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Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on <\/em>C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!<\/strong><\/p>\n 7\/3: Jorge Cazares (design specialist, Adept Content Solutions, Urbana, IL) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n Alumni and almost-alumni of downstate Illinois<\/strong> colleges have made headlines recently in the industry press, so we\u2019ve compiled links of that coverage for you. Deadline<\/span><\/strong> confirmed on Wednesday, June 30<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, that Nick Offerman<\/strong> will play the coach of the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches<\/strong> women\u2019s baseball team<\/a><\/span> in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN<\/strong>, the reboot series being produced by Sony Pictures Television<\/strong> for Amazon<\/strong>. Famous in his role as \u201cRon Swanson\u201d on PARKS AND RECREATION<\/strong>, Offerman earned a BFA degree at the University of Illinois<\/strong> and became involved in Chicago<\/strong> theater as an actor, fight choreographer, and carpenter<\/a><\/span> after leaving Urbana-Champaign<\/strong>. A day before on Tuesday, June 29<\/strong>, The Wrap<\/span><\/strong> reported that Amazon had purchased first-run rights<\/a><\/span> for the popular podcast SmartLess<\/span><\/strong>, hosted by comic actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman<\/strong>, and Sean Hayes<\/strong>, in a deal worth up to $80 million. Best known for playing \u201cJack\u201d on WILL & GRACE<\/strong>, Hayes attended Illinois State University<\/strong> in the early 1990s and split Normal<\/strong> early to work as a pianist and music director in Chicago theater<\/a><\/span> at roughly the same time Swanson was there. And on Thursday, June 24<\/strong>, the day TBS<\/strong> aired the finale of CONAN<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, The Hollywood Reporter<\/span><\/strong> spoke with Conan O\u2019Brien<\/strong>\u2019s venerable sidekick Andy Richter<\/strong><\/span><\/a> about their history together and his plans. A short-lived UIUC student and a Columbia College Chicago<\/strong> graduate who started his career with improv training and commercial production in the Windy City<\/a><\/span>, Richter has now spent a combined 19 years sitting next to O\u2019Brien during the latter\u2019s 28-year-long run hosting late-night television that spanned two networks, three programs, and many trips without borders. May the Midwest keep representing in popular culture!<\/p>\n We\u2019ll also share a bonus item that we found recently. Adrian Pennington<\/span><\/strong> of RedShark<\/span><\/strong> discussed the future of filmmaking<\/span><\/a> with Douglas Trumbull<\/strong>, the veteran Hollywood<\/strong> special effects wizard<\/a><\/span> who is well known for his experimentation behind the scenes. He is a proponent of high frame rate (HFR) image capture and presentation, believing it will become viable once the distracting \u201cunreal\u201d sheen that is caused while projecting HFR with available technology can be solved. One of the few major directors to share enthusiasm for the format<\/a><\/span> and is mentioned in the article is Ang Lee<\/strong>, whose last two features, BILLY LYNN\u2019S LONG HALFTIME WALK<\/strong> and GEMINI MAN<\/strong>, were attempts at creating HFR cinema that can fully immerse an audience in the storytelling. Lee, a 1980 BFA graduate of the UIUC theater program<\/a><\/span>, has built a very distinguished film career and will hopefully conquer this perplexing challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cMy god<\/em>,\u201d you just muttered as you exhaled deeply, \u201cthis Field Report is full of stars<\/em>.\u201d Every now and then, dearest readers, it\u2019s bound to happen. It\u2019s also a lesson in not confining ourselves as we never know where the next steps will take us. That said, on the way out the door to your holiday weekend activities that you will<\/em> observe carefully during the still-active pandemic we all live in, be sure to send a friendly wish skyward to misters Offerman and Hayes. They both turned 51 on Saturday, June 26<\/strong>. Hurrah!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area<\/strong><\/p>\n @ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Hessel Park, Champaign Park District, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong>
\n7\/5: Paul Riismandel (cohost, Radio Survivor<\/span> podcast, San Francisco, CA)<\/p>\n
\nTHE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, SUMMER OF SOUL, ZOLA, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, CRUELLA, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN\u2019S WIFE\u2019S BODYGUARD, IN THE HEIGHTS, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY, A QUIET PLACE PART II, SPIRIT UNTAMED (7\/2 on), BLACK WIDOW (7\/8 on)<\/p>\n
\n\u201cFriday Night Flix\u201d feat. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (7\/2, dusk)<\/p>\n
\nTHE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS, THE FOREVER PURGE, ZOLA, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, CRUELLA, F9: THE FAST SAGA, THE HITMAN\u2019S WIFE\u2019S BODYGUARD, IN THE HEIGHTS, PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY, A QUIET PLACE PART II (7\/2 on), JAWS (7\/4, 3 & 7 p.m.; 7\/7, 7 p.m.), DOLITTLE, TROLLS WORLD TOUR (7\/6-7\/8, 10 a.m.), The Metropolitan Opera presents YANNICK: AN ARTIST\u2019S JOURNEY (7\/7, 1 & 6:30 p.m.), BLACK WIDOW (7\/8 on)<\/p>\n