Exclusive: Peacock is staging the world’s first wildlife reality competition show.
The streamer has ordered The Hungry Games: Alaska’s Big Bear Challenge, a three-part series narrated by Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby.
The series, which is a co-production with global natural history brand Love Nature, follows the bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park as they bulk up for winter hibernation. Over 150 days, the bears battle the elements – and each other – using brains and brawn to consume three million calories and gain up to 200 pounds in Nature’s real-life survival show. Unbeknownst to the bears, their progress is being tracked and ranked for a television audience with narration that combines fascinating facts about bear behavior with color commentary from Darby.
The series is produced by Love Nature and Ample Entertainment. Alison Barrat and James Manfull exec produce for Love Nature, and Ari Mark, Phil Lott and David Brown for Ample Entertainment.
The streamer has ordered The Hungry Games: Alaska’s Big Bear Challenge, a three-part series narrated by Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby.
The series, which is a co-production with global natural history brand Love Nature, follows the bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park as they bulk up for winter hibernation. Over 150 days, the bears battle the elements – and each other – using brains and brawn to consume three million calories and gain up to 200 pounds in Nature’s real-life survival show. Unbeknownst to the bears, their progress is being tracked and ranked for a television audience with narration that combines fascinating facts about bear behavior with color commentary from Darby.
The series is produced by Love Nature and Ample Entertainment. Alison Barrat and James Manfull exec produce for Love Nature, and Ari Mark, Phil Lott and David Brown for Ample Entertainment.
- 4/18/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Is "Jaws" the greatest movie ever made? An impossible question to answer, but it's my favorite and the one I've rewatched the most as an adult. I've been lucky enough to see it in theaters a couple of times, including for the IMAX restoration in 2022. As gorgeous as "Jaws" looked in IMAX, the trailer for the restoration is downright uncanny. Almost 50-year-old footage is cut together with modern trailer editing rhythm, from the jumpiness to turning Chief Martin Brody's (Roy Scheider) "You're gonna need a bigger boat" line into the kind of funny stinger you might see in a Marvel Studios trailer.
Now, in the movie, that line happens right after the jump scare where the shark first appears, rearing up behind Brody as he's throwing chum off the stern of The Orca, Quint's (Robert Shaw) fishing boat. Brody's back is turned when the shark breaches the water,...
Now, in the movie, that line happens right after the jump scare where the shark first appears, rearing up behind Brody as he's throwing chum off the stern of The Orca, Quint's (Robert Shaw) fishing boat. Brody's back is turned when the shark breaches the water,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Steven Spielberg’s 1975 cult-classic film Jaws remains one of the greatest films of all time and is considered the definitive shark film by many, but fans would be shocked to know that he was not originally the director attached to the project. Indeed, it would be difficult to imagine another filmmaker stepping into the boat.
Jaws (1975)
How the famed filmmaker got the gig was quite an interesting one. Although he was not the first choice, he made the film his own even though it cost him so much mental and emotional stress.
Steven Spielberg Was Not The First Choice To Direct Jaws
In an interview for Laurent Bouzereau’s book Spielberg: The First Ten Years via Vanity Fair, director Steven Spielberg revealed how he snagged the project that was already in the hands of another creative.
“That was that, until I got a call from Dick asking me to come meet with him and David.
Jaws (1975)
How the famed filmmaker got the gig was quite an interesting one. Although he was not the first choice, he made the film his own even though it cost him so much mental and emotional stress.
Steven Spielberg Was Not The First Choice To Direct Jaws
In an interview for Laurent Bouzereau’s book Spielberg: The First Ten Years via Vanity Fair, director Steven Spielberg revealed how he snagged the project that was already in the hands of another creative.
“That was that, until I got a call from Dick asking me to come meet with him and David.
- 4/8/2024
- by Ariane Cruz
- FandomWire
Steven Spielberg's breakthrough movie, famously, did not come easy. In 1974, the up-and-coming filmmaker — then in his twenties — took on the difficult task of adapting a brand new, super-successful novel into what would become the first summer blockbuster, overseeing complex action sequences, massive practical effects set-ups, and shoots in the open ocean. It was a challenge that the filmmaker was hesitant to take on in the first place, and Spielberg eventually ended up over budget and over schedule.
As a product of movie-making titan Universal Pictures, it would've been easy for executives to simply replace Spielberg with another filmmaker. According to the director himself, though, one exec vouched for him, and it was a decision that impacted the rest of his career. Entertainment Weekly once asked Spielberg why he was never fired from "Jaws," and he replied: "Sid Sheinberg always blocked it." As the then-president of Universal, Sheinberg had final...
As a product of movie-making titan Universal Pictures, it would've been easy for executives to simply replace Spielberg with another filmmaker. According to the director himself, though, one exec vouched for him, and it was a decision that impacted the rest of his career. Entertainment Weekly once asked Spielberg why he was never fired from "Jaws," and he replied: "Sid Sheinberg always blocked it." As the then-president of Universal, Sheinberg had final...
