Republic Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Millers in Marriage, a new film written, directed by and starring Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen).
Details as to the release plan haven’t been disclosed. The starry ensemble also includes Julianna Margulies (The Morning Show), Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire), Minnie Driver (The Serpent Queen), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool), Benjamin Bratt (Mother of the Bride), Campbell Scott (Dying Young), Brian d’Arcy James (Spotlight) and Patrick Wilson (Insidious franchise).
Millers in Marriage follows Eve Miller (Mol), the former lead singer-songwriter of an indie rock band, who finds herself drawn to a music journalist (Bratt) amid a toxic marriage. Meanwhile, Eve’s sister Maggie (Margulies), a bestselling author, is encountering challenges in her marriage of 30 years as her career surpasses her husband’s. At the same time, Renee (Driver), a recently divorced successful fashion executive, is navigating a budding relationship with Andy Miller (Burns), an artist...
Details as to the release plan haven’t been disclosed. The starry ensemble also includes Julianna Margulies (The Morning Show), Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire), Minnie Driver (The Serpent Queen), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool), Benjamin Bratt (Mother of the Bride), Campbell Scott (Dying Young), Brian d’Arcy James (Spotlight) and Patrick Wilson (Insidious franchise).
Millers in Marriage follows Eve Miller (Mol), the former lead singer-songwriter of an indie rock band, who finds herself drawn to a music journalist (Bratt) amid a toxic marriage. Meanwhile, Eve’s sister Maggie (Margulies), a bestselling author, is encountering challenges in her marriage of 30 years as her career surpasses her husband’s. At the same time, Renee (Driver), a recently divorced successful fashion executive, is navigating a budding relationship with Andy Miller (Burns), an artist...
- 5/30/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
RespectAbility, a disability-led nonprofit known for creating systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities, has announced a new cohort of five participants for the organization’s Physical Production Intensive.
Since 2019, RespectAbility has been running a variety of Entertainment Labs and additional pipeline programming for disabled entertainment professionals. New this year, RespectAbility is offering six new in-person intensive sessions geared toward Fellows who are looking for more focused programming and career opportunities in specific creative areas.
RespectAbility is running an intensive session for disabled crew members working in below-the-line positions and those wanting to gain a larger understanding of how their role intersects with physical production. The intensive is in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Panavision.
The cohort includes five individuals – four from Los Angeles and one from Denver. Participants include people with a variety of disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 60s.
Since 2019, RespectAbility has been running a variety of Entertainment Labs and additional pipeline programming for disabled entertainment professionals. New this year, RespectAbility is offering six new in-person intensive sessions geared toward Fellows who are looking for more focused programming and career opportunities in specific creative areas.
RespectAbility is running an intensive session for disabled crew members working in below-the-line positions and those wanting to gain a larger understanding of how their role intersects with physical production. The intensive is in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Panavision.
The cohort includes five individuals – four from Los Angeles and one from Denver. Participants include people with a variety of disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 60s.
- 5/28/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Determining Ben Stiller's best role is no easy task, as the prolific performer has more than a few borderline iconic characters to his name. Tony Perkis in "Heavyweights," Mr. Furious in "Mystery Men," White Goodman in "Dodgeball," Chas Tenenbaum in "The Royal Tenenbaums," Tugg Speedman in "Tropic Thunder," the titular Derek "Zoolander," and Ted Stroehmann in "There's Something About Mary" are all characters that feel synonymous with Stiller, and roles that no one else but him could pull off. And then there's Greg Focker in "Meet the Parents," a role Stiller has played in three different films, the lovable everyman who can't seem to impress his overbearing father-in-law Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro). For as much as Stiller has made a name for himself with distinctive characters like Hal the Orderly Guy in "Happy Gilmore," his genuine charm allowed him to flourish in relatable roles, with Greg arguably the best example of this.
- 5/25/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Universal Studio Group has greenlit a new live-action horror comedy TV series based on “The Munsters”, titled “1313”, set within the ‘Universal Monsterverse’, from James Wan and Lindsey Anderson Beer:
The original 1960's sitcom depicting the home life of a family of Universal Studio monsters, was created by Allan Burns and Chris Hayward, starring Fred Gwynne as 'Herman Munster' and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, 'Lily'.
The idea of a family of comical monsters was first suggested to Universal Studios in the late 1940's by animator Bob Clampett who wanted to produce a series of cartoons.
The project didn't see development until the early 1960's, when a treatment for a similar idea was submitted to Universal Studios by "Rocky & Bullwinkle" writers Burns and Hayward. This format was later handed to writers Norm Liebman and Ed Haas, who wrote the pilot script, "Love Thy Monster", retitled as...
The original 1960's sitcom depicting the home life of a family of Universal Studio monsters, was created by Allan Burns and Chris Hayward, starring Fred Gwynne as 'Herman Munster' and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, 'Lily'.
The idea of a family of comical monsters was first suggested to Universal Studios in the late 1940's by animator Bob Clampett who wanted to produce a series of cartoons.
The project didn't see development until the early 1960's, when a treatment for a similar idea was submitted to Universal Studios by "Rocky & Bullwinkle" writers Burns and Hayward. This format was later handed to writers Norm Liebman and Ed Haas, who wrote the pilot script, "Love Thy Monster", retitled as...
- 5/24/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Lionsgate has released its first quarterly financial results since completing a spinoff of its studio business into a separately traded stock.
The Hollywood studio posted a fourth quarter net loss attributable to shareholder at $39.5 million, compared to a year-earlier $96.8 million loss, on overall revenue rising to $1.117 billion, against a year-earlier 1.08 billion.
That beat a Wall Street analyst estimate of $1.11 billion in overall revenues by $7 million for the latest quarter. Lionsgate posted an earnings per-share loss of 22 cents, compared to a year-earlier per-share loss of 42 cents.
Starz, which continues to drive into the digital space, ended the fourth quarter with 19.35 million domestic subscribers on cable, satellite and streaming platforms, down from 19.73 million customers at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2024, due to a decline in linear TV customers. The premium platform had 12.59 million streaming subscribers at the end of the fourth quarter, down from 12.63 million customers at the end of the third quarter.
The Hollywood studio posted a fourth quarter net loss attributable to shareholder at $39.5 million, compared to a year-earlier $96.8 million loss, on overall revenue rising to $1.117 billion, against a year-earlier 1.08 billion.
That beat a Wall Street analyst estimate of $1.11 billion in overall revenues by $7 million for the latest quarter. Lionsgate posted an earnings per-share loss of 22 cents, compared to a year-earlier per-share loss of 42 cents.
Starz, which continues to drive into the digital space, ended the fourth quarter with 19.35 million domestic subscribers on cable, satellite and streaming platforms, down from 19.73 million customers at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2024, due to a decline in linear TV customers. The premium platform had 12.59 million streaming subscribers at the end of the fourth quarter, down from 12.63 million customers at the end of the third quarter.
- 5/23/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fans of The Simpsons are shocked by how different Mr. Burns sounds in the latest episode of the series. On May 12, in the episode titled “The Tipping Point,” Homer loses his mind over tipping culture run amok. Mr. Burns, Homer’s greedy boss, makes a familiar appearance though his voice sounded very different. Fans took to social media to express their disdain and concern for the change in vocal tone. “Burns’ voice is just brutal man. Let these people retire in peace,” said one fan. “I was not prepared for how bad this would be,” said another. “It sounds like a fan dub.” Mr. Burns, a series regular though he does not appear in every episode, is currently voiced by Harry Shearer, who is 80 years old. Shearer succeeded Christopher Collins who originally voiced the evil, green-suit-wearing character. Shearer, who joined The Simpsons in 1989, still voices multiple roles including Ned Flanders,...
