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Steve

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Michelle Rodriguez threatens to leave 'Fast & Furious' over flimsy female roles
Michelle Rodriguez says flimsy female roles have led her to consider leaving Fast & Furious.

The 38-year-old actress, who plays Letty Ortiz in the film series, called out the franchise Tuesday on Instagram for not showing enough "love" to the female stars.

"F8 is out digitally today, I hope they decide to show some love to the women of the franchise on the next one. Or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise," Rodriguez wrote.

"It's been a good ride & Im grateful for the opportunity the fans & studio have provided over the years... One Love," she added.

Rodriguez previously threatened to leave the series after producers suggested a love triangle plot line for Letty. She discussed the incident and other with the franchise in an interview with Entertainment Weekly published in May.

"At the end of the day, the only leverage I have as an individual is my participation," the actress said. "I'm not hard to work with. I just demand a certain level of respect for the individual character."

"Having girls run around and do a bunch of really cool stuff, that's great, it's wonderful, but we never talk to each other," she added. "I've been making movies with Jordana [Brewster], who plays the sister of Dom Toretto, for 16 years and I can count on one hand how many lines I've had to her. I think that's pathetic and it's lack of creativity."

Rodriguez portrayed Letty in five Fast & Furious films, including the most recent, The Fate of the Furious. The series co-stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, and has featured Elsa Pataky and Charlize Theron.


AMC renews 'Better Call Saul' for Season 4
AMC said it has ordered a fourth season of its Breaking Bad prequel series Better Call Saul, starring Bob Odenkirk.

The 10 new episodes will premiere in 2018. Executive produced by creators Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan, as well as Mark Johnson, the show also stars Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks and Giancarlo Esposito.

"Supporting artists we respect and admire; delivering truly outstanding character development and nuanced dramatic twists and turns; continuing a legacy of bold creative choices; loving writing that is the best in the business: Truly, 'S'all good, man,'" Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios, said in a statement Tuesday. "Congratulations to Vince, Peter, Bob and everyone involved with Better Call Saul. Bring on Season 4!"


LOOSE LIPS:
"I would love to work with him again one day but who knows? It might not happen until we're 70."
--Kate Winslet, on the possibility of working with Leonardo DiCaprio again, to E! News



??? Guess Who ???
Which model had $8.1 million in jewelry confiscates by the U.S. Justice Department?


Syfy orders 'Tremors' reboot series pilot with Kevin Bacon
Syfy has ordered a pilot based on 1990 cult film Tremors, featuring original star Kevin Bacon.

The series will pick up 25 years after the original film with Bacon stepping back into the role of Valentine McKee, now older and dealing with a hero complex as he protects the town of Perfection, Nevada once again from killer Gradboid worms, Variety reported.

"This is the only character I've played that I've ever thought about revisiting. I just got to thinking, where would this guy end up after 25 years?" Bacon said in a Syfy news release.

"Andrew Miller has a fantastic take on it and we hope to create a show that will be fun and scary for fans of the movie and folks that have yet to discover it. Let's kick some Graboid [expletive]!" the actor continued, referencing showrunner Andrew Miller.

Miller also penned the pilot and is serving as an executive producer alongside Bacon and David Schiff.

Syfy previously turned Tremors into a series in 2003, however the show only lasted for 13 episodes. Bacon only starred in the original 1990 film which was followed by four direct-to-video sequels.


'Dragon Tattoo' star Michael Nyqvist dead at 56
Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist died this week at age 56

Nyqvist died while "quietly surrounded by family" Tuesday after having lung cancer for about a year, the star's rep said in a statement to Variety.

"Michael's joy and passion were infectious to those who knew and loved him," the rep added. "His charm and charisma were undeniable, and his love for the arts was felt by all who had the pleasure of working with him."

Nyqvist was known for playing Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels. He also starred in the films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and John Wick.

British actor Gerard Butler was among those to mourn Nyqvist's death online. The pair will co-star in the forthcoming movie Hunter Killer, which is in post-production but has yet to set a release date.

"It feels important to send my condolences because of all the movies I've made, he's right up there -- one of my favorites, if not my favorite -- in terms of somebody who just had such incredible talent and childlike qualities and playfulness. But more than anything, such an incredible humility and warmth," Butler said in a video post.

"You watch somebody like that and you see how he handles himself with such dignity and integrity and fun, like he still loves what he does," Butler added. "It breaks my heart."

Nyqvist is survived by his wife, production designer Catharina Ehrnrooth, and their two children, Ellen and Arthur.


??? Guess Who ???
Which model had $8.1 million in jewelry confiscates by the U.S. Justice Department?

Australian model Miranda Kerr handed over $8.1 million worth of jewelry to the U.S. Justice Department after allegations the jewelry was purchased by Malaysian financier Jho Low with misappropriated funds.

Low is under investigation for allegedly misappropriating more than $3.5 billion through a Malaysian investment fund laundering more than $1 billion through U.S. banking systems.

Low has denied wrongdoing and is fighting the property seizures.

Kerr isn't part of the financial scheme investigation. Rather, she's one of many celebrity friends Low, a Hollywood jet-setter who finances movie productions, tends to shower with lavish gifts.

In addition to the million-dollar jewelry collection he gave to Kerr, Low also gave original Pablo Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, whose "Wolf of Wall Street" was financed by the Malaysian money-man. That was also confiscated by the DOJ.

In addition the jewels and the Picasso,items confiscated from Low an original poster for the 1927 movie "Metropolis," an original photograph from famed photographer Dana Arbus, the rights tot he movies "Dumb and Dumber To" and "Daddy's Home," millions of stock shares, a yacht, and a New York City condo, according to court documents.