Latest news with #NathanFielder
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
With ‘The Rehearsal,' Nathan Fielder needs his own Emmy category
Yes, Tom Cruise will soon own an Oscar. But has he ever flown a Boeing 737 with 150 passengers on board? I'm Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter, here to explain why Nathan Fielder should be the Top Gun of this Emmy season. The second season of Nathan Fielder's brilliantly bonkers 'The Rehearsal' opens inside a commercial jet cockpit where the plane's captain and first officer are having a tense exchange as they prepare to land at a fogged-in runway. The first officer suggests they're off course. The captain disagrees but is soon proved wrong as the plane crashes. We see the pilots slumped in the cockpit, dead. Then the camera pans to Fielder, surveying the fiery aftermath, a disaster he just re-created in a simulator on a soundstage. With that prelude, it may seem strange to tell you that I laughed out loud as many times watching 'The Rehearsal' as I did any other TV series this season. Not during the simulated disasters, of course, which Fielder used to illustrate what he believes to be biggest issue in airline travel today — pilots failing to communicate during a crisis. So, yes, 'The Rehearsal' is about airline safety. Mostly. But Fielder is a master of misdirection. There is no way you can predict where he'll direct his premise, and I found myself delighting in utter surprise at the tangents he took in 'The Rehearsal' this season. An alternate biopic of pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, with Fielder playing Sully from diapered baby to the Evanescence-loving hero landing in the Hudson River? Yes! Re-creating the German subsidiary of Paramount+ as a Nazi headquarters? OK! Vacuuming up air from San Jose to help train a cloned dog in Los Angeles while he attempts to understand how the nature-vs.-nurture dynamic might play out in human behavior? Ummmmm ... sure. We'll go with it! With Fielder's incisive mind, the detours are everything. Even the destination this season came as a jolt. Yes, it involves that Boeing 737 I mentioned in the intro, and, no, I'm not going to elaborate because I still feel like not enough people have watched 'The Rehearsal.' The series' first two seasons are available on HBO, as are all four seasons of Fielder's Comedy Central docuseries 'Nathan for You,' which had Fielder 'helping' small-business owners improve their sales. (Example: Pitching a Santa Clarita liquor store owner that he should sell booze to minors but just not let them take it home until they turned 21.) The humor in 'The Rehearsal' can be just as outrageous as 'Nathan for You,' but the overall tone is more thoughtful, as it also explores loneliness and the masks we all wear at times to hide our alienation. For the Emmys, HBO has submitted 'The Rehearsal' in the comedy categories. Where else would they put it? But the show is so singular that I wonder if even its fans in the Television Academy will remember to vote for it. They should. It's funny, insightful, occasionally terrifying, utterly unforgettable. And I hope Isabella Henao, the winner of the series' reality show competition, goes places. She sure can sing! Meanwhile, that other pilot, Tom Cruise, will finally receive an Oscar, an honorary one, in November at the Governors Awards, alongside production designer Wynn Thomas and choreographer and actor Debbie Allen. Dolly Parton, singer, actor and beloved icon, will be given the annual Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable work. Cruise has been nominated for three acting Oscars over the years — for playing Marine Corps Sgt. Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone's 1989 antiwar movie 'Born on the Fourth of July,' the sports agent who had Renée Zellweger at hello in Cameron Crowe's 1996 classic 'Jerry Maguire' and the chauvinistic motivational speaker in Paul Thomas Anderson's 1999 opus 'Magnolia.' Cruise was also nominated as a producer for 2022's dad cinema favorite 'Top Gun: Maverick.' Cruise should have won the supporting actor Oscar for 'Magnolia,' a ferocious turn in which he harnessed his strutting brashness to play an odious character hiding a deep well of pain. It came the same year as his star turn opposite then-wife Nicole Kidman in 'Eyes Wide Shut.' Not a bad double feature! Instead, Michael Caine won for 'Cider House Rules' during an Oscar era in which there was seemingly no prize Harvey Weinstein couldn't land. It wasn't even Caine's first Oscar; he had already won for 'Hannah and Her Sisters.' Cruise has devoted himself to commercial action movies, mostly of the 'Mission: Impossible' variety, for the past two decades. He did recently complete filming a comedy with director Alejandro González Iñárritu, scheduled for release next year. It'd be funny if Cruise wins a competitive Oscar after picking up an honorary one. It happened with Paul Newman, Cruise's co-star in 'The Color of Money.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Noah Wyle Is Going to Washington to Fight for Healthcare Reform
