‘The White Lotus’ Season 2 Will Be Set in Sicily (EXCLUSIVE)

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The highly anticipated second season of Mike White’s “The White Lotus” will be filmed in Sicily, Variety has learned — confirming previous reports that Season 2 of the HBO show will take place in Italy.

A source close to the show said that once again a Four Seasons Hotel will stand in for White’s fictional luxury chain of White Lotus hotels, specifically the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in the exclusive Sicilian resort town of Taormina. (The Hawaii-based first season of “The White Lotus” was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Maui.) According to the San Domenico Palace’s website, it’s closed to guests until April 1.

Representatives from HBO had no comment.

Season 2 of the dark comedy will star Michael Imperioli and Aubrey Plaza alongside recently announced cast members F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, Adam DiMarco and Haley Lu Richardson. Season 1 fan-favorite Jennifer Coolidge, who played the mourning heiress Tanya McQuoid, will also return for Season 2.

Imperioli will play Dominic Di Grasso, who travels to the White Lotus resort with his elderly father Bert Di Grasso (Abraham) and college graduate son (DiMarco). Plaza joins as Harper Spiller, a woman on vacation with her husband and his friends. Hollander will play Quentin, an English expat vacationing with his friends and his nephew, and Richardson will portray Portia, a young woman traveling with her boss.

In an interview with Variety on Wednesday, Plaza expressed excitement about working with White, revealing that they had been collaborating on another creative project that “kind of got messed up by the COVID of it all.”

“I was a fan of Season 1, but more importantly, I was a big Mike White fan. So I’m very excited to work with him,” Plaza added. “I’m very honored to be on this television series, and I hope I don’t let everybody down. It seems like everyone watched this show.”

South Shore stars: 2022 will be a big year for entertainers with local connections

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From a half-dozen high-profile film shoots (“Don’t Look Up,” “Spirited,” “Tender Bar”) to an Emmy-winning television series (“Hacks”) to an 11th Grammy nomination for Stoughton’s Lori McKenna – and more – the South Shore boasted a big year in pop culture. The party keeps rolling into 2022, as our South Shore talents are poised to up the ante. Here are a few to keep on your radar:

Milton’s Jen Statsky brings back ‘Hacks’

Milton’s Jen Statsky, co-creator and writer of the smash HBO Max comedy “Hacks,” delivers a second season (date to be announced) of the triple Emmy-winning comedy starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. The show won a Golden Globe for best comedy/musical on Jan. 9. It is nominated for best series and best comedy series by the Writers Guild of America. Winners will be announced March 20. Statsky is a 2004 graduate of Milton High School.

Milton:Jen Statsky wins Emmy for writing, creating HBO comedy ‘Hacks’

On tap for Norwell’s Jennifer Coolidge

Few had a better 2021 than Norwell’s Jennifer Coolidge, scoring acclaimed turns in HBO’s limited series “The White Lotus,” a satire from writer-director Mike White (“Enlightened”), and the Oscar-nominated film “Promising Young Woman.” She also stole scenes in December’s Netflix Christmas rom-com “Single All the Way.” Upcoming are the romantic comedy “Shotgun Wedding,” playing the mother-in-law-to-be of Jennifer Lopez; and two Netflix projects, the movie “We Have a Ghost” and the Ryan Murphy series “The Watcher.” She’ll also return for the second season of “The White Lotus,” and reprise her role as Reese Witherspoon’s BFF, Paulette, in “Legally Blonde 3” (May 20). Coolidge is in the running for an Emmy nod for “The White Lotus.” Nominations will be announced July 12. In the meantime, she’s up for a SAG award.

Norwell:Jennifer Coolidge presents Emmy Award to Jason Sudeikis for ‘Ted Lasso’

Milton’s Jenny Slate looks for love

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes the romantic comedy “I Want You Back” starring Milton native Jenny Slate as a woman attempting to win back the love of her life. Charlie Day and Scott Eastwood co-star. The movie debuts Feb. 11 on Amazon Prime. Slate was the valedictorian of Milton Academy’s Class of 2000. Her film roles include “Venom,” “Obvious Child,” “Hotel Artemis,” “Landline” and “Gifted.”

