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Before NBC launched its The Wiz Live!, starring Queen Latifah, Shanice Williams, and Elijah Kelley, there was The Wiz, a 1978 film based on the 1974 musical retelling of Frank Braun’s children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It was one of the few entries in American cinematic history that continue to transcend time and era and still remain culturally relevant in modern times. But that wasn’t always the case.
The making of the beloved 1978’s classic film had troubles of its own. The filmmakers behind the film, Sidney Lumet and Rob Cohen, were tasked with re-conceptualizing an iconic and well-known storyline, previously depicted in a movie classic, The Wizard of Oz. And this wasn’t an easy feat, considering just how beloved the 1939 classic was. Here’s a bit of history behind the making of The Wiz, a phantasmagoria of sight, sounds, and Diana Ross.
The idea for The Wiz was conceived some ten years before the movie hit the theaters by Ken Harper, an English film producer, who initially called Geoffrey Holder after the project was greenlit. However, due to demands of financers, Harper decided to bring in Gilbert Moses as a co-director (Holder backed down after Moses was brought aboard), who single-handedly ruined the pre-Broadway version of The Wiz so much that Ken Harper considered closing the musical.
The pre-Broadway version of the show was a disaster, mostly because the audiences were still partial to the previous cast; there was an obvious lack of creative direction and a lack of diversity within the audience. But instead of closing the show, Harper did a smart thing — he asked 20th Century Fox for a larger marketing budget, which was used to focus more predominantly on African-American communities.
The studio also brought back Holder, who gladly accepted the role of director once again and would later become known as The Whiz who saved The Wiz. Between restoring some notable parts of the show that the previous director had cut out and a very successful marketing campaign, the Broadway version of The Wiz started to sell out. The original cast, including Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Stu Gilliam as the Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as the Tin Man, and Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion, ran more than 1,600 successful performances over four years.
The musical’s success propelled Holder as a director, and he gained numerous accolades for directing and costume design — in fact, he was the first Black man to be nominated for said awards. However, the Broadway hit also warranted making it into a movie, which later became a blockbuster classic, despite poor domestic box office performance and horrible initial criticism. In fact, the studios involved in the making of The Wiz film were absolutely convinced that it would be an absolute success.
Motown Pictures, a TV/film branch of Motown Records, had acquired the film rights to The Wiz in 1977 and immediately signed Stephanie Mills, the star of the musical, as the film’s Dorothy. However, a Motown singer and personal friend of Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, also wanted the role of Dorothy. Despite her manager Berry Gordy’s discouragement, she managed to convince the film’s exec producer, Rob Cohen, to arrange a deal where he would produce the film if she was cast as Dorothy.
Additionally, Cohen thought that Michael Jackson, who was 19 at the time, would be perfect for the role of Scarecrow and approached Gordy with the idea. Gordy was thrilled with the idea, but Lumet took some convincing, as did Michael’s father, Joe Jackson. MJ’s controlling dad didn’t want him working on a project that would separate him financially from his siblings in the Jackson 5, so Cohen mollified him with approximately $100,000 for MJ to play Scarecrow.
It’s important to note that many of these things happened simultaneously. Diana Ross was cast as Dorothy, which angered some, including the film’s first director, John Badham, who either quit or was fired because he disagreed with Cohen’s decision. Cohen brought Sidney Lumet to direct. Lumet was known for getting movies done on time and under budget. He initially didn’t want Michael as the Scarecrow but later changed his mind.
Jackson took his choreography sessions with Louis Johnson, the pioneering African-American ballet dancer, extremely seriously, and his effort is best visible in his choreographic bits involving Diana Ross — the duo had terrific chemistry. Unfortunately, Diana Ross turned out to be mismatched for the role (as John Badham had pointed out) because she lacked the wide-eyed childish wonder that the role required.
With everything said, the film was a box office flop since it only made somewhere around $13 million, as opposed to a $24 million budget. Though it went on to become a timeless classic thanks to its numerous qualities, The Wiz was initially marred by racist backlash since theater chains in white neighborhoods wouldn’t schedule the film for fear of scaring off white regulars. Critics, as well as the audiences of the time, didn’t actually like the film upon its initial release either.
Diana Ross’ involvement was heavily criticized, and her performance was even called neurotic and oddly unattractive. Michael Jackson’s performance, on the other hand, was really appreciated by both the audience and the critics, and the star released his Off the Wall album ten months after The Wiz — the album was heavily influenced by Michael’s stay in New York during filming. Years have passed since; Jackson became the King of Pop, and The Wiz became a cult classic film.
