Quick! Think of something interesting to say at dinner Friday night. If nothing’s coming to you, here are your conversation starters for the weekend.
A girl worth fighting for
A yearlong worldwide search for the perfect actress to play Mulan in Disney’s live-action remake of the film has led to Chinese actress Liu Yifei, who also goes by Crystal Liu. Almost 1,000 candidates auditioned for the role, which requires the actress to possess martial arts skills and an ability to speak English. Liu has acted in multiple American and Chinese films, including “Outcast” and “The Chinese Widow.” We are so ready for Disney to get down to business and release this remake.
Break a leg
Margot Robbie, of “Suicide Squad” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” stars as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in the new biopic “I, Tonya,” premiering Dec. 8. The film tells the story of Harding and her husband Jeff Gilooly, who hired a man to break the leg of Nancy Kerrigan, Harding’s competition at the National Figure Skating Championship in 1994. “I, Tonya” is Robbie’s first film as the lead character.
Watch the throne
Season 2 of “The Crown” drops on Netflix Dec. 8. The show is a biographical drama series about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign in the United Kingdom. The series is expected to run for six seasons and 60 episodes, although this season will be the last that actress Claire Foy plays the role of the queen — the role is set to be recast every two years as the queen ages in the show.
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The digit: 60
The nominations for the 60th Grammy Awards ceremony have been released, honoring the best music recordings and artists of the year. General nominations include JAY-Z’s “4:44” and Lorde’s “Melodrama” for album of the year, SZA and Khalid for Best New Artist and “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar and “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars for Record of the Year. Nominee SZA took to social media to express excitement, saying that her nomination puts her “wildest dreams to shame.”
Dancin’ in the sun
Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the U.S., has released the lineup for its 2018 festival in Park City, Utah. Among the films premiering at the festival are a documentary on musician M.I.A. and debut film “Yardie” from actor-turned-director Idris Elba. This year, two new awards will be given. One is the “Festival Favorite,” awarded to the film with the strongest audience connection.