LOS ANGELES -- Cinematographers Masanobu Takayanagi, ASC, and Ben Davis, BSC, enjoy close collaborative relationships, respectively, with writers/directors Scott Cooper and Martin McDonagh. Most recently, Takayanagi teamed with Cooper on Hostiles (Entertainment Studios) while Davis lensed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Fox Searchlight), for McDonagh. Both films are in the Oscar conversation this awards season. SHOOT connected with the DPs to gain insights into the dramas as well as the creative... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Disney is buying a large part of the Murdoch family's 21st Century Fox for about $52.4 billion in stock, including film and television studios and cable and international TV businesses, as it tries to meet competition from technology companies in the entertainment business. The deal gives Disney film businesses including Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox 2000, which together are the homes of "Avatar," "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and "Deadpool." On the television side, Disney... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- After years of tremors, the earthquake that had long been predicted finally shook Hollywood. Disney's deal to purchase most of 21st Century Fox ends the era of the "Big Six" major movie studios, toppling one of the industry's most famed studios and dramatically redrawing the Hollywood map. Disney's move — to pay $52.4 billion in stock for Fox assets — has countless reverberations. But by effectively absorbing Fox's film studio, 20th Century Fox, Disney has rapidly accelerated the industry... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era fairytale "The Shape of Water" swam away with a leading seven nominations from the Golden Globes, while the HBO drama "Big Little Lies" led the television nominees with six nods. In what's been seen as a wide-open Oscar race so far, several films followed closely behind "The Shape of Water," including Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers drama "The Post," with six nominations, including best actress for Meryl Streep and best actor for Tom Hanks. Martin McDonagh's... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , topped the field of SAG Award nominations with four--for Best Cast, Leading Female (Frances McDormand) and a pair of Supporting Male nods (Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell). Lady Bird was next, scoring three nominations--Best Cast, Leading Female (Saoirse Ronan) and Supporting Female (Laurie Metcalf). In addition to Three Billboards and Lady Bird , the nominees for Best Cast are Get Out, Mudbound and The Big Sick . Best Actress nominees are McDormand,... Read More, Comment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Dina , which tells an unconventional love story between two people who have autism spectrum disorder, won Best Feature distinction from the International Documentary Association during an awards ceremony on Saturday evening at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood. Directed by Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini--aka Dan & Antonio-- Dina introduces us to a neurodiverse couple consisting of a free spirit named Dina and a Walmart door greater some 20 years her junior, Scott. Last year the IDA... Read More, Comment

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Communications Commission repealed the Obama-era "net neutrality" rules Thursday, giving internet service providers like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T a free hand to slow or block websites and apps as they see fit or charge more for faster speeds. In a straight party-line vote of 3-2, the Republican-controlled FCC junked the long-time principle that said all web traffic must be treated equally. The move represents a radical departure from more than a decade of federal oversight. The... Read More, Comment

RICHMOND, Va. -- Interpublic Group has named Kristen Cavallo to serve as CEO of The Martin Agency. She becomes the shop’s first female chief executive just a couple weeks following the departure of long-time staffer, chief creative officer Joe Alexander, after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against him. According to reports, Alexander has denied these allegations. Cavallo is a member of the IPG family, having for the past seven years served as an executive leader at Mullen, then MullenLowe Group, most... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Michelle Kunken has been named an executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi New York. She will report directly to Javier Campopiano, chief creative officer, and work across a variety of clients. Most recently Kunken was an ECD at KBS and oversaw creative development and production on AdCouncil, Boar’s Head, Monster and Vanguard. While at KBS she is credited with taking HomeGoods from a strict product focus to a purpose driven platform, resulting in double digit sales growth in a... Read More, Comment

LONDON -- Helen James and Dan Watts have been hired to assume the leadership of CP+B’s London office as managing director and chief creative officer, respectively. CP+B London’s clients include Infiniti, PayPal, Hotels.com, CoppaFeel, American Airlines, Argos, BetStars, ABInbev, Letgo, National Army Museum and Royal Society for Blind Children. Watts joins CP+B from 4Creative, where as head of creative, he oversaw the brand and program advertising for Channel 4. While there, he spearheaded the recent... Read More, Comment

