Sunday, April 19, 2026
Project Hail Mary (2026)
Project Hail Mary is a 2026 American science fiction film produced and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and written by Drew Goddard, based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir. It stars Ryan Gosling, who also produced the film; Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce appear in supporting roles. The film follows Ryland Grace, a man who awakens on an interstellar spacecraft with no memory of how he got there.
Project Hail Mary premiered in London on March 9, 2026, and was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on March 20, 2026, with Sony Pictures Releasing International releasing in other territories. The film received highly positive reviews and has grossed $538 million, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2026.
Plot
In 2032, Ryland Grace awakens from an induced coma on an interstellar spacecraft. Initially erratic with retrograde amnesia, Grace learns that he is the sole survivor of the three-person crew, in a distant solar system light-years from Earth.
Grace slowly remembers he is an American middle-school science teacher and former molecular biologist. Years ago, scientists observe an infrared line, named the "Petrova Line", forming from the Sun to Venus. They discover that a microorganism known as "astrophage"[a] is proliferating on the Sun's surface, causing it to dim, and predict it will cause a catastrophic global cooling within thirty years. Government agent Eva Stratt recruits Grace and other scientists to study astrophage.
Grace discovers that astrophage are single-celled organisms impenetrable to electromagnetic radiation. The astrophage breed on Venus, feeding on the planet's carbon-dioxide atmosphere and energy from the Sun. The Petrova line is created by astrophage propulsive emissions as they migrate between the Sun and Venus. Their emissions can be utilized to construct an incredibly efficient but dangerous spacecraft engine. The astrophage have infected other stars within Earth's solar neighborhood; Stratt discloses Project Hail Mary, an international effort to send a crew to Tau Ceti, the only undimmed nearby star, to investigate. It is a suicide mission; the Hail Mary spacecraft can only carry enough astrophage fuel for a one-way trip, but the crew's research will be sent back to Earth via probes.
In the present, as Grace approaches Tau Ceti, he sees an alien spacecraft. The spacecraft, which docks with Hail Mary, is made of solid xenon that Grace dubs "xenonite". The ship's pilot is a rock-like, five-legged alien from a planet in the 40 Eridani A system. Grace names the alien "Rocky" after Rocky Balboa; he deduces that Eridians have no eyes but "see" via echolocation, and creates a machine translation system to interpret Rocky's musical chords-like speech. Rocky is a mechanical engineer and also the sole survivor of a mission to stop the astrophage. Neither can survive in the other's atmosphere, so Rocky enters Hail Mary using a small, pressurized ball of xenonite as a space suit.
Following Tau Ceti's Petrova line, Grace and Rocky discover that the planet Tau Ceti e—which they name "Adrian" after Rocky's mate—harbors an organism that preys on astrophage, controlling their population. After learning that Grace cannot return home, Rocky offers enough astrophage to refuel Hail Mary. While gathering the organism from the upper atmosphere of Adrian, a fuel leak causes an uncontrollable spin that renders Grace unconscious. Rocky breaks his spacesuit and saves Grace but is severely injured. While Rocky recovers in hibernation, Grace learns how to selectively breed the astrophage-consuming organism—which he names "Taumoeba"—to survive in Venus's atmosphere. Rocky revives, and he and Grace part as friends to their home planets.
In the past, Grace meets Hail Mary's commander, engineer, and scientist, and their backups. While experimenting with astrophage, an accident kills the scientist and backup three days before launch. With no time to train a replacement, Stratt asks Grace to take the place of the deceased scientists. When Grace refuses, Stratt has him drugged and forcibly put on the Hail Mary.
During the trip to Earth, Grace discovers that the Taumoeba have evolved to pass through their xenonite containers and are eating Hail Mary's astrophage fuel. Grace repairs the problem on his ship but realizes that Rocky's ship is made entirely of xenonite, allowing the Taumoeba to consume all of his fuel. Grace chooses to save Rocky and the Eridians over returning home, sending the Taumoeba and his research to Earth via the probes.
Stratt receives the probes, allowing humanity to stop the astrophage. Grace, having travelled with Rocky to the Eridians' homeworld, now lives in an artificial biodome on their planet. Rocky tells him that Eridian scientists have finished preparing Hail Mary to return to Earth. While contemplating the news, Grace begins another day of teaching science to Eridian children.