Weymouth’s Nate Corddry gets political

Weymouth’s Nate Corddry joins Julia Roberts and Sean Penn for the political drama “Gaslit,” an eight-episode STARZ series about how Martha Mitchell, the wife of President Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, tried to expose the Watergate scandal long before Woodward and Bernstein. Corddry will play Michael Deaver, a campaign official for then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan and a key potential ally to the Mitchells. The release date is TBD.

Steve Carell returns to ‘Space’

Steve Carell has exited “The Morning Show,” but he’ll return for the second season of “Space Force” on Feb. 18 on Netflix. He’ll also reprise the role of Gru in “Minions: The Rise of Gru” when it hits theaters July 2. Carell is currently filming “The Patient,” a limited series on FX. He plays a psychotherapist held prisoner by a serial killer (Domhnall Gleeson). Carell is married to Cohasset native Nancy Walls. They have two children. He is originally from Acton, but usually spends summers in Marshfield. He owns Marshfield Hills General Store. Carell became a darling in town when he gave the “MarshVegas” shout-out from the Oscar Red Carpet in 2007.

Quincy-shot ‘Whitney’ gets release date

The Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” will be released Dec. 23, just in time for Oscar consideration. Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet”) directs a cast including Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis and Naomi Akie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) as Houston. Filming took place at Marina Studio in Quincy.

Movie magic:New studio opens in Marina Bay, filming Whitney Houston biopic

Another Grammy for Lori McKenna?

Stoughton hitmaker Lori McKenna is among the songwriters nominated for song of the year at the currently postponed Grammys. The song, “A Beautiful Noise,” was co-written by Ruby Amanfu, Brandy Clark, Hillary Lindsey and Hailey Whitters. It is sung by Brandi Carlile and Alicia Keys. McKenna already has three Grammys to her credit.

Music Scene:Stoughton’s Lori McKenna returns to her roots with ‘The Balladeer’

New series from Scituate’s Peter Tolan

“Belated” is the new half-hour FX comedy series written, directed, created and produced by Scituate’s Peter Tolan (“Rescue Me”). The show, which is in development, is about a friendship between 40-year-old Owen (Kal Penn, “Harold & Kumar,” “House”) and Clay, a 17-year-old trans teen. Tolan has also written for “Murphy Brown” (winning an Emmy), “The Larry Sanders Show” and “The Job”; and the films “Analyze This” and “Analyze That.” Not bad for a guy who got his start in Scituate High School theater productions.

Dropkick Murphys to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

The Quincy-based Dropkick Murphys (“Shipping Up to Boston”) plan a 22-date tour in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The kickoff is Feb. 17 in Reading, Pennsylvania. The tour wraps in Boston from March 17-20. Three of the local shows are at the House of Blues and the tour finale at Bowery Boston. The band was formed in 1996 in the basement of a Wollaston barbershop.

The South Shore’s Oscar night

Will Quincy native Peter Del Vecho become the city’s first two-time Oscar winner? The animated adventure “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which he produced, is likely to grab a spot when the nominations are announced Feb. 8. He previously won for “Frozen.” He is a 1976 graduate of Quincy High. This year’s Oscars are on March 27 on ABC. “Raya” scored 10 nominations for the Annie Award and a Golden Globe nod.

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’:Quincy producer leads another animated adventure

Elsewhere, Ariana Grande could pick up a nomination for best song for “Just Look Up,” which was filmed locally at Union Point. The film is also in the running for writing and directing nods. … George Clooney’s “The Tender Bar,” which shot a pivotal third-act sequence in Braintree, is garnering Oscar buzz for Ben Affleck’s acting. Sian Heder’s Gloucester-shot flick, “CODA,” is circling many nominations, including best picture and both supporting-actor categories.

