1, 2022, until May 31, 2023, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony will be broadcast on Fox on January 15, 2024, with the Creative Arts Emmys on January 6 and 7, at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California, following a delay from September 2023 due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Nominations were announced...

Virgin River fans know Annette O’Toole as Hope, the gossipy but good-hearted town mayor. Her part in the popular Netflix series is just the latest in a long string of memorable roles for the Texas-born actor, who has been performing since she was a child. One of her first real jobs was on the iconic TV western Gunsmoke.

One of Annette O’Toole’s first acting jobs was on ‘Gunsmoke’ ‘Gunsmoke’ | CBS Photo Archive. Frame Grab

O’Toole, who was born in 1952 in Houston, started taking dance classes as a toddler at her mother’s school. When she was a teen, her family moved to Los Angeles so that she could pursue a career in Hollywood. At 16, she landed a role as a dancer on The Danny Kaye Show. She also appeared in episodes of My Three Sons and the anthology series This Is the Life. But O’Toole’s...

Lana Del Rey stopped by Robert’s Western World in Nashville over the weekend to showcase her recurring cover of Tammy Wynette’s 1969 crooner “Stand By Your Man.” The singer took the stage with Robert’s regulars Timbo and offered an intimate rendition of the track for the bar’s crowd.

Del Rey is currently gearing up for a short North American tour that kicks off in Franklin, Tennessee, at the FirstBank Amphitheater on September 14. The trek includes stops in Austin, Tampa, Charlotte, and more throughout September and October.

Del...

This story about Jessica Chastain and “George & Tammy” first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama and Limited Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. This interview took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.

An Oscar winner in 2022 for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”and a Tony nominee in 2023 for “A Doll’s House,” Jessica Chastain completed that acting trifecta this year with her first Emmy nomination. It came for “George & Tammy,”the Showtime limited series that she exec-produced and in which she and fellow first-time nominee Michael Shannon play Tammy Wynette and George Jones, the country music legends who chronicled their stormy on-and-off relationship through decades of hit songs — which Chastain and Shannon sing themselves rather than lip-syncing to the original recordings.

I get the feeling that you were as excited about Michael Shannon’s nomination as you were about your own.

I’m possibly even more excited,...

This Episode Was Recorded Prior To The Actors’ Strike.

This week’s guest is Jessica Chastain.

Fresh off a Tony nomination for her role in Jamie Lloyd’s Broadway revival of A Dolls’ House, Chastain is Emmy-nominated for her turn as country singer Tammy Wynette in Showtime’s six-part series George & Tammy, which co-stars Michael Shannon as George Jones.

During our chat, Chastain went deep into why Wynette was criticized for her apparently submissive role in performing her iconic song “Stand By Your Man”. Chastain, who sang live while shooting the show, peeled back the layers of Wynette’s experience at that time in Nashville, and why feminism found the “wrong target” in Wynette.

The Oscar-winner also dished about her role alongside good friend Anne Hathaway in the upcoming thriller Mothers’ Instinct, and Memory with Peter Sarsgaard.

And of course there’s the ’20 Questions’ at the heart of the episode,...

Lana Del Rey surprised fans in Rogers, Arkansas, Tuesday night with a rendition of Tammy Wynette’s Number One country hit from 1968, “Stand by Your Man.” The stage was dark when the first chords struck and Del Rey, who’s been dressing a bit more Loretta Lynn than Wynette on this tour, intoned the opening lines, “Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman,” to the delight of the crowd. Her backup dancers swayed and “oohed” and a couple of dancers at the head of the stage pulled off ballroom lifts and dips.

[Editor’s note: The following interview was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023.]

Jessica Chastain is not easily shaken. She faces her fears and whittles them down to something she can handle. And takes a shot of whiskey if need be. She landed an Oscar for daring to become the mascara-loving title character in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” Actors understood that she had to love the outlandish TV evangelist, who was a joke in many quarters, in order to understand her.

And the same is true of Tammy Wynette. However, “George & Tammy” (Showtime) presented another order of high-diving-board difficulty. It was one thing to sing like Tammy Faye. It was another to take on live-performing, opposite musician-actor Michael Shannon as country icon George Jones, as an all-too-familiar country superstar.

That was never the plan. Chastain was first approached back in 2011 at the Golden Globes by Josh Brolin, who was developing the story of Jones and Wynette. “I had never been in...

[These interviews were conducted before the actors strike.]

Jessica Chastain (George & Tammy, Showtime)

Best Actress in a Limited Series

Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette in Showtime’s George & Tammy.

