NEW YORK (AP) -- Four. It's one of the most glaring numbers in Academy Awards history. That's how many women have been nominated for best director in the awards' 89 years of existence. Kathryn Bigelow, for "The Hurt Locker" in 2010, is the only woman to win. "I have to say it really bums me out," says Greta Gerwig, whose solo directorial debut, "Lady Bird," opened last week in limited release. "Every year I see the list of people who are in the running for best director. Kathryn Bigelow got in — that's one... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Greta Gerwig has been an actress in 25 films, a co-writer on five and co-director of one. She's assembled wardrobes, done make-up and — thanks to her 5 ft.-9 in. height— held the boom mic. She has, in a sense, been building up for a long time to her directorial debut: "Lady Bird." "I was accumulating my 10,000 hours," Gerwig said in a recent interview in a tucked-away room at Lincoln Center. "When I finished this script, I thought: You're still going to learn things but you're not going to... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Matt Damon walked onto the set of "The Martian" one morning to find Ridley Scott speaking into multiple walkie-talkies and directing an army of camera operators. "He was shooting four cameras at a time. I was skeptical about it, and each frame is, like, a Ridley Scott frame — beautiful," Damon recalled in 2015. "I said, 'God, Ridley, each of those shots is perfect.' He says, 'They've been perfect for a long time!'" Scott's madman feats of efficiency have long been legend. Now, the director is... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- The Directors Guild of America has announced that the National Board of Directors has approved a tentative new national commercial contract to be sent to the membership for ratification. The agreement was negotiated with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, Inc. (AICP) and covers a three-year term from December 1, 2017 – November 30, 2020. Highlights of the agreement include: Wage increases of 2.5% in the first year of the contract and 3% in each of the second and third years of... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Academy Awards and digital cameras eluded cinematographer Owen Roizman during his Hollywood career. But in retirement, he's found both. Roizman is among four recipients of honorary Oscar statuettes being celebrated Saturday at the film academy's ninth annual Governors Awards ceremony. "I never expected it," the 81-year-old said during a recent telephone interview from his Los Angeles-area home. "I thought all my accolades and awards were over with." He was nominated for five Oscars during his... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- Agnes Varda, the 89-year-old Belgian-born filmmaker, estimates that she receives a lifetime honor every three months. "I'm old so they don't know what to do with me," she says with a smile. On Saturday, Varda will receive one of the highest of such awards: an honorary Oscar, to be handed out at the annual Governor Awards, an untelevised dinner gala in Los Angeles. But the award doesn't much impress Varda, a still-working titan of European cinema and the sole female filmmaker who was part of the... Read More, Comment
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Charles Burnett expected filmmaking to be a hobby, a way for him to tell the stories of the people he knew growing up in south central Los Angeles. They weren't stories Hollywood told, Burnett said in a recent interview, and for most of his four decade filmmaking career, they've been stories that have eluded Academy Awards recognition. That changes on Saturday, when Burnett will receive an honorary Oscar that will recognize his honest portrayals of African-American lives in his feature films... Read More, Comment
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- For every era of film in the last half-century, there's a memorable Donald Sutherland role. Whether it's his breakthrough performance in "The Dirty Dozen," his portrayal of demented arsonist in "Backdraft" or playing a ruthless president in "The Hunger Games" films, Sutherland's career spans roughly 140 films in every genre, his performances tinged with wit, charm, and often a hint of unpredictability. None, however, have earned Sutherland an Academy Award, let alone a nomination. That will... Read More, Comment
MIAMI -- The ANA Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) unveiled a set of key priorities for the coming year that are specifically designed to help marketers increase their focus on multicultural marketing to help drive overall corporate growth. The announcement was made today (11/6) in Miami during day two of the three-day 2017 Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference of the ANA (Association for National Advertisers), which founded the AIMM in October 2016 to create a... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Tasha Cronin and Justin Durazzo have been promoted to co-directors of interactive at Droga5 New York. The two join the ranks of the production department leadership, headed by chief creation officer Sally-Ann Dale. Previously, Cronin and Durazzo served as executive producer, interactive, and associate director of interactive, respectively. In this new role, Cronin and Durazzo oversee the 18-person-strong Interactive branch of the production department. Dale commented, “The role of interactive... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Merman has added Paul Briganti to its directorial roster. He gains his first career representation for commercials and branded entertainment. Merman will focus on the ad market for Briganti but hopes to also develop long-form projects with him down the road. Briganti is a comedy TV, film and commercial director in L.A. whose filmed pieces for Saturday Night Live include Melissa McCarthy’s musical transformation into Sean Spicer and Totino’s parody spot starring Kristen Stewart. Briganti has... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK -- Gary Koepke has joined TheBridge.Co--the NY-based production and content company that specializes in connecting artists with brands--as a director/art director/producer. This marks the first time he has been affiliated with a production house. Koepke is best known for his ad agency pedigree. An award-winning designer, art director and creative director, Koepke served as North American chief creative officer for SapientNitro (now SapientRazorfish), the digital shop that’s part of Publicis Groupe... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES -- Deutsch has hired Justin Crawford as SVP, creative director on 7-Eleven and Carmen Love as creative director on Uber. Crawford reports to chief creative officer Pete Favat and Love reports to executive creative director Jorge Calleja. Crawford and Love will be based in the agency’s Los Angeles office. Before joining Deutsch, Crawford held executive creative director positions at R/GA, BBDO, JWT and Google Creative Lab in New York. He’s been a leader, problem solver and do-er on a broad spectrum... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday lifted its ban of Los Angeles Times reporters and critics from its press screenings after a widespread backlash prompted several media outlets to announce their own boycotts of Disney movies. In a statement Tuesday, Disney said it was restoring access to the newspaper after "productive discussions with the newly installed leadership" at the Los Angeles Times. Disney had barred the Times from its screenings after the paper published a two-part investigative series... Read More, Comment
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Gary Oldman received a career achievement honor at the Hollywood Film Awards on Sunday (11/5), headlining a crop of artisans, many of whom are in this season’s Oscar conversation. Oldman, an Oscar-nominated ("Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy") British actor, has taken on numerous memorable roles in a nearly 40-year career, including a drug-dealing pimp in “True Romance” and Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s "Batman" films. Oldman has generated Oscar buzz with his recent turn as British Prime... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston is coming back to television and she's partnering with Reese Witherspoon. The Apple streaming service said Wednesday the actresses will star in and produce a behind-the-scenes drama series about a TV morning show. Aniston came to fame as Rachel on the hit NBC comedy "Friends," which aired from 1994 to 2004. She then focused on films, including "Office Space," ''Bruce Almighty" and "Marley & Me." The Oscar-winning Witherspoon ("Walk the Line") made a TV splash... Read More, Comment
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- The American Film Institute (AFI) has unviled the Tech Showcase lineup for AFI Fest 2017. The Tech Showcase will include a selection of 360-degree, virtual reality, augmented reality and immersive short film experiences representing a cross-section of what’s currently possible in this new cinematic medium. The Showcase will be on display November 11–14 at The Hollywood Roosevelt, in the Academy Room and Johnny Grant Suite. Audi, VIZIO, Dolby and HTC Viveport are sponsors of this year’s Tech... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- TV series are including more LGBTQ characters and adding gender-nonconforming ones, but there's a need for richer, more complex stories about them, according to the media advocacy group GLAAD. LGBTQ depictions increased in the current season across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, the group's annual Where We Are on TV study released Thursday found. Shows contributing to the change include NBC's reboot of "Will & Grace" and "The Deuce" on HBO. "While we're pleased to see numbers on... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- There are some years when prolific doesn't begin to describe Woody Harrelson's output. In the past 12 months, Harrelson has appeared on screen as acerbic history teacher ("The Edge of Seventeen"), a neurotic divorcee ("Wilson"), a terrifying military leader ("War for the Planet of the Apes"), the brilliant but troubled father of Jeannette Walls ("The Glass Castle"), the local police chief who turns a grieving mother into an avenger ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri") and the 36th... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Netflix said Friday night that Kevin Spacey will no longer be a part of "House of Cards" and it's cutting all other ties with the actor after a series of allegations of sexual harassment and assault. "Netflix will not be involved with any further production of 'House of Cards' that includes Kevin Spacey," the company said in a statement. Netflix said it will work with the show's production company MRC to evaluate whether it will continue without him. The 58-year-old Spacey was nominated for... Read More, Comment
BURBANK, Calif. -- The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has awarded the organization’s prestigious Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation to NASA, Amazon Web Services, and AWS Elemental, an Amazon Web Services Company, for the first public Live 4K stream from the International Space Station (ISS). The honor, with the recipient selected by a jury of industry veterans, was conceived to recognize companies and individuals who have demonstrated excellence, whether in the development of workflow and... Read More, Comment
That face. Frances McDormand's face is one of the first things you see in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and it's impossible not to be struck by its pure decency. Perhaps it's a result of all the other roles we've seen this uniquely fearless actress play, on stage and screen, wrapped into one. But you look at her face and you think: This person has a moral compass. Her side is the right one. We will be safe there. And that's the way it seems for a while in "Three Billboards ,"... Read More, Comment