Cast
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- Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher and former molecular biologist on a mission to save humanity[6]
- Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt, the head of the international task force behind Project Hail Mary[7]
- James Ortiz as Rocky, an alien Grace encounters on his journey.[8]
The character was effected through a puppet controlled by a team of
five puppeteers led by Ortiz, dubbed the "Rockyteers", with Ortiz also
providing the artificial voice assigned to him.[9]
- Ortiz also has an uncredited role as a television presenter[10]
- Lionel Boyce as Carl, a security personnel
- Ken Leung as Yao Li-Jie, the Chinese commander of the Hail Mary spacecraft
- Milana Vayntrub as Olesya Ilyukhina, a Russian engineer on board the Hail Mary
- Priya Kansara as the voice of Mary, the Hail Mary's onboard computer[8]
- Malachi Kirby as Martin Dubois, the original scientist of the Hail Mary[11]
- Liz Kingsman as Annie Shapiro, a backup scientist of the Hail Mary
- Mia Soteriou as Dr. Browne
- Orion Lee as Dr. Li
Additionally, Eunice Huthart (the film's stunt coordinator), Damien de Froberville (co-president of Sony Pictures Animation), Ray Porter (the audiobook narrator), and Meryl Streep provided the rejected alternate voices for Rocky.[12]
Production
Development
In March 2020, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was nearing a deal to acquire adaptation rights to the then-upcoming Andy Weir novel Project Hail Mary (2021), with Ryan Gosling set to star in and produce the film.[6] The rights for the novel were acquired for $3 million.[13] In May 2020, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were hired to direct and produce the film.[14] Due to Lord and Miller being unable to work on the screenplay themselves because of commitments to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), Drew Goddard (who previously adapted Weir's 2011 novel The Martian into a 2015 film) was hired to write the screenplay the next month.[15][16] In April 2024, Amazon MGM Studios, which acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 2022,[17] announced a possible 2026 release window for the film.[18] In May 2024, Sandra Hüller joined the cast of the film, with Greig Fraser hired as cinematographer.[19] In June 2024, Milana Vayntrub joined the cast.[20]
Filming
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Principal photography began on June 3, 2024, in the United Kingdom and wrapped on October 26, 2024.[21][22] Filming occurred at Shepperton Studios.[23] Location filming took place at the South Parade Pier in Portsmouth,[24] the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cambridge,[25] and Durdle Door and Man o' War Cove in Dorset.[26][27]
The movie was "Filmed for IMAX"[b] by using large-sensor Arri Alexa 65 cameras, which provide 6.5K or 20 MP of resolution, with an aspect ratio of 2.1:1,[29] utilizing the whole sensor with anamorphic lenses rotated by 90 degrees to achieve the IMAX standard 1.43:1 aspect ratio. For regular presentations, the common 2:1 format was derived by cropping the top and bottom of the IMAX image. The film switches between taller and wider aspect ratios. When a scene takes place in the present, a taller aspect ratio is used – 1.43:1 for IMAX 15/70mm or Dual Laser, 1.85:1 for Xenon or Single Laser and 2.00:1 for non-IMAX presentations. For scenes in the past, an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, a standard ratio for anamorphic process cinematography, was achieved with the regular use of anamorphic lenses.[30]
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Miller mentioned that no greenscreen was used in the movie, with the entire set being shot practically.[31] Miller had previously stated that VFX was used to depict the spaceship from the outside, while shots of Gosling in space were shot against a black or varying color backdrop.[32]
NASA provided support through both the input of scientific experts and astronaut Kjell Lindgren visiting Gosling during filming to share insights on human spaceflight.[33]
Post-production
The film's visual effects were provided by Framestore (which also collaborated on the film adaptation of The Martian),[34] Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Sony Pictures Imageworks, BUF and Wylie Co. VFX, with Paul Lambert and Mags Sarnowska serving as visual effects supervisors.[35] Joel Negron edited the film.[1]
While puppeteer James Ortiz voiced Rocky during filming with Gosling, it was initially thought that he would be replaced by a more high profile actor. However, Lord and Miller felt that Ortiz's performance could not be improved upon during screenings of the film.[36] Lord praised the collaboration between visual and practical effects in the creation of the character Rocky's performance:
Rocky was built and designed by the legendary Neal Scanlan and his creature shop and is performed by puppeteering legend James Ortiz and his team, who were on set with Ryan in every scene. Rocky's performance is a beautiful collaboration between the James and the other Rockyteers on set and the wonderful animators at Framestore led by the funny soulful Arslan Elver.[37]
The digitally produced movie was transferred to film stock and then re-digitized in order to achieve the "warmth" of analog film.[30] The initial test screening of the film was 3 hours and 45 minutes long and was cut down to the final length due to feedback from the screenings.[38]
Music
