All Articles Tagged "Dwayne Johnson"
Girl Power: Disney Reveals The Cast Of Upcoming Epic Adventure, ‘Moana’
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana,” which opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 23, 2016, features a dynamic roster of characters brought to life by a talented group of actors. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, who were behind “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” “Moana” showcases the life-changing journey of a tenacious 16-year-old who teams up with the mighty demigod Maui to fulfill an ancient quest.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
The newly-revealed characters and voice talent join the already announced duo that includes newcomer Auli‘i Cravalho, who lends her voice to the title character, Moana, a teenager who dreams of becoming a master wayfinder, and Dwayne Johnson (HBO’s “Ballers,” “Central Intelligence”), who voices Maui—half god, half mortal, all awesome.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
“Our assembled voice cast for this film is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Musker. “We are so fortunate to have this group of talented actors, many from Oceania, breathing life into their characters.”
Added Clements, “We are so thankful to have found such extraordinary people who not only capture the voices of these characters, they elevate them in every way.”
Joining Cravalho and Johnson are the following performers.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
- JEMAINE CLEMENT (“The BFG,” “Despicable Me,” “Rio,” “Rio 2,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” Flight of the Conchords) provides the voice of TAMATOA, a self-absorbed, 50-foot crab who lives in Lalotai, the realm of monsters. The conceited crustacean wants to be more than a “bottom feeder” and overcompensates for this perceived shortcoming by covering himself in all things shiny.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
- RACHEL HOUSE (“Whale Rider,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) lends her voice to GRAMMA TALA, Moana’s confidante and best friend, who shares her granddaughter’s special connection to the ocean. Although her son Tui, the chief of Motunui, is a no-nonsense leader, Gramma Tala most definitely dances to the beat of her own drum.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
- TEMUERA MORRISON (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Once Were Warriors,” “Six Days, Seven Nights”) voices Moana’s father, CHIEF TUI, the gregarious and well-respected leader of the people of Motunui Island. Chief Tui wants Moana to follow in his footsteps as leader of their people, but fears his daughter’s draw to the ocean and the world that lies beyond their reef.
- NICOLE SCHERZINGER (Grammy®-nominated singer, West End’s “Cats”) voices Moana’s mother, SINA, who always has her daughter’s back. Playful, sharp and strong-willed, Sina appreciates Moana’s longing to be on the water, but also wants to protect her daughter from the fabled dangers beyond the reef.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
- ALAN TUDYK, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ lucky charm (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Big Hero 6”), is behind the voice of HEIHEI. Heihei is one dumb rooster—the village idiot, in fact. When the clueless chicken accidentally stows away on Moana’s canoe, he lands a front-row seat for her epic journey.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
The roster of characters also includes the KAKAMORA, an intense team of crazy, coconut-armored pirates who will stop at nothing to get what they want, and PUA, Moana’s loyal pet pig with puppy energy and an innocent puppy brain.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana”
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”) and produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. For more information, visit http://disney.com/moana, like us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/disneymoana; follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DisneyAnimation; follow us on Instagram, https://instagram.com/DisneyAnimation.
More Than A Tremor: ‘San Andreas’ Shatters The Rock’s Box Office Record
This was a great weekend for actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Not only did his new action flick San Andreas top the box office, it was also his biggest box office take as the lead actor.
According to Warner Bros., the film took in $53.2 million for its opening weekend at 3,777 locations — and 51 percent of the ticket buyers were women. It was the star himself that was the major draw for all moviegoers. “A majority of those shelling out for San Andreas showed up for The Rock at 38 percent, while 34 percent came out because they adore disaster films,” reports Deadline.
Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman said, “Dwayne Johnson is a major movie star and he’s really coming into his own at the moment and we just happen to have him at the right time. San Andreas is his biggest opening as a solo star, and the film is from original material.”
The box office take for Friday for San Andreas beat the first days and weekends of previous Rock hit films, The Scorpion King ($12.6M Friday/$36.1M FSS), Hercules ($11.05M/$29.8M FSS), and G.I. Joe Retaliation ($15.3M Friday/$40.5M FSS).
