Today, Apple TV+ announced that Sunny, its 10-episode mystery thriller with a darkly comic bent, is set to premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through September 4.
Created by Katie Robbins, who also serves as showrunner, and executive producer and director Lucy Tcherniak, Sunny stars Emmy Award nominee multi-hyphenate Rashida Jones.
Jones also serves as executive producer, along with stars Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Judy Ongg, You, Annie the Clumsy, and Jun Kunimura.
Sunny stars Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation,” she’s given Sunny, which is one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company.
Though Suzie initially resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, they gradually develop an unexpected friendship.
Created by Katie Robbins, who also serves as showrunner, and executive producer and director Lucy Tcherniak, Sunny stars Emmy Award nominee multi-hyphenate Rashida Jones.
Jones also serves as executive producer, along with stars Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Judy Ongg, You, Annie the Clumsy, and Jun Kunimura.
Sunny stars Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation,” she’s given Sunny, which is one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company.
Though Suzie initially resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, they gradually develop an unexpected friendship.
- 4/18/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Apple TV+ has debuted a set of first-look images alongside announcing that ‘Sunny,’ its ten-episode mystery thriller with a darkly comic bent, is set to premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through September 4.
The show stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship, as together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family, becoming dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed.
Also in news – Zachary Levi set for action-thriller ‘Free Fall’
Created by Katie Robbins,...
The show stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship, as together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family, becoming dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed.
Also in news – Zachary Levi set for action-thriller ‘Free Fall’
Created by Katie Robbins,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Ron Thompson, the unheralded actor who starred on Broadway for Charles Gordone in the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody and played father and son musicians for Ralph Bakshi in the animated cult classic American Pop, has died. He was 83.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
- 4/16/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rod Holcomb, an Emmy-winning ER director who also helmed Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, China Beach and dozens of other shows and was a longtime Directors Guild negotiating committee menber, has died. He was 80.
The DGA said Holcomb died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness.
“The DGA deeply mourns the passing of Rod Holcomb — a visionary director whose impact on television direction and the creative rights of television directors cannot be overstated,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “Rod’s influence as a pilot director on shows like China Beach and ER among many others, resonated deeply with directors and audiences alike, leaving a cultural imprint. His pioneering use of Steadicam and other techniques brought a more cinematic style to television, helping establish a visual aesthetic that continues today.”
Holcomb helmed hundreds of TV episodes during his 40-year career, scoring four career Emmy...
The DGA said Holcomb died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness.
“The DGA deeply mourns the passing of Rod Holcomb — a visionary director whose impact on television direction and the creative rights of television directors cannot be overstated,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “Rod’s influence as a pilot director on shows like China Beach and ER among many others, resonated deeply with directors and audiences alike, leaving a cultural imprint. His pioneering use of Steadicam and other techniques brought a more cinematic style to television, helping establish a visual aesthetic that continues today.”
Holcomb helmed hundreds of TV episodes during his 40-year career, scoring four career Emmy...
- 1/26/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Composer Kris Bowers met with “The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule six months before shooting began on the musical film. “We talked about the score needing to be the glue between the songs,” Bowers recalls. “Even if the score was going to have its own identity, it was important that we had some sort of tangential connection between the songs and whatever I was writing. He involved me that early so that I could be embedded in the process of creating the pre-records for the songs. I was a part of every single conversation so that I could listen to how they were approaching it.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
While discussing the Quincy Jones score for the 1985 film, Bowers says, “I was thankful that Blitz encouraged me to put it away in our first meeting. Something that Blitz always talked about was that this was going to be our version.
While discussing the Quincy Jones score for the 1985 film, Bowers says, “I was thankful that Blitz encouraged me to put it away in our first meeting. Something that Blitz always talked about was that this was going to be our version.
- 12/14/2023
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The Jamie Lee Curtis episode of the Wtf Happened to This Horror Celebrity? video series (formerly known as Where in the Horror Are They Now) was Written and Narrated by Jessica Dwyer and Edited by Jaime Vasquez. It was Produced by John Fallon and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
The final girl. The antithesis of every horror movie villain. The final girl typically has a few traits that has become the standard for horror films over the last few decades. She needs to have a sense of innocence, be intelligent, and have a girl next door vibe that makes her the dream girl for a lot peeps. But most of all she’s a survivor who manages to outwit and outlast a supernatural evil (usually) that has been terrorizing her friends and neighbors and puts a stop to it. The blueprint for the final girl really was minted by an...
The final girl. The antithesis of every horror movie villain. The final girl typically has a few traits that has become the standard for horror films over the last few decades. She needs to have a sense of innocence, be intelligent, and have a girl next door vibe that makes her the dream girl for a lot peeps. But most of all she’s a survivor who manages to outwit and outlast a supernatural evil (usually) that has been terrorizing her friends and neighbors and puts a stop to it. The blueprint for the final girl really was minted by an...
- 11/8/2023
- by Jessica Dwyer
- JoBlo.com
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress, producer and children’s author. Known primarily for her performances in the horror/thriller genre over the years, Curtis has become widely regarded as a “scream queen.”
Jamie Lee Curtis Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education
Jamie Lee Curtis was born on November 22, 1958 (Curtis: Age 64) in Santa Monica, California. Curtis was born to two actors. Her mother Janet Leigh was of Danish, German, and Scotch-Irish descent. Her father Tony Curtis was Jewish, and was a son of emigrants from Mátészalka, Hungary. Curtis has one older sister, actress Kelly Curtis, and four half-siblings from her father’s later marriages.
In 1962, Curtis’s parents had divorced. Her father wasn’t around much at all, as Curtis has stated that her father was “not interested in being a father.” After his death, Curtis and her siblings discovered they had been completely removed from his will. Following the divorce,...
Jamie Lee Curtis Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education
Jamie Lee Curtis was born on November 22, 1958 (Curtis: Age 64) in Santa Monica, California. Curtis was born to two actors. Her mother Janet Leigh was of Danish, German, and Scotch-Irish descent. Her father Tony Curtis was Jewish, and was a son of emigrants from Mátészalka, Hungary. Curtis has one older sister, actress Kelly Curtis, and four half-siblings from her father’s later marriages.
In 1962, Curtis’s parents had divorced. Her father wasn’t around much at all, as Curtis has stated that her father was “not interested in being a father.” After his death, Curtis and her siblings discovered they had been completely removed from his will. Following the divorce,...
- 6/10/2023
- by Trevor Hanuka
- Uinterview
New York Magazine dominated online entertainment discourse last December after running a story about “nepo babies,” Aka children of celebrities who went on to work in the entertainment industry. The piece provoked an array of reactions ranging from outrage to sympathy to pure apathy.
Count Jamie Lee Curtis in the latter category. Speaking to IndieWire on the Independent Spirit Awards blue carpet, Curtis (whose parents were Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh), explained why she’s ready for this conversation to be over.
“At this point, now I’m joking about it,” Curtis said. “Now it’s silly. There is no discourse. It was a slam article by a magazine, and it got a lot of traction. Which they’ll probably be very happy about.”
This isn’t the first time Curtis shared her thoughts on the Nepo Baby discourse. In an Instagram post in December, she voiced similar sentiments about...
Count Jamie Lee Curtis in the latter category. Speaking to IndieWire on the Independent Spirit Awards blue carpet, Curtis (whose parents were Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh), explained why she’s ready for this conversation to be over.
