An animated video for Mark Knopfler’s all-star charity single “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)” – which brought together a stunning lineup of over 60 guitar gods to raise funds for Teen Cancer America and the Teenage Cancer Trust – has been released. It features the final recording of Jeff Beck along with contributions by Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Slash, Ronnie Wood, Joan Jett, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and Sting.
The song came out a week ago, but it was difficult to discern who was playing what part throughout the ten-minute song.
The song came out a week ago, but it was difficult to discern who was playing what part throughout the ten-minute song.
- 3/22/2024
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Mark Knopfler has teamed up with a host of fellow guitar legends to record a version of his song “Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)” to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.
The Dire Straits frontman tapped Eric Clapton, Slash (Guns N’ Roses), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Brian May (Queen), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Pete Townshend (The Who), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones), Joan Jett, and many more, forming what he has dubbed “Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes.” Notably, the star-studded version opens with the final recorded guitar track by the late Jeff Beck.
Knopfler’s longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher handled the production of the track, which might be the greatest assemblage of guitar talent to co-exist on a single song. The Sgt. Pepper‘s-style artwork was created by Sir Peter Blake.
The full song can be heard below now, featuring...
The Dire Straits frontman tapped Eric Clapton, Slash (Guns N’ Roses), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Brian May (Queen), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Pete Townshend (The Who), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones), Joan Jett, and many more, forming what he has dubbed “Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes.” Notably, the star-studded version opens with the final recorded guitar track by the late Jeff Beck.
Knopfler’s longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher handled the production of the track, which might be the greatest assemblage of guitar talent to co-exist on a single song. The Sgt. Pepper‘s-style artwork was created by Sir Peter Blake.
The full song can be heard below now, featuring...
- 3/15/2024
- by Jon Hadusek
- Consequence - Music
Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler has united with over 60 artists — including Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Slash, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Sting, Brian May, Joan Jett, Nile Rogers, and Brian May — to create a new version of his 1983 instrumental “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero.”
The song arrives on March 15, though you can hear a brief sample right now. It’s the final recording Jeff Beck created before his death in January 2023. All proceeds from the release will benefit Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.
The song arrives on March 15, though you can hear a brief sample right now. It’s the final recording Jeff Beck created before his death in January 2023. All proceeds from the release will benefit Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.
- 2/8/2024
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The BBC has confirmed that hit school drama Waterloo Road will return to BBC One and iPlayer from 2nd January 2024.
The BBC has confirmed that school drama Waterloo Road will return for its next series, the third since its relaunch, on Tuesday 2nd January. Eight new episodes will be available as a full boxset on BBC iPlayer from 6am, though it will also air weekly on BBC One from 8pm that night.
Set and filmed in Greater Manchester, Waterloo Road returned to BBC One earlier this year and was hugely successful.
The synopsis for the new series reads as follows:
With a group of long-term school refusers arriving at Waterloo Road, the balance of peace and harmony once again rests on thin ice. Will Headteacher Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) and her team have what it takes to stop the school from sinking?
Libby, who makes a surprise return to Manchester to stay with her dad,...
The BBC has confirmed that school drama Waterloo Road will return for its next series, the third since its relaunch, on Tuesday 2nd January. Eight new episodes will be available as a full boxset on BBC iPlayer from 6am, though it will also air weekly on BBC One from 8pm that night.
Set and filmed in Greater Manchester, Waterloo Road returned to BBC One earlier this year and was hugely successful.
The synopsis for the new series reads as follows:
With a group of long-term school refusers arriving at Waterloo Road, the balance of peace and harmony once again rests on thin ice. Will Headteacher Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) and her team have what it takes to stop the school from sinking?
Libby, who makes a surprise return to Manchester to stay with her dad,...
- 12/11/2023
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Forbes recently released their list of the Top 10 highest-earning entertainers from the past year and, while most of the musical acts listed aren’t surprising, rock band Genesis shocked many by topping the list and earning the most money in 2022.
Directors, writers, and producers like Tyler Perry, Brad Pitt, and James Cameron made millions last year
Forbes’ list is made up of actors, writers, singers, and other entertainment industry heavyweights. Tyler Perry took the #3 spot, thanks to his work as a writer, director, and producer. Perry is also the only billionaire to make the list.
Shows like South Park and The Simpsons are still making major money, too. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park and The Book of Mormon, pulled in $160 million, while The Simpsons’ creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening made $105 million.
Brad Pitt made $100 million last year, with the majority coming from the...
Directors, writers, and producers like Tyler Perry, Brad Pitt, and James Cameron made millions last year
Forbes’ list is made up of actors, writers, singers, and other entertainment industry heavyweights. Tyler Perry took the #3 spot, thanks to his work as a writer, director, and producer. Perry is also the only billionaire to make the list.
Shows like South Park and The Simpsons are still making major money, too. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park and The Book of Mormon, pulled in $160 million, while The Simpsons’ creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening made $105 million.
Brad Pitt made $100 million last year, with the majority coming from the...
- 4/15/2023
- by India McCarty
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Academy’s chief executive has reacted to Chris Rock’s scathing comments in his recent Netflix special, in which he addressed the moment he was slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars.
At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, Smith took the stage and smacked the comedian, after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
In his stand-up special Selective Outrage, which came out earlier this month, Rock spoke directly about the incident, calling Smith “a b****” and saying he had taken the hit “like [former boxer Manny] Pacquiao”.
He also accused Pinkett Smith of starting the feud between them, and said that she had hurt her husband “way more than he hurt me” by having a extramarital “entanglement” with rapper August Alsina.
Asked about the timing of the special’s release ahead of this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, and whether it would put the incident back into public consciousness,...
At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, Smith took the stage and smacked the comedian, after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
In his stand-up special Selective Outrage, which came out earlier this month, Rock spoke directly about the incident, calling Smith “a b****” and saying he had taken the hit “like [former boxer Manny] Pacquiao”.
He also accused Pinkett Smith of starting the feud between them, and said that she had hurt her husband “way more than he hurt me” by having a extramarital “entanglement” with rapper August Alsina.
Asked about the timing of the special’s release ahead of this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, and whether it would put the incident back into public consciousness,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - Film
Apparently, Madonna has a vendetta against Scorpios, at least according to Ryan Murphy.
Years ago, the Glee creator said he was contacted by Lakeshore Entertainment founder Tom Rosenberg, asking him to interview the Queen of Pop about her life for the 2000 film The Next Best Thing.
Madonna starred in the romance drama opposite Rupert Everett.
“I flew to New York and in the elevator ride up to meet Madonna for the very first time with Tom, he turned to me and said, ‘I forgot to ask you, when is your birthday?’” Murphy told Glee co-stars Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale on a new episode of their And That’s What You Really Missed podcast.
“I said, ‘What?’ And he said ‘When is your birthday?’ and I said ‘I’m November 9th.’ And he goes, ‘Are you a Scorpio?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘You can’t tell that to her,...
Years ago, the Glee creator said he was contacted by Lakeshore Entertainment founder Tom Rosenberg, asking him to interview the Queen of Pop about her life for the 2000 film The Next Best Thing.
Madonna starred in the romance drama opposite Rupert Everett.
“I flew to New York and in the elevator ride up to meet Madonna for the very first time with Tom, he turned to me and said, ‘I forgot to ask you, when is your birthday?’” Murphy told Glee co-stars Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale on a new episode of their And That’s What You Really Missed podcast.
“I said, ‘What?’ And he said ‘When is your birthday?’ and I said ‘I’m November 9th.’ And he goes, ‘Are you a Scorpio?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘You can’t tell that to her,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - Music
Film fans have expressed their joy over the practice of changing the titles of English-language Hollywood films to other English phrases for international audiences.
The online discussion began when Juan Buis, a writer and designer, shared a collection of movie posters in their original forms alongside their versions when advertised in France.
The thread, posted on Wednesday (8 March), shows Hollywood film titles alongside their French cinema equivalents – often not in French, as expected, but using English to create an alternative moniker.
“The French love to translate movie titles from English to... English,” Buis began his post.
“Here's a thread with my all-time favourites, starting with The Hangover... I mean Very Bad Trip.”
The 2009 comedy, starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, is titled Very Bad Trip in France.
Other “translations” in the thread included The Other Guys becoming “Very Bad Cops”, Step Up 2 turning into “Sexy Dance 2...
The online discussion began when Juan Buis, a writer and designer, shared a collection of movie posters in their original forms alongside their versions when advertised in France.
The thread, posted on Wednesday (8 March), shows Hollywood film titles alongside their French cinema equivalents – often not in French, as expected, but using English to create an alternative moniker.
“The French love to translate movie titles from English to... English,” Buis began his post.
“Here's a thread with my all-time favourites, starting with The Hangover... I mean Very Bad Trip.”
The 2009 comedy, starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms, is titled Very Bad Trip in France.
Other “translations” in the thread included The Other Guys becoming “Very Bad Cops”, Step Up 2 turning into “Sexy Dance 2...
- 3/9/2023
- by Nicole Vassell
- The Independent - Film
The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood has said that she will “never get over” the film’s “egregious” snub at the Oscars.
Starring Viola Davis as the fictionalised leader of the real-life Agojie tribe, the film follows an elite unit of all-female warriors active in the historical kingdom of Dahomey. Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim also star.
The film secured nominations at the Golden Globes, Baftas and SAG Awards, with Davis picking up a Best Actress nomination at all three shows.
However, when the Oscar nominations rolled around, not only was Davis not nominated in the Best Actress category, but the film failed to pick up a single nod.
Speaking to People, Prince-Bythewood said that the snubbing of The Woman King by the Academy reflected a “bigger issue” within the film industry.
“I’ll never get over it, because what happened was egregious and... it speaks to such...
Starring Viola Davis as the fictionalised leader of the real-life Agojie tribe, the film follows an elite unit of all-female warriors active in the historical kingdom of Dahomey. Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim also star.
The film secured nominations at the Golden Globes, Baftas and SAG Awards, with Davis picking up a Best Actress nomination at all three shows.
However, when the Oscar nominations rolled around, not only was Davis not nominated in the Best Actress category, but the film failed to pick up a single nod.
Speaking to People, Prince-Bythewood said that the snubbing of The Woman King by the Academy reflected a “bigger issue” within the film industry.
“I’ll never get over it, because what happened was egregious and... it speaks to such...
- 3/9/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - Film
Jimmy Fallon has surprised judges by auditioning for the latest episode of The Voice in the US.
The presenter pranked the 23rd series judges, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Chance the Rapper, on Tuesday night’s (7 March) show when he appeared in secret to perform.
Host Carson Daly told viewers he had a “special surprise” for them, before Fallon appeared on the show.
"Right now, we have an artist backstage preparing for the biggest performance of their entire life," he said, teasing the surprise guest.
Fallon then joined the stage to sing 1982’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” by Michael McDonald.
Three out of four of the judges pressed their buzzers to turn around during the performance. Shelton was the only one to resist the temptation to spin his chair until Fallon approached him.
The country singer claimed that he knew it was Fallon performing:...
The presenter pranked the 23rd series judges, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Chance the Rapper, on Tuesday night’s (7 March) show when he appeared in secret to perform.
Host Carson Daly told viewers he had a “special surprise” for them, before Fallon appeared on the show.
"Right now, we have an artist backstage preparing for the biggest performance of their entire life," he said, teasing the surprise guest.
Fallon then joined the stage to sing 1982’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” by Michael McDonald.
Three out of four of the judges pressed their buzzers to turn around during the performance. Shelton was the only one to resist the temptation to spin his chair until Fallon approached him.
The country singer claimed that he knew it was Fallon performing:...
- 3/9/2023
- by Megan Graye
- The Independent - TV
Mae Muller will be representing the United Kingdom at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The 25-year-old singer was announced as the UK’s entry on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on Thursday morning (9 March).
Muller shared the news with the British public herself while appearing on the radio show.
ashe will perform her track “I Wrote a Song” for the competition in Liverpool, and will be the first female act the UK has had for five years.
The singer follows Sam Ryder who, after years of UK acts getting underwhelming Eurovision results, placed second to Ukraine in 2022.
Who is the new Eurovision contest singer?
Mae Muller is a 25-year-old pop singer from Kentish Town in London. She was born on 26 August 1997.
Muller first became known after releasing her track “Better Days” in 2021. The song has amassed nearly 400 million streams.
The singer released her debut album Chapter 1 in...
The 25-year-old singer was announced as the UK’s entry on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on Thursday morning (9 March).
Muller shared the news with the British public herself while appearing on the radio show.
ashe will perform her track “I Wrote a Song” for the competition in Liverpool, and will be the first female act the UK has had for five years.
The singer follows Sam Ryder who, after years of UK acts getting underwhelming Eurovision results, placed second to Ukraine in 2022.
Who is the new Eurovision contest singer?
Mae Muller is a 25-year-old pop singer from Kentish Town in London. She was born on 26 August 1997.
Muller first became known after releasing her track “Better Days” in 2021. The song has amassed nearly 400 million streams.
The singer released her debut album Chapter 1 in...
- 3/9/2023
- by Megan Graye
- The Independent - Music
Lizzo has called out the “complicit silence” over issues of transphobia, and linked the issue to racism.
The “Juice” singer, who has actively spoken out against transphobia, condemned the “apathetic participation” in fighting the injustice in several tweets.
On Wednesday (8 March), the singer postedm saying: “Transphobia is lookin real rooted in racism right about now…”.
In another tweet, the 34-year-old wrote: “I’ve never heard a person say why they’re racist… Or fatphobic… I’ve never heard a reason why someone is transphobic…”
“I think if we knew ‘why’ these people felt this way there would way less support for these ideals. Because the ‘why’ is more insidious than we realise.”
In a final tweetm the singer said that the lack of activity in aid of trans rights “wouldn’t fly if people knew more”.
Don’t get it twisted— I don’t care why people are bigoted. That...
The “Juice” singer, who has actively spoken out against transphobia, condemned the “apathetic participation” in fighting the injustice in several tweets.
On Wednesday (8 March), the singer postedm saying: “Transphobia is lookin real rooted in racism right about now…”.
In another tweet, the 34-year-old wrote: “I’ve never heard a person say why they’re racist… Or fatphobic… I’ve never heard a reason why someone is transphobic…”
“I think if we knew ‘why’ these people felt this way there would way less support for these ideals. Because the ‘why’ is more insidious than we realise.”
In a final tweetm the singer said that the lack of activity in aid of trans rights “wouldn’t fly if people knew more”.
Don’t get it twisted— I don’t care why people are bigoted. That...
- 3/9/2023
- by Megan Graye
- The Independent - Music
Mike Rutherford has updated fans on Phil Collins’s health after the legendary drummer retired from playing with Genesis.
