Simu Liu is no longer taking part in Disney World’s 2023 Candelight Processional.
The 34-year-old Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star was forced to step down after he was slated to narrate the event, which retells the Christmas story accompanied by an orchestra and the Voices of Liberty choir, from November 30 to December 2.
Keep reading to find out why Simu stepped down…
On Thursday (November 30), Simu took to his Instagram Story to share the unfortunate news.
“For those who were looking forward to seeing me, know that I was equally looking forward to be a part of your holidays,” he wrote, per People. “The health of myself and my family are of paramount importance to me.”
The Barbie actor added, “after some health scares I’ve made the difficult decision to stay at home. Something tells me this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me at Candlelight though…...
The 34-year-old Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star was forced to step down after he was slated to narrate the event, which retells the Christmas story accompanied by an orchestra and the Voices of Liberty choir, from November 30 to December 2.
Keep reading to find out why Simu stepped down…
On Thursday (November 30), Simu took to his Instagram Story to share the unfortunate news.
“For those who were looking forward to seeing me, know that I was equally looking forward to be a part of your holidays,” he wrote, per People. “The health of myself and my family are of paramount importance to me.”
The Barbie actor added, “after some health scares I’ve made the difficult decision to stay at home. Something tells me this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me at Candlelight though…...
- 12/2/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
In 2018, “Bohemian Rhapsody” blew past everyone’s expectations, becoming one of the top 10 highest grossing films of the year off the love that Queen fans have for the late Freddie Mercury. Now, “Rocketman” will try to have the same charm on Elton John fans, though it will be a tall order for it to knock “BoRhap” off the top of the music biopic charts.
10.) “All Eyez On Me” (2017) $44.9 million: Critics were not impressed by Benny Boom’s biopic on the life and career of Tupac Shakur, but fans of the late rapper showed up en masse on its opening weekend to beat box office expectations and earn nearly $45 million at the box office.
9.) “Jersey Boys” (2014) $47 million: Clint Eastwood is more well known as a director for making grittier films like “The 15:17 to Paris” and “The Mule,” but he also contributed to musical history with a 2014 jukebox drama about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons,...
10.) “All Eyez On Me” (2017) $44.9 million: Critics were not impressed by Benny Boom’s biopic on the life and career of Tupac Shakur, but fans of the late rapper showed up en masse on its opening weekend to beat box office expectations and earn nearly $45 million at the box office.
9.) “Jersey Boys” (2014) $47 million: Clint Eastwood is more well known as a director for making grittier films like “The 15:17 to Paris” and “The Mule,” but he also contributed to musical history with a 2014 jukebox drama about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
“I’ve been telling people for 40 years that ‘I will survive,’” Gloria Gaynor tells Rolling Stone Country backstage at an intimate album release event at the Analog lounge in Nashville’s Hutton Hotel. “With this record, what I’m hoping to accomplish is to show people how to survive. How I survived all the difficulties that I’ve had in my life and how they can survive as well.”
Testimony, the record the 75-year-old Grammy-winning vocalist is referring to, is her just-released gospel album, a joyous and revelatory collection of...
Testimony, the record the 75-year-old Grammy-winning vocalist is referring to, is her just-released gospel album, a joyous and revelatory collection of...
- 6/14/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Gloria Gaynor unveiled an uplifting new song, “Joy Comes In the Morning,” set to appear on her forthcoming gospel album, Testimony, out June 7th.
The song boasts a simple soul groove with crackling organ and slick guitar bouncing over a sturdy beat of drum and bass. The arrangement puts Gaynor’s pristine vocals front and center as a small choir backs up her heartening lyrics, “Don’t you know it’s darkest before the dawn/So just have faith have in the sun/Joy comes in the morning/If you...
The song boasts a simple soul groove with crackling organ and slick guitar bouncing over a sturdy beat of drum and bass. The arrangement puts Gaynor’s pristine vocals front and center as a small choir backs up her heartening lyrics, “Don’t you know it’s darkest before the dawn/So just have faith have in the sun/Joy comes in the morning/If you...
