News

A Steve Coogan project about a London PR guru who greenwashes the reputations of the world’s worst polluters leads Climate Spring’s movie development slate heading into EFM.

Climate Spring is seeking financing for The Good Life along with four other projects from a range of UK prodcos. The organization, which consults on and produces projects related to climate change, is also ramping up its TV development slate.

Coogan is leading and writing The Good Life. He will play the PR guru who discovers he only has a few months to live so tries to repair the damage in his professional and private life, starting with his estranged eco-activist daughter. Coogan is writing with James Handel and Matt Winn. Metro International is handling international sales.

Also on the slate is The American Can, which is based on a true story in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Wolf Border from...

Bunnie Xo has been building up her home with the cutest and sweetest farm animals. She even got her husband, Jelly Roll, a donkey who he has fallen completely in love with. Unfortunately, people are not always so kind, and someone questioned if they were solely there as “lawn ornaments.” In typical Bunnie fashion, she clapped back and let them know the truth. Keep reading for more on what she had to say.

Bunnie Xo Claps Back, Farm Animals Just ‘Lawn Ornaments’

The one thing about Bunnie Xo is that she loves animals of all kinds. She was convinced that she needed a family of opossums and was trying to get her husband on board with the idea they needed them. They already have their dogs which have traveled on tour with the couple. Now, they are building up a farm and it is not just Bunnie who loves their new additions.

This week on the Film Stories Podcast Network, festive Doctor Who, new Lord of the Rings and more. Here’s what we’ve been up to…

Reel Talk / One Rules Them All

In an epic crossover fit enough to forge a ring, Sam Stokes brings his Reel Talk podcast together with Baz Greenland and Luke Winch’s One Rules Them All to discuss new animated Lotr film, The War of the Rohirrim…

The Tardis Crew

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Doctor Who and this year, Steven Moffat is on writing duties with 'Joy to the World’, dissected by Baz and Ben Greenland…

Writers on Film

A surfeit of episodes from John Bleasdale have arrived in recent weeks, including part two of a conversation with Terrence Malick’s cinematographer Jack Fisk, and this end of 2024 summation alongside a re-aired favourite, Walter Chaw on Walter Hill…

MovieVersaries

In a network tradition,...

Drew Carey is always ready to give contestants on The Price Is Right some friendly advice about the games.

However, during a recent episode, he also offered a friendly suggestion to a contestant about his future career.

Drew, 66, is a former comedian and actor who has since moved comfortably to his role as game show host.

According to a recent highlight clip from The Price Is Right, viewers may have seen a “future star” on the show.

Drew met a contestant, Malcolm, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and said, “New York raised [him].”

Malcolm told Drew he was visiting the area and had “a quick table read” for an unspecified potential acting role, which piqued Drew’s curiosity.

Drew told Tpir contestant: ‘Act like you love money’

“Oh, what’s up, future star?” Drew joked to Malcolm, who replied he was “just working.”

“Well, act like you love money because...

The 1990s proved a turbulent time for Sylvester Stallone's career after the highly successful decade that was the 1980s. As the cinematic landscape shifted and action films developed, he found himself picking roles either too similar to previous outings or too dissimilar. Whether it be his often maligned comedies or his attempts to recapture the success of Stallone's best films like First Blood or the previous Rocky movies.

There are still plenty of gems to be found in his work throughout the decade, with some of his best acting on display. He has always had an inconsistent track record with the projects he has picked every decade. Varying from highs like Creed to low points like Rhinestone, but no matter what, Stallone has remained a towering figure in blockbuster cinema. Good or bad, there is rarely a boring Stallone project and many of these movies prove that.

The Good Life...

San Sebastian — In a talent laden presentation, Atresmedia Cine announced on Tuesday at San Sebastian “Siempre es Invierno,” the upcoming film from celebrated helmer David Trueba. The film will be an adaptation by Trueba of his own novel “Blitz,” a story about an unexpected love affair between a man in his thirties and a woman in her sixties.

Following a fruitful experience with Trueba’s previous comedy “Jokes and Cigarettes,” Atresmedia Cine, the film arm of Atresmedia Corporación, one of Spain’s top two commercial broadcast network groups, wanted to do more. “At Atresmedia, we knew we wanted to continue supporting his films and make his next movie. We went to lunch with him and [producer] Edmon [Roch] and said, ‘David, what do you want to do?’” Jaime Ortiz de Artiñano, managing director at Atresmedia Cine, said on stage at a room in the luxuriant Maria Cristina Hotel at San Sebastian.

