On “So You Think You Can Dance” season 18, “Challenge #1: Music Videos” led to the ousters of two female finalists: Avery Gay and Olivia Alboher. Then in “Challenge #2: Broadway,” two male contestants got the boot: Roman Nevinchanyi and Braylon Browner. That left six contestants to compete in “Challenge #3: Movies”: Madison Alvarado, Anthony Curley, Mariyah Hawkins, Easton Magliarditi, Jaylin Sanders and Dakayla Wilson. So what happened when they left the stage behind and headed for the big screen?
“It’s time to pull up a chair and grab some popcorn because it’s movie week,” says Cat Deeley at the start of the episode following a “Breakfast Club”-esque cinematic hip-hop dance routine with the top six portraying students in Saturday detention. But just barely escaping detention last week were Anthony and Dakayla, who were in the bottom four but survived the dance-off.
“So how did it feel dancing against your love interest,...
“It’s time to pull up a chair and grab some popcorn because it’s movie week,” says Cat Deeley at the start of the episode following a “Breakfast Club”-esque cinematic hip-hop dance routine with the top six portraying students in Saturday detention. But just barely escaping detention last week were Anthony and Dakayla, who were in the bottom four but survived the dance-off.
“So how did it feel dancing against your love interest,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The preview opening of the new exhibit Meet the Stars: 100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood on Thursday night was a crowded, buzzing affair. Held at the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the historic Lasky DeMille Barn across from the Hollywood Bowl, the event showcased the items of over 20 movie collectors. Memorabilia hunters, dressed in fedoras and flirty ’40s dresses, gabbed about their latest finds with others who have a similar passion.
The highlight of the night was when the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins (who played a little Greta Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina), the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. Sitting at a tableau that recreated a party thrown for her by MGM in 1935, Collins elegantly thanked everyone for their well wishes. Actor George Chakiris was also in attendance, and he posed next to a costume...
The highlight of the night was when the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins (who played a little Greta Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina), the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. Sitting at a tableau that recreated a party thrown for her by MGM in 1935, Collins elegantly thanked everyone for their well wishes. Actor George Chakiris was also in attendance, and he posed next to a costume...
- 4/5/2024
- by Hadley Meares
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At the inaugural Academy Awards in 1929, native Pennsylvanian Janet Gaynor made history as the first American-born performer to win an Oscar by taking the Best Actress prize for her body of work in “7th Heaven,” “Street Angel,” and “Sunrise.” Over the subsequent 95 years, 215 more thespians originating from the United States won the academy’s favor, meaning the country has now produced 68.1% of all individual acting Oscar recipients. Considering the last decade alone, the rate of such winners is even higher, at 70.3%.
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Film historians, critics and cineastes have heralded 1939 as the greatest year for Hollywood films. It was the year that saw the release of such classics as “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Love Affair,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “Wuthering Heights.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
- 2/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
For the second time in six years, the Best Actress category looked to be on track to feature nominees from films nominated for Best Picture. But just like six years ago, it came up short — and it once again involved Margot Robbie.
Annette Bening (“Nyad”), Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) made the Best Actress cut on Tuesday. Every film but “Nyad” is nominated for Best Picture. Gladstone, Hüller, Mulligan and Stone were all expected to get in, but Bening was in seventh place in the odds. Now a five-time nominee, she made it in over Robbie, who was in fifth place in the odds and headlines Best Picture nominee “Barbie” (Robbie is nominated as producer).
Six years ago, it was the reverse situation with Robbie. She earned her first career Oscar nomination for her...
Annette Bening (“Nyad”), Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) made the Best Actress cut on Tuesday. Every film but “Nyad” is nominated for Best Picture. Gladstone, Hüller, Mulligan and Stone were all expected to get in, but Bening was in seventh place in the odds. Now a five-time nominee, she made it in over Robbie, who was in fifth place in the odds and headlines Best Picture nominee “Barbie” (Robbie is nominated as producer).
Six years ago, it was the reverse situation with Robbie. She earned her first career Oscar nomination for her...
- 1/24/2024
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Stars: Nell Hudson, Wil Coban, Florrie Wilkinson, Alice Eve, Joel Fry, Lenny Rush, Sophia Dunn-Walker, Wesley Alfvin, Maddison Nixon | Written by Tom Vaughan | Directed by Gary Shore
Horrors on the high sea are a common enough theme, from Ghost Ship and Deathship to The Haunting of the Mary Celeste and Titanic 666 there are plenty of them. The most recent of these, The Haunting of the Queen Mary opens on Halloween Eve,1938 when the ship’s festivities are replaced with terror as an axe-wielding man hacks his way through its corridors.
The plot then circles back a few hours to show Gwen and David Ratch sneaking into an exclusive party in an attempt to get their daughter Jackie introduced to some Hollywood stars who they hope can help her become the next Shirley Temple.
In the present day, Anne and Patrick Calder along with their son Lukas visit the ship with...
Horrors on the high sea are a common enough theme, from Ghost Ship and Deathship to The Haunting of the Mary Celeste and Titanic 666 there are plenty of them. The most recent of these, The Haunting of the Queen Mary opens on Halloween Eve,1938 when the ship’s festivities are replaced with terror as an axe-wielding man hacks his way through its corridors.
The plot then circles back a few hours to show Gwen and David Ratch sneaking into an exclusive party in an attempt to get their daughter Jackie introduced to some Hollywood stars who they hope can help her become the next Shirley Temple.
In the present day, Anne and Patrick Calder along with their son Lukas visit the ship with...
- 1/23/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
"Charlie Work" is easily one of the most memorable episodes in the 16 seasons and counting of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Some of the episodes are best remembered for their off-color jokes, like "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6," but other times, it's the scope of the episode that garners attention, like the ambitious musical episode "The Nightman Cometh," or the unforgettable holiday special "A Very Sunny Christmas." Even so, perhaps the most impressive technical feat of all is the one-shot wonder that is "Charlie Work."
The season 10 episode follows Paddy's Pub's resident ghoul fan Charlie Kelly as he tries to pass the bar's health inspection while the other members of the gang get up to no good, wrapped up in a scheme involving steaks, airline miles, and live chickens. The episode presented lots of technical challenges at every turn, the first of which was writing an episode that unfolds in...
The season 10 episode follows Paddy's Pub's resident ghoul fan Charlie Kelly as he tries to pass the bar's health inspection while the other members of the gang get up to no good, wrapped up in a scheme involving steaks, airline miles, and live chickens. The episode presented lots of technical challenges at every turn, the first of which was writing an episode that unfolds in...
- 1/13/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
Nine decades ago this December, moviegoers were witnessing the beginning of one of the most successful movie teams, as well as the demise of one of the most dramatic.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made box office magic during the Depression-era 1930s in nine Art Deco musical comedy delights from Rko including 1934’s “The Gay Divorcee” and 1936’s “Swing Time.” Their chemistry was unmatched, and they literally made beautiful musical together introducing countless standards including the Oscar-winning “The Continental” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” And their dancing was robust, romantic and heavenly-just check out the “Never Gonna Dance” routine from “Swing Time.”
It was 90 years ago this week, their first pairing “Flying Down to Rio” opened at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. One of the big surprises is that the duo aren’t the stars of the lightweight pre-Code musicals: Dolores Del Rio, Gene Raymond...
