Did someone cast a “Reducio” spell? The crowd of trans activists who gathered Wednesday to protest the opening of London’s new “Harry Potter” flagship store was remarkably small.
Just 16 people showed up.
The demonstrators were protesting author J.K. Rowling, who drew criticism from the left in 2020 after saying she disagreed with parts of the trans movement’s agenda. She has faced years of backlash and even death threats, but the protesters made little impression on the shoppers waiting to get inside.
The queue wound through a nearby alley, and most people simply carried on into the store.
Perhaps a Palestinian flag would have brought out a bigger crowd in London.
‘Sleepy’ Sidney
Hollywood has another “reimagining” on the way—or, as the industry might put it, another attempt to squeeze something new out of an old property.
Sydney Sweeney will star in a retelling of “Sleepy Hollow,” told from the perspective of her character, Katrina Van Tassel. The film, now titled “Hollow,” is based on an upcoming feminist novel by Lindsey Anderson Beer, who will also direct.
Let’s hope the film’s promotional campaign doesn’t rely too heavily on Sweeney’s looks.
NBC fetches ‘Files’
Who are you going to call? Maybe Jim Rockford.
A new version of “The Rockford Files” is set to arrive Jan. 2, another reminder of Hollywood’s ongoing dependence on familiar properties. The original ’70s detective series was a classic, with one of television’s best theme songs—though “Barney Miller” fans may disagree.
James Garner was a big part of what made the show work. His rugged, everyman presence will be hard to replace, and David Boreanaz has the job this time around.
One point in Boreanaz’s favor: Gigi Garner, James Garner’s daughter, has given the project her blessing.
NBC is promoting the series with billboards asking people to call the fictional detective. The number is (760) JIM-ROCK, for anyone with a pretend mystery to solve.
Fascism fail
He’s still the worst dictator ever—at least according to some of the rhetoric on the left.
President Donald Trump let the midterm elections go ahead, then watched his party take a beating. It’s an unusual way to stage a fascist takeover.
Still, some Democrats and their allies are sticking with the language they used before the election. This week, “The Daily Show” guest Erica Chenoweth, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School, called Trump a dictator. It’s a strange lesson to offer students, especially after the election results.
Sly praise
That’s a relief.
“I Play Rocky,” opening in select cities this weekend before a nationwide release on Nov. 20, tells the story of how Sylvester Stallone fought for the chance to star in “Rocky.” The studio liked his script but wanted a bigger name for the lead, not an unknown actor with a speech impediment.
Stallone wouldn’t give up the script unless he got the role. “I play Rocky,” he says repeatedly in the new film. The point is not subtle, but it works.
The real Stallone wasn’t involved in making the movie, though he did give director Peter Farrelly permission to proceed. He has now watched it at home with his wife, Jennifer Flavin.
They liked it. Flavin cried, which seems like encouraging news for a film that has been getting a strong response from festival audiences.
Could it make a run at the Oscars? It has a puncher’s chance.
Hollywood ending?
“Say goodbye to Hollywood … say goodbye, my baby,” Billy Joel sang in 1976. The song feels newly relevant after Los Angeles’ mayoral race. The city replaced progressive Mayor Karen Bass with democratic socialist Nithya Raman.
Raman has no executive experience and is closely aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America. Even so, celebrities including Tina Fey, Colin Jost, and Mindy Kaling, along with director Nicholas Stoller, backed her campaign.
Hollywood is already struggling, and Los Angeles has chosen to push further in the same direction. Maybe the next reboot should be “Escape from L.A.” It could end up looking like a documentary.