- 4/8/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
What if Bruce, the mechanical shark in "Jaws," had actually worked? It's one of the biggest what-ifs in Hollywood history. While the movie's Great White Shark may have been "a perfect engine" (to quote Richard Dreyfuss' bespectacled scientist Matt Hooper), Bruce -- who got its moniker from Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer -- was anything but. Because of this, Spielberg and editor Verna Fields were forced to reconfigure the film's raw footage to avoid showing "The Great White Turd" (as the movie's crew came to call it) as much as possible. What emerged was a triumph of minimalistic horror filmmaking where what you don't see is just as terrifying as what you do, if not more so.
But what if Spielberg had never gotten to direct one of his all-time best movies to begin with? It's easy to recognize in hindsight that ol' Stevie Boy was fated to adapt Peter Benchley's pulpy best-seller,...
But what if Spielberg had never gotten to direct one of his all-time best movies to begin with? It's easy to recognize in hindsight that ol' Stevie Boy was fated to adapt Peter Benchley's pulpy best-seller,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Hallmark is filming its first Countdown To Christmas movie at Santa’s Village, in The Finnish Line. This movie stars Bold And The Beautiful alum Kim Matula, Ride star Beau MIrchoff, and Nichole Sakura. Best of all, husky lovers should be thrilled because there will be plenty of sled dogs in this movie that is filmed in the Arctic Circle.
What is this upcoming Christmas movie about?
Photo: Kim Matula Credit: ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Paulina Stevens Hallmark Viewers Are Getting Arctic Adventure In Iceland And Finland
On Tuesday, Hallmark issued a press release about the second big 2024 Countdown To Christmas Movie, The Finnish Line. This movie is “An Arctic Adventure.” According to The Futon Critic, there will be an “incredible dog sled ride throughout Iceland and Finland with a stop at the world-famous Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle located in Rovaniemi, Finland.”
Photo: Beau Mirchoff ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer:...
What is this upcoming Christmas movie about?
Photo: Kim Matula Credit: ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Paulina Stevens Hallmark Viewers Are Getting Arctic Adventure In Iceland And Finland
On Tuesday, Hallmark issued a press release about the second big 2024 Countdown To Christmas Movie, The Finnish Line. This movie is “An Arctic Adventure.” According to The Futon Critic, there will be an “incredible dog sled ride throughout Iceland and Finland with a stop at the world-famous Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle located in Rovaniemi, Finland.”
Photo: Beau Mirchoff ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer:...
- 3/19/2024
- by Georgia Makitalo
- TV Shows Ace
Winners were celebrated at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, 2024. The ceremony took place at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA and honored outstanding achievement in film and television. Gold Derby associate editor Latasha Ford and senior editor Marcus James Dixon enjoyed an exclusive spot on the red carpet, interviewing many of the celebrities who were honored, presenting or enjoying the night’s festivities.
Watch each short video below from the 2024 Spirit Awards by clicking that person’s name:
Alan Barinholtz and Ron Song (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Susan Berger (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
David Brown (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Ronald Gladden (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Trisha Lafache (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast...
Watch each short video below from the 2024 Spirit Awards by clicking that person’s name:
Alan Barinholtz and Ron Song (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Susan Berger (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
David Brown (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Ronald Gladden (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
Trisha Lafache (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast...
- 2/26/2024
- by Latasha Ford, Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The rain stayed away from Santa Monica Beach on Sunday (February 25) as Past Lives was named best film and Celine Song best director at the 39th annual Spirit Awards.
While the legacy studio and streamer contenders have dominated much of the big-ticket awards shows this season like Saturday night’s SAG Awards, last weekend’s Baftas, the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, this was a good opportunity for the Oscar-nominated A24 romance and Song to earn gongs for a film which has done well among critics groups since its world premiere at Sundance just over one year ago.
Jeffrey Wright...
While the legacy studio and streamer contenders have dominated much of the big-ticket awards shows this season like Saturday night’s SAG Awards, last weekend’s Baftas, the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, this was a good opportunity for the Oscar-nominated A24 romance and Song to earn gongs for a film which has done well among critics groups since its world premiere at Sundance just over one year ago.
Jeffrey Wright...
- 2/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Past Lives was named best feature at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were handed out Sunday afternoon in Santa Monica.
In addition, Celine Song was named best director for her work on the film.
Elsewhere, Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the Spirit Award for best supporting performance, for her role in The Holdovers, repeating her win from Saturday night’s SAG Awards and other shows this awards season. Her co-star, Dominic Sessa, won the Spirit Award for best breakthrough performance.
American Fiction also collected two trophies: Cord Jefferson won the award for best screenplay, while Jeffrey Wright won for best lead performance.