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made box office magic during the Depression-era 1930s in nine Art Deco musical comedy delights from Rko including 1934’s “The Gay Divorcee” and 1936’s “Swing Time.” Their chemistry was unmatched, and they literally made beautiful musical together introducing countless standards including the Oscar-winning “The Continental” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” And their dancing was robust, romantic and heavenly-just check out the “Never Gonna Dance” routine from “Swing Time.”
It was 90 years ago this week, their first pairing “Flying Down to Rio” opened at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. One of the big surprises is that the duo aren’t the stars of the lightweight pre-Code musicals: Dolores Del Rio, Gene Raymond...
- 12/28/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
In the 1920s, a pair of comedians were paired together by chance, and showed a chemistry that caught the attention of audiences; Laurel and Hardy went on to make over 100 short and feature-length films that pioneered movie comedy. Over the next few decades, the studios were quick to seize upon a popular pairing, both comedic and romantic, creating some of the most popular duos in screen history – some of which carried over into offscreen friendships and real-life love stories. In the years since the downfall of the studio system, actors haven’t been paired as they were during the Golden Age, when they were contracted to do a studio’s bidding, but friendships and mutual respect has led to some memorable modern-day pairings.
From the earliest days of cinema to Abbott and Costello to Martin and Lewis to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, a successful comedy pairing can lead to big box office returns.
From the earliest days of cinema to Abbott and Costello to Martin and Lewis to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, a successful comedy pairing can lead to big box office returns.
- 12/7/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
James Sanders in Celluloid Skyline: New York And The Movies quotes Deborah Kerr with Cary Grant in Leo McCarey’s An Affair To Remember: “It’s the nearest thing to heaven we have in New York.”
In the first instalment with architect, author, and filmmaker James Sanders, we discuss his timeless and profound book, Celluloid Skyline: New York And The Movies, in which he explores how deeply one informs the other. From Joan Didion’s wisdom to Cedric Gibbons’s dream sets in the sky, we touch on George Stevens’s Swing Time (starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) and Robert Z Leonard’s Susan Lenox (with Greta Garbo and Clark Gable); East River running with Jill Clayburgh and Michael Murphy in Paul Mazursky’s An Unmarried Woman.
James Sanders with Anne-Katrin Titze: “One of the aspects of a mythic city is that it can go anywhere ”
The mansion...
In the first instalment with architect, author, and filmmaker James Sanders, we discuss his timeless and profound book, Celluloid Skyline: New York And The Movies, in which he explores how deeply one informs the other. From Joan Didion’s wisdom to Cedric Gibbons’s dream sets in the sky, we touch on George Stevens’s Swing Time (starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) and Robert Z Leonard’s Susan Lenox (with Greta Garbo and Clark Gable); East River running with Jill Clayburgh and Michael Murphy in Paul Mazursky’s An Unmarried Woman.
James Sanders with Anne-Katrin Titze: “One of the aspects of a mythic city is that it can go anywhere ”
The mansion...
- 11/2/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“Dancing With the Stars” Season 32 kicked off right on schedule on Tuesday night, with all 15 couples, even temporary holdout actor Matt Walsh, hitting the dance floor for the first time.
“Bachelorette” star Charity Lawson and partner Artem Chigvintsev earned the highest score of the evening for their Tango, which judge Bruno Tonioli proclaimed to be “exquisite,” while Carrie Ann Inaba said it was “stunning,” especially for Week 1.
Charity took the lead from singer Jason Mraz, whose Cha-Cha-Cha with Daniella Karagacha to his own song, “I Feel Like Dancing,” prompted Bruno to dub him “the one to watch.” Jason, who claimed his higher-than-average dancing skills were due to an “extra vertebra,” earned a “7” from each judge.
After the audience votes were added, “Rhobh” star Mauricio Umansky and “Veep” star Matt Walsh were in the bottom two. Matt’s “non-traditional” Cha-Cha-Cha with partner Koko Iwasaki received a “4,” from each judge, a decision the audience booed.
“Bachelorette” star Charity Lawson and partner Artem Chigvintsev earned the highest score of the evening for their Tango, which judge Bruno Tonioli proclaimed to be “exquisite,” while Carrie Ann Inaba said it was “stunning,” especially for Week 1.
Charity took the lead from singer Jason Mraz, whose Cha-Cha-Cha with Daniella Karagacha to his own song, “I Feel Like Dancing,” prompted Bruno to dub him “the one to watch.” Jason, who claimed his higher-than-average dancing skills were due to an “extra vertebra,” earned a “7” from each judge.
After the audience votes were added, “Rhobh” star Mauricio Umansky and “Veep” star Matt Walsh were in the bottom two. Matt’s “non-traditional” Cha-Cha-Cha with partner Koko Iwasaki received a “4,” from each judge, a decision the audience booed.
- 9/27/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
“If people want movies made by AI – let them get them immediately.”
Guillermo del Toro has bullishly addressed fears around artificial intelligence in the film industry, saying he is more worried about “natural stupidity” than the technology itself.
Speaking at the latest TIFF Visionaries event at Toronto International Film Festival, the Mexican filmmaker said, “People say ‘are you worried about AI?’. I’m worried about natural stupidity”, to laughter from an excited audience.
“If people want movies made by AI – let them get them immediately,” continued the filmmaker, who was in conversation with TIFF head Cameron Bailey. “I don’t...
Guillermo del Toro has bullishly addressed fears around artificial intelligence in the film industry, saying he is more worried about “natural stupidity” than the technology itself.
Speaking at the latest TIFF Visionaries event at Toronto International Film Festival, the Mexican filmmaker said, “People say ‘are you worried about AI?’. I’m worried about natural stupidity”, to laughter from an excited audience.
“If people want movies made by AI – let them get them immediately,” continued the filmmaker, who was in conversation with TIFF head Cameron Bailey. “I don’t...
- 9/8/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
“If people want movies made by AI – let them get them immediately.”
Guillermo del Toro has bullishly addressed fears around artificial intelligence in the film industry, saying he is more worried about “natural stupidity” than the technology itself.
Speaking at the latest TIFF Visionaries event at Toronto International Film Festival, the Mexican filmmaker said, “People say ‘are you worried about AI?’. I’m worried about natural stupidity”, to laughter from an excited audience.
“If people want movies made by AI – let them get them immediately,” continued the filmmaker, who was in conversation with TIFF head Cameron Bailey. “I don’t...
Guillermo del Toro has bullishly addressed fears around artificial intelligence in the film industry, saying he is more worried about “natural stupidity” than the technology itself.
Speaking at the latest TIFF Visionaries event at Toronto International Film Festival, the Mexican filmmaker said, “People say ‘are you worried about AI?’. I’m worried about natural stupidity”, to laughter from an excited audience.
“If people want movies made by AI – let them get them immediately,” continued the filmmaker, who was in conversation with TIFF head Cameron Bailey. “I don’t...
- 9/8/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Nell Hudson, Wil Coban, Florrie Wilkinson, Alice Eve, Joel Fry, Lenny Rush, Sophia Dunn-Walker, Wesley Alfvin, Maddison Nixon | Written by Tom Vaughan | Directed by Gary Shore
Horrors on the high sea are a common enough theme, from Ghost Ship and Deathship to The Haunting of the Mary Celeste and Titanic 666 there are plenty of them. The most recent of these, The Queen Mary opens on Halloween Eve,1938 when the ship’s festivities are replaced with terror as an axe-wielding man hacks his way through its corridors.