“At this point, now I’m joking about it,” Curtis said. “Now it’s silly. There is no discourse. It was a slam article by a magazine, and it got a lot of traction. Which they’ll probably be very happy about.”
This isn’t the first time Curtis shared her thoughts on the Nepo Baby discourse. In an Instagram post in December, she voiced similar sentiments about...
- 3/4/2023
- by Christian Zilko and Vincent Perella
- Indiewire
Jamie Lee Curtis acknowledged — and made light of — her “nepo baby” status while accepting her Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Sunday.
When it was time for the actrress’ speech, she recieved roaring applause from her peers, kissed her “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-star Michelle Yeoh on the mouth, ran up on stage, and spoke frankly yet proudly about her career journey.
“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis — nepo baby! — starred in,” the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress said to laughter from the audience, overcome with emotion.
“I was fired from that TV show a year later and I thought my life was over,...
When it was time for the actrress’ speech, she recieved roaring applause from her peers, kissed her “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-star Michelle Yeoh on the mouth, ran up on stage, and spoke frankly yet proudly about her career journey.
“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis — nepo baby! — starred in,” the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress said to laughter from the audience, overcome with emotion.
“I was fired from that TV show a year later and I thought my life was over,...
- 2/27/2023
- by Aarohi Sheth
- The Wrap
The African American Film Critics Association named Jordan Peele’s “Us” the best film of the year on Tuesday.
The group, which is the largest collection of black film critics from across the country and around the world, awarded “Us” with three honors in total, including best director for Jordan Peele and best actress for Lupita Nyong’o.
“Jordan Peele continued to raise the bar in horror specifically and film overall,” Aafca president and co-founder Gil Robertson said in a statement. “With ‘Us,’ he once again upended the horror genre. His centering of a black nuclear family determined to survive in a complex storyline in a genre where black family units have historically been unseen is extraordinary.
Also Read: The Strange Story Behind 'I Got 5 on It,' the Secret Weapon of Jordan Peele's 'Us'
“He continues to push previously set boundaries with bold storylines that bring a refreshing perspective to...
The group, which is the largest collection of black film critics from across the country and around the world, awarded “Us” with three honors in total, including best director for Jordan Peele and best actress for Lupita Nyong’o.
“Jordan Peele continued to raise the bar in horror specifically and film overall,” Aafca president and co-founder Gil Robertson said in a statement. “With ‘Us,’ he once again upended the horror genre. His centering of a black nuclear family determined to survive in a complex storyline in a genre where black family units have historically been unseen is extraordinary.
Also Read: The Strange Story Behind 'I Got 5 on It,' the Secret Weapon of Jordan Peele's 'Us'
“He continues to push previously set boundaries with bold storylines that bring a refreshing perspective to...
- 12/17/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Robert Walker Jr., best known for a classic early Star Trek episode and as the son of Hollywood stars Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones, died Thursday in Malibu, according to family members. He was 79.
The New York native portrayed the twitchy, callow title character in “Charlie X,” the second episode of Star Trek’s pioneering first season in 1966, and also handled the title role of the notable 1960s feature films Ensign Pulver and Young Billy Young.
For Ensign Pulver, the comedic 1964 naval drama, Walker inherited a role that had earned Jack Lemmon an Oscar for best supporting actor for Mister Roberts (1955). In the 1969 gunfighter tale Young Billy Young, Walker was the volatile outlaw who finds a mentor in Robert Mitchum in film that also featured Angie Dickinson and David Carradine. That same year Walker and his wife, Ellie Wood, appeared together in the milestone counter-culture epic Easy Rider.
Walker’s...
The New York native portrayed the twitchy, callow title character in “Charlie X,” the second episode of Star Trek’s pioneering first season in 1966, and also handled the title role of the notable 1960s feature films Ensign Pulver and Young Billy Young.
For Ensign Pulver, the comedic 1964 naval drama, Walker inherited a role that had earned Jack Lemmon an Oscar for best supporting actor for Mister Roberts (1955). In the 1969 gunfighter tale Young Billy Young, Walker was the volatile outlaw who finds a mentor in Robert Mitchum in film that also featured Angie Dickinson and David Carradine. That same year Walker and his wife, Ellie Wood, appeared together in the milestone counter-culture epic Easy Rider.
Walker’s...
- 12/6/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
William Wintersole, who played the role of Mitchell Sherman on daytime drama The Young and the Restless for more than 20 years, died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home at age 88. He passed from complications of cancer, according to his daughter.
Wintersole also played Ted Ballantine on General Hospital in the 1980s, and had appearances on I Dream of Jeannie, Kojak, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy, Bonanza, Star Trek and The Fugitive during his career.
An Ohio native, Wintersole was born on July 30, 1931, and began his acting career in the 1960s.
He is survived by his life partner, Marlene Silverstein, and daughters Tiffany Harmon and Katherine Ramsey. He had three granddaughters, Kristy, Amy and Jill, and one great granddaughter, Abby.
Wintersole also played Ted Ballantine on General Hospital in the 1980s, and had appearances on I Dream of Jeannie, Kojak, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy, Bonanza, Star Trek and The Fugitive during his career.
An Ohio native, Wintersole was born on July 30, 1931, and began his acting career in the 1960s.
He is survived by his life partner, Marlene Silverstein, and daughters Tiffany Harmon and Katherine Ramsey. He had three granddaughters, Kristy, Amy and Jill, and one great granddaughter, Abby.
- 11/7/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
When Jasper Leak was hired as music supervisor on the Netflix documentary “Quincy,” his mission was “to help paint a full picture of who Quincy Jones is to an audience.” In order to achieve that, he created a score “using only Quincy’s music.” He has been rewarded for his efforts with a career-first Emmy nomination for Best Music Supervision, no small feat considering he had never done the job before. Watch our exclusive video interview with Leak above.
See Netflix schedule: Here’s what is coming and leaving in August 2019
Prior to “Quincy,” the Australia native had worked as a musician and composer. He was brought onto this project by his longtime friend Alan Hicks, the documentarian who co-directed the film with Jones’s daughter, Rashida Jones. “I had to get incredibly comfortable with spreadsheets and cataloguing,” Leak admits.
“There were certain aspects of the job that were uncharted territory,...
See Netflix schedule: Here’s what is coming and leaving in August 2019
Prior to “Quincy,” the Australia native had worked as a musician and composer. He was brought onto this project by his longtime friend Alan Hicks, the documentarian who co-directed the film with Jones’s daughter, Rashida Jones. “I had to get incredibly comfortable with spreadsheets and cataloguing,” Leak admits.
“There were certain aspects of the job that were uncharted territory,...
- 8/9/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Producer and actress Luisa Leschin will be honored with the Norman Lear Writer’s Award at the 34th Annual Imagen Awards, which will be held August 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Leschin is an industry vet having produced such shows as George Lopez, Everybody Hates Chris and East Los High. She currently is the co-executive producer of the Netflix original series Mr. Iglesias starring Gabriel Iglesias and Sherri Shepherd.
“Norman Lear is a towering legend in the entertainment industry having create some of Hollywood’s most ground-breaking sitcoms,” said Leschin. “He has inspired every writer to think beyond the norm and is someone I have always looked up to. I’m beyond honored.”