May December won the award for best first screenplay for Samy Burch (story by Burch and Alex Mechanik). Four Daughters was named best documentary.
On the TV side, Beef was named best new scripted series, while Ali Wong won best lead performance for her role in the show,...
In addition, Celine Song was named best director for her work on the film.
Elsewhere, Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the Spirit Award for best supporting performance, for her role in The Holdovers, repeating her win from Saturday night’s SAG Awards and other shows this awards season. Her co-star, Dominic Sessa, won the Spirit Award for best breakthrough performance.
American Fiction also collected two trophies: Cord Jefferson won the award for best screenplay, while Jeffrey Wright won for best lead performance.
May December won the award for best first screenplay for Samy Burch (story by Burch and Alex Mechanik). Four Daughters was named best documentary.
On the TV side, Beef was named best new scripted series, while Ali Wong won best lead performance for her role in the show,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just hours after the 2024 SAG Awards, the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards return, honoring independent films and TV shows and streaming series.
The ceremony, hosted by Aidy Bryant, takes place on Sunday at 2 p.m. Pt from the Santa Monica Pier. This year’s awards show will stream live on Film Independent’s YouTube channel and X (formerly known as Twitter) page, as well as on IMDb’s YouTube channel and X page.
Or you can watch via the video player embedded below.
American Fiction, May December and Past Lives lead the film nominees this year with five each, while I’m a Virgo and The Last of Us were the most recognized on the TV side, receiving four nominations each. For the second year in a row, the awards categories are gender-neutral. Winners are voted on by Film Independent members.
This year’s presenters include Elizabeth Banks, Joel Kim Booster, Adam Brody,...
The ceremony, hosted by Aidy Bryant, takes place on Sunday at 2 p.m. Pt from the Santa Monica Pier. This year’s awards show will stream live on Film Independent’s YouTube channel and X (formerly known as Twitter) page, as well as on IMDb’s YouTube channel and X page.
Or you can watch via the video player embedded below.
American Fiction, May December and Past Lives lead the film nominees this year with five each, while I’m a Virgo and The Last of Us were the most recognized on the TV side, receiving four nominations each. For the second year in a row, the awards categories are gender-neutral. Winners are voted on by Film Independent members.
This year’s presenters include Elizabeth Banks, Joel Kim Booster, Adam Brody,...
- 2/25/2024
- by Tatiana Tenreyro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Film Independent Spirit Awards have been dutifully assigned to their worthy recipients, thus putting a button on yet another great year of indie film and innovative visual storytelling. And as awards prognosticators now ponder their Oscar futures with this new data set and the tent falls around our knees, we want to shout out one more time all of the producers, writers, directors, performers and more who made this such a special experience.
This year’s ceremony streamed live on IMDb’s YouTube and across other social platforms, including Film Independent’s own YouTube channel and Twitter (or “X” if you’re being pedantic). The full livestream (see below) will remain available to watch On Demand for the next eight weeks, which highlights, behind-the-scenes moments, arrival carpet interviews and more will are available at filmindependent.org and wherever fine entertainment journalism prevails.
Best Supporting Performance
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers...
This year’s ceremony streamed live on IMDb’s YouTube and across other social platforms, including Film Independent’s own YouTube channel and Twitter (or “X” if you’re being pedantic). The full livestream (see below) will remain available to watch On Demand for the next eight weeks, which highlights, behind-the-scenes moments, arrival carpet interviews and more will are available at filmindependent.org and wherever fine entertainment journalism prevails.
Best Supporting Performance
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers...
- 2/23/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
“The first time I came to this studio was 1940 when my father brought me here to show me the stage, and I was about 9 or 10 years old, and I thought, ‘Some day this will all be mine!’ It’s finally come to be – it’s only taken me 92 years to get here!” That’s what five-time Oscar winner and 53-time nominee John Williams said as the curtain was raised on the iconic Sony Pictures Entertainment lot’s newly renamed John Williams Music Building.
Joining in the celebration — and it was a celebration — were Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman, Spe Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra (who made opening remarks), filmmaker J.J. Abrams and of course, Williams’ longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg, who instigated the idea of putting the legendary composer’s name on the building where they have worked on 20 or their 29 films, as Spielberg noted.
Rothman...
Joining in the celebration — and it was a celebration — were Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman, Spe Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra (who made opening remarks), filmmaker J.J. Abrams and of course, Williams’ longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg, who instigated the idea of putting the legendary composer’s name on the building where they have worked on 20 or their 29 films, as Spielberg noted.
Rothman...
- 1/18/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
So many stars stepped out to attend the 2024 Film Independent Spirt Awards Nominees Brunch on Saturday morning (January 6) at the Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica, Calif.
As awards season kicks into high gear, everyone from Lily Gladstone and Colman Domingo to James Marsden and Dominique Fishback made it out to the event ahead.
