Variety says: ‘The end is finally here. “Avengers: Endgame” had its world premiere Monday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center and reactions on social media from fans, journalists and critics are already pouring in. The reaction has so far been almost universally positive, with several commentors warning fans of the movie’s emotional elements. Brandon Davis wrote that he “cried so hard” during the film, and called it the “perfect culmination of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.”’
The Daily Beast: ‘Random House is making good on its promise to publish a memoir written by the artist formerly known as Prince. The book, to be called The Beautiful Ones, will come out this fall. The book was announced just after his 2016 death and will include an introduction by New Yorker writer Dan Piepenbring, who had been collaborating on the project with the superstar. “The Beautiful Ones is the deeply personal account of how Prince Rogers Nelson became the Prince we know: the real-time story of a kid absorbing the world around him and creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and the fame that would come to define him,” according to the Random House announcement. The book will span the star’s life from his childhood in Minnesota to his struggle with addiction to painkillers.’
Movies: It’s a real dilemma: “Penguins” or “Drunk Parents.” Why isn’t there something Easter-related? TV/Streaming: I’m going to catch up with Beyonce’s Netflix documentary, “Homecoming.” Then maybe I’ll give another try with PBS’s “Mrs. Wilson,” which thus far has been nothing more than mediocre. Music: The best-seller charts are still littered with soundtracks (“A Star is Born,” “The Crow”) and some person called Billie Eilish. Time to cue up some Julie London and Little Jimmy Scott. Books: Does any new release sound more yawny that David Brooks’s “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life”? When I was young I disliked tea-cuppy Trollope novels, and now I devour them. Sports: What a joy to see Juventus lose to Ajax, and what a sorrow to see the Mets sputter. Finally: I prefer Easter to Christmas: it doesn’t go on forever and there are bonnets and chocolates!
The 72nd Cannes Film Festival announced its lineup, boosting the number of female filmmakers in official selection to 13, four of whom will compete for the Palme d’Or. The number of Americans is also up, including Terrence Malick (“A Hidden Life”), Ira Sachs (Isabelle Huppert starrer “Frankie”), and director Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die,”which was previously announced as the opening night film. Other high-profile films in the lineup include Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” now playing in Spanish cinemas, and new films from past Palme d’Or winners Ken Loach (“Sorry We Missed You”), who has competed 13 times before, and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (“The Young Ahmed”). The Belgian brothers have won Cannes’ top honor twice before, returning now with a film about the immigrant experience. “The Traitor”marks Italian director Marco Bellocchio’s seventh time in competition.
Oh, goodness, a Mayor Pete gaffe! This morning, on Morning Joe, they were teasing him about having met Tim McGraw and then not recognizing Brad Paisley when Brad introduced himself to to him and Mayor Pete’s husband Chasten had to tell him whom he had just met since he failed to recognize him. Pete said he had this condition called “celebrity blindness” which causes him usually to have the inability to recognize famous people.
The Bauhaus was born in Weimar, but was forced to flee the conservative city. Now it’s back with a centenary museum – as Germany’s far right rises again. Details.