Keschin has had her hand in nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry. She began her career as a ballet dancer then turned to acting, having appeared in many iconic TV series including Beverly Hills 90210, Love Boat,...
Leschin is an industry vet having produced such shows as George Lopez, Everybody Hates Chris and East Los High. She currently is the co-executive producer of the Netflix original series Mr. Iglesias starring Gabriel Iglesias and Sherri Shepherd.
“Norman Lear is a towering legend in the entertainment industry having create some of Hollywood’s most ground-breaking sitcoms,” said Leschin. “He has inspired every writer to think beyond the norm and is someone I have always looked up to. I’m beyond honored.”
Keschin has had her hand in nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry. She began her career as a ballet dancer then turned to acting, having appeared in many iconic TV series including Beverly Hills 90210, Love Boat,...
- 8/1/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Luisa Leschin is this year’s recipient of the Imagen Awards’ annual Norman Lear Writer’s Award.
“Luisa Leschin’s work with her-highly successful play, “Latins Anonymous,” to her success as co-executive producer for beloved shows such as “George Lopez,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “East Los High,” and now “Mr. Iglesias,” serve as examples of her creative talent and leadership,” said Helen Hernandez, president and founder of the Imagen Foundation.
Leschin executive-produced the Netflix original show “Mr. Iglesias” — a multi cam series that follows a public high school teacher who works at his alma mater — and has appeared in a number of film and television shows including “Saturday Night Fever,” “True Confessions,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Love Boat,” “ER,” “Quincy,” “Falcon Crest” and “Hill St. Blues.”
“Norman Lear is a towering legend in the entertainment industry having created some of Hollywood’s most ground-breaking sitcoms,” Leschin said. “He has inspired every writer to...
“Luisa Leschin’s work with her-highly successful play, “Latins Anonymous,” to her success as co-executive producer for beloved shows such as “George Lopez,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “East Los High,” and now “Mr. Iglesias,” serve as examples of her creative talent and leadership,” said Helen Hernandez, president and founder of the Imagen Foundation.
Leschin executive-produced the Netflix original show “Mr. Iglesias” — a multi cam series that follows a public high school teacher who works at his alma mater — and has appeared in a number of film and television shows including “Saturday Night Fever,” “True Confessions,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Love Boat,” “ER,” “Quincy,” “Falcon Crest” and “Hill St. Blues.”
“Norman Lear is a towering legend in the entertainment industry having created some of Hollywood’s most ground-breaking sitcoms,” Leschin said. “He has inspired every writer to...
- 7/30/2019
- by Nate Nickolai
- Variety Film + TV
When Rashida Jones paid tribute to her father Quincy Jones recently at a Netflix Fysee event in Hollywood, she assured him there would never be another person like him.
“I hope not,” the elder Jones cracked.
“No, there won’t be,” Rashida replied. “Don’t worry.”
The occasion for the tribute was a screening of the Netflix documentary Quincy, which Rashida directed with Alan Hicks. Over a span of 124 minutes it illustrates why there will never be, and could never be, another Quincy Jones. His accomplishments are too rare, too varied and unprecedented to be repeated.
“The feedback’s been great,” Rashida says of the film, which earlier this year won a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. “The whole purpose to make the film was really to give people the feeling of hanging out with my dad, like the kind of intimate hang that I personally want you to have.
“I hope not,” the elder Jones cracked.
“No, there won’t be,” Rashida replied. “Don’t worry.”
The occasion for the tribute was a screening of the Netflix documentary Quincy, which Rashida directed with Alan Hicks. Over a span of 124 minutes it illustrates why there will never be, and could never be, another Quincy Jones. His accomplishments are too rare, too varied and unprecedented to be repeated.
“The feedback’s been great,” Rashida says of the film, which earlier this year won a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. “The whole purpose to make the film was really to give people the feeling of hanging out with my dad, like the kind of intimate hang that I personally want you to have.
- 5/27/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Kenya Barris has set his first Netflix series.
The streamer has ordered the single-camera comedy “Black Excellence” from Barris, in which he will also star opposite Rashida Jones. Inspired by Barris’ approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, the series is said to pull the curtain back and reboot the “family sitcom.” Sources tell Variety the series is similar to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in tone.
Barris and Jones will executive produce alongside Hale Rothstein, who has previously collaborated with Barris on his ABC series “Black-ish” and the Freeform spinoff “Grown-ish.” Barris will produce via his Khalabo Ink Society, which is currently under an overall deal at Netflix.
Barris made major waves when it was announced he was exiting his deal at ABC Studios for one reportedly worth nine figures at Netflix. He was one of several high-profile creators to make the move to the streaming service at the time, with...
The streamer has ordered the single-camera comedy “Black Excellence” from Barris, in which he will also star opposite Rashida Jones. Inspired by Barris’ approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, the series is said to pull the curtain back and reboot the “family sitcom.” Sources tell Variety the series is similar to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in tone.
Barris and Jones will executive produce alongside Hale Rothstein, who has previously collaborated with Barris on his ABC series “Black-ish” and the Freeform spinoff “Grown-ish.” Barris will produce via his Khalabo Ink Society, which is currently under an overall deal at Netflix.
Barris made major waves when it was announced he was exiting his deal at ABC Studios for one reportedly worth nine figures at Netflix. He was one of several high-profile creators to make the move to the streaming service at the time, with...
- 5/10/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
“Angie Tribeca” is coming to an end after four seasons, Variety has learned.
The show, which was created by Steve and Nancy Carrell, starred Rashida Jones as the titular Lapd detective. The series launched as part of TBS’ push to become a home for an edgier brand of cable comedy, along with shows like “Search Party.”
Jones recently wrote and directed the documentary “Quincy” about her father, music legend Quincy Jones. She also recently set up the project “Kevin Can F— Himself” at AMC alongside her producing partner Will McCormack and Valerie Armstrong. That project revolves around the secret life of a sitcom wife, examining the trope of the beautiful woman married to a “caveman-like husband” from her Pov.
Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole, Andree Vermeulen, and Bobby Cannavale all also starred alongside Jones in “Angie Tribeca.” The zany cop spoof series was executive produced by both Carells, along with Ira Ungerleider,...
The show, which was created by Steve and Nancy Carrell, starred Rashida Jones as the titular Lapd detective. The series launched as part of TBS’ push to become a home for an edgier brand of cable comedy, along with shows like “Search Party.”
Jones recently wrote and directed the documentary “Quincy” about her father, music legend Quincy Jones. She also recently set up the project “Kevin Can F— Himself” at AMC alongside her producing partner Will McCormack and Valerie Armstrong. That project revolves around the secret life of a sitcom wife, examining the trope of the beautiful woman married to a “caveman-like husband” from her Pov.
Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole, Andree Vermeulen, and Bobby Cannavale all also starred alongside Jones in “Angie Tribeca.” The zany cop spoof series was executive produced by both Carells, along with Ira Ungerleider,...
- 5/10/2019
- by Will Thorne and Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
In a Tribeca Talks “Storytellers” panel opposite Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj, Rashida Jones weighed in on an accomplished career that has already included a series of standout writing (Celeste & Jesse Forever) and performing credits. But Minhaj was most interested in Jones’ most close-to-home project, co-writing and co-directing the 2018 documentary Quincy, which looked at the life and career of her astoundingly driven father, famed music producer/arranger Quincy Jones.