The plot then circles back a few hours to show Gwen and David Ratch sneaking into an exclusive party in an attempt to get their daughter Jackie introduced to some Hollywood stars who they hope can help her become the next Shirley Temple.
In the present day, Anne and Patrick Calder along with their son Lukas visit the ship with the idea of...
Horrors on the high sea are a common enough theme, from Ghost Ship and Deathship to The Haunting of the Mary Celeste and Titanic 666 there are plenty of them. The most recent of these, The Queen Mary opens on Halloween Eve,1938 when the ship’s festivities are replaced with terror as an axe-wielding man hacks his way through its corridors.
The plot then circles back a few hours to show Gwen and David Ratch sneaking into an exclusive party in an attempt to get their daughter Jackie introduced to some Hollywood stars who they hope can help her become the next Shirley Temple.
In the present day, Anne and Patrick Calder along with their son Lukas visit the ship with the idea of...
- 8/25/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Plot: Stories playing out in modern day and on Halloween night 1938 show how the haunting of the Queen Mary ocean liner has a devastating effect on two different families.
Review: The Rms Queen Mary is a ship with a fascinating history. It was built in the 1930s to provide weekly express service between England and the United States – and for more than a decade it held the Blue Riband for being the fastest passenger liner on the sea. During World War II, it became a troopship that carried Allied soldiers. When the war ended, it went back to carrying civilian passengers until it was retired in 1967 and docked in Long Beach, California. For more than fifty years, it has sat in Long Beach, a tourist attraction. As you would expect from something with such an incredible history, the ship is believed to be haunted. Sometimes the reasons given for this haunting are questionable,...
Review: The Rms Queen Mary is a ship with a fascinating history. It was built in the 1930s to provide weekly express service between England and the United States – and for more than a decade it held the Blue Riband for being the fastest passenger liner on the sea. During World War II, it became a troopship that carried Allied soldiers. When the war ended, it went back to carrying civilian passengers until it was retired in 1967 and docked in Long Beach, California. For more than fifty years, it has sat in Long Beach, a tourist attraction. As you would expect from something with such an incredible history, the ship is believed to be haunted. Sometimes the reasons given for this haunting are questionable,...
- 8/18/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is destined to be a classic in its own right, already garnering nearly half a billion dollars at the box office in under a week. The film, about a stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) in the grips of an existential crisis that sees her going to the Real World, is all manner of fun and wacky, with a number of Old Hollywood influences.
Gerwig herself has cited a number of features that either directly or indirectly inspired “Barbie,” starting with the 1939 Technicolor classic, “The Wizard of Oz.” That film, with its now iconic transition between Kansas and the land of Oz, no doubt factored into how the feature approaches color. The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another draws comparisons to “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
Among the more nuanced, less obvious films, Gerwig took inspiration from “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,...
Gerwig herself has cited a number of features that either directly or indirectly inspired “Barbie,” starting with the 1939 Technicolor classic, “The Wizard of Oz.” That film, with its now iconic transition between Kansas and the land of Oz, no doubt factored into how the feature approaches color. The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another draws comparisons to “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
Among the more nuanced, less obvious films, Gerwig took inspiration from “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Jackie Chan, the legendary martial arts star, is in talks to return for the new upcoming Karate Kid film from Sony Pictures, according to sources. The film will be directed by Jonathan Entwistle, who is known for his work on Netflix original series like I Am Not Okay With This and The End of the F**ing World.
Jackie Chan is expected to reprise the role of Mr. Han, the mentor of Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. The remake followed Dre, a 12-year-old boy who moves to China and learns Kung Fu from Mr. Han to deal with bullies. The film was a huge hit, grossing $359 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. It also earned Jackie Chan a Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Butt Kicker and a People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite On-Screen Team with Jaden Smith.
The Karate Kid Scene
It...
Jackie Chan is expected to reprise the role of Mr. Han, the mentor of Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. The remake followed Dre, a 12-year-old boy who moves to China and learns Kung Fu from Mr. Han to deal with bullies. The film was a huge hit, grossing $359 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. It also earned Jackie Chan a Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Butt Kicker and a People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite On-Screen Team with Jaden Smith.
The Karate Kid Scene
It...
- 7/15/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
James Cameron got his start in the film industry doing visual-effects work for low-budget sci-fi movies like “Galaxy of Terror” and “Battle Beyond the Stars,” but it didn’t take long for his wizardry to land him behind the camera. Within just a few films, Cameron put his stamp on the whole industry, crafting oft-imitated sci-fi hits on reasonable budgets before throwing huge loads of money into epic and sometimes troubled productions which, fortunately for everyone, pretty much always found an appreciative audience.
Watching Cameron’s films, from his original low-budget short to his trilogy of underwater documentaries, is a trip through his lifelong passions. You can see seeds of future blockbusters in early schlock like “Piranha II: The Spawning,” and you don’t even have to look that hard.
13. “Expedition: Bismarck” (2002)
The second film in James Cameron’s deep-sea-diving documentary trilogy is the dreariest. Cameron once again travels to the bottom of the ocean,...
Watching Cameron’s films, from his original low-budget short to his trilogy of underwater documentaries, is a trip through his lifelong passions. You can see seeds of future blockbusters in early schlock like “Piranha II: The Spawning,” and you don’t even have to look that hard.
13. “Expedition: Bismarck” (2002)
The second film in James Cameron’s deep-sea-diving documentary trilogy is the dreariest. Cameron once again travels to the bottom of the ocean,...
- 6/22/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
(Clockwise from bottom left:) Tom Hanks in Cast Away (Courtesy of Photofest), Saving Private Ryan (Paramount Pictures), A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (Sony Pictures Entertainment), Big (20th Century Fox), Toy Story (Courtesy of Mubi)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Few Hollywood stars are more beloved than Tom Hanks, whose screen...
Few Hollywood stars are more beloved than Tom Hanks, whose screen...
- 6/21/2023
- by Jack Smart, Ian Spelling, Phil Pirrello, Matt Mills, Matthew Jackson, Brian Collins, Richard Newby, Jorge Molina, and Dana Elle Salzberg
- avclub.com
Vanessa Williams has plenty of advice she’d give her younger self, knowing how far she’s come since being crowned Miss America back in 1984.
Williams gained recognition after becoming the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title 40 years ago, with her reflecting on the honour while chatting to Et Canada’s Carlos Bustamante.
Williams shared of what she’d tell her younger self, who was 20 at the time, to prepare her for what was to come: “I had no idea I would become internationally famous overnight, for sure. I didn’t realize the scope of responsibility that I would have at 20 years old. And I would tell myself not to take everything personally.
“When you’re 20 years old and you’re just being yourself and people say, ‘Well, we hate you because you’re black, we hate you because you’re not black enough, we hate you because you’re not Southern.
Williams gained recognition after becoming the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title 40 years ago, with her reflecting on the honour while chatting to Et Canada’s Carlos Bustamante.
Williams shared of what she’d tell her younger self, who was 20 at the time, to prepare her for what was to come: “I had no idea I would become internationally famous overnight, for sure. I didn’t realize the scope of responsibility that I would have at 20 years old. And I would tell myself not to take everything personally.
“When you’re 20 years old and you’re just being yourself and people say, ‘Well, we hate you because you’re black, we hate you because you’re not black enough, we hate you because you’re not Southern.
