Roundups #110: Winx Club Reboot And New Movie Is In Development, HBO's Westworld Cancelled After 4 Seasons And Shelley Duvall Makes A Comeback In Horror Flick The Forest Hills

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New Winx content in the works

Straffi said Friday on Instagram that a "big budget" film and a new animated series are in the works.

The post follows news that Fate: The Winx Saga was canceled at Netflix after two seasons.

"I am working on many exciting Winx projects in the near future, some of which I take so much joy in sharing with you," Straffi wrote. "First off -- a brand new CG Winx animated series reboot is going into production. Yes, a reboot that I promise to sweep you back to the Winx world."

"The second piece of news is about my long-time dream to produce a big-budget Winx movie that all of you deserve," he added. "For all the love you have given to Winx, I am working hard hoping to bring you a top-quality movie where you can experience the Winx world, embracing once again all the core values of what this iconic brand has meant for you."

Warner Bros. Discovery cancels yet another show

HBO announced late on Friday that it has cancelled its science fiction drama series Westworld after four seasons. The series aired in Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) and MultiChoice's video streamer Showmax.

The TV series, of which just the first season costed a reported $100 million, was based on Michael Crichton's science fiction film of 1973 about a futuristic amusement park where self-conscious androids start to kill and escape, and made its debut in 2016. The ever-dwindling ratings fell from 12 to 4 million over the course of its run, however.

Westworld's ratings fell sharply in the United States as viewers and critics complained that the story became too dense and confusing, with the show that has now fallen victim to Warner Bros. Discovery's ongoing cost-cutting across the company.

The Shining actress is set to star in another horror film

Shelley Duvall (The Shining) is gearing up to return to screens via The Forest Hills — an indie horror-thriller from writer-director Scott Goldberg, which marks her first project in 20 years. (The first behind-the-scenes still featuring the actor can be found above.)

Also starring Edward Furlong, Chiko Mendez and Dee Wallace, The Forest Hills follows a disturbed man who is tormented by nightmarish visions, after enduring head trauma while camping in the Catskill Mountains. Duvall will play the mother of the mentally and emotionally disturbed Rico (Mendez), who serves as his inner voice.

“We are huge fans of The Shining and it’s honestly one of my favorite horror movies of all time, up there with John Carpenter’s Halloween and George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead with the dark tones they delivered in their movies, along with perfect scores and elements that make them my personal favorites,” said Goldberg. “Shelley contributed to The Shining being an absolute masterpiece by giving her all, and performing in a way that really showcased the fear and horror of a mother in isolation.”

Hallmark Channel Possibly Making A Comeback To Africa As Peacock Becomes Official Home To All Its Content

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Peacock has closed a pact with Hallmark Media to stream live and on-demand programming from Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama. It’s a first-of-its-kind linear plus SVOD deal for the network.

Hallmark Channel was once available in Africa and across the world but following it's acquisition by NBCUniversal the feed was replaced by Universal TV, Studio Universal, 13th Street Universal and Diva Universal.

Now Hallmark has a hub on Peacock’s home page which features live simulcasts of all three channels with current-season programming available live and on-demand next day as well as a library of movies within the Hallmark library, which includes holiday titles.  

“As we continue to make Peacock a premium streaming destination, Hallmark is exactly the type of brand we want to align with,” said Kelly Campbell, President of Peacock, and Direct-to-Consumer, NBCUniversal, in a statement. “Through this groundbreaking partnership, we’re giving Hallmark viewers a unique viewing experience while continuing to grow our audience, boosting engagement across both brands.”

“We’re proud to enter this partnership with Peacock and bring our widely beloved Hallmark content to their subscribers,” said Wonya Lucas, President and CEO, Hallmark Media. “The opportunity to provide our devoted fanbase access to all three of Hallmark’s linear networks will allow our audience to continue to grow and connect in meaningful ways.”

In addition to the live Hallmark channels, Peacock subscribers will have access to Hallmark content on demand, including live and next-day access to series such as When Calls the Heart, as well as the new series Ride and The Way Home coming in 2023. The hub will also include a VOD collection containing new premiere movies and Hallmark movie classics as part of a Peacock Premium subscription.