Collins suffered a spinal injury in 2007 and has struggled to perform in recent years, appearing on stage in a wheelchair to sing and play the tambourine during his last ever Genesis show in March 2022.
On Thursday (9 March), his former bandmate, Rutherford, appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss going on tour with Mike + the Mechanics, during which Collins’ son Nic will be filling in for the band’s regular drummer.
Speaking about Collins’ condition, Rutherford said: “As you know, Phil is a bit... He’s much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits.
“He’s fine now at home, enjoying life. He’s worked so hard over the years. I think he’s enjoying his time at home.”
Asked...
Collins suffered a spinal injury in 2007 and has struggled to perform in recent years, appearing on stage in a wheelchair to sing and play the tambourine during his last ever Genesis show in March 2022.
On Thursday (9 March), his former bandmate, Rutherford, appeared on BBC Breakfast to discuss going on tour with Mike + the Mechanics, during which Collins’ son Nic will be filling in for the band’s regular drummer.
Speaking about Collins’ condition, Rutherford said: “As you know, Phil is a bit... He’s much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits.
“He’s fine now at home, enjoying life. He’s worked so hard over the years. I think he’s enjoying his time at home.”
Asked...
- 3/9/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - Music
Click here to read the full article.
A package of Genesis, Phil Collins and some Mike + the Mechanics music assets have sold to Concord, the company told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Billboard originally reported Wednesday that a deal was nearly done, but did not know the identity of the buyer. An official announcement is still forthcoming.
In January, Billboard reported that a package of Collins’ rights had been shopped for upward of 200 million, according to sources. That package, sources says, morphed into a bigger deal that also includes all of the publishing for Genesis and possibly even Mike + the Mechanics, as well as their master recordings rights. Specifically, sources say the deal encompassed the artist’s share of the master recordings and publishing. In the case of Collins, that means a combination of artist royalties for masters owned by Atlantic and his ownership stake in other Collins solo albums on the label.
A package of Genesis, Phil Collins and some Mike + the Mechanics music assets have sold to Concord, the company told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Billboard originally reported Wednesday that a deal was nearly done, but did not know the identity of the buyer. An official announcement is still forthcoming.
In January, Billboard reported that a package of Collins’ rights had been shopped for upward of 200 million, according to sources. That package, sources says, morphed into a bigger deal that also includes all of the publishing for Genesis and possibly even Mike + the Mechanics, as well as their master recordings rights. Specifically, sources say the deal encompassed the artist’s share of the master recordings and publishing. In the case of Collins, that means a combination of artist royalties for masters owned by Atlantic and his ownership stake in other Collins solo albums on the label.
- 9/30/2022
- by Ed Christman, Billboard.com
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Phil Collins and Genesis have reached a deal with Concord to sell their publishing and master recordings for a figure north of 300 million, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The deal includes songs that Collins recorded in his solo career and the music he made in Genesis along with keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford. It also includes solo recordings from Rutherford and Banks but nothing from Peter Gabriel’s time in Genesis or his solo career.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Concord...
The deal includes songs that Collins recorded in his solo career and the music he made in Genesis along with keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford. It also includes solo recordings from Rutherford and Banks but nothing from Peter Gabriel’s time in Genesis or his solo career.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Concord...
- 9/29/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
On Saturday night, famed drummer and singer Phil Collins, and some members of Genesis performed the band’s farewell concert at London’s O2 Arena. Collins was joined by some founding Genesis members, guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks for the performance. Collins performed lead vocals while spending the show seated on a chair due to his […]
The post Phil Collins Performs Final Concert With Genesis In London appeared first on uInterview.
The post Phil Collins Performs Final Concert With Genesis In London appeared first on uInterview.
- 3/30/2022
- by Jacob Linden
- Uinterview
Genesis won’t turn it on again, staging what was billed as its final concert Saturday night at London’s 02 arena.
Phil Collins, the group’s former drummer, was joined by keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford. Collins, age 71 and increasingly frail with back and hip issues, sat center stage throughout. He was in good humor, though, reportedly quipping at one point that he’ll now need to find a real job after the band’s demise.
Genesis’ “The Last Domino? Tour” came after a 14-year live performance hiatus. It was also postponed during the pandemic. The group’s final tour included concerts in the U.K. last September and in North America last fall, concluding with another 14 concerts in Europe and the U.K.
The trio were joined on the tour by Collins’ son, Nic, who also filled in for his father behind the kit during his recent solo tours.
Phil Collins, the group’s former drummer, was joined by keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford. Collins, age 71 and increasingly frail with back and hip issues, sat center stage throughout. He was in good humor, though, reportedly quipping at one point that he’ll now need to find a real job after the band’s demise.
Genesis’ “The Last Domino? Tour” came after a 14-year live performance hiatus. It was also postponed during the pandemic. The group’s final tour included concerts in the U.K. last September and in North America last fall, concluding with another 14 concerts in Europe and the U.K.
The trio were joined on the tour by Collins’ son, Nic, who also filled in for his father behind the kit during his recent solo tours.
- 3/27/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Genesis formed in early 1967 when two rival bands at the prestigious Charterhouse boarding school in southeast England came together as one. They ended Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena at the final date of the group’s Last Domino reunion tour.
“Tonight is a very special night,” Collins told the crowd early in the evening. “It’s the last stop of our tour. And it’s the last show for Genesis… After tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs.”
There was a small degree of ambiguity about...
“Tonight is a very special night,” Collins told the crowd early in the evening. “It’s the last stop of our tour. And it’s the last show for Genesis… After tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs.”
There was a small degree of ambiguity about...
- 3/27/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett is bringing his Genesis Revisited tour back on the road this month. The show features a complete performance of the group’s 1977 live album Seconds Out along with scattered tunes from his solo career. A handful of gigs originally postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic will also contain a complete performance of the 1973 Genesis album Selling England by the Pound, meaning you’ll get 18 Genesis songs in a single night.
Hackett has been staging Genesis Revisited tours for the past 10 years. “There are 50 different tribute...
Hackett has been staging Genesis Revisited tours for the past 10 years. “There are 50 different tribute...
- 3/1/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Genesis have rolled out dates for the North American leg of their The Last Domino? tour. It kicks off November 15th at Chicago’s United Center and wraps up December 15th at Boston’s Td Garden. Pre-sale tickets go on-sale via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system on May 5th and the general public will have access on May 7th.
Genesis have been completely inactive since the end of their 2007 Turn It On Again reunion tour. This time out, core members Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks will be joined...
Genesis have been completely inactive since the end of their 2007 Turn It On Again reunion tour. This time out, core members Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks will be joined...
- 4/29/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
“All I Need Is a Miracle” is not a Phil Collins song. But had he not become a solo star in the Eighties, giving his Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford the time and incentive to launch the side project Mike and the Mechanics, the song would not exist. It was the second single off their 1985 self-titled debut and it became a big hit all over the world.
Collins was very fond of the tune and often sang a snippet of it when introducing Rutherford to the audience at Genesis concerts in...
Collins was very fond of the tune and often sang a snippet of it when introducing Rutherford to the audience at Genesis concerts in...
- 3/4/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
This week, Genesis released new photos of rehearsals for their upcoming Last Domino? reunion tour. They show Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford at a practice facility somewhere in Europe. Collins is seated with a cane resting on a music stand, but he’s near a tiny drum kit, meaning it’s possible he’ll attempt to play in a very limited capacity despite his physical issues. But the bulk of the drumming will be handled by his son Nic.
At this point, nobody knows exactly what songs they...
At this point, nobody knows exactly what songs they...
- 10/27/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The dawn of the Eighties was supposed to make prog bands like Genesis, Yes, and Rush die out like the dinosaurs, now that we were in the age of MTV and New Wave. That’s not quite how it played it out, however. The men of these bands chopped off their long hair, cut their standard 20-minute songs down to size, and somehow became more popular than ever. They even joined forced in various short-lived supergroups and charted with slick hits that competed for Top 40 airplay alongside the latest offerings by Madonna and Michael Jackson.
- 8/1/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
When Genesis announced plans for their Last Domino? reunion tour earlier this year, many old-school fans were disappointed to learn that original frontman and Peter Gabriel and prog-era guitarist Steve Hackett weren’t going to be involved. Instead, it was essentially a reformation of the 1978 to 1992 lineup of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Daryl Stuermer — with Phil’s teenage son Nic taking the place of Chester Thompson behind the drum kit.
In a new interview with Mojo, the band explains the decision. “I think a reunion with Steve and Pete would be uphill,...
In a new interview with Mojo, the band explains the decision. “I think a reunion with Steve and Pete would be uphill,...
- 4/27/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
David Gilmour made a rare public appearance earlier this week when he played two Leonard Cohen songs at the digital book-launch event for A Theatre for Dreamers, a new novel written by Polly Samson, his wife and longtime co-lyricist. The book takes place on the Greek island of Hydra in the early Sixties, and Cohen, who lived there at the time, is a character.
It was a relatively unique chance to see Gilmour play music written by another artist. His solo shows going all the way back to his first...
It was a relatively unique chance to see Gilmour play music written by another artist. His solo shows going all the way back to his first...
- 4/9/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett was midway through an American tour that featured a complete performance of the band’s 1973 landmark LP Selling England by the Pound when the coronavirus hit.
It forced him to postpone many of the shows until 2021, but he hasn’t let it stop him from playing for fans. He’s posted a series of acoustic guitar performances on YouTube in recent days that he filmed at his house, including the 1972 Genesis instrumental “Horizons” and the extended intro to the band’s 1976 song “Blood on the Rooftops.
It forced him to postpone many of the shows until 2021, but he hasn’t let it stop him from playing for fans. He’s posted a series of acoustic guitar performances on YouTube in recent days that he filmed at his house, including the 1972 Genesis instrumental “Horizons” and the extended intro to the band’s 1976 song “Blood on the Rooftops.
- 4/6/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
An incredible lineup of musicians — including Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Rick Wakeman, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler and Nick Mason — came together at London’s 02 Arena on Tuesday night for the Music for the Marsden charity show, which raised money to fight cancer.
Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker was the musical director of the show and he worked alongside keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarists Andy Fairweather Low and Robbie McIntosh, bassist Dave Bronze and drummers Graham Broad and Ian Paice.
Highlights included Van Morrison and Eric Clapton jamming...
Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker was the musical director of the show and he worked alongside keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarists Andy Fairweather Low and Robbie McIntosh, bassist Dave Bronze and drummers Graham Broad and Ian Paice.
Highlights included Van Morrison and Eric Clapton jamming...
- 3/4/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The Phil Collins–led incarnation of Genesis announced a reunion tour this morning. So far it’s just 10 arena dates in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but that’s almost certainly merely the first leg. The band hasn’t toured in any capacity since 2007 and can easily fill stadiums and arenas all across globe. Nothing is certain, but 2021 will probably be a very good year for Genesis fans.
The lineup this time is the 1978–1993 and 2007 incarnation of the band, minus touring drummer Chester Thompson. In his place is Phil’s teenage son Nic.
The lineup this time is the 1978–1993 and 2007 incarnation of the band, minus touring drummer Chester Thompson. In his place is Phil’s teenage son Nic.
- 3/4/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Genesis announced a 10-date reunion tour of the U.K. and Ireland this morning. It’s their first tour since 2007, their first time playing since Phil Collins suffered nerve damage that makes it impossible for him to drum or even stand for long periods of time, and their first tour with Phil’s teenage son Nic on drums.
The news is a huge deal for fans of the progressive-rock band, but the original announcement was short on details. It merely lists the five musicians on the tour (Phil Collins, Tony Banks,...
The news is a huge deal for fans of the progressive-rock band, but the original announcement was short on details. It merely lists the five musicians on the tour (Phil Collins, Tony Banks,...
- 3/4/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Genesis are reuniting in November to tour arenas all around the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Related: Genesis’ Reunion Tour: 8 Questions We Have
The band has not played together in any capacity since the end of the Turn It on Again tour in 2007. The lineup this time features classic-era members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, along with long-time touring guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer and, for the first time, Phil’s son Nic Collins on drums.
The 10-date tour — called “The Last Domino?” in a nod to the band’s...
Related: Genesis’ Reunion Tour: 8 Questions We Have
The band has not played together in any capacity since the end of the Turn It on Again tour in 2007. The lineup this time features classic-era members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, along with long-time touring guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer and, for the first time, Phil’s son Nic Collins on drums.
The 10-date tour — called “The Last Domino?” in a nod to the band’s...
- 3/4/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks attended a Knicks-Lakers game together at Madison Square Garden last week, giving the rumors of Genesis contemplating a reunion tour a tiny shred of credibility. It’s quite possible the old friends were merely in town to celebrate Collins’ 69th birthday, or to see LeBron James in person, but none of them have plans for the foreseeable future — so this could be one of the times when the rumor mill is onto something.
The fan-fiction version of this possible tour involves finding a...
The fan-fiction version of this possible tour involves finding a...
- 1/28/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Genesis fans who have spent the last 13 years praying for a reunion woke up this morning to the news that Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks were photographed together last night at a Knicks game.
According to the fan site Genesis News, there are rumors that the group met up in the city to “test the waters for future activities.”
Still, these rumors require some very, very large caveats. First, Collins turns 69 in one week, so the band might be in town for a birthday party. After all, they...
According to the fan site Genesis News, there are rumors that the group met up in the city to “test the waters for future activities.”
Still, these rumors require some very, very large caveats. First, Collins turns 69 in one week, so the band might be in town for a birthday party. After all, they...
- 1/23/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett is going to perform the band’s 1977 live album Seconds Out in its entirety on a 2020 European tour. “I’m thrilled to bring Seconds Out back to life, featuring Genesis material at its most exciting and virtuosic,” Hackett said in a statement. “This time with all numbers played in full plus additional surprises!” he added.
Hackett left Genesis in 1977 and has recorded 24 solo albums since then, but in 2012 he began a series of highly successful Genesis Revisited tours during which he plays songs from his...
Hackett left Genesis in 1977 and has recorded 24 solo albums since then, but in 2012 he began a series of highly successful Genesis Revisited tours during which he plays songs from his...
- 11/25/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
In the past couple of weeks alone, Rage Against the Machine, the Black Crowes, Mötley Crüe, and My Chemical Romance have announced reunion tours for 2020. These bands all splintered into various solo projects once they broke up, but the lure of a big-money reunion is hard for nearly any group to resist. This is especially true at a time when the culture is producing very few popular new rock bands, but festivals all over the globe are still desperate for fresh headliners. That said, there are still many dormant bands...
- 11/19/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
“Get out of here Anthony, or I’ll shout your bloody ears off!”