“It felt like a destiny I had to fulfill for the family,” she said of the project, which earned her a Best Music Film Grammy this year.
Fittingly enough, the project first came about courtesy of Jane Rosenthal, the Tribeca Film Festival co-founder who introduced Minhaj and Jones at the start of the night’s panel. “We were at a party and Jane said, ‘We need to make a documentary about your dad...
“It felt like a destiny I had to fulfill for the family,” she said of the project, which earned her a Best Music Film Grammy this year.
Fittingly enough, the project first came about courtesy of Jane Rosenthal, the Tribeca Film Festival co-founder who introduced Minhaj and Jones at the start of the night’s panel. “We were at a party and Jane said, ‘We need to make a documentary about your dad...
- 5/2/2019
- by Robert Edelstein
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has become a destination for television visionaries like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy, with deals worth $100 million and $250 million, respectively, and top comedians like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. The streaming giant, which just announced it’s added nearly 10 million subscribers in Q1, is honing in on music, too, landing a three-project deal with Beyonce worth a whopping $60 million, sources tell Variety.
The first of the three specials is “Homecoming,” the behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling her 2018 Coachella performance — a massive spectacle of dance, visuals and music that reaffirmed Beyonce’s moniker of Queen Bey — which premiered on April 17. The price tag on this installment, for which Beyonce Knowles-Carter is credited as executive producer, writer and director, hovers around $20 million. Beyonce’s rep did not respond to Variety’s requests for comment; Netflix declined comment for this story, although a source at the company disputed the financial terms of the deal.
The first of the three specials is “Homecoming,” the behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling her 2018 Coachella performance — a massive spectacle of dance, visuals and music that reaffirmed Beyonce’s moniker of Queen Bey — which premiered on April 17. The price tag on this installment, for which Beyonce Knowles-Carter is credited as executive producer, writer and director, hovers around $20 million. Beyonce’s rep did not respond to Variety’s requests for comment; Netflix declined comment for this story, although a source at the company disputed the financial terms of the deal.
- 4/19/2019
- by Shirley Halperin and Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Last Year’s Winner: “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Prior to the Netflix disruption, this category was a three-horse race from 2003 – 2016. During those 13 years, only HBO, History, and PBS earned victories in the category, and aside from one win each from Discovery and CBS, these were the only networks to win in the history of Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special category.
Fun Fact: One of the Big Four broadcast networks hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2011 — just two years before the TV Academy renamed Outstanding Nonfiction Series as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Prior to the shift toward including feature-length documentaries, ABC, CBS, NBC, and/or Fox had been in the running nine of the 11 years prior.
Notable Ineligible Series: Docuseries have their own category, so don’t expect the likes of “America to Me” or “Our Planet” here.
At the bottom...
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Prior to the Netflix disruption, this category was a three-horse race from 2003 – 2016. During those 13 years, only HBO, History, and PBS earned victories in the category, and aside from one win each from Discovery and CBS, these were the only networks to win in the history of Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special category.
Fun Fact: One of the Big Four broadcast networks hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2011 — just two years before the TV Academy renamed Outstanding Nonfiction Series as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Prior to the shift toward including feature-length documentaries, ABC, CBS, NBC, and/or Fox had been in the running nine of the 11 years prior.
Notable Ineligible Series: Docuseries have their own category, so don’t expect the likes of “America to Me” or “Our Planet” here.
At the bottom...
- 4/16/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Anyone familiar with this column knows my deep-rooted affection for Ms. Kate Jackson; I espoused her many virtues when I covered Satan’s School for Girls (you can ponder my musings here), and I promise (warn?) you I will do so again as I discuss the couple-in-a-house-is-met-with-animosity-from-a-possible-ghost telefilm, Death at Love House (1976), aka How Much Is That Dead Actress In the Window?
Originally broadcast as The ABC Friday Night Movie on Friday, September 3rd, Love House was up against The CBS Friday Night Movies and NBC trotted out The Rockford Files/Quincy M.E. for folks like mine. So who won out? We all did! I loved Rockford and Quincy. Okay, CBS probably lost. But if you were looking for some charming stars doing charming things in a charming manor with a hint of danger, look no further than ABC.
Let’s open up our battered faux TV Guide and see...
Originally broadcast as The ABC Friday Night Movie on Friday, September 3rd, Love House was up against The CBS Friday Night Movies and NBC trotted out The Rockford Files/Quincy M.E. for folks like mine. So who won out? We all did! I loved Rockford and Quincy. Okay, CBS probably lost. But if you were looking for some charming stars doing charming things in a charming manor with a hint of danger, look no further than ABC.
Let’s open up our battered faux TV Guide and see...
- 3/24/2019
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
‘Quincy’.
Australian Al Hicks (‘Keep On Keepin’ On’) is the co-director of Netflix documentary ‘Quincy’, which profiles legendary music producer and composer Quincy Jones’ life and career, working with the likes of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. One of the speaker’s at this week’s Australian International Documentary Conference (Aidc), Hicks tells Jackie Keast how he made the film together with Quincy’s daughter, actress Rashida Jones.
You obviously knew Quincy Jones; he helped produce your first film. How did you come to make this documentary?
It’s a little bit complicated. When I was 18 I moved to New York to study jazz; I’m a drummer. During that time I met a gentleman named Clark Perry and we became really good friends. He took me under his wing and I eventually started playing drums in his band.
For a bit of context, Clark Perry was a...
Australian Al Hicks (‘Keep On Keepin’ On’) is the co-director of Netflix documentary ‘Quincy’, which profiles legendary music producer and composer Quincy Jones’ life and career, working with the likes of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. One of the speaker’s at this week’s Australian International Documentary Conference (Aidc), Hicks tells Jackie Keast how he made the film together with Quincy’s daughter, actress Rashida Jones.
You obviously knew Quincy Jones; he helped produce your first film. How did you come to make this documentary?
It’s a little bit complicated. When I was 18 I moved to New York to study jazz; I’m a drummer. During that time I met a gentleman named Clark Perry and we became really good friends. He took me under his wing and I eventually started playing drums in his band.
For a bit of context, Clark Perry was a...
- 3/4/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
As we continue to collectively grumble about “Green Book” and, simultaneously, thank the Academy Gods for giving us Spike Lee, unfiltered after six champagnes, The Hollywood Reporter has released their final award season roundtable, this week focusing on the documentary filmmakers including Academy Award winner Chai Vasarhelyi (“Free Solo”), in addition to Morgan Neville (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor”), Julie Cohen (“Rbg”), Tim Wardle (“Three Identical Strangers”), Bing Liu (“Minding the Gap”), and Rashida Jones (“Quincy”).
Continue reading Bing Liu, Morgan Neville, Rashida Jones & More Discuss Political Documentaries And Ethical Responsibilities at The Playlist.
Continue reading Bing Liu, Morgan Neville, Rashida Jones & More Discuss Political Documentaries And Ethical Responsibilities at The Playlist.
- 2/26/2019
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Six television thought leaders have been named as the Chair’s Appointees to the Television Academy Executive Committee. The new group will work closely with the Television Academy’s officers and board of governors to guide and shape the direction of the Academy for the 2019 term, according to the announcement by Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy.
“We are privileged to have the collective expertise, insights and resources of these visionary executives guiding us through what promises to be another extraordinary time of expansion and innovation in our industry,” said Scherma. “Their leadership provides relevancy and will be vital to ensuring the Television Academy is at the forefront of the industry’s remarkable evolution.”
