A wacky film based on a stage show by comedians Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp, Dicks: The Musical – a riff on The Parent Trap with two adult men as the starring twins — opens in seven theaters in NY, LA and San Francisco on a crowded specialty weekend as theatrical releases of fall film festival titles accelerates.
Dicks, from A24, developed by Chernin Entertainment, is, according to press notes, a first “adult musical comedy” for both. (It’s Chernin’s second musical after hit The Greatest Showman.) Directed by Larry Charles, it stars the two creators Jackson and Sharp as self-obsessed businessmen who discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents. They’re joined by an A-list roster of Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang and Megan Thee Stallion.
A SAG-AFTRA interim agreement allowed the talent to promote the film at TIFF,...
Dicks, from A24, developed by Chernin Entertainment, is, according to press notes, a first “adult musical comedy” for both. (It’s Chernin’s second musical after hit The Greatest Showman.) Directed by Larry Charles, it stars the two creators Jackson and Sharp as self-obsessed businessmen who discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents. They’re joined by an A-list roster of Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang and Megan Thee Stallion.
A SAG-AFTRA interim agreement allowed the talent to promote the film at TIFF,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Hallelujah, holy shit! Bowen Yang is playing God.
After more than a decade in development, Aaron Jackson and Joshua Sharp’s “Fucking Identical Twins” — a beloved cult sketch show out of New York City’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater — is finally reaching movie screens as A24’s “Dicks: The Musical.” With “Borat” legend Larry Charles as its director and a cast boasting not just Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally, but also Megan Thee Stallion, it’s a Second Coming for the underground musical even grander than Yang and his fellow Jackson/Sharp disciples could have dreamed.
“It’s been a long-ass friendship with those boys,” the “Saturday Night Live” breakout told IndieWire over Zoom. “My first memory of Aaron, he was in my college classroom coaching my improv group. He was already an established improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Then, my first memory of Josh was meeting him at...
After more than a decade in development, Aaron Jackson and Joshua Sharp’s “Fucking Identical Twins” — a beloved cult sketch show out of New York City’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater — is finally reaching movie screens as A24’s “Dicks: The Musical.” With “Borat” legend Larry Charles as its director and a cast boasting not just Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally, but also Megan Thee Stallion, it’s a Second Coming for the underground musical even grander than Yang and his fellow Jackson/Sharp disciples could have dreamed.
“It’s been a long-ass friendship with those boys,” the “Saturday Night Live” breakout told IndieWire over Zoom. “My first memory of Aaron, he was in my college classroom coaching my improv group. He was already an established improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Then, my first memory of Josh was meeting him at...
- 10/5/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
The 2023 Variety Gotham Week Expo kicked off in New York City on Thursday with a series of panels focused on diversity and inclusion.
The first panel of the day was “Deep Dive: The Inclusion List” with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation. Panelists included Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, “Nomadland” producer Mollye Asher, and Amy White, global head of corporate social responsibility at Adobe and the executive director of the Adobe Foundation Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Dr. Katherine Pieper, program director at the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, served as the moderator.
Dr. Smith led off by discussing the findings of the Initiative’s latest research study, which she said found that “women of color, internationally, are making more money than white men at the box office. It’s not a significant difference, but it is the only difference.” She also said that...
The first panel of the day was “Deep Dive: The Inclusion List” with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation. Panelists included Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, “Nomadland” producer Mollye Asher, and Amy White, global head of corporate social responsibility at Adobe and the executive director of the Adobe Foundation Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Dr. Katherine Pieper, program director at the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, served as the moderator.
Dr. Smith led off by discussing the findings of the Initiative’s latest research study, which she said found that “women of color, internationally, are making more money than white men at the box office. It’s not a significant difference, but it is the only difference.” She also said that...
- 10/4/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
In recent weeks, Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) have been carrying out a string of solo engagements.
After returning to work in September and appearing together to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in Wales, William’s wife did a handful of solo visits. One of those engagements included a stop in Surrey to learn more about the work The Forward Trust does inside High Down prison. William, meanwhile traveled to New York City for a two-day trip to highlight his Earthshot Prize. But now at least one expert thinks enough is enough with the solo events as the couple needs to start appearing together again.
Here’s more on that and the reason Kate won’t be at William’s biggest engagement of the year.
Prince William and Kate Middleton visit the Grange Pavilion where they met with members from...
After returning to work in September and appearing together to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in Wales, William’s wife did a handful of solo visits. One of those engagements included a stop in Surrey to learn more about the work The Forward Trust does inside High Down prison. William, meanwhile traveled to New York City for a two-day trip to highlight his Earthshot Prize. But now at least one expert thinks enough is enough with the solo events as the couple needs to start appearing together again.
Here’s more on that and the reason Kate won’t be at William’s biggest engagement of the year.
Prince William and Kate Middleton visit the Grange Pavilion where they met with members from...
- 10/4/2023
- by Michelle Kapusta
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Disney+ dropped a new promo video for American Born Chinese ahead of the 2023 Oscars, with the 30-second teaser showcasing three Oscar nominees. The series is an Everything Everywhere All at Once reunion and stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, who played a couple caught up in…well…everything everywhere in writers/directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka The Daniels) critically acclaimed feature film. Stephanie Hsu, who played their daughter, guest stars.
The coming-of-age action comedy based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel will premiere on Disney+ on May 24, 2023. Yang is involved as an executive producer along with Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, Erin O’Malley, and Asher Goldstein. Emmy Award winner Kelvin Yu guides the series as showrunner and executive producer, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ Destin Daniel Cretton directing and executive producing.
The cast also includes Ben Wang (Chang Can Dunk), two-time International Emmy...
The coming-of-age action comedy based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel will premiere on Disney+ on May 24, 2023. Yang is involved as an executive producer along with Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, Erin O’Malley, and Asher Goldstein. Emmy Award winner Kelvin Yu guides the series as showrunner and executive producer, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ Destin Daniel Cretton directing and executive producing.
The cast also includes Ben Wang (Chang Can Dunk), two-time International Emmy...
- 3/12/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
With the release of "Scream VI," Jenna Ortega is appearing on multiplex screens everywhere this weekend. However, she also got to act on the small screen, by hosting the March 11, 2023 episode of "Saturday Night Live."
The "Wednesday" breakout star is primarily known for her roles in horror — she's been called the genre's latest "scream queen," — but this episode gave her a chance to show off her comedic chops. From an "X-Men" parody where she played a Rogue stand-in to a send-up of "The Exorcist," Ortega's "SNL" hosting gig was rife with movie parodies.
The most off-the-wall parody was of "The Parent Trap" — which starts with the premise that Ortega is starring in a new remake of the film. In both the 1961 original and Nancy Meyers' 1998 remake, two young girls discover they're identical twins of divorced parents and plot to reunite their family by swapping places. In both versions, a...