Director Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Shout (1978) starring Alan Bates, Susannah York, and John Hurt screens Saturday, November 2nd at Webster University’s Moor Auditorium (470 E Lockwood Ave) at 7:30pm. A Facebook invite for the film can be found Here
Esteemed film critic Dave Kehr once described The Shout as “a trance thriller that beats Peter Weir on his own turf.” This surrealist horror film, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes upon its 1978 premiere, is told in flashback over the course of a cricket match taking place at a mental hospital. The narrator of these flashbacks is Charles Crossley (Alan Bates), previously a resident among Australian aborigines, who, alongside other skills, managed to pick up the ability to cut loose with a shout so extreme that it kills all who hear it. Co-starring Tim Curry, just...
Director Jerzy Skolimowski’s The Shout (1978) starring Alan Bates, Susannah York, and John Hurt screens Saturday, November 2nd at Webster University’s Moor Auditorium (470 E Lockwood Ave) at 7:30pm. A Facebook invite for the film can be found Here
Esteemed film critic Dave Kehr once described The Shout as “a trance thriller that beats Peter Weir on his own turf.” This surrealist horror film, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes upon its 1978 premiere, is told in flashback over the course of a cricket match taking place at a mental hospital. The narrator of these flashbacks is Charles Crossley (Alan Bates), previously a resident among Australian aborigines, who, alongside other skills, managed to pick up the ability to cut loose with a shout so extreme that it kills all who hear it. Co-starring Tim Curry, just...
- 10/28/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The last time Steve Hackett played New York’s Beacon Theatre, it was April 1976, and Genesis had been on their first tour without frontman Peter Gabriel for a mere two weeks. They’d just promoted Phil Collins from drummer to singer, but they were very unsure if audiences would accept the change. “Everything is clear in hindsight,” says Hackett. “But we didn’t know if we’d be accepted by audiences that wanted us in the batwings playing ‘Watcher of the Skies.’ It wasn’t a foregone conclusion that this would work.
- 9/5/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Genesis took a tiny step towards a possible reunion at a Phil Collins solo concert in Berlin on Friday when guitarist Mike Rutherford came onstage to perform the band’s 1978 hit “Follow You Follow Me.” It was the first time they’ve played together since the end of the 2007 Genesis reunion tour, though it wasn’t a huge surprise since Rutherford’s band Mike + The Mechanics were opening for Collins and the two of them remain very close.
Collins essentially retired in 2010 after a cascading series of physical ailments...
Collins essentially retired in 2010 after a cascading series of physical ailments...
- 6/9/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Mike Rutherford had a lot working against him when he revived Mike and the Mechanics in 2010. Not only had it been 15 years since the band — best known for their songs “The Living Years” and “All I Need Is a Miracle” — scored a hit, but original singer Paul Young died in 2000 and his co-frontman Paul Carrack went back to his solo career four years later. But with help of new singers Tom Howar and Andrew Roachford, the guitarist and songwriter has re-established the group as a busy live and recording unit.
- 4/17/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Fifty years ago this month, a new album appeared in British record shops with a black cover and four words written in tiny gold lettering on the front: From Genesis to Revelation. There was no mention of a band, and according to legend, most stores dumped the LP into the religious section where it sank without a trace. Nobody could have predicted it was the launch of a band that would grow exponentially bigger during the next two decades until they were selling out four straight nights at Wembley Stadium...
- 3/19/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Thirty years ago this month, one of the most profoundly sad songs in pop music history hit Number One on the Hot 100. It was “The Living Years” by Mike + the Mechanics, which forced everyone within earshot of a radio throughout much of 1989 to consider that fact their parents will inevitably die and leave them with profound regret. “I wasn’t there that morning/When my Father passed away,” Paul Carrack sings in a typical verse. “I didn’t get to tell him/All the things I had to say.”
Like many things in the Eighties,...
Like many things in the Eighties,...
- 3/14/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Anthony Phillips The Geese and the Ghost Wise After the Event Sides Private Parts & Pieces I-iv Harvest of the Heart (Esoteric/Cherry Red) Anthony "Ant" Phillips, an original member of Genesis, left after their second album (Trespass, 1970) because of stage fright -- an especially problematic situation, one supposes, for the lead guitarist. He spent the ensuing years studying music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (which is to say classical music), along with occasionally recording demos of new material at home. It would be seven years before his first solo album would appear, but after that he would be fairly prolific. Though he never achieved mainstream success -- which sadly makes sense given that this progressive rock legend didn't issue anything in 1971-76, the peak prog years -- aficionados of the style have long admired his work. Cherry Red's Esoteric imprint is now in its third year of...
- 4/18/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Simon Day's musical comedy creation Life of Rock with Brian Pern is moving back home to BBC Four.
Paul Whitehouse's Pat Quid, Nigel Havers' Tony Pebblé and Michael Kitchen's John Farrow are all confirmed to return for the third series, which will celebrate 45 years of Brian Pern's musical career, Radio Times reports.
The character – who supposedly invented world music and made the first Plasticine pop video ever – arrived on our screens as a founder of fictional prog rock band Thotch last year.
Pern, played by Day, said he was "delighted" that the show is coming back, saying it will "remind people how I shaped rock music over the last 45 years".
The show's writer and creator Rhys Thomas said: "I am thrilled that Brian Pern is returning to BBC Four, though it has been hard to celebrate since receiving numerous death threats from certain members of Genesis...
Paul Whitehouse's Pat Quid, Nigel Havers' Tony Pebblé and Michael Kitchen's John Farrow are all confirmed to return for the third series, which will celebrate 45 years of Brian Pern's musical career, Radio Times reports.
The character – who supposedly invented world music and made the first Plasticine pop video ever – arrived on our screens as a founder of fictional prog rock band Thotch last year.
Pern, played by Day, said he was "delighted" that the show is coming back, saying it will "remind people how I shaped rock music over the last 45 years".
The show's writer and creator Rhys Thomas said: "I am thrilled that Brian Pern is returning to BBC Four, though it has been hard to celebrate since receiving numerous death threats from certain members of Genesis...
- 6/30/2015
- Digital Spy
Genesis have never been one of the coolest bands to admit to being a fan of, despite huge popularity and enduring albums.
From their super progressive rock era of Peter Gabriel, to their stadium rock chartbuster period of Phil Collins, Genesis are definitely one of the UK's biggest rock bands with a rather unique story.
The classic early 1970s lineup of Gabriel, Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett have now reunited for a special documentary, discussing their path from the late 1960s to now. The film also contains remastered concert footage from throughout their career.
Before it is screened on BBC Two in the autumn, here are just eight things we learnt from watching the upcoming film.
1. Move over Lady Gaga, Peter Gabriel has done it already
Footage from Genesis's gigs in the early to mid-1970s reminds casual fans just how outlandish some of Gabriel's attire was at times.
From their super progressive rock era of Peter Gabriel, to their stadium rock chartbuster period of Phil Collins, Genesis are definitely one of the UK's biggest rock bands with a rather unique story.
The classic early 1970s lineup of Gabriel, Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett have now reunited for a special documentary, discussing their path from the late 1960s to now. The film also contains remastered concert footage from throughout their career.
Before it is screened on BBC Two in the autumn, here are just eight things we learnt from watching the upcoming film.
1. Move over Lady Gaga, Peter Gabriel has done it already
Footage from Genesis's gigs in the early to mid-1970s reminds casual fans just how outlandish some of Gabriel's attire was at times.
- 8/29/2014
- Digital Spy
Genesis are to reunite for an upcoming BBC Two special.
Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins will appear with the original lineup of Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett and Tony Banks for the first time since 1975.
Together and Apart will be a one-off feature-length documentary to air on the channel later this year.
The programme was announced as part of the corporation's new BBC Music strategy, which was launched today (June 16) at Broadcasting House in London.
BBC Two also announced plans to air more single drama documentaries about moments in music history, as well as other films and documentaries produced by award-winning directors.
The Soundtrack of the Twentieth Century will tell the story of musical achievements of the past 100 years, to be broadcast in 2016.
It will explore music's gradual transformation in the 20th century, with content available on TV, radio and online.
Meanwhile, Reginald D Hunter will host Songs of the South,...
Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins will appear with the original lineup of Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett and Tony Banks for the first time since 1975.
Together and Apart will be a one-off feature-length documentary to air on the channel later this year.
The programme was announced as part of the corporation's new BBC Music strategy, which was launched today (June 16) at Broadcasting House in London.
BBC Two also announced plans to air more single drama documentaries about moments in music history, as well as other films and documentaries produced by award-winning directors.
The Soundtrack of the Twentieth Century will tell the story of musical achievements of the past 100 years, to be broadcast in 2016.
It will explore music's gradual transformation in the 20th century, with content available on TV, radio and online.
Meanwhile, Reginald D Hunter will host Songs of the South,...
- 6/16/2014
- Digital Spy
The X Factor has confirmed details of next week's Jukebox theme.
Viewers will be given the opportunity to choose a song for each of the five acts to perform on next Saturday's (November 30) quarter-final live show.
The final five - Tamera Foster, Rough Copy, Sam Bailey, Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend - will each perform a song by their musical hero for their first track.
Their second song will be selected by the viewers from a grouping of three, as part of a public vote.
The choices for each act are as follows below:
Luke Friend
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel)
2. Skinny Love (Bon Iver)
3. One Day Like This (Elbow)
Nicholas McDonald
1. The Prayer (Josh Groban and Celine Dion)
2. Amazed (Lonestar)
3. Just The Way You Are (Bruno Mars)
Sam Bailey
1. The Living Years (Mike and the Mechanics)
2. Clown (Emeli Sandé)
3. Without You (Mariah Carey)
Tamera Foster
1. The First...
Viewers will be given the opportunity to choose a song for each of the five acts to perform on next Saturday's (November 30) quarter-final live show.
The final five - Tamera Foster, Rough Copy, Sam Bailey, Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend - will each perform a song by their musical hero for their first track.
Their second song will be selected by the viewers from a grouping of three, as part of a public vote.
The choices for each act are as follows below:
Luke Friend
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel)
2. Skinny Love (Bon Iver)
3. One Day Like This (Elbow)
Nicholas McDonald
1. The Prayer (Josh Groban and Celine Dion)
2. Amazed (Lonestar)
3. Just The Way You Are (Bruno Mars)
Sam Bailey
1. The Living Years (Mike and the Mechanics)
2. Clown (Emeli Sandé)
3. Without You (Mariah Carey)
Tamera Foster
1. The First...
- 11/24/2013
- Digital Spy
The title of this panel was Financing and Packaging: From Indie to Studio, but in fact, the most studio-like film, Rush , by the major director, Ron Howard, and produced by Brit indie production company Revolution (Andrew Eaton) and Hollywood-based Cross Creek (Brian Oliver), is actually quite independent.
Rush (U.S. Universal, International Sales by Exclusive)
Ron Howard and his producing partner Brian Grazer whose imagine Entertainment have had an overall deal at Universal for 27 years, however, this mid-budget range film of some $50,000,000 was considered not "big enough" for the majors.
To read more about this complex and fascinating film and its international film business background, read the following articles which are quoted throughout this article with thanks and acknowledgement to:
· Variety September 13, 2013 (reprinted at the end of this blog) · Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2013 · The Hollywood Reporter September 28, 2011
Aside from major director Ron Howard himself, the second “major” element of the film is that Universal is the North American distributor of the film. This happens through the three year minimum-6-picture distribution deal Brian Oliver’s Cross Creek has with Universal in which Cross Creek produces and finances either its own films or films chosen from Universal’s development slate. Cross Creek is set up to generate up to four films per year, with Universal to distribute at least two of them with a wide-release commitment.
Isa (International Sales Agent) Exclusive Media is also an independent. This too is the result of Oliver’s deal with Exclusive to jointly finance two projects per year.
Cross Creek, putting its own cash into the project, split the cost of the picture with Exclusive who financed it through a bank loan made against pre-sales generated in 2011 at the Afm. With Howard there to promote the project to buyers, Exclusive secured around $33 million in foreign pre-sales. See Cinando’s list of distributors .
Additionally, Oliver and Eaton structured the project as a U.K.- German co-production, enabling them to secure about $12 million in soft money from Germany (Egoli Tossell) in accordance with U.K.’s co-production treaty. As a result, U.K. rights ended up with Studiocanal.
Brian Oliver is a “one of Hollywood’s biggest and more unusual financiers of risky films, with coin coming mostly from oil and real estate investments in Texas”. This major Hollywood financier/ producer takes chances which prove his astute, if askew, view of what makes a “Hollywood” picture an indie at the same time, as shown by his credits, The Ides of March and Black Swan.
Andrew Eaton is a British producer with deep Hollywood connections through the British community here, e.g., Eric Fellner of Working Title, the British production company currently owned by Universal. (Parenthetically, I bought U.S. rights to Working Title’s first film, My Beautiful Laundrette for Lorimar along with Orion Classics and so I was quite thrilled to have a chance to be in touch with the talented Brits once again).
Working Title had worked with Andrew Easton on Frost/Nixon. Eric Fellner loved the script and offered it to Universal for funding. However, as said, Universal passed on it because it was too small.
“It is going to be easy for people to think this is a Hollywood movie, and it just is not,” quotes Variety from the film’s British screenwriter, Peter Morgan, who penned Frost/Nixon which was also directed by Howard. “It is a British independent film directed by a Hollywood director.”
Eaton and Oliver spoke of how they put this film together.
“We must champion the fact that this is basically 80% a British film in terms of the people who worked on it, the way it was structured and the way we ran it,” says Eaton, who was behind such indie films as 24 Hour Party People and the Red Riding TV series.
Can a Song Save Your Life? (U.S. UTA, Isa: Exclusive)
Exclusive has another film here, Can a Song Save Your Life? which is also repped by Rena Ronson, Co-Head of the Independent Film Group of UTA. Directed by John Carney who came to the public’s attention with his micro-budgeted Once which plays on stage here in Toronto at the moment, in New York and elsewhere regularly. The Weinstein Company picked it up in Toronto, reportedly paying around a $7 million minimum guarantee for U.S. rights with a P&A commitment of at least $20 million.
UTA as an agency also packages both large (studio) and smaller indie films. Rena Ronson, the co-head of UTA Indie explained how her own indie roots -- first at indie distributor Fox-Lorber and continuing into international sales before becoming the “indie agent” at Wma, succeeding the “indie” founder, Bobbi Thompson, have taught her to speak the language of the international as well as the independent film business. She knows the major modes of operating as well as she knows the independent style of business. She further explained that the successes of the larger films permit the “smaller”, i.e., “indie” films to be made.
UTA repped films in Toronto are listed below. For a full report of rights sold, before, during and after Toronto, watch SydneysBuzz.com for the Fall 2013 Rights Roundup.
Can A Song Save Your Life?
Writer/Director: John Carney Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, Catherine Keener, Mos Def, Cee-Lo Green Publicity: Falco / Shannon Treusch, Monica Delameter U.S. Producer Rep: UTA / CAA . Isa: Exclusive Media Group
U.S. rights were acquired at Tiff 13 by TWC for a record breaking $7 million.