Trueba...

Venice Production Bridge (Vpb), the film market of the Venice festival, is this year feting and celebrating Japan alongside its coproduction, gap-financing and IP-focused activities.

Japan and Italy recently signed a coproduction agreement amid signs that Japanese filmmakers are increasingly interested in working with international partners, and receiving government backing for doing so.

Leading figures from the Japanese industry including Naofumi Makino, director of digital content & technology for the Japan External Trade Organisation, and Ryohei Tsutsui, producer at Trixta, are participating in this year’s Vpb.

Japanese projects will participate in the Venice Gap-Financing Market and the Immersive Market alongside...

Kelly Clarkson and Weezer joined forces for a special edition of “Kellyoke,” showcasing the band’s 1994 hit “Say It Ain’t So.” On the most recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson and the rock band teamed up for a lively rendition of the track, with her and frontman Rivers Cuomo sharing vocals.

Band members Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson also sat down with Clarkson to discuss their career and to reflect on the 30th anniversary of their debut self-titled LP, also known as the Blue Album. “I love the album myself,...

Exclusive: Mansa, the ad-supported streaming platform highlighting Black content for a global audience, has partnered with Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing on a licensing agreement to distribute a curated selection of Array’s independent feature films directly to audiences via the Mansa Streaming Service and on the Mansa Mix Fast channel.

The platform delivers a curated selection of films, TV shows, and Fast channels that showcase Black narratives from around the world. Since launching a year ago, Mansa has amassed a library of thousands of hours of content and is accessible on a growing list of distribution partners.

“Ava DuVernay is one of my closest friends and collaborators so I can’t overstate how meaningful this partnership between Array Releasing and Mansa is to me,” said David Oyelowo, award-winning filmmaker, actor, and co-founder of Mansa. “It’s not just about distributing films; it’s about amplifying the voices of those...

Weezer were among the many people in Los Angeles this week who showed up for John Mulaney’s Everybody’s in L.A., performing two songs on the comedian’s delightfully shaggy and silly one-week-only talk show.

The band led with “The Good Life,” the great Pinkerton single about wanting nothing more than to shake off anxiety, heartache, and despair, and get back out in the world (even though the song is still shot through with a bit of that anxiety, heartache, and despair). Mulaney introduced the performance with characteristic anti-zeal: “Hey party animals,...

It’s natural that, while you may want to stay on the cutting edge of prestige TV drama and join in all those “How great is Shogun?!” conversations of the moment, there are also times when the world makes you want to shrink down to the size of a Subbuteo player, step into a book illustration from a copy of Thumbelina you owned as a child, and go to sleep underneath a single feather inside a walnut shell.

Those walnut shell moments demand a TV accompaniment that isn’t noisy or confrontational. There should be no difficult thoughts there, just a gentle tide of ‘everything’s okay-ness’ lapping at your brain’s shore. These British TV shows all provide exactly that sense of comfort. Please recommend your own picks below.

The Good Life

Stream on: BritBox (UK & US)

Tom and Barbara, Jerry and Margo. Repeat those names as a mantra...

Throughout 2023, we have been updating our “In Memoriam” photo gallery (view above). Scroll through to remember 36 entertainers from film, television, theater and music. Many were winners at the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and/or Tonys. Here is a closer look at just a few of those we celebrate in our gallery:

Veteran actor Alan Arkin died on June 29 at age 89. He was an Oscar winner for “Little Miss Sunshine” and was also nominated for “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and “Argo.” He was a six-time Emmy nominee and won a Tony Award for “Enter Laughing.”

Composer Burt Bacharach died on February 8 at age 94. He was a six-time Grammy winner and also won at the Oscars and Emmys. Some of hit songs included “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Alfie,” “What the World...

It’s nearly Christmas and to celebrate we have put together a Binge-worthy bundle from Acorn Media International for you to enjoy over the festive period including All Creatures Great & Small Series One – Four Box Set and The Good Life Complete Collection both on DVD and available now.

All Creatures Great & Small Series One – Four Box Set DVD

The charming, much-loved All Creatures Great & Small, based on the hugely popular novels of James Herriot (aka James Alfred Wight OBE), follows the veterinary adventures, budding romances, and local life in Darrowby, Yorkshire, where treating the animals is as much about looking out for their owners: there are plenty of challenges to meet and life-affirming lessons to learn along the way. Starring an all-star cast including Rachael Shenton, Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Matthew Lewis and Callum Woodhouse this charming Box set and Christmas special are perfect for a festive binge-watch.

