NEW YORK -- Procter & Gamble scored two primetime commercial Emmy nominations this year--one for “The Talk” out of BBDO New York, the other for Tide detergent’s “It’s A Tide Ad” from Saatchi & Saatchi NY. Earlier, SHOOT caught up with the creative team on “The Talk” ( SHOOT online, 7/31/18). Now we connect with Paul Bichler, executive director at Saatchi NY, to get his reflections on his shop’s Emmy-nominated Tide spot. The Tide work in essence hijacked the 2018 super bowl telecast by turning... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The frustratingly long wait for Tamara Jenkins' follow-up to her 2007 Oscar-nominated film, "The Savages," seemed to finally be coming to end. She had spent two years on the script to "Private Life," and secured Katheryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti to star as a middle-aged New York couple navigating the medical and emotional gauntlet of assisted reproduction. But just when the production was ready to go, the company that had developed it, Amazon Studios, stepped back, leaving Jenkins in the lurch... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- On one fateful European trip in 2013, director/writer Barry Jenkins wrote two scripts: "Moonlight," from Tarell Alvin McCraney's play, and "If Beale Street Could Talk," from James Baldwin's novel. "Moonlight" came together over just 10 days in Brussels. "If Beale Street Could Talk" was written over six weeks in Berlin. Two years after "Moonlight," Jenkins' will release the other movie that came out of that luminous burst of creativity, one that he says happened only because he never expected... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Damien Chazelle's last movie, "La La Land," was about a man clinging to nostalgia. His new one, "First Man," doesn't merely flirt with the past. It throttles back in time. But Chazelle's reason for revisiting NASA's 1969 mission to the moon isn't to polish the shining legend of Neil Armstrong. It's to jolt our collective memory of it — to rip it out of the history books and plunge us back into the harsh, anxious reality of what at the time was far from a fait accompli. "Our generation grows up... Read More, Comment

TELLURIDE, Colo. -- The official program selections for the 45th edition of the Telluride Film Festival--which runs from Aug. 31-Sept. 3--has been unveiled. Presented by the National Film Preserve, TFF’s celebration of artistic excellence brings together cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to discover the best in world cinema in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. TFF will screen more than 60 feature films, short films and revival programs representing 22 countries, along with special artist... Read More, Comment

VENICE, Italy (AP) -- Guillermo del Toro says a push for gender equality in Hollywood "is beyond a gesture, it's a need." The Mexican director behind the Oscar-winning "The Shape of Water" was speaking Wednesday at the Venice International Film Festival, where he is head of this year's jury. In a passionate speech during the jury press conference, de Toro said: "The goal has to be clear and has to remain to be 50/50 by 2020." "It's a real problem we have in the culture in general. Many of the voices that should be... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A new study says that the TV industry’s hiring of first-time female directors and directors of color hit record highs for the second year in a row. According to a Directors Guild of America study out Thursday, women represented 41 percent of first-time TV episode directors in the 2017-18 season. That’s 8 percentage points higher than the previous season--and a 30 percent hike from the 2009/10 season, the very first year of the Guild’s research. The study found that directors of color... Read More, Comment

LONDON (AP) -- More than a third of films at this year's London Film Festival were directed by women, organizers said Thursday as they revealed the schedule for the October movie extravaganza. The festival said 38 percent of all films and 30 percent of the 225 features in the lineup have female directors, an increase on 24 percent of features in 2017. Female-directed films in the Oct. 10-21 festival include Karyn Kusama's police thriller "Destroyer" starring Nicole Kidman and Sara Colangelo's drama "The... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- In "The Old Man and the Gun," the elderly bank robber Forrest Tucker, played by Robert Redford, walks up to a bank teller, smiles, says a few words in a kindly manner, and collects a heap of money. Later when the teller is interviewed by the police, she'll sound a little bewildered describing the encounter. "He was a gentleman." Redford, now 82, has for six decades been leaving us similarly charmed. Who wouldn't hand over whatever Robert Redford asked for? But David Lowery's "The Old Man and... Read More, Comment

TORONTO -- Joana Vicente has been named executive director and co-head of the Toronto International Film Festival, effective November 1, 2018. Vicente, perhaps best known for her tenure as executive director of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), joins Cameron Bailey, who was previously announced as the artistic director and co-head, effective October 1, 2018. They will succeed Piers Handling who is stepping down as TIFF CEO and director after nearly 25 years at the helm. Back in July 2017, Handling... Read More, Comment

