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Chicago Fire’s Miranda Rae Mayo Talks Stella’s Upcoming Choice In Season 10, But What About Severide?

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Chicago Fire’s Miranda Rae Mayo Talks Stella’s Upcoming Choice In Season 10, But What About Severide?

Chicago Fire delivered a lot of changes in the first half of Season 10 with Casey’s departure and the aftermath at Firehouse 51, and it was complicated all the more by Stella Kidd’s ongoing absence. Her quick Girls on Fire trip just kept getting longer and longer, as Severide got fewer and fewer updates from her even with the open slot for a lieutenant on Truck 81. Stella turned up at the end of the midseason finale for a Stellaride cliffhanger, but there are big questions about what comes next. Fortunately, Miranda Rae Mayo spoke with CinemaBlend about what’s in store now that Stella has reunited with Severide back in Chicago and is facing a choice. 

When I spoke with Miranda Rae Mayo ahead of the January return of Chicago Fire, she assured that Stella didn’t just turn up at the end of the midseason finale only to leave again right away. In response to the question of whether she’s back for good now for the rest of Season 10, the answer was “Hell yeah!” 

Even though the reunion with Severide wasn’t the most jubilant in the final episode of 2021, fans – and Severide – don’t have to worry that she’s leaving again. And in fact, she’ll be back at work at Firehouse 51 pretty quickly, as the actress shared regarding whether Stella will be rusty or ready to dive back into the fire-fighting action: 

No, she’s just back in action. That’s Stella. [laughs]

The good news is that Stella is sticking around and getting back into the action at Firehouse 51, but all signs point toward her losing her shot at the lieutenant spot that had once been Casey’s on Truck 81. Pelham proved himself a good fit at 51, and showrunner Derek Haas previously shared with CinemaBlend that fans will “definitely keep seeing Pelham as the season continues.” 

So, does Stella’s radio silence when she had the golden opportunity on 81 mean that she has given up on taking her well-deserved spot as a lieutenant? Miranda Rae Mayo weighed in on whether becoming a lieutenant is still a goal of the character’s now that she’s back:

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Oh, for sure. Like 1,000%. I think that she wants to do well. I think that that’s very important to her to do, once she steps into that position to be fully committed, because that’s what that firehouse deserves. You know? So I think that she really wants to do well for her people. And at the same time, this Girls on Fire program, oh my gosh, it’s her heart. Like, she started it from the ground up and it’s doing so well and she doesn’t want to just abandon that. She realizes that once she steps into the lieutenant position, there probably won’t be time for her to lead that program in the way that she has been, and to be as involved as she has been. So that’s also something that she is kind of grappling with. Like, there’s a choice to be made.

After she worked so hard and overcame so many obstacles in Season 9 to pass the lieutenant’s exam, she still wants to take her place as an officer in the CFD. She just has more on her plate than she once did thanks to the success of Girls on Fire. If Stella does end up having to choose between the project that is so close to her heart and the promotion that she has earned, it undoubtedly won’t be easy on her. 

And will she have the support of Severide moving forward, after she went MIA on him in the first half of Season 10? The actress didn’t drop specific spoilers to give away what’s going to happen, but previewed: 

Who knows? [laughs] I don’t know, I would imagine that his character… You know, it’s taken a lot for him to settle down and open up and be vulnerable. And Casey just left. So I would imagine that Stella going silent on him would sting. That would sting pretty bad. Hopefully… I think he will, though. I think they love each other and they just, you know, they continue to choose each other and it’s been beautiful to watch.

Poor Severide lost his best friend with Casey’s departure, and the loft was pretty empty with Stella gone as well. Still, they’ve overcome an awful lot together over the years, and she was able to move past his communication problems in Season 9. The tenth season will just go on to show whether he can do the same for her. With the departure of Jesse Spencer, the Casey/Brett romance presumably isn’t making any big strides on screen, so Stellaride seems to be the biggest relationship for Chicago Fire’s big return.

Luckily, the wait to see Stella back in action (and Severide’s reactions) is nearly over. Chicago Fire returns for the second half of Season 10 on Wednesday, January 5 at 9 p.m. ET, right between the returns of Chicago Med at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m., all on NBC. Showrunner Derek Haas already shared that Fire won’t be starting 2022 with a time jump, so viewers can expect to see the midseason premiere pick up where Stella and Severide left off in the fall. For more of what to watch and when to tune in, be sure to check out our 2022 winter and spring premiere schedule!

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Quentin Tarantino Reveals His Pick For ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Made’

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Quentin Tarantino Reveals His Pick For ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Made’

It may not feel like it sometimes, but any upcoming movie has the chance to be named “the greatest movie ever made” by someone out there. However, that honor does have some specific caveats if you’re someone like filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Not only has the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director chosen a Steven Spielberg classic for that very distinction, Tarantino also explained just why that title is very specific. 

In an upcoming interview with our in-house podcast ReelBlend, Quentin Tarantino made his fourth appearance to talk about all things movies; the first since the big live show at the New Beverly Cinema. Promoting his new co-hosting gig on The Video Archives Podcast, Tarantino had yet another spirited discussion about cinema, which led to his pick of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws as  the greatest “movie” ever made. That distinction is important, as the Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood director made that perfectly clear through the following remarks: 

I think Jaws is the greatest movie ever made. Maybe not the greatest film. But it’s the greatest movie ever made. And then there are other movies that can get in its rarefied air. But as far as a movie, there’s no making it better than Jaws. There’s no ‘better’ than Jaws. It is the best movie ever made. And it shows how badly timed most movies made before Jaws were.