Scherma’s executive committee appointees are:
Casey Bloys: As President, HBO Programming, he oversees all of HBO and Cinemax’s programming efforts including scripted series, late night, documentaries, HBO sports and HBO films.
“We are privileged to have the collective expertise, insights and resources of these visionary executives guiding us through what promises to be another extraordinary time of expansion and innovation in our industry,” said Scherma. “Their leadership provides relevancy and will be vital to ensuring the Television Academy is at the forefront of the industry’s remarkable evolution.”
Scherma’s executive committee appointees are:
Casey Bloys: As President, HBO Programming, he oversees all of HBO and Cinemax’s programming efforts including scripted series, late night, documentaries, HBO sports and HBO films.
- 2/22/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Joseph A. Sirola, who was dubbed the “King of Voice-Overs” for his extensive work in commercials, died Sunday in New York. He was 89 years old.
His rep confirmed that he died from complications of respiratory failure.
He was best known for his deep, resonant voice that appeared in advertisements for companies like Ford, Ge, Wendy’s, Mobil, Nyquil, and more. Sirola’s voice also highlighted the “I Love New York” campaign and, for over 20 years, the Empire State Building tour. His voice-over work won him 25 Clio Awards, which recognizes creative excellence in advertising, and the Wall Street Journal even dubbed Sirola the “King of the Voice-Overs” in a front-page story in 1970.
Besides stage and TV, Sirola acted in film as well, opposite stars like Rock Hudson in “Strange Bedfellows,” Clint Eastwood in “Hang ‘Em High,” and Max von Sydow in 1965’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”
Sirola also made over 600 TV appearances,...
His rep confirmed that he died from complications of respiratory failure.
He was best known for his deep, resonant voice that appeared in advertisements for companies like Ford, Ge, Wendy’s, Mobil, Nyquil, and more. Sirola’s voice also highlighted the “I Love New York” campaign and, for over 20 years, the Empire State Building tour. His voice-over work won him 25 Clio Awards, which recognizes creative excellence in advertising, and the Wall Street Journal even dubbed Sirola the “King of the Voice-Overs” in a front-page story in 1970.
Besides stage and TV, Sirola acted in film as well, opposite stars like Rock Hudson in “Strange Bedfellows,” Clint Eastwood in “Hang ‘Em High,” and Max von Sydow in 1965’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”
Sirola also made over 600 TV appearances,...
- 2/11/2019
- by Rachel Yang
- Variety Film + TV
Despite controversies surrounding female musicians last year and this year, it looks like women will dominate the Grammys on Sunday night, February 10, according to the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users. That includes a clean sweep of the top four general field categories, and plenty more down below. Scroll down for our predicted winners in 32 categories sorted by artist.
The two biggest winners according to our racetrack odds will be Lady Gaga and Kacey Musgraves. Gaga earned five nominations this year, and she’s tipped to win four of those, all of them for her “A Star is Born” love ballad “Shallow”: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Visual Media Song. That would bring her career total to 10 Grammys.
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
For Musgraves we’re betting on a clean sweep.
The two biggest winners according to our racetrack odds will be Lady Gaga and Kacey Musgraves. Gaga earned five nominations this year, and she’s tipped to win four of those, all of them for her “A Star is Born” love ballad “Shallow”: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Visual Media Song. That would bring her career total to 10 Grammys.
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
For Musgraves we’re betting on a clean sweep.
- 2/8/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
On Wednesday night, the Aafca Awards, presented by the African American Film Critics Association, celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, where trophies were handed out to winners and special honorees.
Opening the festivities was Ava DuVernay presenting the Aafca Best Director award to Ryan Coogler.
“It really, truly is an honor,” said Coogler, tipping his hat to fellow winner Barry Jenkins, whose “If Beale Street Could Talk” picked up the Best Independent Film trophy. “A big thanks to Barry and all the filmmakers who are out there challenging audiences and challenging filmmakers.”
Hosted by actress Tichina Arnold, the event’s highlight was music icon Quincy Jones receiving the inaugural Aafca Stanley Kramer Award, which was presented to him by Karen Kramer, wife of the late director-producer.
“We’ve come a hell of a long way from the time when I was the young film composer in town,...
Opening the festivities was Ava DuVernay presenting the Aafca Best Director award to Ryan Coogler.
“It really, truly is an honor,” said Coogler, tipping his hat to fellow winner Barry Jenkins, whose “If Beale Street Could Talk” picked up the Best Independent Film trophy. “A big thanks to Barry and all the filmmakers who are out there challenging audiences and challenging filmmakers.”
Hosted by actress Tichina Arnold, the event’s highlight was music icon Quincy Jones receiving the inaugural Aafca Stanley Kramer Award, which was presented to him by Karen Kramer, wife of the late director-producer.
“We’ve come a hell of a long way from the time when I was the young film composer in town,...
- 2/7/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Veteran character actor Paul Koslo, known for his work in films such as The Omega Man and Vanishing Point, has died. Koslo died January 9 of pancreatic cancer surrounded by family at his home in Lake Hughes, California, his family said in a statement. He was 74.
Koslo, born in Germany and raised in Canada, began his career in his early 20s with a role in Little White Crimes, a short, in 1966. In the 1970s, he established a foothold as an actor in cult films such as Nam’s Angels aka The Losers, referenced in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, along with Vanishing Point and The Stone Killer. While he became known for more villainous roles, he appeared in an unusually
sympathetic co-starring role opposite Charlton Heston in sci-fi cult classic The Omega Man.
His more villainous roles included films Joe Kidd in 1972, opposite Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson-starrer Mr. Majestyk in...
Koslo, born in Germany and raised in Canada, began his career in his early 20s with a role in Little White Crimes, a short, in 1966. In the 1970s, he established a foothold as an actor in cult films such as Nam’s Angels aka The Losers, referenced in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, along with Vanishing Point and The Stone Killer. While he became known for more villainous roles, he appeared in an unusually
sympathetic co-starring role opposite Charlton Heston in sci-fi cult classic The Omega Man.
His more villainous roles included films Joe Kidd in 1972, opposite Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson-starrer Mr. Majestyk in...
- 1/14/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Musician and producer extraordinaire Quincy Jones has won 27 Grammys over the course of his career, which ties him with country singer Alison Krauss as the second most awarded person in the awards’ history. This year he could add to that total, and he would be joined by his daughter Rashida Jones. They’re nominated together for Best Music Film for “Quincy,” the Netflix documentary about his life.
Quincy Jones has won Grammys for some of the most famous recordings in music history, including Album of the Year for Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller” (1984) and his own “Back on the Block” (1991), plus Record of the Year for Jackson’s “Beat It” and the USA for Africa collaboration “We Are the World.” But this is his first nomination in 17 years. He was last nominated in 2002, when he picked up a bid for Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Soul Bossa Nova” and won Best Spoken...
Quincy Jones has won Grammys for some of the most famous recordings in music history, including Album of the Year for Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller” (1984) and his own “Back on the Block” (1991), plus Record of the Year for Jackson’s “Beat It” and the USA for Africa collaboration “We Are the World.” But this is his first nomination in 17 years. He was last nominated in 2002, when he picked up a bid for Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Soul Bossa Nova” and won Best Spoken...