- 6/16/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Pat Cooper, the brash Italian-American stand-up from Brooklyn whose anger real and imagined provided fuel for a long career in comedy, has died. He was 93.
Cooper died Tuesday night at his home in Las Vegas, his wife, Emily Conner, announced.
A mainstay in nightclubs from Atlantic City to Las Vegas, Cooper opened for Ginger Rogers at the Desert Inn and Frank Sinatra at the Sands. He said he once refused to take out a joke about an upside-down St. Anthony statue that Sinatra wanted excised and never worked with the singer again.
Also known for his nonstop, rapid-fire delivery, Cooper appeared as himself on the 1996 Seinfeld episode “The Friars Club” — he participated in many a roast at that famed comedic establishment in midtown Manhattan — and made regular appearances on late-night talk shows, for Ed Sullivan and, starting in the 1980s, on Howard Stern’s radio program.
The bespectacled comic played...
Cooper died Tuesday night at his home in Las Vegas, his wife, Emily Conner, announced.
A mainstay in nightclubs from Atlantic City to Las Vegas, Cooper opened for Ginger Rogers at the Desert Inn and Frank Sinatra at the Sands. He said he once refused to take out a joke about an upside-down St. Anthony statue that Sinatra wanted excised and never worked with the singer again.
Also known for his nonstop, rapid-fire delivery, Cooper appeared as himself on the 1996 Seinfeld episode “The Friars Club” — he participated in many a roast at that famed comedic establishment in midtown Manhattan — and made regular appearances on late-night talk shows, for Ed Sullivan and, starting in the 1980s, on Howard Stern’s radio program.
The bespectacled comic played...
- 6/7/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 76th annual Tony Awards have already made history. For the first time, two of the acting nominees identify as non-binary: Harrison Ghee who is contending for lead actor in musical for “Some Like It Hot” and Alex Newell, vying for featured actor in a musical for “Shucked.” Their nominations have been warmly embraced. But 40 years ago, a history-making acceptance led to death threats.
At the 37th annual Tony Awards on June 5, 1983, producer John Glines thanked his lover when he accepted the best play honor for Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” a three-act drama set in New York in the 1970s and early 80s starring Fierstein as a gay, drag queen and torch singer. “He expressed gratitude to an assortment of people , ‘lastly but most importantly, to the one person who believed and followed the dream from the beginning, who never said ‘You’re crazy; it can’t be...
At the 37th annual Tony Awards on June 5, 1983, producer John Glines thanked his lover when he accepted the best play honor for Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” a three-act drama set in New York in the 1970s and early 80s starring Fierstein as a gay, drag queen and torch singer. “He expressed gratitude to an assortment of people , ‘lastly but most importantly, to the one person who believed and followed the dream from the beginning, who never said ‘You’re crazy; it can’t be...
- 5/31/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Margaret Qualley is ready for her Broadway debut.
The “Sanctuary” actress told IndieWire during a recent interview that she would “love to” star in a play or musical after bringing playwright Micah Bloomberg’s script to the screen. Qualley also earned an Emmy nomination for her turn as dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking in limited series “Fosse/Verdon” about Broadway legend Bob Fosse and actress Gwen Verdon.
“I love doing it, I just have never done it [on Broadway],” Qualley said. “I actually would really love to.”
Qualley is set to star in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers biopic, “Fred & Ginger,” alongside Jamie Bell. The film is written by Arash Amel and to be directed by Jonathan Entwistle, set to track Astaire and Rogers’ career spanning 10 movies together from 1933 to 1949. “La La Land” music producer Marius de Vries will work alongside Tony-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (“Mj the Musical”) and Grammy-winning songwriters...
The “Sanctuary” actress told IndieWire during a recent interview that she would “love to” star in a play or musical after bringing playwright Micah Bloomberg’s script to the screen. Qualley also earned an Emmy nomination for her turn as dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking in limited series “Fosse/Verdon” about Broadway legend Bob Fosse and actress Gwen Verdon.
“I love doing it, I just have never done it [on Broadway],” Qualley said. “I actually would really love to.”
Qualley is set to star in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers biopic, “Fred & Ginger,” alongside Jamie Bell. The film is written by Arash Amel and to be directed by Jonathan Entwistle, set to track Astaire and Rogers’ career spanning 10 movies together from 1933 to 1949. “La La Land” music producer Marius de Vries will work alongside Tony-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (“Mj the Musical”) and Grammy-winning songwriters...
- 5/12/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Diedrich Bader has played the best friend before. He did it for nine seasons of The Drew Carey Show. He did it two decades later on Pamela Adlon’s meditative Better Things. He also did it plenty of other times in between. But something about being the Bob Odenkirk’s wingman on Lucky Hank, the AMC series based on Richard Russo’s 1997 novel Straight Man, made it feel different for Bader — a man whose IMDb tally currently stands at 237 acting credits.
“I had stopped feeling like an artist and more like a craftsman making cabinetry,” Bader says of his mindset before taking on the black comedy about aging academics. “There’s a lot of artistry in making cabinetry, but maybe once you’ve made too many, it’s like “Here’s another cabinet!” With this, I felt like “Here’s everything I’ve got. I can bring comedy, but I can also bring some reality.
“I had stopped feeling like an artist and more like a craftsman making cabinetry,” Bader says of his mindset before taking on the black comedy about aging academics. “There’s a lot of artistry in making cabinetry, but maybe once you’ve made too many, it’s like “Here’s another cabinet!” With this, I felt like “Here’s everything I’ve got. I can bring comedy, but I can also bring some reality.
- 5/7/2023
- by Mikey O'Connell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fred Astaire was an Oscar-nominated song and dance man best remembered for a series of musicals he made alongside many female dancer, but especially Ginger Rogers. Yet his filmography extends well past those titles. Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).
Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).
Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...
- 5/5/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The Golden Age of Hollywood gave us a plethora of phenomenal acting pairs that would appear together in film after film. We had Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and many more. In a time where franchises and intellectual properties were not ruling Hollywood, pairing two actors together again was its own form of franchising. They were similar kinds of movies, but each told different stories with the actors playing different characters. The chemistry was all you needed to get people to come back for more.
One of the best pairings of the era was obviously Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Not only were both of them phenomenal actors who had scintillating on-screen chemistry, but there was also the added factor that the two became a couple and were married until Bogart's death in 1957. Over the course of their partnership,...
One of the best pairings of the era was obviously Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Not only were both of them phenomenal actors who had scintillating on-screen chemistry, but there was also the added factor that the two became a couple and were married until Bogart's death in 1957. Over the course of their partnership,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Imagine a New York where construction workers tap dance on steel girders high above the city, sorta like that famous photograph you’ve seen a million times, and where kindly landladies who once played Carnegie Hall might tutor a young Holocaust refugee to a Julliard scholarship, and breezy jam sessions do away with generations of friction between races, genders and sexual identities. You’d go there, right?
Well, you can. New York, New York, the new(ish) Kander & Ebb musical, opens tonight at Broadway’s St. James Theatre. But be warned: Even the rosiest-hued urban utopia can get a bit tiresome when it’s this overstuffed with good intentions.
Inspired, at least in name, by Martin Scorsese’s 1977 movie starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli, New York, New York is less an adaptation than it is a John Kander & Fred Ebb jukebox musical: In addition to the two very...