With more than 30 stars on the guestlist, we pulled together photos of everyone so that you could easily scroll and see who was there and what they were wearing!
Head inside to see photos of everyone at the 2024 Film Independent Spirt Awards Nominees Brunch…
Keep scrolling to see photos of every single star who attended the 2024 Film Independent Spirt Awards Nominees Brunch…
Colman Domingo
Todd Haynes
Dominique Fishback
Lily Gladstone
James Marsden
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Celine Song
Adina Porter
Erika Alexander
Franz Rogowski
Glenn Howerton and Jill Latiano
Judy Reyes
Trace Lysette
Maria Russell
David Brown...
As awards season kicks into high gear, everyone from Lily Gladstone and Colman Domingo to James Marsden and Dominique Fishback made it out to the event ahead.
With more than 30 stars on the guestlist, we pulled together photos of everyone so that you could easily scroll and see who was there and what they were wearing!
Head inside to see photos of everyone at the 2024 Film Independent Spirt Awards Nominees Brunch…
Keep scrolling to see photos of every single star who attended the 2024 Film Independent Spirt Awards Nominees Brunch…
Colman Domingo
Todd Haynes
Dominique Fishback
Lily Gladstone
James Marsden
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Celine Song
Adina Porter
Erika Alexander
Franz Rogowski
Glenn Howerton and Jill Latiano
Judy Reyes
Trace Lysette
Maria Russell
David Brown...
- 1/7/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
The Sundance Institute unveiled the lineup of 53 short films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, taking place Jan. 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. The film fest will happen in person, with a selection of titles available online from Jan. 25-28. Sundance was forced to re-format its 2021 and 2022 editions as virtual events because of the pandemic, but it returned in physical form in 2023.
Celebrating its 40th edition, Sundance will also feature a slate of special screenings including a restored version of “Napoleon Dynamite,” which first premiered at the festival in 2004, as well as 2014’s “The Babadook” and 1984’s “The Times of Harvey Milk.” Festival programming also includes events with Richard Linklater, Miguel Arteta, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Carlos López Estrada, Sterlin Harjo, Steve James, Dawn Porter, Nzingha Stewart and Christine Vachon.
“Selecting the shorts for the Festival Program every year is an exercise in taking the pulse of film culture,...
Celebrating its 40th edition, Sundance will also feature a slate of special screenings including a restored version of “Napoleon Dynamite,” which first premiered at the festival in 2004, as well as 2014’s “The Babadook” and 1984’s “The Times of Harvey Milk.” Festival programming also includes events with Richard Linklater, Miguel Arteta, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Carlos López Estrada, Sterlin Harjo, Steve James, Dawn Porter, Nzingha Stewart and Christine Vachon.
“Selecting the shorts for the Festival Program every year is an exercise in taking the pulse of film culture,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
The 2024 Sundance lineup is coming into fuller view, including celebrations for its 40th edition and its shorts program. The festival will take place January 18 through 28 in-person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from January 25 through 28 via digital platforms.
The festival will introduce new short films for 2024 across eight curated programs, including a festival retrospective hosted by Mark and Jay Duplass. This year’s programming for new titles features 53 short films selected from 12,098 submissions, the highest number on record. Of these submissions, 5,323 were from the U.S., and 6,799 were international. The selected shorts represent 22 countries.
In addition to the shorts programming, the special 40th edition celebration screenings and events kick off on January 23, bringing Sundance alumni together for conversations and gatherings while revisiting iconic films like new 4K restorations of “Napoleon Dynamite” for its 20th anniversary, the 25th anniversary of “Three Seasons,...
The festival will introduce new short films for 2024 across eight curated programs, including a festival retrospective hosted by Mark and Jay Duplass. This year’s programming for new titles features 53 short films selected from 12,098 submissions, the highest number on record. Of these submissions, 5,323 were from the U.S., and 6,799 were international. The selected shorts represent 22 countries.
In addition to the shorts programming, the special 40th edition celebration screenings and events kick off on January 23, bringing Sundance alumni together for conversations and gatherings while revisiting iconic films like new 4K restorations of “Napoleon Dynamite” for its 20th anniversary, the 25th anniversary of “Three Seasons,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Nominees for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards — the premiere awards event for the independent film and television community — were announced on Tuesday morning by actor/director/writer Natalie Morales and actor/producer/writer Joel Kim Booster, and HBO’s The Last of Us and Prime Video’s I’m a Virgo the TV pack with four nods each.
Netflix’s Beef followed closely with three noms.
More from TVLineCritics Choice Award Nominations: <em>The Morning Show</em> Scores Most Nods, Beating <em>Succession</em> — See Full ListThe Oscars Telecast Is (Pretty Much) Guaranteed to End Before Bedtime This Year — Here’s WhyTVLine Items: Michelle Williams Is Dying for Sex,...