Here’s how the weekend at the movies ended up:
—San Andreas (WB), 3,777 theaters, weekend total: $53.2M / Wk 1
—Pitch Perfect 2 (UNI), 3,660 theaters. weekend total: $14.8M/ Overall total: $147.5M / Wk 3
—Tomorrowland (DIS), 3,972 theaters, weekend total: $13.8M/ Overall Total: $63.2M / Wk 2
—Mad Max: Fury Road (WB), 3,255 theaters, weekend total: $13.6M/ Overall total: $115.9M / Wk 3
—Avengers: Age of Ultron (DIS), 3,228 theaters, weekend total: $10.9M/ Overall total: $427.1M / Wk 5
—Aloha (Sony), 2,815 theaters, weekend total: $10M / Wk 1
—Poltergeist (Fox/MGM), 3,242 theaters, weekend total: $7.8M/ Overall total: $38.3M / Wk 2
—Far From The Madding Crowd (FSL), 902 theaters, weekend total: $1.42M/ Overall total: $8.4M / Wk 5
—Hot Pursuit (WB/MGM/NL), 1,446 theaters, weekend total: $1.37M/Overall total: $32.4M / Wk 4
—Home (FOX/DW), 1,088 theaters, weekend total: $1.15M/ Overall total: $170.4M / Wk 10
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is Now The King Of Selfies
Move over Kim Kardashian. When it comes to selfies, it seems Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has you beat. And he did it all in one day–in three minutes to be exact.
The Rock recently set a world record for the most selfies taken in 3 minutes. He did so at his “San Andreas” movie premiere in London on May 22. And the record is official.
Don’t go thinking this was a spontaneous event. Johnson was all prepared for it and planned out his strategy. In fact, Johnson was closely monitored throughout the process by Guinness World Records adjudicator Mark McKinley, who ensured that Johnson’s full face and neck were visible in each pic and that all of the images were in focus, reports The New York Daily News.
So there you have it–The Rock is king of selfies.
Hollywood is also hoping he’s the kind of the box office. This Memorial Day weekend was a sluggish one. The four-day weekend receipts were down 15 percent from last year. George Clooney’s Tomorrowland topped the rankings, but with $41.7 million, it was a soft debut that has got some people worried. However, there are summer popcorn movies — San Andreas, Magic Mike XXL and Jurassic World among them — still to come.
2014’s Highest Paid TV & Movie Entertainers
WENN
It’s no secret how much dough celebrities can command per movie or television episode. With so many successful films and TV shows, one has to wonder about the salaries these folks are working with. Here’s a look at the top earning entertainers of 2014.
Neither The Rock Or Will Smith Could Top This Celeb On The ‘Forbes’ List
Apega/WENN.com
Forbes has released its list of highest earning actors for 2014 and, probably not surprising, Will Smith is on the list. Coming in at number nine, the Fresh Prince brought in $32 million in part, if you can believe it, for his work on the flop Another Earth. And he’s working behind the scenes on the new adaption of Annie starring Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhane Wallis.
Coming in second place is The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, seen above with his handsome self going to the Espys. He made $52 million with Hercules coming to theaters in the coming weeks and San Andreas, about an earthquake, coming in 2015.
He’s also sinking some of his millions into TV production, with the reality show The Hero and an upcoming HBO program called Ballers about football players. He’s a producer and star of the show.
But the man up top is none other than Robert Downey Jr. With $75 million (whew!), he’s making money hand over fist with the Iron Man character, who’s had three smash movies and was the lead character in The Avengers, which is the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. Iron Man 3 was the highest-grossing movie of 2013 with $1.2 billion at the box office. Forbes says he managed to negotiate a higher salary for himself for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Rounding out the top five, in order, are Bradley Cooper ($46 million) for The Hangover movies, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle; Leonardo Di Capro ($39 million) for Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby; and Chris Hemsworth ($37 million!) for Thor and the upcoming Cyber.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Wins Championship Belt For Highest Grossing Actor of 2013!
Alberto Reyes/WENN.com
Are you surprised? You must have forgotten that “The Rock” graced the silver screen with two kick-butt films: Fast & Furious 6 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Along with two other small movies, Dwayne Johnson drew in $1.3 billion at the box office, Forbes reports.
You would think Robert Downey, Jr. would have topped the list. After all, Iron 3 is this year’s highest grossing film. But that was also Downey’s only movie in 2013. Because of Johnson worked harder this year by starring in three additional films, “The Rock” wrestled him out of the No.1 spot.
Fast & Furious 6 alone pulled in $789 million in the global box office. The widely-popular movie franchise also helped Johnson’s co-stars — Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker — land a spot on Forbes‘ list in fourth and sixth place, respectively.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation reeled in $376 billion worldwide. Pain & Gain, alongside Mark Wahlberg, is Johnson’s third highest-grossing film this year with an $86 million box office draw.
Snitch, Johnson’s crime drama film, didn’t really appeal to audiences as it only nabbed $58 million at the box office. As for Empire State, an action film starring Liam Hemsworth — Miley Cyrus’ former lover — the movie went straight to DVD and Blu-Ray in September.
Along with scoring box office gold for riding around in fast cars, Diesel drew in $887 million for his work in Riddick, a sci-fi film.