The first time Chastain went to an awards ceremony — the 2012 Golden Globes, where she was nominated for The Help — Josh Brolin approached her and suggested she play country singer Tammy Wynette in a movie project he was also interested in joining. Over the next decade, that film morphed into a limited series, and Brolin segued from co-star to executive producer — but Brolin’s vision of Chastain as the country music legend was realized in Showtime’s George & Tammy, and now she is nominated for her first Emmy for her portrayal.

“Getting it made felt like the grand feat, but now, to have it be recognized the way that it is, feels like such a privilege,” Chastain told THR shortly after the nominations were announced. “I’m so ecstatic.

During a recent Gold Derby video interview, managing editor Chris Beachum spoke in-depth with Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon (“George and Tammy”) about their Showtime limited series, which is eligible at the 2023 Emmys. Watch the full video above and read the complete interview transcript below.

Shannon stars as country singer-songwriter George Jones in the true-life miniseries, who was often drunk in his personal life and even on stage. The actor revealed to us his secrets for acting drunk, noting, “Try and act like you’re not drunk is the best way to try and act drunk … I feel like the best strategy is just not to get too anxious about it.”

As for her character, rising entertainer Tammy Wynette, Chastain proclaimed, “When they were on stage together, even when he was drunk or whatever, there was something about George that reminded her that she was alive. And I think that...

Sometimes fear can be just as strong a motivator as love. That was the case for Showtime’s George & Tammy music producer and engineer Rachael Moore.

Under the influence and recommendation of musical legend T Bone Burnett, who served as a consultant on the Showtime series, Moore took the leap of faith. “He’s a dear mentor of mine,” Moore said about her relationship with Burnett. “I was a protégé of his, he really encouraged me to take this one, and I did.”

But what really made her say yes? “I had to – I couldn’t say no,” she said. “I was scared, so I had to.”

As a longtime resident of Nashville, aka the Country Music Capital of the World, Moore felt she was obligated to be a part of a series that spotlighted one of the biggest power couples in the genre’s history.

“I’ve been in...

Dolly Parton often shared her support for working-class women — and prominent artists in the country music scene. She even released “Just Because I’m a Woman,” even if it was different from songs by other female songwriters at the time.

Were Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton friends? Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton performing together, circa 1980 | Beth Gwinn/Redferns

They’re some of the biggest names in country music — it made sense that Parton was friends with artists like Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn.

“Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and myself were all in it about the same time,” Parton said in a 2007 London Sun interview (via Dolly On-Line). “They got a little bit of a head start on me, certainly Loretta, but we were all three good friends and actually ended up doing an album together.”

That was the 1993 release Honky Tonk Angels. After Lynn’s death in 2022, Parton posted a tribute,...

Country legend Tammy Wynette is synonymous with songs about heartbreak. But her woes sometimes came from places other than her love life. On a list of odd and unfortunate circumstances she faced, there’s a note that her tour bus once “went up in flames.”

According to a witness on the scene, one part of the singer’s collection took priority over the others during that event. And that was because of how important those items were to the star and her live shows.

Tammy Wynette | Andrew Putler/Redferns Tammy Wynette helped create a space for women in country music

Having finalized her first divorce before she was 23, Wynette was a mother of three young daughters by the time she arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, with hopes for a music career. Her third daughter developed spinal meningitis, and she worked as a hairdresser to pay bills before inevitably landing a record deal in the ’60s.

According to her former hairstylist, country music legend Tammy Wynette preferred wearing wigs over having anyone try to fix her “baby fine” hair during her shows.

Wynette was known for pulling off costume and hairstyle changes as part of her live performances, and her stylist revealed she kept a collection of hairpieces that made her job easy. All she needed to do was to style the wig, put it on the singer’s head, and watch her go.

Of course, she wasn’t the only country music icon who liked the ease of wigs. Dolly Parton has also confessed that she rarely leaves home without one on herself.

Tammy Wynette | David Redfern/Redferns Tammy Wynette had ‘baby fine hair’ and always wore wigs, according to her former hairstylist

Wynette was among the pioneers of contemporary live performances to incorporate colorful costume changes into her stage shows (Telegram & Gazette). That’s...

“It’s one of the greatest love stories to come out of the South and to come out of country music,” says “George and Tammy” creator Abe Sylvia. “I was so intoxicated by Tammy and George’s story and their history together. It is a treasure trove of big, emotional events. Their lives were amazing.”