Emmy buzz for Canton’s Bill Burr

Canton native Bill Burr, a standup comedian who appeared in “Breaking Bad” and “The Mandalorian,” recently released the fifth season of Netflix’s animated adult comedy “F is for Family.” Burr voices the main character. The show is based on his upbringing in Canton in the 1970s. He’s also generating Emmy buzz for his work on Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs.” Next for Burr is the Morgan Freeman film “Hate to See You Go,” about a Chicago blues musician. Burr is a 1987 graduate of Canton High School.

Director Judd Apatow:Canton’s Bill Burr is ‘riotously funny’ in ‘King of Staten Island’

Chris Cooper joins ‘Boston Strangler’

Kingston resident and Academy Award winner Chris Cooper (“Adaptation”) will join Isabel Coixet’s Broadway-set drama “Light on Broken Glass” after he wraps “Boston Strangler.” The shot-in-Massachusetts film is written and directed by Matt Ruskin (“Crown Heights”). Locations include Braintree, Belmont, Lowell, Lynn, Wellesley and Malden. It centers on how Milton journalist Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) and fellow Boston Record American reporter Jean Harris (Carrie Coon), of Scituate, challenged the sexism of the early 1960s while covering the story.

‘Spirited’ among 2022 premieres

Premiere dates are still to be determined for high-profile movies and series filmed last year on the South Shore. They include “Julia,” the HBO Max original series about chef Julia Childs; and “Confess, Fletch,” the crime-comedy reboot with Jon Hamm in the title role. Scenes for “Julia” were shot at Adams Shore Supermarket in Quincy. Cohasset’s sprawling Oaks Estate was the backdrop for scenes in “Confess, Fletch.” The Apple TV+ Christmas musical “Spirited,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, is aiming for a December release date. South Shore Plaza was among locations for “Spirited.”

‘Gilded Age,’ ‘Ray Donovan’ and more

HBO’s “The Gilded Age” will premiere Sunday. The period drama created by “Downton Abbey’s” Julian Fellowes was shot in Newport, Rhode Island. … “Ray Donovan: The Movie” was partially filmed in South Boston and features Brockton native Pooch Hall. It is airing on Showtime. … Aerosmith, the storied rock band with South Shore roots, is scheduled to play its pandemic-delayed 50th-anniversary concert Sept. 9 at Fenway Park. … Cohasset High alum Kate Bosworth (“Still Alice,” “Blue Crush”) has three movies out this year: “Along for the Ride,” “The Enforcer” and “Bring on the Dancing Horses.” Release dates are to be announced. … The Worcester-set “Kevin Can F**k Himself,” which was shot in Quincy, Hingham and Brockton, has been renewed for Season 2 and will debut on AMC and AMC Plus in 2022. … Randolph native Keisha Tucker (“Black Panther”) is the stunt double for actress Kiki Layne in the 1950s-set psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling.” It opens Sept. 23. … We’re also keeping an eye on announcements about sequels for “Spenser Confidential” and “Free Guy,” both partially filmed in Weymouth.

Keisha Tucker:From Randolph High to Hollywood stunt double

‘Free Guy’:Boston is a video-game metropolis in Ryan Reynolds movie

Reel attraction:Massachusetts is a hot Hollywood alternative

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. Please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

Reach Dana Barbuto at dbarbuto@patriotledger.com.

If there were no drama/limited/comedy categories and a top 10 in each category..

