France’s Cannes  — A film that tells the narrative of Donald Trump’s beginnings and paints a harsh picture of the former president in the 1980s debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, concurrent with the start of the sixth week of the Republican nominee’s hush money trial in New York.

Sebastian Stan plays Donald in the Iranian-Danish film “The Apprentice,” which was directed by Ali Abbasi. The primary bond in the film is that between Donald and Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the defense lawyer who served as lead counsel for Joseph McCarthy during the Senate hearings in the 1950s.

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‘The Apprentice,’ About A Young Donald Trump, Premieres In Cannes

According to the narrative, Cohn has been Donald’s longtime mentor, teaching him the cruelty of New York City politics and commerce. Cohn initially supported the Trump Organization during a federal government lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in housing.

“The Apprentice,” a show that claims to be based on actual events, presents Donald’s interactions with Cohn as a sort of Faustian bargain that aided in his ascent to prominence in both business and politics. Stan’s Trump is a more innocent real estate aspirant at first, but Cohn’s schooling quickly changes him.

One sequence in the movie that is particularly noteworthy shows Donald raping his wife, Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova). Ivana Trump claimed that Donald had sexually assaulted her in her 1990 divorce deposition. Ivana Trump later clarified that she didn’t mean it literally but rather that she had felt violated after Trump refuted the accusation.

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‘The Apprentice,’ About A Young Donald Trump, Premieres In Cannes

Amidst the US presidential race, “The Apprentice” is a potentially explosive big-screen drama thanks to this and other scenes. There has yet to be a release date for the movie because it is being sold at Cannes.

Variety reported the alleged behind-the-scenes conflict surrounding “The Apprentice” on Monday. The trade magazine said, citing unnamed sources, that billionaire Dan Snyder—a former Washington Commanders owner and “The Apprentice” investor—had pressured the film’s directors to change how Donald is portrayed. Snyder has contributed to Donald’s presidential campaign in the past.

Snyder and the movie’s representatives could not be reached for comment immediately.

Abbasi, whose last film “Holy Spider” portrayed a female journalist pursuing a serial killer in Iran, stated in the movie’s press notes that he wasn’t trying to make “a History Channel episode.”

Abbasi declared, “This is not a biopic of Donald Trump.” “Every aspect of his life from point A to point Z is not interesting. We hope to present a specific story through their friendship and Roy’s relationship with him.

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‘The Apprentice,’ About A Young Donald Trump, Premieres In Cannes

No matter how it affects politics, “The Apprentice” will probably be discussed a lot as a possible Oscar contender. The film, which has a grungy ’80s look, follows Strong back to a wealthy and powerful New York one year after HBO’s “Succession” ended. Strong, who plays “An Enemy of the People” on Broadway, was absent for the Cannes premiere on Monday.

“The Apprentice” is a competitor at Cannes, where it can vie for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor. The day following a film’s world premiere at Cannes, actors and directors hold press conferences. Tuesday is the press conference for “The Apprentice.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Anaheim, California – Disneyland actors who bring Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and other popular characters to life at the Southern California resort voted to unionize after a three-day referendum that ended on Saturday.

The Actors’ Equity Association labor union announced Saturday that cast members at Disney’s theme parks near Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly for the union to become the bargaining agent for approximately 1,700 workers.

According to an association website that tracked balloting among cast members, 78.7% (953 votes) supported the passage, and 21.3% (258 votes) opposed it

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Disneyland Character And Parade Performers In California Vote To Join Labor Union

“They say that Disneyland is ‘the place where dreams come true,’ and for the Disney Cast Members who have worked to organize a union, their dream came true today,” Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle said in a statement on Saturday night.

Shindle described the workers as the “front lines” of the Disneyland guest experience. She said the association and cast members will address health and safety improvements, salaries, benefits, working conditions, and job security before meeting with Walt Disney Company executives to negotiate worker priorities into a contract.

The union now represents theatrical actors in Disney’s Florida parks.

According to the association, the National Labor Relations Board’s regional director will certify the results within a week, assuming no election challenges.

The NLRB did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’s email requesting confirmation or other information about the vote.

The election was held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday in Anaheim, California after employees filed cards earlier this year to join the “Magic United” unit.