See ‘George and Tammy’ reviews: Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon give ‘show-stopping’ performances in ‘a phenomenal piece of television’

To celebrate the acclaimed Showtime limited series, watch our special “Making of” roundtable discussion with Sylvia and stars Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon. Together they are joined by Gold Derby senior editor Denton Davidson for a memorable Q&a. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

“George and Tammy” is a six-episode telling of the volatile relationship between country superstars George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Reviews have been exceptional, with the critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reading,...

Jessica Chastain has spoken about changing a “deeply disturbing” scene in George & Tammy.

Chastain and Michael Shannon star as country music power couple Tammy Wynette and George Jones in the recently released series.

In the first episode of the series, Wynette is still married to her soon-to-be ex-husband Don Chapel.

Chastain – who also serves as a producer on the show – told Marie Claire that the script initially saw Jones attempt to get Wynette alone by distracting Chapel with an escort.

The scene, however, “disturbed” Chastain to the point that she wanted it to be altered.

“I read it, and I was deeply disturbed,” Chastain said. “[Tammy] was just kind of sitting there. People were creating stuff so she could be caught rather than her making decisions.”

The actor went on to explain how it was important to her that her character be given more agency.

“The song isn’t about being a doorman.

Jessica Chastain has spoken about changing a “deeply disturbing” scene in George & Tammy.

Chastain and Michael Shannon star as country music power couple Tammy Wynette and George Jones in the recently released series.

In the first episode of the series, Wynette is still married to her soon-to-be ex-husband Don Chapel.

Chastain – who also serves as a producer on the show – told Marie Claire that the script initially saw Jones attempt to get Wynette alone by distracting Chapel with an escort.

The scene, however, “disturbed” Chastain to the point that she wanted it to be altered.

“I read it, and I was deeply disturbed,” Chastain said. “[Tammy] was just kind of sitting there. People were creating stuff so she could be caught rather than her making decisions.”

The actor went on to explain how it was important to her that her character be given more agency.

“The song isn’t about being a doorman.

Jessica Chastain has spoken about changing a “deeply disturbing” scene in George & Tammy.

Chastain and Michael Shannon star as country music power couple Tammy Wynette and George Jones in the recently released series.

In the first episode of the series, Wynette is still married to her soon-to-be ex-husband Don Chapel.

Chastain – who also serves as a producer on the show – told Marie Claire that the script initially saw Jones attempt to get Wynette alone by distracting Chapel with an escort.

The scene, however, “disturbed” Chastain to the point that she wanted it to be altered.

“I read it, and I was deeply disturbed,” Chastain said. “[Tammy] was just kind of sitting there. People were creating stuff so she could be caught rather than her making decisions.”

The actor went on to explain how it was important to her that her character be given more agency.

“The song isn’t about being a doorman.

Click here to read the full article.

Jessica Chastain says a scene was altered in George & Tammy with the help of co-star Michael Shannon to give country icon Tammy Wynette more agency in the Showtime limited series.

In the first episode of the series, based on Wynette’s personal and professional relationship with fellow musician George Jones, the duo is confronted with their future while Wynette is still married to her soon-to-be ex-husband Don Chapel.

In an interview with Marie Claire, the actress and producer on the Golden Globe-nominated show shared that, in an early outline of the scene, Jones gets Wynette alone by distracting Chapel with an escort. For Chastain, the sequence around this moment was upsetting.

“I read it, and I was deeply disturbed,” Chastain recalled. “[Tammy] was just kind of sitting there. People were creating stuff so she could be caught rather than her making decisions.”

Giving the...

Jessica Chastain wasn’t going to play anyone’s pawn onscreen.

The Oscar winner transformed into “Stand By Your Man” crooner Tammy Wynette for Showtime series “George & Tammy” opposite Michael Shannon as George Jones. Chastain, who also produces the series through her Freckle Films banner, revealed that she objected to dialogue in the first episode of the series.

During the scene in question, Shannon as George tells Tammy’s soon-to-be-ex-husband Don (Pat Healy) that he is going to sleep with Tammy and hire the husband an escort.

“I read it and I was deeply disturbed,” Chastain told Marie Claire. “[Tammy] was just kind of sitting there. People were creating stuff so she could be caught rather than her making decisions.”

The prostitute subplot was removed, and co-star Shannon agreed that the dialogue needed to be changed.

“[Michael] changed the line from, ‘Yes, I’m going to fuck her’ — excuse the language — to,...