After “The Rock” stands, of course, Robert Downey, Jr. in second place. Steve Carell, best known for his TV antics on The Office, brought home some big numbers with Despicable Me 2, The Way Way Back, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. The only woman on the list, Sandra Bullock, rounds out the top five with Gravity and The Heat.
Like Father, Like Son: John David Washington, Denzel’s Son Heads To HBO for New Pilot!
J. Carstensen/WENN.com
Move over Denzel, John David Washington is hoping he’s the next celebrity in the Washington family.
John David, the oldest of the Washington children, is the newest addition to the HBO pilot, Ballers, according to Indiewire.com. The show which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson” is a show about the lives of retired athletes living it up in Miami. While they’ve yet to release Johnon’s role, he’ll surely be the main character.
Washington will play Ricky, a very spiritual yet extremely competitive athlete. At least one part of the role should come easy to him: Washington is a football player. He played for Morehouse College and went on to briefly play in the NFL and the UFL. Acting is his latest venture.
The show will also co-star Donovan Carter, a former college football player, as one of the football players.
Ballers is executive produced by Mark Wahlberg (whose made an incredible name for himself in Hollywood) and the script will be written by Entourage’s Stephen Levinson.
The show sounds like it could be interesting. Not many people get their start in acting doing an HBO show so John David better be ready…and he better be good. Surely Daddy Denzel has been helping him out because as a living legend in the industry, he knows his son will be closely compared to him.
HBO is hoping to start filming later this fall. Would you watch?
Men In Film: Anthony Mackie Talks New Role With Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson
Try CW/WENN.com
From Essence
The first of many summer action-packed thrillers hits theaters Friday. Pain & Gain, starring Anthony Mackie, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, follows three bodybuilders as they join forces to kidnap, rob and attempt to murder a wealthy Miami business man.
ESSENCE.com caught up with Mackie to chat about his new buff-body crime thriller, how he got into shape and what it was like to loosen up on camera.
On preparing for his role as Adrian and whether or not he talked to the “real” Adrian, who is character is based on:
Not at all. Thinking about it, the dude is on death row. There are a lot of aspects to his personal life that I didn’t want to get in to. I feel like him being a real guy in a movie like this wasn’t so important. Not too many people know about this story, let alone know about him. I felt like if I captured the true essence of what the writer gave me on the page, then I would be able to tell the story and do him justice.
On whether or not he’s workout obsessed:
I try to be. I try to go to the gym every morning for an hour, hour and a half. It’s just to keep myself in shape. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do this movie. I took a four-year period when I was playing cops and stuff like that. So I drunk a lot of whiskey and ate a lot of beef and got fat.
His competitive spirit:
I met Mark before. He’s just a real down to earth cool dude. But I have this weird thing about me—I’m always overly competitive with men over six-feet tall. I don’t know why. [laughs] Every time I see a dude over six feet, I just want to be really aggressive and I’m five-foot-eleven. Whenever I have to look up at another man I want to bite him. I don’t know why! [laughs] Once I met Dwayne it was on like donkey kong.
It sounds like this was a fun movie to film. You can check out the full interview over on Essence.com. Are you an Anthony Mackie fan? Will you be checking this one out (with all those fine men)?
Evening Eye Candy: “Pain And Gain” Actor And Super Fine Wrestling Star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
I’m sure I’m not the only person who has no idea what the movie Pain and Gain is about starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Anthony Mackie, but has an outrageous urge to run to the movie theater to see it the minute it comes out this week. Why? Because of The Rock of course. Since he signed on for this movie, that man has gotten bigger in muscle mass, grown a very alluring mustache and beard combination and is nice and tan all of a sudden, and I’m not sure about you, but it’s doing something for me. So much so that I felt the need to do another Evening Eye Candy slideshow for the brotha, who was one of the first pieces of candy we showed off back in 2011. And if this slideshow isn’t enough for you, I’d encourage you to do like me (his new stan) and become a follower of his new Instagram page, @therock. You won’t be disappointed!
You’re Not Down With Brother Obama? 20 Black Celebs Who Have Republican Tendencies
As the next Presidential election draws nigh in November, the two most popular candidates, Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been paving the campaign trail. With election year comes slander, controversy and your occasional celebrity political rants. Politics met entertainment with the latest celebrity rant, coming from Nicki Minaj, in which she rapped in vote of Republican Mitt Romney. This was a shock to fans and celebrity bloggers everywhere, but Nicki is not the only popular African-American face that has shown favor to the GOP. Here is a list of some African-American celebrities who have supported or are affiliated with the Republican party:
Source: USA Today
LL Cool J
LL Cool J attended the Republican Convention in 2004 and has been a supporter of Republican New York governor George Pataki back in 2002. He has never officially stated his political party.