TORONTO -- Capping off this year’s recently unveiled film lineup, The Toronto International Film Festival announces four Special Events. Reflecting the variety of TIFF’s audiences and the breadth of their interests, this year’s lineup focuses on a wide range of topics, from animation and music to politics and conservation, across oceans and in the skies. Monsters and Men with guest introduction from Drake In an age of political volatility and mistrust of the media, Monsters and Men addresses the... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- David Christopher, who runs AT&T’s wireless and entertainment businesses, has a bird’s eye view of how streaming media and video are evolving. AT&T recently completed its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner, a deal designed to help traditional media companies compete better with nimble tech services such as Netflix. Soon after the deal closed, AT&T launched WatchTV, a $15-a-month streaming service that offers more than 30 TV channels, including Time Warner channels TNT and TBS. The... Read More, Comment

NO HO ARTS DISTRICT, Calif. -- The Television Academy announced today the juried award winners for the 70th Emmy® Awards in the categories of Animation and Motion Design. The juried awards for these categories will be presented at the 2018 Creative Arts Awards ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 9. This year’s juried winners are: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Adventure Time • Ketchup • Cartoon Network • Cartoon Network Studios Lindsay Small-Butera, Character Animation Hey Arnold! The Jungle... Read More, Comment

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) -- For more than 30 years, costume designer Ruth E. Carter's creations have brought the African-American experience to life on the big screen, from 19th century slave ships in "Amistad" to 1980s Brooklyn in "Do the Right Thing," to the Afrofuturistic land of Wakanda in "Black Panther." Now, she's bringing the spectrum of her work to Pittsburgh for a new exhibit called "Heroes & Sheroes: The Art & Influence of Ruth E. Carter in Black Cinema." The show opens Saturday at the Senator John... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Here’s a look at the films coming to theaters through December: SEPTEMBER “The Nun” (Sept. 7) — A gothic supernatural horror film and spinoff in “The Conjuring” franchise. “The Predator (Sept. 14) — Shane Black’s fourth installment in “The Predator” films, with Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes and Jacob Tremblay. “The Land of Steady Habits” (Sept. 14) — Ben Mendelsohn stars as a Connecticut divorcee in midlife crisis in Nicole Holofcener’s adaptation of Ted Thompson’s 2014 novel. “White Boy Rick... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ben Kingsley said he didn't portray Adolf Eichmann out of love or admiration. Rather, he wanted to "nail him to the gates of Auschwitz." The Oscar-winning Kingsley, who has tackled historical figures before, including Mahatma Gandhi, Otto Frank and Simon Wiesenthal, said playing Eichmann in "Operation Finale" produced an entirely different feeling in him. "With Gandhi, I loved him. With Simon, I loved him. With Otto, I loved him. With Itzhak (Stern), I loved him. But him — I'll nail you to the... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- John Krasinski comes across in conversation as a disarming match to his screen image, the sort of easy-going, decent guy he played on TV's "The Office" and in the romantic comedy "Away We Go." Make that his former image. In a burst of creative versatility, he's fashioned himself into an acclaimed film director with "A Quiet Place" (in which he plays opposite wife Emily Blunt) and muscular heroes in the movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" and the new Amazon Prime Video series "Tom... Read More, Comment

NOHO ARTS DISTRICT, Calif. -- The Television Academy announced Star Trek as the 2018 Governors Award recipient, recognizing the visionary science-fiction television franchise and its legacy of boldly propelling science, society and culture where no one has gone before. The prestigious award winner was chosen by the Television Academy board of governors; and the honor will be presented to CBS Television Studios during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. The Governors Award, which debuted in... Read More, Comment

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (AP) -- When "Sons of Anarchy" debuted in 2008, creator Kurt Sutter repeatedly heard the same comparison: it was the poor, white working class version of the HBO mob series, "The Sopranos." Now that "Sons of Anarchy" spin-off "Mayans M.C." is set to launch, Sutter says he is prepared for it to inevitably be called the Latino rendition of the popular motorcycle gang drama. "But it's more than that," Sutter, the new series co-creator, told The Associated Press. "My hope is that as people get plugged into... Read More, Comment

