Latest news with #MeanGirls
CBC
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Vancouver author and former MGM assistant's debut novel is based on her own Hollywood blunder
In the early 2000s, Christine Stringer worked as an assistant on film sets in Vancouver. She brushed shoulders with stars and knew the inner workings of Hollywood North. While working on a film starring Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, the director hired her to move to Los Angeles and be his assistant while they finished up the movie — Walking Tall. "It was just my dream come true," she said. But her dream became something of a nightmare when she was accused of stealing a copy of the film and investigated by the FBI for piracy after she lost a DVD. That story is the inspiration for her debut novel, Charity Trickett Is Not So Glamorous, a light-hearted, comedic take on what Stringer actually endured — which includes a scene where Charity takes a date to a movie premiere only to learn he wasn't quite what she thought. "Jack is definitely a real guy that I went on a first date with in L.A. and he used me to sneak into the premiere of Mean Girls," Stringer told CBC's North by Northwest host Margaret Gallagher. 'She's a better version of me' Stringer set the book in the '90s, a little earlier than when she found herself in Tinseltown. "I am such a lover of Hollywood and, in my mind, if I wanted to write this book and have it represent the Hollywood that I grew up with and I loved, I had to move the timeline backwards a little bit," she said. She said she has already planned two more books for Charity Trickett, which will move into the early 2000s. Charity Trickett, who gives off true main character energy, is "everything that I wish I was in my early 20s when I lived in L.A.," Stringer said. "She's feisty, she's smart," she said. "I think that hindsight and age has given Charity … she's a better version of me because of it. When I was in L.A. and I was under FBI investigation, all I could think about was how it impacted me. I didn't realize, then in my 20s, how it was going to impact my boss who was on the verge of getting married, or how it would impact the executives at the studio who had decades of experience in their industry and have kids that they have to send off to university." In the novel, things go awry for the protagonist when she loses a copy of the big film she's been working on. If this happened today, Stringer said, the fallout would have happened more quickly. "With HD, that film could be distributed globally within seconds." In Stringer's case, things did eventually settle down. She continued to work in film for a few years before leaving the industry in 2011. As for the missing DVD, she said investigators told her that she had been pickpocketed. "He was trying to extort MGM for, like, millions of dollars — this is the story I was told, mind you, and then they caught him. Nobody would tell me any details, but that's the story they gave me."
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Renee Rap wears Celtic FC jacket to Summertime Ball
American singer and actress Reneé Rapp, best known for portraying Regina George in both the Mean Girls Broadway musical and its recent film adaptation, was seen donning the Glasgow club's jacket while speaking to MTV UK at the Capital Summertime Ball, where she had performed earlier in the evening. READ MORE: Glasgow college launches Oasis masterclass ahead of reunion tour When asked to share a secret during the interview, she said: "A secret? "This is the most f*****g overstimulating thing I've literally ever done in my life. "I've never seen so many people in one place, and it is so overstimulating, and I don't do well in public situations, even though you would think that I do." The sight of the popstar in the Celtic jacket quickly went viral, with fans flooding social media with their reactions. One fan wrote: "As if she couldn't get any more perfect." Another commented: "Class, she wears it well." A third said: "Massive day for Renee and Celtic fans." With a fourth chiming in: "Renee in Celtic, oh my God, icon." READ MORE: Call for help from Nick Knowles prompts local business to help with DIY SOS project The popstar performed in Glasgow earlier this year at the O2 Academy on February 25 as part of her Snow Hard Feelings tour. She is now gearing up for the release of her second studio album, Bite Me, set to drop on August 1, 2025. The project is described as a celebration of being 'authentically, unapologetically' oneself, embracing everything from chaos to confidence. In reference to her new album, Renee was playfully asked who last bit her. She replied: "My girlfriend, I guess? "I think that was the last person to bite me, I'm not sure."
