Hollywood

Hollywood

Netflix Sweeps 47th Annie Awards

Netflix was the big winner at the 47th Annual Annie Awards last Saturday evening, garnering top honors in 18 categories, including Best Feature – Klaus; Best Feature – Independent – I Lost My Body; Character Animation in an Animated Feature – Sergio Martins for Klaus; Character Design in an Animated Television/Media Production – Keiko Murayama for Carmen Sandiego; Directing in An Animated Feature – Sergio Pablos for Klaus; Music in an Animated Television/Media Production – Rob Cairns for Love, Death & Robots; Writing in an Animated Feature – I Lost My Body; and Editorial in an Animated Feature – Klaus.

I have to admit the only thing I have seen in that list above was Love, Death & Robots, which was brilliant. Now I am curious to see Netflix’s other animated content.

For those who don’t know what the The Annie Awards are, they honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 36 different categories from best feature, best feature – independent, production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music, editing and voice acting, and have often been a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Hollywood

The 70th Annual Emmy Award Nominations

This morning the 70th annual Emmy Awards nominations were announced with HBO’s Game of Thrones leading the pack with the most nominations at 22. Followed by NBC’s Saturday Night Live and HBO’s Westworld, each with 21 nominations. Among the networks Netflix took the lead with 112 nominations, followed by HBO with 108 and NBC with 78.

This year’s Primetime Emmy Awards are set for Monday, September 17 at 5pmPST at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles with NBC broadcasting the event. The show will be co-hosted by SNL’s Colin Jost and Michael Che.

Check out the full list below.

Drama Series

  • “The Handmaid’s Tale”
  • “Game of Thrones”
  • “This Is Us”
  • “The Crown”
  • “The Americans”
  • “Stranger Things”
  • “Westworld”

Comedy Series

  • “Atlanta” (FX)
  • “Barry” (HBO)
  • “Black-ish” (ABC)
  • “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
  • “GLOW” (Netflix)
  • “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
  • “Silicon Valley” (HBO)
  • “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)

Limited Series

  • “The Alienist”
  • “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
  • “Genius: Picasso”
  • “Godless”
  • “Patrick Melrose”

Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

  • Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
  • Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)
  • Ed Harris (“Westworld”)
  • Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”)
  • Milo Ventimiglia (“This Is Us”)
  • Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

  • Claire Foy (“The Crown”)
  • Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”)
  • Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
  • Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)
  • Keri Russell (“The Americans”)
  • Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

  • Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
  • Bill Hader (“Barry”)
  • Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
  • William H. Macy (“Shameless”)
  • Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
  • Ted Danson (“The Good Place”)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

  • Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”)
  • Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
  • Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)
  • Allison Janney (“Mom”)
  • Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”)
  • Issa Rae (“Insecure”)

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:

  • Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”)
  • Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
  • Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”)
  • Jeff Daniels (“The Looming Tower”)
  • John Legend (“Jesus Christ Superstar”)
  • Jesse Plemons (“USS Callister”)

 Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:

  • Laura Dern (“The Tale”)
  • Jessica Biel (“The Sinner”)
  • Michelle Dockery (“Godless”)
  • Edie Falco (“The Menendez Murders”)
  • Regina King (“Seven Seconds”)
  • Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story: Cult”)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”)
  • Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”)
  • Joseph Fiennes (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
  • David Harbour (“Stranger Things”)
  • Mandy Patinkin (“Homeland”)
  • Matt Smith (“The Crown”)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

  • Alexis Bledel (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
  • Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”)
  • Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
  • Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”)
  • Vanessa Kirby (“The Crown”)
  • Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)
  • Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Louie Anderson (“Baskets”)
  • Alec Baldwin (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)
  • Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta”)
  • Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
  • Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

  • Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”)
  • Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
  • Aidy Bryant (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”)
  • Leslie Jones (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne”)
  • Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”)

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

  • Jeff Daniels (“Godless”)
  • Brandon Victor Dixon (“Jesus Christ Superstar”)
  • John Leguizamo (“Waco”)
  • Ricky Martin (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
  • Edgar Ramirez (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
  • Michael Stuhlbarg (“The Looming Tower”)
  • Finn Wittrock (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