- 1/8/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Cinema Audio Society Awards nominees for Best Sound Mixing are: “Black Panther,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “First Man,” “A Quiet Place” and “A Star is Born.” Historically, only about two-thirds of the Csa nominees go on to contend at the Oscars. However, we are predicting that all five of this year’s guild nominees will go on to reap Oscar bids for Best Sound Mixing. “A Star is Born” is our overwhelming frontrunner to win both awards.
Predict Oscar nominations now; change them till January 22
This year’s Cas nominees for sound mixing in an animated feature are: “The Grinch,” “The Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” And the documentary feature contenders are: “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Free Solo,” “Quincy” and two films directed by Morgan Neville, “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
On the TV front, the...
Predict Oscar nominations now; change them till January 22
This year’s Cas nominees for sound mixing in an animated feature are: “The Grinch,” “The Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” And the documentary feature contenders are: “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Free Solo,” “Quincy” and two films directed by Morgan Neville, “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
On the TV front, the...
- 1/8/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, and A Star Is Born have been nominated by the Cinema Audio Society, which announced its nominees for the 55th Annual Cas Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing on Tuesday.
The nomination marks the eighth nod for A Star Is Born from a Hollywood guild or professional society. The Bradley Cooper drama fared poorly at the Golden Globes on Sunday, but it is the only film to receive nominations from the Producers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, Art Directors Guild, American Society of Cinematographers, American Cinema Editors, Casting Society of America and now Cinema Audio Society.
The nomination marks the eighth nod for A Star Is Born from a Hollywood guild or professional society. The Bradley Cooper drama fared poorly at the Golden Globes on Sunday, but it is the only film to receive nominations from the Producers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, Art Directors Guild, American Society of Cinematographers, American Cinema Editors, Casting Society of America and now Cinema Audio Society.
- 1/8/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“A Quiet Place,” “Black Panther,” and “First Man” led the sound mixing nominations for the 55th Annual Cas Awards (to be held February 16th at the InterContinental Hotel).
Rounding out the live-action feature nominees were “A Star Is Born” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Roma,” and “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” were Mia.
Animation nominees included “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Golden Globe winner “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and “The Grinch.”
Documentaries nominated were “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Free Solo,” “Quincy,” “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead,” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Nominations For The 55th Cas Awards:
Motion Picture – Live Action
“A Quiet Place”
Production Mixer – Michael Barosky
Re-recording Mixer – Brandon Proctor
Re-recording Mixer – Michael Barry, Cas
Scoring Mixer – Tyson Lozensky
Adr Mixer – Bob Lacivita
Foley Mixer – Peter Persuad, Cas
“A Star Is Born”
Production Mixer – Steven A. Morrow, Cas
Re-recording Mixer – Tom Ozanich...
Rounding out the live-action feature nominees were “A Star Is Born” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Roma,” and “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” were Mia.
Animation nominees included “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Golden Globe winner “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and “The Grinch.”
Documentaries nominated were “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Free Solo,” “Quincy,” “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead,” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Nominations For The 55th Cas Awards:
Motion Picture – Live Action
“A Quiet Place”
Production Mixer – Michael Barosky
Re-recording Mixer – Brandon Proctor
Re-recording Mixer – Michael Barry, Cas
Scoring Mixer – Tyson Lozensky
Adr Mixer – Bob Lacivita
Foley Mixer – Peter Persuad, Cas
“A Star Is Born”
Production Mixer – Steven A. Morrow, Cas
Re-recording Mixer – Tom Ozanich...
- 1/8/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Cinema Audio Society has announced nominees for excellence in sound mixing for 2018 films and television series.
In the film categories, music-driven hits “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Star Is Born” each scored nominations, though musical “Mary Poppins Returns” was passed over. “Black Panther,” “First Man” and “A Quiet Place” rounded out the live action slate.
With its nomination, “A Star Is Born” maintains its status as the only Oscar season contender that has been nominated by every single guild or industry group.
Animated nominees were “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
Documentaries nominated included “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Free Solo,” “Quincy,” “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In the television categories, “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Westworld” all scored in the one-hour department.
In the film categories, music-driven hits “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Star Is Born” each scored nominations, though musical “Mary Poppins Returns” was passed over. “Black Panther,” “First Man” and “A Quiet Place” rounded out the live action slate.
With its nomination, “A Star Is Born” maintains its status as the only Oscar season contender that has been nominated by every single guild or industry group.
Animated nominees were “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
Documentaries nominated included “Fahrenheit 11/9,” “Free Solo,” “Quincy,” “They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead” and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In the television categories, “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Westworld” all scored in the one-hour department.
- 1/8/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
Nearly all regional film critics groups (36 so far) have chimed in with picks for the best of 2018 cinema. So it’s time for a cross-section before the industry continues weighing in with guild announcements this week and next.
Critics have singled out 11 films as the year’s best, but one stands above the rest. Netflix’s “Roma” has racked up 16 best film prizes, while Alfonso Cuaron has netted 21 director trophies. A far distant second is Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” with five best film accolades, followed by “Green Book” and “A Star Is Born” with three apiece. The only other films to score multiple awards are “The Hate U Give” and “Black Panther,” with two each.
Other films awarded are “Eighth Grade,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Leave No Trace,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (a bold choice by the Utah crowd) and “You Were Never Really Here.”
Unexpectedly, Lynne Ramsay, the...
Critics have singled out 11 films as the year’s best, but one stands above the rest. Netflix’s “Roma” has racked up 16 best film prizes, while Alfonso Cuaron has netted 21 director trophies. A far distant second is Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” with five best film accolades, followed by “Green Book” and “A Star Is Born” with three apiece. The only other films to score multiple awards are “The Hate U Give” and “Black Panther,” with two each.
Other films awarded are “Eighth Grade,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Leave No Trace,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (a bold choice by the Utah crowd) and “You Were Never Really Here.”
Unexpectedly, Lynne Ramsay, the...
- 1/2/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
For first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t dole out its Oscars short lists one category at a time this year. Instead, it released them in one fell swoop on Dec. 17, singling out 101 films that will move to a second round of voting in nine categories.
When the dust had cleared, here’s what we had learned.
1. Europe lost its stranglehold on the foreign-language category. With four films from Asia, three from Europe, one from North America and one from South America, this is the first year since the Oscars foreign short list began in 2006 that a continent other than Europe has placed the most films on the list.
And after being called out for consistently failing to recognize films from East Asia (including by TheWrap), the Academy put Japan’s “Shoplifters” on the list and, crucially, gave South Korea its first-ever spot on the short list for “Burning.
When the dust had cleared, here’s what we had learned.
1. Europe lost its stranglehold on the foreign-language category. With four films from Asia, three from Europe, one from North America and one from South America, this is the first year since the Oscars foreign short list began in 2006 that a continent other than Europe has placed the most films on the list.
And after being called out for consistently failing to recognize films from East Asia (including by TheWrap), the Academy put Japan’s “Shoplifters” on the list and, crucially, gave South Korea its first-ever spot on the short list for “Burning.
- 12/19/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Last year, the Academy documentary branch had to grapple with a record 170 documentary feature submissions for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. This year, it wasn’t not so bad: only 166 were entered. The short list of 15 was announced December 17, along with eight others for the first time on a single date this year.
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as August/September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment” and “Minding the Gap...