It was announced at San Diego Comic Con that Daniel Pemberton would score the film. Pemberton previously worked with Lord and Miller on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its 2023 sequel, which they produced. This is the first film Lord and Miller have directed to not be scored by Mark Mothersbaugh.[39]
The score, consisting of 38 tracks, was released digitally on March 20, 2026.[40] The film also included fourteen other songs, including "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles, "Two of Us" by the Beatles, “Rainbows” by Dennis Wilson and "Gracias a la vida" sung by Mercedes Sosa.[41]
Marketing and release
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The film's title is a reference to the Hail Mary pass in American football, a last ditch, desperate effort to score with slim chances of success.[42] The first trailer was released on June 30, 2025.[43] It was the most viewed trailer for any original movie in the first week of its release, accumulating 400 million views globally.[44] Lego released a model of the Hail Mary spacecraft on March 1, 2026, as part of the Lego Icons series.[45]
Project Hail Mary was released on March 20, 2026, by Amazon MGM Studios in the United States and Canada, and Sony Pictures Releasing International in all other countries. It was also released in IMAX theaters, with a 1.43:1 aspect ratio.[46][47][48][49]
Reception
Box office
As of April 17, 2026, Project Hail Mary has grossed $269 million in the United States and Canada, and $269 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $538 million.[4][5] While Variety estimated that most films costing $200 million to produce would need to gross at least $500 million to break even, Amazon MGM says it uses a different metric, where the big screen provides a halo effect that boosts subscriptions and viewership on Amazon Prime Video.[50]
In the United States and Canada, Project Hail Mary was released alongside Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and The Pout-Pout Fish, and was projected to gross $63–65 million in North America from 4,007 theaters in its opening weekend.[50] Initially, publications estimated that the film would gross $45–55 million.[51] After grossing $31 million on opening day, including $12 million in previews, the film debuted to $80.6 million in the United States and Canada [52] and $60.4 million overseas for a worldwide total of $141 million, [53] becoming Amazon MGM Studios' biggest debut to date.[52] In its second weekend the film made $54.1 million (a drop of just 32.8%), remaining in first.[54] It was dethroned by newcomer The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in its third weekend, though it continued to hold well, grossing $31.7 million.[55] In Japan, the film becoming the highest-grossing foreign film of 2026 in terms of box office revenue attendance on its first day of release.[56]
Critical response
Metacritic review
breakdown (unweighted)
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 387 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A visually dazzling space odyssey that's carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart."[57] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 60 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[58] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[59]
G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle deemed it "a masterpiece of a family popcorn movie, with eye-popping hand-crafted production design and outstanding creature design and puppetry work."[60] In a three-and-a half out of five rating, Randy Myers of San Jose Mercury News said, "While you can't help but marvel at the visuals and applaud the commitment of Gosling's endearing performance, what also makes Project Hail Mary so gosh darn lovable is that it imbues us with child-like wonder from scenes that pay homage to such classics as E.T., Flight of the Navigator and, yes, Rocky."[61]
Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph concluded in his review, "Does it have many original ideas of its own? Perhaps not. But its greatest hits mixtape of other people's has been compiled with such flair – as well as a sound comprehension of why they worked so well the first time – that it's hard not to be swept up regardless."[62] Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail shared a similar opinion, writing, "At almost every turn, Project Hail Mary attempts to convince you that it is groundbreaking, innovative filmmaking. But in actuality, the movie lands as a grand act of cinematic recycling – the fusing together of familiar, comforting bits and pieces into something determined to please crowds and warm hearts."[63]
Amy Nicholson of The Los Angeles Times wrote, "While Stanley Kubrick's unsentimental 2001: A Space Odyssey inspired the iPad, Lord and Miller want to inspire a better version of us."[64] Brian Truitt of USA Today gave the film a four out of four rating, stating that "Project Hail Mary is one of those old-school popcorn movies with big ideas, the kind of film that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas would have made back in the day and kids of all ages would have obsessed over and bought the toys."[65] Ryan Cooper of The American Prospect wrote that the film portrayed a "shockingly realistic view of heroism" and was "one of the rare films that is quite a bit better than the book."[66]
