It's here.

June 2019 Issue

A note from the authors:

Jake: I’m glad we’ve all gathered here today. I will be spending the summer couch surfing, so I will let you all know how that turns out. You will receive an exciting, new email (probably in your spam) once a month, and it will be very exciting. I’m excited. Here’s the June 2019 Issue.

Recent NEWS headlines:

-Ryan Lochte bounces back on Dancing with the Stars

A Recent Lie I Told:

Recently, I received an email from my former professor saying that her doctor friend is writing a children’s book and is looking to hire an illustrator. So, I replied. “I am an illustrator,” I typed with confidence. I am not an illustrator.

My professor replied that she was thrilled and would put me in contact with the woman looking to hire. The writer sent me emails about how she wanted to see examples of my work. I said, “I have so many examples, so is there anything specific you would like to see?”

So she said, “Yes. How about some simple sheep and cows showing basic emotions. So I said, “Great, I have plenty of those.” This is the third lie.

After I sent my illustrations, she did not follow up, so I am still waiting to be hired. 
Here, is a couple examples of illustrations I sent her. If you like them, please let me know so I can have your support and we will fight for this together. 
 

Things to do when you’re bored in New York City: 

-Take a walk
-Make posters
-Walk along a pier
-Audition for Saturday Night Live
-Walk in Central Park
-Start a protest/riot
-Run the High Line.
-Shoplift
-Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Haircut rating

I recently received a haircut at Great Clips store #3072 at my local strip mall. The last time I got a haircut was in March 2019, so I was due! My mom checked me in online through the Great Clips app, which is a big time saver and highly recommended. 

Sandra was my hair stylist for the day. She was very knowledgeable and helped me find the look I was going for this season. I got a #4 on the sides and scissors on top, which is my standard haircut. The whole experience took less than 20 minutes because I did not talk to Sandra.

The customer next to me was a male child who was having a negative haircut experience. It all started when his hairstylist, Kimberly, asked the question, “Do you even use shampoo?” Apparently, this young customer had not been washing their hair! Kimberly was not impressed, and reminded him to use shampoo and maybe a little conditioner every time you take a shower. While it may have been an uncomfortable conversation for the young customer to have, it was a necessary one.

Overall, I had a wonderful time at Great Clips store #3072. The cost of the haircut was $14 before tax and tip. Great Clips is open from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. on weekdays, 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. on Saturdays and 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. on Sundays. They are open from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Memorial Day. Thank you, Great Clips!
 

Aladdin (2019 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aladdin is a 2019 American musical fantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie, who co-wrote the screenplay with John August. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film of the same name, which is based on the eponymous Middle-Eastern folktale from the One Thousand and One Nights. The film stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen. The film follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting Genie, and must save the kingdom from the conspiring Jafar.

In October 2016, Disney announced Ritchie would direct a live-action Aladdin remake. Smith was the first member of the cast to join, signing on to portray Genie in July 2017, and later that month Massoud and Scott were confirmed for the two lead roles. Principal photography began that September at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, also filming in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan, and lasted until January 2018. The film also pays tribute to Robin Williams, who voiced Genie in the animated feature and died in 2014.

Aladdin was theatrically released in the United States on May 24, 2019. The film received mixed reviews from critics; some praised the performances of Massoud, Smith, and Scott, costumes, and musical numbers, while others criticized the direction, pacing, and CGI effects. In contrast, the film received a positive response from audiences polled by CinemaScore and PostTrak.

Plot

A man with his wife and two children are sailing around the world. The children watch a much bigger and more lavish ship than theirs pass by. After the man hears them comment on how much better their ship is, he decides to tell them the story of Aladdin and how bigger isn’t always better.

Aladdin, a kind-hearted young street rat living in the desert kingdom of Agrabah, along with his pet monkey Abu, rescues and befriends Princess Jasmine, who has snuck out of the palace, growing tired of her sheltered life. She hides her true identity, allowing Aladdin to believe that she is the princess's handmaiden. However, Jasmine rushes home after seeing a prince that has come to court the princess and asks Aladdin to give her back her bracelet that he used as collateral to rescue her earlier (which was also her mother’s bracelet). However, Abu stole the bracelet back from Aladdin, hence Aladdin is unable to give it back to her. Jasmine angrily tells Aladdin that he is a thief and that she was naive to think he was her friend.