- 4/26/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Slickly directed and acted, this real-life tale of redemption and music has the Christian platitudes baked in
Christian-themed entertainment, especially in film, TV and music, is a booming sector in the Us. However, not much of the stuff has made it out of the most niche distribution circles in the UK, so the breadth of nationwide exposure here for this particular faith-based work is noteworthy in itself.
That probably can be at least partly accounted for by the breakout popularity of the song which gives the film its name, I Can Only Imagine, by pious pop combo MercyMe. It’s an undeniably catchy country- and indie-flecked ditty, written by the band’s lead singer Bart Millard, whose life story forms the narrative spine of this slickly assembled tale of redemption and reconciliation.
Christian-themed entertainment, especially in film, TV and music, is a booming sector in the Us. However, not much of the stuff has made it out of the most niche distribution circles in the UK, so the breadth of nationwide exposure here for this particular faith-based work is noteworthy in itself.
That probably can be at least partly accounted for by the breakout popularity of the song which gives the film its name, I Can Only Imagine, by pious pop combo MercyMe. It’s an undeniably catchy country- and indie-flecked ditty, written by the band’s lead singer Bart Millard, whose life story forms the narrative spine of this slickly assembled tale of redemption and reconciliation.
- 8/8/2018
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
When Christian rocker Bart Millard was first approached with the idea of turning his life story into a movie, he never imagined it would go on to become a box office hit.
Based off of his popular song of the same name, I Can Only Imagine tells the true story of Millard’s complicated relationship with his abusive father, played in the film by Dennis Quaid. The low-budget movie has made over $40 million since coming out in mid-March and continues to do strong business.
Millard’s song, which he performs with his band MercyMe, became a cross-over success nearly 20 years ago,...
Based off of his popular song of the same name, I Can Only Imagine tells the true story of Millard’s complicated relationship with his abusive father, played in the film by Dennis Quaid. The low-budget movie has made over $40 million since coming out in mid-March and continues to do strong business.
Millard’s song, which he performs with his band MercyMe, became a cross-over success nearly 20 years ago,...
- 3/29/2018
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Actor Dennis Quaid has been writing music since he was 12 years old.
His song “On My Way to Heaven” was originally a tribute to his mom, Juanita — but Quaid never finished it. Then the actor signed on to star in the hit faith-based film, I Can Only Imagine, which tells the story behind the MercyMe song of the same title, the bestselling Christian single of all time.
“Somehow it all came to me,” Quaid tells People of completing the song. “A lot of really good things have transpired that became part of it.”
Now his song is featured on the soundtrack of the movie,...
His song “On My Way to Heaven” was originally a tribute to his mom, Juanita — but Quaid never finished it. Then the actor signed on to star in the hit faith-based film, I Can Only Imagine, which tells the story behind the MercyMe song of the same title, the bestselling Christian single of all time.
“Somehow it all came to me,” Quaid tells People of completing the song. “A lot of really good things have transpired that became part of it.”
Now his song is featured on the soundtrack of the movie,...
- 3/28/2018
- by Julie Jordan
- PEOPLE.com
Christian movies are ready to cross over. Fourteen years have passed since “The Passion of the Christ” became a national sensation, and while no one has managed to match the hysteria that greeted Mel Gibson’s New Testament snuff film, companies like Pure Flix and Mission Pictures International have cultivated a lucrative cottage industry of cinema for the Focus on the Family crowd. Over and over again, these religious offerings have surprised box office pundits and raked in blockbuster numbers, with everyone from Pat Robertson to Joel Osteen spreading the good word in an effort to close the gap between megachurches and multiplexes.
“Heaven Is for Real,” the inspirational story of a little boy who once died for a few minutes, gross $93 million in the United States. “Fireproof,” in which Kirk Cameron plays a porn-addicted fireman, earned $33 million off a $500,000 budget. “God’s Not Dead,” a 2014 Kevin Sorbo vehicle about...