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to separate his tastes in movies into those two separate, important camps: “movies” and “films.” In this case, the designation of a movie almost sounds like it’s shorthand for the blockbuster opuses that Steven Spielberg made a name for himself with. Which means that “films” are presumably more of the independent/art house titles that have higher pedigrees, and usually end up on the lists of best picture nominees every year.

Strangely enough, Jaws is one of six horror movies to have Best Picture nominations, so the line could blur just a bit in that respect. Putting aside the “movies” versus “films” debate, Quentin Tarantino isn’t using that separation to be a snob. Later on in the conversation, he explained how spectacles such as this are their own form of art, and how Steven Spielberg came to be someone who perfected it: 

What I meant by that, to one degree or another, is that Spielberg and a lot of his cohorts grew up seeing those kinds of movies in the theater. Henry Levin’s Journey to Center of the Earth, he’s gonna run to go and see that. Richard Fleischer’s Fantastic Voyage. He’s going to run and go see it. Gordon Douglas’s Them! He’s going to run and go see. Now… most of them weren’t directed that well. They were assignments given to journeyman directors who did their best with them. That was how we were used to seeing comic book — that kind of movie experience. As opposed to a Spielberg, who was like, ‘No, this is exactly the kind of movie he likes. This is exactly the kind of movies he was put on earth to make. And he’s going to make it, within an inch of his life, as effective as it possibly can be. And, you know, Michael Anderson, isn’t putting that kind of work in Logan’s Run.

Spielberg, and “cohorts” like George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Copolla all latched onto genres that were pulpier entertainments in their childhood, only to make them into something new. Through films like Jaws, Star Wars, Taxi Driver, and The Godfather, we saw a generation of directors taking movies they loved and reviving them through their own personal lenses. Which is exactly what Quentin Tarantino would do when he stepped onto the scene with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction; and it’s also why he’s such a staunch supporter of the cinematic experience. 

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If this conversation boils down to anything, it’s game recognizing game. Much as Steven Spielberg idolized the movies that helped make Jaws, Quentin Tarantino has reverence for the bearded director and his dedication to making the movies that sparked his love of cinema. Though considering the history his collaborator Samuel L. Jackson has had with sharks, you have to wonder if this has already sparked any sort of humorous conversations between the two?

You’ll be able to watch, and listen, to Quentin Tarantino’s latest appearance on ReelBlend, as it’s set to hit YouTube tomorrow. Meanwhile, Tarantino may not have his tenth and final film in the works just yet, but you can still enjoy the man’s gift for words in two very cool ways. 

Tarantino’s Video Archives podcast, which he co-hosts with friend and collaborator Roger Avery, is currently streaming wherever you find fine listening material. However, if you also want to read the man’s thoughts on ‘70s filmmaking in his upcoming book Cinema Speculation, which you can currently preorder on Amazon (opens in new tab); or any other fine bookseller.

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‘Prey’ Interviews With Amber Midthunder, Dan Trachtenberg And More!

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The stars of “Prey,” Amber Midthunder (“Naru”), Dakota Bevers (“Taabe”), Dane DiLiegro (“The Predator”), director Dan Trachtenberg and producer Jhane Myers discuss their new “Predator” movie in this interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. They discuss the “Prey” audition moment that landed Amber Midthunder her role and more!

You can stream “Prey” on Hulu on August 5.

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ | Marvel Comic-Con Interviews with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan & More

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ | Marvel Comic-Con Interviews with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan & More

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” stars Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Sean Gunn (Kraglin / On-Set Rocket), Chukwudi Iwuji (The High Evolutionary) and writer Director James Gunn discuss their upcoming Marvel film and conclusion of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy in this post-Hall H interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

Video Chapters

  • 00:00 – Chris Pratt on Finding “Your Side”
  • 00:35 – Chris Pratt Teases What’s Ahead For Star-Lord and Gamora In GOTG 3
  • 01:24 – Karen Gillan LOVES ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Fan Reactions
  • 02:00 – Karen Gillan Weighs In On Nebula Unaliving Nebula in ‘Endgame’
  • 02:32 – James Gunn Teases a “Darker” ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Movie
  • 03:20 – Sean Gunn on Baby Rocket’s Difficult Backstory
  • 04:30 –  Pom Klementieff on Welcoming New Marvel Actors to the ‘Guardians’ Family
  • 05:15 – Pom Klementieff Teases A More Badass Mantis In ‘Guardians 3’
  • 05:35 – Will Poulter Teases Adam Warlock Origins in ‘GOTG 3’ 
  • 06:32 – Chukwudi Iwuji on The High Evolutionary and His Motivations
  • 07:20 – Chukwudi Iwugi Praises James Gunn’s Dialogue
  • 08:15 – Chris Pratt Recalls His Last Day of Filming the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Trilogy
  • 08:55 – James Gunn Is Literally Always Writing and Rewriting Scripts
  • 09:49 – Will Poulter Wants to Play Adam Warlock Again “If Marvel Will Have Me”

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