This year’s Cannes Film Festival held many highly-anticipated movie premieres and saw celebrities flaunt their best outfits, but it also featured quite a lot of drama. So, what happened to Kelly Rowland?

Former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland was one of many stars who shone brightly on the red carpet. With impeccable style, Kelly wore absolutely stunning outfits, from her Anamika Khanna red gown to her Gaurav Gupta two-piece Neon Green top and skirt, but there was another incident that got her trending.

Why did Kelly Rowland go viral at Cannes?

When making her way up the famous stairs at the Palais des Festivals, dressed to the nines, Kelly Rowland got into a verbal dispute with the security staff from the festival. The singer was there for the premiere of the French film Marcello Mio, and she was ready to impress with her outfit and her styled blonde bob. However, it all led to a tense moment on the red carpet, with fans wondering what happened.

Some of the first claims were that the security guard stepped on Kelly Rowland’s dress, and apologized. However, there was some visible tension between them shortly after, with the singer seemingly saying, “Don’t talk to me like that.”

A couple of days later, Rowland addressed the incident, and seemed to allude the security guard might’ve made some racist comments.

“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it. There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off. I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers, but I stood my ground.”

Rowland’s comments to the AP at the amfAR Cannes Gala

Kelly Rowland wasn’t the only one involved in a dispute with the security guard

Kelly Rowland’s tense moment went viral and people started theorizing what happened, but no one expected the drama to continue… with someone else. A few days after Rowland’s incident, Dominican actress Massiel Taveras went through the very same thing. On the same famous stairs, Taveras was also rushed by the same guard, and also YoonA, the South Korean K-pop idol. All of them were from different backgrounds but received the same treatment.

With people weighing in on the racism claims, a colleague of the security job told the Daily Mail that “she was only doing her job,” denying any wrongdoing.

“Suggestions of racism are just ridiculous – visitors, and indeed staff at Cannes come from all kinds of backgrounds, and none are discriminated against.”

Daily Mail

The Cannes Film Festival is famous for its rigid rules for posing on the famous stairs, just like many other similar events. The festivals include multiple screenings, premieres, and events with many celebrities, and they run on a tight schedule, where everything has to run smoothly. Usually, the actors in the newly released films get more time to pose on the stairs, while other celebrities have to move up quickly and not linger to avoid delaying others.

At the time of the visible confrontation, Kelly Rowland was attempting to pose for the photographers and wave at her fans. That might’ve led to a misunderstanding between the ushers and the singer, who wanted to make sure she paid attention to the fans and let photographers get the perfect shot of the iconic Cannes location. Luckily, she was able to shrug off the incident and enjoyed the rest of the festival, which concluded on May 25.

The Cannes Film Festival is no stranger to drama, both on and off the screen. This year, a female security guard has found herself at the center of a heated debate, with some accusing her of racist behavior towards actresses of color.

It all started when a video surfaced showing Kelly Rowland, a former member of Destiny’s Child, having a bit of a tiff with the lady guard. Rowland claims the guard was giving her a hard time, while other women who didn’t share her melanin levels were given a free .

“I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it. And there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get that scolding, or pushed off, or told to get off. I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground.”

Rowland told the AP at the amfAR Cannes Gala

Not long after, Dominican actress Massiel Taveras found herself in a similar pickle. Dressed to the nines and trying to work her long train, Taveras seemed to be rushed by the same guard, who was apparently trying to keep things moving along. The Cannes security guard even disrupted the interaction between Taveras and her fans, who clearly weren’t pleased with the treatment.

The sequence of events continued with YoonA, the South Korean K-pop idol turned actress, who barely got a moment to strike a pose on the prestigious stairs before being ushered away. Her fans were quick to cry foul, pointing out that other celebs seemed to have all the time in the world to soak up the spotlight, yet the Cannes guard didn’t try to disrupt their sweet time.

Naturally, fans are up in arms and want her gone, like yesterday.

So, what’s the deal? Is this guard really a closet racist, or is she just doing her job? Depends on who you ask. 

Some people are saying that the guard was simply enforcing the strict rules of the Cannes Film Festival. According to them, only the lead actresses of the films being showcased are permitted to pose on the iconic stairs, while other guests are expected to make their way up promptly. They argue that the guard’s actions were not discriminatory but rather a matter of protocol.