Meanwhile, Jafar, the Royal Vizier, grows tired of being "second best". He and his parrot Iago thus seek a magic lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders to become Sultan. Only one person is worthy to enter: "the diamond in the rough", whom Jafar later identifies as Aladdin. Later, Aladdin returns Jasmine's bracelet and the palace guards capture Aladdin on Jafar's orders. Jafar, after telling Aladdin that he can make him rich enough to impress Jasmine, revealing her true identity to him, has him retrieve the lamp. Inside the cave, Aladdin finds a magic carpet and obtains the lamp. Defying Aladdin's instruction to touch nothing else, Abu grabs a ruby. Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet rush to escape the cave as it collapses. Aladdin gives the lamp to Jafar, but Jafar throws them back into the cave, but not before Abu steals the lamp back.

Trapped, Aladdin rubs the lamp and meets the Genie who lives inside it. The Genie explains that he has the power to grant Aladdin three wishes. Aladdin tricks the Genie into freeing them from the cave without using a wish and then uses his first wish to become a prince to impress Jasmine, and promises to use his third wish to free the Genie from servitude. Back in Agrabah, Aladdin, as "Prince Ali of Ababwa", arrives in a large spectacle, but Jasmine is unimpressed.

Later, Aladdin takes Jasmine on a ride on the magic carpet while the Genie goes out with her handmaiden, Dalia. When she deduces his true identity, Aladdin convinces Jasmine that he only dresses as a peasant to escape the stresses of royal life. However, Jafar discovers Aladdin's true identity and threatens him to reveal where the lamp is hidden. Aladdin refuses and Jafar throws him out of a tower into the sea. Abu and the carpet arrive with the lamp, and Aladdin rubs it before fainting.

At the cost of his second wish, Genie rescues Aladdin and after speaking with Jasmine, they help expose Jafar's evil plan and the Sultan has Jafar arrested. After being offered the position as heir to the Sultan, Aladdin, fearing that he will lose Jasmine if the truth is revealed, reluctantly breaks his promise and refuses to free the Genie, upsetting him. Meanwhile, Iago steals the dungeon keys and frees Jafar, who steals the lamp from Aladdin with his own street smarts, becoming the Genie's new master. He uses his first wish to become Sultan. When Jasmine convinces the palace guards to rebel against Jafar, he uses his second wish to become the world's most powerful sorcerer, sending the guards to the dungeon. He then exiles Aladdin and Abu to a frozen wasteland on the other side of the Earth and threatens to kill Dalia and the Sultan unless Jasmine agrees to marry him. However, the Genie has the carpet go to retrieve Aladdin and Abu.

As they proceed with the wedding ceremony, Aladdin returns and Jasmine helps him get the lamp back. Jafar transforms Iago into a roc and steals the lamp back after a brief chase. He overpowers the heroes, destroying the carpet in the process. However, Aladdin taunts Jafar for being "second best" to the Genie, tricking him into using his last wish to become the most powerful being in the universe. Due to the grey area in that wish, Jafar becomes an all-powerful genie himself. Now bound to his new lamp, Jafar ends up trapped inside it, taking Iago with him.

With Agrabah returned to normal, the Genie banishes Jafar's lamp to the cave and fixes the carpet. He then advises Aladdin to use his third wish so he can marry Jasmine. Instead, Aladdin decides to keep his promise and frees the Genie, turning him human. The Sultan declares that Jasmine will be the next ruler and tells her she may change the law to marry Aladdin. Genie leaves to explore the world with Dalia, now his wife, and their two children while Aladdin and Jasmine get married and start their new life together.

Cast

• Will Smith as Genie:
  A comedically eccentric and kindly jinn who has the power to grant three wishes to whoever possesses his magic lamp. Smith said that he was "terrified" while playing the character, but that "[he] found a lane that pays homage" to Robin Williams' performance in the original film, while still making the role "[his] own thing". Smith described the character as "both a trickster and a mentor" who tries "to guide Aladdin to the truth of the greatness that's already within him". Smith physically portrays the character when he is in the guise of a human, while his blue genie form is CGI, portrayed through motion-capture performance.

