NEW YORK (AP) Sean Baker’s interest in the lives of sex workers began with his 2012 drama “Starlet.” For that film, set around the adult film world of San Fernando Valley, Baker spent time listening to the stories of sex workers. Some co-starred in the movie. Many became friends. “I remember being on set and Radium Cheung, my Read More 

LOS ANGELES Digital Domain, known for its breakthrough work in visual effects and immersive experiences, has relaunched its Advertising Experiences group, bringing executive producer Neil Gabriel and principal creative director Marcus Wesson on board to lead the operation. Gabriel has laid much of the groundwork for the new venture over the past several months. The industry vet Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) You’d be hard pressed to find an upcoming film weirder than “Rumours.” The biting commentary on the emptiness of political statements and the performances politicians put on starts off as a straight political satire focusing on the G7 world leaders, but then slips into a world of slow-yet-terrifying zombies; a mysterious, giant brain found in Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis went from strangers to father and daughter in short order for the new film “Goodrich.” Before cameras started rolling, they were essentially only able to meet once. It was a dinner with their writer-director Hallie Meyers-Shyer, who just had a feeling they’d be great together. And before they knew it Read More 

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) Separately, Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal are highly regarded actors. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with since starring in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 cult classic “Y tu mamá también.” They have embarked on another on-screen project, co-starring in Hulu’s first Spanish-language production, “La Máquina,” now streaming. That’s 12 years after working together Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) Christopher Reeve’s children say they made a point to include all the complexities of their father’s life — his strengths and weaknesses — in the new documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” — because that’s what he would have wanted. The film includes family home videos, mixed with interviews and movie clips of Reeve, who Read More 

LOS ANGELES The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has unveiled the nominees for the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA) and appropriately enough the announcement came today (10/14) on Indigenous People’s Day, a holiday in the U.S. that celebrates and honors Native peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. That’s because leading the way with eight nominations Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) Boundaries between work and family don’t just blur in the new CBS sitcom “Poppa’s House” starring father-and-son comedy duo Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. They shatter. “It’s wonderful to come to work every day and see him and some of his kids and my sister and my brother and nieces and nephews. They all Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Japanese entertainment giant Toho has reached an agreement to acquire the Oscar-winning animation outfit GKIDS, the companies said Tuesday. The deal gives Toho an established North American distributor and sales operation in GKIDS, which has become a force in animation since its founding in 2008. As producer and distributor of artist-driven animation, GKIDS has Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Tim Heidecker is working through his existential dread. “There’s a million things to think about as you’re trying to go to sleep at night,” he said. ” Post-pandemic, in the age of Trump, you know, North Korea, whatever it is.” Best known for his absurdist comedy and creative partnership with Eric Wareheim (including work as Read More 

BERLIN An awards ceremony last night (10/10) capped three days of CICLOPE in Berlin, marked by talks by notable speakers, collaborative Craft Sessions, and attendees making global connections. Drawing nearly 1,700 entries, culled down to 370 finalists across 18 different countries, the competition saw judges award seven Grand Prix winners, 45 Gold, 51 Silver and 61 Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) An anti-abortion ad that aired during “The View” this past week and criticized the show’s personalities was the most visible manifestation of a campaign that is making use of a federal law that forbids broadcasters from turning it down. In the ad, a narrator says, “I am so sick of stupid celebrities and lying journalists,” Read More 

LOS ANGELES Director Elizabeth Orne has signed with Serial Pictures for commercial and branded entertainment representation in the U.S. and U.K. The L.A.-based filmmaker’s work spans global brands including Amazon, Hulu, LinkedIn, Meta, PayPal, DreamWorks, Disney, Comcast, Dove, Coors, Cricket and Volkswagen. “Elizabeth’s wicked wit, dry humor and knack for crafting poetry from the most mundane situations Read More 

NEW ORLEANS Dave Damman has joined the leadership team at New Orleans-based agency PETERMAYER as chief creative officer. With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, Damman has had his work recognized in the U.S. and internationally at award competitions including The One Show, Cannes Lions, CA, the New York Art Directors Club and Britain’s D&AD. Read More 