But why are these rules so strict? Well, there are a few reasons. For one, the Cannes Film Festival is a huge event with a lot of moving parts. There are dozens of films being screened, hundreds of celebrities in attendance, and thousands of journalists and photographers covering the event. This protocol has been in place for years and it’s not just limited to the Cannes Film Festival. Many high-profile events, including the Academy Awards and the Met Gala, have similar rules in place to ensure that the red carpet runs on schedule.

At the same time, recent reports from the UK’s Daily Mail provide a counter-narrative from the colleagues of the guard.

“She was an usher working under a lot of pressure to keep people on the carpet moving, so as to stop crowds building up. There was no pushing or shoving, or scolding. Security and safety are the priorities, along with keeping to strict timetables set according to contracts – even the celebrities have to stick to the rules.”

They have stressed that ushers, including the controversial female security officer, always “act professionally and with politeness” and even here, the usher in question was “certainly only doing her job – she didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Suggestions of racism are just ridiculous – visitors, and indeed staff at Cannes come from all kinds of backgrounds, and none are discriminated against.”

The 77th Cannes Film Festival, which began on May 14, has already culminated with the jury’s awards, including the prestigious Palme d’Or, being announced at the closing ceremony on Saturday, May 25. To the general public, it’s still unclear what really went down with the security guard. Whether the guard was in the wrong or just following orders, people are demanding change.

Clearer guidelines and more transparent communication might help reconcile the need for order with the individual rights of attendees to enjoy their moment in the limelight. However, at the end of the day, it’s really up to the festival organizers to sort this mess out.

Kelly Rowland was one of the stars that shined on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival — but for the former Destiny’s Child singer, this black-tie event led to some drama. While the singer was enjoying herself and waving at fans, she got into a heated exchange with a security guard.

Kelly Rowland attended the French film Marcello Mio’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, looking stunning in a tight, red gown from Anamika Khanna, with a chic blonde bob, and Messika jewelry. The festival is meant for movie premieres, but many celebrities go to the festival to enjoy the premieres, flaunt gorgeous designer gowns, and network. This year, among the attendees were Demi Moore, Bella Hadid, Elsa Hosk, Selena Gomez, Eva Longoria, and many others.

It wouldn’t be a celebrity event if there wouldn’t be a dramatic moment. This time, the moment everyone is talking about involves Kelly Rowland.

What happened to Kelly Rowland on the red carpet?

The tense moment happened on Tuesday night, as Kelly Rowland arrived at the event. However, as she made her way up the stairs at the Palais des Festivals, she seemed to have been rushed by the security guards, ending with her engaging in a verbal dispute with a woman dressed in a black suit.

People online started theorizing about what happened between Kelly and the security guard. Some fans claimed the security was aggressive, which Rowland didn’t appreciate, so she had to speak up. The Daily Mail also chimed in with an expert lip reader, who claimed that the tense moment all started after the security guard stepped on the singer’s dress. Initially, the staff apologized and Kelly reportedly said, “It’s okay.” Immediately after, the security guard said something else, causing Rowland to reply, “Don’t talk to me like that.” Of course, the lip reading is all speculation and should be treated as such.

The festival usually has strict red carpet policies, including the guests’ dress code or the time they spend on the red carpet. In the video, Rowland was visibly rushed up the stairs, but it’s unclear if that was the reason for their heated exchange.

Kelly Rowland addressed the controversial moment

Despite the viral tense incident, Kelly Rowland didn’t let that affect her time at the festival, and continued showing up the next days. Rowland attended the AmfAR Cannes Gala on Thursday, and during an interview with the Associated Press, the former Destiny’s Child singer also addressed the controversial moment. “The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,” Rowland explained. “I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it.”

However, she continued, “There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off,” she added. “I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers, but I stood my ground.”

Her comments don’t explain exactly what went down, but she made her feelings heard. The Cannes Film Festival hasn’t addressed the viral moment so far. However, fans flooded the internet with messages of for the singer. Luckily, she didn’t let the sour moment ruin her time at the festival, and her outfits served.

Horror has had a long history of elevating women with their complex roles. Demi Moore, in the  film, The Substance, is no different.

The Indecent Proposal actor was one of the most sought-after actors of the ‘90s, only to be cast aside due to the time-honored tradition of ageism in Hollywood. Many women find themselves in this position and tend to seek out representation in careers with horror and sci-fi, the typical genres that feature women as the complex creatures that they are. Moore now s this trend in The Substance, which has had a successful run in the film festival circuit. Per Deadline, the horror movie had a 13-minute standing ovation at Cannes, portending a promising future for the film.

