Cyrine Abdallah

Contributing Writer

“Wicked” and “Gladiator II”

Two major films are set to release on Nov. 22. One of the movies is “Wicked,” the long-awaited film adaptation of the Broadway musical starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The other movie is “Gladiator II,” a sequel to the movie released 24 years ago. The cast includes major talents like Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, to name a few. 

The vibrant and colorful aesthetic in “Wicked,” alongside the dust and chaos of the Roman Empire in “Gladiator II,” inspired some fans to create “Glicked,” a portmanteau double-feature trend similar to 2023’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. With such contrasting tones, audiences may embrace this duality again. Will you join the trend?

Mattel’s Bizarre Mistake

The race is on for Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated “Wicked” movie, with a marketing budget reportedly nearing $916 million. To support the film, Mattel launched a collection of character dolls, but the outcome was not what they expected. 

Instead of reading as “WickedMovies.com” the packaging mistakenly printed “Wicked.com.” Users who typed the link into a search browser were redirected to an adult-only content page featuring explicit content and a warning about “sexually-oriented, including explicit, material of a pornographic nature.” The dolls are reportedly no longer available for sale at Target or any major retail websites.

Film Spotlight: “Anora”

This week’s spotlight is on “Anora,” a film directed by Sean Baker. The movie stars rising talent Mikey Madison, known for her role in the latest “Scream” franchise movies. Madison’s breakout performance comes in “Anora,” where she plays a stripper who unexpectedly marries the son of a Russian oligarch. 

The modern-day Cinderella story won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and has grossed $20 million worldwide, well above its $6 million budget.

“Sexiest Man Alive” Announcement

PEOPLE magazine released the cover from its annual “Sexiest Man Alive” issue —  featuring music producer Benny Blanco. The reactions were strong. Blanco — Selena Gomez’s boyfriend — was far from being a hit with many internet users. Fortunately for them, the real 2024 Sexiest Man Alive was later revealed to be none other than John Krasinski. You might know him from “The Office,” this year’s family movie “IF,” or the franchise “A Quiet Place,” where he stars alongside his wife Emily Blunt.