The "Wednesday" breakout star is primarily known for her roles in horror — she's been called the genre's latest "scream queen," — but this episode gave her a chance to show off her comedic chops. From an "X-Men" parody where she played a Rogue stand-in to a send-up of "The Exorcist," Ortega's "SNL" hosting gig was rife with movie parodies.
The most off-the-wall parody was of "The Parent Trap" — which starts with the premise that Ortega is starring in a new remake of the film. In both the 1961 original and Nancy Meyers' 1998 remake, two young girls discover they're identical twins of divorced parents and plot to reunite their family by swapping places. In both versions, a...
- 3/12/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Ahead of the 95th annual Oscars on Sunday, the Saturday Night Live cold open featured a live red carpet segment and what audiences can expect ahead of the ceremony.
Marcello Hernandez and Heidi Gardner played Mario Lopez and “Maria Menounos or Kit Hoover,” hosts of Access Hollywood‘s Oscars Red Carpet Show. “We are so excited to have been standing outside the Dolby Theatre for almost 153 hours,” Hernandez’s Lopez said. “But it’s all worth it to ask Angela Bassett if she really did the thing.”
Gardner’s host also referenced Will Smith’s infamous smackdown of Chris Rock during last year’s ceremony, saying, “This year, to make sure nothing crazy happens, the Academy hired a new head of security: notoriously calm and sane person, Mike Tyson.”
When asked about what new security measures are in place, Kenan Thompson’s Tyson, said, “This year, all the nominees have been given tasers,...
Marcello Hernandez and Heidi Gardner played Mario Lopez and “Maria Menounos or Kit Hoover,” hosts of Access Hollywood‘s Oscars Red Carpet Show. “We are so excited to have been standing outside the Dolby Theatre for almost 153 hours,” Hernandez’s Lopez said. “But it’s all worth it to ask Angela Bassett if she really did the thing.”
Gardner’s host also referenced Will Smith’s infamous smackdown of Chris Rock during last year’s ceremony, saying, “This year, to make sure nothing crazy happens, the Academy hired a new head of security: notoriously calm and sane person, Mike Tyson.”
When asked about what new security measures are in place, Kenan Thompson’s Tyson, said, “This year, all the nominees have been given tasers,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The latest episode of “Saturday Night Live” happens to have aired the night before the 95th Academy Awards, and that gave the show the perfect excuse for a cold open filled with celebrity impressions.
This time, the sketch parodied E!’s Oscars red carpet coverage, which included some good and some, uh, needs-work impressions. But, per usual, Bowen Yang proved he can save even the weakest sketches when he showed up as serial-liar congressman George Santos — pretending to be Tom Cruise.
It kicked off with Heidi Gardner and Marcello Hernandez portraying E!’s red carpet talent, explaining that this year’s ceremony has updated security due to the Will Smith-Chris Rock slap. “Last year, the Oscars had the slap, which was awesome, I mean bad, really bad,” Gardner said, before Hernandez revealed that Mike Tyson had been hired to oversee security.
Tyson was played by Kenan Thompson, and...
This time, the sketch parodied E!’s Oscars red carpet coverage, which included some good and some, uh, needs-work impressions. But, per usual, Bowen Yang proved he can save even the weakest sketches when he showed up as serial-liar congressman George Santos — pretending to be Tom Cruise.
It kicked off with Heidi Gardner and Marcello Hernandez portraying E!’s red carpet talent, explaining that this year’s ceremony has updated security due to the Will Smith-Chris Rock slap. “Last year, the Oscars had the slap, which was awesome, I mean bad, really bad,” Gardner said, before Hernandez revealed that Mike Tyson had been hired to oversee security.
Tyson was played by Kenan Thompson, and...
- 3/12/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Janet Yang, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said Will Smith is welcome to get an engraved nameplate added to his best actor Oscar statuette, despite being banned from Academy events for a decade after slapping Chris Rock during last year’s ceremony.
Last month, Smith duetted a video on TikTok that instructed viewers to pick up an object and ask it what it thinks of yourself. A woman in the initial video claimed, “you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition.”
Smith proceeded to hold up his Oscar statuette, which he won for his performance in King Richard, clearly showing that the award had not been engraved.
Typically, Oscar winners attend the Governors Ball following the ceremony and there they will get their nameplate added to the trophy. But Smith never made it over to the ball last year — after slapping Rock...
Last month, Smith duetted a video on TikTok that instructed viewers to pick up an object and ask it what it thinks of yourself. A woman in the initial video claimed, “you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition.”
Smith proceeded to hold up his Oscar statuette, which he won for his performance in King Richard, clearly showing that the award had not been engraved.
Typically, Oscar winners attend the Governors Ball following the ceremony and there they will get their nameplate added to the trophy. But Smith never made it over to the ball last year — after slapping Rock...
- 3/12/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
iHeartMedia is launching a podcast network dedicated to featuring LGBTQ+ voices with stars like JoJo Siwa, Rosie O’Donnell, Laverne Cox, Bowen Yang, Raven-Symoné, Lance Bass and more.
Called Outspoken, the network will be executive produced by the writer and activist Raquel Willis and iHeartMedia’s creative development and marketing director, Jay Brunson. The network will include new programming like O’Donnell’s podcast Onward, which will debut later this month. Siwa will executive produce and host her own show, as well as develop a slate of programming specifically for the network.
Willis is also developing two original shows for the network: The first will feature the perspectives of LGBTQ+ youth living in battleground states for legislation targeting queer people, while the second will focus on Willis’ work on violence targeting trans women that expands on her work as the former executive editor of Out magazine.
Existing iHeart shows from Big Money...
Called Outspoken, the network will be executive produced by the writer and activist Raquel Willis and iHeartMedia’s creative development and marketing director, Jay Brunson. The network will include new programming like O’Donnell’s podcast Onward, which will debut later this month. Siwa will executive produce and host her own show, as well as develop a slate of programming specifically for the network.
Willis is also developing two original shows for the network: The first will feature the perspectives of LGBTQ+ youth living in battleground states for legislation targeting queer people, while the second will focus on Willis’ work on violence targeting trans women that expands on her work as the former executive editor of Out magazine.
Existing iHeart shows from Big Money...
- 3/8/2023
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony Pictures Classics has taken global rights to Randall Park’s feature directorial Shortcomings. The pic starring Justin H. Min (After Yang), Sherry Cola, and Ally Maki (Big Door Prize), Tavi Gevinson (Gossip Girl), Debby Ryan (Insatiable), Sonoya Mizuno (House of the Dragon), Timothy Simons (Veep), and Jacob Batalon (Reginald The Vampire) had its world premiere at Sundance back in January in the U.S. Dramatic Competition sector.
In the film, Ben (Justin H. Min), a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice (Sherry Cola), a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves...
In the film, Ben (Justin H. Min), a struggling filmmaker, lives in Berkeley, California, with his girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), who works for a local Asian American film festival. When he’s not managing an arthouse movie theater as his day job, Ben spends his time obsessing over unavailable blonde women, watching Criterion Collection DVDs, and eating in diners with his best friend Alice (Sherry Cola), a queer grad student with a serial dating habit. When Miko moves...