Well, you can. New York, New York, the new(ish) Kander & Ebb musical, opens tonight at Broadway’s St. James Theatre. But be warned: Even the rosiest-hued urban utopia can get a bit tiresome when it’s this overstuffed with good intentions.
Inspired, at least in name, by Martin Scorsese’s 1977 movie starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli, New York, New York is less an adaptation than it is a John Kander & Fred Ebb jukebox musical: In addition to the two very...
- 4/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Sanctuary’ Trailer: Margaret Qualley Holds Christopher Abbott Hostage in Neon’s Dominatrix Thriller
Margaret Qualley sets out to spank, seduce, and scourge Christopher Abbott in the sexy blackmail drama “Sanctuary.”
Qualley stars as dominatrix Rebecca, whose elite client Hal (Abbott) wants to end their psychosexual relationship after inheriting his late father’s empire. However, Rebecca has other things in mind to punish him. The film takes place over one night in a hotel room.
“Sanctuary” is directed by Zachary Wigon (“The Heart Machine”) from a script by “Homecoming” co-creator Micah Bloomberg. The film debuted at 2022 TIFF and will be released by Neon this spring.
IndieWire critic David Ehrlich praised the film for being “such a salaciously enjoyable slice of snack-sized fun” with an unpredictable plot that toys with what it really means to roleplay.
“‘Sanctuary’ unfolds like a kinky cross between ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ and an off-Broadway play,” Ehrlich wrote. “[It’s] a story about identity and control, but it’s also a movie about the...
Qualley stars as dominatrix Rebecca, whose elite client Hal (Abbott) wants to end their psychosexual relationship after inheriting his late father’s empire. However, Rebecca has other things in mind to punish him. The film takes place over one night in a hotel room.
“Sanctuary” is directed by Zachary Wigon (“The Heart Machine”) from a script by “Homecoming” co-creator Micah Bloomberg. The film debuted at 2022 TIFF and will be released by Neon this spring.
IndieWire critic David Ehrlich praised the film for being “such a salaciously enjoyable slice of snack-sized fun” with an unpredictable plot that toys with what it really means to roleplay.
“‘Sanctuary’ unfolds like a kinky cross between ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ and an off-Broadway play,” Ehrlich wrote. “[It’s] a story about identity and control, but it’s also a movie about the...
- 4/12/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
At the conclusion of Apple TV +’s delightful 2021 musical comedy “Schmigadoon!,” Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) realized they loved each other and returned to the real world. The second season finds them blissfully married, but boredom soon sets in. And to add insult to injury, they can’t get pregnant. The two decide they need a boost, so they decide to return to the cotton-candy colored tuneful world of Schmigadoon.
But what they find this time around is Schmicago, a much darker town they can’t leave until they find their happy ending. Happy endings, though, are few and far between in the city that never sleeps. And it certainly looks like the two won’t find one anytime soon after Josh is soon arrested for murdering a showgirl.
Schmicago is Fosse-fied with more than a few jazz hands reflecting the adult musicals of the 1960s and 1970s including “Chicago,...
But what they find this time around is Schmicago, a much darker town they can’t leave until they find their happy ending. Happy endings, though, are few and far between in the city that never sleeps. And it certainly looks like the two won’t find one anytime soon after Josh is soon arrested for murdering a showgirl.
Schmicago is Fosse-fied with more than a few jazz hands reflecting the adult musicals of the 1960s and 1970s including “Chicago,...
- 4/11/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
This madcap musical from 1935 about an American dance star visiting London swirls effortlessly back into cinemas, with classic songs from Irving Berlin
Like a Shakespearean marriage comedy with a spoonful of Feydeau farce, this madcap musical from 1935, from screenwriters Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor and director Mark Sandrich, saunters back for a re-release. It features Fred Astaire as Jerry, the American dance star visiting London, a city seen in almost surreally weird back projections – and Astaire incidentally does an intentionally terrible Cockney accent when he pretends to be a hansom cab driver. (It is one of the rare times he does not appear in faultless evening dress.) Irving Berlin’s classic songs Cheek to Cheek and Top Hat, White Tie and Tails are great, and Astaire swirls on a forward-tilting gyroscopic axis with his spindly arms and legs effortlessly orbiting him like Saturn’s moons.
Playing opposite him – and of course,...
Like a Shakespearean marriage comedy with a spoonful of Feydeau farce, this madcap musical from 1935, from screenwriters Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor and director Mark Sandrich, saunters back for a re-release. It features Fred Astaire as Jerry, the American dance star visiting London, a city seen in almost surreally weird back projections – and Astaire incidentally does an intentionally terrible Cockney accent when he pretends to be a hansom cab driver. (It is one of the rare times he does not appear in faultless evening dress.) Irving Berlin’s classic songs Cheek to Cheek and Top Hat, White Tie and Tails are great, and Astaire swirls on a forward-tilting gyroscopic axis with his spindly arms and legs effortlessly orbiting him like Saturn’s moons.
Playing opposite him – and of course,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
One of the most time-consuming aspects of being a cinephile is worrying about the health and longevity of TCM. The venerable broadcast television channel dedicated to classic Hollywood cinema has grown since its 1994 launch into a kind of preservationist and enthusiast's empire that includes an annual film festival, an original film distribution arm, a releasing imprint, and a slew of diverse programming initiatives (not to mention a wine club). TCM certainly seems to be in better health than most entities dedicated segments of the film ecosystem that are -- by virtue of not being focused on the biggest, brightest, latest thing -- not exactly profit drivers. It has survived both a massive merger between AT&T and its parent company, Time Warner, and a subsequent divestment of AT&T and acquisition by Discovery in all but five years, after all.
But the brand's new overlord, Warner Bros. Discovery, shelving completed films...
But the brand's new overlord, Warner Bros. Discovery, shelving completed films...
- 3/23/2023
- by Ryan Coleman
- Slash Film
’Rrr’ has struck a chord with foreign audiences and its song, ‘Naatu Naatu’, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, which awards the Oscars. Wish there was a category for choreography as well at the Oscars, for, I think, that has created the magic that ‘Naatu Naatu’ has become known for.
We had Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’ and, later, Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, both of which made it big at the Oscars. We were thrilled about it. But they were not the products of any of the Indian film industries. They merely had India-related stories.
Quite a few other filmmakers tried for nominations at the Oscars
The earlier one was Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’. They probably did not identify with a woman refusing to compromise even while her kids were starving. It was the post-World War II era and there were stories about women known to compromise...
We had Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’ and, later, Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, both of which made it big at the Oscars. We were thrilled about it. But they were not the products of any of the Indian film industries. They merely had India-related stories.
Quite a few other filmmakers tried for nominations at the Oscars
The earlier one was Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’. They probably did not identify with a woman refusing to compromise even while her kids were starving. It was the post-World War II era and there were stories about women known to compromise...
- 3/19/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Bring up Golden Age Hollywood filmmaker Busby Berkeley, and most people conjure his staging of elaborate, kaleidoscopic dance numbers in such films as “Dames” and “Footlight Parade,” Ginger Rogers singing “We’re in the Money” at the height of the Depression in “Gold Diggers of 1933,” or his sinuous camera weaving through dancer’s legs in such hits as Oscar-nominated “42nd Street” (1933).