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Best Television Show

The Great

Maid

Only Murders In The Building

Ozark

Reservation Dogs

Succession

Squid Game

Ted Lasso

What We Do In The Shadows

Yellowjackets

Othe Shows: The Morning Show, Scenes From A Marriage, The Good Fight, Insecure, Midnight Mass, Dopesick, A Very British Scandal, The White Lotus, Nine Perfect Strangers

Best Television Actress

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show

Christine Baranski, The Good Fight

Jessica Chastain, Scenes From A Marriage

Elle Fanning, The Great

Julia Garner, Ozark

Julietta Lewis, Yellowjackets

Laura Linney, Ozark

Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets

Margaret Qualley, Maid

Issa Rae, Insecure

Best Television Actor

Paul Bettany, A Very British Scandal

Brian Cox, Succession

Nicholas Hoult, The Great

Oscar Isaac, Scenes From A Marriage

Lee Jung-Jae, Squid Game

Michael Keaton, Dopesick

Hamish Linklater, Midnight Mass

Martin Short, Only Murders In The Building

Jeremy Strong, Succession

Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Best Television Supporting Actress

Connie Britton, The White Lotus

Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus

Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick

Jung Ho-Yeon, Squid Game

Andie MacDowell, Maid

Anika Noni Rose, Maid

Christina Ricci, Yellowjackets

Sarah Snook, Succession

Juno Temple, Ted Lasso

Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso

Best Television Supporting Actor

Kieran Culkin, Succession

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso

Harvey Guillen, What We Do In The Shadows

Park Hae-Soo, Squid Game

Jack Lacy, The White Lotus

Matthew Macfayden, Succession

Mandy Patinkin, The Good Fight

Nick Robinson, Maid

O Yeong-Su, Squid Game

Lukas Gage Goes Deep On That Much Talked About “White Lotus” Scene • Instinct Magazine

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Without a doubt, The White Lotus provided twists, turns, and yet another show-stopping turn by Jennifer Coolidge (this time as the wealthy and bereft camp character archetype,Tanya McQuid). It also provided an LGBTQ through-line in the form of White Lotus manager Armond (Murray Bartlett), who experienced an unexpected and drug-fueled binge with his subordinate Dillon (Lukas Gage), culminating with an ass-eating moment that shocked fans (and Armond’s colleague and a guest who unexpectedly witnessed the moment). Now, Lukas Gage feels that the unexpected salad-tossing is something that we should quite possibly see more of on television.

When he recently appeared on Andy Cohen Live, Cohen let Gage know that everyone was “all aflutter” from this now notorious scene. Gage recalled speaking with Murray Bartlett (who he commended as one of the “best actors and best people I’ve ever met in my life”) and that the sex they have seen people previously have for shock value is simply, not that shocking. “Ass eating is little bit more niche” Gage plainly said “and we need to bring it back”.

During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Gage told host Andy Cohen very plainly “I thought we should normalize rimming. I think that ass eating needs to be talked about more. In the script it was ‘sex’, and we’ve seen sex on TV. Let’s have some ass eating”. Gage also revealed that in the initial draft, he and Bartlett were supposed to be having full-on sex, and he and Bartlett both thought they could get a little bit more creative daring. Gage went on to say “We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be more interesting if [Dillon’s] getting his salad tossed? I mean, how often do we see that on TV?’ I think it’s much more interesting and more jarring to walk in on”. Thankfully, White Lotus series creator Mike White was totally on-board, which resulted in one of the most buzzed-about television-and sexually groundbreaking-moments on television in 2020.

Follow Lukas Gage on Instagram

Follow WWHL on Instagram

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Why people should stop sharing graphic of former WFT coaches originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Several former Washington Football Team assistant coaches have landed as head coaches with other NFL teams in recent years and most have found success.

That has left WFT open to some not-so-gentle mocking as three coaches on its 2013 staff alone – Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers, Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams and Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers – will coach their teams in the NFC divisional round this weekend.

Shanahan and LaFleur’s teams meet at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday in Green Bay and McVay’s Rams play at defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay on Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC. All three men were on staff with the then-Washington Redskins from 2010 to 2013 under Kyle’s father, Mike Shanahan. That each ended up elsewhere has become a topic of derision and mirth, but deserves to be placed in the correct context.