- 3/7/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
As Martin Scorsese once said, “Music and cinema fit together naturally. Because there’s a kind of intrinsic musicality to the way moving images work when they’re put together. It’s been said that cinema and music are very close as art forms, and I think that’s true.” Indeed, the right piece of music–whether it’s an original score or a carefully selected song–can do wonders for a sequence, and today we’re looking at the 25 films that best expressed this notion this year.
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each musical example perfectly transported us to the world of the film. Check out our rundown of the top 25, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full.
25. Dark Glasses (Arnaud Rebotini)
24. Catch the Fair One (Nathan Halpern)
23. Barbarian (Anna Drubich)
22. Return to Seoul (Various)
21. Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)
20. Mad God...
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each musical example perfectly transported us to the world of the film. Check out our rundown of the top 25, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full.
25. Dark Glasses (Arnaud Rebotini)
24. Catch the Fair One (Nathan Halpern)
23. Barbarian (Anna Drubich)
22. Return to Seoul (Various)
21. Babylon (Justin Hurwitz)
20. Mad God...
- 1/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As the first stages of normalicy following the lessening of restrictions from the pandemic at large, a series of highly enjoyable genre movies emerged this year that proved to hit harder than expected. While not hitting as high as previous years, the selection of films produced throughout the year are bigger and grander in scope, with the effects of the looser restrictions meaning that a more traditional style could be attempted. That meant that numerous high-quality films could be utilized, with masters of the craft including Takashi Shimizu in Japan, Erik Matti in the Philippines and Joko Anwar in Indonesia, among others, returning to the genre, producing content that carries the stamp of quality from their past catalog. In addition to their efforts, newcomers Park Sye-young, Surapong Ploensang, and Kim Jin-young started their careers strong with impressive features of their own, showing signs of where they can go in the...
- 12/30/2022
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
It feels like every year around this time I hear (or read) the same thing: "There weren't that many good movies this year." And I always say the same thing: malarkey! Every year is a good year for film ... if you're willing to seek things out. Get outside your comfort zone. Don't only see the latest Disney/Marvel blockbuster. Try new things! None of that is to say my list of the 10 Best Movies of 2022 is full of obscure titles you've never heard of. But I maintain that this year, like last year, and the year before it, was another great year for film. When I compile a list like this, I ask myself: Which films moved me? Which inspired emotions within me that I didn't expect? Which films lingered in my brain long after the end credits rolled? I watch a lot of movies — it's the job — which means...
- 12/28/2022
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Colin Farrell is not the type of actor you can easily fit in a box. That may sound like a compliment now, a testament to his range, but there was a time when that might have worked against him, or at the very least: his status as a leading man. In the early aughts, Farrell seemed to be everywhere, trying on every role available to him. His insanely good looks and simmering intensity made him an undeniable box office draw, but the burden of the leading man — the hyper-masculine, hyper-cool version that dominated the 2000s — wasn't always a proper fit. That might be because Farrell, for all his conventional beauty and latent charisma ... is kind of a weird little guy. His intensity can often come off a bit like mania, and he seems much more comfortable in roles that subvert all that aforementioned appeal.
Obviously, there's nothing wrong with that.
Obviously, there's nothing wrong with that.
- 12/27/2022
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
All-member meeting discussed new revenue streams, reverence for cinema.
Academy leadership are exploring potential streaming extensions to the Oscars telecast as they seek to reinvigorate the show.
New CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang told an all-members meeting over the weekend (September 17) they want to honour all crafts categories on air – the Academy spared a minor scandal when it presented eight craft category winners off air at the 94th ceremony – focus on love and reverence for film, and make the red carpet an event in and of itself.
They also announced that Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will produce...
Academy leadership are exploring potential streaming extensions to the Oscars telecast as they seek to reinvigorate the show.
New CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang told an all-members meeting over the weekend (September 17) they want to honour all crafts categories on air – the Academy spared a minor scandal when it presented eight craft category winners off air at the 94th ceremony – focus on love and reverence for film, and make the red carpet an event in and of itself.
They also announced that Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will produce...
- 9/17/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Deadline’s Pete Hammond hit all the big points from Saturday’s in-person and by-video membership meeting of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Oscar show revamp, producers hired, revenue diversifying, inclusion program full steam ahead. President Janet Yang and Chief Executive Bill Kramer are promising much, and already beginning to make good on the promises, not least by holding the first of what are promised to be annual meetings open to the Academy’s 10,000-plus members.
It was like a much-needed airing-out of the Academy closets—and as dust poofed up from the nooks and crannies, lots of small details made today’s meeting an event worth monitoring.
For starters, the audience laughed out loud, according to my best report, when Kramer acknowledged that members haven’t actually liked the Oscar show lately. It was something the administration definitively learned from a member survey—not the first,...
It was like a much-needed airing-out of the Academy closets—and as dust poofed up from the nooks and crannies, lots of small details made today’s meeting an event worth monitoring.
For starters, the audience laughed out loud, according to my best report, when Kramer acknowledged that members haven’t actually liked the Oscar show lately. It was something the administration definitively learned from a member survey—not the first,...
- 9/17/2022
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
On Saturday morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted an All-Member Meeting at the Academy’s Museum in Los Angeles and virtually for members worldwide. New measures were announced to move past last year’s disastrous ceremony, engage the growing international membership contingency, and incorporate craft categories into the broadcast after their exclusion last year.
Overall, the occasion was meant to put new Academy CEO Bill Kramer and newly elected President Janet Yang face-to-face with as many members as possible to share their vision and mission for the Academy “to recognize and uphold excellence in the motion picture arts and sciences, inspire imagination, and connect the world through the medium of motion pictures.”
To start, Kramer acknowledged how this year’s 94th Oscars fell short of that.
Not only did its approval rating take a 40 nosedive from how members rated the 92nd Oscars, but only 17 of members approved of the pre-recorded awards,...
Overall, the occasion was meant to put new Academy CEO Bill Kramer and newly elected President Janet Yang face-to-face with as many members as possible to share their vision and mission for the Academy “to recognize and uphold excellence in the motion picture arts and sciences, inspire imagination, and connect the world through the medium of motion pictures.”
To start, Kramer acknowledged how this year’s 94th Oscars fell short of that.
Not only did its approval rating take a 40 nosedive from how members rated the 92nd Oscars, but only 17 of members approved of the pre-recorded awards,...
- 9/17/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
The Academy needs to create new revenue streams that do not rely on the Oscars show, but it also needs to bring the Oscars to a position of “power, honorability and importance,” Academy leaders told the organization’s membership in an all-members meeting on Saturday.
The meeting, led by new Academy CEO Bill Kramer and new president Janet Yang, took place in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and was available to be attended virtually by members not in Los Angeles.