- 5/15/2024
- TV Insider
The Simpsons has come under repeated scrutiny for its voice cast, particularly the various races and cultures they are representing. The most damning attacks have been at Hank Azaria, who voiced Kwik-e-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon up until 2020. But Harry Shearer had to step away from one of the show’s most beloved supporting characters – Dr. Julius Hibbert – as well once showrunners decided that no white people would be voicing people of color. And he doesn’t seem too happy with how that has turned out.
Speaking with The Times, Harry Shearer said that people are adamant that The Simpsons is too PC anymore considering all of the casting changes. “Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected. I voiced the black physician, Dr Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest black man on television.
Speaking with The Times, Harry Shearer said that people are adamant that The Simpsons is too PC anymore considering all of the casting changes. “Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected. I voiced the black physician, Dr Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest black man on television.
- 5/15/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Harry Shearer voices many characters on The Simpsons and was recently replaced as the voice of Dr. Hibbert.
In 2020, producers decided to have no longer white actors voice characters of color, a decision which also made Hank Azaria retire from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Shearer recently reflected on the change and who inspired Dr. Hibbert’s voice.
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said on The Times of London. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’ Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”
Kevin Michael Richardson took over the role of Dr.
In 2020, producers decided to have no longer white actors voice characters of color, a decision which also made Hank Azaria retire from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Shearer recently reflected on the change and who inspired Dr. Hibbert’s voice.
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said on The Times of London. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’ Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”
Kevin Michael Richardson took over the role of Dr.
- 5/15/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Harry Shearer has voiced dozens of characters on Fox’s “The Simpsons,” from Mr. Burns to Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner, but he was replaced as the voice of Springfield physician Dr. Hibbert when producers of the show vowed in 2020 to no longer have white actors voice characters of color. Shearer recently reflected on the change during an interview with The Times of London.
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’ Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”
Shearer appeared to question his re-casting,...
“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’ Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”
Shearer appeared to question his re-casting,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Steven Spielberg is responsible for creating some of the most unforgettable films of all time. From Schindler’s List to Jurassic Park, the filmmaker has time and again proven that no one has a mind quite like him. With his 1998 film Saving Private Ryan starring Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg gave the film industry one of the greatest films ever made.
Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998)
However, there was a time when the film was met with a roadblock which could have ended with the cast of Saving Private Ryan walking out on Steven Spielberg. In order to make the film feel as realistic as possible, the filmmaker made the actors go through an extensive boot camp led by a Marine Corps veteran. Exhausted by the ordeals of Captain Dale Dye’s tasks, the cast of Saving Private Ryan almost quit their jobs before lead actor Tom Hanks changed their minds.
Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998)
However, there was a time when the film was met with a roadblock which could have ended with the cast of Saving Private Ryan walking out on Steven Spielberg. In order to make the film feel as realistic as possible, the filmmaker made the actors go through an extensive boot camp led by a Marine Corps veteran. Exhausted by the ordeals of Captain Dale Dye’s tasks, the cast of Saving Private Ryan almost quit their jobs before lead actor Tom Hanks changed their minds.
- 5/1/2024
- by Mishkaat Khan
- FandomWire
Comedy constantly shifts and changes, and tenets that might have applied years ago are also on the move. Variety spoke to some comics about everything from social media to cancel culture to figure out the new rules of the comedy scene.
Live wherever.
New York too expensive? Los Angeles too soul-crushing? Austin … too Texas? Touring headliners now regularly hail from more efficient hubs in Colorado, Missouri, Minnesota or anywhere else with Wi-Fi.
“I don’t hang in Hollywood,” says Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams from Atlanta. “If you learn how to create for yourself, then you don’t have to wait on nobody to give you anything in this business.” The convicted felon who’d been shot twice by 21 is now serving as judge on “Ms. Pat Settles It.” Her multicam “The Ms. Pat Show” had been dropped three times prior to earning multiple BET and Emmy nominations and breaking streaming...
Live wherever.
New York too expensive? Los Angeles too soul-crushing? Austin … too Texas? Touring headliners now regularly hail from more efficient hubs in Colorado, Missouri, Minnesota or anywhere else with Wi-Fi.
“I don’t hang in Hollywood,” says Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams from Atlanta. “If you learn how to create for yourself, then you don’t have to wait on nobody to give you anything in this business.” The convicted felon who’d been shot twice by 21 is now serving as judge on “Ms. Pat Settles It.” Her multicam “The Ms. Pat Show” had been dropped three times prior to earning multiple BET and Emmy nominations and breaking streaming...
- 4/29/2024
- by Julie Seabaugh
- Variety Film + TV
To think Dusk for a Hitman is kind of a biopic is unbelievable! Although director Raymond St-Jean’s film does clarify at the very beginning that most of the incidents are fictional—only the characters are taken from real life—the film can still be put in the biopic genre on a technicality. The treatment is very not-biopic-like, though, as for the most part, actor Eric Bruneau plays the role of hitman Donald Lavoie with a lot of swagger. No matter what situation he’s in, the man looks unbothered. It’s obviously a conscious creative decision, and it does work in the film’s favor.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens in the Film?
Dusk for a Hitman begins in the autumn of 1979, with no-nonsense Hitman Donald Lavoie coolly taking care of two people by wiping them from the face of the earth, like nothing happened. Donald works for Claud Dubois,...
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens in the Film?
Dusk for a Hitman begins in the autumn of 1979, with no-nonsense Hitman Donald Lavoie coolly taking care of two people by wiping them from the face of the earth, like nothing happened. Donald works for Claud Dubois,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
Former Blue’s Clues star Steve Burns has broken his silence regarding the allegations made in the Quiet On Set docuseries. Burns, who became an icon on the network between 1996 and 2002, spoke to Today about the explosive documentary. Here is what he had to say.
Steve Burns Has Become A ‘Safe Space’ On The Web
Steve Burns has been a lifeline for adults for grew up watching Nickelodeon recently. He first came forward in a viral video online where he let everyone know what he’s been up to. Since then, he has served as a “safe place” on the internet for many people.
Recently, Burns posted a TikTok video where he simply asked the camera about what’s been going on. He sits silently in the clip, appearing to listen to what you (the person watching) are saying. Many people took this as a response to the allegations coming out about Nickelodeon.
Steve Burns Has Become A ‘Safe Space’ On The Web
Steve Burns has been a lifeline for adults for grew up watching Nickelodeon recently. He first came forward in a viral video online where he let everyone know what he’s been up to. Since then, he has served as a “safe place” on the internet for many people.
Recently, Burns posted a TikTok video where he simply asked the camera about what’s been going on. He sits silently in the clip, appearing to listen to what you (the person watching) are saying. Many people took this as a response to the allegations coming out about Nickelodeon.
