Would starring in Men in Black really have made David Schwimmer a movie star?

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Hollywood is full of tantalising “what-if?” moments; decisions made on the spur of the moment that have far-reaching repercussions for all involved. What if Robert Zemeckis had persevered with Eric Stoltz on the Back to the Future set, rather than bringing in Michael J Fox? What if Tom Selleck had played Indiana Jones instead of Harrison Ford? What if, as initially wanted by the film’s producers, Robert Altman had directed Alien?And now we can add another big mystery to the list. What if David Schwimmer had starred in Men in Black instead of Will Smith?Apparently, as Schwimmer revealed in a recent podcast episode, this was originally the plan. When he was offered the MiB part, Friends had been on the air for a few years and Schwimmer was the hottest thing around. However, he had just starred in a film – 1996’s The Pallbearer – that was a critical and commercial disappointment, and wanted to try his hand at directing instead. He lined up a film with Miramax called Since You’ve Been Gone, just as the offer came in for him to star in Men in Black. He was left with a difficult decision, and history has already recorded his choice.Arguably, it wasn’t the right one. Since You’ve Been Gone ended up being downgraded from a theatrical release to a made-for-TV film that few remember, while Will Smith got the Men in Black job and became an instant megastar. “Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later, maybe more, [Men in Black] would have made me a movie star,” Schwimmer sighs on the podcast. “If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.”View image in fullscreenOr would it? It might be easy for Schwimmer to look upon Men in Black with envy. It might have even caused him to view Will Smith’s subsequent successes as his own. After all, in the early 90s they were both just well-liked sitcom stars. Maybe Schwimmer would have gone on to star in I, Robot and I Am Legend instead of Smith. Maybe he would have scored huge hits by recording the theme tunes of several of his films. Maybe, even, he would have played Muhammad Ali or flamed out at the Oscars. Who can possibly say?Except that isn’t really how it works. As easy as it is for Schwimmer to say that Men in Black would have made him a star, it’s equally possible that Will Smith made Men in Black a hit. He didn’t come out of nowhere to get the role. In the two years prior to Men in Black he had made a pair of genuine blockbusters in Bad Boys and Independence Day, plus he was carefully branding himself as an all-round singing and dancing entertainer. His next film, whatever it would be, was always going to attract a lot of attention.Meanwhile, Schwimmer had The Pallbearer (which opened at No 9 at the US box office upon release), and with the exception of the Madagascar series, hasn’t really proved himself to be much of a box office draw. Anyone remember All the Rage? Picking Up the Pieces? Duane Hopwood, the 2005 film about a man called Duane Hopwood? Which isn’t to say that these are bad films or that Schwimmer is bad in them, more that they didn’t land on the same level as, say, Hitch.It’s also genuinely impossible to imagine Schwimmer as Agent J in Men in Black. Try it now. Smith’s swaggering cool defined that role, and swaggering cool isn’t something that Schwimmer has in much abundance. He can be anxious and knotty and play out of his depth extremely well, but try to imagine him throwing on a pair of sunglasses and telling Tommy Lee Jones “I make this look good.” Really try. Try and imagine him saying it unironically. Try and imagine him saying it without a question mark at the end. It’s truly impossible.Which isn’t to say that Schwimmer should be beating himself up about this missed opportunity. It’s 2024. Smith has become an international punchline thanks to his loss of control at the Oscars, and his career will never fully recover. Meanwhile, the enduring success of Friends – a sitcom he made 30 years ago – means that Schwimmer still receives $20m (£15m) a year in re-run fees without having to lift a finger. Sometimes, regardless of your bad decisions, the universe has a way of making everything OK.

Would starring in Men in Black really have made David Schwimmer a movie star?