In some ways, the gathering was reminiscent of the all-members meeting held by then-president Hawk Koch and CEO Dawn Hudson in May, 2013, which took place simultaneously in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. At that point, the Academy consisted of about 6,000 members and was predominantly white and male; the #OscarsSoWhite protests had yet to push the organization to become more diverse, while the Academy Museum was in the planning stages.
The meeting, led by new Academy CEO Bill Kramer and new president Janet Yang, took place in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and was available to be attended virtually by members not in Los Angeles.
In some ways, the gathering was reminiscent of the all-members meeting held by then-president Hawk Koch and CEO Dawn Hudson in May, 2013, which took place simultaneously in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. At that point, the Academy consisted of about 6,000 members and was predominantly white and male; the #OscarsSoWhite protests had yet to push the organization to become more diverse, while the Academy Museum was in the planning stages.
- 9/17/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ new CEO Bill Kramer explicitly acknowledged there are fixes that need to be made in the annual Oscars show and process and promised to address them while speaking at Saturday morning’s AMPAS membership meeting held in-person at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles as well as virtually for members worldwide.
“Clearly there is a need to reinvigorate the show and we are hard at work with our great partners at Disney-abc on this,” Kramer told the members, and then as part of a PowerPoint presentation listed eight areas they are addressing so far. That list includes, as Deadline just announced, the naming of veteran live television and awards show producers to run the show, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who have collectively won numerous Emmys for their work including 21 Tony Awards shows.
The points Kramer and new AMPAS president Janet Yang...
“Clearly there is a need to reinvigorate the show and we are hard at work with our great partners at Disney-abc on this,” Kramer told the members, and then as part of a PowerPoint presentation listed eight areas they are addressing so far. That list includes, as Deadline just announced, the naming of veteran live television and awards show producers to run the show, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who have collectively won numerous Emmys for their work including 21 Tony Awards shows.
The points Kramer and new AMPAS president Janet Yang...
- 9/17/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
In an effort to get the Oscar telecast back on track, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Saturday announced that awards show and live television veterans Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will produce the 95th annual Academy Awards, which will air on ABC on March 12, 2023.
Ever since he was named CEO in the spring, Bill Kramer has indicated that the Academy would look to hiring top TV professionals with vast experience, rather than going in past directions in hiring primarily producers who were better known for their work in film rather than staging live television. Recent producers have included Steven Soderbergh in 2021, and last year Will Packer, who ran the infamous show with “the slap” that overshadowed everything else.
From The Nooks And Crannies Of Saturday’s Academy Meeting, A Swirl of Detail
Weiss will also direct the show, something he has done consecutively done for the past seven years,...
Ever since he was named CEO in the spring, Bill Kramer has indicated that the Academy would look to hiring top TV professionals with vast experience, rather than going in past directions in hiring primarily producers who were better known for their work in film rather than staging live television. Recent producers have included Steven Soderbergh in 2021, and last year Will Packer, who ran the infamous show with “the slap” that overshadowed everything else.
From The Nooks And Crannies Of Saturday’s Academy Meeting, A Swirl of Detail
Weiss will also direct the show, something he has done consecutively done for the past seven years,...
- 9/17/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not have to look too far to find the new producers of the Academy Awards.
On Saturday, the organization’s CEO Bill Kramer announced that Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment have been named executive producers of the 95th Oscars, which will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Not only has Weiss produced the show once before, he has been directing the awards telecast for eight years and counting, netting him two Emmys for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. It will, however, be Kirshner’s first time producing the Oscars, but bringing in the pair from White Cherry Entertainment delivers on Kramer’s promises to find collaborators this year who are experts in live television event production.
“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm,” said Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang via statement.
On Saturday, the organization’s CEO Bill Kramer announced that Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment have been named executive producers of the 95th Oscars, which will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Not only has Weiss produced the show once before, he has been directing the awards telecast for eight years and counting, netting him two Emmys for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. It will, however, be Kirshner’s first time producing the Oscars, but bringing in the pair from White Cherry Entertainment delivers on Kramer’s promises to find collaborators this year who are experts in live television event production.
“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm,” said Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang via statement.
- 9/17/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will serve as executive producers of the 95th Oscars, which will take place in March 2023. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer announced the producing duo, both of White Cherry Entertainment, on Saturday morning.
Along with producing, Weiss will serve as director for the ceremony for an eighth consecutive year. The 2023 Oscars will mark Weiss’ second time and Kirshner’s first time producing the Academy Awards. The two were tapped by the Academy as part of “a focus on expertise in live television event production.”
“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm,” Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working closely with them, our Board of Governors and the Board’s Awards Committee to deliver an exciting and energized show.”
“Bill made us ‘an offer we couldn’t refuse,'...
Along with producing, Weiss will serve as director for the ceremony for an eighth consecutive year. The 2023 Oscars will mark Weiss’ second time and Kirshner’s first time producing the Academy Awards. The two were tapped by the Academy as part of “a focus on expertise in live television event production.”
“We are thrilled to have Glenn and Ricky at the helm,” Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working closely with them, our Board of Governors and the Board’s Awards Committee to deliver an exciting and energized show.”
“Bill made us ‘an offer we couldn’t refuse,'...
- 9/17/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will produce the 95th Oscars, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer announced on Saturday morning during an all-member meeting that took place in-person at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and simultaneously via a livestream on the members-only website. The hiring of Weiss and Kirshner, who are veterans of many award shows, is a reflection of the Academy’s understanding that it needs to return to having telecast producers with “live TV expertise” after several disappointing Oscars telecasts, Kramer said.
Kramer, who has been in his position for the past two-and-a-half months, and Academy president Janet Yang, who has been in hers for the past one-and-a-half months, emceed the gathering — only the third of its kind (the others took place on May 4, 2013, and Sept. 28, 2017), authorized by the board of governors in October 2021 — speaking for 39 minutes before taking member questions,...
Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner will produce the 95th Oscars, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer announced on Saturday morning during an all-member meeting that took place in-person at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and simultaneously via a livestream on the members-only website. The hiring of Weiss and Kirshner, who are veterans of many award shows, is a reflection of the Academy’s understanding that it needs to return to having telecast producers with “live TV expertise” after several disappointing Oscars telecasts, Kramer said.
Kramer, who has been in his position for the past two-and-a-half months, and Academy president Janet Yang, who has been in hers for the past one-and-a-half months, emceed the gathering — only the third of its kind (the others took place on May 4, 2013, and Sept. 28, 2017), authorized by the board of governors in October 2021 — speaking for 39 minutes before taking member questions,...
- 9/17/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Last month, Searchlight Pictures unveiled two posters for their darkly comedic psychological thriller The Menu, which is set to reach theatres on November 18th. One of the posters focused on the character played by Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and the other focused on the character played by Ralph Fiennes (No Time to Die). Now a new poster for The Menu has arrived online, and this one features both Taylor-Joy and Fiennes, as well as Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) and several other cast members. You can take a look at it at the bottom of this article.
Our own Chris Bumbray recently had the chance to watch The Menu at the Toronto International Film Festival and gave the film a 9/10 review you can read at This Link.