The Substance is a self-referential story about how middle-aged women are treated in the entertainment industry. The synopsis describes the titular substance as follows:

“It generates another you. A new, younger, more beautiful, more perfect you. And there’s only one rule: You share time. One week for you. One week for the new you. Seven days each. A perfect balance. Easy. Right? If you respect the balance… what could possibly go wrong?”

As everyone who has seen any film can tell you, just about everything can go wrong. Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle, a fading starlet in the entertainment industry who decides to use The Substance. Things do not go according to plan when a younger version, Sue (Margaret Qualley), comes into the picture. Further plot details are under wraps, but the film is described as a feminist body horror picture. As Sue gains more vivaciousness, Elizabeth continues to languish, turning into a disfigured version of herself. If that isn’t enough to entice viewers, we don’t know what is. Cannes has been host to many highly anticipated films of 2024 that fans cannot wait to see released. 

When does The Substance come out?

During this festival season, Cannes audiences regarded many films with surprise and awe. The Substance initially premiered to fanfare at the festival on May 19, 2024. This date was the first time critics had seen the movie with an audience. Regrettably, this may mean that casual moviegoers will not see what the film has in store for some time.

So far, there is no official release date. But judging from the typical release structure of fellow movies following the festival circuit, many surmise that The Substance will be available for public consumption in late 2024.  Global rights to distribute the film belong to Mubi, an entity that plans to release the film theatrically. But when it does hit screens, fans should be prepared for the unexpected, as Moore said when advertising the film.

“You just show up and you face what’s in front of you to the best of your ability. I think what’s most important is how you hold yourself not how the world is holding you… which is exactly what The Substance is about — this male perspective of the idealized woman, that we as women have bought into… and I think we are changing. We are living the change right now.”

This notion is about the best descriptor for the film as anyone could give.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked stunning in a black dress with streaks of gold as she stood on the red carpet at Cannes. However, her appearance has got people talking for a different reason in recent days as rumors about pregnancy have begun circulating.

Last week, on May 16th, the 50-year-old movie star, who’s appeared in numerous Indian films as well as winning the Miss Universe crown, made her entrance at the annual film ceremony and she was met with great fanfare. She was also ed by her 12-year-old daughter who stood by her side for a majority of the evening. Bachchan received praise for appearing despite suffering from a wrist injury which meant her arm had to be in a cast the whole evening.

Her appearance at Cannes was polarizing to say the least. People always like to talk about the dresses and while plenty of her fans thought she looked great, she also received a great deal of criticism for her appearance according to an article from The Free Press Journal. Among other things, there have been claims that she was pregnant at the event as some people believed they have spotted a baby bump.

The pregnancy rumors explained

The rumor was first shared by Bollywood City. In a video shared on YouTube, it’s claimed that Aishwarya Rai has a noticeable baby bump during her appearance at Cannes. Personally, I’m finding it difficult to spot the supposed bump in any of the pictures from the event. Comments underneath the video also seem highly skeptical of the supposed pregnancy as well with one simply responding “rubbish..stop spreading rumors..”

It does seem to be mostly unsubstantiated at this point with only Bollywood City making any kind of claims regarding the actress’s supposed pregnancy. Aishwarya Rai hasn’t commented on the situation herself and no one close to her has made any kind of statement so at this point we can’t really label this as anything but a rumor with little to no evidence to back it up. 

Stories regarding Rai being pregnant have emerged more than once in the past – it seems to almost be a yearly occurrence. There is always some news outlet claiming that she either is pregnant or, in some cases, has already had a baby. For example, back in 2022, Bollywood City reported that Aishwarya Rai had given birth to her second child, a baby boy, two years later and obviously we can safely say that was not true.

In 2023, Masala News debunked reports that the actress was pregnant again – the article suggests fans made the assumption because she’s been wearing baggier clothing and possibly gained a little weight.

If I were a betting man, I’d be willing to bet that Aishwarya Rai was not pregnant at Cannes and that this is yet another rumor based on superficial elements and nothing more.

A new biopic about former President Donald Trump has become the subject of a legal battle involving billionaire businessman, Dan Snyder. Titled The Apprentice, the film was directed by Ali Abbasi — who elsewhere helmed two episodes of The Last Of Us — and recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. 