The critics that called it an expensive crud in 1978 called the same film a delightful mess in 2005, while the Academy nominated The Wiz for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, Best Original Music, and Best Cinematography. In the end, it really managed to capture the social and cultural consciousness of post-Civil Rights Movement communities as a story of racial liberation and perhaps even an early form of Afrosurrealism or even Afrofuturism.
Everything about that bit of cinematic history screamed Africa and the African diaspora, from the changing background color in “The Color Is” scene, with green, red, and yellow representing color schemes found on most African flags, to the music and dance moves that had their part to play in the evolution of several music genres — including R&B music, and several modern types of dance.
Before NBC launched its The Wiz Live!, starring Queen Latifah, Shanice Williams, and Elijah Kelley, there was The Wiz, a 1978 film based on the 1974 musical retelling of Frank Braun’s children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in the context of contemporary African-American culture. It was one of the few entries in American cinematic history that continue to transcend time and era and still remain culturally relevant in modern times. But that wasn’t always the case.
The making of the beloved 1978’s classic film had troubles of its own. The filmmakers behind the film, Sidney Lumet and Rob Cohen, were tasked with re-conceptualizing an iconic and well-known storyline, previously depicted in a movie classic, The Wizard of Oz. And this wasn’t an easy feat, considering just how beloved the 1939 classic was. Here’s a bit of history behind the making of The Wiz, a phantasmagoria of sight, sounds, and Diana Ross.
The idea for The Wiz was conceived some ten years before the movie hit the theaters by Ken Harper, an English film producer, who initially called Geoffrey Holder after the project was greenlit. However, due to demands of financers, Harper decided to bring in Gilbert Moses as a co-director (Holder backed down after Moses was brought aboard), who single-handedly ruined the pre-Broadway version of The Wiz so much that Ken Harper considered closing the musical.
The pre-Broadway version of the show was a disaster, mostly because the audiences were still partial to the previous cast; there was an obvious lack of creative direction and a lack of diversity within the audience. But instead of closing the show, Harper did a smart thing — he asked 20th Century Fox for a larger marketing budget, which was used to focus more predominantly on African-American communities.
The studio also brought back Holder, who gladly accepted the role of director once again and would later become known as The Whiz who saved The Wiz. Between restoring some notable parts of the show that the previous director had cut out and a very successful marketing campaign, the Broadway version of The Wiz started to sell out. The original cast, including Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, Stu Gilliam as the Scarecrow, Tiger Haynes as the Tin Man, and Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion, ran more than 1,600 successful performances over four years.
The musical’s success propelled Holder as a director, and he gained numerous accolades for directing and costume design — in fact, he was the first Black man to be nominated for said awards. However, the Broadway hit also warranted making it into a movie, which later became a blockbuster classic, despite poor domestic box office performance and horrible initial criticism. In fact, the studios involved in the making of The Wiz film were absolutely convinced that it would be an absolute success.
Motown Pictures, a TV/film branch of Motown Records, had acquired the film rights to The Wiz in 1977 and immediately signed Stephanie Mills, the star of the musical, as the film’s Dorothy. However, a Motown singer and personal friend of Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, also wanted the role of Dorothy. Despite her manager Berry Gordy’s discouragement, she managed to convince the film’s exec producer, Rob Cohen, to arrange a deal where he would produce the film if she was cast as Dorothy.
Additionally, Cohen thought that Michael Jackson, who was 19 at the time, would be perfect for the role of Scarecrow and approached Gordy with the idea. Gordy was thrilled with the idea, but Lumet took some convincing, as did Michael’s father, Joe Jackson. MJ’s controlling dad didn’t want him working on a project that would separate him financially from his siblings in the Jackson 5, so Cohen mollified him with approximately $100,000 for MJ to play Scarecrow.
It’s important to note that many of these things happened simultaneously. Diana Ross was cast as Dorothy, which angered some, including the film’s first director, John Badham, who either quit or was fired because he disagreed with Cohen’s decision. Cohen brought Sidney Lumet to direct. Lumet was known for getting movies done on time and under budget. He initially didn’t want Michael as the Scarecrow but later changed his mind.
Jackson took his choreography sessions with Louis Johnson, the pioneering African-American ballet dancer, extremely seriously, and his effort is best visible in his choreographic bits involving Diana Ross — the duo had terrific chemistry. Unfortunately, Diana Ross turned out to be mismatched for the role (as John Badham had pointed out) because she lacked the wide-eyed childish wonder that the role required.
With everything said, the film was a box office flop since it only made somewhere around $13 million, as opposed to a $24 million budget. Though it went on to become a timeless classic thanks to its numerous qualities, The Wiz was initially marred by racist backlash since theater chains in white neighborhoods wouldn’t schedule the film for fear of scaring off white regulars. Critics, as well as the audiences of the time, didn’t actually like the film upon its initial release either.