• Mena Massoud as Aladdin:
  An impoverished Agrabah thief and "street rat" who is smitten with the Sultan's daughter. With the Genie's help, he masquerades as Prince Ali Ababwa. Massoud said that Aladdin "sees a future for himself that's greater than what's been set out for him at the present moment. He doesn't know exactly what it is or how he's going to get there, but he knows it is out there", and felt the character "[i]s very selfless and usually does things for other people, but as he falls in love he loses himself a little bit and starts to become someone that he's not. But he's a good person with good intentions and has good people surrounding him who lead him back to where he's supposed to be".

• Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine:
  The Sultan's daughter and the feisty princess of Agrabah who wants to have a say in how she lives her life. Scott said that the character "will be strong and have fun, but also get it wrong and be emotional. She's a multidimensional woman, and she does not have to just be one thing. So in this movie, you see her go on such a roller coaster, as opposed to her one goal being to fall in love or get married". She further stated that Jasmine will try to find "the courage to speak out for her people", and said that "Jasmine wants to know what goes on in her kingdom and reconcile the distance that has been created, and Aladdin gives her the courage to do just that."

• Marwan Kenzari as Jafar:
  A nefarious and deceptive sorcerer, the Grand Vizier of Agrabah and the Sultan's chief advisor who, frustrated with the Sultan's ways of ruling, devises a plot to overthrow the Sultan as the ruler of Agrabah by acquiring the Genie's lamp. Jafar's backstory is explored in the film, which producer Jonathan Eirich felt would make the audience "understand why he's so bad, and [he thinks] that's what makes him such a good villain".

• Navid Negahban as The Sultan: The wise and noble ruler of Agrabah who is eager to find a capable husband for his daughter Jasmine.

• Nasim Pedrad as Dalia:
  Jasmine's loyal handmaiden and confidante. A new character that did not appear in the original film. Pedrad said that Dalia "[has] been by Jasmine's side for years and really looks out for her". Smith said that the character was "a nice, delicate addition to the story that more humanized the Genie".

• Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders:
  A suitor and potential husband for Jasmine from the kingdom of Skånland who replaces the more arrogant Prince Achmed from the animated film.

• Numan Acar as Hakim: The head of the palace guards who is loyal to the Sultan of Agrabah.

• Jordan A. Nash as Omar: The Genie and Dalia's son.

• Taliyah Blair as Lian: The Genie and Dalia's daughter.

• Aubrey Lin as Omi

• Amir Boutrous as Jamal

Voices

• Alan Tudyk as Iago:
  Jafar's sardonic and intelligent scarlet macaw companion. The film marks the first time the character is voiced by somebody besides Gilbert Gottfried.

• Frank Welker reprises his voice roles from the original film as:

  • Abu: Aladdin's kleptomaniac but loyal pet capuchin monkey with a falsetto voice.

  • Rajah: Jasmine's protective pet Bengal tiger and best friend, who communicates through growling, roaring and grunting.

  • Cave of Wonders: A sand guardian that resembles the form of a giant head of a lion (in contrast with being a tiger in the original) who has been tasked to protect the magic lamp from intruders and give it to those who are worthy like a "diamond in the rough."

Production

Development and casting

On October 10, 2016, it was announced that Guy Ritchie would direct a live-action Aladdin film with John August penning the screenplay for Walt Disney Pictures and Dan Lin attached as producer. The studio said that the film would be "an ambitious and nontraditional" take on the tale of Aladdin that would keep much of the musical elements of the original film. On the non-traditional aspect, the studio planned for the film to be told in a nonlinear format.

In February 2017, Lin said that they were looking for a diverse cast and that they would not try "to make Prince of Persia". A worldwide casting call for the lead roles of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine commenced in March 2017, with principal production set to begin in the UK in July 2017 until January 2018. On April 19, 2017, it was reported that either Gabriel Iglesias or Will Smith was in talks for the role of Genie, for which the latter was confirmed in July. In May 2017, Jade Thirlwall was in talks for the part of Princess Jasmine.

