What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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September 27 - October 3, 2020 WHATS UP! T5 BY MICHELLE ROSE TV Media He'll be back (on TV): He's a world-famous movie star, but it looks like "Terminator" star Ar- nold Schwarzenegger is moving towards TV. The former governor of Cali- fornia and star of "True Lies" (1994) has partnered with Sky- dance Television to develop a new scripted TV series. Schwarzenegger will both headline and executive produce this series from "Scorpion" cre- ator Nick Santora. And while few details are known at this time, it is believed that the proj- ect is a spy adventure centered on a father-daughter duo, with Schwarzenegger playing the dad. Deadline was the first to break the news. At the time of the an- nouncement, no network or streamer had officially picked up the series, but it's safe to say Schwarzenegger's involvement probably gave this project a big boost. Both Santora and Schwar- zenegger already have a long- standing relationship with Sky- dance: Santora serves as show- runner on the upcoming Sky- dance series, Amazon's "Jack Reacher," while Schwarzeneg- ger starred in two of the studio's feature films: "Terminator Geni- sys" (2015) and "Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019). If all goes well, this new proj- ect will be Schwarzenegger's first major role in a scripted TV series, though it's still too early to start planning for its pre- miere. In the meantime, Amazon subscribers will get to hear his distinctive voice when the new animated series "Stan Lee's Su- perhero Kindergarten" launches next spring. Schwarzenegger has provided the voice and in- spired the look of its main char- acter, kindergarten teacher Ar- nold Armstrong. All this TV work might make movie fans nervous, but Schwarzenegger isn't leaving films altogether. You'll see him next in "Kung Fury II: The Mov- ie" (2020), the sequel to the crowd-funded, comedy-martial arts featurette "Kung Fury" (2015). He's also reprising his role opposite Danny DeVito in "Triplets," the sequel to "Twins" (1988). She's gone: After seven sea- sons, actress Anna Faris ("Scary Movie," 2000) is leaving the CBS sitcom "Mom." This is a major cast change considering the Chuck Lorre comedy has been anchored by two main characters since its 2013 premiere: Faris, who played (note the past tense) daughter/ single mom Christy, and Allison Janney ("The West Wing"), who stars as Christy's mother, Bon- nie. The news also comes as a surprise to many, given that Faris and Janney signed two- year contracts just last year and their contract extension led to the series being renewed through Season 8. Faris, who also hosts the pod- cast "Anna Faris Is Unqualified," reportedly opted out of Season 8 in order to pursue other oppor- tunities. The show's writers have written her character out of the show, and Christy's absence will be addressed on screen in the first episode. If you're looking for hints of any bad blood, you certainly won't find it in Faris' official statement about her exit. Faris' statement read: "The past seven years on 'Mom' have been some of the most fulfilling and re- warding of my career. I'm so thankful to Chuck, the writers, and my amazing castmates for creating a truly wonderful work experience. While my journey as Christy has come to an end, allowing me to pursue new op- portunities, I'll be watching next season and rooting for my TV family." Cortés series canceled: Next year marks the 500th anni- versary of the fall of the Aztec Empire and the beginning of Spanish rule in Central Mexico. Much has been written about Moctezuma II (as well as Span- ish conquistador Hernán Cor- tés); their fateful meeting in 1519 was a clash of civilizations that ended in murder, and, in the right hands, the story could make for a thought-provoking TV show. Amazon certainly thought so. In 2018, the streamer greenlit the four-part miniseries from Ste- ven Spielberg ("Schindler's List," 1993) and his Amblin Tele- vision production company. But the series "Cortes y Moctezu- ma" is no longer in the works: the big-budget miniseries has been canceled "due to the pro- duction constraints created by the COVID-19 global pandemic," according to a joint statement is- sued by Amazon Studios and Amblin. "Cortes y Moctezuma" was something of a passion project for Spielberg, who had originally envisioned it as a feature film. Ultimately, the producer/direc- tor felt the story would be better served as a four-part miniseries, with "Schindler's List" writer Steven Zaillian providing the screenplay. Some big names were quickly added to the project: Javier Bar- dem ("No Country For Old Men," 2007) was set to star as Cortés, Gael García Bernal ("The Motorcycle Diaries," 2004) and Diego Luna ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," 2016) were on board as executive pro- ducers, and award-winning film- makers Ciro Guerra ("Waiting for the Barbarians," 2019) and Cristina Galllego ("Embrace of the Serpent," 2015) were set to direct the four episodes. Alas, the TV production was not meant to be — not this ver- sion, anyway. Time will tell if the project gets picked up again at some point, but HBO's own at- tempt at a "Cortes" series had similarly failed to get off the ground some years ago ("The Irishman" director Martin Scorsese and "The Usual Sus- pects" actor Benicio Del Toro were attached to that one). Admittedly, it's a complex sto- ry to tell, especially in this era of reconciliation and reassessment of problematic legacies. And Cortés' legacy is complicated: he secured Spain's place in the New World and laid the foundations for modern-day Mexico, but he did so by destroying a civiliza- tion, and the impact is still felt today. BALLET BIG APPLE BOLERO BUMP CAROLINA SHAG CHA CHA COMPAS CUMBIA CUTTING SHAPES DISCO DOUGIE FUNK HAKA HOUSE HULA HUSTLE INTERPRE- TIVE JACK JAZZ JIVE LINE DANCE MAMBO POLKA POW WOW QUICKSTEP RAVE RUMBA SALSA SAMBA SHUFFLE STEPPING SWING TANGO TWIST VOGUE A World of Dance Arnold Schwarzenegger to star in new TV series WORD SEARCH STARS ON SCREEN Solution on page T23