The Apprentice follows Trump’s early years as a businessman in the 1970s and 1980s, and stars Sebastian Stan as Trump opposite Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his lawyer and mentor, Roy Cohn.

While any movie with Trump as its subject matter is destined for a less than flattering portrayal (you know, given his history), The Apprentice has reportedly angered Snyder, who helped fund the film through his production company Kinematics. 

Snyder is a longtime er of Trump, serving as a major GOP donor and contributing over $1 million to Trump’s inauguration in 2017. Snyder — notorious for his mismanagement of the football team the Washington Commanders — also donated $100,000 to Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Variety reports that the billionaire was under the impression that The Apprentice would be a favorable portrayal of the former President, and was reportedly “furious” when shown the actual contents of the film at a screening in February. 

Audiences at Cannes have now seen The Apprentice and have reported that one scene depicts what’s been described as a rape scene involving Stan’s Trump and his former wife Ivana, played by Bodies Bodies Bodies star Maria Bakalova. For context, Ivana accused Trump of sexually violating her in a 1989 divorce filing, but later recanted the accusation in 2015.

Naturally, given his long of Trump and his company’s involvement in the unflattering biopic, Snyder reportedly had issues with “multiple aspects of the film.” The billionaire is said to have launched a legal battle with the filmmakers to prevent The Apprentice’s release. 

Responding to the reports, however, Kinematics president Emanuel Nuñez said that all creative decisions involving The Apprentice were “solely made by Kinematics.” While it might’ve found one critic in Snyder, The Apprentice was a massive hit at Cannes, and reportedly received an eight-minute standing ovation led by audience attendees Cate Blanchette and Cynthia Erivo. 

Alongside the violent scene between Trump and Ivana, it’s been reported that The Apprentice depicts in gory detail a liposuction surgery Trump had in his younger days, as well as his extramarital encounters in Atlantic City. Trump himself has yet to comment on the film, though we predict he’ll be less than happy with the depiction, which certainly sounds nothing like his brief cameo in Home Alone.

Swapping out the bright (and almost blinding) pink that defined 2023’s worldwide Barbie mania, director Greta Gerwig has turned heads with a decidedly darker look while stepping out at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Gerwig — who is this year serving (in more ways than one) as the festival’s Jury President — wore a custom Saint Laurent dress on the red carpet for the ‘Le Deuxième Acte’ (‘The Second Act’) premiere. The show-stopping and deep V-cut dress was adorned in shimmering auburn sequins, with a long leg slit unveiling Gerwig’s sleek silhouette.

At first glance, one might have mistaken the director for a character in The Matrix, with the slicked-back hairdo and the dress’ dark, leather-like tones giving major Neo/Keanu Reeves energy. All Gerwig needed was a pair of black shades and she’d be well on her way to taking the red pill. Gerwig completed the look with bold eye make-up, Chopard jewels and a pair of Saint Laurent pumps. 

While this might incur the wrath of some pastel-loving fans, it’s refreshing to see Gerwig in these darker tones, especially since the pink explosion brought on by Barbie’s press tour had threatened to damage our eyes for the better part of 2023. The look has extra oomph given that Gerwig is the first female American director to serve as a Cannes jury president, invoking all the can-do attitude of the plastic Mattel doll that brought in almost $1.5 billion at the box office last year. 

Gerwig’s Matrix-like look was styled by Karla Welch, who has elsewhere worked with the likes of Lorde, Justin Bieber, Karlie Kloss and Amy Poehler. After walking the red carpet for the French film premiere, Gerwig took the outfit for a spin during the opening ceremony at Cannes, and presented Meryl Streep with the festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award. Gerwig previously directed Streep in the 2019 film adaptation of Little Women. 

While her look certainly turned heads, Gerwig was almost outshone by not one, but two furry red carpet entrants, with Messi — the famous dog from Anatomy of a Fall — caught taking a leisurely stroll at the starry event. Elsewhere spotted at the festival was Kodi, the dog from Cannes entrant film Dog on Trial. 

Among the buzziest films at this year’s festival are the Emma Stone-starring Kinds of Kindness directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the John Krasinski-directed IF, and the Pixar animated sequel, Inside Out 2.

For its part, George Miller’s Mad Max installment Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been confirmed to premiere out of competition. 

The French murder mystery movie Anatomy of a Fall is making waves around the world for its tense subject matter and impressive storytelling beats. It premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won the coveted Palme d’Or and the Pal Dog Award.