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Disneyland Character And Parade Performers In California Vote To Join Labor Union

Parade and character workers who advocated for unionization said they like helping to create a fantastic experience at Disneyland. However, they were anxious when asked to begin hugging people after returning to work during the coronavirus pandemic. They also claimed that elaborate outfits and unpredictable timetables cause damage.

Most of the Disneyland Resort’s more than 35,000 employees, including cleaning crews, pyrotechnic specialists, and security personnel, are already unionized. The resort contains Disneyland, the Walt Disney Company’s oldest theme park, Disney California Adventure and Anaheim’s shopping and entertainment center, Downtown Disney

In recent years, Disney has been accused of failing to pay a living wage to its Southern California employees, who face excessive housing prices and frequently drive long distances or live in cramped quarters. Parade performers and character actors are paid a base rate of $24.15 per hour, up from $20 before January, plus premiums for certain roles.

Union membership has been declining in the United States for decades, but organizations have enjoyed increased public support in recent years during high-profile contract negotiations with Hollywood studios and Las Vegas hotels. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which protects workers’ rights to organize, announced more than 2,500 filings for union representation during the fiscal year 2023, the most in eight years.

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Disneyland Character And Parade Performers In California Vote To Join Labor Union

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that normally represents transportation workers, organized those who play Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck in Florida over 40 years ago.

At the time, Florida performers complained about unclean costumes and harassment from customers, including youngsters who kicked the shins of Disney villains like Captain Hook.

SOURCE – (AP)

GENEVA – On Monday, the Paralympic Games begin their 100-day journey to the opening ceremony in Paris in August, with Paul McCartney assisting.

The former Beatles’ “We All Stand Together” — the theme song from an award-winning animated short he created and produced 40 years ago — will be featured in a promotional film for the International Paralympic Committee

“Sir Paul really understands what we stand for as a movement, and he was extremely generous to us,” IPC president Andrew Parsons told The Associated Press. “He was not difficult to convince, it was something that came very naturally.”

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Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

On August 28, 100 days from Monday, the Summer Paralympics opening ceremony will occur along a stretch of the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. Over the next 11 days, the 4,400 athletes will compete in places such as the Eiffel Tower and Versailles Palace in front of up to 2.7 million spectators.

“We probably have the most famous avenue in the world,” Parsons stated in a recent interview. “That is very exciting. The city is really supporting Paralympic athletes and athletes with impairments.”

“With our games, we talk a lot about inclusion, and this is a fantastic representation of that. That extremely inviting attitude is a great way to start our games.

A watershed moment for the Paralympic movement occurred in London in 2012 when the host country rose to the occasion with record ticket sales and a completely new approach to broadcasting by Britain’s Channel 4.

“Still the benchmark games of our movement,” added Parsons, whose native country of Brazil staged the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

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Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

Channel 4 produced the “We’re the Superhumans” musical film to promote the Rio Paralympics. The film was a landmark in terms of its high production values and inspirational imagery.

“Many broadcasters come to us in their preparations in different parts of the world and they normally ask, ‘What is Channel 4 doing?'” Parsons stated. In that vein, the IPC trailer, inspired by McCartney’s “Rupert and the Frog Song” film, follows suit.

The Paris Paralympics will record 164 broadcasters worldwide, with 549 events across 22 sports.

Beyond the field of play, the Paralympics strive to change society, particularly in the host nation—and have previously achieved this.

In France and Paris, Parsons admitted that “there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to people’s mindsets and perceptions of people with disabilities.”

“It has progressed since they received the games in 2017, but there is still a long way to go. “And it does not end with the closing ceremony.”

Two weeks after the Paralympics end on September 8, the United Nations conducts a global gathering that Parsons hopes will spark change.

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Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

The UN will assess progress toward its 17 sustainable development objectives during the Summit of the Future, which will occur on September 22 and 23.

“We do believe our movement has, in terms of persons of disability, been a little bit left behind, if you compare to other human rights movements such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity,” Parsons stated. “They have become increasingly prominent in the major debates at the highest level.

“We believe that these (Paris) games will be able to really remind global leaders that there is 1.2 billion persons with disabilities out there that need to be included in those conversations.”

SOURCE – (AP)