  • Sara Bareilles (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert”)
  • Penelope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
  • Judith Light (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
  • Adina Porter (“American Horror Story: Cult”)
  • Merritt Wever (“Godless”)
  • Letitia Wright (“Black Museum” Black Mirror)

Guest Actor in a Drama Series

  • F. Murray Abraham (“Homeland”)
  • Cameron Britton (“Mindhunter”)
  • Matthew Goode (“The Crown”)
  • Ron Cephas Jones (“This Is Us”)
  • Gerald McRaney (“This Is Us”)
  • Jimmi Simpson (“Westworld”)

Guest Actress in a Drama Series

  • Viola Davis (“Scandal”)
  • Kelly Jenrette (The Handmaid’s Tale”)
  • Cherry Jones (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
  • Diana Rigg (“Game of Thrones”)
  • Cicely Tyson (“How to Get Away With Murder”)
  • Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Sterling K. Brown (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)
  • Bryan Cranston (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
  • Donald Glover (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Bill Hader (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
  • Katt Williams (“Atlanta”)

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series 

  • Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Tiffany Haddish (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Jane Lynch (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
  • Maya Rudolph (“The Good Place”)
  • Molly Shannon (“Will & Grace”)
  • Wanda Sykes (“Black-ish”)

Reality Competition

  • “The Amazing Race”
  • “American Ninja Warrior”
  • “Project Runway”
  • “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
  • “Top Chef”
  • “The Voice”

Variety Sketch Series

  • “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
  • “Portlandia” (IFC)
  • “Drunk History” (Comedy Central)
  • “Tracey Ullman’s Show” (HBO)
  • “At Home with Amy Sedaris” (TruTV)
  • “I Love You, America” (Hulu)

Variety Talk Series

  • “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
  • “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee”
  • “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
  • “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
  • “Late Late Show with James Corden
  • “Late Show with Stephen Colbert”

Television Movie

  • “Fahrenheit 451” (HBO)
  • “Flint” (Lifetime)
  • “Paterno” (HBO)
  • “The Tale” (HBO)
  • “Black Mirror: USS Callister” (Netflix)

Structured Reality Program

  • “Antiques Roadshow” (PBS)
  • “Fixer Upper” (HGTV)
  • “Lip Sync Battle” (Paramount)
  • “Queer Eye” (Netflix)
  • “Shark Tank” (ABC)
  • “Who Do You Think You Are?” (TLC)

Unstructured Reality Program

  • “Born This Way” (A&E)
  • “Deadliest Catch” (Discovery)
  • “Intervention” (A&E)
  • “Naked and Afraid” (Discovery Channel)
  • “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” (VH1)
  • “United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell” (CNN)

Host for Reality/Reality-Competition Program

  • W. Kamau Bell (“United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell”)
  • Ellen DeGeneres (“Ellen’s Game of Games”)
  • RuPaul Charles (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”)
  • Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”)
  • Jane Lynch (“Hollywood Game Night”)
Hollywood

Chadwick Boseman To Star In Action-Thriller ’17 BRIDGES’

Fresh off his throne as King T’Challa aka Black Panther in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, Chadwick Boseman is reteaming with Joe and Anthony Russo to produce and star in the action thriller 17 Bridges from STXfilms. The movie follows a disgraced NYPD detective (Boseman) who, after being thrust into a citywide manhunt for a cop killer, is given a shot at redemption.

Brian Kirk has signed on to direct the film. Many people have seen his work and just don’t realize it. Among the many projects he’s worked, he directed three episodes in the first season of Game of Thrones titled The Wolf and the Lion, Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things, and Lord Snow.

The Russo Brothers will produce the film with Boseman and his writing and producing partner Logan Coles and Mike Larocca will be the film’s executive producer.

The film will go into production in September 2018.

Hollywood

Disney Empowers Young Filmmakers To Create Global Dream Big Princess Video Series Celebrating Female Trailblazers

Disney has announced a new global project giving 21 talented young women from different corners of the world the chance to make digital shorts movies telling the stories of inspiring female role models. The program is called The #DreamBigPrincess series which will be shared across Disney’s global media platforms as part of a campaign to unlock up to a $1 million donation to Girl Up, an initiative of the UN Foundation.