- 4/8/2024
- by Amanda Blankenship
- TV Shows Ace
Until recently, if one were asked to name some of the best films of preeminent 1970s filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, it would be easy to pick the big hits. “The Godfather” (1972), “The Godfather II” (1974) and “Apocalypse Now” (1979) are definitely his most iconic and respected films. You’d also be hard-pressed to find a person aged 25-50 who isn’t keenly aware of his adaption of S.E. Hinton’s mandatory high school assigned “The Outsiders” (1983) or his classics “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986) and maybe even “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” (1988). Yet lately, Coppola’s “The Conversation” (1974) has entered the chat as a somewhat under the radar, low-key masterpiece from the filmmaker, and this year the film celebrates its 50th birthday.
After honing his directorial chops on films like the Roger Corman-produced horror film “Dementia 13” (1963) and fledgling films like “You’re a Big Boy Now” (1966), “Finian’s Rainbow” (1968) and “The Rain People...
After honing his directorial chops on films like the Roger Corman-produced horror film “Dementia 13” (1963) and fledgling films like “You’re a Big Boy Now” (1966), “Finian’s Rainbow” (1968) and “The Rain People...
- 4/8/2024
- by Don Lewis
- Indiewire
Steve Burns, who became an icon of children’s television as the host of Nickelodeon’s “Blue’s Clues” from 1996 to 2002, recently spoke to “Today” and said he watched the viral documentary series “Quiet on Set” in “horror and heartbreak.” The ID Discovery series explores the alleged harassment and abuse that took place at Nickelodeon before and after the turn of the century, which is the same time Burns was the face of “Blue’s Clues.”
“I don’t have any particular insight into any of that,” Burns said about the allegations made in the documentary series. “I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s just terrible to watch it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, other than that it’s heartbreaking.”
An abundance of the allegations made in “Quiet on Set” revolve around Nickelodeon mega-producer Dan Schneinder and acting coach Brian Peck.
“I don’t have any particular insight into any of that,” Burns said about the allegations made in the documentary series. “I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s just terrible to watch it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, other than that it’s heartbreaking.”
An abundance of the allegations made in “Quiet on Set” revolve around Nickelodeon mega-producer Dan Schneinder and acting coach Brian Peck.
- 4/8/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Steve Burns, the Blue’s Clues host, is weighing in on the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, in which Drake Bell revealed he was sexually abused by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
In a recent interview, Burns shared his thoughts on the ID docuseries.
“I don’t have any particular insight into any of that,” the former Nick Jr. star told Today. “I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s just terrible to watch it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, other than that it’s heartbreaking.”
He continued, “It’s got to be so unfathomably painful. The fact that this is now what everyone’s talking about at the watercooler, it just breaks my heart.”
Burns recently went viral on TikTok after posting one of his regular “check-in” videos shortly after the ID docuseries premiered.
In a recent interview, Burns shared his thoughts on the ID docuseries.
“I don’t have any particular insight into any of that,” the former Nick Jr. star told Today. “I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s just terrible to watch it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, other than that it’s heartbreaking.”
He continued, “It’s got to be so unfathomably painful. The fact that this is now what everyone’s talking about at the watercooler, it just breaks my heart.”
Burns recently went viral on TikTok after posting one of his regular “check-in” videos shortly after the ID docuseries premiered.
- 4/7/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Although Jenna Fischer has starred in multiple other roles, perhaps the one she is best known for to date is none other than that of Pam Beesly in The Office. Yet, as exceptional as her performance was in the role that had many (if not all) viewers hooked, this very role seems to have posed a barrier when she earned the opportunity to work with Matt LeBlanc.
Jenna Fischer. | Credit: @msjennafischer / Ig.
As surprising as it may seem, the truth is that Fischer almost starred in the lead opposite the Friends alum in a sitcom. However, simply because fans couldn’t imagine her renowned character Pam marrying LeBlanc’s equally famous character Joey, the 50-year-old actress lost out on her chance to work with the 56-year-old heartthrob!
How The Office Posed a Barrier to a Jenna Fischer x Matt LeBlanc Collab
Back in the mid-2010s, Matt LeBlanc was all...
Jenna Fischer. | Credit: @msjennafischer / Ig.
As surprising as it may seem, the truth is that Fischer almost starred in the lead opposite the Friends alum in a sitcom. However, simply because fans couldn’t imagine her renowned character Pam marrying LeBlanc’s equally famous character Joey, the 50-year-old actress lost out on her chance to work with the 56-year-old heartthrob!
How The Office Posed a Barrier to a Jenna Fischer x Matt LeBlanc Collab
Back in the mid-2010s, Matt LeBlanc was all...
- 4/2/2024
- by Mahin Sultan
- FandomWire
Game Show Network is gearing up to premiere three new original series this year: Beat The Bridge, hosted by Cameron Mathison, based on BBC’s Bridge of Lies, in June; Tic Tac Dough, hosted by Brooke Burns, in August and previously announced Jaleel White-hosted Flip Side, which is launching in national syndication, in September. The news was announced by Gsn as part of Sony Pictures Television Advertiser Sales upfront today in New York City.
Hosted by Mathison, based on BBC’s Bridge Of Lies from Stv Studios, Beat The Bridge features an enormous interactive bridge that dares players to cross by stepping on the right answers to challenging trivia questions. Each step forward puts money in the team’s bank, with bonus money for each successful crossing. However, the team gets to keep the money only if it can “beat the bridge” by returning one...
Hosted by Mathison, based on BBC’s Bridge Of Lies from Stv Studios, Beat The Bridge features an enormous interactive bridge that dares players to cross by stepping on the right answers to challenging trivia questions. Each step forward puts money in the team’s bank, with bonus money for each successful crossing. However, the team gets to keep the money only if it can “beat the bridge” by returning one...
- 4/2/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
In 1977, aspiring cartoonist Matt Groening moved from his hometown of Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a writer. Like most people who move to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a writer, he took on some of the most menial jobs imaginable. Groening worked in a sewage treatment plant, as a dishwasher, and as a waiter. All the while, Groening worked on what would become his signature creation, the "Life in Hell" comic strip.
Groening would leave "Life in Hell" comics in a small corner of Licorice Pizza, the celebrated Los Angeles record store where he occasionally worked. It was an embittered strip about modern life, a harsh critique of life, love, school, and work. Groening attacked everything the establishment celebrated as normal and good, finding nothing but misery in the real world.
"Life in Hell" was picked up by Wet Magazine and, later the Los Angeles Reader.
Groening would leave "Life in Hell" comics in a small corner of Licorice Pizza, the celebrated Los Angeles record store where he occasionally worked. It was an embittered strip about modern life, a harsh critique of life, love, school, and work. Groening attacked everything the establishment celebrated as normal and good, finding nothing but misery in the real world.
"Life in Hell" was picked up by Wet Magazine and, later the Los Angeles Reader.
- 3/30/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
As the fallout from revelations in the recent Quiet on Set docuseries continues to impact Nickelodeon’s stars and fans, the original host of the Nickelodeon series Blue’s Clues is warming their hearts, over 20 years after he exited the hit show.
Steve Burns, 50, starred alongside an animated dog named Blue as the original host of the popular afternoon Nick show from 1998-2002. The interactive show had the audience follow Blue and her trail of clues that revealed her day. Each episode saw Burns pause for young viewers at home to reply to his questions; eventually nominated for nine Emmy Awards, Blue’s Clues was renowned for emphasizing social and emotional skills and for not talking down to kids.
During the years in which Blue’s Clues ran on Nickelodeon, a different set of shows ran on the network under showrunner and producer Dan Schneider. All That, iCarly, The Amanda Show and many...