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as August/September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment” and “Minding the Gap...
- 12/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Last year, the Academy documentary branch had to grapple with a record 170 documentary feature submissions for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. This year, it wasn’t not so bad: only 166 were entered. The short list of 15 was announced December 17, along with eight others for the first time on a single date this year.
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment (“Hulu”), and another...
All year, branch members have been getting lists of secure online screeners available to watch on the Academy website, increasing in volume. It’s a burden to watch them all, so the ones with the most attention move to the top of the much-watch list. The early advantage went to early box office hits that were made available in the summer such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features), “Rbg” (CNN/Magnolia), and “Three Identical Strangers” (CNN/Neon), as well as September openers including critically hailed “Dark Money” (PBS), “Crime + Punishment (“Hulu”), and another...
- 12/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 15 tracks that are still in contention for the Best Original Song Oscar this year, and only one song from “A Star Is Born” made the cut. “Shallow,” the heavy favorite, will be facing off against two numbers from “Mary Poppins Returns,” an unnerving “Suspiria” ballad from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, a Dolly Parton tune from Netflix’s “Dumplin’,” and a handful of other major contenders from films like “Black Panther” and “Sorry to Bother You.”
Last year, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez won the prize for their song “Remember Me,” from the Pixar movie “Coco.”
The following tracks have been included on the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song:
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Treasure” from “Beautiful Boy”
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther”
“Revelation” from “Boy Erased”
“Girl In...
Last year, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez won the prize for their song “Remember Me,” from the Pixar movie “Coco.”
The following tracks have been included on the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song:
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Treasure” from “Beautiful Boy”
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther”
“Revelation” from “Boy Erased”
“Girl In...
- 12/17/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
“A Star Is Born,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Black Panther” and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” are among the films that remain in the running in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Best Original Song and Best Original Score categories, which revealed their shortlists on Monday.
In the Original Song category, where “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” is the presumed frontrunner, other songs on the 15-film shortlist include Kendrick Lamar’s “All the Stars” from “Black Panther,” Dolly Parton’s “Girl in the Movies” from “Dumplin’,” Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings’ “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and two Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman songs from “Mary Poppins Returns,” “The Place Where Lost Things Go” and “Trip a Little Light Fantastic.”
Other song contenders include Diane Warren for “I’ll Fight” from “Rbg,” Boots Riley’s “Oyahytt” from “Sorry to Bother You,...
In the Original Song category, where “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” is the presumed frontrunner, other songs on the 15-film shortlist include Kendrick Lamar’s “All the Stars” from “Black Panther,” Dolly Parton’s “Girl in the Movies” from “Dumplin’,” Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings’ “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and two Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman songs from “Mary Poppins Returns,” “The Place Where Lost Things Go” and “Trip a Little Light Fantastic.”
Other song contenders include Diane Warren for “I’ll Fight” from “Rbg,” Boots Riley’s “Oyahytt” from “Sorry to Bother You,...
- 12/17/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven and Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced shortlists of semi-finalists in nine separate categories. From here, the organization’s separate respective branches will vote to determine nominees, which will be announced along with all other Oscar categories next month.
This year marks the first year since 1979 that shortlists have been revealed in the music categories. In the makeup/hairstyling and visual effects categories, branch members will vote at January “bake-off” events featuring reels demonstrating the work.
See below for the surviving artists and titles. Nominations for the 91st annual Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019.
Documentary Feature
“Charm City”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“Rbg”
“Shirkers”
“The Silence of Others”
“Three Identical Strangers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Documentary (Short Subject...
This year marks the first year since 1979 that shortlists have been revealed in the music categories. In the makeup/hairstyling and visual effects categories, branch members will vote at January “bake-off” events featuring reels demonstrating the work.
See below for the surviving artists and titles. Nominations for the 91st annual Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019.
Documentary Feature
“Charm City”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“Rbg”
“Shirkers”
“The Silence of Others”
“Three Identical Strangers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Documentary (Short Subject...
- 12/17/2018
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
For the first time in Oscars history, the academy released the short lists in nine categories all at once. On Monday, December 17, the hopefuls in a wide range of races found out if they are still in contention for the 91st annual Academy Awards. Among these are the marquee awards for Best Foreign Language Film (which was pared down to nine films from the 87 submitted) and Best Documentary Feature (which went from 166 to 15).
The race for Best Visual Effects, which has already been narrowed down to 20 films, was cut in half. Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submission while the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category will have just seven. And the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
See 2019 Oscar nominations: 10 Academy Awards with special rules – Original Song,...
The race for Best Visual Effects, which has already been narrowed down to 20 films, was cut in half. Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submission while the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category will have just seven. And the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
See 2019 Oscar nominations: 10 Academy Awards with special rules – Original Song,...
- 12/17/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
It won’t exactly be on a par with Oscars nominations morning, but Monday will be one of the biggest December days in the history of the Academy Awards.
That’s because for the first time, the Academy isn’t systematically doling out the short lists of films that remain in contention. Instead, they’re dropping all the lists at once in a single press release that will trim the fields in Best Documentary Feature, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Song and six other categories.
One drop, nine categories, a total of 101 films that’ll get good news and far more that’ll be disappointed.
The strategy of dumping all the Oscars short lists at once has not been greeted with universal approval. For one thing, contenders in the different categories were used to having their individual moments in the spotlight. Music Branch voters, who are facing a pair...
That’s because for the first time, the Academy isn’t systematically doling out the short lists of films that remain in contention. Instead, they’re dropping all the lists at once in a single press release that will trim the fields in Best Documentary Feature, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Song and six other categories.
One drop, nine categories, a total of 101 films that’ll get good news and far more that’ll be disappointed.
The strategy of dumping all the Oscars short lists at once has not been greeted with universal approval. For one thing, contenders in the different categories were used to having their individual moments in the spotlight. Music Branch voters, who are facing a pair...
- 12/14/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The African American Film Critics Association has named Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” the best film of 2018, giving it three awards in the 15-year-old organization’s annual salute to the year’s top films.
In addition to winning in the Best Film category, the blockbuster “Black Panther” also took prizes for director Coogler and for its Kendrick Lamar song “All the Stars.”
Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” George Tillman Jr.’s “The Hate U Give” and Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” won two awards each. “BlacKkKlansman” was honored for its screenplay and for lead actor John David Washington; “The Hate U Give” won for supporting actor Russell Hornsby and breakout performer Amandla Stenberg; and “Beale Street” won for supporting actress Regina King and as the year’s best independent film.
Regina Hall was named best actress for “Support the Girls.”
Also Read: How Movie Songs By Kendrick Lamar, Kesha...
In addition to winning in the Best Film category, the blockbuster “Black Panther” also took prizes for director Coogler and for its Kendrick Lamar song “All the Stars.”
Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” George Tillman Jr.’s “The Hate U Give” and Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” won two awards each. “BlacKkKlansman” was honored for its screenplay and for lead actor John David Washington; “The Hate U Give” won for supporting actor Russell Hornsby and breakout performer Amandla Stenberg; and “Beale Street” won for supporting actress Regina King and as the year’s best independent film.
Regina Hall was named best actress for “Support the Girls.”
Also Read: How Movie Songs By Kendrick Lamar, Kesha...
- 12/12/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” has won three awards from members of the African American Film Critics Association, taking the trophies for best film, director, and song for “All the Stars.”