Director Kenneth Branagh's "Murder on the Orient Express " is a visual feast, bursting with movie stars, glamour and production value so high, you might just exit the theater experiencing some time-warp whiplash. Certainly no studio would make a straightforward, classical whodunit with a budget the size of a modest superhero pic (and no superheroes to speak of) nowadays, you think. What year is this anyway? But against all odds and logic, here we have, in the waning days of 2017, a perfectly... Read More, Comment
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rose Marie's place in show business history is anchored by her performance as smart aleck comedy writer Sally on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and a "Hollywood Squares" quipster. That is simply criminal, as a new documentary makes clear. Before she became a TV second banana, Baby Rose Marie was a big-voiced singing phenomenon who at age 4 began conquering radio, stage and records and blossomed into a glamorous nightclub performer. Her remarkable life is recounted with her help in "Wait for Your... Read More, Comment
NEW YORK (AP) -- "Thor: Ragnarok" thundered to one of the year's best box-office debuts with an estimated $121 million domestically, proving again — just as its flexing its muscle — the might of the Walt Disney Co. The robust debut for Marvel's third "Thor" movie was a welcome shot in the arm for Hollywood and theater owners who have suffered through a terrible October at the box office. "Thor: Ragnarok" also bucked the trend of diminishing returns for sequels. The 2011 "Thor" debuted with $65.7 million; 2013's... Read More, Comment
This short documentary titled Good Morning Peyton captures the daily struggles of living with rare disease. Produced by Washington Square Films and directed by Alison Klayman for the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), the documentary introduces us to Peyton Madden who has Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), an extremely rare and life-threatening disease that makes him allergic to sunlight. He is one of 30 million Americans living with a rare disease. Madden’s situation led to a... Read More, Comment
What do you say to parents who just had a child with Down syndrome? You can say almost anything, but the only bad word you can say is the one that begins with the letter “S.” Titled “The ‘S’ Word,” this video is at the center of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society’s “Anything But Sorry” campaign created and produced by FCB Canada. The video features people with Down syndrome sharing alternate things to say to these new parents--using every inappropriate phrase they know except “sorry.” The point... Read More, Comment
In honor of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, the Alzheimer’s Association has unveiled the Pure Imagination Project, a campaign encouraging people to learn more about the disease and join the efforts to fulfill the organization’s vision of a world without Alzheimer’s. Reflecting the creativity and charm of Willy Wonka, as played by legendary actor Gene Wilder, the new video features the famous “Pure Imagination” scene from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , but reinterprets... Read More, Comment
In this spot for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), parents look to lift the spirits of their son with a gift--which on the surface appears to be a small trifle but in actuality means everything to him and his stuffed animal friend. The present gets to the lad in a timely fashion, with mom and dad able to track its delivery status all the way via USPS services, particularly its new Informed Delivery feature. Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man directed the heartwarming “Biggest Gift” for McCann New York. Read More, Comment
The Martin Agency has rolled out “This Old Horse” video for Purina, promoting its Equine Senior feed and an initiative whereby the company will donate one dollar to A Home For Every Horse for every bag sold. With a poem written by horse rescue advocate Jesse Vee serving as inspiration, this moving tug-at-the-heartstrings piece leverages the fact that Purina Equine Senior is the #1 feed used by horse rescue organizations. Directed by Mariah Hammerschmidt of AIM Media, the spot aims to highlight... Read More, Comment
This commercial tells the story of a young girl who wakes up to a surprise from her parents: a red envelope with a mysterious key inside. As her parents look on, the girl is overcome with emotion as she discovers that the key unlocks a new Yamaha piano. Created by the team of Dana Markee and Ron Schlessinger, “Red Envelope” was directed by Erik Anderson of Chocolate Bunny (who is repped domestically for content by ContagiousLA ). Anderson earned a slot in SHOOT ’s New Directors Showcase back in... Read More, Comment
Ian Pons Jewell of production company RESET directed this offbeat comedic depiction of a guy attaining shaving nirvana thanks to Dollar Shave Club, specifically its Shave Butter product. Mauro Chiarello lensed this spot which was cut by Tobias Suhm of Whitehouse Post. Read More, Comment
This two-minute video for the SickKids Foundation serves as a rallying cry to the community at large asking people to join in and support an initiative to raise money to build a new hospital. Titled "All In," the spot features 200 SickKids patient ambassadors and their siblings, and was filmed in various locations throughout the city of Toronto. It debuted on TV and at the launch event for the hospital fundraising campaign. We see kids on the run, bringing building materials--and on the way,... Read More, Comment
Droga5 New York has created the “Ask more of your phone” campaign for the global launch of Google’s new Pixel 2 phone. Directed by Ian Pons Jewell of production house RESET, this centerpiece film for the campaign is a fun, fast-paced, back-and- forth ping-pong of questions and answers--each beat leading to the next--each scene a different person, each one a new question as the characters ask more of their phone. We’re taken on a journey through the Pixel 2’s new features. The film is packed... Read More, Comment