Steve Burns, 50, starred alongside an animated dog named Blue as the original host of the popular afternoon Nick show from 1998-2002. The interactive show had the audience follow Blue and her trail of clues that revealed her day. Each episode saw Burns pause for young viewers at home to reply to his questions; eventually nominated for nine Emmy Awards, Blue’s Clues was renowned for emphasizing social and emotional skills and for not talking down to kids.
During the years in which Blue’s Clues ran on Nickelodeon, a different set of shows ran on the network under showrunner and producer Dan Schneider. All That, iCarly, The Amanda Show and many...
- 3/25/2024
- by Kevin Dolak
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Steve Burns shared on video on social media that has gotten Nickelodeon fans emotional.
The post comes amid all the revelations made on ID’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, where Drake Bell opened up about being sexually abused by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
“Hey, I’m checking in,” the former Blue’s Clues host said in the video shared on TikTok. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Nick Jr. fans who grew up watching Blue’s Clues might remember that in the interactive show, Burns asked questions and stayed silent as if listening to the viewers talking back to him.
After Burns nodded and listened to viewers, he said, “Ok. Alright, well, it’s good to hear from you. You look great, by the way.”
The video has received over 6.3M views, and the post has received more than 41K comments. Burns has shared similar videos in the past,...
The post comes amid all the revelations made on ID’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, where Drake Bell opened up about being sexually abused by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
“Hey, I’m checking in,” the former Blue’s Clues host said in the video shared on TikTok. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Nick Jr. fans who grew up watching Blue’s Clues might remember that in the interactive show, Burns asked questions and stayed silent as if listening to the viewers talking back to him.
After Burns nodded and listened to viewers, he said, “Ok. Alright, well, it’s good to hear from you. You look great, by the way.”
The video has received over 6.3M views, and the post has received more than 41K comments. Burns has shared similar videos in the past,...
- 3/24/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the world’s great true-life train heist stories is set to return to the big screen in China. Filmmaker DaMing Chen and veteran producer Chris Lee have partnered to develop a feature adaptation of James Zimmerman’s acclaimed nonfiction book, The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China.
The new film, like the book, will recount the improbable saga of a 1923 incident once known as the “Lincheng Outrage,” which was sparked when Chinese bandits raided a luxury express train bound for Beijing and took over 300 international hostages — captivating the world and stirring up a six-week geopolitical showdown. A subject of popular fascination a century ago, the event inspired no less than Josef von Sternberg’s 1932 romance/adventure classic Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong, as well as two later Paramount Pictures remakes.
Zimmerman’s book...
The new film, like the book, will recount the improbable saga of a 1923 incident once known as the “Lincheng Outrage,” which was sparked when Chinese bandits raided a luxury express train bound for Beijing and took over 300 international hostages — captivating the world and stirring up a six-week geopolitical showdown. A subject of popular fascination a century ago, the event inspired no less than Josef von Sternberg’s 1932 romance/adventure classic Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong, as well as two later Paramount Pictures remakes.
Zimmerman’s book...
- 3/23/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Season 1 of "The Simpsons" is a whole different beast. You've got brown Mr. Smithers, character designs out of a Dr. Seuss book, and Homer inexplicably sounding like Walter Matthau. It's a charming affair, but it also hasn't yet turned into "The Simpsons" we've come to know and love.
What complicates the first season even more is the way that Fox aired certain episodes out of order. This was famously a much bigger problem with the classic era of "Futurama," but it also led to some inconsistencies in early "Simpsons." While the animation, character designs, and voices were all slowly evolving in the right direction throughout the first three seasons, the out-of-order episodes meant the show would sometimes take a seemingly random, large step back in animation quality. A case in point was the season 1 finale, "Some Enchanted Evening," which inexplicably looked closer to the old bumpers on "The Tracey Ullman Show...
What complicates the first season even more is the way that Fox aired certain episodes out of order. This was famously a much bigger problem with the classic era of "Futurama," but it also led to some inconsistencies in early "Simpsons." While the animation, character designs, and voices were all slowly evolving in the right direction throughout the first three seasons, the out-of-order episodes meant the show would sometimes take a seemingly random, large step back in animation quality. A case in point was the season 1 finale, "Some Enchanted Evening," which inexplicably looked closer to the old bumpers on "The Tracey Ullman Show...
- 3/23/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
On January 24, by unanimous vote, Congress did something good for documentary filmmakers. It passed the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act (aka the Press Act). It’s a journalist-protection bill, but could easily have been called the Protect All Documentarians Act.
Press makes no mention of documentary filmmakers because they’re presumed: Federal courts uniformly include documentary filmmakers in their definitions of journalists. However, documentarians stand to be one of the bill’s biggest beneficiaries.
The Press Act prohibits the federal government from compelling documentary filmmakers to turn over their outtakes except in limited circumstances such as preventing terrorism or imminent violence. This bill protects source-identity information along with records, contents of communication, or information obtained or made in the course of work.
Notably, this would prevent technology providers from spying on documentarians with express restrictions on using phone, email, or other telecommunications providers to access a journalist’s communications.
Press makes no mention of documentary filmmakers because they’re presumed: Federal courts uniformly include documentary filmmakers in their definitions of journalists. However, documentarians stand to be one of the bill’s biggest beneficiaries.
The Press Act prohibits the federal government from compelling documentary filmmakers to turn over their outtakes except in limited circumstances such as preventing terrorism or imminent violence. This bill protects source-identity information along with records, contents of communication, or information obtained or made in the course of work.
Notably, this would prevent technology providers from spying on documentarians with express restrictions on using phone, email, or other telecommunications providers to access a journalist’s communications.
- 3/17/2024
- by Michael C. Donaldson
- Indiewire
The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive had a fantastic run from the late ’80s through much of the ’90s. The 16-bit era was the first time gamers got to experience a meaningful console war and while you can debate whether or not it was superior to the Snes, there were so many fantastic games out there worth playing. Gaming was evolving and kids were eating well.
With about a thousand titles in its library, not every Genesis game could be a hit. There were some titles that missed the mark more than others. Presents that ruined birthdays. Rentals that ruined weekends. Trades that ruined friendships. Buyer’s remorse that can stain one’s very soul. Let’s take a second to celebrate the Genesis titles that aspired to be an earl but ended up as lowly as toe jam.
15. The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants
There was a special strangeness to early Simpsons games.
With about a thousand titles in its library, not every Genesis game could be a hit. There were some titles that missed the mark more than others. Presents that ruined birthdays. Rentals that ruined weekends. Trades that ruined friendships. Buyer’s remorse that can stain one’s very soul. Let’s take a second to celebrate the Genesis titles that aspired to be an earl but ended up as lowly as toe jam.
15. The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants
There was a special strangeness to early Simpsons games.
- 3/17/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
From the world of anime and manga, there might be only a few other creations by mangakas other than the Late Akira Toriyama that could rival the popularity and craze that the Dragon Ball series has.
For more than four decades, fans of the series have been inspired by Goku, the main character of the series who has made them strive to achieve an undying spirit and iron will to never give up.
Goku in a still from Dragon Ball Super
But along with being an inspiration for the populace, he is also the originator of an iconic meme and a running belief. Many people who have experienced this creation by Toriyama claim that Goku could not only defeat everyone in the series but also any fictional character from any other work of fiction in the world.