The Aafca made the announcement Tuesday and will present the awards in ceremonies on Feb. 6 at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles.
“Selecting Disney’s ‘Black Panther’ as the year’s best film was a no-brainer,” said Aafca co-founder Shawn Edwards. “Beyond its tremendous reviews and historic box office performance, the film changed the culture and became a defining moment for Black America. Finally, after years of painfully negative and blatantly harmful depictions of blacks on screen there was a movie full of positive images and characters that blacks could rally around. For many blacks the film’s release was like a national holiday.”
Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” won awards for best actor for John David Washington and for screenplay.
The Aafca made the announcement Tuesday and will present the awards in ceremonies on Feb. 6 at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles.
“Selecting Disney’s ‘Black Panther’ as the year’s best film was a no-brainer,” said Aafca co-founder Shawn Edwards. “Beyond its tremendous reviews and historic box office performance, the film changed the culture and became a defining moment for Black America. Finally, after years of painfully negative and blatantly harmful depictions of blacks on screen there was a movie full of positive images and characters that blacks could rally around. For many blacks the film’s release was like a national holiday.”
Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” won awards for best actor for John David Washington and for screenplay.
- 12/11/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Nothing takes you back to time and a place like the music of a particular era. That’s one big reason why music documentaries are flourishing at a time of enormous demand for high-end docu productions.
This year’s five Grammy Award nominees for best music film reflect the appetite for stories about renowned and beloved musical figures, from Whitney Houston to Itzhak Perlman to Elvis Presley to Quincy Jones. Music docus have a natural commercial appeal and a built-in core target audience, which provides a foundation for marketing efforts to spur word-of-mouth about a title.
“What’s beautiful about doing a music documentary is that it immediately transcends the borders of the docu-loving audience and the community of an artist’s fans,” said Vinnie Malhotra, Showtime’s head of documentary programming. “They’re emotional. There’s a nostalgia factor to them. At their best they give you new perspective...
This year’s five Grammy Award nominees for best music film reflect the appetite for stories about renowned and beloved musical figures, from Whitney Houston to Itzhak Perlman to Elvis Presley to Quincy Jones. Music docus have a natural commercial appeal and a built-in core target audience, which provides a foundation for marketing efforts to spur word-of-mouth about a title.
“What’s beautiful about doing a music documentary is that it immediately transcends the borders of the docu-loving audience and the community of an artist’s fans,” said Vinnie Malhotra, Showtime’s head of documentary programming. “They’re emotional. There’s a nostalgia factor to them. At their best they give you new perspective...
- 12/8/2018
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Days after the White House press secretary shared doctored footage to justify restricting a journalist’s access, the annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards took on a more charged tenor than usual.
“Remember truth? That little thing that’s the foundation of civilization?” Robert De Niro asked wistfully, drawing laughs from the audience who’d gathered at the Bric in Brooklyn on Saturday for the gala.
“We live in a time of fiction and lies, so that makes this all the more important. People who make documentary films — it’s a critical job that needs to be done,” Michael Moore, whom De Niro presented with the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, told Variety ahead of the event. “I think we all have to be focused on removing what’s going on in Washington DC and fixing the country right now. I know that’s my personal commitment as a citizen and a filmmaker.
“Remember truth? That little thing that’s the foundation of civilization?” Robert De Niro asked wistfully, drawing laughs from the audience who’d gathered at the Bric in Brooklyn on Saturday for the gala.
“We live in a time of fiction and lies, so that makes this all the more important. People who make documentary films — it’s a critical job that needs to be done,” Michael Moore, whom De Niro presented with the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, told Variety ahead of the event. “I think we all have to be focused on removing what’s going on in Washington DC and fixing the country right now. I know that’s my personal commitment as a citizen and a filmmaker.
- 11/11/2018
- by Alex Barasch
- Variety Film + TV
The Broadcast Film Critics and the Broadcast Television Journalists associations had a good feeling about “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” on Saturday at their third annual Critics’ Choice documentary honors event. They bestowed the evening’s top prizes, both Best Documentary and Best Director — as well as Best Editing — to Morgan Neville‘s moving portrait of beloved children’s show TV host Fred Rogers.
According to Box Office Mojo, the winner is the highest-grossing doc of the year so far, raking in $23 million.
Among the other winners at the Brooklyn-based event hosted by Bill Nye the Science Guy:
Best Sports Documentary: “Free Solo,” about the first free solo climb of El Capitan at National Yosemite Park.
Best Limited Documentary Series: “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”
Best Ongoing Documentary Series: “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
Best Political Documentary: “Rbg,” about Supreme Court Justic Ruth Bader Ginsberg
SEECheck out the...
According to Box Office Mojo, the winner is the highest-grossing doc of the year so far, raking in $23 million.
Among the other winners at the Brooklyn-based event hosted by Bill Nye the Science Guy:
Best Sports Documentary: “Free Solo,” about the first free solo climb of El Capitan at National Yosemite Park.
Best Limited Documentary Series: “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”
Best Ongoing Documentary Series: “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
Best Political Documentary: “Rbg,” about Supreme Court Justic Ruth Bader Ginsberg
SEECheck out the...
- 11/11/2018
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Ever since the Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” brought audiences to tears at the Sundance Film Festival in January, it has been the frontrunner for the Best Documentary Oscar. Sure enough, the Focus Features release, the highest-grossing biodoc of all time, took home Best Documentary and Director for Morgan Neville as well as Best Editing at the Third Annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards on Saturday, November 10.
Its closest competitor, NatGeo’s vertiginous climbing movie “Free Solo,” also took home three Critics’ Choice documentary awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja). Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, “Free Solo” won Best Sports Documentary, Best Innovative Documentary, and Best Cinematography.
During the awards show hosted by Bill Nye at Bric in Brooklyn, filmmaker Michael Moore gave a rousing political speech as he accepted the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award,...
Its closest competitor, NatGeo’s vertiginous climbing movie “Free Solo,” also took home three Critics’ Choice documentary awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja). Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, “Free Solo” won Best Sports Documentary, Best Innovative Documentary, and Best Cinematography.
During the awards show hosted by Bill Nye at Bric in Brooklyn, filmmaker Michael Moore gave a rousing political speech as he accepted the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award,...
- 11/11/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Ever since the Fred Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” brought audiences to tears at the Sundance Film Festival in January, it has been the frontrunner for the Best Documentary Oscar. Sure enough, the Focus Features release, the highest-grossing biodoc of all time, took home Best Documentary and Director for Morgan Neville as well as Best Editing at the Third Annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards on Saturday, November 10.
Its closest competitor, NatGeo’s vertiginous climbing movie “Free Solo,” also took home three Critics’ Choice documentary awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja). Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, “Free Solo” won Best Sports Documentary, Best Innovative Documentary, and Best Cinematography.
During the awards show hosted by Bill Nye at Bric in Brooklyn, filmmaker Michael Moore gave a rousing political speech as he accepted the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award,...
Its closest competitor, NatGeo’s vertiginous climbing movie “Free Solo,” also took home three Critics’ Choice documentary awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (Btja). Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, “Free Solo” won Best Sports Documentary, Best Innovative Documentary, and Best Cinematography.
During the awards show hosted by Bill Nye at Bric in Brooklyn, filmmaker Michael Moore gave a rousing political speech as he accepted the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award,...
- 11/11/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
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