Now the head coaches of the Packers, 49ers and Rams… Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay lead their teams in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs this weekend.

Back in 2013, here they are as the QB coach, offensive coordinator and TE coach for #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/3n7nSG30P3 — NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) January 19, 2022

Given that WFT has featured mediocre results since 2013 with a combined 52-76-1 record in six years under first Jay Gruden and then two more under Ron Rivera, the relative success of Shanahan, McVay and LaFleur has led to storylines about why the franchise did not keep them on staff.

This hasn’t come from just random fans on Twitter. Even ESPN’s Adam Schefter, arguably the league’s biggest media insider, chimed in with a tweet of his own on the topic.

Story continues

This was a part of Washingtonâs coaching staff before it hired Jay Gruden as its head coach: pic.twitter.com/6CuXTMAV1f — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2022

Hindsight is 20/20, though. In the context of a disastrous 3-13 season in 2013 that got Mike Shanahan and most of his staff fired, it’s pretty obvious why none of the three ended up as Washington’s head coach. There is plenty of fuel for critics to use against WFT for its decisions on and off the field dating back 30 years. But not hiring McVay, Shanahan or LaFleur as head coach shouldn’t be part of that conversation.

Let’s travel back in time to 2013. Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner and likely future Hall-of-Famer, was Washington’s head coach, with Kyle the offensive coordinator. LaFleur was Washington’s QB coach and McVay, at age 28, was the club’s tight ends coach.

Despite all the talented offensive minds on staff for Washington that season, the team was a disaster. Quarterback Robert Griffin III rushed back from a torn ACL sustained late in his rookie year in 2012 and was largely unproductive in his second NFL season.

Griffin clashed with the coaching staff, which led to larger issues between the staff and prominent people in the organization, including owner Dan Snyder. The team finished last in the NFC East with that 3-13 record, tied for the team’s worst winning percentage in any season since 1961.

There was more to it than just that. The end of the 2013 season featured explosive media leaks late in the season that detailed the inner tension and turmoil. That combined with the awful record in their fourth season led to the Shanahans’ firing. Front office and ownership certainly deserved blame, too. But relationships were fractured and in those situations the coaches usually go first.

And so with Mike Shanahan getting fired, let’s be real: there was never any chance that Kyle Shanahan was going to remain with the franchise. At that point, the relationship between the Shanahans and Washington was over. Once considered the likely next head coach for Washington, the younger Shanahan instead took the offensive coordinator job with the Cleveland Browns.

“Kyle was never going to work here for one minute longer than he was required to,” NBC Sports Washington insider JP Finlay said on the latest Washington Football Talk podcast.

It’s not like Kyle Shanahan found immediate success after leaving Washington, either. He needed time to rebuild his own reputation as a coach on the rise. Cleveland’s offense struggled in 2014. It finished 27th in points per game. Shanahan resigned from his position following the season, citing disagreement with Browns head coach Mike Pettine on how the offensive should be run.

Shanahan’s rise in the coaching ranks began again at his next stop with the Atlanta Falcons. Shanahan served as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator for two seasons, with quarterback Matt Ryan earning MVP honors in the second of those years.

The high-powered Falcons offense led the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016-17 and nearly a Lombardi Trophy before the infamous 28-3 blown lead against the New England Patriots. Following that season, Shanahan was hired as the San Francisco 49ers head coach and he’s held that role ever since.

Although Shanahan has had plenty of success with the 49ers, it took stops at those two other places following his dismissal from Washington before he became a head coach. Washington knew that Shanahan was a talented coach, but following the firing of his father the relationship was severed. Griffin continued on, but left after two more ineffectual seasons with Gruden.

While the Shanahans left, McVay actually remained on Washington’s staff. In fact, one of the first moves Gruden made as Washington’s head coach was promoting McVay to offensive coordinator just before McVay’s 28th birthday. They didn’t give up on him. They promoted him.