Feature also screened at New York, London film festivals.

Visit Films will kick off talks at AFM in Santa Monica next week on San Sebastian absurdist comedy The Practice.

‘The Practice’: San Sebastian Review

Martín Rejtman wrote and directed the Argentina-Chile-Portugal- Germany co-production about recently separated yoga instructors Gustavo and Vanesa who find it difficult to live apart.

The film centres on a recently separated yoga instructor with a knee injury who must deal with the search for a new home, a meddling mother, and a flirtatious student.

Esteban Bigliardi, Camila Hirane (Fugitives), Manuela Oyarzún (The Good Life), and...

After multiple Oscars, Silver Bears, Golden Globes, Grammys and a Tony, Denzel Washington has earned the right to be called one of the greatest actors of our time. He could drop the surname and still be instantly recognisable – two syllables that guarantee acting excellence.

Key to his success is his ability to mesmerise an audience into seeing past his instantly recognisable face and observing only the character. It’s arguably the central tenet to any actor’s success, yet it is with unusual success and consistency that Denzel Washington has been able to shift from character to character seemingly with ease. This is an actor who rarely repeats himself.

The need for variety and the consistency of execution makes his sole franchise role all the more intriguing. Today sees the digital premiere for the third entry in The Equalizer series, with his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua ending the trilogy...

Tony Bennett is a music legend the world will never forget. Sadly, he died in July 2023 due to Alzheimer’s disease — and he had a history of cocaine and cannabis use that he opened up about years prior to his death. Here’s what Tony Bennett said about stopping his drug use before he had to step into a rehabilitation center.

Tony Bennett explained how he stopped his drug use without rehab

The legendary Tony Bennett was no stranger to drug use. And through the years, he opened up about his addiction to cocaine. When he and his family moved to Hollywood in the 1970s, his drug abuse went from zero to 60.

“On top of everything else, the ’70s drug scene was getting out of control,” he wrote in his 1998 memoir, The Good Life, according to Today. “At every big party I’d go to, people were high on something.

Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett, died in July 2023. And he leaves behind a legacy of sensational music. Bennett received 20 Grammy Awards over the course of his lifetime. Aside from his professional career, he also made headlines for his personal life. So, who was Tony Bennett’s first ex-wife, Patricia Beech, and why did they divorce? Here’s what to know.

Who was Tony Bennett’s ex-wife, Patricia Beech?

Patricia Beech was Tony Bennett’s first wife. Before she met Bennett, she worked as a model while studying art at Ohio University. She later became a full-time mother.

Bennett first saw Beech while singing at Moe’s Main in Cleveland, Ohio. Though Beech had a date with her, Bennett claimed he felt “taken with her beauty” in his book, The Good Life.

“I met and fell in love with a young woman named Patricia Beech in July of 1951,” he wrote,...

The world sounds a little less sweet today without the dulcet tones of one of the most accomplished singers to ever live.

Tony Bennett, the prolific musical stylist best known for hit songs such as "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and whose work has been sampled in several Hollywood movies over the decades, has sadly passed away at the age of 96 -- only two weeks before his birthday on August 3. The icon's publicist confirmed the news to The Associated Press and, although no specific cause of death has yet been revealed, Bennett had previously been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease back in 2016. Still, the performer continued to make appearances and recordings through the pandemic in 2020, recording tracks alongside Lady Gaga for the 2021 album "Love for Sale." But in August of 2021, after a series of Radio City Music Hall shows in New York City billed as his farewell tour, his...

Sad news hit this morning that Tony Bennett has died following a long battle with Alzheimer’s. The legendary crooner had one of the longest careers in the history of popular music. His debut LP, Because of You, landed in 1952, and he worked steadily in the studio and on the road until 2021.

Fans who came of age in the Fifties will likely remember early hits like “Cold, Cold Heart,” ” Rags to Riches,” and “Strangers in Paradise.” Children of the Sixties are more likely to think of songs like “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,...

Tony Bennett, the affable pre-rock standards crooner who came to be newly appreciated and beloved by everyone from the grunge generation to Lady Gaga, died on Friday. He was 96. Bennett’s publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed the singer’s death to Rolling Stone, adding that he died in his hometown of New York City.

A cause of death was not specified. But in 2016, Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and began experiencing memory loss, one of the leading symptoms of the disease (which has no known cure). Bennett’s condition,...

It was only last month when Rivers Cuomo admitted that, yeah, Weezer have maybe put out a little “too much” music in recent years. But the man isn’t regretting all of his band’s later discography, telling Vulture that he thinks their best album is — not The Blue Album, not Pinkerton — but their four collective Sznz EPs.