LOS ANGELES -- The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) broke ground on the construction of the new ASC ARRI Educational Center on Tuesday (8/28). The contemporary building, located behind the historic ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood, will serve as a hub for the organization’s ongoing efforts to educate the next generation of filmmakers on the art and craft of cinematography. The structure also will be home to all print and digital publications staff. The ASC ARRI Educational Center offers a modern, inspired... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- Playwright Neil Simon, a master of comedy whose laugh-filled hits such as "The Odd Couple," ''Barefoot in the Park" and his "Brighton Beach" trilogy dominated Broadway for decades, has died. He was 91. Simon died early Sunday of complications from pneumonia surrounded by family at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, said Bill Evans, his longtime friend and the Shubert Organization director of media relations. In the second half of the 20th century, Simon was the American theater's most... Read More, Comment

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The California Assembly voted Thursday to enshrine net neutrality in state law, delivering a major victory to advocates looking to require an equal playing field on the internet. In the latest effort by California lawmakers to drive national policy and rebuff President Donald Trump, lawmakers approved one of the nation's most aggressive efforts to revive regulations repealed last year by the Federal Communications Commission. The rules prevented internet companies from exercising more control... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- The opening weekend for "Crazy Rich Asians" was historic. Its second weekend was even more impressive. The romantic comedy sensation slid just 6 percent from its chart-topping debut to again lead the box office with $25 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Almost as many people turned out over the weekend for "Crazy Rich Asians" as they did for its opening Friday-to-Sunday bow — an unheard of hold for a non-holiday release. Drops of close to 50 percent are common for... Read More, Comment

NEW YORK (AP) -- If it’s a lousy week for President Donald Trump, it’s usually a good week for Rachel Maddow. MSNBC’s marquee personality took advantage of a busy week of bad news for the president, led by former lawyer Michael Cohen’s plea deal and former campaign manager Paul Manafort’s conviction on corruption charges. She had the top-rated show on cable television on Tuesday with 3.89 million viewers. Maddow beat the usual cable ratings leader, Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, for the week. Hannity won... Read More, Comment

Imagine being the first driver in the first car plowing through rural Germany in 1888. No manual or AAA. Just open air, fearlessness, and - true story – a garter to make any urgent repairs. To celebrate a culture of firsts and the 130th anniversary of the first drive, Mercedes Benz and R/GA created “The First Driver,” a film about little known heroine, automotive pioneer Bertha Benz. The film, released on Mercedes Benz’s social channels, not only tells the story of the first car, but the... Read More, Comment

Léa, a little girl, is having trouble reaching a secret stash of cookies hidden high up in a cupboard and realizes what she needs to do is grow taller. After seeing a tall boy eating soup in the cafeteria, she sets out on a mission to eat as much as possible--even though she can’t stand it. Titled “Je t’aime trop” (“I love you too much,” referring to the girl’s sweet tooth) as part of supermarket chain Intermarché’s “Better Eating” campaign, this spot was created by Paris agency Romance and... Read More, Comment

The Perlorian Brothers of production house MJZ directed a package of spots for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) via agency Arnold, including this one in which a couple shouts nonsense at a ceiling. It turns out that the homebuyers are turned on by 12-foot vaulted ceilings, a feature that their informed realtor understands. This departure from the typical realtor campaign fare underscores that people do some pretty weird things when looking for a new home. They crawl on their hands and... Read More, Comment

Today, as Serena Williams steps on the court at the U.S. Open, Nike releases its latest Just Do It film, “Voice of Belief.” By blending archival and match footage with a voiceover by Serena’s father and first coach, Richard Williams, the spot highlights Serena’s dream-come-true of playing center stage at the Open. That dream was born on the courts of Compton, California, when she was just a young girl training with her father. The belief that she could make that dream a reality has stayed with... Read More, Comment

In this spot titled “Clive” from London agency AMV BBDO, we see a son and his father packing the car. The lad is leaving to attend college. Clive seems to be struggling to find the words to say goodbye to his father. But it’s not until the close of a heart-felt, emotional farewell that we reveal it’s his old laptop he’s been speaking to all along. “I love you,” Clive says bravely, “But I’d also love at least £200 off a new laptop at Currys PC World.” We cut to in-store at Currys PC World as a... Read More, Comment

As part of its sponsorship of the U.S. Open, Chase has launched a powerful and inspiring commercial featuring Serena Williams, which champions her making the most of her next chapter as a mother and legendary athlete. While many have called this her comeback, Williams wants the world to know that motherhood is something that she and mothers all over draw strength and motivation from. Directed by Martin De Thurah of Epoch for Droga5 NY, the film explores the duality of Williams--a woman who is... Read More, Comment

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