A three-time Oscar nominee (for Best Dance Direction), Berkeley’s musicals were credited with saving Warner Bros. from financial collapse before he became a key player in Arthur Freed’s unit at MGM, where he propelled the careers of numerous stars, including Rogers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Gene Kelly. Behind the scenes, Berkeley’s life was darker and often tragic — beset by scandal and numerous brushes with the law.
Arguably, Berkeley’s Hollywood artist’s journey is the untold story that “Babylon” wasn’t — and it coincides...
A three-time Oscar nominee (for Best Dance Direction), Berkeley’s musicals were credited with saving Warner Bros. from financial collapse before he became a key player in Arthur Freed’s unit at MGM, where he propelled the careers of numerous stars, including Rogers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Gene Kelly. Behind the scenes, Berkeley’s life was darker and often tragic — beset by scandal and numerous brushes with the law.
Arguably, Berkeley’s Hollywood artist’s journey is the untold story that “Babylon” wasn’t — and it coincides...
- 3/17/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Philadelphia Story actor Jimmy Stewart was known for his signature voice and his ability to portray the average man on the silver screen. He rightfully went down as one of the greatest performers to ever grace the Hollywood scene. However, the industry itself didn’t always pay him the utmost respect. The Oscar that Stewart won for The Philadelphia Story had a major flaw that was impossible to ignore.
Jimmy Stewart won an Oscar for ‘The Philadelphia Story’ L-r: Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart | Getty Images
Stewart played nosy reporter Macaulay Connor in 1940’s The Philadelphia Story, a classic romantic comedy. A high-class woman named Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) split from her husband (Cary Grant) as a result of his non-stop drinking and her high-maintenance personality. Next, she’s marrying the wealthy George Kittredge (John Howard), but she’s also hung up on Macaulay. Tracy must decide which man...
Jimmy Stewart won an Oscar for ‘The Philadelphia Story’ L-r: Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart | Getty Images
Stewart played nosy reporter Macaulay Connor in 1940’s The Philadelphia Story, a classic romantic comedy. A high-class woman named Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) split from her husband (Cary Grant) as a result of his non-stop drinking and her high-maintenance personality. Next, she’s marrying the wealthy George Kittredge (John Howard), but she’s also hung up on Macaulay. Tracy must decide which man...
- 3/12/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“I’m on an island, dirty dancing in the sun,” sings Miley Cyrus on Endless Summer Vacation. The line perfectly captures the mood of a sensual but solitary eighth album served at an unexpectedly slow, controlled sizzle.
Released back in January, the only advance single – “Flowers” – was a poppy, post-break-up anthem. It saw the 30-year-old former child star strut confidently away from her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, proclaiming: “I can love me better than you can.” It sounded as though Cyrus might be sticking with the banging groove she established on 2020’s rock-indebted Plastic Hearts.
But anyone with an eye on the track’s producer, Kid Harpoon, may have caught a whiff of what was to come. The English producer slash songwriter born Thomas Hull won both a Grammy (for album of the year) and a Brit (for songwriter of the year) for his work on Harry Styles’s 2022 album Harry’s House.
Released back in January, the only advance single – “Flowers” – was a poppy, post-break-up anthem. It saw the 30-year-old former child star strut confidently away from her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, proclaiming: “I can love me better than you can.” It sounded as though Cyrus might be sticking with the banging groove she established on 2020’s rock-indebted Plastic Hearts.
But anyone with an eye on the track’s producer, Kid Harpoon, may have caught a whiff of what was to come. The English producer slash songwriter born Thomas Hull won both a Grammy (for album of the year) and a Brit (for songwriter of the year) for his work on Harry Styles’s 2022 album Harry’s House.
- 3/10/2023
- by Helen Brown
- The Independent - Music
In the time since Olivia Colman won the 2019 Best Actress Oscar for appearing in 49 minutes and 48 seconds of “The Favourite,” the academy has consistently given the same award to women with much higher amounts of screen time. All of the category’s last three champions delivered performances that are over 80 minutes in length and rank among the 22 longest ever honored here. Since four of the five current Best Actress nominees hit the 93-minute mark, this trend is practically bound to continue.
Reigning Best Actress victor Jessica Chastain earned the prize for her one hour, 36 minutes, and 42 seconds of work as Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” which amounts to 76.45% of the film. Hers is the fifth longest of the 97 performances that have won this award, after those of Vivien Leigh (“Gone with the Wind”), Barbra Streisand (“Funny Girl”), Meryl Streep (“Sophie’s Choice”), and Olivia de Havilland (“To Each His Own...
Reigning Best Actress victor Jessica Chastain earned the prize for her one hour, 36 minutes, and 42 seconds of work as Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” which amounts to 76.45% of the film. Hers is the fifth longest of the 97 performances that have won this award, after those of Vivien Leigh (“Gone with the Wind”), Barbra Streisand (“Funny Girl”), Meryl Streep (“Sophie’s Choice”), and Olivia de Havilland (“To Each His Own...
- 3/8/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
After a couple of lean years, Berlin is ready to feast.
Its European Film Market kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 16 with hundreds of finished films and scores of new packages and projects for every cinematic taste and budget. Even as sellers are still setting up their stands at the EFM’s Martin Gropius Bau headquarters, new packages continue to come thick and fast.
Black Bear International, which helped close a deal with Lionsgate (for domestic) and Amazon (for multiple international territories) for Guy Ritchie’s World War II actioner The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare on the eve of Berlin, added the buzzy musical project Fred & Ginger, about Hollywood dance legends Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, played by Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley, to its EFM slate. Black Bear will handle international sales of the project, previously at Amazon, with UTA Independent Film Group and 30West co-repping the U.S.
Its European Film Market kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 16 with hundreds of finished films and scores of new packages and projects for every cinematic taste and budget. Even as sellers are still setting up their stands at the EFM’s Martin Gropius Bau headquarters, new packages continue to come thick and fast.
Black Bear International, which helped close a deal with Lionsgate (for domestic) and Amazon (for multiple international territories) for Guy Ritchie’s World War II actioner The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare on the eve of Berlin, added the buzzy musical project Fred & Ginger, about Hollywood dance legends Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, played by Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley, to its EFM slate. Black Bear will handle international sales of the project, previously at Amazon, with UTA Independent Film Group and 30West co-repping the U.S.
- 2/15/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite Fred Astaire allegedly never wanting his life to be depicted on the big screen, there are now two cinematic biopics in production about the famed Hollywood dancer.
Both films are not correlated with one another and will not be directed, acted or produced by the same people.
Read More: Zendaya’s Mom Cryptically Shuts Down Tom Holland Engagement Rumours
The first one, announced early on Monday, Feb. 13, per The Hollywood Reporter, stars Tom Holland as the Hollywood icon and will be directed by Paul King, the man behind “Paddington”. Sony Pictures is producing the film.
This biopic will chronicle Astaire’s inseparable relationship with his sister Adele as the two grew in their dance talents before eventually going their separate ways.
Read More: Zendaya And Tom Holland Are ‘Both In Settling-Down Mode And Planning For A Real Future Together,’ Source Says
The other biopic, reported by Deadline, will revolve...
Both films are not correlated with one another and will not be directed, acted or produced by the same people.
Read More: Zendaya’s Mom Cryptically Shuts Down Tom Holland Engagement Rumours
The first one, announced early on Monday, Feb. 13, per The Hollywood Reporter, stars Tom Holland as the Hollywood icon and will be directed by Paul King, the man behind “Paddington”. Sony Pictures is producing the film.
