Billy Dee Williams: Last News

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Like a lot of people, I first saw Billy Preston in “Let It Be,” where his luscious electric-keyboard noodlings provided the sweet center to songs like “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Get Back.” But it wasn’t until “The Concert for Bangla Desh,” George Harrison’s trend-setting rock-concert movie from 1972, that I registered who Billy Preston really was. For most of that Madison Square Garden benefit concert, Preston was in the background, tickling those plugged-in ivories.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Whether your dad has always wanted to be coached on life by NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, serenaded by Kenny G or be on the receiving end of Michael Rapaport‘s comical New York attitude, there’s sure to be a perfect cameo for you to gift her this Mother’s Day.

Bill Maher, 68, on an episode of his “Club Random” podcast.Williams touched upon the idea when he mentioned legendary screen star Laurence Olivier covering his face with dark makeup for the 1965 film adaption of “Othello.”The William Shakespeare play centers around a Moor — a person of Muslim descent who lived in parts of Europe during the Middle Ages — military lieutenant who is fighting against the Ottoman Turks.“When he did ‘Othello,’ I fell out laughing,” Williams said.“He stuck his ass out and walked around because Black people are supposed to have big asses,” he continued. Maher then chimed in: “And Bradley Cooper thinks he’s got a problem with the nose.”The “A Star Is Born” director, 49, caught flack last year when he wore a fake prosthetic nose to portray composer Leonard Bernstein in his biopic “Maestro.”The costume sparked outrage among the Jewish community, who saw the nose as a stereotypical characterization of themselves.Williams went on: “I thought it was hysterical.

who famously played Lando Calrissian in the “Star Wars” movie franchise, sort of praised Donald Glover, who inherited the role, in comments he made to the Radio Times in the UK.“I had a nice little lunch with him. He’s a delightful young man.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has a full slate of programming set for this year, as the classic movie home celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The Hollywood Reporter. She died the same day as her “Slaughter” co-star and NFL legend Jim Brown, who was 87.Her cause of death wasn’t immediately available.“RIP beautiful actress Marlene Clark. .

Plugg pioneer Tony Shhnow has announced a new album titled Love Streaks, coming April 28. He shared the news today (March 16) along with the project’s lead single, “ILY / IH8U.” The new track is short, sweet, and as paradoxical as its title suggests — just over 90 seconds and constantly swerving between opposite emotional poles. “I can’t pick and choose,” the Atlanta emcee raps on the song’s first and only verse, which lasts less than half a minute.

Carmel Dagan Staff WriterJames Caan, whose indelible, Oscar-nominated performance as Sonny Corleone, the recklessly hotheaded son of Marlon Brando’s Mafia don in “The Godfather,” is sure to be remembered as long as there are gangster movies, died on Wednesday, his family announced on Twitter. He was 82.“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” the tweet reads.

James Caan, who scored an Oscar nom as mafioso Sonny Corleone in The Godfather and an Emmy nom for playing NFL running back Brian Piccolo in Brian’s Song among a host of big film and TV roles including Elf and Las Vegas, died Wednesday night. He was 82. His family confirmed the news on Caan’s Twitter page.

doomed Santino “Sonny” Corleone, the eldest son of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and brother to Fredo (John Cazale), Connie (Talia Shire) and Michael (Al Pacino).Prior to his breakout, Oscar-nominated role in “The Godfather,” The Bronx-born Caan was best-known for roles on a slew of ’60s-era television series — including “The Untouchables,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Get Smart,” “Wagon Train,” “Naked City” and “Route 66” — and for playing cancer-stricken Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo opposite Billy Dee Williams (as Gale Sayers) in “Brian’s Song,” ABC’s tearjerking Movie of the Week which aired in November 1971.(He also appeared in several movies, including “The Rain People” in 1969, directed by Coppola — Caan’s classmate at Hofstra — and co-starring Robert Duvall, aka Corleone Family consigliere Tom Hagen.)Caan, who turns 82 on Saturday (March 26), spoke to The Post in a wide-ranging interview about his memories of filming “The Godfather,” which airs somewhere on television virtually every day — in all of its iterations — and will be re-released Tuesday (March 22) in a comprehensive 4K ultra-high-definition Blu-ray package.“One of the things that made ‘The Godfather’ successful, besides brilliant directing and writing and wonderful actors … was that everyone really enjoyed making it, and that comes off on the screen,” Caan said. “And I think the audience can tell that we were having a good time doing what we were doing up there.“Marlon was great,” Caan said of Brando.

Lando, another Disney+ Star Wars series based on the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi scoundrel Lando Calrissian is in the works, per Lucasfilm Boss Kathleen Kennedy.

and the Skywalker Saga are officially crossing over — for the, at least. On Thursday, Disney+ gifted the first trailer for the animated comedy, which features an appearance by Baby Yoda, the return of Kylo Ren's greased-up abs and lots and lots of Life Day festiveness."'Twas the night before Life Day in a galaxy far, far away," Yoda narrates the trailer.