It was then released in where it quickly became one of the most popular films in the country of all time. But was it based on a true story? Let’s dig in a little.

What is Anatomy of a Fall About?

Anatomy of a Fall revolves around a German writer named Sandra, her French husband Samuel, and their blind son Daniel. They live in a secluded town in the French Alps, and when Samuel is found dead in the snow after apparently falling from a balcony, police try to figure out whether it was an accidental death, suicide, or murder.

Sandra, who’s had several affairs over the course of the marriage, is treated like a prime suspect in the case, and in that webbing lies a psychological foray into the crumbling of a marriage through the eyes of a court drama.

It stars Sandra Hüller as Sandra, Milo Machado-Graner plays Daniel, and Samuel Theis plays Samuel. The movie was directed by Justine Triet, who also wrote the screenplay. It was made on a shoestring budget of around $6.8 million.

Is Anatomy of a Fall based on a true story?

The short answer is no, but it’s not that black and white. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Triet reveals that he wrote the movie with Hüller in mind as the protagonist, after seeing her in the much-lauded movie Toni Erdmann.

Hüller is of course German so Triet was going to write the movie in English, but then he decided that instead of getting rid of doing away with the different languages just because Hüller was German didn’t really make sense to him. Instead, he made it integral to the plot.

He was, however, inspired by certain shows and genres.

“I read these kinds of true-crime stories on an almost daily basis and watch, again almost on a daily basis, these trial movies and series. So they were an inspiration.”

He continued that he knew one day he would make a movie with a trial at its center, but he didn’t like how they all had either a simple ending or were easy to figure out.

“The resolution is always too obvious. I don’t want to give any spoilers for the film, but the resolution here is not obvious.”

He wanted to make “something quite complex,” and if you watch the film you’ll find out exactly what he’s talking about.

Anatomy of a Fall is currently in theaters. We’ll update this when it’s available to stream.

It’s a hard reality in Hollywood that actors are judged harshly for their appearances. Tinsel Town favors youth and new faces over the reality of aging. Actress Kate Beckinsale knows this all too well, and she’s pushing back against rumors that she’s had work done to stay young-looking.

Beckinsale, who turns 50 this year, posted pictures and video of herself at the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, and honestly she looks younger than ever. Of course, we have to an actress on the red carpet has spent hours, if not days preparing for it.

Regardless, this didn’t stop people from being shocked at her appearance.

“Please tell me you had a facelift because it’s not possible to be this gorgeous at 50,” one commenter said. “Lol why do Celebrities have to deny their face procedures? Just don’t lie about it ..she still looks great!” said another.

Here’s someone else in disbelief: “Maybe not surgery but definitely filler in that face…whatever happened to aging naturally..so sad.”

Beckinsale actually responded to the facelift comment, saying that she does “no threads no thread lift no Botox no laser no nose job no filler.” So what does she do? She does facials with prp (platelet-rich plasma injected into the face) “to boost collagen” and “microcurrent for skin tightening and oxygen.”

She said she would try a laser but “I’m a bit scared.” You’ll take a needle to the face but a laser is too much? Actually, I get it. Lasers are scary.

She also answered the “deny their face procedures” comment. “I haven’t had a facelift or filler of Botox. I’m not lying and I don’t have to accept people accusing me of things I haven’t done.” You hear that? Stop accusing her of things. She doesn’t do botox, just other stuff!

For the “whatever happened to aging naturally comment,” she said “don’t be sad for me.” Later in the comments she revealed that she has a condition called mast cell activation syndrome, which makes her “react to hundreds of things badly” so she can’t get “botox and fillers.”

OK – so she would get them but can’t? A little confusing, but whatever. Also. If your whole job was to look good and you had enough money to get platelets injected into your face, wouldn’t you? Let her live!

This isn’t the first time that Beckinsale bared herself to the world at Cannes. She also shared a photo of herself from Cannes in 1993 where she had a little wardrobe malfunction, but fortunately Keanu Reeves was there to save the day. What can’t he do?

Pixar could be looking to add to its string of lacklustre releases in recent years, as the first reviews for the studio’s film Elemental have begun trickling in. Ahead of the animated film’s release on June 15, Elemental has amassed a 57 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, which so far places it as the second lowest-scoring Pixar film in front of 2011’s Cars 2. 