“Like many artists, I’m usually most excited about the thing I just made,” Cuomo said in a new feature with Vulture, while also noting that he “doesn’t do favorites.” But he did try to pick a favorite Weezer album: “I love Summer, Autumn, and Winter all for different reasons. They all came out last year. It would be very hard to choose, so I’ll just say Sznz.”

Proving his case even more, Cuomo cited a Sznz cut when asked about what Weezer song he wishes more people liked: “We...

It was 2011, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Sie7e had just won the Latin Grammys' best new artist award following the success of his hit single "Tengo Tu Love," a track off his self-titled 2006 album. The music artist, born David Rodríguez Labault, had become known for his feel-good, tropical songs, and he seemed to be at the top of his game. He was doing what he loved, was getting the recognition he deserved, and had been signed with big-time label Warner Music Latina after the breakthrough success of his album "Mucha Cosa Buena." But what Sie7e wasn't prepared for was for things to take a turn for the worse.

Although Sie7e's album "Mucha Cosa Buena" spent six weeks on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, today, the artist admits he wasn't prepared for the brutal reality of working in the music industry. He felt the pressure to compromise his art for a more standard,...

The French Alps in VistaVision and Technicolor really sell this inspirational thriller. Spencer Tracy stars is the utterly ethical mountaineer, and young Robert Wagner his venal, verminous, just plain no damn good younger brother. Make that Much younger. Edward Dmytryk directs for big dimensions and strong emotions, and Paramount’s remaster makes the special effects of the mountain climb look good again. It’s a morality tale pitched at grade school level, and one of Tracy’s better late-career pictures. With Anna Kashfi as a plane crash victim deserving of rescue, and William Demarest as a French priest with a Preston Sturges accent.

The Mountain

Region Free Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] #198

1956 / Color / 1:78 widescreen (VistaVision) / 105 min. / Street Date February 22, 2023 / Available from [Imprint] / Aud 34.98

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Claire Trevor, William Demarest, Barbara Darrow, Richard Arlen, E.G. Marshall, Anna Kashfi, Richard Garrick, Harry Townes.

Cinematography: Franz Planer

Costume Designer: Edith Head

Art Director: Hal Pereira,...

Donna Mills is set to guest star in the Jan. 17 episode of ABC’s crime series “The Rookie: Feds.”

In an episode titled “Out for Blood,” Mills plays Layla Laughlin, a famous cosmetics maven who, according to the character description from ABC, had “humble beginnings,” and “began as a single mom who made her way by developing skincare products in her kitchen.”

“The Rookie” spinoff stars Niecy Nash-Betts as Special Agent Simone Clark, Frankie R. Faison, James Lesure, Britt Robertson, Felix Solis and Kevin Zegers. Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winters co-created the series and also serve as executive producers and co-showrunners.

According to the logline for “Out for Blood,” the episode puts a spotlight on Zegers’ character: “As the unit investigates a murder victim whose body has been drained of blood, the gruesome case catches the attention of a true crime show, and Brendon shares his ‘Vampire Cop’ expertise to help solve the case.

A 100th anniversary is a milestone in the history of any institution. In the case of the BBC, the centenary of its founding on 18 October 1922 triggers a rush of memories, a landslide of couch-bound nostalgia. But whether it’s Doctor Who’s Dalek battles, David Attenborough striking up a bromance with a family of gorillas, or Line of Duty’s Ted Hastings invoking “Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey”, the sweep of the corporation’s output across the past century is impossible to condense into a few paragraphs. Still, we’ve tried to pull together some of the most iconic shows of those 10 decades, from drama and documentary to comedy via arts, music and science fiction. All are iconic in their own right. Together they are a portrait of a time, a country, and a belief in broadcasting as a force for good in the world.

20. Line of Duty (2012 – 2021)

Mother of God,...

Great American Community, the free direct-to-consumer app from Great American Media, has set its slate for next month’s launch with 15 original shortform series featuring well-known TV hosts, presenters and actors. The app debuts Monday, September 26, with multiple episodes of all series available on day one and new episodes premiering on regularly scheduled days throughout the year.

Series headliners include Danica McKellar, Cameron Mathison, Jill Wagner, Trevor Donovan, Debbie Matenopoulos, Lauren Makk, Kym Douglas, Larissa Wohl, Emily Hutchinson, Lawrence Zarian, Shirley Bovshow, Maria Provenzano, Jamie Tarence, Mahaila McKellar, and Lizzy Mathis. Additional hosts and series will be announced in the coming months.

