Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 14, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● C3 B ILLY Bob Thornton had a hunch that his latest series, Landman, would strike a chord with view- ers. Like the blockbuster hit Yellow- stone, the Western-flavoured drama about a fixer for a Texas oil company fits comfortably in the Taylor Sheridan universe, anchored by the writer-pro- ducer’s distinctive flair for crusty, no-nonsense heroes and stories juiced by plenty of country music, sex and violence. But even Thornton, who plays chain-smoking crisis manager Tommy Norris in the series, is overwhelmed by the impressive ratings of Landman, which aired its Season 1 finale on Sun- day. After premiering in November, the series attracted 14.9 million house- holds in its first four weeks, becoming the most popular original project on the Paramount+ streaming service. “I’ve been in some iconic movies over the years where the response has been pretty big,” Thornton said during a recent video call. “But I’ve never seen anything like this. I have people coming up to me every day, every- where I go, reciting lines. We’re blown away by it, in other words.” Although a decision on whether Landman will return has not been announced, Thornton said he was pleased with how the freshman season wrapped up. The whirlwind finale features an on- slaught of major developments. Monty Miller, the president of the M-Tex oil company played by Jon Hamm, dies of complications from a heart attack, but not before handing over the reins of the corporation to Norris. Miller’s widow, Cami (Golden Globe winner Demi Moore), who has been mostly on the sidelines, becomes more involved with the company. A gang of cartel thugs captures and tortures Norris. The episode also introduced Andy Gar- cia as Galino, a powerful and cunning cartel boss. During the interview, Thornton, who continues to perform with his rock band, the Boxmasters, addressed the season and the finale, working with Sheridan and his thoughts about a possible second season. Q: Are you surprised at the reception of Landman? A: We knew we were making something really special. We thought people would like it. But the response has been so much beyond what we thought. Traditionally, Taylor’s stuff is more of a middle-of-the-country kind of thing. But with this, it’s the middle of the country, the coasts and other countries, too. We’re humbled by that. When people come up and want to talk about it, it means a lot. There’s some- thing very genuine about it. You can tell they’re not just handing a bill of goods because they’re in front of you. Q: What do you feel viewers are connect- ing to? A: Taylor wrote a guy who has so much pressure on him. He’s got the world on his shoulders every day. Peace is not something that exists in his life. And Tommy is driven to succeed. He doesn’t to want to be seen as a failure for his boss, who ultimately passes. He is handed the torch. I don’t think he wants to be in that position but he knows he has to be, and he’s probably the right guy to do it. Also, people have never had a peek behind the curtain of the oil business. Not since Giant have you ever seen a lot about the oil business. That movie really struck me, and I think people wanted to see the daily life of how this stuff works. I told someone the other day that Landman is Giant with cursing. Q: And they seem to enjoy your perfor- mance. A: I’ve always believed in being nat- ural and organic in a part, no matter what it is. Taylor wrote great dialogue. Every once in a while, I’ll throw one of mine in. My roles in Goliath and Landman I would call the right pair of shoes. They fit in the same world. I try to put myself in every character I play. If you’re playing yourself, it’s going to be a stronger performance. I feel very fortunate that Taylor thought of me. Q: There’s a lot to unpack in the finale. A: I think Taylor wrapped up the season very nicely, while giving the show the possibility of carrying on. The greatest thing about the finale, in terms of my part in it, is that Tommy is facing the rest of his life. He is facing very serious reflection and having to examine his philosophical beliefs, who he is and how he fits into this world. He also introduced Andy Garcia’s charac- ter. It’s the calm before the storm, and there’s already been the storm. Q: What would you like to see if the show continued? A: I would certainly hope that the family dynamic continues and deep- ens. I would also hope that we explore the weird position that Tommy is in with Andy’s character. Is he going home at night feeling guilty and won- dering, “Am I in cahoots with crimi- nals? I guess I am.” How is this going to work out? Tommy isn’t dealing with henchmen anymore. He knew how to deal with them. But now he’s got a smart guy on the opposite side of the law who is his equal. We’re in a chess match, and I hope that’s explored. — Los Angeles Times TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025 Thornton addresses series’ surprising popularity, his hopes for future of show, if there is one Unpacking the Landman finale GREG BRAXTON EMERSON MILLER / PARAMOUNT+ Billy Bob Thornton has ‘never seen anything like’ the response to his role as oil-company fixer Tommy Norris