Elemental is helmed by The Good Dinosaur director Peter Sohn, and stars Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie Wade and Catherine O’Hara, among others. The film takes place in a city where the four elements of fire, water, land, and air coexist alongside one another, with two residents from fire and water meeting to discover how much they have in common. Elemental made its debut by closing out this year’s Cannes Film Festival, though audience reactions appear to be lukewarm. 

In a review for Variety, Peter Debruge said the “opposites-attract rom-com feel[s] like a misfire,” while Jo-Ann Titmarsh of London Evening Standard said Elemental “simply doesn’t cut the mustard.” For his part, The Hollywood Reporter’s Jordan Mintzer wrote that audiences will leave the film “without much of an impression.” All of this is not to say that Pixar’s latest outing was a complete disaster, with reports emerging that Elemental received a five-minute standing ovation after its Cannes showing. 

Along this positive line, Robbie Collin of Daily Telegraph said that while it’s “unlikely to feature on many people’s favourite Pixar lists, Elemental brings with it the satisfying creak of a ship being righted.” The Sunday Times described the film as a “flawed but big-hearted tale of forbidden love,” while Next Best Picture said it will “warm your heart and move you to tears.” 

Elementals’ tepid critical reception follows a slew of plagiarism claims directed at the Pixar project. Fans have called out similarities between the character designs of Elementals and web-browser video game Fireboy & Watergirl: Elements, while others made comparisons with fellow Disney title Zootopia. Addressing concerns that Elemental will rip off Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sohn said that his film is “so different.”

“There’s no martial arts in our world. There’s not anything like that. It’s this city story with romance, and this family drama,” the director said.  

Hollywood has a creep problem, and it’s one the industry seems increasingly unwilling to change its mind about, despite a surge in public knowledge about all of the terrible things that go on behind the scenes. Some will point to the arrest of Harvey Weinstein (after decades of using his power to sexually abuse dozens of women) as proof the #MeToo movement did some good and started a shift in attitude, but instead of taking more scalps, the rich and famous seem determined to continually bring abs, liars, and criminals back into the fold. And now, we’ve seen a pretty accurate representation of this attitude play out in real time, with the vastly different reactions between Cannes attendees and a general audience to controversial HBO drama series The Idol.

At the famous arts festival in , a screening of the show was treated to a five-minute long standing ovation, leading to tears from its stars. However, its director Sam Levinson has been involved in many well publicized controversies, a pattern that began well before he started work on The Idol. This included being infamously petty with actors who didn’t follow his every command, creating a deeply toxic and occasionally unsafe work environment, and constantly trying to insert superfluous nude scenes into Euphoria, the show he ran before starting on the HBO series that was so well received by industry types in .

Even in this context his work on The Idol has appeared to be particularly worriesome, especially given the content and direction of the show. The Idol follows an aspiring singer as she begins a complicated and potentially abusive relationship with the head of a cult and self-help guru, and is effectively about powerful men using thier power to coerce and control young women. Although the six-episode series began shooting with female director Amy Seimetz, she promptly quit in April of last year, leading Levinson to step in and take the reins. Although it is yet to be confirmed, some have reported the Weeknd, who stars in The Idol alongside Lily-Rose Depp, butted heads with Seimetz and thought the show was heading in a direction that gave too much to the “female perspective.” Because, what Hollywood is missing is more stories about women told by powerful men in the industry.

There were also more troubling leaks than that about the show, with the news that the supposedly dark satire about fame had lots of elements that made it seem like the “satire” element of that equation was missing. This was summed up by reports that there was originally a scene written in which Lily-Rose Depp’s character begs the cult leader to rape her. “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show,” said one production member. HBO, for their part, have defended their show, stating:

 “…the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew.”

Despite all of this, the Cannes crowd seemed to have really loved the two episodes of The Idol they were treated to. And, while terrible people have made great on-screen art before (Kubrik, Hitchcock, Riefenstahl), it seems that audiences don’t agree with the festival goers in any way, shape, or form about the show’s quality. With a startlingly bad Rotten Tomatoes rating (that’s dropped as low as 9 percent), it’s almost impressive how terribly it’s performing. And, to make matters worse, those who saw it at Cannes haven’t all been so effusive about it either.