This biopic will chronicle Astaire’s inseparable relationship with his sister Adele as the two grew in their dance talents before eventually going their separate ways.
Read More: Zendaya And Tom Holland Are ‘Both In Settling-Down Mode And Planning For A Real Future Together,’ Source Says
The other biopic, reported by Deadline, will revolve...
- 2/14/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
We've known for a few years that there are dueling Fred Astaire films in development — one starring Tom Holland playing the legendary entertainer, the other featuring Jamie Bell as Astaire and Margaret Qualley as Ginger Rogers. Both are seeing some new moves today, with The Hollywood Reporter bringing word that the Holland film now has Paddington's Paul King as director and Lee Hall re-writing the script.
The untitled, Holland-starring film has Lee Hall also now on board as writer. It'll focus on Astaire and his sister, Adele Astaire. The two were inseparable for more than 20 years, moving out of a simple Midwestern vaudeville act in the early part of the 20th Century to Broadway and London’s West end in the 1920s. Adele Astaire was initially the face of the act but eventually, Fred Astaire’s consummate stage skills eclipsed hers. The duo parted in 1932 when his sister married, which was a blow to Fred,...
The untitled, Holland-starring film has Lee Hall also now on board as writer. It'll focus on Astaire and his sister, Adele Astaire. The two were inseparable for more than 20 years, moving out of a simple Midwestern vaudeville act in the early part of the 20th Century to Broadway and London’s West end in the 1920s. Adele Astaire was initially the face of the act but eventually, Fred Astaire’s consummate stage skills eclipsed hers. The duo parted in 1932 when his sister married, which was a blow to Fred,...
- 2/13/2023
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
The untitled Fred Astaire biopic starring Tom Holland is moving forward with “Paddington” director Paul King behind the camera, TheWrap has confirmed.
The feature film, which was announced in winter 2021 and with Holland confirming on the carpet at his “Spider-Man No Way Home” premiere that he “will be playing Fred Astaire,” will chart the life and career of Astaire and his sister, Adele Astaire. Holland, fittingly, began his career as a dancer and first broke out as an international performer starring in “Billy Elliott The Musical” on the West End. No news yet on who will be co-starring with Holland as Adele.
Also Read:
How to Watch the Spider-Man Movies in Order
The Sony Pictures release has Academy Award nominee Lee Hall rewriting a script from Noah Pink (National Geographic’s “Genius”). Coincidentally, Hall also wrote the book to “Billy Elliott” alongside composer Elton John. Amy Pascal, Rachel O’Conner,...
The feature film, which was announced in winter 2021 and with Holland confirming on the carpet at his “Spider-Man No Way Home” premiere that he “will be playing Fred Astaire,” will chart the life and career of Astaire and his sister, Adele Astaire. Holland, fittingly, began his career as a dancer and first broke out as an international performer starring in “Billy Elliott The Musical” on the West End. No news yet on who will be co-starring with Holland as Adele.
Also Read:
How to Watch the Spider-Man Movies in Order
The Sony Pictures release has Academy Award nominee Lee Hall rewriting a script from Noah Pink (National Geographic’s “Genius”). Coincidentally, Hall also wrote the book to “Billy Elliott” alongside composer Elton John. Amy Pascal, Rachel O’Conner,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Benjamin Lindsay
- The Wrap
One of the many, many, many problems with the Academy Awards is that with only five nominees in each category — and even with 10 nominees for Best Picture — there's always at least one worthy artist or movie that doesn't get recognized.
In the industry we call these "snubs," and it's a somewhat loaded term that suggests the Oscar voters are deciding, intentionally, not to honor certain filmmakers and their films. While that's certainly a possibility, and there's no denying that the Academy members are human beings full of conscious and unconscious biases, it's also true that in a year full of great artistry in a variety of cinematic fields, at least one person who did amazing work was destined to get left off the ballot, and it's always a real downer for the artist and their fans.
But what if being left off the ballot wasn't the end of their story?...
In the industry we call these "snubs," and it's a somewhat loaded term that suggests the Oscar voters are deciding, intentionally, not to honor certain filmmakers and their films. While that's certainly a possibility, and there's no denying that the Academy members are human beings full of conscious and unconscious biases, it's also true that in a year full of great artistry in a variety of cinematic fields, at least one person who did amazing work was destined to get left off the ballot, and it's always a real downer for the artist and their fans.
But what if being left off the ballot wasn't the end of their story?...
- 2/7/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Cate Blanchett was willing to play any character in “Pinocchio” just to work with Guillermo del Toro again.
After collaborating on “Nightmare Alley,” Blanchett begged del Toro for a role in his Netflix stop-motion “Pinocchio” adaptation.
“We were shooting ‘Nightmare Alley.’ Cate Blanchett and I were having such a good time that she said, ‘You’ve got to give me a part on “Pinocchio”,'” del Toro said in a behind-the-scenes video for the feature (via The Independent). “I go, ‘The only part left is a monkey.'”
Blanchett added, “And I went, ‘I would do anything. I would play a pencil in a movie for you.'”
Turns out the “TÁR” star found a certain kind of commonality with the animated character of Spazzatura, the talking monkey whose Italian name translates to “garbage.”
“I think this is my spirit animal,” Blanchett quipped.
Del Toro recently told IndieWire that he...
After collaborating on “Nightmare Alley,” Blanchett begged del Toro for a role in his Netflix stop-motion “Pinocchio” adaptation.
“We were shooting ‘Nightmare Alley.’ Cate Blanchett and I were having such a good time that she said, ‘You’ve got to give me a part on “Pinocchio”,'” del Toro said in a behind-the-scenes video for the feature (via The Independent). “I go, ‘The only part left is a monkey.'”
Blanchett added, “And I went, ‘I would do anything. I would play a pencil in a movie for you.'”
Turns out the “TÁR” star found a certain kind of commonality with the animated character of Spazzatura, the talking monkey whose Italian name translates to “garbage.”
“I think this is my spirit animal,” Blanchett quipped.
Del Toro recently told IndieWire that he...
- 12/21/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
"The picture that couldn't be stopped!" trumpeted the tagline for "The Outlaw," Howard Hughes' fictional tale of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, with Doc Holliday and a little of Jane Russell's cleavage thrown in for good measure. The latter made the film one of the most controversial pictures of its day, and it would take the Hollywood mogul five years to secure the movie a wide release.
Producer and director Hughes had no qualms about using Russell's sex appeal to sell his movie; when it came to picking a young starlet to play her part from a nationwide casting call, Hughes chose Russell because her bust was the most to his liking. Much of the publicity was focused on the 19-year-old making her screen debut, resulting in one of the most famous and controversial images of '40s Hollywood: Jane Russell reclining in a haystack with a gun in her hand,...
Producer and director Hughes had no qualms about using Russell's sex appeal to sell his movie; when it came to picking a young starlet to play her part from a nationwide casting call, Hughes chose Russell because her bust was the most to his liking. Much of the publicity was focused on the 19-year-old making her screen debut, resulting in one of the most famous and controversial images of '40s Hollywood: Jane Russell reclining in a haystack with a gun in her hand,...