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Hollywood is full of tantalising “what-if?” moments; decisions made on the spur of the moment that have far-reaching repercussions for all involved. What if Robert Zemeckis had persevered with Eric Stoltz on the Back to the Future set, rather than bringing in Michael J Fox? What if Tom Selleck had played Indiana Jones instead of Harrison Ford? What if, as initially wanted by the film’s producers, Robert Altman had directed Alien?And now we can add another big mystery to the list. What if David Schwimmer had starred in Men in Black instead of Will Smith?Apparently, as Schwimmer revealed in a recent podcast episode, this was originally the plan. When he was offered the MiB part, Friends had been on the air for a few years and Schwimmer was the hottest thing around. However, he had just starred in a film – 1996’s The Pallbearer – that was a critical and commercial disappointment, and wanted to try his hand at directing instead. He lined up a film with Miramax called Since You’ve Been Gone, just as the offer came in for him to star in Men in Black. He was left with a difficult decision, and history has already recorded his choice.Arguably, it wasn’t the right one. Since You’ve Been Gone ended up being downgraded from a theatrical release to a made-for-TV film that few remember, while Will Smith got the Men in Black job and became an instant megastar. “Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later, maybe more, [Men in Black] would have made me a movie star,” Schwimmer sighs on the podcast. “If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.”View image in fullscreenOr would it? It might be easy for Schwimmer to look upon Men in Black with envy. It might have even caused him to view Will Smith’s subsequent successes as his own. After all, in the early 90s they were both just well-liked sitcom stars. Maybe Schwimmer would have gone on to star in I, Robot and I Am Legend instead of Smith. Maybe he would have scored huge hits by recording the theme tunes of several of his films. Maybe, even, he would have played Muhammad Ali or flamed out at the Oscars. Who can possibly say?Except that isn’t really how it works. As easy as it is for Schwimmer to say that Men in Black would have made him a star, it’s equally possible that Will Smith made Men in Black a hit. He didn’t come out of nowhere to get the role. In the two years prior to Men in Black he had made a pair of genuine blockbusters in Bad Boys and Independence Day, plus he was carefully branding himself as an all-round singing and dancing entertainer. His next film, whatever it would be, was always going to attract a lot of attention.Meanwhile, Schwimmer had The Pallbearer (which opened at No 9 at the US box office upon release), and with the exception of the Madagascar series, hasn’t really proved himself to be much of a box office draw. Anyone remember All the Rage? Picking Up the Pieces? Duane Hopwood, the 2005 film about a man called Duane Hopwood? Which isn’t to say that these are bad films or that Schwimmer is bad in them, more that they didn’t land on the same level as, say, Hitch.It’s also genuinely impossible to imagine Schwimmer as Agent J in Men in Black. Try it now. Smith’s swaggering cool defined that role, and swaggering cool isn’t something that Schwimmer has in much abundance. He can be anxious and knotty and play out of his depth extremely well, but try to imagine him throwing on a pair of sunglasses and telling Tommy Lee Jones “I make this look good.” Really try. Try and imagine him saying it unironically. Try and imagine him saying it without a question mark at the end. It’s truly impossible.Which isn’t to say that Schwimmer should be beating himself up about this missed opportunity. It’s 2024. Smith has become an international punchline thanks to his loss of control at the Oscars, and his career will never fully recover. Meanwhile, the enduring success of Friends – a sitcom he made 30 years ago – means that Schwimmer still receives $20m (£15m) a year in re-run fees without having to lift a finger. Sometimes, regardless of your bad decisions, the universe has a way of making everything OK.

Tourist warning as Spanish city ‘closing off’ hotspot to charge holidaymakers for visit

Travel

José Luis Sanz, the mayor of the popular tourist destination Seville in the Anadalusia autonomous community of Spain, stated on Wednesday that he has already “decided to enclose” the space of the monumental Plaza de Espana and charge “between three and four euros” (as much as £3.36) for visits by tourists. The money collected will go towards paying for “24-hour surveillance” in the enclosure and permanent conservation work. In an interview on Cadena Cope, Sanz has again defended his proposal to close the complex – the open-air space between the balustrade of access and the benches of the provinces – and charge an entrance fee to tourists. Those who can prove that they live in the city or were born in the province – and can prove it – won’t be asked to pay the new fee.  The City Council, the owner of the space, made a similar proposal several months ago. The revenues would be distributed, the local PP government said, with 75 percent of the total to be allocated to the municipal coffers and 25 percent to be destined to the state, guaranteeing free public access to the state offices of the complex. These offices house the headquarters of the Government Delegation in Andalusia, the Subdelegation, Migration Services, the Hydrographic Confederation of the Guadalquivir (CHG) and the Army’s Land Force Headquarters.Alongside the surveillance service, the plan is also to open a permanent restoration school or workshop for this emblematic monument of Seville, protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest, which is currently fully accessible to the public. The central government, formed by the PSEO and Sumar, however, flatly rejected the proposal, warning that it is a “privatisation” of public space. Mr Sanz claimed on Wednesday that the central government, beyond rejecting the idea, had not provided any economic “alternative” to pay for 24-hour surveillance of the monument and permanent restoration work. He stated that, as mayor, he had already “decided” to implement “a ticket” for access to the square space belonging to the Town Hall.Mr Sanz said: “I want to charge a fee to those who visit the square space. The building is another story”. He assured that the Town Hall can “enclose” the space in the square that belongs to it, something he hopes to do when he has a “defined project”, which he said is already being drawn up.He recalled that the accesses to the Plaza de Espana already have “two lateral closures” on the Avenida de Isabel la Catolica, to which the monument opens, so that “it would only be necessary to close it at the front”, with an installation that “already exists” but requires completion. Additionally, having recently stated that in 2025 – after the next edition of the Iconica music festival that is held every summer in the Plaza de Espana – he would open “the debate on the continuity or not” of the event, Mr Sanz showed on Wednesday that he is “in favour” of the local citizens enjoying “this unique space”.“I see it as a good thing that this type of activity is organised in the Plaza de Espana”, he said, stressing that the festival is “under the inspection of the Town Planning technicians”.He also defended that the Plaza de España is an “ideal” enclave for the “great museum space” which, in his opinion, the city needs, once again asking whether “it makes sense” for the monument to house state offices because, from his point of view, “it only makes sense” to keep the Captaincy General’s Office, the headquarters of the Army’s Land Force, in the monument, in terms of administrative offices.