Each aspiring young filmmaker will be paired with an inspirational interview subject spanning a diverse range of professions. Each of them will capture the stories of these amazing individuals, along with their advice for achieving success.

Plans for the series were unveiled at the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up Leadership Summit in Washington D.C., where the 21 participants took part in a unique workshop to give them the tools they can use to make their digital shorts. Each video will be shot on iPhone X and will be edited using Final Cut Pro X running on MacBook Pro. The aspiring filmmakers will also participate in a unique workshop including hands-on training from Apple technical experts, mentoring sessions with female-led production company Summerjax and creative inspiration from Disney storytelling veterans.

Following the workshop, the young women will embark on their own creative journeys back in their home countries with ongoing mentorship from Disney, Apple, and Summerjax, before their videos debut across certain social media in October, helping drive an up to $1 million donation from Disney Worldwide Services to Girl Up.

In addition to supporting young aspiring filmmakers and sharing inspiring stories around the world, the #DreamBigPrincess campaign aims to make a tangible difference for girls who face challenges in achieving their dreams. Through Disney’s collaboration with Girl Up, for each like or share of a video or photo with #DreamBigPrincess on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, Disney Worldwide Services will donate US $1 to Girl Up, in support of girls’ leadership and empowerment (minimum donation: $500,000/maximum donation: $1 million).

This charitable activation will kick off on October 10 and run until November 20, 2018. The collaboration exemplifies Disney’s efforts to provide inspiration and opportunity to kids around the world.

Check out the video below.

Hollywood

Redbox, Warner Bros. Sign New Agreement

I can’t remember the last time I rented a DVD but Redbox and Warner Bros. today announced a new agreement bringing all new release DVD and Blu-ray Discs titles from Warner Bros. to Redbox kiosks the same day as their retail sell-through dates. The agreement also maintains new-release and catalog availability via Redbox On Demand at first release.

“We’re thrilled to announce this day-and-date agreement with Warner Bros. that provides the consistently strong slate of Warner Bros. titles to consumers at their earliest physical retail sell-through availability,” said Galen Smith, CEO of Redbox. “We appreciate the partnership with Warner Bros. in making their content accessible to Americans – whether for rental or purchase, on disc or On Demand.”

“Warner Bros. is pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Redbox,” said Mike Takac, EVP of Sales, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. “We’re aligned in our mutual goal of satisfying consumer demand for Warner Bros. content – in any format, across platforms.”

What’s interesting is that there are 41,500 Redbox kiosks and has more locations than Starbucks and McDonlands in the U.S. combined.

Upcoming new-releases from Warner Bros. include Rampage (July 17) and Ready Player One (July 24).

Hollywood

U.S. Department of Justice Clears Disney Acquisition of 21st Century Fox

Good news for the people watching the Disney/21st Century Fox merger. The Walt Disney Company announced today that the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice has cleared the pending acquisition by Disney of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. Which is a great step in the process for Disney to buy Fox.

The DOJ has entered into a consent decree with Disney and 21st Century Fox that allows the acquisition to proceed while requiring the sale of the Fox Sports Regional Networks. Under the consent decree, Disney will have at least 90 days from the date of closing the transaction to complete this sale, with the possibility that the DOJ can grant extensions of time up to another 90 days. The decree is subject to the normal court approval process.

Personally, I can’t wait for this sale to be final. There are so many franchises in the Fox sandbox for Disney to play with and to really do some amazing stuff with each of them.

So say it with me. One step closer to the X-Men jumping into the MCU with The Avengers!

Hollywood

AMC Stubs A-List Now Live, See Three Movies A Week For $19.95 A Month

Moviegoers can now join AMC Theater’s Stubs A-List program and see up to three movies per week, along with all of the benefits of AMC Stubs Premiere, for just $19.95. The cool part? Members can enjoy all available showtimes*, at all AMC locations in the United States, and in all formats — including IMAX at AMC, Dolby Cinema at AMC, RealD 3D, Prime at AMC and BigD. Plus members can watch movies at AMC at the spur of the moment or can plan ahead days or weeks in advance.