Tracy Verna, Laura Pierson, and Michael Hinkley (Home & Family) serve as executive producers.

“We are thrilled to be launching Great American Community with fifteen new, always-on series that are topical, relatable and hosted by our growing family of recognizable talent,...

The sports agency Excel Sports Management, representing talent, brands and properties, has hired Ryan Holcomb as its first-ever Head of Content.

Holcomb will be LA-based as he join the agency’s media division, Excel Media, which has recently put out docuseries highlighting the careers of two Excel clients, Joe Montana (Peacock’s Cool Under Pressure) and Derek Jeter (ESPN’s The Captain). His brief at the company will be to drive the creation and development of original content and programming for Excel and its clients.

“Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge in the content space and an understanding of how to shape an idea to make it interesting to both platforms and viewers,” said Excel Sports Management’s Founder and President, Jeff Schwartz. “We are seeing exponential growth in the opportunities for athletes to connect with fans and the world beyond their sport through compelling stories and shared interests. With...

Click here to read the full article.

Excel Sports Management has a new head of content: Ryan Holcomb.

The sports agency that reps talent, brands and properties has tapped Holcomb to join its media division, Excel Media, to spearhead development of original content and programming for the firm and its clients. He’ll be based in Los Angeles.

Holcomb segues to the newly-created post from the World Surf League where he served as executive vp of Wsl Studios. During his tenure, he led Wsl’s content division developing programming, concepts and running branded content. His credits there included ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer, and developing and setting up a seven-part series about the Wsl’s Championship Tour at Apple TV+, in partnership with Box to Box Productions. Holcomb is an executive producer of that series, Make or Break, which is currently available on the streamer with a second season on the horizon.

BBC Studios is migrating its flagship Showcase event in 2023 from Liverpool in the north of England down to London. The event, which returns in person for the first time since February 2020, leaves Liverpool’s iconic waterfront after nine years.

Showcase will take place from Feb. 27-28 — a reduced event from years past, when the confab ran for about four days.

BBC Studios, the powerhouse U.K. producer and distributor, has said the London Showcase event will have a “fresh focus on upstream creative projects from across its range of production houses, labels and partners.”

The move from Liverpool is not surprising, and has been widely speculated in recent years as the week-long U.K. Screenings event by international distributors in London has grown.

In pre-pandemic years, broadcasters and streamers would fly to the U.K. from all over the world to attend the BBC Studios Showcase, a glamorous multi-day event...

Burbank, CA – In 2005, a new breed of Super Hero claimed its place of prominence among Saturday morning cartoons with the premiere of Krypto the Superdog. On August 2, 2022, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings the acclaimed complete animated series to DVD (USA 44.98 Srp; Canada 49.99 Srp).

Created by Chris Mitchell, Krypto the Superdog follows the adventures of the title character – Superman’s beloved pooch – who also acquires the powers afforded his original Earthbound master. Alongside allies like Ace The Bat-Hound and Streaky the Supercat, Krypto fights the forces of evil, which include the animal companions of Lex Luthor and Catwoman.

Sam Vincent voiced the title character to lead the robust cast that included Brian Drummond (Monster Beach) as Streaky, Scott McNeil (X-Men: Evolution) as Ace the Bat-Hound, Alberto Ghisi (Trick ‘r Treat) as Kevin Whitney, Tabita St. Germain (My Little Pony franchise) as Andrea, Terry Klassen (Dragon Ball Z) as Tusky Husky, Ellen Kennedy...

Exclusive: CeeLo Green, the musician behind hits including Crazy, has teamed up with Lauren Grace Media to develop two television projects.

Green, who is also behind hit single F*ck You, is working with the Race in America producer on a documentary series about his life as well as a scripted drama series inspired by the story of Atlanta-based rap group Goodie Mob and its rise in the southern rap scene.

Green began his career as a member of Goodie Mob, which was part of the Dungeon Family collective, home also to Outkast. He left the band in 1999 to work on his own records, before teaming up with Danger Mouse to form Gnarls Barkley, which led to Crazy.

He was a judge and a coach on The Voice between 2011 and 2014 and also had his own series CeeLo Green’s The Good Life on TBS.

The projects are being led by...

A review of this week’s Winning Time, “The Good Life,” coming up just as soon as we attend the premiere of The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh…

Midway through “The Good Life,” Magic Johnson joins the rest of the Lakers for the world premiere of The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, a 1979 basketball comedy which features several of his new teammates in small roles. Before we can talk more about this episode, we must first discuss a few things about one of the most infamous sports movies ever made:

1) The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh...