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Noah Wyle may not hold a real medical degree, but the actor has heard story after story from fans and medical professionals who identified with The Pitt's celebrated portrayal of emergency work. As he told Esquire in April, 'it's people who are being strained to their breaking points day in and day out, unfairly in a job where we really need them to be healthy—because their health ultimately reflects on our health.' So, Wyle is partnering with FIGS, the medical clothing company, to use the HBO Max show's popularity as a platform to improve the lives of healthcare workers in this country. This week, Wyle will head to Washington D.C. with a group of eighteen medical professionals to propose meaningful healthcare reform for an underappreciated workforce that desperately needs help. 'As part of this grassroots effort, we're urging lawmakers to act on three urgent, bipartisan issues that are making health care workers' jobs, and their lives, harder than they need to be: lack of mental health support, crushing administrative burden and financial strain,' Wyle wrote in an op-ed for USA TODAY on Tuesday. 'Our message is simple: Without a supported, protected and fairly treated workforce, there is no patient care.' In the op-ed, Wyle shared stories he's heard from fans and medical professionals about 'staggering burnout,' a high risk of suicide, and the fear that seeking help from a mental health professional might jeopardize their medical license. As for the latter, comedian Nathan Fielder recently brought up a similar issue to Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen on HBO's The Rehearsal, citing pilots who were fearful to seek professional help in fear of losing their pilot's license. 'That's why one of our priorities is reauthorization and funding of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which includes federal mental health programs for health care workers as well as grants for peer support, training and institutional culture change, especially in rural and underserved areas,' Wyle wrote. Though the Protection Act was enacted in 2022 on a 'nearly unanimous bipartisan basis,' according to the actor, the bill lapsed in 2024 without congressional action to renew. Wyle also plans to advocate for fewer prior authorization delays—which add unnecessary paperwork from insurance companies for 'permission to treat their patients'—as well as fair compensation for the 80-hour weeks that some healthcare workers face. Kudos to Wyle for working so damn hard to make a difference. As comedian Nathan Fielder explored in The Rehearsal, it's difficult for actors and comedians to sit before Congress and advocate for issues they care about. Most of the time, their actions are dismissed—as if entertainers aren't also humans themselves. But as Esquire recently explored in our cover story with Bono, it's possible that former President George W. Bush would have never passed the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) without the U2 singer's continued advocacy. 'These aren't partisan issues,' Wyle wrote. 'They're practical ones. And they're urgent." You Might Also Like Kid Cudi Is All Right 16 Best Shoe Organizers For Storing and Displaying Your Kicks
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
The Rehearsal is a cringe comedy that might save lives but it's not for nervous fliers
Nathan Fielder's bewildering on Sky Atlantic show mixes uncomfortable laughs with a serious look at aviation safety You could say that season two of The Rehearsal (Sky Atlantic) has everything. The question is, do we want everything? Flight simulators, cloned dogs, a congressional subcommittee, fake airport concourses and a singing competition on the lines of Britain's Got Talent. It's a lot. Comedian Nathan Fielder, who previously created and starred in The Curse with Emma Stone, does all this with what must be an enormous budget from HBO (he mentions it several times). From this, he constructs not only a giant breastfeeding puppet – that bit was really funny – but an investigation into airline safety. He believes that most airline crashes are caused by the lack of effective communication in the cockpit.
USA Today
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
In Iraq, being a Jew made me a target. Now I feel unsafe at home.