We’ve been following the progress of this project for over three years now, as it first caught our attention when Alexander Payne was going to direct,...
Our own Chris Bumbray recently had the chance to watch The Menu at the Toronto International Film Festival and gave the film a 9/10 review you can read at This Link.
We’ve been following the progress of this project for over three years now, as it first caught our attention when Alexander Payne was going to direct,...
- 9/14/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Current "Saturday Night Live" cast members and alums alike gathered on the red carpet and inside the ceremony Monday night at the 2022 Emmy Awards. Kenan Thompson, this year's Emmys host, and Pete Davidson, Bowen Yang, Kate McKinnon, and Molly Shannon were all in attendance, though they didn't reunite for a cast photo op. This year, "SNL" was up for nine Emmy awards, including nominations for Yang, McKinnon, and Jerrod Carmichael as host. The show was also nominated for outstanding variety sketch series, which it has won five years in a row, and it kept the streak alive with another win Monday night.
When "SNL" returns to NBC on Oct. 1, the cast will look substantially different than it did for season 47, as McKinnon, Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, and Aristotle Athari have all departed the series. New cast members and writers for the upcoming season have...
When "SNL" returns to NBC on Oct. 1, the cast will look substantially different than it did for season 47, as McKinnon, Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, and Aristotle Athari have all departed the series. New cast members and writers for the upcoming season have...
- 9/13/2022
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
Click here to read the full article.
Brett Goldstein took home the award for best supporting actor in a comedy at Monday night’s Primetime Emmy Awards.
Goldstein won for Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, in which he plays player-turned-coach Roy Kent. The actor won the award last year as well, making him the category’s first back-to-back winner since Jeremy Piven won three consecutive Emmys for HBO’s Entourage from 2006 to 2008.
“Thank you so much,” Goldstein said as he took the stage, adding he was going to try not to swear, a reference to his 2021 acceptance speech where he cursed, causing the feed to cut out.
“Thank you to the Academy and to Apple. Thank you to Jason [Sudeikis] and Bill [Lawrence] and Brendan [Hunt] and especially Joe Kelly, for creating this magical thing and letting me be a little part of it. I will never take it for granted,” he continued.
Brett Goldstein took home the award for best supporting actor in a comedy at Monday night’s Primetime Emmy Awards.
Goldstein won for Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, in which he plays player-turned-coach Roy Kent. The actor won the award last year as well, making him the category’s first back-to-back winner since Jeremy Piven won three consecutive Emmys for HBO’s Entourage from 2006 to 2008.
“Thank you so much,” Goldstein said as he took the stage, adding he was going to try not to swear, a reference to his 2021 acceptance speech where he cursed, causing the feed to cut out.
“Thank you to the Academy and to Apple. Thank you to Jason [Sudeikis] and Bill [Lawrence] and Brendan [Hunt] and especially Joe Kelly, for creating this magical thing and letting me be a little part of it. I will never take it for granted,” he continued.
- 9/13/2022
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Kenan Thompson poked fun at a number of timely topics, from Netflix’s stock issues to Hollywood diversity to the controversial 2022 Oscars telecast, during his monologue as host of the 2022 Primetime Emmys on Monday.
He joked that he’s from Saturday Night Live, but some viewers might know him from his self-titled NBC sitcom before joking: “Just not enough of you to keep us from getting canceled.”
Thompson later said about some key nominees, “Stranger Things was hard to watch because it’s so scary, Squid Game was hard to watch because it’s so violent, and Yellowjackets was hard to watch because it’s on Showtime.”
He said that Squid Game was about people struggling to make money. “Joining the cast of next season: Netflix,” he joked, referencing the streamer’s stock downturn. He later praised Abbott Elementary’s team for donating...
Kenan Thompson poked fun at a number of timely topics, from Netflix’s stock issues to Hollywood diversity to the controversial 2022 Oscars telecast, during his monologue as host of the 2022 Primetime Emmys on Monday.
He joked that he’s from Saturday Night Live, but some viewers might know him from his self-titled NBC sitcom before joking: “Just not enough of you to keep us from getting canceled.”
Thompson later said about some key nominees, “Stranger Things was hard to watch because it’s so scary, Squid Game was hard to watch because it’s so violent, and Yellowjackets was hard to watch because it’s on Showtime.”
He said that Squid Game was about people struggling to make money. “Joining the cast of next season: Netflix,” he joked, referencing the streamer’s stock downturn. He later praised Abbott Elementary’s team for donating...
- 9/13/2022
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Michael Fisher worked with clients Kieran Culkin, Oscar Isaac, Jake Gyllenhaal and Benedict Cumberbatch during their respective stints hosting Saturday Night Live during the 2021-22 season and each time, the star stylist really wanted to meet one cas member of the long-running series: Bowen Yang, nominated at Monday night’s Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.
“I admit it, I was fan-girling off to the side of the stage [at 30 Rock] each time,” Fisher tells The Hollywood Reporter exclusively. “He’s so talented, and you can tell he loves to have fun with fashion.” Fisher ultimately sent a direct message to Yang via his Instagram account earlier this year, noting he’d love to work with the actor while he was doing press for Fire Island, the Hulu queer romantic comedy released in June. That did the trick, and Yang...
Michael Fisher worked with clients Kieran Culkin, Oscar Isaac, Jake Gyllenhaal and Benedict Cumberbatch during their respective stints hosting Saturday Night Live during the 2021-22 season and each time, the star stylist really wanted to meet one cas member of the long-running series: Bowen Yang, nominated at Monday night’s Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.
“I admit it, I was fan-girling off to the side of the stage [at 30 Rock] each time,” Fisher tells The Hollywood Reporter exclusively. “He’s so talented, and you can tell he loves to have fun with fashion.” Fisher ultimately sent a direct message to Yang via his Instagram account earlier this year, noting he’d love to work with the actor while he was doing press for Fire Island, the Hulu queer romantic comedy released in June. That did the trick, and Yang...
- 9/13/2022
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The third season of Logh: Die Neue These changes focus once more, towards a number of secondary characters, the logistic issues war presents, and the new and quite ambitious plan Anton Hilmer von Chaft proposes to Reinhard.
The secondary characters this season focuses are Mittermeyer and Reunthal, whose past and the way they became such close friends is presented quite thoroughly, before they are placed in the background, for Admiral Kempf to eventually take center stage. In the meantime, Oberstein continues to be one of the most integral individuals in the way the story progresses, with Shunsuke Tada highlighting another side of him this time, as we see him taking in a dog. On the alliance side, Julian and the way he matures and eventually progresses in the ranks of the army is also an integral part here. In the meantime, the two main protagonists are caught up in their own issues,...
The secondary characters this season focuses are Mittermeyer and Reunthal, whose past and the way they became such close friends is presented quite thoroughly, before they are placed in the background, for Admiral Kempf to eventually take center stage. In the meantime, Oberstein continues to be one of the most integral individuals in the way the story progresses, with Shunsuke Tada highlighting another side of him this time, as we see him taking in a dog. On the alliance side, Julian and the way he matures and eventually progresses in the ranks of the army is also an integral part here. In the meantime, the two main protagonists are caught up in their own issues,...