“The overwhelmingly positive response we heard since announcing AMC Stubs A-List last week only reinforces our belief that our guests are very excited about this new AMC program, as it offers all of the benefits that make movie-going great at AMC Theatres,” said Adam Aron, CEO and President, AMC Theatres. “AMC Stubs A-List rewards guests with something that no one else offers: the very best of AMC, including IMAX, Dolby Cinema and RealD 3D up to 3 times per week, for one simple, sustainable price.”

However, there is no carryover from week to week if fewer than 3 movies are seen. But they can even see all three movies on the same day. Just note though that Fathom Events shows, special fan events and some Indian Cinema titles may not be included.

For more information and to sign up for AMC Stubs A-List, visit amcstubs.com/alist.

Hollywood

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Actress Courtney Ford Upped To Series Regular For Season 4

Nora Dark is back with a vengeance as actress Courtney Ford been promoted to a series regular on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow for the upcoming fourth season on the CW Network. Last season she was a recurring character who was the evil daughter of the big bad villain Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough).

This is the latest in a series of promotions to the show’s cast for next season. As both Matt Ryan and Jes Macallan have also been upped to series regulars as well. Ford’s has a solid background of credentials that also include Supernatural and True Blood.

What’s going to be more fun to watch next season is that she is the real-life wife of Legends co-star Brandon Routh who plays Ray Palmer aka The Atom on the show. This past season they both fought one another and were each other’s love interests. So it will be curious to see what they do with them in the overall story arc.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is based on DC Comic characters and is produced by Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Hollywood

Steven S. DeKnight Inks Deal With Netflix

Steven S. DeKnight is jumping back in bed with Netflix by a signing multi-year overall deal for series and possible feature films. Many people know his work as he was the creator of the TV show “Spartacus” on Starz and was the Showrunner for the first season of Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix. His more recent work was writing and directing Pacific Rim: Uprising. Though many may not know that he wrote, directed, and produced on hit iconic shows such as Angel, Smallville, and Dollhouse and was also a writer on Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“Steven S. DeKnight is a multifaceted writer, director, producer, and showrunner whose daring visions have gripped audiences for years,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, original content, Netflix. “From ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ which become a global cult sensation, to his historical gladiator epic Spartacus, and his unforgettable work on season one of ‘Marvel’s Daredevil,’ Steven’s bold, visceral storytelling has left its mark. We look forward to teaming with him on future original series and other projects for our members around the world.”

DeKnight also added, “Collaborating with Netflix on the first season of Daredevil was one of the most satisfying creative endeavors of my career. The level of trust they place in their creatives is matched only by their unflagging support and enthusiasm for storytelling. I couldn’t ask for a better home for myself or DeKnight Productions.”

As a huge fan of his work, I look forward to seeing what he brings to Netflix.

Hollywood

AMC Theaters To Launch $20/Month Movie Ticket Service

Deadline.com is reporting that AMC Theaters is looking to change the game when it comes to monthly movie ticket subscription services. Moviegoers who sign up for the $20 a month service will be able to see three movies a week. The program starts on June 26th and anyone signing up can start using their benefits immediately.

This is a big deal as MoviePass should expect to take a big hit by AMC Theaters doing this. For those of you who don’t know MoviePass is a subscription that allows you to able to see a movie in theaters once a day. This company has been somewhat of a sore in the sides of both movie theaters and studios as it has become a middleman between them.

In reality, he service isn’t making the money either of them would like it to. Which in turn you will see other companies like AMC Theaters create their own ticket subscription service.

This A-List service will also let you choose tickets from any theater format like IMAX, Digital, and 3D.

“We expect to see a surge in demand for IMAX tickets from this exciting new program, which should drive incremental revenue to IMAX® theatres by offering consumers – for the first time – the freedom to experience blockbusters such as Jurassic World in IMAX over standard offerings for no additional upcharge,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.

The big takeaway from this though is that you better use your weekly tickets if you sign up as they don’t rollover into the next week.

For more information about the service or to sign up, check out www.amctheatres.com/amcstubs/alist.