Peter Bradshaw wrote in The Guardian: "Gosling is an effortlessly charming screen player, and he keeps it watchable, though the film itself has moments of dullness and a sort of puppyish silliness... Perhaps refreshingly, the film doesn't aim for the stunned awe and rapture of, say, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar or even Jon Spaihts' underrated Passengers, but it does have the classic sci-fi spacecraft tropes: the huge, mysterious architecture with its vertiginous tunnels in which legacy pop music is played to soothe the inhabitants."[67] Grand Valley State University anthropology professor Deana Weibel praised Grace's intellectual humility in the film.[68]
Nicholas Barber of BBC named it one of the best films of 2026 and wrote: "Project Hail Mary is an unusual science-fiction blockbuster in that it's mostly about people using their brains to solve problems [...] Does that approach sound a bit dry and academic? If so, rest assured that Project Hail Mary is touching and inspiring – and surprisingly fun [...] it's directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who take a complicated, potentially bleak narrative and make it as fast-paced and cheerful as their animated hit The Lego Movie. Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling brings all of his goofball charm to the role of an amnesiac biologist who is trying to save the world."[69]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | February 28, 2026 | Best Music Supervision in a Trailer (Film) | Vanessa Jorge Perry and Tyler Torrison ("Project Hail Mary – Official Trailer") | Nominated | [70] |
Saturday, April 18, 2026
On The Case With Paula Zahn Season 29 Premieres
Overview of Season 29
On the Case with Paula Zahn is a true crime documentary series that premiered its 29th season on April 15, 2026. The show is hosted by veteran journalist Paula Zahn and focuses on in-depth investigations of criminal cases.
Episode Details
First Episode
- Title: Edge of the Abyss
- Air Date: April 15, 2026
- Synopsis: This episode investigates the disappearance of a young woman, highlighting the clues discovered in her car that may lead to solving the case.
Series Format
The series features:
- Interviews with law enforcement officials
- Insights from families of victims
- Perspectives from convicted individuals
- First-time TV interviews with key figures involved in the cases
The program aims to provide a comprehensive look at the complexities of criminal investigations, making it a staple for true crime enthusiasts.
Shelter (2026)
Shelter is a 2026 action thriller film starring Jason Statham as a former British government assassin living in isolation off the coast of Scotland who is forced back into violent confrontation with his past while protecting a young girl from the agency determined to eliminate him. It is directed by Ric Roman Waugh and written by Ward Parry. The film also stars Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie, and Daniel Mays.
Shelter premiered at the Cineworld Leicester Square in London on January 20, 2026, and was released in the United Kingdom and United States by Black Bear Pictures on January 30, 2026. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $53.1 million against a $50 million production budget.
Plot
Former government assassin Michael Mason lives on an island in the Outer Hebrides off the coast of Scotland with his dog. Every week, Michael receives supplies from Jessie, a young girl grieving the loss of her mother. However, Jessie grows increasingly frustrated by Michaels' lack of respect and reclusiveness, given that her mother and uncle knew Mason but didn't tell her before her mother passed away.
A severe storm caused Jessie's uncle to leave; Jessie tries to catch up, but she falls overboard and sprains and lacerates her ankle before Mason saves her, leaving her marooned on the island after the storm capsized her uncle's boat, drowning him. Mason takes care of her, and while she recovers, they bond. Michael goes to the mainland to buy new clothes and medicine, but he accidentally attracts the attention of his former handler and MI6 Chief, Manafort, and his assistant and acting MI6 chief, Roberta, and the agency send a hit squad to eliminate Mason after he went rogue and leaked MI6's advanced surveillance system, THEA (Total Human Engagement Analytics) to asset and eliminate any threat to the country and refusing to kill a defecting foreign intelligence officer. In addition, Mason was an ex-operative of the Black Kites, an elite black-ops government kill team from MI6.
Michael kills the entire team using various booby traps he set up on the island and escapes with Jessie to a Scottish farm, where the farmer, Angus, greets them. In response Manafort sends in his lead assassin of Black Kite, Jack Workman, to kill Michael and Jessie to tie up loose ends. Angus's son Callum calls the police; Workman intercepts the call and kills Angus. Michael and Workman engage in a car chase before escaping from the authorities.
Michael and Jessie meet Michael's computer programmer and creator of THEA, Arthur Booth, and ask him for a safe passage for Jessie to escape to Spain, so he suggests Kamal, a human trafficker, before Workman attacks the safehouse, forcing Michael, Jessie, and Booth to escape. Soon after, Mason and Jessie go to a nightclub to seek shelter and to get Kamal to arrange a safe passage for Jessie. However, Manafort's Black Kite agents raid the club, but Mason kills them all and rescues Jessie, sending her on a boat to Spain before he is ambushed by Workman. Michael and Workman engage in close combat before Michael overpowers Workman and kills him.