Tourist warning as Spanish city ‘closing off’ hotspot to charge holidaymakers for visit

Travel

José Luis Sanz, the mayor of the popular tourist destination Seville in the Anadalusia autonomous community of Spain, stated on Wednesday that he has already “decided to enclose” the space of the monumental Plaza de Espana and charge “between three and four euros” (as much as £3.36) for visits by tourists. The money collected will go towards paying for “24-hour surveillance” in the enclosure and permanent conservation work. In an interview on Cadena Cope, Sanz has again defended his proposal to close the complex – the open-air space between the balustrade of access and the benches of the provinces – and charge an entrance fee to tourists. Those who can prove that they live in the city or were born in the province – and can prove it – won’t be asked to pay the new fee.  The City Council, the owner of the space, made a similar proposal several months ago. The revenues would be distributed, the local PP government said, with 75 percent of the total to be allocated to the municipal coffers and 25 percent to be destined to the state, guaranteeing free public access to the state offices of the complex. These offices house the headquarters of the Government Delegation in Andalusia, the Subdelegation, Migration Services, the Hydrographic Confederation of the Guadalquivir (CHG) and the Army’s Land Force Headquarters.Alongside the surveillance service, the plan is also to open a permanent restoration school or workshop for this emblematic monument of Seville, protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest, which is currently fully accessible to the public. The central government, formed by the PSEO and Sumar, however, flatly rejected the proposal, warning that it is a “privatisation” of public space. Mr Sanz claimed on Wednesday that the central government, beyond rejecting the idea, had not provided any economic “alternative” to pay for 24-hour surveillance of the monument and permanent restoration work. He stated that, as mayor, he had already “decided” to implement “a ticket” for access to the square space belonging to the Town Hall.Mr Sanz said: “I want to charge a fee to those who visit the square space. The building is another story”. He assured that the Town Hall can “enclose” the space in the square that belongs to it, something he hopes to do when he has a “defined project”, which he said is already being drawn up.He recalled that the accesses to the Plaza de Espana already have “two lateral closures” on the Avenida de Isabel la Catolica, to which the monument opens, so that “it would only be necessary to close it at the front”, with an installation that “already exists” but requires completion. Additionally, having recently stated that in 2025 – after the next edition of the Iconica music festival that is held every summer in the Plaza de Espana – he would open “the debate on the continuity or not” of the event, Mr Sanz showed on Wednesday that he is “in favour” of the local citizens enjoying “this unique space”.“I see it as a good thing that this type of activity is organised in the Plaza de Espana”, he said, stressing that the festival is “under the inspection of the Town Planning technicians”.He also defended that the Plaza de España is an “ideal” enclave for the “great museum space” which, in his opinion, the city needs, once again asking whether “it makes sense” for the monument to house state offices because, from his point of view, “it only makes sense” to keep the Captaincy General’s Office, the headquarters of the Army’s Land Force, in the monument, in terms of administrative offices.