In Iraq, being a Jew made me a target. Now I feel unsafe at home. | Opinion The threats I confronted and precautions I took as a soldier in Iraq are now a new reality in America. It is no secret that hatred for Jews is on the rise. Show Caption Hide Caption Nathan Fielder slams Paramount+ for cutting antisemitism episode Nathan Fielder didn't hold back on 'The Rehearsal,' using his HBO platform to call out Paramount+ for removing a controversial episode of 'Nathan for You'. unbranded - Entertainment The horrific attack June 1 in Boulder, Colorado, against predominantly Jews marching to raise awareness for the hostages held in Gaza is yet another sad example that there is no safe place to be a Jew. The irony is that as an American Jew deployed as an Army officer to Iraq, I understood the risks of my service. I knew that if I were captured by al-Qaida and my religion became known, I would assuredly be publicly and brutally tortured and killed. For this reason, I was careful who I shared this information with while in combat. Even the military dog tags that I wore for casualty identification omitted my religious preference. All of these precautions made sense given I was in a war zone fighting a vicious terrorist organization that would kill me simply for being Jewish. When I left the Army, I strongly believed that America was a haven from this type of intolerance and extremism. I grew up in a predominantly Jewish suburb of Chicago, openly wore my Judaism and went to synagogue without any fear of harm. Sadly, the surprise attacks by Hamas against Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, and the war that has ensued provided a false narrative justifying the targeting and killing of Jews wherever they live and without any regard to their connection to Israel. Shockingly, the threats I confronted and precautions I took as a soldier in Iraq are now a new reality in America. It is no secret that hatred for Jews is on the rise. The Anti-Defamation League reported that in the three months following the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitic incidents in the United States skyrocketed by 361%. Due to this increase, 56% of American Jews say they have altered their behavior and the way they live their lives out of fear, according to the American Jewish Committee. Opinion: Imagine surviving the Holocaust only to be attacked in America. It happened in Colorado. My family had close calls with Jew-hating gunmen. The global intifada is in America. There are countless stories behind these troubling figures. Even my own family has had several close encounters with Jew-hating gunmen. On July 4, 2022, my family was moments away from the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, when the far-right Nazi sympathizer Robert Crimo III opened fire on the large Jewish gathering, where five of the seven people killed were Jewish or members of Jewish families. And just on May 22, my wife attended the event at the Capital Jewish Museum where police say far-left gunman Elias Rodriguez fatally shot two attendees presumably because he believed they were Jewish. According to court document filed by the FBI, he said he killed 'for Palestine ... for Gaza.' Jews understand the message. We are targets – in our homes and at schools, synagogues and even parades. Opinion: 2 Israeli Embassy staff were killed. It's not about 'free Palestine.' The Palestinian intifada is patently a terrorists' playbook. There have been two previous intifadas, in 1987 and 2000 – both were grotesque in that they targeted passenger buses, children, cafes and clubs in Israel to strike fear among the population. The latest Palestinian intifada is now globalized, but the concept is identical to its predecessors. All Jews are fair game – killing under the guise of Palestinian liberation and justice. These domestic extremists are cut from the same cloth as Hamas terrorists – whom they openly praise. In fact, they have embraced the same ideology that killed my wife's first cousin, Dani Levi, during the surprise attack on Kibbutz Be'eri on Oct. 7, 2023. Dani served as an emergency room doctor providing lifesaving care to injured Israelis until Hamas attacked his clinic. Jews cannot fight this battle alone. We all must take a stand against antisemitism. What can be done to address the harmful rhetoric and violence directed against Jews? First, American Jews must continue to live as Jews. For example: Openly wear the Magen David necklace, attend Jewish events, vocally advocate for truth and, most important, do not fear their identity. Jews must make it a point that we are here to stay and even adopt the U.S. Army's motto: 'This We'll Defend.' Second, the world runs on alliances. American Jews can't fight this battle alone. Just as the Jews marched shoulder-to-shoulder with marginalized people during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement for equal rights, so too will the Jews need the help of non-Jews to advocate and call out antisemitism, however it manifests. Last, Jews must continue to speak truth to power whether to our own government or regarding the Israeli government's policies. Like any group, Jews are not a monolith. It's important that we express diversity of thought on Israel, Gaza and the future of peace in the region. All people deserve empathy, and we should do so with a dose of humility – understanding that the issues at play are complex and that people are suffering, including Palestinians. However, where there is no nuance and room for compromise is in calls for global violence against Jews, or to free Palestine from all Jews. This is rank terrorism and a call for genocide against the Jewish people living in Israel. America is free, but we should never tolerate the intolerable. Steven Katz was an active-duty Army officer from 2003-09. He served two combat tours in Iraq in ground combat leadership positions, receiving the Bronze Star medal. He also served as defense and intelligence adviser to Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado. He is co-director of the Celiz Antisemitism Taskforce for the Jewish War Veterans of America (JWV).