Michael then goes to Manafort's private estate, killing his guards, and confronts Manafort. Manafort berates Michael for breaking the most important rule in Black Kites: loyalty, and that Michael broke the rule. Michael responds that finding his humanity after a life of obedience is why he is still alive before he shoots and kills Manafort.
Three months later, Roberta becomes head of MI6, and knows that, though they no longer want to kill Mason, they will still attempt non-lethal ways to recruit him back into the agency. Meanwhile, in Ronda, Jessie sits in a café and receives a chess piece from Mason, who overlooks her from a window. He leaves just as she turns around, and, knowing that Mason will protect her if his former agency returns and that he will always be with her.
Cast
- Jason Statham as Michael Mason, a former government assassin
- Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Jessie
- Bill Nighy as Manafort, Mason's former handler
- Naomi Ackie as Roberta, Manafort's assistant
- Daniel Mays as Arthur Booth, Michael's tech-savvy friend
- Céline Buckens as Maddison
- Harriet Walter as Prime Minister Fordham
- Bryan Vigier as Workman
- Michael Shaeffer Jessie's uncle
- Tom Wu as Kamal
Production
At the 2024 Cannes Film Market, Black Bear Pictures was selling an untitled action film written by Ward Perry and starring Jason Statham. At the time, Baltasar Kormákur was attached to direct, and filming was planned for the UK and Iceland.[5] By February 2025, Ric Roman Waugh replaced Kormákur as director, and principal photography had begun in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie, and Daniel Mays had also joined the cast.[6] Filming took place in Enniskerry in March.[7] The film's title was revealed as Shelter in October 2025.[8]
Release
Theatrical
Shelter had its world premiere at the Cineworld Leicester Square in London on January 20, 2026,[9] and was released in the United States on January 30, 2026.[8]
Reception
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Shelter was released alongside Send Help, Iron Lung, and Melania.[2] It grossed $5M from 2,726 theatres.[3]
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 119 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Classing up an overdone premise with professional execution, Shelter is highly derivative of previous Jason Statham vehicles but lean and mean enough to forgive the recycled tropes."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[11][12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[13]
Friday, April 17, 2026
Deana Martin (1948-)
Deana Martin (August 19, 1948[2]) is an American singer. She is the daughter of singer Dean Martin.
Film and television
Martin was born in Manhattan to Dean Martin and his first wife, Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald. She moved to Beverly Hills, California, with her family by the age of one. She later went to live with her father and his second wife, Jeanne Biegger. During her childhood, it was not unusual for his Rat Pack friends, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., to visit. Being around them persuaded her to pursue a career in entertainment.[3]
Martin trained professionally at the Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom.[4] Her theatrical credits include Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and A Taste of Honey.[5] She co-starred in the National Broadway tour of Neil Simon's play Star Spangled Girl with George Hamilton and Jimmy Boyd. Other starring roles include Wait Until Dark, 6 Rms Riv Vu, A Shot in the Dark, and The Tunnel of Love.[6] She made her major motion picture debut in Young Billy Young with Robert Mitchum, David Carradine, and Angie Dickinson.[7] This debut led to starring roles in the films Strangers at Sunrise with George Montgomery[8] and A Voice in the Night with Vito Scotti.[9]
She made her television debut in 1966 on The Dean Martin Show.[10][1] She was a frequent guest, performing in musical and comedy numbers with a wide array of entertainers, including Frank Sinatra.[11]
She also appeared on A&E Biography, Access Hollywood, CBS Sunday Morning, Country Music Television, E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, Larry King Live, Live with Regis & Kelly, Sky Italia, The Bonnie Hunt Show, The Dating Game (where she chose Steve Martin as her date),[12] The Monkees, The Today Show, The Tony Danza Show, The Big Breakfast, and Bruce Forsyth On Vegas. For four seasons she hosted The Deana Martin Show.[13]
In 2003, Martin appeared with Jerry Lewis on The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. Martin and Lewis sang "Time After Time".[14]
Since 2021, Martin has hosted Dean and Deana Martin's Nightcap on WABC-770 AM in New York.
Singing career
Martin began her recording career with producer Lee Hazlewood at Reprise Records. The recordings included her country music hit "Girl of the Month Club" while she was a teenager.[15][16] Other tunes were "When He Remembers Me", "Baby I See You", and "The Bottom of My Mind", all recorded during the 1960s. Musicians from the Wrecking Crew, including Glen Campbell, played on these recordings.