Over the years, there have been many iconic country duos but none quite like George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The couple had a storied history of chart-topping hits, as well as a complicated personal life. In Showtime’s new limited series, “George and Tammy,” Oscar winner Jessica Chastain and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon embody these legends complete with their own singing. Critics are praising the stars in this drama-fueled acting showcase to the tune of a certified freshness rating of 82 on Rotten Tomatoes.

See Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon (‘George and Tammy’) discuss the volatile relationship of country music superstars George Jones and Tammy Wynette [Exclusive Video Interview]

Since the limited series created by Abe Sylvia premiered on December 4, it has been steadily climbing up the ranks in Gold Derby’s awards prediction center. Chastain has propelled into sixth position for Best TV Movie/Mini Actress while Shannon recently moved into our top...

[Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Cinemax in support of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, which premieres on September 22nd at 10:00 pm Et/Pt on Cinemax.]

Mike Judge is behind a new TV show this month, with Cinemax’s “Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus,” an animated eight-episode series looking into the lives and times behind some iconic country music performers.

Some of these folks are household names from Nashville to Norway, but others are lesser-known figures from the country music world. They all have distinct styles and, as “Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus” shows, they all led very different lives away from the stage.

We’ll leave the prime anecdotes and animated hijinks to the experts (the series premieres Friday, September 22 at 10pm Et/Pt on Cinemax), but in the meantime, here’s a primer on the musicians that make up the backbone of this illustrated look at country music history.

Johnny Paycheck

A rebel among rebels in the country music world, Johnny Paycheck is probably best known for his...

Anthony Bourdain and Asia Argento are red carpet official.

The Parts Unknown host and the Italian actress made their first red carpet appearance as a couple at the annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday. Bourdain’s hit CNN show was nominated in five categories—and though he didn’t bring home a win, the night was still a success in his eyes.

“Best Emmys ever,” he wrote on a photo of the couple dressed to the nines. Argento retweeted the sentiment and also shared an adorable photo of herself looking into Bourdain’s eyes on the...

Here’s one TV show President Donald Trump won’t be watching: Showtime has ordered to series the half-hour comedy Smilf, co-starring Rosie O’Donnell.

VideosVladimir Putin Subject of Oliver Stone’s New Showtime Doc — Watch Trailer

Based on the Sundance Jury Award-winning short film of the same name, Smilf stars Frankie Shaw (Mr. Robot) as Bridgette, a twentysomething from the south side of Boston “whose desires for relationships, sex and a career collide with the realities of young, single motherhood,” per the network synopsis. O’Donnell will play Tutu, Bridgette’s mother, who is described as “completely oblivious to social convention.

Time Life has released the retro TV comedy series "Hee Haw" as a 14-dvd boxed set. Here is the official press release:

Program Description

Pickin’ and grinnin’, singin’ and spinnin’ tall tales and corny jokes, the citizens of Kornfield Kounty landed on television in 1969 with the arrival of Hee Haw as a summer replacement series for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. With a cast of down-to-earth characters including Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and Archie Campbell, knee-slapping comedic zingers, and jaw-dropping musical performances, the comedy-variety show, co-hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark, captivated the country. In 1971, after two successful years, CBS dropped the show in an effort to “de-countrify” the network’s programming; however, it was quickly picked up and aired for the next 21 years, making Hee Haw the longest-running weekly syndicated original series in television history.

In a new-to-retail set, Hee Haw: The Collector’S Edition offers 14 Hee-larious...

Considering how many other country stars have ended up on the barbed end of a Brad Paisley punchline, it's only fair to put the guy on the spot. So, Brad, just who has the better sense of humor, your Cma Awards hosting sidekick Carrie Underwood or your wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley? Paisley pauses to consider the possible grim consequences of his response. "There's no winning answer for that," he says. "I'm gonna say my wife because I have to go home to her," he finally decides, slipping off the horns of his dilemma. "But Carrie is very hard to beat as,...

Six artists from The Voice Top 10 can probably exhale — and one can do a happy dance — headed into tonight’s results telecast (8/7c on NBC).

RelatedThe Voice Top 10 Performance Recap: Rolling in the Deep End

Indeed, Alisan Porter breaks into the Top 10 on the iTunes singles chart — and snags the coveted multiplier bonus — thanks to her breathtaking, heartbreaking “Let Him Fly.” Her march to victory — prophesied in the Season 10 premiere — continues unabated.

Granted, downloads are only one component of the elimination equation — there’s also online and Voice app votes to consider — but the Bottom 2 in Top 11 Week turned out...