LONDON -- The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that brothers Piyush and Prasoon Pandey will be honoured with the Lion of St. Mark award at the 2018 Festival. Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director of Ogilvy South Asia, won his first Cannes Lions awards with two Gold Lions for his work on an anti-smoking campaign in 2002, marking the start of a period of global recognition for a man who was already a creative legend in his native India. Piyush’s work is... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- CoMPANY Films has signed Cannes Lion-winning director Axel Laubscher for commercial representation in the U.S. He is best known for his quirky comedic spots for an international client base including Bankia, Santec, Molto Cool, Richner, Interflora, Vodafone and Fisherman’s Friend. For work in Sweden, Laubscher will continue to operate his Stockholm-based production company Social Club. Earlier Laubscher had been handled in the American ad market by such shops as Bob Industries followed by... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK -- Integrated content studio Humble has signed Dutch director Ismael ten Heuvel, a.k.a. Ismael, for commercials in the U.S. This marks his first exclusive representation in the American ad market (he had been handled for U.S. work earlier via a worldwide arrangement with Media Monks’ TheBoardRoom). Based in Amsterdam, Ismael is an idea-driven storyteller who has collaborated closely with European agencies like DDB, Ogilvy, and TBWA. His work spans such brands as Ford, Volkswagen, and most recently... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards ®. Ninety-two films had originally been considered in the category. The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are: Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director; Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director; Hungary, “On Body and Soul,” Ildikó Enyedi, director; Israel, “Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards®. A record 165 pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk, director (UCLA) “The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, director (FINCH) “Facing Mecca,” Jan-Eric Mack, director, and Joël Jent, producer (Dschoint... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Jordan Peele’s seismic thriller Get Out captured the most wins from the members of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA). Released early in 2017, the film earned Best Film, Best Directing, Best Acting and Best Screenplay recognition from the world’s largest group of professional Black film critics. In addition to acting newcomer Daniel Kaluuya, AAFCA also recognized Frances McDormand for her tough-as-nails performance as a grieving mom in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- Accomplished director Michael Apted, past president of the Directors Guild of America, will be the recipient of the DGA Honorary Life Member Award in recognition of leadership in the industry, contribution to the Guild and the profession of directing, and outstanding career achievement. The award will be presented to Apted, who currently serves as DGA secretary-treasurer, at the 70th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. “Michael is... Read More, Comment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The latest TV allocation for year three of California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0 includes an eclectic mix of new series, recurring series and pilots. A total of $69 million in tax credits has been reserved for 11 projects on-track to spend an estimated $339 million in qualified expenditures (defined as wages paid to below-the-line workers and payments to in-state vendors). They will employ nearly 1,500 cast members and more than 2,200 crew. The new TV series include Ridley Scott’s “... Read More, Comment

"The Post " is kind of like the Yankees of movies. A Steven Spielberg directed film about the Pentagon Papers starring Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and a murderer's row of all your favorite television character actors (Jesse Plemons! Bob Odenkirk! Carrie Coon! Sarah Paulson!)? It doesn't even seem fair. Is there any way it wouldn't be great or least very good? That Spielberg shot and is releasing it in under a year was perhaps the only potential handicap. Would it feel rushed? Unfinished? Eastwood-... Read More, Comment

A welcome disturbance in the Force, Rian Johnson's "The Last Jedi" is, by wide measure, the trippiest, scrappiest and most rule-breaking "Star Wars" adventure yet. Not the exercise in nostalgia that was J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens," Johnson's Episode VIII takes George Lucas' space opera in new, often thrilling, and sometimes erratic directions while finding the truest expression yet of the saga's underlying ethos of camaraderie in resistance to oppression. Though there are countless... Read More, Comment