Exclusive: Skydance Sports, the sports content division of Skydance Media, has set a partnership with Meadowlark Media for the production of unscripted sports content.

The companies are co-producing Good Neighbors, a docuseries on what is arguably the world’s greatest soccer rivalry—that between the U.S. and Mexican men’s national teams. It’s currently in production and will debut in front of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The second project to emerge from the partnership is billed as the definitive, authorized chronicle of the life and career of Diana Taurasi, the most accomplished player in the history of women’s basketball, whose accolades include three NCAA titles, three WNBA titles, five Olympic gold medals, multiple European league championships and numerous individual honors.

The announcement of the Skydance-Meadlowlark partnership was made today by Skydance’s President and COO Jesse Sisgold, who heads up the media company’s sports content division with award-winning writer,...

Keith Redmon has joined Teddy Schwarzman’s Black Bear Pictures as a partner. He’s being tasked with heading up Black Bear Global, a newly created division which will focus on building strategic alliances and co-productions between the company and talent, production companies and partners overseas.

Redmon, who was at Anonymous Content for two decades, will also help build Black Bear’s management portfolio. He will continue to represent motion picture and television literary clients including: Daniel Barber (“Harry Brown”), Stephen Berra (“The Good Life”), Hagen Bogdanski (“Berlin Station”), Giuseppe Capotondi (“The Burnt Orange Heresy”), John Hillcoat (“The Proposition”), Kyle Killen (“Halo”), Raine Allen Miller, Schiaffino Musarra, Michael Punke (“The Revenant”), Johan Renck (“Chernobyl”), Michaël Roskam (“The Drop), Isaiah Seret, David Slade (“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”), Mark L. Smith (“The Midnight Sky”) and Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”). Redmon was ousted from Anonymous in June. At the time, the company offered...

Baseball’s classic film Field of Dreams is getting a TV show adaptation on Peacock.

“Fresh off the ‘Field of Dreams’ game between the Yankees and White Sox that captivated the sport last week, Peacock announced that it will develop the movie into a TV drama series written by Mike Schur, the creator of NBC’s ‘The Good Life’ and “Parks and Recreation.”

Read more at Si

Could Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness be Marvel’s first foray into a real horror movie? Writer Michael Waldron weighs in.

“Just eight years ago, the man who wrote Loki Season 1 and Marvel’s highly-anticipated Doctor Strange sequel was interning for Dan Harmon. The script for Waldron’s new wrestling drama, Heels, was already written when he was ‘scrubbing toilets at the Rick and Morty office,’ he explained during his speech to a packed crowd at the Heels premiere party last week in Los Angeles.

The long concert career of singer Tony Bennett is finally finished after 70 years.

Bennett’s son, Danny Bennett, his manager for more than 40 years, canceled his remaining tour dates on Thursday. He said on Friday that Bennett’s two recent dates with Lady Gaga at New York’s Radio City Music Hall would be his last.

Earlier this year, Bennett’s family revealed that the 19-time Grammy-winner was diagnosed with dementia in 2016.

The younger Bennett cited doctor’s orders as the reason, although acknowledging his father was still capable of performing at age 95. The move has been made to avoid any falls or other onstage mishaps, he said. According to AARP The Magazine, the singer rarely speaks, and “when he does, his words are halting; at times, he seems lost and bewildered.”

Bennett will always be known for his signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” It spent...

The reboot of Norman Lear’s “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” will be on TBS, which is developing a new version of the classic sitcom starring “Schitt’s Creek” alum Emily Hampshire.

Hampshire will co-write and executive produce along with “Letterkenny” creator Jacob Tierney, who would serve as showrunner. Lear would be a producer as well, via his and Brent Miller’s Act III Productions.

“The kick of kicks as I turn 99 today is learning that TBS is developing ‘Mhmh’ and will allow us to make a new version of it starring Emily Hampshire,” Lear said. “As someone who believes his 99 years on this planet is owed to the amount of laughter he enjoyed through the years, here’s to the next 99. Bless you all!”

The reboot is from Sony Pictures TV.

Hampshire takes over the role originally played by Louise Lasser, who earned an Emmy nomination for her performance. The original series,...

Another classic Norman Lear TV series is getting a remake. Sony TV is in development on a new version of Lear’s “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” that would star “Schitt’s Creek” alum Emily Hampshire.