It’s not just the general public outside of Cannes audiences who hate the show, either. Rolling Stone critic David Fear said the series was “Nasty, brutish, [feels] much longer than it is, and way, way worse than you’d have anticipated.” In this cutting paragraph, he added:

“Where The Idol goes after the two episodes that previewed at this prestigious film festival is anyone’s guess, though our money would probably be on further downward and fast…we’ve already seen enough to clock that the series has fallen into a series of traps. It has mistaken misery for profundity, stock perversity for envelope-pushing, crude caricatures for sharp satire, toxicity for complexity, nipple shots for screen presence.”

Other critics reiterated this viewpoint, addressing further issues like “the hideous, self-excusing presentation of rape culture.” One reviewer — for British outlet The Daily Telegraph — pointed out that “even the music was dreadful,” which when you read the full piece is probably the nicest thing he says about the show.

For now, though, it seems The Idol has performed that magical trick of being about the industry, thus making industry types love it regardless of quality (La La Land, anyone?) or the ethical issues surrounding its production (the vast majority of films and shows made before the last decade, and probably a lot more in that time too). This troubling trend is one that Hollywood is yet to buck — for all their slogans about fresh starts and equal opportunities — but it’s particularly egregious when talking about a show that follows a young starlet being coerced and abused by powerful men, directed and created by a man who is known for doing basically just that. To make matters even worse, Levinson is only landing on his feet because he has a famous dad, Hollywood connections, and is in an industry with a culture that doesn’t value its workers – especially female ones.

Sadly, as Hollywood bigwigs continue to show how little they care for the people who actually make shows for them, it seems nothing much will change in the near future. The Idol could be terrible, or it could be amazing – but it shouldn’t have been made in the way it was, and it certainly doesn’t deserve plaudits from those complicit in the things it seeks to satirize. Yet it will air, and Levinson will continue to direct — and that’s the really disturbing and sad thing about all of this.

At a recent Cannes interview, Eva Longoria announced that her directorial debut, Flaming Hot, will begin streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu on June 9. Talking with Variety‘s Elizabeth Wagmeister, Longoria discussed the pressure she felt as a Latina making her first film, as well as her work with an initiative called The Inclusion List, which provides research on diversity and inclusion in entertainment.

As part of a talk sponsored by Kering’s Women in Motion program, Longoria said that as a woman and a Latina, she “felt the weight of [her] community” and “the weight of every female director” when production began on Flamin’ Hot, a biographical comedy-drama about a Frito Lay janitor who claims to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Longoria explained that she wanted to make Flamin’ Hot an inspirational story about how corporate America underestimates the Hispanic community, with characters who resemble her own Latino family.

The Desperate Housewives and Empire actor said there’s little margin for error as a woman of color embarking on a directing career. She explained that Latina directors “don’t get a lot of bites at the apple,” adding, “The problem is, if this movie fails, people go, ‘Oh, Latino stories don’t work … female directors really don’t cut it.'” She noted, “A white man can direct a $200 million film, fail, and get another one. That’s the problem. I get one at-bat, one chance. Work twice as hard, twice as fast, twice as cheap.”

She underlined her point by revealing that the last Lainta-directed studio film was made about 20 years ago. According to Longoria, “You really carry the generational traumas with you into the making of the film. For me, it fueled me. I was determined.” And it sounds like the final product is worthy of celebrating: Flamin’ Hot premiered at South by Southwest earlier this year and won an audience award.

ing the discussion was University of Southern California Annenberg professor and researcher Dr. Stacy L. Smith, who said Longoria’s help with The Inclusion List is an example of the actor/producer/director “walking the walk.” Smith explained, “This was a collaborative effort to reward folks that are doing well on-screen when it comes to representation across multiple categories: gender, race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, as well as people with disabilities and over the age of 65.”

Longoria pointed out, “The metric [with] which you measure success is important.” She suggested that studios and networks sometimes claim to be helping bring about change if they have doubled the number of women behind the camera. However, Longoria explained, in some cases the companies have only “gone from one to two” women. According to Longoria, “[I]inclusion being that metric is so awesome because you can applaud the people who are doing it right.”

Plus, Longoria noted, Latinos buy a lot of movie tickets. She said that “28% of ticket buyers at the box office are Latino,” adding, “Do you know how many Latinos showed up for Crazy Rich Asians? Do you know how many Latinos bought a ticket for Fast and the Furious? We over-index at moviegoing, so why shouldn’t there be content for us if we are the ticket buyers">Variety notes that Flamin Hot will be the first feature film ever to premiere on both Disney Plus and Hulu. Mark your calendars.