Since first announcing it in Cannes 2012, Exclusive has made other deals as well for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan (Tanweer), Germany (Studiocanal), Japan (Pony Canyon Inc), Philippines (Solar Entertainment), Russia (A Company), So. Korea ( Pancinema), Switzerland ( Ascot Elite Entertainment Group ), Taiwan ( Serenity Entertainment International ), Turkey (D Productions), the Middle East ( Front Row Filmed Entertainment).
Tiff Special Presentations:
Hateship, Loveship
Director: Liza Johnson Writer: Mark Poirier Writer (Novel): Alice Munro Starring: Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, Hailee Steinfeld, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte Publicity: Prodigy PR, Erik Bright
North American Sale: UTA / Cassian Elwes. Isa: The Weinstein Co. Sena has rights for Iceland.
The F Word
Director: Michael Dowse Writer: Elan Mastai Writers (Play): Michael Rinaldi & T.J. Dawe Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Rafe Spall, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, Amanda Crew Publicity: Strategy PR / Cynthia Schwartz, Michael Kupferberg Us Sale: UTA / Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman. Isa: eOne
After UTA sold the The F Word to CBS Films for the U.S. for around $3 million in Toronto, Entertainment One Films International completed other international sales. Besides Canada and the U.K., eOne itself will release the film in Australia/New Zealand, Benelux and Spain feeding its own international distribution pipeline. Other sales include Germany to Senator Entertainment, Middle East to Front Row Entertainment, Nigeria toRed Mist, Russia to Carmen Film Group, Turkey to Mars Entertainment Group
Night Moves
Writer/Director: Kelly Reichart Writer: Jonathan Raymond Starring: Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard, Alia Shawkat Publicity: Ginsberg/Libby, Chris Libby North American Sale: UTA Isa: The Match Factory
Tiff Vanguard
The Sacrament
Writer/Director: Ti West Starring: Joe Swanberg, Aj Bowen, Amy Seimetz, Kate Lyn Sheil, Gene Jones Publicity: Dda, Dana Archer, Alice Zhou North American Sale: UTA / CAA Isa: Im Global sold to Pegasus Motion Pictures Distribution Ltd . For China
As of this writing, rather 1 hour ago, Magnolia Pictures, which lost on an earlier bidding war here for Joe, is finalizing a deal for the picture reportedly for seven figures.
Coincidentallywith the beginning of the Toronto Film Festival, the front page of L.A. Times quoted Rena Ronson in an article called "Making history as cameras roll" (print edition) or "Wadjda' director makes her mark in Saudi cinema" (online edition) about Wadjda , (Isa: The Match Factory) last year’s Venice and Telluride film which Rena had spotted at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where it won a script award. It was written and directed by a woman which is notable in such a male-dominated part of the world. She met the writer-director, Haifaa Mansour, and that led to working with her for the next two years to finance the film. Its $2.5m budget was backed in part by the Rotana Group, the largest media company in the Middle East, owned primarily by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The German production company Razor Film owned and operated by Gerhard Meixner and Roman Paul whose first coproduction in 2005, Paradise Now brought them into international prominence and who also picked up last year’s Tiff groundbreaking film from Afghanistan,The Patience Stone, and previously coproduced Waltz With Bashir, came on board and brought German broadcast deals and German film funds as well.
Doha and Film Financing
The fourth panelist was Paul Miller, Head of Film Financing, from the Doha Film Institute , Qatar's first international organization dedicated to film financing, production, education and two film festivals. Doha encourages submission for financing film financing opportunities from anywhere in the world. The Dfi Grants program supports first- and second-time filmmakers in producing and developing their own stories. There are two funding rounds per year. Applications are considered from three regions (basically divided into the Middle East, developing nations and the rest of the world – with some exceptions -- each with different eligibility criteria.
Consideration for funding is open to feature-length films in development, production and post-production, as well as short films in production and post-production. Since 2010, Dfi has provided funding to more than 138 filmmakers.
Beyond the regional grants program, Dfi also invests in a diverse slate of international productions to encourage greater collaboration, mentorship and co‑production opportunities between Gulf countries and the rest of the world. Co-financing applications apply to both Middle Eastern and international feature films, television and web series. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Four films at Tiff that Doha has helped finance:
Mohammed Malas’s Ladder to Damacus, screening in Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema section; Jasmila Žbanic’s For Those Who Can Tell No Tales in the Special Presentation section. Both films were co-financed by Dfi. Dfi grant recipients Néjib Belkadhi’s Bastardo and Mais Darwazah’s My Love Awaits Me by the Sea screening in the Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery sections, respectively.
The fifth panelist, Ted Hope, Director of the San Francisco Film Society, a non-profit training, festival, and funding operation is known to everyone from his history with Good Machine (which was acquired by Universal and renamed Focus Features), and from his blog Hope for Film/ Truly Free Film . In his always-inimitable fashion, Ted proposed a new sort of financing, called "staged financing", based on a progressive meeting of certain criterion from development through distribution. This way of financing is similar to the venture capital models of financing. His broad ideas on what has to change with the industry's funding and packaging methods brought the panelists and the audience to heel at attention. I reprint his blog after this because this idea goes against the current grain of financing an entire film which may or may not prove to be the final box office bingo winner it always purports to be when securing full financing.
The Sffs provided some funding to Thomas Oliver's 1982 which is in Tiff this year. Aside from winning Us in Progress’ $60,000 in post-production services at this year’s Champs Elysees Film Festival, 1982 also received Sffs’s $85,000 post production grant and participated in the Sffs’s A2E labs. The film is being represented by Kevin Iwashina’s Preferred Content.
The panel became very animated as Ted Hope and Rena Ronson faced off about whether a film is made for a broad audience or whether, if targeted correctly, it could actually make money with niche audiences. As always, the two of them, both equally astute, brought much to bear on both sides of the argument. And, I, as the panel’s moderator, hereby declare, They are both right.
The broader the audience the more potential for making money.
However, as Ted points out, with crowd sourcing, crowd funding and crowd theatrical exhibition, there are many other ways beyond ticket purchases that filmmakers can offer in order to make money with their targeted audience.
This, as well as the great contributions made by Doha’s Paul Miller and Revolution’s Andrew Eaton could have extended the panel into a full day. Paul Oliver of Cross Creek was the quietest, perhaps most reticent, of the speakers, but he amply demonstrated that he is one who puts his money where his mouth is. His acumen and taste make us all grateful for his existence as he is a pivotal point person in creating works of art that create substantial revenues for a sustainable art house film business.
The audience as well was most enthusiastic with their questions and post panel discussions with panelists who stayed to talk.
Articles Reprinted Here:
Truly Free Film
Staged Financing Must Become Film Biz’s Immediate Goal
Posted: 06 Sep 2013 05:15 Am Pdt
Each day I become more and more convinced that staged financing could be a cure to much of the Film Biz’s ills. Staged financing? What? Is the phrase not exactly center of your conversations right now? Why not?!! Whatsamattawidyou? Don’t you know a good solution when you see one?
Although it already exists in many fields, and even in a few small patches of our own yard, I recognize that a staged financing strategy is not yet the force behind Indieland’s own gardening. I am however growing convinced it could yield a far more fruitful harvest than our current methods. A staged-financing ecosystem can’t be built in a one-off manner though. Although it also does not need to the rule of the realm, it needs a permanent eco-system to support it.
Staged financing is part of a much bigger solution that we urgently need to bring to our industry: a sustainable investor class . We need smart money and need to stop seeking, encouraging, and propagating dumb money. Most film investors get out, win or lose, by their third film (I have been told this and don’t have the stats to back it up now, but if you do, please share — otherwise just trust that is what my experience has shown). The value of most independent money in the film biz is the money itself, and that is not good for anyone.
Staged financing is exactly what it says to be. I know in this world such literalness is a strange thing, but there is it. Staged financing is a funding process that is there for each distinct stage. In comparison, it is the opposite of up-front financing — the type that monopolizes the narrative feature world. I am proposing that we institutionalize the staged-financing process and make it easier to finance your film in drips and drabs. Why am I so bullish on what probably sounds like hell to many? Why do I think it will save indie film? Let’s count the ways.
Staged financing increases the predictability of success. Investors can base their continued commitment on a proof of prinicipal instead of just a pitch. The longer one waits the more they know — of course the longer one waits the lower the chance for their to be the opportunity for investment, so there. The more investors can project or even predict their success, the longer they will stay in the game, and the more that will gather to pay — i.e. more capital at play! Staged financing allows filmmakers and their supporters to pivot based on real world data. The old way had very little it could do when new information hit. Your film (and investment) could be rendered obsolete over night. But that does not have to be a done deal is this new world. This is just one of the many reasons for #1 above of course. Staged financing diversifies the creative class. Wouldn’t it be great if the film biz was actually a meritocracy? Well, if people had to make good movies to complete their financing, wouldn’t that be a bit closer to the case? Staged financing gives all people the opportunity to prove they have a good idea, whether that idea is completed or not. It is not about who you know, but about what you’ve done and can do. Documentary film — compared to the narrative world — already has a great deal of staged financing institutionalized — and benefits from gender proportional representation among directors. Need I say more?Staged financing allows ambitious artistic work to flourish. Instead of just having “commercial elements”, unique and inspiring work can be recognized for the potential it truly has. Instead of being rewarded for being able to earn trust or arrogantly claim to know what one is doing, staged financing allows good work to be rewarded for being good work. Currently, we mistake confidence for capability and those that boast to be able to predict what the end product will be (where there is no way that they will actually know what the 100+ decisions each day will yield), get to play — not the work that delivers something new and wonderful. Staged financing rewards quality over risk mitigation. Staged financing is actually a better form of risk mitigation than the present form that is only based on regurgitating what has already proven successful. When we limit risk by mimicking what has worked in the past, all we are doing is guessing and covering our ass — and this leads to a film culture of movie titles overrun with numerals. We live in an era of abundance, and as comforting as the familiar may be, we have more access to it than ever before. We rarely need the new version of it. We will however need truly original work more and more as time goes on as we will drowning in the repetitive. How will we prove what works? Staged financing, my friend, staged financing. Staged financing creates a better project as it incentivizes the creators every step of the way. Not that you truly need to incentivize those that are in the passion industries for the right reason, but it never hurts to weed out those that are in it for the wrong reason. When your financing is based on your work and not your connections or investors’ fears, you will do all you can to make each stage of financing shine, justify itself, and be truly competitive. Staged financing requires you to walk a series of steps, proving you have earned the right with every advance — and you better do your homework if you don’t want to get left behind. Staged financing requires you choose your initial partners wisely. It’s not just about the terms of the deal that should determine whom your investors are — but that is how we generally act nowadays. Everyone should instead seek value-add investors. You should get more than just money from your investors. You should benefit from their expertise. Filmmakers, agents, lawyers, and managers, often are willing to leap into bed with anyone who offers the most cash — there’s a name for that practice and it should not be film investment. Staged financing means the creators will have “skin in the game”. When it is an up-front finance model, the creators are not working for a payout in success but working just for the upfornt fees (or some semblance thereof); they may have “profit participation” but basically the only anticipated earnings are what is in the budget. It becomes increasingly difficult to motivate the creative team to be engaged in the needed work after the film premieres. Investors have long recognized that this is not the most beneficial arrangement, yet what can they do? The answer my friend, is… yup, you know the song I am singing: everyone loves that staged financing! Staged financing is a time-tested process that has already been adopted by many industries . Staged financing is the modus operandi of Silicon Valley and all the Vc firms. Other industries, from mining onwards, have seen real benefits from the process. Why do we limit our success and not apply proven models to our field? Could it be that somewhere someone is desperately clutching on to what ever paltry power they perceive themselves to possess? Hmmm… If they don’t offer the model you want at the store, build a new model — or maybe even a chain of stores. Staged financing gives producers of quality work more power. The main objection to staged financing is that it gives financiers more power. That is only true if you are making crap. Or mediocre work. If you are making something wonderfully astounding you will never struggle to progress to the next round — and in fact you will be able to improve your terms. And investors won’t complain either, because they now can have to know a good thing when they see one.
So if Staged Financing is this marvelous thing, why have our leaders not yet delivered it to you? Well, they don’t care about you; didn’t you know that?
And if Staged Financing could really save Indie Film, why has the community not constructed this marvelous ecosystem yet? Well, we’ve all been too busy chasing shiny objects and marveling at the reflections fed back of us.
But change is here. We have hope. We can build it better together. And I have already started. The San Francisco Film Society is committed to it. We have others who want to be part of. We are have spots for more to join in. And we are going to help a few select projects really rock this world.
Watch this space. Let’s do it together and truly astonish the world with your awe inspiring work. Just don’t be slack, okay?
Variety, August 21, 2013:
“Rush,” the high-octane car racing film about the public rivalry between legendary Formula One drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt during the 1970s, has all the markings of tinseltown’s latest flashy biopic, withRon Howard at the wheel, Chris Hemsworth as its star, and Universal Pictures releasing the film Sept. 27. But that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It is going to be easy for people to think this is a Hollywood movie, and it just is not,” says the upcoming film’s British screenwriter, Peter Morgan, who penned “Frost/Nixon,” also directed by Howard. “It is a British independent film directed by a Hollywood director.” Get Weekly Online News and alerts free to your inbox
As the majors focus more on putting their money behind mega-budgeted projects with built-in brand awareness — sequels, reboots, films based on toys, videogames and comicbooks — filmmakers are finding Hollywood’s studio system rapidly shifting under their feet.
“Because studios are less interested in the midbudget area, there is a massive opportunity for independents to step into that (area) at the moment,” says “Rush” producer Andrew Eaton of London-based Revolution Films.
Indeed, it’s getting harder to set up a midbudget range original project at a studio, even for veteran filmmakers like Howard and his producing partner Brian Grazer, whose Imagine Entertainment has had an overall deal at Universal for 27 years (the longest standing deal U has had in its 100-year history with a production company). That’s forced directors to look elsewhere to tackle the kinds of films now considered too risky to make or the ones that won’t fill retail shelves with merchandise.
Another Hollywood vet, producer Marc Platt, who’s had a production deal at Universal since 1998 after stepping down as its production head, similarly had to find indie financing for his film “2 Guns” after Universal said it would not bankroll the picture but simply distribute it.
With “Rush,” Howard found himself in an entirely new role as the director of a $50 million film that was his first to be independently financed — through a series of bonds, contingencies and pre-sales. He also was a director for hire, replacing Paul Greengrass, who was originally set to bring the showy personalities of Hunt (Hemsworth), a British playboy; and the more serious Austrian champion Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) to the big screen.
