Podtalk

CHICAGO – Chicagoland will be getting a new and exciting movie theater experience, beginning June 1st, 2023, with the Grand Opening of Emagine Batavia (Illinois) theaters. As part of the celebration, actor James Jude Courtney … who took the role of Michael Myers in the 2018 “Halloween” reboot … will be making an appearance to meet fans before the 7pm screening and participate in a “VIP Q&A.” For tickets, click EMAGINE.

CHICAGO – One of the peculiar secrets … since revealed … in the new Apple TV+ series “High Desert” is that the icon Bernadette Peters portrays two characters. One is the mother (Rosalyn) of main character Peggy, and the other is mysterious actor Ginger who somehow ended up in California desert country. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

CHICAGO – In the closest thing a person can get to touring Willy Wonka’s factory, the 2023 Sweets & Snacks Expo opened this week, and continues through May 25th. Among the many candy and snack booths at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center is SNAX-Sational Brands, and through their Chief Marketing Officer Adam Cohen … also known as “The Snaxpert” … announced the launch their Cookie Pop Oreo© and Candy Pop M&M Minis© in Target stores nationwide.

CHICAGO – If you’re a “Workaholics” fan, Anders Holm needs no introduction. The actor was a co-creator of the farcical series on Comedy Central, and from there has carved a niche as a character actor. He portrays Lucky in the new comedy “About My Father,” which features Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro.

CHICAGO – Ric Roman Waugh is a man of action, as this stuntman-turned-director is approaching his tenth film, several of which involving his actor partner Gerard Butler. The duo takes on the Afghanistan War from the CIA undercover operative angle with the new film “Kandahar,” opening in theaters on May 26th.

CHICAGO – How has actor/singer/Broadway icon Bernadette Peters ended up in the arid lands of California? She is featured in the new Apple TV+ series “High Desert.” It has an ensemble cast led by Patricia Arquette as Peggy Newman, a recovering human being in an odd and spiritual place. The series begins streaming on May 17th.

CHICAGO – An essential documentary will stream on Apple TV+ beginning May 12th. “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” directed by Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) combines interview, re-creations and most telling, clips of Fox’s film/TV appearances to highlight his triumph and later, his Parkinson’s Disease.

CHICAGO – As technology goes, it seems so long ago, but at its peak the first multi-use smartphone was nicknamed the “CrackBerry” because of user addiction. The product’s improbable rise and fall is told in the new film “BlackBerry,” co-written/directed and featuring Matt Johnson.

CHICAGO – As new cinema voices emerge, writer/director Waheed AlQawasmi takes us on a journey through his hometown streets of Memphis in the Syrian immigrant drama “Jacir.” The film, featuring newcomer Malek Rahbani as the title character and Lorraine Bracco (“The Sopranos”) in a different type of role for her, will be available to stream beginning May 5th, 2023.

CHICAGO – Omi Hopper is competing … and still survives … on the second season of “Next Level Chef,” the TV cooking show on FOX hosted by Gordon Ramsay. The social media viral star, who created a following with her approach to traditional Puerto Rican dishes, is still in play as the show winds down to the finale on May 11th.