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Reneé Rapp defends Megan Thee Stallion in viral Ziwe interview with blunt takes on Tory Lanez and Drake
Reneé Rapp's recent interview with Ziwe has gone viral after her blunt remarks about Tory Lanez and Drake. The 24-year-old singer and actress didn't hold back, voicing full support for Megan Thee Stallion while openly criticising Lanez and Drake's actions. When asked about Tory Lanez being stabbed in prison, Rapp responded: 'I feel like a lot of people get stabbed, and that's okay. Maybe we should be doing it more. Shiv in the pocket.' The comment ignited intense debate across social media, particularly given Lanez's current 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Rapp has consistently stood by Megan. Last year, she collaborated with her on a Mean Girls soundtrack single, and in the interview, Rapp reaffirmed that stance, stating: 'I'm a true Meg supporter. I hate that other man. I love Megan Thee Stallion. If anybody tries her over that sorry man, it's a do-or-die fight for me.' Ziwe also asked Rapp about Drake's support of Lanez, referencing his signature on a petition calling for Lanez's release. Rapp's response was sharp: 'That's so tired. I love Kendrick Lamar.' Ziwe called it 'her most iconic interview yet,' and many viewers agreed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Renee Rapp on Tory Lanez Getting Stabbed 14 Times in Prison: 'I Feel Like a lot of People Get Stabbed'
Renee Rapp is not only delivering vocals. She's delivering courtroom defense, street justice, and crazy good energy in her new interview with Ziwe, and the Internet can't quit laughing. In a sidesplittingly insane and utterly brash moment, the Mean Girls actress took both guns out in defense of Megan Thee Stallion, threw Tory Lanez into the trash can of obscurity, and lit it up for good measure. When one of her friends asked her regarding reports that Tory Lanez had been stabbed in prison, Rapp didn't flinch. I feel like a lot of people get stabbed,' she shrugged, eyes deadpan. 'And like… that's okay.' Oh, but hold up, sis. The Grammy-nominated rapper and self-described Megan Thee Stallion stan took it to a whole other level. They gave 2025 its motto with a line that's going to be chucked on T-shirts, tattooed on thighs, and sewn onto throw pillows across the internet: 'Maybe we should be doing it more. Please. Maybe we should be stabbing more.' Justice? Served. Ice cold. With a side of sarcasm. Ziwe's showbiz isn't new to satire, and the interview was a clinic in deadpan humor, rapid-fire barbs, and cutting shade. Rapp's delivery? Perfected. Her commitment? Hardscope. Tory? Hopefully, he is on his prison bed, wondering how he got served by Regina George 2.0 on a Tuesday morning. When Ziwe brought up the latest cycle of mess, an accusation that Drake allegedly posted a pardon petition for Tory Lanez (you heard it right, a pardon, as if this is some Disney villain redemption arc), Rapp didn't even try to pretend to be concerned. 'That's so tired,' she exhaled with a sigh, a gothic-out guidance counselor with sparkles in her eyes and an attitude of disdain toward plain men. Rapp then proceeds to show her love for Kendrick Lamar, 'I love Kendrick Lamar,' Rapp said. Ziwe followed it up by saying, 'They not like us.' The punchline? Rapp briefly invoked her inner white woman in distress, spinning into a pseudo-victim voice: 'That's where my white woman comes out… please.' She paused, then stopped herself with a sly smile. 'Kidding. Totally kidding. No, it's fading. It's fading.' Comedy performance art. Feminism. Armed comedy with only a pinch of felony. Twitter (sorry, X) understandably collectively lost their minds. Videos of the interview spread like wildfire, with supporters cheering on Rapp's candid truth-telling and side-eying, smirking at the double standards still present in Megan Thee Stallion's case. Megan Thee Stallion got shot in 2020 by Tory Lanez. She was trolled, dragged, and gaslit by fans, rappers, and actual Rolling Stone op-eds while publicly recovering from trauma and taking home Grammys. Tory got 10. And now, as he allegedly gets jumped in prison, celebrities are signing petitions like it's a f*cking yearbook. Enter Renee Rapp, stage left, bearing dry humor, a death stare, and positively zero patience for horseshit. It's rejuvenating. It's laugh-out-loud. It's criminally close to becoming a sin. And it's what the culture craved. Because sometimes, when the justice system can't be relied on, when the rap community falls silent, and when Champagne Papi begins penning Tory Lanez fanfiction, it takes a mean girl to speak our minds. Maybe we should be sticking more knives in. Or, at the very least, pulling clowns like this along with sharp, pointed interviews. Either way, Renee Rapp is the heroine we never knew we needed. And Megan? She's got a new ride-or-die on her side. The post Renee Rapp on Tory Lanez Getting Stabbed 14 Times in Prison: 'I Feel Like a lot of People Get Stabbed' appeared first on Where Is The Buzz | Breaking News, Entertainment, Exclusive Interviews & More.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tina Fey on ‘The Four Seasons': ‘It was a challenge to be restrained about where we put jokes'