“We must champion the fact that this is basically 80% a British film in terms of the people who worked on it, the way it was structured and the way we ran it,” says Eaton. The exec, who was behind such indie films as “24 Hour Party People” and the “Red Riding” series, is modest, and like most Brits politely shies away from the spotlight, tending not to grab credit even when its due.
But he believes “Rush” shows off Blighty’s mettle.
“These are the kinds of films we should be making in the U.K. because we can do it, and we can do it for better value of money,” he says.
Morgan began writing the story of Lauda, a friend of his wife’s, on spec some years ago, intrigued by the driver’s courageous comeback just 40 days after a devastating crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix that severely burned his face and saw him lapse into a coma, and how that might play against Hunt’s notorious womanizing and party lifestyle that gained him rock-star status.
Eager to work with Eaton again after Fernando Meirelles’ “360,” Morgan showed the producer the first draft of “Rush,” and Eaton was hooked.
“Andrew was always going to be a great fit for this project,” Morgan says. “If (the) responsibility was to make this at a price, Andrew could do this. He could make a $50 million film feel like a $150 million film.”
With Greengrass, another Brit, attached to direct, Morgan showed the script to close friend Eric Fellner at his Universal-owned British production outfit Working Title. Fellner, who had worked with him on “Frost/Nixon,” loved the new script and offered it to Universal for funding.
But the studio passed, considering it risky subject matter, given the biopic elements and low profile of F1 racing in the U.S. Universal also didn’t believe the film could be made for the right price. Still Fellner stayed onboard, and his contacts in the F1 arena proved invaluable. His relationships with Ferrari and McLaren thanks to his work on documentary “Senna” enabled “Rush” to enlist the brands in the pic without losing editorial control.
“Ron (Howard) jokes that my major contribution was engine noise,” Fellner says. “Maybe I can take credit for a bit of that.”
Soon after Universal passed, Cross Creek Pictures topper Brian Oliver reached out to Eaton to finance the project — so eager that he offered to put up $2 million before he even signed the deal so that Eaton could order replicas of the 1970s cars to be ready in time for the shoot. He also was instrumental in steering Hemsworth toward the project.
“Typically we don’t spend that kind of money without knowing the movie is going and the budget is done,” Oliver says. “But I was passionate about the script, and I really thought it was a film with a lot of heart, not just a race car movie.”
Cross Creek, also behind “The Ides of March” and “Black Swan,” has quickly become one of Hollywood’s biggest and more unusual financiers of risky films, with coin coming mostly from oil and real estate investments in Texas.
“He’s an unusual maverick in Hollywood because he really fought to get the budget to the highest level he could,” says Eaton of Oliver. “There’s no bullshit with him — he gets stuff done.” Adds Fellner: “Without Brian, the film wouldn’t have gotten off of the ground. He put his money where his mouth is.”
Shortly after funding started coming together, Greengrass dropped off the project due, ironically, to his issues with the budget. Within 24 hours, Morgan and Fellner enticed Howard to come onboard. The financing arrangement intrigued him, but what really attracted Howard was the ability to re-create the world of Formula One in the 1970s “when sex was safe and driving was dangerous,” as he has said in past interviews.
“Ron was incredibly gracious in trusting us to deliver,” Eaton says. “He was very smart about knowing we needed to make this film in a different way. He’d never made a film with a bond before, and never made a film with a contingency before, but he rolled up his sleeves and was ready to learn.” Some of that indie spirit has already rubbed off on Howard, who is now sticking with a mostly British crew on his next project, “In the Heart of the Sea,” including “Rush” cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and costume designer Julian Day. “Heart” lenses in London.
Exclusive Media came in as the final partner on “Rush,” brought in by Oliver under his deal with Exclusive to jointly finance two projects per year.
Cross Creek split the cost of the pic with Exclusive, with the former putting its own cash in to the pic and the latter financing through a bank loan made against pre-sales generated in 2011 at the Afm, where Howard helped shop the project to buyers. The move proved a success, as Exclusive secured $33 million in foreign pre-sales.
Additionally, Oliver and Eaton structured the project as a U.K.-German co-production, enabling them to secure about $12 million in soft money.
As a result, U.K. rights ended up going to Studiocanal. Universal agreed to distribute “Rush” in the U.S. through its output deal with Cross Creek.
Eaton pressed to put all of the money raised on the screen. “Rush” became the highest-budget film he had ever worked with after 2000’s “The Claim,” which cost $18 million to produce.
“(‘Rush’) was financed in exactly the same way we finance every independent film, and we approached shooting in the same way as we do everything — you try to put as much money as you can onscreen,” Eaton says. “It’s about not wasting money on things you don’t need, like private jets and extravagances.”
Hollywood has tried to bring to life the world of Formula One before.
Sylvester Stallone directed “Driven,” which originally was set in the world of F1, before he changed course and based it on rival Cart racing, instead.
The reason? To gain access to F1, filmmakers must first get the greenlight from the often polarizing Bernie Ecclestone, the 82-year-old billionaire who holds a tight grip on the racing league that has long counted the elite as fans, including Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, and celebs including Michael Fassbender, Patrick Dempsey, Gordon Ramsey, George Lucas, and Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.
Although Stallone tried to gain Ecclestone’s approval, “I apologize to fans of Formula 1, but there is a certain individual there who runs the sport that has his own agenda,” Stallone said in 2000. “F1 is very formal, and it’s very hard to get to know people.”
David Cronenberg also planned to direct a tentpole around F1 for Paramount, in 1986, with the director scouting the project by attending Grand Prix races in Australia and Mexico. The film, “Red Cars,” would have revolved around American driver Phil Hill winning the world championship for Ferrari in 1961. Plans were shelved when Ecclestone decided not to support the project. Instead, Cronenberg published a limited edition art book based on the screenplay in 2005.
One of the few cinematic standouts so far is Asif Kapadia’s documentary “Senna,” about the charismatic Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, killed in a race in 1994 that’s show in the docu. “Senna” went on to earn $8.2 million, and helped educate viewers of the sport by focusing not on the races but Senna’s iconic presence and his impact on pop culture.
“Rush” is looking to put a spotlight on the personalities behind the wheel and the often riveting rivalries between drivers — what many consider the real draw to the sport. Bruhl has compared them to “modern knights constantly facing death.”
As the film races toward its September release — it will be shown at the Toronto Film Festival out of competition — Howard has screened it for not only racing fans but Formula One, itself.
He recently showed the film to a group of F1 drivers (including Lauda, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa) at Germany’s Grand Prix, calling that audience the toughest test so far, and comparing the experience to screening “Apollo 13” to Nasa’s astronauts and mission controllers in 1995.
In his efforts to promote the film, Howard has called the Hunt-Lauda rivalry one of the greatest in all of sports. “Their story is so remarkable, you (could) only do it if it was true, because people wouldn’t quite believe it. They were willing to risk their lives to attain this elite status. They paid a price for it, but they defined themselves.”
Morgan also has been doing his part to reassure F1 fans that the film is authentic, stressing that it’s about the people in the cars, and not the sport itself.
Any way the wheel’s spun, it’s clear the film’s overall success will largely be driven by how it plays overseas. “Rush” will need to appeal to an international audience that’s more familiar with F1 — a sport second in popularity only to soccer — than to those in the U.S.
But Howard needs to hook moviegoers closer to home — making the American director’s job a much tougher sell.
It’s not really that surprising that there’s nothing all that American about “Rush.”
Formula One is still struggling to find an audience in the U.S. It’s looking to change that through a new $3 million broadcasting deal with NBC Sports that airs 13 races on the cable channel, two on CNBC, and four on NBC. The Monaco Grand Prix was the first of four F1 races to air live on NBC this year, with the final race taking place Nov. 24 from Brazil.
Ratings have averaged a 0.3 rating, although the Monaco race was watched by 1.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Formula One race on U.S. television in six years, and up 40% over last year’s race when it aired on Speed TV, Nielsen said.
Promos have emphasized the speed of F1’s jetfighter cars, its international appeal and Olympics-like profiles of the drivers.
Formula One also is looking to rev up new fans in the U.S. through the opening of its first permanent track in Austin, Texas, last year, known as the Circuit of the Americas. Howard attended its first race, where Lauda also roamed the track’s garages.
What’s ironic is that Howard isn’t a very good driver. He proved that recently racing around the track of BBC’s hit show “Top Gear” to promote “Rush,” ending up in second to last place on the series’ celebrity leader board — behind Genesis’ Mike Rutherford.
Host Jeremy Clarkson was quick to mock him, saying “We finally found something you can’t do. Good at directing, brilliant in ‘Happy Days,’ a charming human being — but utterly crap at driving.”
Ron Howard's Risky Formula One Movie, 'Rush'
Can this Euro-centric car racing film play in the U.S.?
By Rachel Dodes Conn
Ron Howard's films, like "Apollo 13" and "Frost/Nixon," typically deal with issues very familiar to American audiences. His latest project, Mr. Howard's first independently financed film, is a bit of a departure: "Rush" chronicles the rivalry between Austrian Formula One racer Niki Lauda and his nemesis, the British driver James Hunt, over the course of the historic 1976 season. While competing in Nürburg, Germany during treacherous weather conditions, Mr. Lauda (Daniel Brühl, right) crashed his Ferrari and sustained severe burns to his face and lungs. Yet, fueled by a desire to beat Mr. Hunt (Chris Hemsworth, above), a playboy type whose wife (Olivia Wilde) ran off with Richard Burton, Mr. Lauda was back in his car just six weeks later—still wearing his bandages—to race against him in the Italian Grand Prix.
When Mr. Howard received the script on spec from screenwriter Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon," "The Last King of Scotland"), he wasn't a Formula One fan and didn't know who Messrs. Hunt and Lauda were. "I looked them up on Wikipedia," he admits. But as he read about the racers' personalities, he started to see broader themes that would appeal to U.S. moviegoers. "Maybe this is the American in me identifying this," he says, "but both these guys are utterly and entirely individuals—there was no Yoda telling them to seek their higher self."
For Mr. Howard, the process of researching "Rush" was surprisingly similar to learning about space travel for his "Apollo 13," because he found himself having to make arcane automotive engineering terms accessible to viewers. "It was really fun to understand a sport that combines cutting-edge technology with very dangerous competition," he says. "The visceral, cool and sexy element offered a kind of cinematic experience that nowadays exists only with sci-fi."
Formula One isn't nearly as popular in the U.S. as Nascar, and the subject matter is likelier to play well overseas, where the film's financing came from. It premiered Monday, in London, a few weeks before its U.S. opening. The filmmakers say it's more than just a sports picture, and they expect it to appeal to women as well as men.
Saudi Female Filmmaker Succeeds In Making A Movie About A Girl Who Wants A Bicycle
Los Angeles Times
By Rebecca Keegan
Sept. 6, 2013
In a country where women can't freely move around, Haifaa Mansour covertly films the story of a girl's quest for a bicycle.
The production lost two days to sandstorms. The crew faced a last-minute scramble when the nervous owner of a mall changed his mind about allowing filming there. Some days locals chased the cameras away; other days they brought platters of lamb and rice to the set, and asked to be extras.
Meanwhile, the director hid in a van, speaking to her cast via walkie-talkie. In Saudi Arabia, where driving a car is a subversive act for a woman, a 39-year-old mother of two has done something remarkable: written and directed what her distributor believes is the first feature film shot entirely in the ultraconservative kingdom.
Haifaa Mansour is the director of "Wadjda," a drama about a plucky 10-year-old girl who enrolls in a Koran recitation competition in order to win money for a bicycle she's forbidden by law to ride.
Like her young protagonist, Mansour's own story is one of feminine moxie.
In a sly protest of the country's ban on women behind the wheel, she drove herself to her wedding in a golf cart. Because women in Saudi Arabia can't mingle publicly with men outside their families, she shot her movie covertly on the streets of the capital, Riyadh. With movie theaters banned, she screened "Wadjda" in two foreign embassies and a cultural center.
Petite, self-assured, wearing white high-tops and blue nail polish, Mansour is modern in both her fashion and bearing. She speaks English quickly and colloquially, dropping frequent "you knows" into conversation. And she isn't afraid to counter misperceptions about her homeland, as when she gently corrected Bill Maher for calling Mecca the Saudi capital during a recent appearance on his HBO show.
Laced with empathy and humor, "Wadjda" is a quietly provocative portrait of a culture that straddles the centuries, where men wear the ancient white thobe but carry the latest iPads and women hold important jobs as doctors and news anchors but have yet to vote in an election.
"I didn't want to make a movie about women being raped or stoned," Mansour said in an interview in Beverly Hills in June. "For me it is the everyday life, how it's hard. For me, it was hard sometimes to go to work because I cannot find transportation. Things like that build up and break a woman."
The eighth of 12 children of a poet, Mansour grew up in a small town in a home that she describes as nurturing for a little girl.
"My family is very traditional, but my parents are very supportive, very kind," she said. "I never felt I can't do things because I'm a woman."
When Mansour was a teen, her mother removed the light veil she wore while picking her daughter up from school, a gesture that mortified the young woman at the time, but empowers her when she reflects on it now.
Though movie theaters have been shuttered in Saudi Arabia for decades for religious reasons, Mansour said her father, like others, often rented VHS tapes at Blockbuster for the family to watch -- she grew up on Jackie Chan movies, Bollywood productions, Egyptian cinema and Disney animated films. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was a particular favorite.
"In small-town Saudi, there is nothing to do. You don't get to exercise your emotions because nothing much is happening, you know?" she said. "So to see people falling in love and fighting, it's so powerful, you see beyond your small town."
After earning her bachelor's degree in comparative literature at the American University in Cairo, she returned to Saudi Arabia but quickly felt stymied.
"Going back to Saudi as a young woman, trying to assert yourself in the workplace, you have all those ideas … and all of a sudden you realize because you are a woman you are not heard," she said. "It was such a frustrating moment in my life. It was as if you are screaming in a vacuum."
The idea of women holding jobs still unnerves some Saudi men -- writer Abdullah Mohammed Daoud recently encouraged his more than 97,000 Twitter followers to sexually harass female grocery store clerks to intimidate women from working.
Recalling the freedom she found in movies, Mansour decided to make a short film with her siblings serving as cast and crew, a thriller about a male serial killer who hides under the black abaya worn by Muslim women. Her work -- two more shorts, a documentary and a stint hosting a talk show for a Lebanese network -- focused largely on the untold stories of Saudi women.
In 2005, at a U.S. embassy screening of her documentary, "Women Without Shadows," Mansour met her future husband, American diplomat Bradley Neimann. They now have two children, 2 and 5, and live in Bahrain, where Neimann works for the State Department.
When her husband was posted in Australia, Mansour pursued a master's in film studies at the University of Sydney, and wrote the script that became "Wadjda."
The story was inspired by her now teenage niece, who has tamped down her rambunctious personality to fit into Saudi norms.