Pending New Series: Die Vertroueling, Begusarai And 6 Other Telenovelas Awaiting Release On eExtra

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Below is a list of shows that is set to air on eExtra in the coming future some of this content may be available on eVOD while others were rumoured and have since then been awaiting a release date so we've rounded them up in one post.

1. Die Vertroueling - possible replacement for either Kruispad or Die Put launching by the fall of 2022 or early 2023

It revolves around a veteran of Turkish special forces 'Celal Kün'. His life changes when his daughter is shot down in a celebratory event. After this tragedy, he tries to find the planners of this deadly event and joins his agency again.

2. Soete Wraak - possible replacement for Verdeelde Liefde launching by early 2023

It follows the story of two people who were together in college. Sinan has fallen in love with Pelin but he rejected his feelings and insulted her in front of all. They two meet each other again after many years and Pelin asks Sinan for help to change her fate and the situation brings them together but they face many consequences.

3. Liar - set to replace Sisterhood later in 2023

Deniz is a smart, talented, dedicated literature teacher. Mehmet Emir is a famous surgeon. He is the student of his son Deniz. Both haven't let anyone into their lives for quite some time. The attraction between them leads them to a dinner together and then to a series of events that will turn their lives upside down.

4. Tainted Love Leke - slated for 2023 possibly in the same slot as Sisterhood

Yasemin grew up in the orphanage together with her 9-year-old brother Murat. Yasemin, who had to leave the orphanage when she was of minor age, studied the law and working in an organization company. She wants to receive custody of her brother and to pay for surgery. However, she experiences events that she does not expect.

5. Dayan, Destructive Beauty - development hell

Dayan, Destructive Beauty follows Janvi Maurya, a well-educated and family-oriented girl hailing from Ujjain, stumbles upon a dangerous ploy by an evil force as many unusual and mysterious happenings occur in her hometown. With a threat to her life, she must unmask the identity of a Daayan.

6. Begusarai - development hell

Orginally titled as Bullets And Blood, it is set in the land of Bihar, the series focuses on the Takur family where bullets speak louder than words.

7. Gangaa - rumoured

Early in life, Ganga meets a tragic turn when she becomes a widow on the day of her marriage. Eventually, her love for Sagar, her childhood friend, is reciprocated, but they must endure separation.

8. Ring Of Fire - rumoured

Ring of Fire is a romantic story of a bachelor with two potential suitors. The series sets out the narrative of Anurag, Ragini, and Srishti, who are caught up in a love triangle that gets worse over time and turns wild.

GBA: The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy

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Someone breaks into Grim's trunk and releases his Mojo Balls, orbs of dark magic that infect anyone who touches them with supernatural rage, causing everyone in Endsville to senselessly fight each other. Following a suspicious trail of feathers, Billy, Mandy, Grim, and Irwin travel to various locations to simultaneously recover the Mojo Balls and look for clues as to who released them, defeating others infected by mojo rage along the way.

After being led back to Billy's house, the group recovers the last of the mojo from the brain-eating meteor that crashes in his backyard. The others then discover that Billy was the one who opened Grim's trunk hoping to free "Moe and Joe"; a curse Grim had put on the trunk as a failsafe measure had caused Billy to begin sprouting chicken feathers, which he had been leaving a trail of so he would not get lost. Everyone is infuriated at Billy, and Mandy breaks the fourth wall to express hope that the game includes a mode where they can all beat him up. The player is then able to control Mandy and attack Billy for the duration of the game's credits sequence.

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The Truth About Michael Jackson's Stranger In Moscow

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A ballad about a man merely trying to have his voice heard while by being crucified by the press.

“Stranger in Moscow” exemplifies Michael Jackson not as ‘The King of Pop,’ but simply as a man in a foreign land disconnected from the world.

“Stranger in Moscow” was written in a hotel room in Moscow, possibly between September 13–16, 1993, while Michael was on his Dangerous World Tour. The song would be released as the final single off the HIStory album in November, 1996. It is perhaps Michael’s most personal song, as his lyrics are direct and in the first person.

