Disney Commits to Theatrical Releases for Remainder of 2021

Posted on by Carmen Roberts

Disney says the rest of its films this year will open in theaters only. 

You might call it the “Shang-Chi” effect. “You got this.” That Disney/Marvel film opened exclusively in theaters and set a Labor Day weekend record of $132 million. That smashing box office turnout’s prompting Disney to forgo the dual pandemic release to theaters and streaming services. Instead, Disney’s remaining 2021 films will open only in theaters. Among the films headed for the box office are the animated feature, “Encanto,” “I am just as special as the rest of my family,” and the much-awaited Steven Spielberg remake of “West Side Story.” So, get your tickets if you want to be the first to see the new Disney releases. Carmen Roberts. Fox News.

The other Disney films set for release this year are: “Eternals,” “The Last Duel,” “The King’s Man,” and “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” The six remaining films for 2021 will get a run in the theaters of at least 45 days.

Disney’s six remaining films set for release in 2021 will debut in theaters only.

  • “The Last Duel” starring  Ben Affleck and Matt Damon opens October 15.
  • “Ron’s Gone Wrong” will debut October 22.
  • Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” with its new team of Super Heroes and ancient aliens hits theaters November 5.
  • “Encanto” will open November 24 for the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.
  • The Steven Spielberg remake of the 1961 blockbuster film, “West Side Story,” is set for release on December 10.
  • “The King’s Man” starring Ralph Fiennes and Harris Dickinson is scheduled to open December 22 just in time for the Christmas holidays.

War Correspondent Joseph Galloway Dies at 79.

Posted on by Carmen Roberts

Foreign correspondent Joe Galloway covered the front lines of battle in Vietnam.

Longtime American foreign correspondent Joseph L. Galloway best known for his book about a pivotal battle in the Vietnam War died Wednesday at 79. His book, “We Were Soldiers Once … And Young,” was made into a Hollywood movie in 2002.

 “Before that day the soldiers of North Vietnam and America had never met each other in a major battle.”

The story recounted his and Army Lt. General Hal Moore’s experiences in the 1965 battle in the Ia Drang Valley. During that bloody fight Galloway rescued wounded soldiers under fire and became the only civilian to receive a U.S. Army medal of valor for actions in combat during the Vietnam War. Carmen Roberts. Fox News

Galloway spent decades as a foreign correspondent for UPI, US News & World Report, and Knight Ridder newspapers. He also served as a consultant for the Ken Burns’ PBS documentary “The Vietnam War.” The native of Refugio, Texas died in a hospital near is home in Concord, NC.

Galloway (center) aboard a Marine CH-34 helicopter in Vietnam the year after Ia Drang
“We Were Soldiers Once … And Young” starring Mel Gibson as Lt. General Hal Moore

a

History-making Spelling Bee

Posted on by Carmen Roberts

14-year-old girl makes spelling bee history .

The winner of this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee captured the illustrious title with the word murraya, a genus of tropical trees.
“M-U-R-R-A-Y-A”    “That is correct!”
The competition on ESPN as 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde from New Orleans, Louisiana becomes the first African-American champion. Covid forced the cancellation of last year’s spelling bee but this year’s 11 finalists got to compete in person and Zaila got to celebrate her victory on stage for the world to see. Carmen Roberts. Fox News.

Zaila Avant-garde is only the second Black student to win the spelling bee. The first was Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica in 1998. Zaila is a champion in other ways.  She owns three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple basketballs at the same time. 

NASA Names Moonikin

Posted on by Carmen Roberts

NASA selects a name for a manikin it plans to send into space. Fox’s Carmen Roberts reports.

Commander Moonikin Campos

When NASA launches a test flight of Artemis I around the moon later this year, a male manikin will fly in the commander’s seat. NASA held a contest to name him and after sorting through more than 300,000 votes, the winner is “Commander Moonikin Campos” in honor of Arturo Campos, who was a key player in bringing Apollo 13 safely back to Earth. Commander Campos will fly in the Orion spacecraft wearing the same type of survival suit astronauts will use and sensors to record radiation, vibration and acceleration data during the flight. Carmen Roberts. Fox News.

Arturo Campos was asleep in his home when he got the call from his colleagues at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) on April 13, 1970. Something had gone wrong with the Apollo 13 mission, and he needed to report to work immediately.
Commander Moonikin Campos will fly on the Artemis I test flight set for November 22, 2021. Using robots and humans to explore more than ever before, NASA also will use the Moon for humanity’s next giant leap – sending the first astronauts to Mars.

Two female manikins will also be on the November test flight. Israel’s and Germany’s space agencies named them “Zohar” and “Helga.”

Data from the Moonikins will help NASA protect astronauts on Artemis II. That flight in 2023 will be the first mission in more than 50 years to send a human crew around the Moon.

NY Philharmonic Plays Live Again

Posted on by Carmen Roberts

The world-famous orchestra takes a step out of the pandemic dark by performing in public Wednesday for the first time since March 2020.


Music from the New York Philharmonic poured over a live audience for the first time since going dark last March. Members of the orchestra performed a special outdoor concert in New York City for 120 health care workers. Lincoln Center CEO Henry Timms says they were the perfect first audience. “All of us in the artistic community, all of us as New Yorkers, we owe such a debt to the health care community.”

Trombonist Colin Williams says it sounded like, “A little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.” The Philharmonic will keep sharing that light during some 100 open-air concerts and graduations. Carmen Roberts. Fox News.

The New York Philharmonic hopes to resume subscription performances in September.