LOS ANGELES Los Films, the production division of creative studio Los York, has signed Grant Spanier, a Los Angeles-based director, photographer and creative director. His work in music videos, artist photography and creative direction has spanned the globe for artists Rosalía, Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Haim, Giveon, Lolo Zouaï, Troye Sivan, and Read More 

LOS ANGELES Production company Logan Industry has added director Tristan Holmes to its talent roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. He has amassed a diverse body of work with clients such as Netflix, Google, T-Mobile, Levi’s, Visa, Guinness, Coca-Cola, Coronation and Altron. “Tristan’s expertise in seamlessly blending cutting-edge techniques with practical effects makes him Read More 

PARIS Havas has released the 2024 edition of its Global annual Meaningful Brands™ study, revealing newfound resilience and optimism during a period when global crisis has become the norm. Havas has measured Meaningful Brands™ annually since 2009, furthering a commitment to bringing data science, insights, and an understanding of people to the core of its strategic Read More 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads, according to a report published Thursday by the nonprofit Global Witness. The technology and environmental watchdog group submitted ads that it designed to test how well systems at social media companies work Read More 

LOS ANGELES FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued a report which found that overall TV production in Greater Los Angeles slipped five percent in the year’s third quarter to 5,048 Shoot Days (SD). The lackluster quarter was the weakest so far in 2024, and surprising Read More 

LOS ANGELES Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, has unveiled the winners of the 2024 Sentinel Awards, which recognize some of the past year’s best TV entertainment that responsibly informs audiences on critical topics. Among the recipients are “Abbott Elementary,” “The Morning Show,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Feud,” “The Simpsons,” “Expats,” Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) In Anna Kendrick’s “Woman of the Hour,” a chilling, based-on-a-true-story drama about when a 1970s serial killer appeared on an episode of “The Dating Game,” one of the most telling images isn’t a grisly murder scene (though there are those). It’s Pete Holmes’ face. Kendrick, making her directorial debut, stars as an aspiring actor named Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Things are going a little too well in “Anora” until a call from Russia and a knock at the door changes the trajectory of the movie. This extended sequence, deeply stressful and riotously funny at the same time, is reason enough to see Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner. But somehow the journey that follows only Read More 

LOS ANGELES (AP) In an early scene in “Smile 2,” the fictional pop superstar Skye Riley is in her drug dealer’s apartment. “Do you believe in weird stuff?” he asks her, between doing lines of coke. You certainly will after this horror romp — writer-director Parker Finn’s second movie that suddenly opens up the franchise with the promises Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) Few movies this year have made as many headlines as “The Apprentice.” Ali Abbasi’s film about a young Donald Trump ( Sebastian Stan ) under the tutelage of cutthroat attorney Roy Cohn ( Jeremy Strong ) has caused a stir at the Cannes Film Festival, been threatened with legal action by the Trump campaign and Read More 

LONDON (AP) Once again, Austin Stowell is having the best day ever — all thanks to him winning the role of legendary TV character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins.” “Since I got this job, it has just been day after day after day of the greatest day of my life,” says Stowell, smiling. The actor has Read More 

SINGAPORE Warner Bros. Discovery’s (Nasdaq: WBD) streaming service Max will launch on November 19 in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong. JB Perrette, CEO and president of Global Streaming & Games at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “We are thrilled to bring Max to more consumers in Asia. Max brings Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) The artificial intelligence maker OpenAI may face a costly and inconvenient reckoning with its nonprofit origins even as its valuation recently exploded to $157 billion. Nonprofit tax experts have been closely watching OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, since last November when its board ousted and rehired CEO Sam Altman. Now, some believe the company may Read More 

WASHINGTON (AP) TikTok was aware that its design features are detrimental to its young users and that publicly touted tools aimed at limiting kids’ time on the site were largely ineffective, according to internal documents and communications exposed in a lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky. The details are among redacted portions of Kentucky’s lawsuit that Read More 

NEW YORK (AP) The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a “Saturday Night Live” origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego. In the end, all were trounced by an ax-wielding clown. “Terrifier 3,” a gory, low-budget slasher from the small distributor Cineverse, topped the Read More 

---