"I thought, 'Wow, a woman writer from Saudi Arabia won?'" Rena Ronson said. "I had to meet her. She was so open and tenacious and smart."When Mansour's script for "Wadjda" won an award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, it caught the eye of the co-head of the independent film group at United Talent Agency.
Over the next two years Ronson helped Mansour secure financing for her film, which cost a little less than $2.5 million. The primary obstacle, as far as many potential Middle Eastern producers were concerned, was Mansour's desire to shoot in Saudi Arabia, which she felt lent her story authenticity.
The production finally won the tacit approval of the Saudi government -- one of its backers is Rotana Group, an entertainment company primarily owned by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Another major financier is the German company Razor Film.
Finding actors was another hurdle. Mansour and her producers recruited child performers through small companies that hire folkloric dancers for the Eid holidays. Many of their parents were uncomfortable with a movie about empowering women.
A week before she was scheduled to start shooting, Mansour still hadn't cast her title character when 12-year-old Waad Mohammed entered the room in blue jeans, with headphones clapped over her ears. Singing along to Justin Bieber, she won over Mansour with her sweet singing voice and tomboyish style.
The movie's half-German, half-Saudi crew worked around the rhythms of Saudi life, using cellphone apps that alerted them of the five daily prayer calls. The Germans carried notebooks; the Saudis relied on oral planning.
On the first day of shooting, a start time of 7:20 a.m. came and went. "I don't know what we were thinking," said German producer Roman Paul. "I don't think 7:20 exists in Saudi time. We Germans learned to relax, and the Saudis learned that there is a benefit to doing things at a certain time."
Despite tension on the set -- both from disapproving observers and from the German and Saudi crews learning to work together -- Mansour was buoyant, Paul said.
"She's very fast in overcoming new difficulties, and in an upbeat spirit," Paul said.
Last summer "Wadjda" premiered at the Venice and Telluride film festivals, earning praise for Mansour's subtle direction and a U.S. release from Sony Pictures Classics, which handled the Oscar-winning 2011 Iranian drama "A Separation," about the dissolution of a marriage.
"'A Separation' was such an eye-opener to me in the sense that there were people questioning whether the film went too specific into the Iranian culture," said Michael Barker, co-president and co-founder of the Sony unit. "But if the overall story has a universal appeal, in 'Wadjda' it's about parents and kids and restrictions and freedom, that's something we can all relate to."
Sony Classics has been showing the film to noted feminists -- Gloria Steinem and Queen Noor of Jordan both attended screenings -- and will release it in the U.S. slowly over the fall, starting Sept. 13. (The movie premiered in multiple European countries this summer.)
Mansour said she plans to work in Saudi Arabia again. For her, screening her movie in the kingdom was a high.
"Film is about uplifting, embracing the love of life, it's about moving ahead, it's about victory," she said. "It's not about defeat."
One victory has already been won. This spring, a new law went into effect: With some restrictions, Saudi women are now allowed to ride bicycles.
Rush (U.S. Universal, International Sales by Exclusive)
Ron Howard and his producing partner Brian Grazer whose imagine Entertainment have had an overall deal at Universal for 27 years, however, this mid-budget range film of some $50,000,000 was considered not "big enough" for the majors.
To read more about this complex and fascinating film and its international film business background, read the following articles which are quoted throughout this article with thanks and acknowledgement to:
· Variety September 13, 2013 (reprinted at the end of this blog) · Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2013 · The Hollywood Reporter September 28, 2011
Aside from major director Ron Howard himself, the second “major” element of the film is that Universal is the North American distributor of the film. This happens through the three year minimum-6-picture distribution deal Brian Oliver’s Cross Creek has with Universal in which Cross Creek produces and finances either its own films or films chosen from Universal’s development slate. Cross Creek is set up to generate up to four films per year, with Universal to distribute at least two of them with a wide-release commitment.
Isa (International Sales Agent) Exclusive Media is also an independent. This too is the result of Oliver’s deal with Exclusive to jointly finance two projects per year.
Cross Creek, putting its own cash into the project, split the cost of the picture with Exclusive who financed it through a bank loan made against pre-sales generated in 2011 at the Afm. With Howard there to promote the project to buyers, Exclusive secured around $33 million in foreign pre-sales. See Cinando’s list of distributors .
Additionally, Oliver and Eaton structured the project as a U.K.- German co-production, enabling them to secure about $12 million in soft money from Germany (Egoli Tossell) in accordance with U.K.’s co-production treaty. As a result, U.K. rights ended up with Studiocanal.
Brian Oliver is a “one of Hollywood’s biggest and more unusual financiers of risky films, with coin coming mostly from oil and real estate investments in Texas”. This major Hollywood financier/ producer takes chances which prove his astute, if askew, view of what makes a “Hollywood” picture an indie at the same time, as shown by his credits, The Ides of March and Black Swan.
Andrew Eaton is a British producer with deep Hollywood connections through the British community here, e.g., Eric Fellner of Working Title, the British production company currently owned by Universal. (Parenthetically, I bought U.S. rights to Working Title’s first film, My Beautiful Laundrette for Lorimar along with Orion Classics and so I was quite thrilled to have a chance to be in touch with the talented Brits once again).
Working Title had worked with Andrew Easton on Frost/Nixon. Eric Fellner loved the script and offered it to Universal for funding. However, as said, Universal passed on it because it was too small.
“It is going to be easy for people to think this is a Hollywood movie, and it just is not,” quotes Variety from the film’s British screenwriter, Peter Morgan, who penned Frost/Nixon which was also directed by Howard. “It is a British independent film directed by a Hollywood director.”
Eaton and Oliver spoke of how they put this film together.
“We must champion the fact that this is basically 80% a British film in terms of the people who worked on it, the way it was structured and the way we ran it,” says Eaton, who was behind such indie films as 24 Hour Party People and the Red Riding TV series.
Can a Song Save Your Life? (U.S. UTA, Isa: Exclusive)
Exclusive has another film here, Can a Song Save Your Life? which is also repped by Rena Ronson, Co-Head of the Independent Film Group of UTA. Directed by John Carney who came to the public’s attention with his micro-budgeted Once which plays on stage here in Toronto at the moment, in New York and elsewhere regularly. The Weinstein Company picked it up in Toronto, reportedly paying around a $7 million minimum guarantee for U.S. rights with a P&A commitment of at least $20 million.
UTA as an agency also packages both large (studio) and smaller indie films. Rena Ronson, the co-head of UTA Indie explained how her own indie roots -- first at indie distributor Fox-Lorber and continuing into international sales before becoming the “indie agent” at Wma, succeeding the “indie” founder, Bobbi Thompson, have taught her to speak the language of the international as well as the independent film business. She knows the major modes of operating as well as she knows the independent style of business. She further explained that the successes of the larger films permit the “smaller”, i.e., “indie” films to be made.
UTA repped films in Toronto are listed below. For a full report of rights sold, before, during and after Toronto, watch SydneysBuzz.com for the Fall 2013 Rights Roundup.
Can A Song Save Your Life?
Writer/Director: John Carney Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, Catherine Keener, Mos Def, Cee-Lo Green Publicity: Falco / Shannon Treusch, Monica Delameter U.S. Producer Rep: UTA / CAA . Isa: Exclusive Media Group
U.S. rights were acquired at Tiff 13 by TWC for a record breaking $7 million.
Since first announcing it in Cannes 2012, Exclusive has made other deals as well for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan (Tanweer), Germany (Studiocanal), Japan (Pony Canyon Inc), Philippines (Solar Entertainment), Russia (A Company), So. Korea ( Pancinema), Switzerland ( Ascot Elite Entertainment Group ), Taiwan ( Serenity Entertainment International ), Turkey (D Productions), the Middle East ( Front Row Filmed Entertainment).
Tiff Special Presentations:
Hateship, Loveship
Director: Liza Johnson Writer: Mark Poirier Writer (Novel): Alice Munro Starring: Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, Hailee Steinfeld, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte Publicity: Prodigy PR, Erik Bright
North American Sale: UTA / Cassian Elwes. Isa: The Weinstein Co. Sena has rights for Iceland.
The F Word
Director: Michael Dowse Writer: Elan Mastai Writers (Play): Michael Rinaldi & T.J. Dawe Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Rafe Spall, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, Amanda Crew Publicity: Strategy PR / Cynthia Schwartz, Michael Kupferberg Us Sale: UTA / Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman. Isa: eOne
After UTA sold the The F Word to CBS Films for the U.S. for around $3 million in Toronto, Entertainment One Films International completed other international sales. Besides Canada and the U.K., eOne itself will release the film in Australia/New Zealand, Benelux and Spain feeding its own international distribution pipeline. Other sales include Germany to Senator Entertainment, Middle East to Front Row Entertainment, Nigeria toRed Mist, Russia to Carmen Film Group, Turkey to Mars Entertainment Group
Night Moves
Writer/Director: Kelly Reichart Writer: Jonathan Raymond Starring: Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard, Alia Shawkat Publicity: Ginsberg/Libby, Chris Libby North American Sale: UTA Isa: The Match Factory
Tiff Vanguard
The Sacrament
Writer/Director: Ti West Starring: Joe Swanberg, Aj Bowen, Amy Seimetz, Kate Lyn Sheil, Gene Jones Publicity: Dda, Dana Archer, Alice Zhou North American Sale: UTA / CAA Isa: Im Global sold to Pegasus Motion Pictures Distribution Ltd . For China
As of this writing, rather 1 hour ago, Magnolia Pictures, which lost on an earlier bidding war here for Joe, is finalizing a deal for the picture reportedly for seven figures.
Coincidentallywith the beginning of the Toronto Film Festival, the front page of L.A. Times quoted Rena Ronson in an article called "Making history as cameras roll" (print edition) or "Wadjda' director makes her mark in Saudi cinema" (online edition) about Wadjda , (Isa: The Match Factory) last year’s Venice and Telluride film which Rena had spotted at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where it won a script award. It was written and directed by a woman which is notable in such a male-dominated part of the world. She met the writer-director, Haifaa Mansour, and that led to working with her for the next two years to finance the film. Its $2.5m budget was backed in part by the Rotana Group, the largest media company in the Middle East, owned primarily by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The German production company Razor Film owned and operated by Gerhard Meixner and Roman Paul whose first coproduction in 2005, Paradise Now brought them into international prominence and who also picked up last year’s Tiff groundbreaking film from Afghanistan,The Patience Stone, and previously coproduced Waltz With Bashir, came on board and brought German broadcast deals and German film funds as well.
Doha and Film Financing
The fourth panelist was Paul Miller, Head of Film Financing, from the Doha Film Institute , Qatar's first international organization dedicated to film financing, production, education and two film festivals. Doha encourages submission for financing film financing opportunities from anywhere in the world. The Dfi Grants program supports first- and second-time filmmakers in producing and developing their own stories. There are two funding rounds per year. Applications are considered from three regions (basically divided into the Middle East, developing nations and the rest of the world – with some exceptions -- each with different eligibility criteria.
Consideration for funding is open to feature-length films in development, production and post-production, as well as short films in production and post-production. Since 2010, Dfi has provided funding to more than 138 filmmakers.
Beyond the regional grants program, Dfi also invests in a diverse slate of international productions to encourage greater collaboration, mentorship and co‑production opportunities between Gulf countries and the rest of the world. Co-financing applications apply to both Middle Eastern and international feature films, television and web series. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Four films at Tiff that Doha has helped finance:
Mohammed Malas’s Ladder to Damacus, screening in Tiff’s Contemporary World Cinema section; Jasmila Žbanic’s For Those Who Can Tell No Tales in the Special Presentation section. Both films were co-financed by Dfi. Dfi grant recipients Néjib Belkadhi’s Bastardo and Mais Darwazah’s My Love Awaits Me by the Sea screening in the Contemporary World Cinema and Discovery sections, respectively.
The fifth panelist, Ted Hope, Director of the San Francisco Film Society, a non-profit training, festival, and funding operation is known to everyone from his history with Good Machine (which was acquired by Universal and renamed Focus Features), and from his blog Hope for Film/ Truly Free Film . In his always-inimitable fashion, Ted proposed a new sort of financing, called "staged financing", based on a progressive meeting of certain criterion from development through distribution. This way of financing is similar to the venture capital models of financing. His broad ideas on what has to change with the industry's funding and packaging methods brought the panelists and the audience to heel at attention. I reprint his blog after this because this idea goes against the current grain of financing an entire film which may or may not prove to be the final box office bingo winner it always purports to be when securing full financing.
The Sffs provided some funding to Thomas Oliver's 1982 which is in Tiff this year. Aside from winning Us in Progress’ $60,000 in post-production services at this year’s Champs Elysees Film Festival, 1982 also received Sffs’s $85,000 post production grant and participated in the Sffs’s A2E labs. The film is being represented by Kevin Iwashina’s Preferred Content.
The panel became very animated as Ted Hope and Rena Ronson faced off about whether a film is made for a broad audience or whether, if targeted correctly, it could actually make money with niche audiences. As always, the two of them, both equally astute, brought much to bear on both sides of the argument. And, I, as the panel’s moderator, hereby declare, They are both right.
The broader the audience the more potential for making money.
However, as Ted points out, with crowd sourcing, crowd funding and crowd theatrical exhibition, there are many other ways beyond ticket purchases that filmmakers can offer in order to make money with their targeted audience.
This, as well as the great contributions made by Doha’s Paul Miller and Revolution’s Andrew Eaton could have extended the panel into a full day. Paul Oliver of Cross Creek was the quietest, perhaps most reticent, of the speakers, but he amply demonstrated that he is one who puts his money where his mouth is. His acumen and taste make us all grateful for his existence as he is a pivotal point person in creating works of art that create substantial revenues for a sustainable art house film business.
The audience as well was most enthusiastic with their questions and post panel discussions with panelists who stayed to talk.
Articles Reprinted Here:
Truly Free Film
Staged Financing Must Become Film Biz’s Immediate Goal
Posted: 06 Sep 2013 05:15 Am Pdt
Each day I become more and more convinced that staged financing could be a cure to much of the Film Biz’s ills. Staged financing? What? Is the phrase not exactly center of your conversations right now? Why not?!! Whatsamattawidyou? Don’t you know a good solution when you see one?
Although it already exists in many fields, and even in a few small patches of our own yard, I recognize that a staged financing strategy is not yet the force behind Indieland’s own gardening. I am however growing convinced it could yield a far more fruitful harvest than our current methods. A staged-financing ecosystem can’t be built in a one-off manner though. Although it also does not need to the rule of the realm, it needs a permanent eco-system to support it.
Staged financing is part of a much bigger solution that we urgently need to bring to our industry: a sustainable investor class . We need smart money and need to stop seeking, encouraging, and propagating dumb money. Most film investors get out, win or lose, by their third film (I have been told this and don’t have the stats to back it up now, but if you do, please share — otherwise just trust that is what my experience has shown). The value of most independent money in the film biz is the money itself, and that is not good for anyone.