McVay served as Washington’s offensive coordinator for three seasons. In 2016, Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins set a franchise record with 4,917 passing yards. Under McVay, Washington’s offense was one of the best statistical units in the NFL.

Following the 2016 season, McVay started to get some looks as a head coach. Washington knew he would likely be a head coach sooner than later, but the franchise didn’t think it would be so sudden. The Rams made the audacious move of making McVay, who was just 30 years old when hired in January, 2017, the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.

The question: Why didn’t Washington fire Gruden in 2017 to keep McVay if they knew he’d be a star coach? Well, it’s not that simple.

When McVay was hired by the Rams, Washington was not considering making a head coaching change. Gruden had just led the team to back-to-back winning seasons, the first time the franchise had accomplished that since 1996-97. It won the NFC East at 9-7 in 2015 and missed the playoffs by a half game (thanks to a tie) after an 8-7-1 season in 2016. Maybe not great, but certainly not something that gets a coach fired entering his fourth season.

The reality is that McVay, like many other successful assistants, had an opportunity to advance his career by becoming the head coach elsewhere. That’s exactly what he did. And while many even inside the building in Ashburn believed McVay had the tools to be a successful head coach, no one knew he would be this successful, this quickly.

It’s also worth noting that McVay has tremendous respect for Gruden, too. According to Finlay, McVay has gone on the record to say he’s a product of Gruden’s coaching tree, not Shanahan’s. Gruden was the coach that first allowed him to become a coordinator. His brother, Jon Gruden, hired McVay on staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008 when he was just 22.

“Sean McVay actively tells people he’s part of the Gruden coaching tree,” Finlay said. “Jon Gruden is the first one that hired him in Tampa. It wasn’t Shanahan [in Washington].”

LaFleur, meanwhile, left Washington with the Shanahans following the 2013 season. He’d long had a connection with Kyle Shanahan dating to their time with the Houston Texans. But with Kyle in Cleveland, LaFleur struck out on his own.

At the time, LaFleur was 34 and had never even been a coordinator. He searched for a new home and landed a college assistant job coaching the quarterbacks at Notre Dame. It would have been nearly impossible to predict that just six years later in 2019, he would be hired by the Packers.

LaFleur returned to the NFL in 2015, where he reunited with Shanahan in Atlanta as the Falcons’ QBs coach. In 2017, when Shanahan moved on to San Francisco, LaFleur reunited with McVay and became the Rams offensive coordinator, his first time in that role in the NFL.

After one season with the Rams, LaFleur departed to take the offensive coordinator job with the Tennessee Titans where he’d have bigger role and the chance to call plays. Tennessee’s offense was a middle-of-the-pack unit that season, but LaFleur impressed enough to earn the Packers head coaching job following the season. He replaced Super Bowl champion coach Mike McCarthy.

If many around the league questioned Green Bay’s decision, LaFleur has quieted any critics with three straight 13-win seasons. The Packers have talent and a future Hall-of-Famer at quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, but Green Bay had missed the playoffs two straight seasons before LaFleur arrived. Since LaFleur took over, they’ve annually been one of the NFC’s best teams and are currently Super Bowl favorites.

There’s nothing different Washington could or should have done with LaFleur. When he left the franchise in 2013, he was still years away from being a head coach. In fact, it was far from a guarantee that LaFleur would ever become a head coach in the NFL.

The bottom line is this: Washington had a stacked coaching staff in 2013 with Shanahan, LaFleur and McVay all on staff. But the franchise also was one of the worst in the NFL that season and finished with just three wins. Shanahan and LaFleur needed multiple other stops before becoming head coaches, while McVay worked his way up in Washington before getting an opportunity elsewhere and would have had to take the job here from one of his mentors in 2017. That was never going to happen.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to point to for Washington’s struggles over the past decade and beyond. Wondering how the franchise wasn’t able to keep Shanahan, McVay and LaFleur should not be one of them.