Netflix’s Beef followed closely with three noms.
More from TVLineCritics Choice Award Nominations: <em>The Morning Show</em> Scores Most Nods, Beating <em>Succession</em> — See Full ListThe Oscars Telecast Is (Pretty Much) Guaranteed to End Before Bedtime This Year — Here’s WhyTVLine Items: Michelle Williams Is Dying for Sex,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
American Fiction, May December and Past Lives lead the nominations for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were were announced Tuesday morning.
Each film garnered five noms, including best feature. Also nominated in that category are All of Us Strangers, Passages and We Grown Now.
The Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast, will be presented to Showing Up, directed by Kelly Reichardt. The casting director is Gayle Keller, and the ensemble cast includes André Benjamin, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Heather Lawless, James Le Gros, John Magaro, Matt Malloy, Amanda Plummer, Maryann Plunkett, Denzel Rodriguez and Michelle Williams.
On the TV side, Jury Duty was tapped for the award of best ensemble in a new scripted series, an honor bestowed on one show (there are no nominees). The cast includes Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball,...
Each film garnered five noms, including best feature. Also nominated in that category are All of Us Strangers, Passages and We Grown Now.
The Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast, will be presented to Showing Up, directed by Kelly Reichardt. The casting director is Gayle Keller, and the ensemble cast includes André Benjamin, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Heather Lawless, James Le Gros, John Magaro, Matt Malloy, Amanda Plummer, Maryann Plunkett, Denzel Rodriguez and Michelle Williams.
On the TV side, Jury Duty was tapped for the award of best ensemble in a new scripted series, an honor bestowed on one show (there are no nominees). The cast includes Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Independent is currently in the middle of a Matching Campaign to raise support for the next 30 years of filmmaker support. All donations make before or on September 15 will be doubled—dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000. To celebrate the campaign, we’re re-posting a few of our most popular blogs.
From Olivia Colman’s fraught sojourn to the Greek Isles in The Lost Daughter to Jessie Buckley’s terrifying trip up the M5 to the English countryside in Men and M. Night’s bummer beaches in Old, taking a little “me time” away from home is often the single biggest mistake any movie character could possibly make. Horror, psychological drama, comedy, mystery, rom-com. The genre hardly matters. In film, the simple act of taking a vacation is rarely the relaxing, restorative interlude one hopes that it might be, placing uneasy personalities in uncertain—even harrowing—circumstances.
So with Labor Day weekend upon...
From Olivia Colman’s fraught sojourn to the Greek Isles in The Lost Daughter to Jessie Buckley’s terrifying trip up the M5 to the English countryside in Men and M. Night’s bummer beaches in Old, taking a little “me time” away from home is often the single biggest mistake any movie character could possibly make. Horror, psychological drama, comedy, mystery, rom-com. The genre hardly matters. In film, the simple act of taking a vacation is rarely the relaxing, restorative interlude one hopes that it might be, placing uneasy personalities in uncertain—even harrowing—circumstances.
So with Labor Day weekend upon...
- 9/1/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
George Lucas hadn't officially directed a movie in 20 years when he stepped back behind the camera for "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" in 1997, and it didn't take long for him to remember why, starting with 1980's "Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back," he'd left the business of shouting "Action!" and "Cut!" to hired hands.
Anticipation for a new, canonical, live-action "Star Wars" movie was feverish. Lucas had been teasing the possibility of a prequel trilogy for over a decade, and now he was set to tell the tragic saga of how a young Anakin Skywalker betrayed his wife, his mentor, and his fellow Jedi to become Darth Vader. The pressure was immense, but Lucas produced these movies independently of their distributor, 20th Century Fox. He could blow a release date deadline if he absolutely had to. The franchise changed Hollywood in 1977, and, with promised advancements in CG,...
Anticipation for a new, canonical, live-action "Star Wars" movie was feverish. Lucas had been teasing the possibility of a prequel trilogy for over a decade, and now he was set to tell the tragic saga of how a young Anakin Skywalker betrayed his wife, his mentor, and his fellow Jedi to become Darth Vader. The pressure was immense, but Lucas produced these movies independently of their distributor, 20th Century Fox. He could blow a release date deadline if he absolutely had to. The franchise changed Hollywood in 1977, and, with promised advancements in CG,...
- 8/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Heartland is setting its U.S. TV return with Season 16 UPtv premiere officially set for Sunday, August 6. The family drama is the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian television history, and it remains a favorite stateside. Set in the rolling foothills of the Rockies in the fictional town of Hudson, Alberta, Heartland follows the Bartlett-Fleming Family who has just learned a hard lesson that life is short and you must live each day to the fullest. (Credit: David Brown / ©UPtv / Courtesy Everett Collection) While some journeys end, others are just beginning. In Season 16, Amy (Amber Marshall) and the rest of her family are making bold strides toward their futures. Together, the Bartlett-Fleming family will come together to face fears and start a new chapter. Based on Lauren Brooke’s bestselling series of books, Heartland first debuted back in 2007. Announced by People, the UPtv debut of Heartland‘s 16th season will take place...