The Guardian
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Rehearsal to The Ballad of Wallis Island: the week in rave reviews
Sky Comedy & Now; episodes weekly Summed up in a sentence A mind-boggling comedy-cum-documentary-cum-reality show that helps people prepare for big life events by staging hugely elaborate mockups – currently focusing on how to prevent aviation disasters by improving communication in the cockpit. What our reviewer said 'As with season one, the producers have managed to find civilians who are so uniquely awkward that they feel like integral parts of the chaos. These are people who blur the line between committed normie and aspiring actor so well that many have, in fact, been accused of being fake. But they are all real.' Hannah J Davies Read the full review Further reading The Rehearsal: Nathan Fielder makes genius appointment TV … that may spoil you for ever BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now Summed up in a sentence A loving, exhaustive docuseries celebrating the author on the 250th anniversary of her birth, narrated by Juliet Stevenson. What our reviewer said 'The mood is impassioned and enthusiastic without being emetic – suffused with love of the work, and mapping the contours of the specific genius without anyone getting un-Janeishly carried away. You feel she would approve.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading 'Much darker than Pride and Prejudice!': authors pick their favourite Jane Austen novel Netflix; full series available now Summed up in a sentence Arrogant detective ends up accidentally causing a death, and is sidelined to a dank basement investigating cold cases – only to assemble a crack team. What our reviewer said 'It is all fantastically well, and rigorously, done. The pacing has a leisurely confidence that some may find a touch slow, but allows for a character-first approach, creating a richness that amply rewards initial patience.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading Dept Q's Kelly Macdonald on her Trainspotting teen highs and hitting her stride in her 40s BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now Summed up in a sentence A deep dive into the life of the entrepreneur, from fly-on-the-wall footage of her starting a lingerie empire, through to an investigative thriller about the PPE political scandal. What our reviewer said 'In some ways, this is a parable of fame. Mone courted it and won it, but eventually learned that once you turn on the faucet of public attention, trying to turn it off again is a sisyphean task.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review Netflix; all episodes available Summed up in a sentence A sensitive, sweet modern-day reimagining of Judy Blume's 1975 novel about teen desire which has been repeatedly banned by less tolerant schools and libraries. What our reviewer said 'As a teen drama, it works because, Heartstopper-style, its teenagers actually look and behave like teenagers. The performances are excellent, especially Karen Pittman and Xosha Roquemore as the mothers, but it all rides on whether you can buy into what leads Michael Cooper Jr and Lovie Simone are selling, and they sell it perfectly.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review Further reading Judy Blume forever: the writer who dares to tell girls the plain truth In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Funny/melancholy story of a former folk duo (Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden) who are inveigled into a comeback performance on a remote island for a single superfan. What our reviewer said 'You'll leave wanting your own island, your own gig and your own lock of Carey Mulligan's hair.' Catherine Bray Read the full review Further reading 'There's no chance an American will laugh': Tim Key on his very British new film and the US Office sequel In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan team up in a charming throwback sequel to the 2010 remake, with Ben Wang as the latest kid to don the bandana and learn the age-old secret of kicking ass with a dose of moral philosophy. What our reviewer said 'It's warm, it's breezy – it's a burst of summery family fun that is sure to inspire long looks back at the old movies and Cobra Kai episodes while sparking renewed interest in martial arts apprenticeship. Anyone would get a kick out of it.' Andrew Lawrence Read the full review Further reading Ralph Macchio on kicking it as The Karate Kid for 41 years In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Affecting drama based on Raynor Winn's memoir, in which Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs undertake a redemptive hike along the English south-west coast. What our reviewer said 'Somehow, they all bring a real sense of meaning and truth to cheap-sounding messages about living in the moment, and the possibility of long-term relationships deepening and growing in ways impossible to predict.' Cath Clarke Read the full review Further reading Walk on the wild side: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs on their epic hiking movie The Salt Path In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Complex relationship movie from French director Katell Quillévéré, focusing on the marriage of a single mother and closeted gay academic. What our reviewer said 'The awful toxicity of love … is an underground stream that has become very much an overground stream in this new, heartfelt movie.