In addition to starring, Hampshire would co-write and executive produce the remake, along with “Letterkenny” creator Jacob Tierney, who would serve as showrunner. Lear would be a producer as well, via his and Brent Miller’s Act III Productions.

Sony is preparing to shop the project to buyers in the coming weeks.

Hampshire takes over the role originally played by Louise Lasser, who earned an Emmy nomination for her performance. The original series, which aired from 1976-77, was a groundbreaking send-up of soap operas and a subversive look into America’s media and consumer culture.

According to Sony, the updated version stars Hampshire as a small-town woman who feels like a nobody in every aspect of...

Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle had died. Known for his modern roots-driven Americana music, Earle was 38. No further details were given about his death.

The news of his death was confirmed on his official Instagram account. “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” said the caption that was accompanied by a photo of the musician. “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys. You will be missed dearly Justin.”

The post also included lyrics from his song “Looking for a Place to Land”: “I’ve crossed oceans/Fought freezing rain and blowing sand/I’ve crossed lines and roads and wondering rivers/Just looking for a place to land.”

Earle was born on January 4, 1982 and was named after songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Danny Goldman, known as the memorable med student who questions Gene Wilder in the 1974 comedy classic Young Frankenstein, has died. He was 80.

Goldman, a New York native with a long career in entertainment, died on Sunday, his longtime agent and friend Doug Ely announced on Facebook.

“It’s with great sadness that I must tell you that Danny Goldman has passed away. He passed peacefully at home today amongst family and friends, after having suffered a couple of strokes around New Years,” Ely wrote. “I’ve known Danny since 1980 when I first became an agent and he 1st started casting on his own.

Danny Goldman, a film and TV actor, and the voice of Brainy Smurf in the Hanna-Barbera animated series “The Smurfs,” died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 80.

Goldman’s agent Doug Ely confirmed the news on Facebook. In his post, Ely remembered the actor as “one of a kind” and recounted details of their long friendship.

“It’s with great sadness that I must tell you that Danny Goldman has passed away. He passed peacefully at home today amongst family and friends, after having suffered a couple of strokes around New Years,” Ely’s statement reads.

“I’ve known Danny since 1980 when I first became an agent and he 1st started casting on his own. We became fast friends and have been for the last 40 years. He joined our poker game early on and has even hosted it for the last 20 years or so. We’ve played together in our...

Danny Goldman, the actor who voiced Brainy Smurf and played the persistent medical student whose prying questions drove Gene Wilder’s irate doctor to stab his own leg with a scalpel in the opening scene of Young Frankenstein, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles from complications of two recent strokes. He was 80.

His family made the announcement. The cause of death was not related to Covid-19.

A casting director of television commercials for nearly 30 years, Daniel Goldman — he always went by Danny– also was a familiar face on episodic TV throughout the 1970s, ’80s and into the ’90s, appearing on The Good Life, Room 222, Get Smart,...

In addition to their recently announced The Omen Blu-ray collection, Scream Factory is bringing more fire and brimstone to Blu-ray with their new release of the Hammer horror film The Devil Rides Out (starring Christopher Lee), and before it hits shelves as a Halloween treat on October 29th, we've been provided with the full list of special features:

Press Release: All the demons of hell are summoned to Earth to claim “The Devil’s Bride”! Based on the celebrated novel by Dennis Wheatley, The Devil Rides Out is one of Hammer’s most accomplished and thrilling mystery horrors. On October 29, 2019, Scream Factory™ is proud to present Hammer horror cult classic The Devil Rides Out on Blu-ray. Directed by Terence Fisher (Frankenstein Created Woman), this 1968 shocker stars Christopher Lee, Charles Gray (Diamonds Are Forever), Nike Arrighi (Day for Night), Leon Green (Flash Gordon), Patrick Mower (Marco Polo), Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes...

When Ai Weiwei was detained by China’s secret police, the dissident artist imprisoned for 81 days for his supposed crimes against the state, the men tasked with interrogating him must have faced a unique challenge: He speaks in a stage whisper, murmuring with the flatness of someone to whom the world is always revealing itself. “They said I watched too many Hollywood movies,” he remembered. His voice barely went up a tick, even when imitating his furious jailers: “’This person is out of his mind! He’s talking about human rights and freedom of speech… can’t he just grow up?’”

The reasons for Ai’s release were as arbitrary as those for his incarceration, but perhaps he was set free because the Chinese government realized that he was fundamentally inextricable from his ideals. Born into exile during the Cultural Revolution, Ai was displaced before he even had a home...