in Landman. ARTS ● LIFE I ENTERTAINMENT Company tied to Infowars doubles bid A COMPANY linked to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is now offering over US$7 million to buy his Infowars platforms, more than double what it proposed when it lost to The Onion sa- tirical news outlet in a bankruptcy auc- tion that was later voided by a judge, a lawyer in the case said Monday. First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements, submitted the new offer despite there being no official request to do so, Joshua Wolfshohl, an attorney for the trustee overseeing Jones’ bankruptcy, told a bankruptcy court judge at a brief hearing in Houston. Wolfshohl said the trustee also is ex- pecting a new offer soon from The On- ion’s parent company, Chicago-based Global Tetrahedron. The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay nearly US$1.5 billion in defama- tion lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas filed by relatives of victims of the San- dy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. Jones repeatedly called the 2012 shooting that killed 20 chil- dren and six educators a hoax staged by actors and aimed at increasing gun control. Most of the proceeds from the sale of Infowars, as well as from many of Jones’ personal assets that are being sold, will go to the Sandy Hook families to help satisfy the defamation judgments. Some proceeds will go to Jones’ other creditors. The future of Infowars, based in Jones’ hometown of Austin, Texas, remains up in the air after the failed auction, and it’s still not clear how the sale of its assets will proceed. Wolf- shohl said the trustee, Christopher Murray, will evaluate the new offers and decide what to do next. “I don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like,” Wolfshohl said. “But I think we would come back to the court and say, ‘Judge, here’s what we’ve got. Let’s talk about a sale process, one that your honour’s comfortable with, possibly with an auction.’” Representatives of The Onion and First American United did not immedi- ately return phone and email messages seeking comment. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez voided the auction and rejected the sale of Infowars to The Onion in December, saying the bidding process was flawed, not transparent and didn’t raise enough money for creditors. He also said there was too much confusion about The Onion’s bid and its actual value. The Onion and First United American were the only two bidders. Global Tetrahedron had submitted a US$1.75-million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch In- fowars in January as a parody. The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo US$750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. First United American bid US$3.5 million in cash and was expected to let Jones stay at Infowars. Despite the lower cash offer by The Onion, the trustee chose it as the auction winner, saying its offer would result in more money for creditors. Jones and First United American had claimed fraud and collusion in the bidding process, but Lopez said there was no wrongdoing. Also since the auction, the Sandy Hook families who won more than US$1.4 billion in the Connecticut lawsuit and those awarded about US$50 million in the Texas lawsuit have reached a deal on how to split the proceeds from the sales of Jones and Infowars’ assets. Under the agreement, the families in the Texas suit would get at least US$4 million and the Connecticut suit fami- lies would get at least US$12 million. If the Connecticut suit families get more than US$12 million, the families in the Texas lawsuit would get 25 per cent of that extra amount. The deal needs to be approved by Lopez, the bankruptcy judge. — The Associated Press DAVE COLLINS JOE BUGLEWICZ / GETTY IMAGES Alex Jones lost a US$1.4-billion lawsuit. Collector’s coin marks Orwell’s death LONDON — A commemorative coin featuring the image of an eye and the inscription “Big Brother is watching you” is being released to pay tribute to 1984 author George Orwell and mark his death 75 years ago. The £2 (C$3.51) coin depicts what ap- pears to be an eye but is a camera lens, and the coin’s edge is inscribed with another quote from Orwell’s dystopian novel: “There was truth and there was untruth.” Coinage artist Henry Gray said the theme of totalitarianism was central to his design. “With phones and cameras being everywhere in your house, and being listened to by advertisers on your phone, you are really aware of how you’re being surveyed — and that’s what 1984 is all about,” he said. “That’s why the eye (in the design) isn’t a realistic eye. It doesn’t have eyelashes and things like that because I wanted it to be monocular. It’s almost like a camera lens staring at you all the time, unblinking.” The novel, set in a fictional future, depicts civil servant Winston Smith’s secret rebellion against a totalitarian government and its leader, Big Brother. Orwell died in a London hospital at age 46 on Jan. 21, 1950, a few months after 1984 was published. The Royal Mint said the collector’s coin will be released on Wednesday with prices starting from £17.50 each. — The Associated Press THE ROYAL MINT A portrait of George Orwell and a new £2 coin. ;