It gives me no pleasure to kick off my recap of The Voice Top 10 performance night with this tweak of a popular children’s song, and yet… it’s the most honest expression of my feelings about the obvious choice to go home on Tuesday’s results telecast.

RelatedTV on the Radio: Listen to New Tracks From The Voice‘s Tessanne and Sawyer, Idol‘s Allison Iraehta, Lee DeWyze and More

One of these singers is not like the other

One of these singers just doesn’t belong

Can you tell which singer is not like the others...

Does Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man” really belong on The Good Wife‘s Season 7 soundtrack?

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That’s essentially the question up for debate in the wake of last week’s cliffhanger, which found Gov. Peter Florrick asking his estranged first lady Alicia to hold off on making public her request for a divorce — and to stand by him until the end of U.S. Attorney Connor Fox’s investigation into his latest alleged misdeeds.

The hour ended, of course, with Alicia inhaling and preparing to...

Apparently, Tammy Wynette and Tupac Shakur have more in common than you might have thought. “Stand By Your Man” singer Wynette is the latest artist to receive the hologram treatment, following in the digitized posthumous footsteps of Shakur and Michael Jackson. The Wynette hologram, which is being created by Hologram USA in partnership with Wynette’s music publisher The Bicycle Music Company, will be unveiled in Nashville in early 2016, at a venue to be announced in the first quarter of next year. Also Read: Dead Comedians Andy Kaufman, Redd Foxx to Tour as Holograms “It’s an honor to celebrate...

Stand by your man, Behati Prinsloo, lest sinister forces at work whisk him away. While Adam Levine recently joined the ranks of the married, now two of his fellow coaches on The Voice are going through divorces. Blake Shelton, whose now ex-wife Miranda Lambert has performed and served as a guest mentor on the show as well, is actually already divorced, the country music super-stars having waited until the split was a done deal before they shared the news with the world. But just today, Gwen Stefani prompted a collective sad sigh as news broke that she and Gavin Rossdale are divorcing after 13 years of marriage. Don't speak, we know what you're thinking. Also, today, however: Reba...

Five Easy Pieces

Written by Adrien Joyce (Carole Eastman)

Directed by Bob Rafelson

USA, 1970

Five Easy Pieces follows along an existential strain of American cinema that began with films like The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1969), where, in the latter example, two men went looking for America and, as its tagline states, couldn’t find it anywhere, and continued through the vehement introspection that emerged from the tormented minds of Martin Scorsese’s anti-heroes, like Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver [1976]) and Jake La Motta (Raging Bull [1980]). Somewhere in between these two manifestations of anguish is Jack Nicholson’s Robert Eroica Dupea, the main character of Bob Rafelson’s 1970 feature. Disenchanted with life and the people who surround him, and utterly aimless in his restless, insatiable quest for self-contentment, Bobby is continually disheartened by the realization that his ideals of happiness and unhappiness don’t apply to everyone else, and may not even be applicable to himself.

The Twilight fan fiction Fifty Shades of Grey has hit the big screen, so what does Edward Cullen think of it?

Robert Pattinson -- who is buds with Mr. Christian Grey, Jamie Dornan -- admitted to Reuters that he's not too familiar with the erotic book-turned-movie series. "I haven't actually read the book but I think it must be very, very different," the 28-year-old Twilight heartthrob confessed. "I don't see how it can work if it's not different."

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While Pattinson somewhat praises Fifty Shades of Grey for it's popularity, he seems confused as to why the E.L. James books -- and now movie -- have become such a hit in pop culture. "It's amazing; it's that fan base," he continued. "There's some kind of profound connection that a bunch of people have to it and I've never figured out quite what it is."

Pattinson also briefly...

Edward Cullen and Christian Grey are buddies!

To the delight of Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey fans everywhere, Jamie Dornan revealed that he has a budding bromance with Robert Pattinson. "I don't remember what we talked about the last time I saw him," Dornan told Variety when asked about his friendship with the Twilight heartthrob. "I think we just got drunk."

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The Fifty Shades of Grey star says he met Pattinson, 28, after he wrapped filming on the erotic book-turned-movie. As fans of both franchises know, E.L. James wrote Fifty Shades as a piece of Twilight fan fiction, and reportedly wanted Edward Cullen himself (Pattinson) to take on the leading role of S&M enthusiast Christian Grey.

Video: The Iconic Fifty Shades of Grey Scene that Didn't Make the Cut

That being said, Dornan is insistent on differentiating between the two movies. "By the...