Thus, this belief was yet again put to the test when the strongest...
For more than four decades, fans of the series have been inspired by Goku, the main character of the series who has made them strive to achieve an undying spirit and iron will to never give up.
Goku in a still from Dragon Ball Super
But along with being an inspiration for the populace, he is also the originator of an iconic meme and a running belief. Many people who have experienced this creation by Toriyama claim that Goku could not only defeat everyone in the series but also any fictional character from any other work of fiction in the world.
Thus, this belief was yet again put to the test when the strongest...
- 3/16/2024
- by Deepak Bisht
- FandomWire
In the vast realm of fandoms, one can often find two or more embroiled in a fuming rivalry that equals to a real-life clash among two football factions. One of these fervent and passionate rivalries is between the DC and Dragon Ball fandoms, particularly between the fans of two of their most powerful characters, DC’s Superman and Dragon Ball’s Goku.
Goku (via Dragon Ball) vs Superman (via JayC79 | Deviant Art)
For years to no end, there has been an ongoing battle between the two fandoms on who among the two is more powerful. While such a query is hard to solve given the hypothetical and fictional nature of it, fans of each character seem convinced that their favorite is the true champion among the two.
Who is more powerful: Superman or Goku?
Dragon Ball Super‘s Goku in one of his many powerful forms
A tale pretty much...
Goku (via Dragon Ball) vs Superman (via JayC79 | Deviant Art)
For years to no end, there has been an ongoing battle between the two fandoms on who among the two is more powerful. While such a query is hard to solve given the hypothetical and fictional nature of it, fans of each character seem convinced that their favorite is the true champion among the two.
Who is more powerful: Superman or Goku?
Dragon Ball Super‘s Goku in one of his many powerful forms
A tale pretty much...
- 3/16/2024
- by Maria Sultan
- FandomWire
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer recently picked up shares of the company on the open market and vice chair Michael Burns said today he thinks the purchase was spurred by a visit the set of the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.
“He is pretty fiscally conservative in many ways and so that was actually interesting to see him do it, and I swear he bought it because he went to the set — we are shooting the Michael Jackson movie on the Sony lot – and he just came back and just said, ‘This thing is going to be incredible’,” Burns said at a Deutsche Bank media conference today.
According to an SEC filing Monday, Feltheimer acquired 100,000 shares, half each Class A and B shares.
Burns was talking up the studio ahead of an upcoming split with Starz. He confirmed that about 13%-15% of the studio’s equity will move into a Spac and...
“He is pretty fiscally conservative in many ways and so that was actually interesting to see him do it, and I swear he bought it because he went to the set — we are shooting the Michael Jackson movie on the Sony lot – and he just came back and just said, ‘This thing is going to be incredible’,” Burns said at a Deutsche Bank media conference today.
According to an SEC filing Monday, Feltheimer acquired 100,000 shares, half each Class A and B shares.
Burns was talking up the studio ahead of an upcoming split with Starz. He confirmed that about 13%-15% of the studio’s equity will move into a Spac and...
- 3/12/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Stars: DeWanda Wise, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, Betty Buckley, Tom Payne, Veronica Falcon | Written by Jeff Wadlow, Greg Erb, Jason Oremland | Directed by Jeff Wadlow
Produced by BlumHouse and directed by Jeff Wadlow (Fantasy Island), Imaginary is a solidly entertaining Friday night horror flick that does a decent job with its premise. It may not deliver any really big scares (at least not if you’re not frightened of bears or spiders), but it’s consistently creepy and tense and Wadlow pulls off a couple of neat twists.
DeWanda Wise plays Jessica, a children’s book author and illustrator who has recently married musician Max (Tom Payne) and become stepmother to his two daughters, stroppy teenager Taylor (Taegen Burns) and six year-old Alice (Pyper Braun). When the family move into Jessica’s old family home, Alice finds an old teddy bear in the basement and quickly turns him into her imaginary friend,...
Produced by BlumHouse and directed by Jeff Wadlow (Fantasy Island), Imaginary is a solidly entertaining Friday night horror flick that does a decent job with its premise. It may not deliver any really big scares (at least not if you’re not frightened of bears or spiders), but it’s consistently creepy and tense and Wadlow pulls off a couple of neat twists.
DeWanda Wise plays Jessica, a children’s book author and illustrator who has recently married musician Max (Tom Payne) and become stepmother to his two daughters, stroppy teenager Taylor (Taegen Burns) and six year-old Alice (Pyper Braun). When the family move into Jessica’s old family home, Alice finds an old teddy bear in the basement and quickly turns him into her imaginary friend,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Following the outsized PG-13 success of both M3gan with its frightening robotic doll and then Five Nights at Freddy’s with its animatronic rock band, Blumhouse has now settled on a familiar childhood companion, a seemingly innocent stuffed bear named Chauncey, to deliver carefully calculated chills in Imaginary. It is a formula that sheds the R-rated explicitness from the horror genre, something Blumhouse knows well, and makes it more palatable for a younger audience not just in ratcheting down the bloodletting, but also in bringing it to a level kids might relate to. And what better than putting familiar playthings at the center of the action, in every case guaranteed to stir up our demons and make us jump out of our seats.
There is no reason to believe that Imaginary won’t also succeed, and this one from director and co-writer Jeff Wadlow (Truth Or Dare) delves deeper into psychological terror,...
There is no reason to believe that Imaginary won’t also succeed, and this one from director and co-writer Jeff Wadlow (Truth Or Dare) delves deeper into psychological terror,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Your scent. It's like a drug to me. You're like my own personal brand of heroin. Or perhaps it's just that Lionsgate simply refuses to let sleeping dogs (shape-shifters?) lie, even now that we're more than a decade removed from the peak of "Twilight" fever. The studio has already revealed its intention to reboot Stephenie Meyer's YA fantasy romance phenomenon for the small screen as a TV series, which begs the question: how exactly does it plan to go about trying to rebottle the "stupid lightning in a stupid bottle" that was the original movie adaptations of Meyer's books, to quote /Film's Bj Colangelo? We now have part of the answer and, incredibly enough, it's not at all a bad idea.
Speaking during a Q&a at this week's Morgan Stanley media conference (as reported on by Variety), Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns casually dropped the bombshell that...
Speaking during a Q&a at this week's Morgan Stanley media conference (as reported on by Variety), Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns casually dropped the bombshell that...
- 3/6/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Rooster Teeth, the pioneering digital-content company known for its webisodes and series like “Red vs. Blue,” “Rwby,” and “Gen: Lock,” is being shut down by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery after 21 years of operation.
Jordan Levin, the production company’s general manager, announced the news to staff on March 6 and sent a company-wide memo also shared to Rooster Teeth’s website. You can read it in full below.
“It’s with a heavy heart I announce that Rooster Teeth is shutting down due to challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage,” Levin wrote in the memo.
The shuttering of Rooster Teeth will result in the layoff of roughly 150 staffers, as well as numerous other contractors and creators put out of work. The Roost Podcast Network will continue as Wbd looks to sell its associated assets, including “The Rt Podcast,...
Jordan Levin, the production company’s general manager, announced the news to staff on March 6 and sent a company-wide memo also shared to Rooster Teeth’s website. You can read it in full below.
“It’s with a heavy heart I announce that Rooster Teeth is shutting down due to challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage,” Levin wrote in the memo.