“Stranger in Moscow”

“I was wandering in the rain
Mask of life, feelin’ insane
Swift and sudden fall from grace
Sunny days seem far away
Kremlin’s shadow belittlin’ me
Stalin’s tomb won’t let me be
On and on and on it came
Wish the rain would just let me”

The opening verse speaks of a “mask of life,” a clear reference to isolation and despair which so often accompanies fame and fortune. Michael’s “fall from grace” refers to how the pop-star would be ridiculed, victimized and deemed a criminal by the press once the allegations of child abuse broke in 1993.

Up until this point, Michael was at the height of his success and in the midst of his record-breaking Dangerous World Tour. In response to the allegations, Michael recorded a statement from his Neverland Ranch which was televised worldwide on December 22, 1993. Of the media’s damaging treatment Jackson stated:

“I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of this mass matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions. I ask all of you to wait to hear the truth before you label or condemn me. Don’t treat me like a criminal, because I am innocent.”

Michael has always had an indifferent relationship with the media. As he would suggest later in his career, “The bigger the star, the bigger the target.”

In an interview with Barbara Walters in Paris, 1997, Michael declared he disliked the name ‘Wacko Jacko’ — a name the mainstream and tabloid press often used from the mid 1980s:

Wacko Jacko — where’d that come from? Some English tabloid. I have a heart and I have feelings. I feel that when you do that to me. It’s not nice. Don’t do it. I’m not a wacko.

However, with the allegations directed at Michael in the summer of 1993, the media now had ammunition for a full character assassination despite the fact a police officer stated to the LA Times:

“No evidence (medical, photographic or video) could be found that would support a criminal filing.”

The media before 1993, were already invasive of Michael’s privacy, relationships and his changing physical appearance, as Michael suggested in “Leave me Alone”, but once the allegations were in the public domain, the mainstream and tabloid media went on the attack:

The New York Post on its front-page declared, Peter Pan or Pervert? August 23, 1993.

Newsweek on its cover page questioned of Michael, Is He Dangerous or Off the Wall? September 6, 1993.

Time stated, Michael Jackson: Who’s Bad? September 6, 1993.

As the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour was canceled, Michael retreated from the public eye in late November of 1993, in an attempt to end his drug dependency. Michael released an audio statement to the press:

“I was humiliated, embarrassed, hurt and suffering great pain in my heart. The pressure resulting from these false allegations, coupled with the incredible energy necessary for me to perform caused so much distress that it left me physically and emotionally exhausted. I became increasingly more dependent to the painkillers to get me through the days of the tour."

However, the media gave no sympathy to Michael whose emotional and physical health was at risk. Instead, the embattled star became the subject of taunts and ridicule:

The Daily Mirror held a “Spot the Jacko” contest which offered readers a vacation to Disney World. News of the World ran the headline, Hunt for Jacko the Fugitive. The Sunday Express headline read, Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run.

How Does ‘It’ Feel?

In the chorus of “Stranger in Moscow,” Michael repeatedly asked the listener, “How does it feel?” What Michael is referring to is a question he has been asked so many times:

How does it feel to have the biggest selling album of all time? How does it feel to be admired by so many? How does it feel to be wealthy and famous? How does it feel to be so talented? How does to feel, Michael asks, “When you’re alone and you’re cold inside.”

“Here abandoned in my fame
Armageddon of the brain
KGB was doggin’ me
Take my name and just let me be
Then a begger boy called my name
Happy days will drown the pain
On and on and on it came
And again, and again, and again…
Take my name and just let me be”
Michael suggests it all means nothing when you feel isolated, disconnected and alone.

“Just Let Me Be”

Deemed a criminal, a forsaken man, Michael repeatedly asks the media to separate his celebrity persona from his true self. Michael is asking for privacy and for the public and media to understand that behind his image he is a man.

“Stranger in Moscow” concludes with lyrics spoken in Russian. The lyrics spoken by an unnamed individual lend to the feeling of paranoia, despair, fear and isolation of “Stranger in Moscow”, a ballad about a man merely trying to have his voice heard while by being crucified by the press.

Credits: MJ Beats