'Just one more time,' says Tina Fey. 'It was time for me to go back into something just one more time, before they put me in the ground.' With a string of successes from 30 Rock, Mean Girls, Saturday Night Live to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, turns out it was a 40-year-old movie that inspired the award-winning triple threat to take another creative swing. More from GoldDerby Roy Wood Jr. on how 'Lonely Flowers' became his most personal special to date 'He feels like he's the smartest guy there': 'Abbott Elementary's' William Stanford Davis on Mr. Johnson's 'veneer' of 'mystery' 'The Shining' at 45: How Stanley Kubrick's Stephen King adaptation became the Razzies biggest regret 'I've always loved the movie since I was 11 years old,' Fey tells Gold Derby of the 1981 feature The Four Seasons. As luck would have it, the film was made for Universal Studios, where she happens to have an overall deal. More crucially, she also secured the blessing of Alan Alda, who wrote and directed the original, and has a cameo in Fey's limited series adaptation for Netflix. 'I think he's delighted that this movie he made 40 years ago is still speaking to people in these two different ways,' says Fey. 'I'm still so grateful that he trusted us not to screw it up.' Fey's vision would honor the original by surrounding herself with friends, on-screen and off (she brought on former colleagues Tracy Wigfield and Lang Fisher as co-showrunners). 'The idea of building this ensemble with beloved actors, and the thrill of seeing them pretend to be old friends, that was one of the things I loved the most about the old movie,' says Fey of the film, which also starred Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, Jack Weston, Len Cariou, and Bess Armstrong, about three couples who vacation together. Steve Carell was her first call. 'I thought if I could get Steve to say yes, then we'd really be on our way somewhere,' she says, 'because he's the closest we have to an Alan Alda.' 'He's our most beloved American comedy figure of a couple generations, probably because of the incredible shelf life of the American Office. I also thought there was something about Steve that he could get away with playing Nick, because Nick does some things that make people mad. Michael Scott [from The Office] does things that are ill-advised, too, and Steve is beloved, so I knew he could do that.' SEE Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and more on the 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience of filming 'The Four Seasons' Next in line was Colman Domingo to play Danny. 'He was the only person we ever talked about for Danny,' she says. 'I didn't know what we were going to do if he didn't want to do it.' She hoped he'd want to do some comedy after Rustin — and especially The Madness. 'It was a lot of running and getting shot at, and you know, we're the same age, so maybe he wanted to do a show where he could wear sweaters and go to the beach.' Domingo suggested Marco Calvani as his partner, Claude (adapted from the original's Claudia); Will Forte, Kerry Kenney-Silver and Erika Henningsen rounded out the ensemble. Naturally, Fey was always going to play Kate. 'TikTok will tell you that I only ever play people named Kate,' jokes Fey. 'I always loved the scenes between Carol and Alan [in the film], the way that they would argue, and the kind of healthy arguing style that they had. I just wanted to be in those scenes.' That said, she did check in with her co-showrunners to make sure the fighting didn't go too far. 'Am I just being a horrible bitch to [Jack] all the time?' she asked them, who assured her she wasn't. 'I have heard anecdotally from a lot of people who feel like they see their marriage reflected in Jack and Kate.' Getting the voice of the show just right was a priority — especially after the sharp-edged, deeply sardonic wit of 30 Rock. 'It was a really conscious effort to work in a different tone,' Fey says. 