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei is particularly busy at the moment. He’s about to launch “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” an art installation in New York, and if that’s not enough, his latest documentary “Human Flow” is gearing up to open this week. The film, which chronicles the global refugee crisis, couldn’t be more timely, and it was important for Ai that his picture was informative as well as intimate.

Continue reading ‘Human Flow’ Clip: Refugees Seek A New Life [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

A new video sets the interpretations side-by-side.

In directing Fences, Denzel Washington took on a daunting challenge: explode a family drama conceived for the intimacy of the stage into the light-of-day, wide world of cinema. This might not sound like such a huge challenge, and to some it might even sound easier than rendering a story from a novel or other non-dramatic source, but the theater and the movie house are different places, and the stories told inside each of them benefit and suffer in ways because of these distinctions. For example, theater thrives off the immediacy of the performance and the presence of a live audience, as such making it more dramatic with large, bold performances, while cinema, removed from the audience and one-shot scenes, can focus more on the intricacies of character and narrative.

In the case of Fences, Washington managed to coax the best out of both worlds: the bombastic nature of the stage...

Andy, Mike and Joseph sit down and talk about the Alien: Covenant trailer and IFC Midnight’s The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

Show Notes

What we’ve watched since last episode:

00:01:49 – Joseph watched I Am Not A Serial Killer, Netflix’s The Oa, Passengers (Joseph’s review), Rogue One and The Magnificent Seven

00:10:50 – Mike watched The Hateful Eight, Reindeer Games, Go, Elle and American Honey

00:18:00 – Andy watched Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & 2, Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders, SiREN, National Lampoon’S Christmas Vacation, Good Neighbors, The Good Neighbor, Edward Scissorhands, A Monster Calls, Critters, Scrooged and La La Land

00:29:49 – Discussion about the Alien: Covenant trailer

Main Discussion:

00:41:38 – The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

Important Announcement:

01:14:20 – The future of the podcast

Follow us on Twitter: @destroythebrain

Follow us individually on Twitter:

Andy on Twitter at @triefy

Mike on...

Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.

– Megan Ellison will receive the Producers Guild of America’s 2017 Visionary Award at the PGA Awards on January 28, 2017 in Los Angeles. The award recognizes television, film, or new media producers for their unique or uplifting contributions to our culture through inspiring storytelling or performance.

Ellison is being recognized with the award for her work as a fierce supporter of distinctive and creative voices in films such as “American Hustle,” “Her,” “The Master,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Foxcatcher,” and most recently “20th Century Women.”

Read More: Annette Bening to Receive Career Achievement Award, Ridley Scott Honored By Directors Guild and More

“Megan Ellison joined our industry when she founded Annapurna Pictures just over six years ago, and she got here just in time,” PGA awards chairs Donald De Line and Amy Pascal said in a statement. “Megan and her...

Oliver Heldens is one of those producers who always seem to have something new up their sleeve. It was just a week ago that the Dutch shuffle master was teasing his upcoming remix for The Chainsmokers’ “All We Know,” and now he’s already back at it with the preview of his next upcoming single “This Is The Good Life.”

The new teaser gives us a full minute of the song, which features an intrinsic funk groove complete with some massive vocal hooks, disco tinged instrumentation and undeniable dancefloor rhythms. Heldens’ usual rubbery bass riffs are still present as well, buried in the production beneath uplifting string melodies and prominent hi-hat patterns.

With the lengthy preview, we get a good idea of how “This Is The Good Life” will sound when the finished product hits the shelves. Oliver Heldens is expanding his sound palette for his latest effort, and the...

Exclusive: Macedonian film-maker Izer Aliu’s next film will be comedy-drama 12 Dares.

Macedonia-born, Norway-based director Izer Aliu, who premieres his debut feature Hunting Flies [pictured] in Discovery (sold by LevelK), is currently editing his second feature 12 Dares and has two other features in the works.

12 Dares, one of the best-received projects pitched in Haugesund’s Work In Progress last month, will be finished by the end of the year to show to early 2017 festivals.

He is also keen to stay busy with personal work between bigger projects, making a “freestyle” feature called The Balkan Party, which he calls a side project without typical funding. That will shoot in February in Norway, and tell a story of youth clubs from different ethnic groups organising a joint party. The film explores prejudices between groups but Aliu says it is “mostly comedy.”

12 Dares, a Swedish-Norwegian co-production produced by Lizette Jonjic of Zentropa Sweden, Maria Ekerhovd of Mer Film and Khalid Maimouni of Storyline...