Majorca in crisis with bars at risk of going under as tourists snub island

Travel

Hundreds of bars and restaurants in Mallorca are facing imminent closure following the worst season since Covid and tourists tightening their belts.The warning has come from the restaurant association, PIMEM-Restauracion which says their members are being strangled by three essential factors – the lack of qualified personnel, the increase in staff and activity costs and a drop in sales.Its president, Cesar Amable says the increase in travel prices – especially for plane tickets – and accommodation has hit its sector and other mainstays of the complementary offer such as commerce this summer.”The average stay has been shortened and the budget of tourists has been limited, thus penalising the extraordinary expenses of the trip, a situation that has ended up confirming the least profitable season in recent years, a pandemic period aside,” he said.Restaurateurs are demanding the creation of their own hospitality agreement that differentiates their conditions from those of hoteliers, as is already happening in other regions of Spain such as La Rioja, Madrid and Guipuzcoa at the provincial level.The salary increases, they say, are unaffordable for a sector that this season has seen its turnover fall by around 20% compared to last season.Thus, they have explained that the collective agreement has increased staff expenses by 25.3% since 2018, while the price of menus has risen by 10% in the same period.”There is a huge gap between hotels and restaurants; I think it’s very good that hotels raise prices as much as they want to raise them, but there are many things that differentiate us,” said Mr. Amable who warned that the drop in income this season will probably result in an early closure of many businesses located in tourist areas of Mallorca and the rest of the archipelago.”Unless a new agreement was made, he warned: “We restaurateurs have a very bad future.”Mr. Matas said they had been pressing for an agreement of their own for the last 15 years but nothing had happened.”The situation since then has worsened a lot and restaurants are being strangled,” he added.

Majorca in crisis with bars at risk of going under as tourists snub island

Travel

Hundreds of bars and restaurants in Mallorca are facing imminent closure following the worst season since Covid and tourists tightening their belts.The warning has come from the restaurant association, PIMEM-Restauracion which says their members are being strangled by three essential factors – the lack of qualified personnel, the increase in staff and activity costs and a drop in sales.Its president, Cesar Amable says the increase in travel prices – especially for plane tickets – and accommodation has hit its sector and other mainstays of the complementary offer such as commerce this summer.”The average stay has been shortened and the budget of tourists has been limited, thus penalising the extraordinary expenses of the trip, a situation that has ended up confirming the least profitable season in recent years, a pandemic period aside,” he said.Restaurateurs are demanding the creation of their own hospitality agreement that differentiates their conditions from those of hoteliers, as is already happening in other regions of Spain such as La Rioja, Madrid and Guipuzcoa at the provincial level.The salary increases, they say, are unaffordable for a sector that this season has seen its turnover fall by around 20% compared to last season.Thus, they have explained that the collective agreement has increased staff expenses by 25.3% since 2018, while the price of menus has risen by 10% in the same period.”There is a huge gap between hotels and restaurants; I think it’s very good that hotels raise prices as much as they want to raise them, but there are many things that differentiate us,” said Mr. Amable who warned that the drop in income this season will probably result in an early closure of many businesses located in tourist areas of Mallorca and the rest of the archipelago.”Unless a new agreement was made, he warned: “We restaurateurs have a very bad future.”Mr. Matas said they had been pressing for an agreement of their own for the last 15 years but nothing had happened.”The situation since then has worsened a lot and restaurants are being strangled,” he added.

British tourists compare deserted Tenerife to Turkey amid claims of soaring holiday costs

Travel

UK holidaymakers in Tenerife have raised the alarm, claiming the Canary Island is “dead” and even more deserted than Turkey. This comes after viral images of empty Turkish beaches, hotels, streets and restaurants were widely shared.British tourists have voiced their concerns about the current state of Tenerife, drawing comparisons with Turkey.Holidaymakers from the European Union have taken to TikTok to share footage of the eerily quiet streets of Tenerife. One tourist described the island as “dead”, even quieter than Turkey, which has been labelled as “finished” due to skyrocketing prices.She expressed her shock, saying: “Everybody is saying how quiet Turkey is this summer but, honestly, what is going on with Tenerife? “.”There’s not a soul in sight. I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been to both Turkey and Tenerife and, honestly, I would say that Tenerife is so much quieter.”, reports Birmingham Live.In response to the video, one person commented: “It’s too expensive now to go to Tenerife.”However, not everyone agreed with these observations. One visitor remarked: “I’m here now – it’s rammed.”Another pointed out: “Kids back in school, plus going abroad is so expensive now. People can’t afford it.”A third chimed in, stating: “Tenerife comes alive in the winter months. End of August is always cheaper to fly to the Med in summer.””Tenerife has had its busiest summer since pre-Covid this year. As a Tenerife business owner living in the UK, I know it’s been manic,” another said, rushing to defend the holiday hotspot.The Canary Islands have smashed records with a bumper summer as air travel soars above pre-pandemic levels, according to Canarian Weekly’s latest report. With Spanish aviation hitting a high, August 2024 was a banner month: AENA’s airports saw a whopping 32 million passengers, 7.4% up from last year.Leading the pack, Lanzarote, Tenerife North, Gran Canaria, and El Hierro all shattered previous passenger figures.

