LOS ANGELES When Sean Baker accepted the Best Director Oscar this month for Anora, he made an impassioned plea for the theatrical motion picture. “Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater,” he affirmed, adding that it’s “a communal experience you don’t get at home.” The shared experience of being in an Read More 

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) The IOC has signed a $3 billion deal with its long-time United States broadcast partner NBC for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement Thursday the agreement elevates Comcast NBCUniversal to being a strategic partner instead of just a media rights holder, promising Read More 

AUSTIN, Tex. Marquee honors at the 32nd SXSW Film and TV Festival went to the Amy Wang-directed Slanted and the Benjamin Flaherty-helmed Shuffle. Slanted topped the narrative feature competition while Shuffle earned best feature documentary distinction. Feature films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Competition categories, plus all other juried sections, Read More 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports — especially photographs and police body-camera video — related to the recent deaths of Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa after their partially mummified bodies were discovered at their New Mexico home last month. Authorities Read More 

LONDON (AP) Each episode of “Adolescence,” the four-part Netflix drama premiering Thursday, was filmed in a single continuous shot. While shooting the British show, which traces the emotional fallout after a teenage stabbing, the camera was handed between operators like a relay race, clipped on and off drones and passed between the fast-moving crew as they followed Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) If you ask Brian Tyree Henry about taking time off, he bursts out laughing. Since breaking out as rapper Paper Boi in the FX series “Atlanta,” he’s become one of the busiest actors in Hollywood. He’s worked consistently — with directors including Barry Jenkins, Steve McQueen and Chloe Zhao and big-name actors like Brad Pitt, Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Metallica is bringing their powerhouse performance from Mexico City straight to viewers’ faces courtesy of Apple. The company said Tuesday that Metallica’s show will be delivered in an immersive concert experience on the Apple Vision Pro video headset on Friday. The concert experience will feature the band’s iconic hits including “Whiplash,” “One” and “Enter Sandman.” Read More 

LONDON It’s time for marketers to tackle the rise of toxic masculinity by ensuring more positive and progressive male portrayals in marketing, according to “Duty of Care”–a new report from Effie UK and market research company Ipsos which highlights the positive impact this would have both on society and brand owners’ bottom line. Published amid the Read More 

LONDON David Lubars, former chief creative officer of BBDO Worldwide, will be honored with The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity’s lifetime achievement award, the Lion of St Mark, in June. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Lubars has won more than 600 Lions, and under his creative leadership, he helped BBDO achieve unprecedented Read More 

LONDON Hogarth Worldwide, the WPP global content production company, has appointed Nick Lee as its new U.K. managing director. He takes over from Monica Taylor, who has been promoted to global chief client officer. Lee brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to this role, most recently serving as global client Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) If you’re hosting a dinner for half a dozen British intelligence agents with the aim of ferreting out a mole, what should you cook? For George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), who’s preparing for four colleagues, plus himself and his wife, Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), who, like him, is a high-level operative, it’s chana masala with Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) If an algorithm designed a classic, big-screen spectacle for the small-screen age, “The Electric State” probably wouldn’t be too far off the mark. This is an Amblin-inspired, big-budget adventure with dystopian, science-fiction wonder, nostalgic callbacks, well-liked stars (Chris Pratt! Millie Bobby Brown! Stanley Tucci! Giancarlo Esposito! Ke Huy Quan!) and the directors ( Joe and Read More 

DETROIT (AP) Who killed Donald Goines? Producers of a documentary on the life of the prisoner-turned urban fiction writer of novels about the violence, drugs and prostitution that he surrounded himself with in Detroit are hoping the answer hasn’t been lost to time — or the streets. It’s been more than 50 years since Goines and his Read More 

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) California gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment announced Thursday that its popular event BlizzCon is coming back after several years off. The celebration of all things Blizzard, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, is scheduled for September 2026. Blizzard last held the event in 2023. Next year’s BlizzCon will include staples like its opening Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) A jury on Monday quickly rejected a man’s claim that Disney’s “Moana” was stolen from his story of a young surfer in Hawaii. The Los Angeles federal jury deliberated for only about two-and-a-half hours before deciding that the creators of “Moana” never had access to writer and animator Buck Woodall’s outlines and script for “Bucky Read More 

LOS ANGELES Commercial production company Aris has signed comedy director Michael Miller for his first exclusive spot representation in the U.S. and Canada. Miller has over 20 years of film production experience, helming projects for brands including BMW, Cheetos, Doritos, Salesforce, Liberty Mutual, and Xfinity. Through Aris, he has directed content for IBM and Embodied. “We love Read More 

LONDON Global communications network VCCP has brought three creative duos on board: Charli Camber (née Plant) and Laura Saraiva; Lance Boreham and Tom Dyson; and Jack Snell and Joe Lovett. Associate creative directors Camber and Saraiva are a British-Portuguese duo known for creating entertaining, culturally influential, and emotionally resonant work. They are best known for “Waiting Read More 

NEW YORK Female-owned production company Tinygiant has signed director Moriah Sawtelle. She joins as part of Tinygiant’s Next Big Thing incubator program, which is dedicated to nurturing emerging directorial voices. Sawtelle’s directorial approach has been defined by Tinygiant as “melding engineering precision with an artistic vision that transforms constraints into creative potential.” A talented photographer as well, Read More 

WASHINGTON (AP) In less than a month, TikTok could have one or a few new owners, be banned again, or simply receive another reprieve to continue operating in the United States. Questions about the fate of the popular video sharing app have continued to linger since a law requiring its China-based parent company to divest or face Read More 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) Isaac Ukwu’s sights were solely set on just playing in the NFL — until two season-ending knee injuries in college served as a harsh reality of football’s fragility. The setbacks reshaped Ukwu’s perspective, showing him that football was part of him, but not all of him. Even after signing with the Detroit Lions as an Read More 

PARIS (AP) French publishers and authors said Wednesday they’re taking Meta to court, accusing the social media company of using their works without permission to train its artificial intelligence model. Three trade groups said they were launching legal action against Meta in a Paris court over what they said was the company’s “massive use of copyrighted works Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Nathan Caine may not be able to feel pain, as the tagline for the new action-comedy “Novocaine” reads, but the same does not apply to audiences. Although he doesn’t scream when his leg is impaled with an arrow or when he sticks his hand in a vat of frying oil, you might. I certainly did. Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) In the new horror movie “Opus,” we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the ’90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as “Thriller,” “Hotel California” and “Nebraska.” If the name Alfred Moretti sounds more like a personal injury attorney from New Jersey, that’s the first sign “Opus” is Read More 

JAIPUR, India (AP) The film that was submitted as India’s official Oscar entry but failed to make the final list of nominees has swept the International Indian Film Academy Awards, which recognize outstanding work in the country’s film industry. Director Kiran Rao’s critically acclaimed “Laapataa Ladies” — renamed “Lost Ladies” for its Oscar campaign — emerged as the Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) “Parasite” filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s original science fiction film “Mickey 17” opened in first place on the North American box office charts. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Robert Pattinson-led film earned $19.1 million in its first weekend in theaters, which was enough to dethrone “Captain America: Brave New World” after a three-week reign. Overseas, Read More 

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