The shuttering of Rooster Teeth will result in the layoff of roughly 150 staffers, as well as numerous other contractors and creators put out of work. The Roost Podcast Network will continue as Wbd looks to sell its associated assets, including “The Rt Podcast,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Lionsgate currently has distribution deals in place with The Roku Channel and Peacock, but will they survive the studio’s split from one company into two?
The long-promised split of the Lionsgate movie studio from the Starz cable/streaming bundle is getting underway in April. A new report from Deadline indicates that the studio will merge with a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) in April, and will begin trading on the Nasdaq under a different symbol than Starz.
The plan is for Lionsgate to be fully split from Starz by the end of 2024. Once the split is complete, Starz and its properties like “Outlander” and the “Power” franchise would be available for acquisition. The transactions should not have an effect on licensing deals between Lionsgate and streaming partners like Peacock and The Roku Channel. Sign Up $5.99+ / month peacocktv.com
Lionsgate filed paperwork seeking approval to split into two separate entities,...
The long-promised split of the Lionsgate movie studio from the Starz cable/streaming bundle is getting underway in April. A new report from Deadline indicates that the studio will merge with a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) in April, and will begin trading on the Nasdaq under a different symbol than Starz.
The plan is for Lionsgate to be fully split from Starz by the end of 2024. Once the split is complete, Starz and its properties like “Outlander” and the “Power” franchise would be available for acquisition. The transactions should not have an effect on licensing deals between Lionsgate and streaming partners like Peacock and The Roku Channel. Sign Up $5.99+ / month peacocktv.com
Lionsgate filed paperwork seeking approval to split into two separate entities,...
- 3/6/2024
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
In 2023, it was announced that a Twilight reboot TV series was in the works at Lionsgate, and now the company is offering more background on the latest adaptation of Stephenie Meyer‘s best-selling book series. Instead of envisioning a live-action remake, Lionsgate is opting to take the animated route for this television venture. The show is being shopped around with a John Wick offshoot which Lionsgate’s Vice Chairman Michael Burns revealed during a Q&a at the Morgan Stanley media conference, according to Deadline. “We’re going to go out with the Twilight series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that,” Burns said. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 (Credit: Andrew Cooper/Summit Entertainment) As previously reported, Sinead Daly was tapped to serve as writer on the project that could either be a remake or offshoot of the book series. Meyer is...
- 3/6/2024
- TV Insider
Despite the open disdain expressed by lead stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga is embarking on a new show. The news could come as a bit of a shock to viewers who remember Pattinson openly roasting the series every chance he got and Stewart making every effort to distance herself from Bella Swan’s image.
Both actors have made a concerted effort to move away from the $3.3 billion blockbuster franchise that made them household names. Pattinson has ventured into more complex, edgier roles in mainstream films (Tenet), while Stewart has also made her name in challenging roles (Still Alice) in indie projects as well.
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson in Twilight
So, despite the cast’s dislike for the franchise, Twilight is getting a new show? It could be a case of nostalgia, or the makers see the potential for expanding the Twilight universe beyond the original films.
Both actors have made a concerted effort to move away from the $3.3 billion blockbuster franchise that made them household names. Pattinson has ventured into more complex, edgier roles in mainstream films (Tenet), while Stewart has also made her name in challenging roles (Still Alice) in indie projects as well.
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson in Twilight
So, despite the cast’s dislike for the franchise, Twilight is getting a new show? It could be a case of nostalgia, or the makers see the potential for expanding the Twilight universe beyond the original films.
- 3/6/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
Lionsgate is expanding the “Twilight” franchise with a new animated series, Variety has confirmed.
Michael Burns, vice chairman of Lionsgate, shared the news during a Q&a at the Morgan Stanley media conference on Tuesday, revealing, “We’re going to go out with the ‘Twilight’ series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that.”
Last April, Variety reported that a “Twilight” TV series adaptation was in very early development at Lionsgate Television.
The animated series would be based on the Stephanie Meyer book series of the same name, which was previously adapted into a film franchise, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.
There were four “Twilight” novels — “Twilight,” “New Moon,” “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn” — published between 2005 and 2008. In 2015, Meyer released the book “Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined,” which gender-swapped the two main characters, Bella and Edward. Meyer then released “Midnight Sun” in...
Michael Burns, vice chairman of Lionsgate, shared the news during a Q&a at the Morgan Stanley media conference on Tuesday, revealing, “We’re going to go out with the ‘Twilight’ series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that.”
Last April, Variety reported that a “Twilight” TV series adaptation was in very early development at Lionsgate Television.
The animated series would be based on the Stephanie Meyer book series of the same name, which was previously adapted into a film franchise, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.
There were four “Twilight” novels — “Twilight,” “New Moon,” “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn” — published between 2005 and 2008. In 2015, Meyer released the book “Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined,” which gender-swapped the two main characters, Bella and Edward. Meyer then released “Midnight Sun” in...
- 3/6/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Just a few weeks after one of the stars of the John Wick franchise, Ian McShane, ripped Lionsgate’s TV spin-off The Continental live on TV, the studio seems like it’s going full steam ahead on a John Wick TV show. According to Deadline, Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns said as much during a Q&a at the Morgan Stanley media conference. “I think we’ll take one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves, I think it’ll be a television series,” said Burns, who also revealed that the studio is planning a Twilight animated series too.
Readers will remember another John Wick tv series, The Continental, dropping just a few months ago. According to Burns, the new Wick show will not be related to that series of three 90-minute telefilms, which was about the early adventures of the character played by Ian McShane in the proper John Wick movies,...
Readers will remember another John Wick tv series, The Continental, dropping just a few months ago. According to Burns, the new Wick show will not be related to that series of three 90-minute telefilms, which was about the early adventures of the character played by Ian McShane in the proper John Wick movies,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns said the company is set to split in two by year end with a first step in early April as the studio merges with a Spac and starts to trade separately from Starz on the Nasdaq under the stock symbol Lion.
For tax reasons, the parent company will retain 87% of the studio stock at first, along with all of Starz, and the plan is fully separate the studio from Starz by the end of 2024, he told investors at the Morgan Stanley media conference.
The operation has been pending for some time and is designed to unlock value as the share price hasn’t reflected the full value of all the company’s assets for some time, execs believe. Both companies would also be digestible acquisition targets in a media landscape that’s consolidating — or trying to.
“Ultimately, I don’t have a crystal ball, but...
For tax reasons, the parent company will retain 87% of the studio stock at first, along with all of Starz, and the plan is fully separate the studio from Starz by the end of 2024, he told investors at the Morgan Stanley media conference.
The operation has been pending for some time and is designed to unlock value as the share price hasn’t reflected the full value of all the company’s assets for some time, execs believe. Both companies would also be digestible acquisition targets in a media landscape that’s consolidating — or trying to.
“Ultimately, I don’t have a crystal ball, but...
- 3/6/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Lionsgate is expanding two of its biggest movie franchises, John Wick and Twilight, with new TV series offshoots. The company’s Vice Chairman Michael Burns shared information about the two projects during a Q&a at the Morgan Stanley media conference.
“We’re going to go out with the Twilight series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that,” he said, adding about John Wick, “I think we’ll take one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves, I think it’ll be a television series.”
This is the same Twilight series, news of which leaked last April as being in early development at Lionsgate. According to sources, the project had been envisioned as animated from the get-go.