This holiday season, there's all manner of conflict at your local movie theater — Jedis battling in the stars, Winston Churchill warring in Europe and Olympic athletes dueling on ice. And then there's that 2,000-pound bull that refuses to fight. "Ferdinand " is a first-rate animated tale adapted from the beloved 1936 children's book about a pacifist Spanish bull who just loves to sit around and sniff flowers. It's often dark, sometimes whacky, but true to the heart of the book and beautifully... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The animated family film "Coco" has topped the box office for a third time on a quiet, pre "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" weekend in theaters. Disney estimated Sunday that "Coco" added $18.3 million, which would bring its domestic total to $135.5 million. The weekend's sole new wide release was the Morgan Freeman film "Just Getting Started," which launched to a meager $3.2 million from 2,161 theaters and barely made the top 10. Most studios have chosen to avoid competing against "The Last Jedi,"... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Matt who? NBC’s “Today” show was the most-watched morning program for the first full week after long-time host Matt Lauer was fired because of sexual misconduct charges. The Nielsen company said it was the first time in a year that “Today” had beaten its rival “Good Morning America” at ABC for two consecutive weeks. The show’s victory the previous week wasn’t very surprising. With all of the attention given to Lauer’s firing, it was to be expected that more viewers than usual would tune in to... Read More, Comment

In honor of the five-year anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Sandy Hook Promise has launched a thought-provoking PSA that illustrates how tomorrow’s news can be reshaped by today’s actions, and reframes the notion that gun violence is unavoidable. (Publisher's note: Sandy Hook Promise works hard to prevent tragedies by passing gun safety legislation in multiple states and training 2.5 million students and adults in their Know the Signs programs. Tax deductable donations... Read More, Comment

As PLUS Supermarket’s brand line and strategic mission is to “Eat Well,” the Christmas twist on this line--as reflected in this holiday spot--was to “Eat Well Together.” The aim was to make this come to life in an inclusive way that anyone and everyone in the Netherlands could relate to. This led J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam to focus on a co-parenting family, and to tell the tale of a little girl whose parents are separated. J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam involved an organization called Villa... Read More, Comment

Procter & Gamble brand Pampers diapers pays homage to midwives and all they do with this clever, moving rendition of "12 Days of Christmas." Simon Ratigan of production house HLA in London directed “12 Days--Midwives” for Saatchi & Saatchi London. Read More, Comment

Tim Godsall directed this short film which is part of a broader “Together, we make togetherness” campaign for Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic’s partnership. Created by agency Figliulo&Partners, the short titled The Prodigal Brother tells the story of two estranged brothers who are reconciled on Christmas morning. Filled with fantastic tales of a Sherpa, three magical scarves and a wise man named Socrates, the film delivers an entertaining yarn with a heartwarming message about... Read More, Comment

Director Lisa Rubisch of Park Pictures has partnered with HP Inc. and Zac&Adam to address the current tense political climate in the topical holiday short film Togetherness . In the film, a holiday family gathering has an undercurrent of trepidation and the specter of current events haunting the gathering. The joys of reunion and festivities quickly give way to a common scenario faced in many households today: the heated political debate. While keeping political leanings and details vague,... Read More, Comment

A little girl’s Xmas note to Santa takes on a devilish twist when a typo--which reads Satan instead of Santa--leads to it being delivered to the lord of evil in his fiery kingdom of hell. Having never before received a sweet, complimentary, loving note before, Satan finds himself strangely moved, revealing a softer side that he instinctively tries to fight. This is the comedic premise behind Anomaly London’s animated Xmas short film, Dear Satan , showcasing the agency’s creative and production... Read More, Comment

From a submarine rising all the way up to the stars, this spot from Y&R North America shows the all encompassing province of the U.S. Navy. Rupert Sanders of MJZ directed this spot, which debuted during this past weekend’s Army-Navy college football game on CBS. Neil Smith of Work Editorial cut the piece, with postproduction and VFX from MPC. Read More, Comment