- 9/3/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Edward Yang’s retrospective is the highlight of this year’s Five Flavours. For decades, he was known as a key representative of the Taiwanese New Wave and a master of world cinema but – strangely enough – he is still waiting to be fully discovered. The program was long in the making, as Yang’s films were being digitally restored. Now, for the first time in Poland, the festival can present his retrospective to the public.
Edward Yang shows the world of the upper-middle class in Taipei – the city he portraits as conflicted, chaotic, filled with chance encounters and surprising coincidences. New skyscrapers contrast with makeshift houses, extreme materialism coexists with a deep longing for the sense of belonging, American restaurants and clubs go hand in hand with traditional stalls offering cheap, local snacks. In every one of his films, Yang focuses on the images of modern love and the hope...
Edward Yang shows the world of the upper-middle class in Taipei – the city he portraits as conflicted, chaotic, filled with chance encounters and surprising coincidences. New skyscrapers contrast with makeshift houses, extreme materialism coexists with a deep longing for the sense of belonging, American restaurants and clubs go hand in hand with traditional stalls offering cheap, local snacks. In every one of his films, Yang focuses on the images of modern love and the hope...
- 9/2/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Click here to read the full article.
Jennifer Fox, the Oscar-nominated producer of Michael Clayton, will produce the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards for the second year in a row, and fourth time overall, Academy president Janet Yang announced Wednesday.
The Academy’s 13th Governors Awards will take place Nov. 19, 2022, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, and will celebrate Michael J. Fox with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren and Peter Weir with honorary Oscars.
“We’re thrilled to have Jennifer back at the helm to help us kick off Oscar season with a tribute fitting to these four extraordinary individuals,” Yang said in a statement. “Her contribution in past years has only elevated this truly special and joyous event.”
Added Fox, “I could not be more delighted to produce the Academy’s Governors Awards again and look forward to...
Jennifer Fox, the Oscar-nominated producer of Michael Clayton, will produce the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards for the second year in a row, and fourth time overall, Academy president Janet Yang announced Wednesday.
The Academy’s 13th Governors Awards will take place Nov. 19, 2022, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, and will celebrate Michael J. Fox with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren and Peter Weir with honorary Oscars.
“We’re thrilled to have Jennifer back at the helm to help us kick off Oscar season with a tribute fitting to these four extraordinary individuals,” Yang said in a statement. “Her contribution in past years has only elevated this truly special and joyous event.”
Added Fox, “I could not be more delighted to produce the Academy’s Governors Awards again and look forward to...
- 8/31/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 2019, after having worked as a writer on the 44th season of “Saturday Night Live,” Bowen Yang changed roles and became a featured member of the show’s cast. Two years later, he made history as the first featured “SNL” performer to be nominated for an acting Emmy, specifically in the category of Best Comedy Supporting Actor. Now that the recently-promoted repertory player is up for the same award again this year, he stands with Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Bill Hader, Alec Baldwin and Kenan Thompson as the sixth man (discounting guest stars) to receive multiple acting Emmy notices for the NBC sketch series.
Yang has submitted “Host: Rami Malek,” the third installment of the 47th “SNL” season, for Emmy consideration this year. This is the episode in which he went viral for his performance of a proud, gay Oompa Loompa at the Weekend Update desk. He also plays a...
Yang has submitted “Host: Rami Malek,” the third installment of the 47th “SNL” season, for Emmy consideration this year. This is the episode in which he went viral for his performance of a proud, gay Oompa Loompa at the Weekend Update desk. He also plays a...
- 8/30/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Click here to read the full article.
Apple TV+ is out to collect some more Loot.
The tech giant’s streaming service has renewed Loot, starring and executive produced by Maya Rudolph, for a second season. The pickup comes at the midpoint of the comedy’s 10-episode first season, and two weeks after Apple signed a first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company headed by Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens.
Loot was created by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard. Rudolph plays Molly Novak, a billionaire whose seemingly perfect life falls apart when her husband of 20 years betrays her and her public spiral becomes tabloid fodder. After learning she has a charitable foundation, Molly and its no-nonsense head Sofia (Michaela Jae Rodriguez) form a plan to give away much of her fortune.
The show’s cast also includes Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon and Ron Funches.
“Thanks to Maya,...
Apple TV+ is out to collect some more Loot.
The tech giant’s streaming service has renewed Loot, starring and executive produced by Maya Rudolph, for a second season. The pickup comes at the midpoint of the comedy’s 10-episode first season, and two weeks after Apple signed a first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company headed by Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens.
Loot was created by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard. Rudolph plays Molly Novak, a billionaire whose seemingly perfect life falls apart when her husband of 20 years betrays her and her public spiral becomes tabloid fodder. After learning she has a charitable foundation, Molly and its no-nonsense head Sofia (Michaela Jae Rodriguez) form a plan to give away much of her fortune.
The show’s cast also includes Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon and Ron Funches.
“Thanks to Maya,...
- 7/11/2022
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Apple TV+ has renewed workplace comedy “Loot,” starring and executive produced by Maya Rudolph, for a second season.
The news comes on the heels of the streamer inking a multi-year, first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company run by “Loot” executive producers Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens, which was announced June 27. The series hails from Rudolph, Alan Yang, and Matt Hubbard.
In “Loot,” billionaire Molly Novak (Rudolph) enjoys a seemingly idyllic life, complete with private jets, a sprawling mansion and a gigayacht. But when her longtime husband of 20 years betrays her, she spirals publicly, becoming fuel for tabloid fodder. As she descends to rock bottom, she’s surprised to learn that she has a charity foundation run by the no-nonsense Sofia Salinas (Rodriguez), who pleads with Molly to stop generating bad press. With her devoted assistant Nicholas (Kim Booster) by her side, and with the help of...
The news comes on the heels of the streamer inking a multi-year, first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company run by “Loot” executive producers Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens, which was announced June 27. The series hails from Rudolph, Alan Yang, and Matt Hubbard.
In “Loot,” billionaire Molly Novak (Rudolph) enjoys a seemingly idyllic life, complete with private jets, a sprawling mansion and a gigayacht. But when her longtime husband of 20 years betrays her, she spirals publicly, becoming fuel for tabloid fodder. As she descends to rock bottom, she’s surprised to learn that she has a charity foundation run by the no-nonsense Sofia Salinas (Rodriguez), who pleads with Molly to stop generating bad press. With her devoted assistant Nicholas (Kim Booster) by her side, and with the help of...
- 7/11/2022
- by Brandon Katz
- The Wrap
Thanks in large part to Luyu Yang, TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon. Now, Yang is parting ways with the app's corporate overlord.
Yang, the co-founder of TikTok predecessor Musical.ly, has left Bytedance. According to the South China Morning Post, which cited a previous report from Chinese outlet LatePost, Yang departed his position around the end of June. He had been at Bytedance since 2017, when the Beijing-based company acquired Musical.ly for a reported price of 800 million.