“Heaven Is for Real,” the inspirational story of a little boy who once died for a few minutes, gross $93 million in the United States. “Fireproof,” in which Kirk Cameron plays a porn-addicted fireman, earned $33 million off a $500,000 budget. “God’s Not Dead,” a 2014 Kevin Sorbo vehicle about...
- 3/21/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Dennis Quaid is a grateful man.
With a career spanning more than four decades in Hollywood, the actor, 63, is now starring in the the new faith-based film I Can Only Imagine, which made $17 million its opening weekend. Quaid plays the abusive father of Bart Millard, the lead singer of the Christian rock group MercyMe, whose song of the same title was the best-selling Christian single of all time.
But happiness for Quaid isn’t measured in ticket sales. “That my kids are well. My kids are doing all right, that gives me the most peace,” the actor tells People in this week’s issue.
With a career spanning more than four decades in Hollywood, the actor, 63, is now starring in the the new faith-based film I Can Only Imagine, which made $17 million its opening weekend. Quaid plays the abusive father of Bart Millard, the lead singer of the Christian rock group MercyMe, whose song of the same title was the best-selling Christian single of all time.
But happiness for Quaid isn’t measured in ticket sales. “That my kids are well. My kids are doing all right, that gives me the most peace,” the actor tells People in this week’s issue.
- 3/21/2018
- by Julie Jordan
- PEOPLE.com
The track record of movies inspired by songs is not great, since taking an entertaining three-minute story and stretching it out to feature length usually results in renewed appreciation for the tuneful tightness of pop music. The song always wins, and that goes for “White Christmas,” “Alice’s Restaurant,” and especially the mid-70s novelty boom that gave us “Convoy” and “Harper Valley PTA.” But a case could be made that MercyMe’s 2001 hit “I Can Only Imagine,” the biggest-selling contemporary Christian song of all time, was ripe for narrative expansion, in that songwriter Bart Millard’s soaring worship ballad established a base...
- 3/16/2018
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
"I Can Only Imagine," recorded by the band MercyMe, is the biggest-selling Christian pop single of all time. It's a very nice song. It is not, however, the second coming, which is how the film dramatizing the background story of its composition makes it seem. Like so many faith-based efforts, I Can Only Imagine suffers from a terminal case of self-importance.
The story revolves around the band's lead singer Bart Millard (J. Michael Finley), who in the film's opening scene tells fellow Christian performer Amy Grant (Nicole DuPort) that he wrote the song that changed his life in only 10...
The story revolves around the band's lead singer Bart Millard (J. Michael Finley), who in the film's opening scene tells fellow Christian performer Amy Grant (Nicole DuPort) that he wrote the song that changed his life in only 10...
- 3/16/2018
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Faith-based films, while lacking the advertising budgets of bigger titles, often overperform at the box office. Last year, the religious sports drama “Slamma Jamma” grossed over $1 million from 502 theaters, and titles like “Fireproof,” “Courageous,” and “War Room” all grossed over $30 million in recent years, according to Box Office Mojo. “God’s Not Dead” even spawned a franchise after the first installment opened to $9 million from 780 theaters and finished its run with $60 million. This year, “I Can Only Imagine” seems poised to carry on the tradition, as a robust ad campaign on television and online is building buzz about the biopic.
“I Can Only Imagine” is based on the story behind the song of the same name by Christian rock band MercyMe. The Texas-based group released the song in 2001 and it became a rare crossover hit, selling 2.5 million copies to become the best-selling Christian single of all time. The film version follows MercyMe’s lead singer,...
“I Can Only Imagine” is based on the story behind the song of the same name by Christian rock band MercyMe. The Texas-based group released the song in 2001 and it became a rare crossover hit, selling 2.5 million copies to become the best-selling Christian single of all time. The film version follows MercyMe’s lead singer,...
- 3/14/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
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