On July 11, 2017, it was announced that principal production on Aladdin had been pushed back by a month, to August 2017, due to struggles in finding the right actor to portray the titular role. Over 2,000 actors and actresses had auditioned for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine but that finding a male lead of Middle-Eastern or Indian descent in his 20s who could act and sing had proven difficult. Naomi Scott and Tara Sutaria were the final two actresses in the running for the role of Jasmine, but neither could be cast until a chemistry test was done with whomever was cast as Aladdin. The studio was initially interested in casting Dev Patel or Riz Ahmed for the lead role of Aladdin, but later decided to cast a relative newcomer. In what became the final rounds of screen testing, actors Achraf Koutet, Mena Massoud, and George Kosturos were still in the running for the role of Aladdin. However, the studio had begun perusing old audition tapes for the role, having not been satisfied by the latest round of screen tests.

At the 2017 D23 Expo, on July 15, it was announced that Massoud had been cast as Aladdin and Scott had been cast as Jasmine, ending a four month long open casting call. On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Disney had hired Vanessa Taylor to polish the original screenplay by August, specifically to do some "character work" and what is called "script doctoring". Meanwhile, Richie and the studio focused on casting the other main roles with filming slated to start in August in London. In August 2017, Marwan Kenzari joined the cast as Jafar with Nasim Pedrad cast in a newly created role as "a hand maid and friend of Jasmine" who will serve as a "comic relief" and Numan Acar as Hakim. The following month, Billy Magnussen joined the cast in a newly created role as Prince Anders alongside Navid Negahban as the Sultan. The decision of casting Magnussen as a new original white character into the film has drawn criticism with fans and critics deeming it "unnecessary" and "offensive", sparking accusations of whitewashing to the film while pointing out the irony regarding the worldwide search for actors and actresses to play the leads in connection to the controversy. The trailer confirmed that Frank Welker would reprise his role as the Cave of Wonders. In November 2017, Robby Haynes was cast as Razoul, while Welker was announced to also reprise his role as Abu the monkey.

The decision to hire Scott, who has Ugandan-Indian heritage on her mother’s side, to play the lead of Princess Jasmine has also drawn criticism as well as accusations of colorism, as some expected the role to go to an Arab or Middle Eastern actress. In December 2018, Julie Ann Crommett, Disney's Vice President of Multicultural Engagement, said the decision to cast Scott as Jasmine reflected a mixing or association of different cultures in a broad region that consists of the Middle East, South Asia and China by extension, which all make up the Silk Road. The real intention for Agrabah was for it to be the center of the Silk Road and added that Jasmine's mother would be from a land that was not Agrabah.

When asked about Ritchie's take on the film, Pasek & Paul described it as "very muscular and action-packed". Despite initial reports, the animal characters Abu, Iago, and Rajah from the original film do appear in some capacity. On December 20, 2018, Gilbert Gottfried said he was not asked to reprise his role as Iago. In March 2019, it was announced that Alan Tudyk would be voicing the character instead. In May 2019, Welker was announced to reprise his role as Rajah, Jasmine's pet tiger.

Filming

Principal photography began on September 6, 2017, at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England, and wrapped on January 24, 2018. Part of the film was shot in Wadi Rum Desert, Jordan. The Royal Film Commission provided support to the production during filming and assisted in facilitating logistics. Reshoots took place during August 2018. The film's production sets were designed by Game of Thrones production designer Gemma Jackson.

In January 2018, it was reported that the white extras were being applied brown make-up during filming in order to "blend in", which caused an outcry and condemnation among fans and critics, branding the practice as "an insult to the whole industry" while accusing the producers of not recruiting people with Middle-Eastern or North African heritage. Disney responded to the controversy, saying, "Diversity of our cast and background performers was a requirement and only in a handful of instances when it was a matter of specialty skills, safety and control (special effects rigs, stunt performers and handling of animals) were crew made up to blend in." The "Prince Ali" musical sequence features 1000 dancers and extras.