Staged financing is exactly what it says to be. I know in this world such literalness is a strange thing, but there is it. Staged financing is a funding process that is there for each distinct stage. In comparison, it is the opposite of up-front financing — the type that monopolizes the narrative feature world. I am proposing that we institutionalize the staged-financing process and make it easier to finance your film in drips and drabs. Why am I so bullish on what probably sounds like hell to many? Why do I think it will save indie film? Let’s count the ways.
Staged financing increases the predictability of success. Investors can base their continued commitment on a proof of prinicipal instead of just a pitch. The longer one waits the more they know — of course the longer one waits the lower the chance for their to be the opportunity for investment, so there. The more investors can project or even predict their success, the longer they will stay in the game, and the more that will gather to pay — i.e. more capital at play! Staged financing allows filmmakers and their supporters to pivot based on real world data. The old way had very little it could do when new information hit. Your film (and investment) could be rendered obsolete over night. But that does not have to be a done deal is this new world. This is just one of the many reasons for #1 above of course. Staged financing diversifies the creative class. Wouldn’t it be great if the film biz was actually a meritocracy? Well, if people had to make good movies to complete their financing, wouldn’t that be a bit closer to the case? Staged financing gives all people the opportunity to prove they have a good idea, whether that idea is completed or not. It is not about who you know, but about what you’ve done and can do. Documentary film — compared to the narrative world — already has a great deal of staged financing institutionalized — and benefits from gender proportional representation among directors. Need I say more?Staged financing allows ambitious artistic work to flourish. Instead of just having “commercial elements”, unique and inspiring work can be recognized for the potential it truly has. Instead of being rewarded for being able to earn trust or arrogantly claim to know what one is doing, staged financing allows good work to be rewarded for being good work. Currently, we mistake confidence for capability and those that boast to be able to predict what the end product will be (where there is no way that they will actually know what the 100+ decisions each day will yield), get to play — not the work that delivers something new and wonderful. Staged financing rewards quality over risk mitigation. Staged financing is actually a better form of risk mitigation than the present form that is only based on regurgitating what has already proven successful. When we limit risk by mimicking what has worked in the past, all we are doing is guessing and covering our ass — and this leads to a film culture of movie titles overrun with numerals. We live in an era of abundance, and as comforting as the familiar may be, we have more access to it than ever before. We rarely need the new version of it. We will however need truly original work more and more as time goes on as we will drowning in the repetitive. How will we prove what works? Staged financing, my friend, staged financing. Staged financing creates a better project as it incentivizes the creators every step of the way. Not that you truly need to incentivize those that are in the passion industries for the right reason, but it never hurts to weed out those that are in it for the wrong reason. When your financing is based on your work and not your connections or investors’ fears, you will do all you can to make each stage of financing shine, justify itself, and be truly competitive. Staged financing requires you to walk a series of steps, proving you have earned the right with every advance — and you better do your homework if you don’t want to get left behind. Staged financing requires you choose your initial partners wisely. It’s not just about the terms of the deal that should determine whom your investors are — but that is how we generally act nowadays. Everyone should instead seek value-add investors. You should get more than just money from your investors. You should benefit from their expertise. Filmmakers, agents, lawyers, and managers, often are willing to leap into bed with anyone who offers the most cash — there’s a name for that practice and it should not be film investment. Staged financing means the creators will have “skin in the game”. When it is an up-front finance model, the creators are not working for a payout in success but working just for the upfornt fees (or some semblance thereof); they may have “profit participation” but basically the only anticipated earnings are what is in the budget. It becomes increasingly difficult to motivate the creative team to be engaged in the needed work after the film premieres. Investors have long recognized that this is not the most beneficial arrangement, yet what can they do? The answer my friend, is… yup, you know the song I am singing: everyone loves that staged financing! Staged financing is a time-tested process that has already been adopted by many industries . Staged financing is the modus operandi of Silicon Valley and all the Vc firms. Other industries, from mining onwards, have seen real benefits from the process. Why do we limit our success and not apply proven models to our field? Could it be that somewhere someone is desperately clutching on to what ever paltry power they perceive themselves to possess? Hmmm… If they don’t offer the model you want at the store, build a new model — or maybe even a chain of stores. Staged financing gives producers of quality work more power. The main objection to staged financing is that it gives financiers more power. That is only true if you are making crap. Or mediocre work. If you are making something wonderfully astounding you will never struggle to progress to the next round — and in fact you will be able to improve your terms. And investors won’t complain either, because they now can have to know a good thing when they see one.
So if Staged Financing is this marvelous thing, why have our leaders not yet delivered it to you? Well, they don’t care about you; didn’t you know that?
And if Staged Financing could really save Indie Film, why has the community not constructed this marvelous ecosystem yet? Well, we’ve all been too busy chasing shiny objects and marveling at the reflections fed back of us.
But change is here. We have hope. We can build it better together. And I have already started. The San Francisco Film Society is committed to it. We have others who want to be part of. We are have spots for more to join in. And we are going to help a few select projects really rock this world.
Watch this space. Let’s do it together and truly astonish the world with your awe inspiring work. Just don’t be slack, okay?
Variety, August 21, 2013:
“Rush,” the high-octane car racing film about the public rivalry between legendary Formula One drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt during the 1970s, has all the markings of tinseltown’s latest flashy biopic, withRon Howard at the wheel, Chris Hemsworth as its star, and Universal Pictures releasing the film Sept. 27. But that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It is going to be easy for people to think this is a Hollywood movie, and it just is not,” says the upcoming film’s British screenwriter, Peter Morgan, who penned “Frost/Nixon,” also directed by Howard. “It is a British independent film directed by a Hollywood director.” Get Weekly Online News and alerts free to your inbox
As the majors focus more on putting their money behind mega-budgeted projects with built-in brand awareness — sequels, reboots, films based on toys, videogames and comicbooks — filmmakers are finding Hollywood’s studio system rapidly shifting under their feet.
“Because studios are less interested in the midbudget area, there is a massive opportunity for independents to step into that (area) at the moment,” says “Rush” producer Andrew Eaton of London-based Revolution Films.
Indeed, it’s getting harder to set up a midbudget range original project at a studio, even for veteran filmmakers like Howard and his producing partner Brian Grazer, whose Imagine Entertainment has had an overall deal at Universal for 27 years (the longest standing deal U has had in its 100-year history with a production company). That’s forced directors to look elsewhere to tackle the kinds of films now considered too risky to make or the ones that won’t fill retail shelves with merchandise.
Another Hollywood vet, producer Marc Platt, who’s had a production deal at Universal since 1998 after stepping down as its production head, similarly had to find indie financing for his film “2 Guns” after Universal said it would not bankroll the picture but simply distribute it.
With “Rush,” Howard found himself in an entirely new role as the director of a $50 million film that was his first to be independently financed — through a series of bonds, contingencies and pre-sales. He also was a director for hire, replacing Paul Greengrass, who was originally set to bring the showy personalities of Hunt (Hemsworth), a British playboy; and the more serious Austrian champion Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) to the big screen.
“We must champion the fact that this is basically 80% a British film in terms of the people who worked on it, the way it was structured and the way we ran it,” says Eaton. The exec, who was behind such indie films as “24 Hour Party People” and the “Red Riding” series, is modest, and like most Brits politely shies away from the spotlight, tending not to grab credit even when its due.
But he believes “Rush” shows off Blighty’s mettle.
“These are the kinds of films we should be making in the U.K. because we can do it, and we can do it for better value of money,” he says.
Morgan began writing the story of Lauda, a friend of his wife’s, on spec some years ago, intrigued by the driver’s courageous comeback just 40 days after a devastating crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix that severely burned his face and saw him lapse into a coma, and how that might play against Hunt’s notorious womanizing and party lifestyle that gained him rock-star status.
Eager to work with Eaton again after Fernando Meirelles’ “360,” Morgan showed the producer the first draft of “Rush,” and Eaton was hooked.
“Andrew was always going to be a great fit for this project,” Morgan says. “If (the) responsibility was to make this at a price, Andrew could do this. He could make a $50 million film feel like a $150 million film.”
With Greengrass, another Brit, attached to direct, Morgan showed the script to close friend Eric Fellner at his Universal-owned British production outfit Working Title. Fellner, who had worked with him on “Frost/Nixon,” loved the new script and offered it to Universal for funding.
But the studio passed, considering it risky subject matter, given the biopic elements and low profile of F1 racing in the U.S. Universal also didn’t believe the film could be made for the right price. Still Fellner stayed onboard, and his contacts in the F1 arena proved invaluable. His relationships with Ferrari and McLaren thanks to his work on documentary “Senna” enabled “Rush” to enlist the brands in the pic without losing editorial control.
“Ron (Howard) jokes that my major contribution was engine noise,” Fellner says. “Maybe I can take credit for a bit of that.”
Soon after Universal passed, Cross Creek Pictures topper Brian Oliver reached out to Eaton to finance the project — so eager that he offered to put up $2 million before he even signed the deal so that Eaton could order replicas of the 1970s cars to be ready in time for the shoot. He also was instrumental in steering Hemsworth toward the project.
“Typically we don’t spend that kind of money without knowing the movie is going and the budget is done,” Oliver says. “But I was passionate about the script, and I really thought it was a film with a lot of heart, not just a race car movie.”
Cross Creek, also behind “The Ides of March” and “Black Swan,” has quickly become one of Hollywood’s biggest and more unusual financiers of risky films, with coin coming mostly from oil and real estate investments in Texas.
“He’s an unusual maverick in Hollywood because he really fought to get the budget to the highest level he could,” says Eaton of Oliver. “There’s no bullshit with him — he gets stuff done.” Adds Fellner: “Without Brian, the film wouldn’t have gotten off of the ground. He put his money where his mouth is.”
Shortly after funding started coming together, Greengrass dropped off the project due, ironically, to his issues with the budget. Within 24 hours, Morgan and Fellner enticed Howard to come onboard. The financing arrangement intrigued him, but what really attracted Howard was the ability to re-create the world of Formula One in the 1970s “when sex was safe and driving was dangerous,” as he has said in past interviews.
“Ron was incredibly gracious in trusting us to deliver,” Eaton says. “He was very smart about knowing we needed to make this film in a different way. He’d never made a film with a bond before, and never made a film with a contingency before, but he rolled up his sleeves and was ready to learn.” Some of that indie spirit has already rubbed off on Howard, who is now sticking with a mostly British crew on his next project, “In the Heart of the Sea,” including “Rush” cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and costume designer Julian Day. “Heart” lenses in London.
Exclusive Media came in as the final partner on “Rush,” brought in by Oliver under his deal with Exclusive to jointly finance two projects per year.
Cross Creek split the cost of the pic with Exclusive, with the former putting its own cash in to the pic and the latter financing through a bank loan made against pre-sales generated in 2011 at the Afm, where Howard helped shop the project to buyers. The move proved a success, as Exclusive secured $33 million in foreign pre-sales.
Additionally, Oliver and Eaton structured the project as a U.K.-German co-production, enabling them to secure about $12 million in soft money.
As a result, U.K. rights ended up going to Studiocanal. Universal agreed to distribute “Rush” in the U.S. through its output deal with Cross Creek.
Eaton pressed to put all of the money raised on the screen. “Rush” became the highest-budget film he had ever worked with after 2000’s “The Claim,” which cost $18 million to produce.
“(‘Rush’) was financed in exactly the same way we finance every independent film, and we approached shooting in the same way as we do everything — you try to put as much money as you can onscreen,” Eaton says. “It’s about not wasting money on things you don’t need, like private jets and extravagances.”
Hollywood has tried to bring to life the world of Formula One before.
Sylvester Stallone directed “Driven,” which originally was set in the world of F1, before he changed course and based it on rival Cart racing, instead.
The reason? To gain access to F1, filmmakers must first get the greenlight from the often polarizing Bernie Ecclestone, the 82-year-old billionaire who holds a tight grip on the racing league that has long counted the elite as fans, including Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, and celebs including Michael Fassbender, Patrick Dempsey, Gordon Ramsey, George Lucas, and Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.
Although Stallone tried to gain Ecclestone’s approval, “I apologize to fans of Formula 1, but there is a certain individual there who runs the sport that has his own agenda,” Stallone said in 2000. “F1 is very formal, and it’s very hard to get to know people.”
David Cronenberg also planned to direct a tentpole around F1 for Paramount, in 1986, with the director scouting the project by attending Grand Prix races in Australia and Mexico. The film, “Red Cars,” would have revolved around American driver Phil Hill winning the world championship for Ferrari in 1961. Plans were shelved when Ecclestone decided not to support the project. Instead, Cronenberg published a limited edition art book based on the screenplay in 2005.
One of the few cinematic standouts so far is Asif Kapadia’s documentary “Senna,” about the charismatic Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, killed in a race in 1994 that’s show in the docu. “Senna” went on to earn $8.2 million, and helped educate viewers of the sport by focusing not on the races but Senna’s iconic presence and his impact on pop culture.
“Rush” is looking to put a spotlight on the personalities behind the wheel and the often riveting rivalries between drivers — what many consider the real draw to the sport. Bruhl has compared them to “modern knights constantly facing death.”
As the film races toward its September release — it will be shown at the Toronto Film Festival out of competition — Howard has screened it for not only racing fans but Formula One, itself.
He recently showed the film to a group of F1 drivers (including Lauda, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa) at Germany’s Grand Prix, calling that audience the toughest test so far, and comparing the experience to screening “Apollo 13” to Nasa’s astronauts and mission controllers in 1995.
In his efforts to promote the film, Howard has called the Hunt-Lauda rivalry one of the greatest in all of sports. “Their story is so remarkable, you (could) only do it if it was true, because people wouldn’t quite believe it. They were willing to risk their lives to attain this elite status. They paid a price for it, but they defined themselves.”
Morgan also has been doing his part to reassure F1 fans that the film is authentic, stressing that it’s about the people in the cars, and not the sport itself.
Any way the wheel’s spun, it’s clear the film’s overall success will largely be driven by how it plays overseas. “Rush” will need to appeal to an international audience that’s more familiar with F1 — a sport second in popularity only to soccer — than to those in the U.S.
But Howard needs to hook moviegoers closer to home — making the American director’s job a much tougher sell.
It’s not really that surprising that there’s nothing all that American about “Rush.”
Formula One is still struggling to find an audience in the U.S. It’s looking to change that through a new $3 million broadcasting deal with NBC Sports that airs 13 races on the cable channel, two on CNBC, and four on NBC. The Monaco Grand Prix was the first of four F1 races to air live on NBC this year, with the final race taking place Nov. 24 from Brazil.