- 7/26/2023
- TV Insider
Oxygen’s true-crime docuseries Real Murders of Orange County revisits one of the most shocking and disturbing murder mysteries that had the system fooled until years later.
In the upcoming episode, “Stolen Youth” Linda Marie Brown, a young mother is killed in her own bed in what seems to be a sudden crime of rage. But the true killer is shockingly revealed years later to be a twisted master of manipulation.
The murder was pinned on the young mother’s teenage stepdaughter, Cinnamon Brown. But during her trial, investigators noticed extremely bizarre behavior from the murder victim’s husband, David Brown, who sat in the courtroom. This bizarre behavior became one of many red flags in this case.
David Brown’s courtroom behavior was shocking
In an exclusive clip shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, investigators recalled how David was “never around” throughout Cinnamon’s trial. Investigators thought it was strange...
In the upcoming episode, “Stolen Youth” Linda Marie Brown, a young mother is killed in her own bed in what seems to be a sudden crime of rage. But the true killer is shockingly revealed years later to be a twisted master of manipulation.
The murder was pinned on the young mother’s teenage stepdaughter, Cinnamon Brown. But during her trial, investigators noticed extremely bizarre behavior from the murder victim’s husband, David Brown, who sat in the courtroom. This bizarre behavior became one of many red flags in this case.
David Brown’s courtroom behavior was shocking
In an exclusive clip shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, investigators recalled how David was “never around” throughout Cinnamon’s trial. Investigators thought it was strange...
- 7/21/2023
- by Gina Ragusa
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It was a big win for the underdog on Wednesday as Freevee’s Jury Duty was nominated for four Emmy Awards including Outstanding Comedy Series, Supporting Actor for James Marsden, Writing for Mekki Leeper and Casting for Susie Farris.
Although completely unexpected, the surprise was obviously welcome by executive producer David Bernad, who spoke to Deadline about the momentous occasion.
“I give an incredible amount of credit to the writers, Cody Heller, Andrew Weinberg, Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky; Nick Hatton, one of our incredible producers; the cast who were all exceptional obviously James, and everyone else in the cast who really dedicated so much of their life to the show. They all deserve this award,” Bernad, also a producer on HBO’s The White Lotus and NBC’s Superstore, to name a few, told Deadline.
However, the moment is bittersweet for the producer as the WGA strike is on its...
Although completely unexpected, the surprise was obviously welcome by executive producer David Bernad, who spoke to Deadline about the momentous occasion.
“I give an incredible amount of credit to the writers, Cody Heller, Andrew Weinberg, Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky; Nick Hatton, one of our incredible producers; the cast who were all exceptional obviously James, and everyone else in the cast who really dedicated so much of their life to the show. They all deserve this award,” Bernad, also a producer on HBO’s The White Lotus and NBC’s Superstore, to name a few, told Deadline.
However, the moment is bittersweet for the producer as the WGA strike is on its...
- 7/13/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
When the list of potential Emmy nominees was officially released on Thursday, the Amazon Freevee genre-bending comedy “Jury Duty” listed six submissions for Emmy Awards comedy supporting actor and actress: James Marsden, David Brown, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, Edy Modica and Rashida Olayiwola. That may not seem particularly significant, but for a series that seemingly against all odds caught hold of the zeitgeist this past spring, it’s massive. The craziest part is that it actually has a chance of pulling in an Emmy nom or two – perhaps even in comedy series and (maybe especially) comedy series casting for its casting director Susie Farris.
In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that “Jury Duty” is going to be the Andrea Riseborough of this Emmy season and shock the awards world as a grassroots phenomenon by cracking the best comedy nominee lineup. And it...
In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that “Jury Duty” is going to be the Andrea Riseborough of this Emmy season and shock the awards world as a grassroots phenomenon by cracking the best comedy nominee lineup. And it...
- 6/19/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
“Jury Duty” has no business working as well as it does, and Jake Szymanski, who directed all eight episodes, knows it. “It just sounded like a crazy, almost impossible idea, which is what I’m attracted to,” he tells Gold Derby. “It sounded tough. It sounded like a mental puzzle on how to pull it off.”
The Amazon Freevee comedy follows Ronald Gladden, a solar panel contractor who believes he’s participating in a documentary as he serves jury duty. In reality, he had no idea he was on a scripted TV show and that everything in his life for three weeks was fake and heavily planned — from the case and the sequestration to the 11 actors as his fellow jurors (and James Marsden as an entitled version of James Marsden) and that dinner at Margaritaville.
Szymanski and the “Jury Duty” team spent four months in pre-production meticulously creating an immersive...