The new John Wick series, confirmed by Deadline, comes on the heels of prequel The Continental, which consisted of three one-and-a-half-hour movies.
“We ended up...
“We’re going to go out with the Twilight series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that,” he said, adding about John Wick, “I think we’ll take one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves, I think it’ll be a television series.”
This is the same Twilight series, news of which leaked last April as being in early development at Lionsgate. According to sources, the project had been envisioned as animated from the get-go.
The new John Wick series, confirmed by Deadline, comes on the heels of prequel The Continental, which consisted of three one-and-a-half-hour movies.
“We ended up...
- 3/6/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Dan Wilcox, the Emmy-winning TV writer and producer whose work on the last four seasons of M*A*S*H included the acclaimed 1983 series finale that attracted a record 106 million viewers, has died. He was 82.
Wilcox died Feb. 14 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his niece Julie Merson announced.
A WGA member for more than 60 years and a guild board member since 2005, Wilcox won his Emmy in 1970 for Sesame Street, where he met Thad Mumford, who became his longtime writing partner. They worked together on M*A*S*H and received the 1980 WGA award for best episodic comedy.
They also wrote for What’s Happening!!, Alice, The Duck Factory, Good Times and the 1979 ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.
Wilcox was a writer and/or executive story editor on 36 episodes of M*A*S*H from 1979-83 as well as a producer, starting in 1981, on the CBS show’s last two seasons.
The native New Yorker...
Wilcox died Feb. 14 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his niece Julie Merson announced.
A WGA member for more than 60 years and a guild board member since 2005, Wilcox won his Emmy in 1970 for Sesame Street, where he met Thad Mumford, who became his longtime writing partner. They worked together on M*A*S*H and received the 1980 WGA award for best episodic comedy.
They also wrote for What’s Happening!!, Alice, The Duck Factory, Good Times and the 1979 ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.
Wilcox was a writer and/or executive story editor on 36 episodes of M*A*S*H from 1979-83 as well as a producer, starting in 1981, on the CBS show’s last two seasons.
The native New Yorker...
- 2/26/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When filmmaker Jonathan Glazer sent sound designer Johnnie Burn the script for his Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” a year before production even began, Glazer laid down clear guidelines for the role sound was going to play: He did not want to share images that audiences knew and he wasn’t going to show the familiar, devastating scenes of the Polish concentration camp. He wanted to reflect everything through sound.
Glazer told Burn, who was also sound designer on “Poor Things,” that he wanted him to become an expert on the sounds that would have emanated from the camp in 1943.
The Oscar-nominated film centers around Commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) who live a dream life with their children in a seemingly-perfect home — except that the house and garden border a concentration camp.
Burn says the film was approached two ways: “We saw it...
Glazer told Burn, who was also sound designer on “Poor Things,” that he wanted him to become an expert on the sounds that would have emanated from the camp in 1943.
The Oscar-nominated film centers around Commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) who live a dream life with their children in a seemingly-perfect home — except that the house and garden border a concentration camp.
Burn says the film was approached two ways: “We saw it...
- 2/20/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Ken Burns’ two-part, four-hour documentary Leonardo da Vinci is set to air on November 18-19 from 8-10 p.m. Et on PBS. The project, co-directed with Sarah Burns and Dave McMahon, is Burns’ first non-American subject.
The film explores the life and work of the 15th century artist and how he influenced and inspired future generations. The musician and composer Caroline Shaw recorded original music for the film performed by Attacca Quartet, Sō Percussion and Roomful of Teeth. The voice of da Vinci is read by Italian actor Adriano Giannini. Keith David serves as the film’s narrator.
Leonardo da Vinci will reveal a significant change in the Burns team’s filmmaking style, which includes using split screens with images, video and sound from different periods to further contextualize da Vinci’s art and scientific explorations.
“No single person can speak to our collective effort to understand the world and ourselves,...
The film explores the life and work of the 15th century artist and how he influenced and inspired future generations. The musician and composer Caroline Shaw recorded original music for the film performed by Attacca Quartet, Sō Percussion and Roomful of Teeth. The voice of da Vinci is read by Italian actor Adriano Giannini. Keith David serves as the film’s narrator.
Leonardo da Vinci will reveal a significant change in the Burns team’s filmmaking style, which includes using split screens with images, video and sound from different periods to further contextualize da Vinci’s art and scientific explorations.
“No single person can speak to our collective effort to understand the world and ourselves,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Ken Burns has already cracked the code for being synonymous with highbrow documentary filmmaking, but now the award-winning director is taking on an unprecedented feat: capturing the life and legacy of Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci.
Burns’ upcoming PBS film “Leonardo da Vinci” marks the director’s first non-American subject. The two-part, four-hour documentary will debut November 18 and 19, as Burns codirects with daughter Sarah Burns and Dave McMahon.
Per the official synopsis, “Leonardo da Vinci” follows the 15th century polymath’s life and evolution as a draughtsman and painter, scientist and engineer, who used notebooks to explore an astonishing array of subjects including painting, philosophy, engineering, warfare, anatomy, and geography, among many others. Set against the rich and dynamic backdrop of Renaissance Italy, at a time of skepticism and freethinking, regional war and religious upheaval, “Leonardo da Vinci” brings the artist’s towering achievements to life through his prolific personal notebooks,...
Burns’ upcoming PBS film “Leonardo da Vinci” marks the director’s first non-American subject. The two-part, four-hour documentary will debut November 18 and 19, as Burns codirects with daughter Sarah Burns and Dave McMahon.
Per the official synopsis, “Leonardo da Vinci” follows the 15th century polymath’s life and evolution as a draughtsman and painter, scientist and engineer, who used notebooks to explore an astonishing array of subjects including painting, philosophy, engineering, warfare, anatomy, and geography, among many others. Set against the rich and dynamic backdrop of Renaissance Italy, at a time of skepticism and freethinking, regional war and religious upheaval, “Leonardo da Vinci” brings the artist’s towering achievements to life through his prolific personal notebooks,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s a semi-annual tradition during the PBS executive session at the Television Critics Assn.: Asking president/CEO Paula Kerger about the state of funding for the public broadcaster. And so it went on Monday, during the public broadcaster’s portion of the winter 2024 press tour — and despite the ongoing gridlock in Washington, Kerger said things, at least for now, are going “Ok.”
“We are advanced funded, and that we always have been,” Kerger told reporters. “And the idea behind it is that you need to know that when you finish a project, you’re going to actually have the funds for it. So we we actually know what our funding is right now. Now, that’s not to say someone can come in and try to rescind some of the funding, and that happened to us some years back.”
Some years, the political climate is bleak enough that...
“We are advanced funded, and that we always have been,” Kerger told reporters. “And the idea behind it is that you need to know that when you finish a project, you’re going to actually have the funds for it. So we we actually know what our funding is right now. Now, that’s not to say someone can come in and try to rescind some of the funding, and that happened to us some years back.”
Some years, the political climate is bleak enough that...
- 2/12/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
In the 1993 "The Simpsons" episode "Marge vs. the Monorail," the corrupt nuclear power plant owner Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) is busted by the Epa for stuffing glowing toxic waste into trees at the local park (the trees sprout tentacles and the squirrels gain eyeball lasers). As punishment, Mr. Burns is fined $3 million, which he happens to have in his wallet. Springfield, suddenly flush with cash, has a town meeting debating what to spend it on. Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner) proposes that they use the money to fix up pothole-strewn Main Street, but a mysterious flim-flam man named Lyle Lanley (Phil Hartman) interrupts her. Using a broad smile and heaps of smarmy charm -- and a "Music Man"-style musical number -- Lanley convinces Springfield to spend the money on a monorail that he will build himself.