Post-production

The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic and supervised by Michael Mullholland, Daniele Bigi and David Seager with the help of Hybride Technologies, DNEG, Nzviage and Proof.

Music

Alan Menken was brought in to compose the score for the film after previously doing so in the original animated film, while Pasek & Paul wrote a new song with Menken, and several songs from the original film, by Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice, were featured in the remake.

Release

Aladdin held its world premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris, France on May 8, 2019. It was released in 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on May 24, 2019, replacing the original date set for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Aladdin's first regional premiere was in Jordan on May 13, 2019, in the presence of Prince Ali bin Hussein and Princess Rym Ali.

Marketing

Will Smith debuted the first official poster on October 10, 2018. The teaser trailer was released the following day. In December 2018, Entertainment Weekly offered a first official look at the cast in costume on the cover of their issue for the most anticipated films of 2019. On February 10, 2019, Disney debuted a special sneak peek of the film during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards which was met with largely negative feedback from audiences, primarily due to the quality of the CGI Genie in his blue design, created via motion capture effects. The negative reception sparked a large amount of memes and Photoshop edits mocking Will Smith's appearance in the sneak peek, several of which humorously comparing it with Tobias Fünke (from Arrested Development) painted in blue in an attempt to join the Blue Man Group. On March 12, 2019, Disney debuted a second trailer on Good Morning America. This trailer was met with a much more positive reception than the previous one, as it featured several songs from the original film and more of Smith not entirely in motion-capture, but also having his CGI aspects scenes being quite suitable.

Home media

In regard to streaming, Aladdin will be released exclusively on Disney+, Disney's upcoming streaming service. The film will be available during the service's first year of launch.

Reception

Box office

As of May 27, 2019, Aladdin has grossed $116.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $139 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $255.8 million, against a production budget of $183 million.

In the United States and Canada, Aladdin was released alongside Booksmart and Brightburn, and was projected to gross around $80 million from 4,476 theaters over its four-day opening weekend. While Disney was projecting a $75–85 million debut, some independent trackers had the film opening to as low as $65 million or as high as $100 million. The film made $31 million on its first day, including $7 million from Thursday night previews, the second-best total of the Disney live-action remakes. Opening day audiences were 59% female and 41% male, and ethnically 42% Caucasian, 27% Hispanic, 15% African American and 11% Asian. The film ended up overperforming, grossing $91.5 million in its opening weekend, and $116.8 million over four days during the extended Memorial Day weekend. It was the third biggest opening of 2019 (behind Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel), and the fourth-highest Memorial Day launch ever, as well as the best debut of Ritchie's career and second best of Smith's.

Worldwide, the film was expected to gross an additional $100–120 million, including $10–20 million in China. It went on to gross $123.2 million from foreign territories in its opening weekend, for a global debut of $214.7 million. It was the number one film in every Latin American and Asian territory where it released. Its biggest international openings were in China ($18.7 million), Mexico ($9.2 million), the United Kingdom ($8.4 million), Italy ($6.6 million), and South Korea ($6.5 million). In the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, it had the best Ramadan opening of all time. It also scored the second best opening of 2019 in Italy, Spain, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In India, it debuted with ₹220.3 million (US$3.2 million), the year's second best opening for a foreign film.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 280 reviews with an average rating of 5.86/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Aladdin retells its classic source material's story with sufficient spectacle and skill, even if it never approaches the dazzling splendor of the animated original." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on 46 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 90% (with an average 4.5 out of 5 stars) and a 70% "definite recommend".

Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising Smith, Scott, and Massoud's performances and calling it a "shining, shimmering live-action update".Variety's Peter Debruge summarized his review with: "Will Smith steps into Robin Williams's shoes, bringing fresh attitude to the role of the Genie in Guy Ritchie's high-risk, mostly rewarding live-action remake." A Mir Fantastiki review by Yevgeniy Peklo gave the film a score of 8/10, saying it was "probably the best Disney live-action remake up to date".

A note to our readers:

We saw Long Shot, and turns out Seth Rogan is okay again. Thanks for staying loyal, Seth.