The Amazon Freevee comedy follows Ronald Gladden, a solar panel contractor who believes he’s participating in a documentary as he serves jury duty. In reality, he had no idea he was on a scripted TV show and that everything in his life for three weeks was fake and heavily planned — from the case and the sequestration to the 11 actors as his fellow jurors (and James Marsden as an entitled version of James Marsden) and that dinner at Margaritaville.
Szymanski and the “Jury Duty” team spent four months in pre-production meticulously creating an immersive...
- 5/31/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Joe Pickett: “The Missing and the Dead”- Michael Dorman as Joe Pickett In season 2, episode 1 of Joe Pickett, streaming on Paramount +, 2023. Photo Credit: David Brown/Paramount + Paramount+ revealed the official trailer and key art for the second season of the hit drama series Joe Pickett. The second season will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, June 4 in the U.S. and Canada and the following day on Monday, June 5 in Australia. Following the premiere, new episodes will drop weekly exclusively on Paramount+. Premiere dates in additional international markets will be announced at a later date. All episodes of the series’ first season are available to stream on Paramount+. In season two, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett (Michael Dorman) discovers a hunter murdered in the mountains and realizes this is just one of a series of gruesome murders. To solve the case and catch the killer, Joe must navigate a radical anti-hunting activist,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Hallmark Channel’s Ride is about to ride off into the sunset. The season finale of the rodeo family drama is fast approaching. Here are all the details about what to expect in the next few episodes, when the last episode will air, and whether the show has been renewed for season 2.
The McMurray family hosts a wedding on the ranch in the May 14 episode of ‘Ride’ Nancy Travis as Isabel McMurray in ‘Ride’ on Hallmark Channel | ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer: David Brown
Ride Episode 8, “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace,” airs May 14 at 8 p.m. on Hallmark. The McMurray family is hosting an expensive wedding for Gus Booker’s (Tyler Jacob Moore) sister Laura (Anna Hopkins) on their ranch. The pressure is on to make sure the big day comes off without a hitch, especially because this could be a make-or-break business opportunity for the ranch.
Unfortunately, disaster strikes...
The McMurray family hosts a wedding on the ranch in the May 14 episode of ‘Ride’ Nancy Travis as Isabel McMurray in ‘Ride’ on Hallmark Channel | ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer: David Brown
Ride Episode 8, “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace,” airs May 14 at 8 p.m. on Hallmark. The McMurray family is hosting an expensive wedding for Gus Booker’s (Tyler Jacob Moore) sister Laura (Anna Hopkins) on their ranch. The pressure is on to make sure the big day comes off without a hitch, especially because this could be a make-or-break business opportunity for the ranch.
Unfortunately, disaster strikes...
- 5/14/2023
- by Megan Elliott
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
It happens every so often: two Hollywood movies come out around the same time, with a shockingly similar premise. There was "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" in 1986, "Dante's Peak" and "Volcano" in 1997, and in more recent times, "Hercules" and "The Legend of Hercules" in 2014. But the most infamous of these twin films battles took place in the summer of '98, when "Deep Impact" went up against "Armageddon" as the two asteroid disaster flicks battled it out for box office supremacy. Ultimately, Michael Bay's "Armageddon" came out on top.
It's not as though director Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" was a failure — in fact, by many metrics, it was a gigantic success. It's just that it wasn't quite as big as Bay's bombastic spectacle starring Bruce Willis,...
It happens every so often: two Hollywood movies come out around the same time, with a shockingly similar premise. There was "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" in 1986, "Dante's Peak" and "Volcano" in 1997, and in more recent times, "Hercules" and "The Legend of Hercules" in 2014. But the most infamous of these twin films battles took place in the summer of '98, when "Deep Impact" went up against "Armageddon" as the two asteroid disaster flicks battled it out for box office supremacy. Ultimately, Michael Bay's "Armageddon" came out on top.
It's not as though director Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" was a failure — in fact, by many metrics, it was a gigantic success. It's just that it wasn't quite as big as Bay's bombastic spectacle starring Bruce Willis,...
- 5/13/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Jury Duty has become a big hit for Amazon Freevee. The executive producers of the series, David Bernad and Todd Schulman, think the concept behind the series is ‘infinitely repeatable.’ So there is a good chance the series may be renewed for a second season.
Season one of the docu-comedy stars James Marsden, Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Trisha Lafache, Mekki Leeper, Brandon Loeser, Edy Modica, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Kerry O’Neill, Whitney Rice, Maria Russell, Ishmel Sahid, Ben Seaward, Ron Song, and Evan Williams. The season follows a jury trial where everyone is an actor except for one jury member, a solar contractor from California named Ronald Gladden, who believes he's taking part in an actual trial.
Read More…...