- 12/18/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
With Guillermo del Toro‘s stop-motion “Pinocchio” becoming Netflix’s greatest hope for a Best Picture Oscar nomination (in addition to its frontrunning Best Animated Feature status) there could be a spill-over into the craft races as well. That would be a historic breakthrough for the tactile, handmade technique, which, up until now, has only garnered a Sci-Tech Oscar (for Laika’s innovative 3D character animation printing system) and nominations in visual effects (for Laika’s “Kubo and the Two Strings” and Disney’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) and original score (for Alexandre Desplat’s work on Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox”).
But the exposure from del Toro’s masterful version of Carlo Collodi’s fable — which the Oscar-winning director of “The Shape of Water” recasts as a tale of rebellion set against the backdrop of Mussolini’s Fascist Italy — could finally point the Academy...
But the exposure from del Toro’s masterful version of Carlo Collodi’s fable — which the Oscar-winning director of “The Shape of Water” recasts as a tale of rebellion set against the backdrop of Mussolini’s Fascist Italy — could finally point the Academy...
- 12/1/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
John McTiernan's flashy remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" had a lot going against it when it first hit theaters in 1999. The original film featured two acting icons in Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway who completely embodied the roles of a billionaire playboy and a sexy art insurance agent in Norman Jewison's instant classic. The high fashion bar set in the first film would also be hard to top, thanks to costume designer Theadora Van Runkle's impeccable taste and McQueen's incredible transformation from bad boy to style icon. McQueen represented the pinnacle of Old Hollywood glamour bringing an American attitude and swagger to the character of Thomas Crown that rivaled the British self-assurance of James Bond. Really, it was the potential to update the style and fashion of the original that made remaking "The Thomas Crown Affair" actually make sense.
Looking back, it was the perfect choice...
Looking back, it was the perfect choice...
- 10/20/2022
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Disney is working on a live action fantasy and sci-fi-infused movie inspired by the classic Middle East folk tale collection, One Thousand And One Nights, aka Arabian Nights.
The Walt Disney Pictures project, currently titled 1001 Nights, is being penned and exec-produced by Arash Amel, who recently wrote well-received Disney+ movie Rise, about NBA Mvp Giannis Antetokounmpo, and who previously penned A Private War, starring Rosamund Pike as war correspondent Marie Colvin.
Plot details are being kept under wraps but I understand this will be an original take drawn from the ancient folk tales and will be a standalone IP, not related to any existing Disney properties such as their Aladdin franchise. Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp is one of the stories contained in the Arabian Nights collection, along with other well known stores such as Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages Of Sinbad The Sailor. The...
The Walt Disney Pictures project, currently titled 1001 Nights, is being penned and exec-produced by Arash Amel, who recently wrote well-received Disney+ movie Rise, about NBA Mvp Giannis Antetokounmpo, and who previously penned A Private War, starring Rosamund Pike as war correspondent Marie Colvin.
Plot details are being kept under wraps but I understand this will be an original take drawn from the ancient folk tales and will be a standalone IP, not related to any existing Disney properties such as their Aladdin franchise. Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp is one of the stories contained in the Arabian Nights collection, along with other well known stores such as Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages Of Sinbad The Sailor. The...
- 10/10/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
In early 2021, while Americans were focused on the transfer of power back home, daredevil director Matthew Heineman assembled a crew and flew to Afghanistan to check in on the status of America’s longest war. At that point, Osama bin Laden had been dead a decade, the Taliban was weakened but not defeated, and the U.S.-trained Afghan Army was holding its own fairly well — and yet, nearly 20 years in, there was still no end in sight for American involvement. That changed almost as soon as Heineman arrived, as the Biden administration made plans to pull out.
In that moment, what might have been another business-as-usual desert war doc — with routine patrols, precisely targeted drone strikes and soldiers expressing their ennui — shifted to something audiences hadn’t seen before. The title, “Retrograde,” refers to the process by which military forces extricate themselves from conflict, removing or otherwise rendering useless...
In that moment, what might have been another business-as-usual desert war doc — with routine patrols, precisely targeted drone strikes and soldiers expressing their ennui — shifted to something audiences hadn’t seen before. The title, “Retrograde,” refers to the process by which military forces extricate themselves from conflict, removing or otherwise rendering useless...
- 9/8/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
If you are a fan of classic Hollywood movie musicals, there is a strong chance you have probably had the debate: Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire? It's a silly debate, obviously, but pitting the two premiere tap-dancing leading men of some of the most loved films of all time against each other is a classic cinephile's version of, "Who would win in a fight, Superman or Wonder Woman?" If I have to choose, I choose Gene, but I have nothing against Fred. Despite their unparalleled hoofing skills, I go to the two men for completely different things. When I want athleticism and relatability, I go for Gene. When I want precision in both movement and story, I go for Fred.
Fred Astaire is undeniably Hollywood legend, thanks in large part to his on-screen chemistry with the equally delightful Ginger Rogers, but his path to stardom was not an obvious one.
Fred Astaire is undeniably Hollywood legend, thanks in large part to his on-screen chemistry with the equally delightful Ginger Rogers, but his path to stardom was not an obvious one.
- 8/15/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
In the December 12, 1936 issue of The Literary Digest (reprinted on the Reel Classics website), Fred Astaire's infamous rehearsal process for the upcoming film "Shall We Dance?" was recorded in all its difficult glory. Astaire, Hollywood legend has it, was a perfectionist when it came to dancing, and he and his co-stars --- Ginger Rogers in the case of "Shall We Dance?" -- would rehearse until the point of injury. Hermes Pan, the film's choreographer, recalls a moment when Rogers took off her shoe to reveal a bloody sore, with Astaire chiming in that his blisters were about ready to pop. Pan called off rehearsals after that.
Given...
The post Why Fred Astaire Never Enjoyed Watching His Own Movies appeared first on /Film.
Given...
The post Why Fred Astaire Never Enjoyed Watching His Own Movies appeared first on /Film.
- 8/4/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Rock and roll lives on in the history of this Tudor-inspired 1938 home in Hollywood Hills. Previously owned by The Doors drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Densmore, the home played host to band rehearsals downstairs in a room made from the garage. Led by frontman Jim Morrison, the LA-born 1960s band could be seen rehearsing through the windows, where neighbors would often watch them playing.
Tucked away in Laurel Canyon with views overlooking Los Angeles from downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the 1,813 square foot residence sits on an 8,495 square foot lot with three bedrooms. Famous past neighbors of the canyon include old Hollywood movie stars such as Ginger Rogers, Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier, and Mary Astor, as well as singers Carole King and Joni Mitchell.
Currently on the market for 2,199,000, the home is centrally located near Hollywood nightlife,...
Rock and roll lives on in the history of this Tudor-inspired 1938 home in Hollywood Hills. Previously owned by The Doors drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Densmore, the home played host to band rehearsals downstairs in a room made from the garage. Led by frontman Jim Morrison, the LA-born 1960s band could be seen rehearsing through the windows, where neighbors would often watch them playing.
Tucked away in Laurel Canyon with views overlooking Los Angeles from downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the 1,813 square foot residence sits on an 8,495 square foot lot with three bedrooms. Famous past neighbors of the canyon include old Hollywood movie stars such as Ginger Rogers, Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier, and Mary Astor, as well as singers Carole King and Joni Mitchell.
Currently on the market for 2,199,000, the home is centrally located near Hollywood nightlife,...
- 7/29/2022
- by Sydney Odman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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