At the time of his exit, Yang was working closely with Dali, a Bytedance venture that was focused on creating educational technology. Dali developed a 119 smart lamp in 2020, but the unit has been affected by numerous regulatory issues. Domestically, Chinese edutech companies are scrambling to comply with the government's "double reduction" policy, which is designed to limit the amount of work student complete outside of school. Abroad, Bytedance has been compelled to...
Yang, the co-founder of TikTok predecessor Musical.ly, has left Bytedance. According to the South China Morning Post, which cited a previous report from Chinese outlet LatePost, Yang departed his position around the end of June. He had been at Bytedance since 2017, when the Beijing-based company acquired Musical.ly for a reported price of 800 million.
At the time of his exit, Yang was working closely with Dali, a Bytedance venture that was focused on creating educational technology. Dali developed a 119 smart lamp in 2020, but the unit has been affected by numerous regulatory issues. Domestically, Chinese edutech companies are scrambling to comply with the government's "double reduction" policy, which is designed to limit the amount of work student complete outside of school. Abroad, Bytedance has been compelled to...
- 7/8/2022
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Continuing the exploration of her life as a Zainichi Korean, Yang Yong-hi presents the third part of a trilogy that began with “Dear Pyongyang” and continued with “Sona, the Other Myself”, with “Soup and Ideology” focusing on her mother and a history of hers she revealed after getting treatment for an aneurysm.
“Soup and Ideology” is screening as part of Women Direct. Korean Indies! – Korean Women Independent Film Series at the Hong Kong Arts Centre
The events narrated, which is actually how the movie begins, focus on her memories of the Jeju 4.3 uprising, which she experienced when she was 18-years-old, between 1948 and 1949, and was the main reason she had to leave Korea for Japan once and for all. After this first scene, though, Yang takes a step back and goes back to a time before 2009, the year her father died, in order to share some memories of him and her mother together,...
“Soup and Ideology” is screening as part of Women Direct. Korean Indies! – Korean Women Independent Film Series at the Hong Kong Arts Centre
The events narrated, which is actually how the movie begins, focus on her memories of the Jeju 4.3 uprising, which she experienced when she was 18-years-old, between 1948 and 1949, and was the main reason she had to leave Korea for Japan once and for all. After this first scene, though, Yang takes a step back and goes back to a time before 2009, the year her father died, in order to share some memories of him and her mother together,...
- 7/6/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Last April audiences were treated to a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that proved actor Bowen Yang was one of the funniest comics out there. In remembrance of the sinking of the Titanic, the infamous iceberg that the ship hit (played by Yang) stopped by the Weekend Update newsdesk. Though the iceberg was there to promote his new album, all anyone wanted to talk about what the Titanic.
In a recent appearance on Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Yang sat down with “And Just Like That” star Cynthia Nixon to talk about how the iceberg sketch came to be. “It came from the [former] head writer, Anna Drezen, who is an old friend of mine from college,” Yang said in the video. “She texted me for the April show, ‘You come out as the Iceberg, and you’re here to promote your album.’”
He said that the process of writing the...
In a recent appearance on Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Yang sat down with “And Just Like That” star Cynthia Nixon to talk about how the iceberg sketch came to be. “It came from the [former] head writer, Anna Drezen, who is an old friend of mine from college,” Yang said in the video. “She texted me for the April show, ‘You come out as the Iceberg, and you’re here to promote your album.’”
He said that the process of writing the...
- 6/19/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Cynthia Nixon reprised her role as lawyer Miranda Hobbes on HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” follow-up “And Just Like That …,” this time adding in a new wrinkle to her character as a queer woman exploring romance with stand-up comic Che Diaz (played by Sara Ramírez). Her 2022 also included a turn in HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” Meanwhile, Bowen Yang brought his frank and fresh perspective to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” where he completed his third season as a cast member.
Bowen Yang: I wonder how it must have felt to go back into playing Miranda as an actor who probably experienced closure many different times.
Cynthia Nixon: After the second movie, I was like, there will not be anything more. We’re done.
Yang: I believed you.
Nixon: I believed me, too. The only downside to Miranda is when you’re so identified with a character,...
Bowen Yang: I wonder how it must have felt to go back into playing Miranda as an actor who probably experienced closure many different times.
Cynthia Nixon: After the second movie, I was like, there will not be anything more. We’re done.
Yang: I believed you.
Nixon: I believed me, too. The only downside to Miranda is when you’re so identified with a character,...
- 6/18/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
New Release Wall
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate) could very easily have been a one-joke movie, but Nicolas Cage playing a less successful and more venal version of himself is just the launching point for a clever and engaging film about fame, the movies and male bonding. When “Cage” accepts a gig to appear at the birthday of a nefarious Spanish billionaire (a hilarious Pedro Pascal), it’s one surprise after another both for our hero and for the audience.
Also available:
“Ambulance” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Michael Bay puts the robots away for this heart-thumping caper starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“The Bad Guys” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Animated anthropomorphic villains seek some redemption in this Dreamworks comedy.
“The Contractor” (Paramount Home Entertainment): Chris Pine stars as a desperate veteran who gets tied up with an underground paramilitary force.
“Eraser: Reborn” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment...
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate) could very easily have been a one-joke movie, but Nicolas Cage playing a less successful and more venal version of himself is just the launching point for a clever and engaging film about fame, the movies and male bonding. When “Cage” accepts a gig to appear at the birthday of a nefarious Spanish billionaire (a hilarious Pedro Pascal), it’s one surprise after another both for our hero and for the audience.
Also available:
“Ambulance” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Michael Bay puts the robots away for this heart-thumping caper starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“The Bad Guys” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Animated anthropomorphic villains seek some redemption in this Dreamworks comedy.
“The Contractor” (Paramount Home Entertainment): Chris Pine stars as a desperate veteran who gets tied up with an underground paramilitary force.
“Eraser: Reborn” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment...
- 6/17/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Welcome to the 174th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
Our guests this week are Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, creators of Apple’s forthcoming comedy Loot. Yang is an Emmy winner for Netflix’s Master of None, while Hubbard is an Emmy winner for NBC’s 30 Rock. They previously created Amazon’s Forever, which like Loot, stars Maya Rudolph. Other segments include a look at Netflix’s Stranger Things reality competition series and the TCA award nominations.
Here’s how the episode plays out:
1. Headlines
Billy Crystal,...
Welcome to the 174th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
Our guests this week are Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, creators of Apple’s forthcoming comedy Loot. Yang is an Emmy winner for Netflix’s Master of None, while Hubbard is an Emmy winner for NBC’s 30 Rock. They previously created Amazon’s Forever, which like Loot, stars Maya Rudolph. Other segments include a look at Netflix’s Stranger Things reality competition series and the TCA award nominations.
Here’s how the episode plays out:
1. Headlines
Billy Crystal,...