Spain in crisis as public opinion plummets for tourists ‘who annoy you in your own home’

Travel

Almost a third of people in Spain believe there are too many tourists in their local area, a poll has shown.Nearly half of Spaniards (49 percent) say there are “large” numbers of international travellers where they live, with 32 percent saying there are too many, according to a poll carried out by YouGov.Residents in Catalonia, where the popular destinations of Spain’s Costa Brava and regional capital Barcelona are found, are the most likely to complain of too many tourists (48 percent), YouGov’s polling shows.Issues of overtourism are likely to have resulted in a “sizeable” minority of Spaniards (28 percent) saying they have a negative view of tourists in their country.This compares to second place France where 16 percent have an unfavourable view, 14 percent of Germans, 13 percent of Brits and 11 percent of Italians, according to YouGov.YouGov’s Matthew Smith, Head of Data Journalism, said holiday rentals provoke particular ire in Spain, where the Spanish government recently announced a crackdown on such properties while Madrid said it will pause new licences for tourist flats.Forty-five percent of Spaniards polled said they have a negative view of the holiday lettings industry, with 37 percent saying the sector brings more harm than benefits.Twenty-one percent of Brits polled say the same of the holiday lets industry in the UK, while 43 percent say there are more benefits than harms.This compares to 33 percent in Spain who told the pollster the holiday lets industry does more good than harm.Spanish tourism hotspots including the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands have seen mass protests this summer as locals complain of being priced out of their local housing market as properties are snapped up and converted into holiday lets.Protesters in Barcelona hit the headlines when it was reported some squirted tourists with water pistols, but despite such tactics, a majority of those polled in each country expressed either “a great deal” or “fair amount” of sympathy with overtourism demonstrators.Anti-tourism activist Marta Pérez, 37, from Cadiz, Spain, told The Olive Press mass tourism has pushed rents to unaffordable levels.She said landlords are constantly kicking families out of their homes to make way for tourist apartments. Ms Pérez said the main problem with such flats is the tourists who stay in them annoy you when you’re in your own home, coming and going at night, ringing door buzzers in the early hours and leaving their rubbish in doorways.The schoolteacher said banning holiday lets outright was totalitarian, but suggested regulating them and increasing tourist taxes. She recommended staying in a hotel and not a tourist flat, taking out your rubbish and leaving it in the right bins.Ms Pérez added: “Try as best as you can not to annoy the people who live in the area. We all have to travel more conscientiously on an individual level.”YouGov polled 2,189 Brits; 1,013 adults in France; 2,301 Germans; 1,026 Danes; 1,021 people in Sweden; 1,060 residents in Spain and 1,011 Italians between August 6 and August 20, 2024.

Donald Trump Is Selling A $99 Picture Book. Signed Copies Cost $499

Arts & Culture, Books

Donald Trump is hawking a new book, his third since 2021, called “Save America” that the former president says will give readers a preview of the “incredible things to come.”The tome, released this month by Winning Team Publishing, a conservative publishing house headed up by Sergio Gor and Donald Trump Jr., goes for $99 – an autographed copy is asking $499.The former president touted the book in a video on 45books.com.”Hello to my fellow patriots, my great Americans. We have some very big news. My new book Save America published by Winning Team Publishing is now available,” he said.”White House, our third presidential campaign, and a preview of the best things that are yet to come, We’re going to have incredible things to come. The book is something you’re going to love,” the Republican presidential nominee said.Winning Team Publishing says the volume would make a “perfect coffee-table book” and contains a gallery of “stunning images recapping significant moments of his Presidency.”The cover of the 395-page book is illustrated by the iconic photo of Trump raising his hand in defiance and calling for supporters to “fight, fight, fight” after an attempted assassination during a July campaign rally in Butler, Pa.Trump released a photo book, “Our Journey Together,” in 2021 and “Letters to Trump,” which included his handpicked correspondence with some of the “biggest names in history throughout the past 40 years,” in 2023.Reviewers have panned the book.The Washington Post said it was written in “Trump’s enthusiastic style of capitalization, like a fascist Emily Dickinson.”New York magazine called it a “hastily thrown together collection of photos that didn’t make the first two books and dull captions seemingly lifted from Trump’s stump speech.”