Season one of the docu-comedy stars James Marsden, Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Trisha Lafache, Mekki Leeper, Brandon Loeser, Edy Modica, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Kerry O’Neill, Whitney Rice, Maria Russell, Ishmel Sahid, Ben Seaward, Ron Song, and Evan Williams. The season follows a jury trial where everyone is an actor except for one jury member, a solar contractor from California named Ronald Gladden, who believes he's taking part in an actual trial.
Read More…...
- 5/6/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
The jury is still out on whether Amazon Freevee’s mockumentary sitcom “Jury Duty” will be able to break into the Emmys race, but the excitement for the comedy has taken the TV world by storm, and Amazon sees an opening for it.
Variety has learned exclusively Amazon plans to submit the eight-episode inaugural season for the Emmy comedy categories, seeking recognition in over a dozen key races including acting, writing and directing.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.
Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the series follows the inner workings of a jury trial through the eyes of Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, who is unaware that his jury duty summons was not official and everyone on the jury aside from him, is an actor.
Gladden has been the comedy’s breakout star of the series and will...
Variety has learned exclusively Amazon plans to submit the eight-episode inaugural season for the Emmy comedy categories, seeking recognition in over a dozen key races including acting, writing and directing.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.
Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the series follows the inner workings of a jury trial through the eyes of Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, who is unaware that his jury duty summons was not official and everyone on the jury aside from him, is an actor.
Gladden has been the comedy’s breakout star of the series and will...
- 5/5/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
In the days since the finale of “Jury Duty” on Amazon Freevee, Ronald Gladden’s life has changed in ways he never could have imagined. After responding to a Craigslist ad asking for participants to take part in a documentary about jury duty, the 30-year-old San Diego-based project manager instead found himself as the unknowing star of his very own “Truman Show.”
He ended up being the foreman on an absurd, fake trial while a cast of actors orchestrated a string of ludicrous scenes pulled straight out of a sitcom. While in hindsight it’s hard to see how Gladden didn’t have his suspicions, the most unbelievable moment for him might have come in the final episode, when it’s revealed that every interaction he’s had over the past month was scripted and rehearsed, with hidden cameras documenting his every move that would ultimately be viewed by millions of strangers.
He ended up being the foreman on an absurd, fake trial while a cast of actors orchestrated a string of ludicrous scenes pulled straight out of a sitcom. While in hindsight it’s hard to see how Gladden didn’t have his suspicions, the most unbelievable moment for him might have come in the final episode, when it’s revealed that every interaction he’s had over the past month was scripted and rehearsed, with hidden cameras documenting his every move that would ultimately be viewed by millions of strangers.
- 5/1/2023
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety Film + TV
Years after she released her series “Dummy” on the now-defunct Quibi, Cody Heller decided to go into her next project without expectations. In doing so, she’s had her mind blown by the positive reaction she saw online as people received her latest work, “Jury Duty.”
Starring James Marsden, the documentary-style comedy takes one unsuspecting civilian and puts them through a series of pranks. The catch? He doesn’t know everything is fake. The entire case is fake — the judge, courtroom, bailiffs, and all of his peers are all paid actors and everything this team of “jurors” experienced is carefully orchestrated by Heller and her team of writers.
It’s a months long process from development and pre-production that sets the stage for the series, which would go on to become a success for Amazon’s free streaming platform, Freevee.
First, Heller needed a main character — an unwittingly honest protagonist...
Starring James Marsden, the documentary-style comedy takes one unsuspecting civilian and puts them through a series of pranks. The catch? He doesn’t know everything is fake. The entire case is fake — the judge, courtroom, bailiffs, and all of his peers are all paid actors and everything this team of “jurors” experienced is carefully orchestrated by Heller and her team of writers.
It’s a months long process from development and pre-production that sets the stage for the series, which would go on to become a success for Amazon’s free streaming platform, Freevee.
First, Heller needed a main character — an unwittingly honest protagonist...
- 4/26/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Ronald Gladden didn’t know he was the star of Amazon Freevee’s Jury Duty until the final day of filming. Over the course of three weeks, he created relationships with members of what he thought was a real jury. In reality, they were actors. People like Mekki Leeper of Sex Lives of College Girls, David Brown of I Used to Go Here, and Edy Modica of The Special Without Brett Davis made up the jury Gladden led. And they all did an impressively convincing job! We chatted with Gladden about his time filming, including what he thought of his co-stars’ acting chops.
Jury Duty | Amazon Studios/YouTube The actors Ronald thought were the most convincing in their roles
When asked who was the most convincing in character, Gladden gave a three-way tie between Ron Song (who played Ken), Leeper (who played Noah), and Brown (who played Todd).
“Those three...
Jury Duty | Amazon Studios/YouTube The actors Ronald thought were the most convincing in their roles
When asked who was the most convincing in character, Gladden gave a three-way tie between Ron Song (who played Ken), Leeper (who played Noah), and Brown (who played Todd).
“Those three...
- 4/22/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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