- 6/17/2022
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Money can’t buy happiness — but stacks of cash with Maya Rudolph’s face printed on them can get you pretty close. Happiness was certainly in the air on Wednesday evening at the West Hollywood premiere for Apple TV+’s upcoming comedy Loot, especially for star and executive producer Rudolph.
“It was a joy,” Rudolph told The Hollywood Reporter about working on the project. “Making any production in Covid is stressful and can be scary, and knowing that we were going to have those days where I got to be with the group was truly the joy. I feel really lucky that we got the group that we got, and I think they do too.”
She’s talking about the show’s crew and ensemble cast, which features Adam Scott, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon and Ron Funches. Led by...
Money can’t buy happiness — but stacks of cash with Maya Rudolph’s face printed on them can get you pretty close. Happiness was certainly in the air on Wednesday evening at the West Hollywood premiere for Apple TV+’s upcoming comedy Loot, especially for star and executive producer Rudolph.
“It was a joy,” Rudolph told The Hollywood Reporter about working on the project. “Making any production in Covid is stressful and can be scary, and knowing that we were going to have those days where I got to be with the group was truly the joy. I feel really lucky that we got the group that we got, and I think they do too.”
She’s talking about the show’s crew and ensemble cast, which features Adam Scott, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon and Ron Funches. Led by...
- 6/16/2022
- by Sydney Odman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As we approach 2022’s halfway point it’s time to take a temperature of the finest cinematic thus far: we’ve rounded up our favorites from the first six months of the year, many of which have flown under the radar. Kindly note that this is based solely on U.S. theatrical and digital releases from 2022.
We should also note a number of films that premiered on the festival circuit last year also had an awards-qualifying run, thus making them 2021 films by our standards—including Memoria, Petite Maman, The Worst Person in the World, A Hero, and Cyrano. Check out our picks below, as organized alphabetically, followed by honorable mentions.
After Yang (kogonada)
Many artists strive to find meaning in their work, but for kogonada it’s the pursuit that provides the meaning. In a way, if he were to “find it” that wouldn’t be nearly as special as...
We should also note a number of films that premiered on the festival circuit last year also had an awards-qualifying run, thus making them 2021 films by our standards—including Memoria, Petite Maman, The Worst Person in the World, A Hero, and Cyrano. Check out our picks below, as organized alphabetically, followed by honorable mentions.
After Yang (kogonada)
Many artists strive to find meaning in their work, but for kogonada it’s the pursuit that provides the meaning. In a way, if he were to “find it” that wouldn’t be nearly as special as...
- 6/14/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The Netflix drama series “The Brothers Sun” has set its main cast, which includes Michelle Yeoh, Variety has learned.
Yeoh will star alongside series regulars Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, Highdee Kuan, and Joon Lee. Alice Jewkin, Jon Xue Zhang, Jenny Yang, Madison Hu, and Rodney To will appear in recurring roles.
The show was ordered to series at Netflix back in February with an eight-episode pickup. It is set in Los Angeles and Taiwan and features an all-Asian writers room and all-Asian cast. It follows Taipei gangster Charles Sun (Chien), who’s settled into his life as a ruthless killer. But when his father is shot by a mysterious assassin, Charles must go to L.A. to protect his mother (Yeoh) and utterly-unaware younger brother, Bruce (Li).
Chien’s Charles Sun grew up the elder son of a crime boss, groomed to be a hardened criminal. He goes to...
Yeoh will star alongside series regulars Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, Highdee Kuan, and Joon Lee. Alice Jewkin, Jon Xue Zhang, Jenny Yang, Madison Hu, and Rodney To will appear in recurring roles.
The show was ordered to series at Netflix back in February with an eight-episode pickup. It is set in Los Angeles and Taiwan and features an all-Asian writers room and all-Asian cast. It follows Taipei gangster Charles Sun (Chien), who’s settled into his life as a ruthless killer. But when his father is shot by a mysterious assassin, Charles must go to L.A. to protect his mother (Yeoh) and utterly-unaware younger brother, Bruce (Li).
Chien’s Charles Sun grew up the elder son of a crime boss, groomed to be a hardened criminal. He goes to...
- 6/13/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Matt Rogers got to live the dream in the summer of 2021. That's when he and two of his very best friends - Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang - brought to life the script for "Fire Island," written by Booster and inspired by their real-life adventures. "I live under a lucky star," he tells Popsugar. "Seriously."
"When you're doing a movie that is about friendship and that is about chosen family, to be there with your literal sisters does a lot of the work," he explains. " I think we're good performers, but I also think we're great friends."
For "Fire Island," Booster mapped the plot of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" on a group of gay friends spending a week on Fire Island. The area is a historic gay vacation getaway on Long Island, partially because, for decades, it gave LGBTQ+ people a place to socialize outside of the eyes of straight society.
"When you're doing a movie that is about friendship and that is about chosen family, to be there with your literal sisters does a lot of the work," he explains. " I think we're good performers, but I also think we're great friends."
For "Fire Island," Booster mapped the plot of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" on a group of gay friends spending a week on Fire Island. The area is a historic gay vacation getaway on Long Island, partially because, for decades, it gave LGBTQ+ people a place to socialize outside of the eyes of straight society.
- 6/9/2022
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
Matt Rogers is finally having that moment. The longtime co-host of the “Las Culturistas” podcast with Bowen Yang has popped here and there. There was that Quibi series “Gayme Show” and writing gigs on “The Other Two” and “Q-Force” (as well as a voice role on the latter), but he’s been slightly (and we mean slightly) on the sidelines as his good friends Yang and Joel Kim Booster have stepped into the spotlight.
Continue reading Matt Rogers Loves That For You [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Matt Rogers Loves That For You [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 6/8/2022
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
“Fire Island” ignited a viral Twitter debate on June 7 over gender representation, but now the Bechdel Test creator herself, Alison Bechdel, has issued the last word.
The conversation began after New York Magazine podcaster Hannah Rosin tweeted, “So Fire Island gets an F- on the Bechdel test in a whole new way,” citing the lack of female characters in the queer Aapi reimagining of Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” aside from Margaret Cho’s mother hen onscreen persona.
The Bechdel Test is formally “a set of criteria used as a test to evaluate a work of fiction, such as a film, on the basis of its inclusion and representation of female characters.” The criteria tested is that a film must include at least two women, they must interact with each other, and their conversation must be about something other than a man. It originated, however, as a joke in...
The conversation began after New York Magazine podcaster Hannah Rosin tweeted, “So Fire Island gets an F- on the Bechdel test in a whole new way,” citing the lack of female characters in the queer Aapi reimagining of Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” aside from Margaret Cho’s mother hen onscreen persona.
The Bechdel Test is formally “a set of criteria used as a test to evaluate a work of fiction, such as a film, on the basis of its inclusion and representation of female characters.” The criteria tested is that a film must include at least two women, they must interact with each other, and their conversation must be about something other than a man. It originated, however, as a joke in...
- 6/8/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.