Diana Ross’ involvement was heavily criticized, and her performance was even called neurotic and oddly unattractive. Michael Jackson’s performance, on the other hand, was really appreciated by both the audience and the critics, and the star released his Off the Wall album ten months after The Wiz — the album was heavily influenced by Michael’s stay in New York during filming. Years have passed since; Jackson became the King of Pop, and The Wiz became a cult classic film.
The critics that called it an expensive crud in 1978 called the same film a delightful mess in 2005, while the Academy nominated The Wiz for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, Best Original Music, and Best Cinematography. In the end, it really managed to capture the social and cultural consciousness of post-Civil Rights Movement communities as a story of racial liberation and perhaps even an early form of Afrosurrealism or even Afrofuturism.
Everything about that bit of cinematic history screamed Africa and the African diaspora, from the changing background color in “The Color Is” scene, with green, red, and yellow representing color schemes found on most African flags, to the music and dance moves that had their part to play in the evolution of several music genres — including R&B music, and several modern types of dance.
Magic is a big part of Marvel Comics. Numerous characters wield magical powers of varying levels. Some magic users can control the elements or even change the universe. Others focus on illusions. But if you wanted to learn magic from one of the most knowledgeable tricksters around, who would you turn to? Loki. He’s the focus of one title in Smart Pop’s new multiple book licensing deal with Marvel Comics. Nerdist can exclusively reveal Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief: Tricks and Deceptions from the Prince of Illusions. Take a look at the cover.
The synopsis of this tome is as follows:
In this new translation of an ancient artifact Loki left for himself, the famed Prince of Lies shares step-by-step instructions to recreate over 35 of his most mischievous tricks. Filled with classic comic book art and all new illustrations, readers of all ages, and from all ten realms, will learn the secrets to perform Loki’s signature close-up and sleight of hand moves involving cards, balls, scarves, and other easy-to-find objects.
Sitting down to learn about magic directly from Loki? We are here for it.
Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief is one of the two titles that will kick off Smart Pop’s Marvel Comics partnership. The second one is The Secret Journals of Tony Stark (out June 20, 2023). This one is a first-person memoir by Iron Man himself. The book is the first in a series of official autobiographies for adult readers featuring some of Marvel Comics’ most beloved characters. He’s waiting
Loki’s Book of Magic and Mischief: Tricks and Deceptions from the Prince of Illusions arrives on May 23, 2023. You can place a pre-order now.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Editor-in-Chief for Nerdist and the author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, The Jedi Mind, and more. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
The post Learn Magic From Loki with LOKI’S BOOK OF MAGIC AND MISCHIEF appeared first on Nerdist.
In my day, you had to wait years for a new season of Rick and Morty. And you know what? We liked it! …Mostly because we had no choice! But kids these days have it easy. The hit Adult Swim animated series returns in a reasonable amount of time now. And that trend will continue with the pair’s next set of adventures. The release date for Rick and Morty‘s sixth season has been announced. The show will premiere this September. And when it does, it’ll feature a whole lot of abs.
Adult Swim announced Rick and Morty will take off for a new season this year on Sunday, September 4th. That will be almost exactly one year to the day after the two-part season five finale aired. While we don’t yet have a season six trailer to go along with the new Rick and Morty release date, the network did provide a first-look photo of what it will include. It shows Rick and Morty proudly showing off their new six-pack stomachs. If we’re being honest, though, they’re kind of gross. They don’t look natural, and we don’t like them, which is why they’ll probably be really funny.
As is the absurd synopsis Adult Swim provided for season six of Rick and Morty. It promises…well…exactly the kind of stories we expect from the show.
It’s season six and Rick and Morty are back! Pick up where we left them, worse for wear and down on their luck. Will they manage to bounce back for more adventures? Or will they get swept up in an ocean of piss! Who knows?! Piss! Family! Intrigue! A bunch of dinosaurs! More piss! Another can’t miss season of your favorite show.
In a statement, Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, also teased some upcoming fan opportunities. (Which we’re hoping has nothing to do with piss.) “It’s hard to overstate the impact of Rick and Morty,” he said. “More than a hit show, it is truly a global phenomenon. As we prepare to launch this soon-to-be iconic season, we will be giving fans a unique way to be part of the fun – so keep your eyes peeled.”
Only a year between seasons AND bonus extras? Rick and Morty’s fans have truly never had it easier. Thank goodness. None of us actually liked waiting.
The post RICK AND MORTY Season 6 Reveals Fall Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.
Marvel is returning to San Diego Comic-Con and will be livestreaming every day! Information below:
The post Marvel is returning to the Con appeared first on The Nerd Element.