'We wanted to evoke the tone of the original movie. At the same time, we knew we were doing eight episodes for streaming, so we felt like we needed just enough story energy to feel like we were cliff-hangering and pulling people one episode to the next. It was a challenge for all of us to be restrained about where we put jokes. The few other characters we meet can't be too absurd. We have to stay grounded, stay tethered. And that's the goal — if we were to strip some things away, would we be able to hold tinier emotional moments and small behaviors as subtler jokes.' And all joking aside, the series does take a dark turn in the penultimate episode, when Carell's character, Nick, dies in a car accident. 'It was one of the things we talked about from the beginning, because we thought, something needs to happen, and what's a real-life thing that happens?' she says. 'And that's one of the things that happens.' 'I remember when we pitched it to Steve, he was like, why does this keep happening to me?' says Fey. 'And I was like, 'Oh no! Well, too late — it's happening again.'' Netflix Fey says the episode, which is inspired by thirtysomething, is ultimately one of her favorites. 'It's probably the biggest swing that we take in the whole season,' she says. That it happens off-screen, she says, is because 'that's the way it happens in real-life… You don't expect it, and you don't see it.' SEE'The Four Seasons' co-creators explain their decision to kill [spoiler] — and Tina Fey's remarkable performance in response: 'She's really good' Though Fey juggles her usual trifecta of roles – showrunner, writer, actor – on this series, the shorter episode run meant that the scripts were finished by the time shooting began, so the pivot was more seamless. 'You are pretty much ready to answer questions that the actors might have, because you've been thinking about it for a long time,' she says. 'And I guess one of the important things to remember on the acting side is to maybe then try to shake yourself loose from how you've been hearing it in your head the whole time, to try to actually be present with the other actors, because then you might find something new that surprises you.' That's another one of the benefits of the streaming world, Fey acknowledges. 'You don't have to cut to exactly 21:15 so you end up like speeding your episode to make the exact timing. Nobody puts a snipe for a singing contest over your show,' she says. 'Plus we did so much nudity,' she jokes. This also marked the first time that Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, directed an episode she'd written. 'I think there were moments where he was so happy to get to direct the play within the episode, because he's a theater director also, and that was probably the closest we came to butting heads,' she jokes. 'I will say it was even more adorable thing to watch Jeff direct, his first three-way, same-sex love scene. That was a new fun challenge, because we didn't have those kind of scenes on 30 Rock.' But she's not ready to take on that role herself just yet. 'I would never say never,' she says. 'But I love the showrunner position, because you can have all the perks and the input that a director has without having to figure out the shots. I really do respect people who think in pictures. But I definitely think in moments and bits and words and characters more than pictures.' Far more challenging was shooting the seasons themselves — finding locations for four seasons of the year in just nine weeks of shooting time. Luckily, they had a road map: Arlene Alda, Alan's wife, was the set photographer of the original film. 'She put out a coffee table book at the time of how they did it and what order they shot things in,' says Fey. That meant Forte and Carell were able to get in some ski time. 'They always seemed happiest when we had them do sports; though Fey, however, didn't enjoy that it quite as much. 'This is horrible, why do people do this? It's so cold!' she laments. The ultimate reward, for her, is the success of the show, which debuted at No. 1 on Netflix. 'The closest for me would be playing Sarah Palin,' she says. 'I don't think I've ever worked on something that was seen by so many people. You can always tell anecdotally when you hear from a bunch of people that first weekend. Not to name drop, but I think the first person that texted me that weekend to say I watched it and I loved it so much was Lindsay Lohan. And I was like, if Lindsay Lohan is watching this in Dubai, people are watching it around the world.' Best of GoldDerby Inside 'The Daily Show': The team behind the satirical news series on politics, puppies, punchlines — and staying sane Dakota Fanning said 'yes' to 'The Perfect Couple' the moment she heard Nicole Kidman was involved, without knowing anything else about the show 'Slow Horses' star Rosalind Eleazar gets real about her MI5 outcast Louisa Guy: 'She's really not OK' Click here to read the full article.