Clearly, Lanley is a con man who sells shoddy monorails to unsuspecting cities and...
Clearly, Lanley is a con man who sells shoddy monorails to unsuspecting cities and...
- 2/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Lionsgate has released its third quarter financial results after unveiling plans for a spinoff of its studio business from the premium cable and streaming platform Starz via a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (Spac) deal.
The studio swung to a third quarter net loss at $107.4 million, compared to a year-earlier profit of $15.2 million, on overall revenue falling to $975.1 million, against $1 billion in the same period of last year during the three months to Dec. 31, 2023.
Lionsgate posted an adjusted earnings per-share at 27 cents, compared to a year-earlier per-share earnings of 21 cents, which in the latest financial quarter beat an analyst estimate by six cents. Shares in the Hollywood studio rose in after hour trading by 60 cent, or .6 percent, to $10.86.
Lionsgate reported record trailing 12-month library revenue of $784 million in the quarter.
The studio business, made up of the film and TV divisions, saw revenue fall by 23 percent to $691.6 million. TV production revenue fell sharply to $285.4 million,...
The studio swung to a third quarter net loss at $107.4 million, compared to a year-earlier profit of $15.2 million, on overall revenue falling to $975.1 million, against $1 billion in the same period of last year during the three months to Dec. 31, 2023.
Lionsgate posted an adjusted earnings per-share at 27 cents, compared to a year-earlier per-share earnings of 21 cents, which in the latest financial quarter beat an analyst estimate by six cents. Shares in the Hollywood studio rose in after hour trading by 60 cent, or .6 percent, to $10.86.
Lionsgate reported record trailing 12-month library revenue of $784 million in the quarter.
The studio business, made up of the film and TV divisions, saw revenue fall by 23 percent to $691.6 million. TV production revenue fell sharply to $285.4 million,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Burns & Co. Prods. has acquired the exclusive rights to bring James Stewart’s story to the big screen. The theatrical movie, tentatively titled A Truly Wonderful Life, will share Stewart’s inspiring tale of valor, purpose, and faith.
Aaron Burns, who is a director/producer at Burns & Co., and his team have been developing the story with Stewart’s daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, who is serving as executive producer for the film.
Shortly after winning an Oscar in 1941, Stewart enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and won his wings as a combat pilot. He earned his way to the rank of squadron commander and used his everyman charm to lead fellow Americans through combat missions over Germany.
When he returned from war, Frank Capra asked him to star in It’s A Wonderful Life. When talking about the success of It’s A Wonderful Life, Stewart once said, “It’s...
Aaron Burns, who is a director/producer at Burns & Co., and his team have been developing the story with Stewart’s daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, who is serving as executive producer for the film.
Shortly after winning an Oscar in 1941, Stewart enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and won his wings as a combat pilot. He earned his way to the rank of squadron commander and used his everyman charm to lead fellow Americans through combat missions over Germany.
When he returned from war, Frank Capra asked him to star in It’s A Wonderful Life. When talking about the success of It’s A Wonderful Life, Stewart once said, “It’s...
- 2/6/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
"The Simpsons" has a long history of parodying Batman. Bart Simpson has the masked alter ego Bartman, who even starred in his own six-issue spin-off comic. Season 4 classic "Mr. Plow," one of the best "Simpsons" episodes, features Adam West as himself; he laments the lack of Robin (and the Batusi dance) in the then-contemporary Tim Burton "Batman" movies. You can draw a straight line from West parodying himself like this to his eventual recurring role on "Family Guy."
In "The Simpsons" season 24's "Dark Knight Court," Mr. Burns and Smithers stumble into the Android's Dungeon, where Burns rediscovers his childhood love of comic books. Reading the copyright-friendly "Detection Comics," Monty has his "he just like me Fr!" moment with Batman. So, he decides to become a caped crusader of the night as Fruit Bat Man, whose exploits are scored to music much like Hans Zimmer's operatic "Dark Knight" trilogy score.
In "The Simpsons" season 24's "Dark Knight Court," Mr. Burns and Smithers stumble into the Android's Dungeon, where Burns rediscovers his childhood love of comic books. Reading the copyright-friendly "Detection Comics," Monty has his "he just like me Fr!" moment with Batman. So, he decides to become a caped crusader of the night as Fruit Bat Man, whose exploits are scored to music much like Hans Zimmer's operatic "Dark Knight" trilogy score.
- 1/13/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Reacher"
At this point, it's fair to say "Reacher" season 2 is a dramatic improvement on the first. Not only does the new season feel so much bigger than its predecessor (which was hampered somewhat by pandemic-imposed restrictions), the story is much more engaging than the small-town conspiracy Alan Ritchson's hero thwarted last time around. Part of that is down to the legend that is Robert Patrick, who brings a specific kind of seedy menace to the role of antagonist Shane Langston, paying homage to his classic James Cameron villain, the T-1000, in the process. But the camaraderie between Reacher and his former Army unit, the Special Investigators, makes for a more compelling watch, too.
That said, there's no doubt fans of the show will be missing the rag-tag group from season 1. When Jack Reacher first hit Prime Video in 2022, he arrived in the small town of Margrave,...
At this point, it's fair to say "Reacher" season 2 is a dramatic improvement on the first. Not only does the new season feel so much bigger than its predecessor (which was hampered somewhat by pandemic-imposed restrictions), the story is much more engaging than the small-town conspiracy Alan Ritchson's hero thwarted last time around. Part of that is down to the legend that is Robert Patrick, who brings a specific kind of seedy menace to the role of antagonist Shane Langston, paying homage to his classic James Cameron villain, the T-1000, in the process. But the camaraderie between Reacher and his former Army unit, the Special Investigators, makes for a more compelling watch, too.
That said, there's no doubt fans of the show will be missing the rag-tag group from season 1. When Jack Reacher first hit Prime Video in 2022, he arrived in the small town of Margrave,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
What do "Happy Days" and "M*A*S*H" have in common? Well, for one thing, they're both era-defining TV shows of the 1970s that took place in the 1950s. "M*A*S*H" was set during the Korean War (even if its satirical target was the more recent Vietnam War), which unfolded from 1950 to 1953. It's a well-known joke that thanks to its 11-season run (1972 to 1983), the series lasted longer than the war it was set in.
That's not the only historical incongruity in "M*A*S*H" — there's a small but telling one in season 4, episode 21, "The Novocaine Mutiny," as first noted in "TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book" by Ed Solomonson and Mark O'Neill. In this episode, Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville) is left in command and predictably behaves like a tyrant. He begins searching officers' quarters for "stolen" (actually gambled) money. When he gets to Radar's (Gary Burghoff) office,...
That's not the only historical incongruity in "M*A*S*H" — there's a small but telling one in season 4, episode 21, "The Novocaine Mutiny," as first noted in "TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book" by Ed Solomonson and Mark O'Neill. In this episode, Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville) is left in command and predictably behaves like a tyrant. He begins searching officers' quarters for "stolen" (actually gambled) money. When he gets to Radar's (Gary Burghoff) office,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
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