Ted and Norm will now be George and Billy. Real-life uncle/nephew pair George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis are slated to play the roles of George Bailey and Uncle Billy for this year’s virtual table read of It’s a Wonderful Life. In Partnership with Turner Classic Movies and sponsored by MeTV, fans of the classic holiday … Continue reading “Jason Sudeikis, George Wendt lead virtual It’s a Wonderful Life table read”
On Thursday, December 10, 2020 during The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day webcast, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced an incredible number of new films, series, and surprises that will expand the Star Wars galaxy. After the show’s unprecedented success, winning seven Emmy Awards, The Mandalorian has inspired two spin-off series called The Rangers of the … Continue reading “Disney, Lucasfilm announce plans for ‘Starwars’ & more”
Take this with a Death Star-sized grain of salt. But according to several different reports surfacing on various outlets, George Lucas has apparently told someone to hold his lightsaber, because he is reportedly interested in returning to the galaxy he created a long time ago. If…. And that, friends, wookies and X-wing pilots is a … Continue reading “Rumor mill: Lucas open to returning to ‘Star Wars’”
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the 2022 Documentary Motion Picture and nominees that will advance to the final round of voting for the 33rd Annual Producers Guild Awards. The awards honor excellence in motion picture and television productions, as well as the most notable names in the industry who are shaping the producing … Continue reading “PGA announces Documentary and Specialty TV noms”
This year, three acclaimed and beloved films from The Walt Disney Company’s rich history—Flowers and Trees (1932), Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) and WALL•E (2008)—are among the annual selection of 25 influential motion pictures to be inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Each of the films was selected for its cultural, historic or … Continue reading “National Film Registry adds Flowers and Trees, Return of the Jedi and WALL•E”
Super Bowl Greatest Commercials 2021, an interactive countdown special where viewers will be able to vote LIVE for the top Super Bowl commercial from the past 20 years, will be broadcast Wednesday, Feb. 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS and will also be available to stream live and on-demand on CBS All Access. The special, celebrating its 20th anniversary, … Continue reading “CBS special celebrates Super Bowl commercials”
UPDATED: While acclaimed actor James Earl Jones will alway be synonymous with injecting iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader with his malevolent personality and voice, it will be British actor David Prowse who embodied the Dark Lord of the Sith. Literally. Sadly Prowse has passed away at the age of 85. According to the New York … Continue reading “David Prowse, Darth Vader dies from COVID”
Bi-coastal production company Supply&Demand has added American film director and producer Michael Bay to its roster of award-winning talent. One of the most commercially successful directors in history, Bay is perhaps best known for his big-budget and excitement-rich action films, yet the filmmaker also has an extensive pedigree in advertising and music videos. A graduate … Continue reading “Michael Bay signs with Supply&Demand”
Francis Ford Coppola tinkered with the Godfather and Apocalypse Now forever. George Lucas made Star Wars Episodes 4-6 barely recognizable from when the films were first released. And now we have Zack Snyder and Justice League. While few would put Snyder on the same pedestal as Coppola or Lucas, the director, like them, is still … Continue reading “Zack Snyder to film new scenes for ‘Justice League’”
Well cinephiles and Jedis, The Rise of Skywalker is no Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 3 or Return of the King. But it’s also nowhere near as bad as Twilight: Breaking Dawn or Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In other words, director J.J. Abrams landed the behemoth 9-film saga, but he didn’t stick it. Like the Millennium … Continue reading “Non-spoiler review: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’”
There is no doubt that The Mandalorian, which can now be seen on Disney+, is a deservedly massive hit. While audiences got the action they were craving, they were surprised to discover during the pilot that the breakout star was not the titular character, but a creature referred to as “Baby Yoda.” The series follows … Continue reading “Yes Virginia, Baby Yoda merch is coming for holidays”
He was the man who came up with the title, The Empire Strikes Back. Not George Lucas. Gary Kurtz. And today, The BBC is reporting that the producer on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, lost his battle to Cancer and passed away on Sunday in North London, England. According to a statement by … Continue reading “Gary Kurtz, Producer on ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Empire Strikes Back’ dies”
(Editor’s note: Chicago music giant Butch Stewart passed away in May. There will be a memorial held for him June 23, 24 and 25 at 1900 Greenwood Street in Evanston, Illinois. Emma Young wrote this moving tribute about Stewart and his company in 2014.)
Good Stewart Productions sits on an industrial street in Evanston. From the outside it looks quiet, but inside — there’ a whole lot going on!
11 DOLLAR BILL, Bridges Media’s 2-year old post division, opened a branch facility in downtown Boulder, Colorado, run by partner / CCO Christian Robins, who recently moved to Boulder, and Managing Director Lisa Effress, a former agency EP and co-founder of the branded content engine F. Yeah & Associates in Boulder.
When was the last time you thought about Shutterfly? For me, it’s been a minute and I actually have a ton of photos stored there. Well, the leading e-commerce retail and manufacturing platform for personalized products, announced the launch of its new “Make it a Thing” integrated marketing campaign, which amplifies the brand’s new positioning, … Continue reading “Shutterfly is making a thing out of new brand campaign”
2020 was a really challenging year for everyone, but especially so for everyone involved in movie production. With everything “opening up” again all over the nation this summer, movie fans are flocking to the theaters in an attempt to achieve some level of normalcy. We’ve got your rundown of movies you can expect to see … Continue reading “Summer Movie Guide: 2021 edition”
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2021 WGA Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories during a first-time-ever joint, virtual ceremony. Hosted virtually by actor-writer-producer Kal Penn (Clarice), the 90-minute ceremony featured at-home presentations … Continue reading “Promising Young Woman, Borat among WGA winners”
When the Covid-19 pandemic rolled across the globe, it silenced live music everywhere. Perhaps nowhere was that silence more deafening than New Orleans. To help offset the fallout for struggling musicians, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation launched a Music Relief Fund last spring. Through their efforts, the foundation has distributed more than $1MM to musicians … Continue reading “New Orleans Jazz Society launches music relief fund”
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the films that will play in the World Cinema, New Auteurs, Documentary, Cinema’s Legacy, Short Film Competition, Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI FEST and the AFI Conservatory Showcase sections at AFI FEST 2020 presented by Audi, completing this year’s festival’s program. The complete AFI FEST program … Continue reading “AFI Fest features 53% female, 39% BIPOC directed films”
Carl Reiner will be missed. The 98 year old passed away from natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills Monday night. Having starred in Broadway musicals before furthering his career as a producer, writer and director, Reiner has left a prolific legacy. While perhaps best known for the The Dick Van Dyke Show, along … Continue reading “Comedy icon Carl Reiner passes at 98”