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Sky Cinema and Now; available now Summed up in a sentence Jesse Armstrong's post-Succession uber-wealth satire about four plutocrats on a lodge weekend that goes awry when the planet descends into chaos. What our reviewer said 'More than any comedy or even film I've seen recently, this is movie driven by the line-by-line need for fierce, nasty, funny punched-up stuff in the dialogue, and narrative arcs and character development aren't the point. But as with Succession, this does a really good job of persuading you that, yes, this is what our overlords are really like.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Review by James Smart Summed up in a sentence Her latest autofictional work finds the great graphic novelist exploring midlife contentment. Our reviewer said 'Writing about herself from a greater fictional distance seems to have given Bechdel more room to have fun: dramas and mishaps unspool with a lightly comic charm that belies the darkness in the world outside.' Read the full review Further reading Alison Bechdel: 'The Bechdel test was a joke… I didn't intend for it to become a real gauge' Review by Blake Morrison Summed up in a sentence Coming of age in 70s England. Our reviewer said 'Toy soldiers, conker fights, fizzy drinks, Wall's ice-creams, chicken-in-a-basket pub lunches, swimming lessons (plus verrucas): Dyer's recall of period detail and brand names is exceptional.' Read the full review Further reading Best seat in the house: writer Geoff Dyer on why sitting in a corner is so satisfying Review by Arin Keeble Summed up in a sentence Migration and heritage are explored through one woman's life, in 60s Italy and present-day Ireland. Our reviewer said 'A powerful and beautifully written story of family, friendship and identity.' Read the full review Further reading Novelist Sarah Moss: 'Hunger numbed my shame and humiliation' Review by Stuart Jeffries Summed up in a sentence A peek inside the seaborne world of the super-rich. Our reviewer said 'It's not just how big your superyacht is, but what you put inside it. The latest fashions include Imax theatres, ski rooms where guests can suit up for a helicopter trip to a mountaintop, and hospital equipment.' Read the full review Review by Kitty Drake Summed up in a sentence A cultural history of female friendship. Our reviewer said 'In this book, Watt Smith trawls through the archives to trace the history of imperfect, ordinary friends – who hurt and disappoint each other, but keep striving for connection regardless.' Read the full review Further reading The big idea: should you dump your toxic friend? Out 13 June Summed up in a sentence Jazz artist Halvorson is one of the most exciting guitarists in North America. Her new album features one of her largest backing bands to date. What our reviewer said 'Recently discussing Robert Wyatt in Jazzwise magazine, Halvorson said she loved his ability to blend 'the weird with the beautiful'. She wouldn't dream of it, but she could have been saying much the same of herself.'. John Fordham Read the full review Further reading Jazz guitar 'genius' Mary Halvorson on cocktails, tarot and making music that combusts Out now Summed up in a sentence After the blockbuster success of Flowers, Cyrus clearly has carte blanche to do what she wants – and has billed her new album as psychedelic and healing. What our reviewer said 'It's all about as psychedelic as a baked potato. But it's still all very well written and well made.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence This Scottish indie-folk artist has been creating some sizeable buzz around their spellbindingly beautiful voice and arrangements. What our reviewer said 'These story songs – about youthful infatuation, reckless hedonism and one-sided obsession – are brittle and wounded, each zeroing in on a different strain of disappointment or heartache.' Shaad D'Souza Read the full review Further reading One to watch: Jacob Alon Out now Summed up in a sentence Marking the 400th anniversary of the death of English pre-baroque composer Gibbons, this is a set of his works with a new piece by American composer Muhly at its centre. What our reviewer said 'Muhly's composition, with its urgent string figures, contrasts beautifully with the flowing imitations of Gibbons' fantasias around it.' Andrew Clements Read the full review O2 Academy, Glasgow; touring to 7 June Summed up in a sentence On her first tour since 2018, the Walsall soul-R&B-garage singer shows off how adventurous her songcraft has become. What our reviewer said 'Her searing, smoky voice is used sparingly to start, sometimes even drowned out by the power of the band's two drummers. But by Feelings, Smith drops the wall. She beams megawatt charisma through the track's lyrically chilly push-and-pull, and slinks between risers, glamorously at ease.'. Katie Hawthorne Read the full review