Ratings have averaged a 0.3 rating, although the Monaco race was watched by 1.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Formula One race on U.S. television in six years, and up 40% over last year’s race when it aired on Speed TV, Nielsen said.
Promos have emphasized the speed of F1’s jetfighter cars, its international appeal and Olympics-like profiles of the drivers.
Formula One also is looking to rev up new fans in the U.S. through the opening of its first permanent track in Austin, Texas, last year, known as the Circuit of the Americas. Howard attended its first race, where Lauda also roamed the track’s garages.
What’s ironic is that Howard isn’t a very good driver. He proved that recently racing around the track of BBC’s hit show “Top Gear” to promote “Rush,” ending up in second to last place on the series’ celebrity leader board — behind Genesis’ Mike Rutherford.
Host Jeremy Clarkson was quick to mock him, saying “We finally found something you can’t do. Good at directing, brilliant in ‘Happy Days,’ a charming human being — but utterly crap at driving.”
Ron Howard's Risky Formula One Movie, 'Rush'
Can this Euro-centric car racing film play in the U.S.?
By Rachel Dodes Conn
Ron Howard's films, like "Apollo 13" and "Frost/Nixon," typically deal with issues very familiar to American audiences. His latest project, Mr. Howard's first independently financed film, is a bit of a departure: "Rush" chronicles the rivalry between Austrian Formula One racer Niki Lauda and his nemesis, the British driver James Hunt, over the course of the historic 1976 season. While competing in Nürburg, Germany during treacherous weather conditions, Mr. Lauda (Daniel Brühl, right) crashed his Ferrari and sustained severe burns to his face and lungs. Yet, fueled by a desire to beat Mr. Hunt (Chris Hemsworth, above), a playboy type whose wife (Olivia Wilde) ran off with Richard Burton, Mr. Lauda was back in his car just six weeks later—still wearing his bandages—to race against him in the Italian Grand Prix.
When Mr. Howard received the script on spec from screenwriter Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon," "The Last King of Scotland"), he wasn't a Formula One fan and didn't know who Messrs. Hunt and Lauda were. "I looked them up on Wikipedia," he admits. But as he read about the racers' personalities, he started to see broader themes that would appeal to U.S. moviegoers. "Maybe this is the American in me identifying this," he says, "but both these guys are utterly and entirely individuals—there was no Yoda telling them to seek their higher self."
For Mr. Howard, the process of researching "Rush" was surprisingly similar to learning about space travel for his "Apollo 13," because he found himself having to make arcane automotive engineering terms accessible to viewers. "It was really fun to understand a sport that combines cutting-edge technology with very dangerous competition," he says. "The visceral, cool and sexy element offered a kind of cinematic experience that nowadays exists only with sci-fi."
Formula One isn't nearly as popular in the U.S. as Nascar, and the subject matter is likelier to play well overseas, where the film's financing came from. It premiered Monday, in London, a few weeks before its U.S. opening. The filmmakers say it's more than just a sports picture, and they expect it to appeal to women as well as men.
Saudi Female Filmmaker Succeeds In Making A Movie About A Girl Who Wants A Bicycle
Los Angeles Times
By Rebecca Keegan
Sept. 6, 2013
In a country where women can't freely move around, Haifaa Mansour covertly films the story of a girl's quest for a bicycle.
The production lost two days to sandstorms. The crew faced a last-minute scramble when the nervous owner of a mall changed his mind about allowing filming there. Some days locals chased the cameras away; other days they brought platters of lamb and rice to the set, and asked to be extras.
Meanwhile, the director hid in a van, speaking to her cast via walkie-talkie. In Saudi Arabia, where driving a car is a subversive act for a woman, a 39-year-old mother of two has done something remarkable: written and directed what her distributor believes is the first feature film shot entirely in the ultraconservative kingdom.
Haifaa Mansour is the director of "Wadjda," a drama about a plucky 10-year-old girl who enrolls in a Koran recitation competition in order to win money for a bicycle she's forbidden by law to ride.
Like her young protagonist, Mansour's own story is one of feminine moxie.
In a sly protest of the country's ban on women behind the wheel, she drove herself to her wedding in a golf cart. Because women in Saudi Arabia can't mingle publicly with men outside their families, she shot her movie covertly on the streets of the capital, Riyadh. With movie theaters banned, she screened "Wadjda" in two foreign embassies and a cultural center.
Petite, self-assured, wearing white high-tops and blue nail polish, Mansour is modern in both her fashion and bearing. She speaks English quickly and colloquially, dropping frequent "you knows" into conversation. And she isn't afraid to counter misperceptions about her homeland, as when she gently corrected Bill Maher for calling Mecca the Saudi capital during a recent appearance on his HBO show.
Laced with empathy and humor, "Wadjda" is a quietly provocative portrait of a culture that straddles the centuries, where men wear the ancient white thobe but carry the latest iPads and women hold important jobs as doctors and news anchors but have yet to vote in an election.
"I didn't want to make a movie about women being raped or stoned," Mansour said in an interview in Beverly Hills in June. "For me it is the everyday life, how it's hard. For me, it was hard sometimes to go to work because I cannot find transportation. Things like that build up and break a woman."
The eighth of 12 children of a poet, Mansour grew up in a small town in a home that she describes as nurturing for a little girl.
"My family is very traditional, but my parents are very supportive, very kind," she said. "I never felt I can't do things because I'm a woman."
When Mansour was a teen, her mother removed the light veil she wore while picking her daughter up from school, a gesture that mortified the young woman at the time, but empowers her when she reflects on it now.
Though movie theaters have been shuttered in Saudi Arabia for decades for religious reasons, Mansour said her father, like others, often rented VHS tapes at Blockbuster for the family to watch -- she grew up on Jackie Chan movies, Bollywood productions, Egyptian cinema and Disney animated films. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was a particular favorite.
"In small-town Saudi, there is nothing to do. You don't get to exercise your emotions because nothing much is happening, you know?" she said. "So to see people falling in love and fighting, it's so powerful, you see beyond your small town."
After earning her bachelor's degree in comparative literature at the American University in Cairo, she returned to Saudi Arabia but quickly felt stymied.
"Going back to Saudi as a young woman, trying to assert yourself in the workplace, you have all those ideas … and all of a sudden you realize because you are a woman you are not heard," she said. "It was such a frustrating moment in my life. It was as if you are screaming in a vacuum."
The idea of women holding jobs still unnerves some Saudi men -- writer Abdullah Mohammed Daoud recently encouraged his more than 97,000 Twitter followers to sexually harass female grocery store clerks to intimidate women from working.
Recalling the freedom she found in movies, Mansour decided to make a short film with her siblings serving as cast and crew, a thriller about a male serial killer who hides under the black abaya worn by Muslim women. Her work -- two more shorts, a documentary and a stint hosting a talk show for a Lebanese network -- focused largely on the untold stories of Saudi women.
In 2005, at a U.S. embassy screening of her documentary, "Women Without Shadows," Mansour met her future husband, American diplomat Bradley Neimann. They now have two children, 2 and 5, and live in Bahrain, where Neimann works for the State Department.
When her husband was posted in Australia, Mansour pursued a master's in film studies at the University of Sydney, and wrote the script that became "Wadjda."
The story was inspired by her now teenage niece, who has tamped down her rambunctious personality to fit into Saudi norms.
"I thought, 'Wow, a woman writer from Saudi Arabia won?'" Rena Ronson said. "I had to meet her. She was so open and tenacious and smart."When Mansour's script for "Wadjda" won an award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, it caught the eye of the co-head of the independent film group at United Talent Agency.
Over the next two years Ronson helped Mansour secure financing for her film, which cost a little less than $2.5 million. The primary obstacle, as far as many potential Middle Eastern producers were concerned, was Mansour's desire to shoot in Saudi Arabia, which she felt lent her story authenticity.
The production finally won the tacit approval of the Saudi government -- one of its backers is Rotana Group, an entertainment company primarily owned by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Another major financier is the German company Razor Film.
Finding actors was another hurdle. Mansour and her producers recruited child performers through small companies that hire folkloric dancers for the Eid holidays. Many of their parents were uncomfortable with a movie about empowering women.
A week before she was scheduled to start shooting, Mansour still hadn't cast her title character when 12-year-old Waad Mohammed entered the room in blue jeans, with headphones clapped over her ears. Singing along to Justin Bieber, she won over Mansour with her sweet singing voice and tomboyish style.
The movie's half-German, half-Saudi crew worked around the rhythms of Saudi life, using cellphone apps that alerted them of the five daily prayer calls. The Germans carried notebooks; the Saudis relied on oral planning.
On the first day of shooting, a start time of 7:20 a.m. came and went. "I don't know what we were thinking," said German producer Roman Paul. "I don't think 7:20 exists in Saudi time. We Germans learned to relax, and the Saudis learned that there is a benefit to doing things at a certain time."
Despite tension on the set -- both from disapproving observers and from the German and Saudi crews learning to work together -- Mansour was buoyant, Paul said.
"She's very fast in overcoming new difficulties, and in an upbeat spirit," Paul said.
Last summer "Wadjda" premiered at the Venice and Telluride film festivals, earning praise for Mansour's subtle direction and a U.S. release from Sony Pictures Classics, which handled the Oscar-winning 2011 Iranian drama "A Separation," about the dissolution of a marriage.
"'A Separation' was such an eye-opener to me in the sense that there were people questioning whether the film went too specific into the Iranian culture," said Michael Barker, co-president and co-founder of the Sony unit. "But if the overall story has a universal appeal, in 'Wadjda' it's about parents and kids and restrictions and freedom, that's something we can all relate to."
Sony Classics has been showing the film to noted feminists -- Gloria Steinem and Queen Noor of Jordan both attended screenings -- and will release it in the U.S. slowly over the fall, starting Sept. 13. (The movie premiered in multiple European countries this summer.)
Mansour said she plans to work in Saudi Arabia again. For her, screening her movie in the kingdom was a high.
"Film is about uplifting, embracing the love of life, it's about moving ahead, it's about victory," she said. "It's not about defeat."
One victory has already been won. This spring, a new law went into effect: With some restrictions, Saudi women are now allowed to ride bicycles.
- 9/15/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Sherlock and Star Trek actor Benedict Cumberbatch is this week's celebrity guest on Top Gear.
Cumberbatch will be attempting to impress in the 'Star In A Reasonably Priced Car' segment of the show, tackling a lap of a race course in a 1.6 Tech Line Vauxhall Astra.
The Astra was introduced by hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as the show's new 'Reasonably Priced Car' at the start of the current series.
So far, AC/DC rocker Brian Johnson is at the top of the celebrity leaderboard, managing a lap time of 1:45.1.
Jimmy Car, Charles Dance, David Haye, Rachel Riley and Warwick Davis are among the other celebs to tackle the challenge so far this series.
'80s musician Mike Rutherford is at the bottom of the scoreboard with 1:51.5.
Top Gear airs on Sunday (July 14) at 8pm on BBC Two.
This week's show will also feature Clarkson,...
Cumberbatch will be attempting to impress in the 'Star In A Reasonably Priced Car' segment of the show, tackling a lap of a race course in a 1.6 Tech Line Vauxhall Astra.
The Astra was introduced by hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as the show's new 'Reasonably Priced Car' at the start of the current series.
So far, AC/DC rocker Brian Johnson is at the top of the celebrity leaderboard, managing a lap time of 1:45.1.
Jimmy Car, Charles Dance, David Haye, Rachel Riley and Warwick Davis are among the other celebs to tackle the challenge so far this series.
'80s musician Mike Rutherford is at the bottom of the scoreboard with 1:51.5.
Top Gear airs on Sunday (July 14) at 8pm on BBC Two.
This week's show will also feature Clarkson,...
- 7/9/2013
- Digital Spy
Pink Floyd star Nick Mason has defended his performance with Ed Sheeran at the Olympics closing ceremony. The drummer took to the stage with Sheeran, Mike Rutherford from Genesis and Richard Jones of The Feeling to play 'Wish You Were Here' on Sunday (August 12). However, Sheeran came under fire from Pink Floyd fans for his rendition of the track, particularly after his younger fans mistook the song for Sheeran's new single. "Following a bit of post-show stuff with some of the Pf fans getting outraged at people not realising the song was not your new release, I just wanted to go on record to suggest (more)...
- 8/18/2012
- by By Colin Daniels
- Digital Spy
It’s really a pain in the ass to review a show like Glee: one that plays fast-and-loose with continuity, then every four-to-six episodes remembers that there were episodes that took place before this week. It flip-flops between existing in a vacuum and being painfully, annoyingly self-aware. Meta is like anesthesia: a little is helpful, but too much kills.
Tonight’s first mouthful of meta comes from Emma, who points out Will’s formula to him: Rachel sings a ballad and is joined by the rest for a classic rock number where Mercedes wails on the last couple measures. Realizing his nail has been hit squarely on the head, Will has to race Rachel’s mouth to burst her bubble. He cuts her off to announce that - are you ready for this? - Brittany and Mike are going to dance together for Sectionals!
Fucking finally!
Thankfully, Rachel’s follow-up question,...
Tonight’s first mouthful of meta comes from Emma, who points out Will’s formula to him: Rachel sings a ballad and is joined by the rest for a classic rock number where Mercedes wails on the last couple measures. Realizing his nail has been hit squarely on the head, Will has to race Rachel’s mouth to burst her bubble. He cuts her off to announce that - are you ready for this? - Brittany and Mike are going to dance together for Sectionals!
Fucking finally!
Thankfully, Rachel’s follow-up question,...
- 12/1/2010
- Shadowlocked
It’s really a pain in the ass to review a show like Glee: one that plays fast-and-loose with continuity, then every four-to-six episodes remembers that there were episodes that took place before this week. It flip-flops between existing in a vacuum and being painfully, annoyingly self-aware. Meta is like anesthesia: a little is helpful, but too much kills.
Tonight’s first mouthful of meta comes from Emma, who points out Will’s formula to him: Rachel sings a ballad and is joined by the rest for a classic rock number where Mercedes wails on the last couple measures. Realizing his nail has been hit squarely on the head, Will has to race Rachel’s mouth to burst her bubble. He cuts her off to announce that - are you ready for this? - Brittany and Mike are going to dance together for Sectionals!
Fucking finally!
Thankfully, Rachel’s follow-up question,...
Tonight’s first mouthful of meta comes from Emma, who points out Will’s formula to him: Rachel sings a ballad and is joined by the rest for a classic rock number where Mercedes wails on the last couple measures. Realizing his nail has been hit squarely on the head, Will has to race Rachel’s mouth to burst her bubble. He cuts her off to announce that - are you ready for this? - Brittany and Mike are going to dance together for Sectionals!
Fucking finally!
Thankfully, Rachel’s follow-up question,...
- 12/1/2010
- Shadowlocked
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