Memories Are Made of This was released in 2006.[17] She covered some of her father's hit songs, including the title cut and "Everybody Loves Somebody", "That's Amore", "Just Bummin' Around", and "For Your Love" written by her mother Betty Martin. She also sang a duet with her father's former comedy partner Jerry Lewis on "Time After Time."[18] The album was produced by her husband John Griffeth and reached the iTunes Top 10 chart, where it remained for 40 weeks throughout 2006 and 2007.
By 2008, after her tour, she was ready to record again. She went into the studio at Capitol Records with the same personnel to record Volare, released in 2009.[19] It debuted at number seven on the Billboard magazine Heat Seek chart, reached No. 22 on the magazine's Jazz Albums Chart, and appeared in the iTunes Top 10 chart.[16] The song "Volare" peaked at No. 40 in Billboard magazine.[20]
In 2011, Martin released White Christmas, her first album of holiday favorites. Joined by Andy Williams on the title track, Martin covered 10 of her favorite tunes, including "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", and "Winter Wonderland".[21] She recorded with Al Schmitt, John Griffeth, and Charles Calello. The album was re-released the following year. Martin discussed this re-release with Brad "Martini" Chambers on his show Martini in the Morning on November 20, 2012.
A year later, Martin was back in the studio working on Destination Moon (2013). Her fourth album includes "Break It to Me Gently", "I Love Being Here With You", and "Beyond the Sea" and four new songs: "Read Between the Lines", "Where Did You Learn to Love Like That", "Paradise", and "Stuck in a Dream with Me". She sang a duet with her father on the Cole Porter song "True Love".[22][23] Swing Street was released in 2016.[24] She talked to Doug Miles about the album on his show.[25]
Honoring her father
For many years, Martin and her husband worked to encourage the state of Ohio to recognize the achievements of her father.[26] In 2001, Ohio Governor Bob Taft signed a bill which made June 7 Dean Martin Day.[27]
Martin performs her father's songs as well as favorite classic pop hits in symphony halls, performing arts centers, blues clubs, jazz clubs, and festivals.[28][29] She has performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Paramount Theatre in New York City, Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Florida, Harrah's Atlantic City, Rrazz Room in San Francisco, Salt Lake City Jazz Festival, Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, The Sands in Macao, and Benaroya Hall and Symphony Hall in Seattle.[30]
In 2005, Martin was hired by Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. In 2013, she joined Tina Sinatra for her Father's Day Special with Natalie Cole, Monica Mancini, and Daisy Tormé reminiscing about their famous fathers.[31]
In her book Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes,[32] she shares stories about the Rat Pack from a perspective of a young girl growing up around them. She talks about how her father handled his busy career, public performances, and his role as husband and father, and discusses losing her half-brother, Dean Paul Martin—aka Dino—in a plane crash. Martin writes about growing up around Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles, going ballroom dancing with a young Jeff Bridges, and dating Davy Jones of The Monkees.[33] Her book reached the bestseller list at The New York Times,[22] and, as of September 2012, was the subject of a projected screen adaptation by actors Bonnie Hunt and Joe Mantegna,[34] with Hunt set to write the treatment, Jennifer Love Hewitt to portray Deana, and Mantegna to direct (the latter having himself previously portrayed the elder Martin in the HBO film The Rat Pack).[2][a]
In June 2017, Martin headlined a concert commemorating her father's 100th birthday. In an interview published that month, she acknowledged that "of course [the show features] a lot of Dean Martin music, plus 'Uncle' Frank Sinatra, 'Uncle' Sammy Davis Jr., Bobby Darin, a little Ella Fitzgerald. It's all the great songs and then, of course, my own songs. I always honor my dad and all of the music of the Great American Songbook."[37]
Personal life
Martin married film and music producer John Griffeth on February 7, 1990.[38] They had met on a blind date the previous year, and renewed their vows in 2015.[39]
Martin is also a licensed pilot. She was featured in a cover story for the magazine Twin Cessna Flyer and profiled in AOPA Pilot.[40][41]
Discography
- Memories Are Made of This (Big Fish, 2006)
- Volare (Big Fish, 2009)
- White Christmas (Big Fish, 2011)
- Destination Moon (Big Fish, 2013)
- Swing Street (Big Fish, 2016)
Bibliography
- Martin, Deana; Holden, Wendy (2010). Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-1-4000-9833-0.