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Awkwafina Will Host the PEN America Literary Gala: Today in Books

Brendan Fraser Joins the Cast of Killers of the Flower Moon

Brendan Fraser is joining the cast of the Apple and Paramount Studios adaptation Killers of the Flower Moon, the bestselling book from David Grann. Martin Scorsese is directing the film. Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jesse Plemons are also already attached to the project. Fraser will play lawyer W.S. Hamilton in the film, which is set in 1920s Oklahoma and follows the brutal murders of the Osage Nation known as the “Reign of Terror.”

Awkwafina Will Host the PEN America Literary Gala

Golden Globe-winning actor, writer, producer, rapper, and comedian Awkwafina will be the host of this year’s PEN America Literary Gala, which will take place in person at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on October 5. PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said, “Awkwafina is unapologetic, smashing through barriers in the entertainment business and setting a new course for representation in popular culture. She’s a leader in the industry, and we’re excited to bring her to our stage this fall to celebrate the freedom to speak and the freedom to write.”

Xolo Maridueña Cast as Blue Beetle in HBO Max Film

Xolo Maridueña, star of Cobra Cai, has been cast as the Blue Beetle for upcoming HBO Max film about the superhero. Blue Beetle will be a film about the Blue Beetle’s third incarnation Jaime Reyes, a Mexican-American teenager who becomes bonded with an alien scarab. Angel Manuel (Charm City Kings) will direct the adaptation, and the script will be written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. Blue Beetle will be the first DC film to star a Latinx superhero. Production will begin in 2022.

New Wave of “Concerned Citizens” Discover and Challenge It’s Perfectly Normal

The classic It’s Perfectly Normal—a children’s book that encourages normalizing the changing body during adolescence—was recently rereleased to include more inclusive language. Now, conservatives across the country are challenging the book. Here’s a look at why and what you can do.