Rewatching Steven Spielberg’s 1993 tragic war documentary Schindler’s List, is often considered difficult, especially because of the historical atrocities and the gruesomeness that the film reminds of. But THR recently revisited Schindler’s List with Spielberg and actor Liam Neeson, 30 years following its release.
A still from Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993)
While according to the filmmaker, the movie was never made as a cure for antisemitism, but merely as a reminder of its gruesome effects, Schindler’s List touched souls and bagged seven coveted Oscars. Looking back at the tear-jerker Liam Neeson spoke about his work experience and mentioned the preparation that went into his role after he was urged to model his performance on a real-life CEO over Oskar Schindler.
Revisiting the Miracle of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List
Created 30 years back in 1993 by Steven Spielberg, the war documentary Schindler’s List became a phenomenally powerful and effective portrayal of historical atrocities.
A still from Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993)
While according to the filmmaker, the movie was never made as a cure for antisemitism, but merely as a reminder of its gruesome effects, Schindler’s List touched souls and bagged seven coveted Oscars. Looking back at the tear-jerker Liam Neeson spoke about his work experience and mentioned the preparation that went into his role after he was urged to model his performance on a real-life CEO over Oskar Schindler.
Revisiting the Miracle of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List
Created 30 years back in 1993 by Steven Spielberg, the war documentary Schindler’s List became a phenomenally powerful and effective portrayal of historical atrocities.
- 4/5/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
“That movie was the President’s idea, not mine, but it was a demand, not a suggestion.”
The speaker was Jack Warner in a 1947 foreshadowing of his Donald Trumpian style. I recalled his remarks this week as I drove onto the Warner Bros lot, the fabled arena where Warner long reigned.
In his heyday, Warner was a Trump pre-clone in terms of temperament and rhetoric – a man who boasted about his mental acuity yet, to Hollywood’s power players, seemed occasionally unhinged.
I was visiting Warner Bros this week to spend some time with David Zaslav, a figure who, in temperament and politics, is the mirror opposite of Warner but whose empire is nonetheless a product of Warner’s erratic vision. Some believe that Zaslav’s studio – Hollywood in general – might still glean some insight from its founder’s idiosyncrasies.
A career maverick, Warner promoted gangster movies like Public Enemy...
The speaker was Jack Warner in a 1947 foreshadowing of his Donald Trumpian style. I recalled his remarks this week as I drove onto the Warner Bros lot, the fabled arena where Warner long reigned.
In his heyday, Warner was a Trump pre-clone in terms of temperament and rhetoric – a man who boasted about his mental acuity yet, to Hollywood’s power players, seemed occasionally unhinged.
I was visiting Warner Bros this week to spend some time with David Zaslav, a figure who, in temperament and politics, is the mirror opposite of Warner but whose empire is nonetheless a product of Warner’s erratic vision. Some believe that Zaslav’s studio – Hollywood in general – might still glean some insight from its founder’s idiosyncrasies.
A career maverick, Warner promoted gangster movies like Public Enemy...
- 3/7/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Herbert J. Siegel, the billionaire entertainment-industry mogul whose blockbuster deals included the sale of 10 TV stations to Rupert Murdoch and the merger of Warner Communications and Time Inc., died Saturday at his home in Manhattan, The New York Times reported. He was 95.
A Philadelphia native, Siegel was the son of an immigrant garment manufacturer who turned his inheritance and boyhood fascination with the film industry into a fortune through investments in Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox.
He started his career while still in college, with a failed attempt to purchase a stake in the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When that bid was unsuccessful, he bought an interest in Official Films, a company that packaged television programs and had connections to the CBS network.
A consummate deal-maker, Siegel invested in a range of industries but always kept his hand in entertainment. In 1962, he bought General Artists Corporation, a talent agency...
A Philadelphia native, Siegel was the son of an immigrant garment manufacturer who turned his inheritance and boyhood fascination with the film industry into a fortune through investments in Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox.
He started his career while still in college, with a failed attempt to purchase a stake in the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When that bid was unsuccessful, he bought an interest in Official Films, a company that packaged television programs and had connections to the CBS network.
A consummate deal-maker, Siegel invested in a range of industries but always kept his hand in entertainment. In 1962, he bought General Artists Corporation, a talent agency...
- 8/11/2023
- by Eileen AJ Connelly
- The Wrap
“How did I become Tom Joad? I used to write for a living.”
Tom Joad was the hapless farmer in The Grapes of Wrath who fled the Dust Bowl to find a better life in California. The man who cited him this week is a successful screenwriter who’s been walking the picket line and asked that I not use his name.
While the cast of pickets might not mirror John Steinbeck’s characters in his great novel, still “the rhetoric of this strike has taken on a ‘rich against the poor’ obsession,” in the words of one studio CEO.
The bargaining jargon once focused on residuals, but now it’s about “land barons” and “tone-deaf greedy bosses” (the words of SAG-AFTRA’s Fran Drescher). Little wonder polling shows only 7% of the public siding with the “bosses.” The “class warfare” has passed the 100-day mark, with L.A. city workers joining in Tuesday.
Tom Joad was the hapless farmer in The Grapes of Wrath who fled the Dust Bowl to find a better life in California. The man who cited him this week is a successful screenwriter who’s been walking the picket line and asked that I not use his name.
While the cast of pickets might not mirror John Steinbeck’s characters in his great novel, still “the rhetoric of this strike has taken on a ‘rich against the poor’ obsession,” in the words of one studio CEO.
The bargaining jargon once focused on residuals, but now it’s about “land barons” and “tone-deaf greedy bosses” (the words of SAG-AFTRA’s Fran Drescher). Little wonder polling shows only 7% of the public siding with the “bosses.” The “class warfare” has passed the 100-day mark, with L.A. city workers joining in Tuesday.
- 8/10/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
It wasn’t all that long ago that being the CEO of a major media or entertainment company was the top of the heap. The moguls of the day, from Ted Turner and Sumner Redstone to Rupert Murdoch and Steve Ross, dominated the culture — and earned billions in the process.
But the CEO gig ain’t what it used to be. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has become public executive enemy No. 1 for many industry workers amid the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing strike.
Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos is a close second, while Disney chief Bob Iger finds himself back in the CEO seat, but under much more challenging circumstances, all while trying to figure out who, if anyone, has what it takes to succeed him after his predecessor and successor Bob Chapek lasted only two and a half years.
At Apple and Amazon, entertainment is...
But the CEO gig ain’t what it used to be. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has become public executive enemy No. 1 for many industry workers amid the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing strike.
Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos is a close second, while Disney chief Bob Iger finds himself back in the CEO seat, but under much more challenging circumstances, all while trying to figure out who, if anyone, has what it takes to succeed him after his predecessor and successor Bob Chapek lasted only two and a half years.
At Apple and Amazon, entertainment is...
- 7/7/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ah, 1978. It was the year that Slashfilm writer Lee Adams entered the world, and two movies changed the course of comedy forever (those landmarks are unrelated; I'm not trying to claim any credit). Those movies were "National Lampoon's Animal House" and Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" — two lowbrow hits whose influences are still felt to this day.
There was lowbrow stuff before 1978, of course. Slapstick — the age-old art of falling over, breaking things, and hitting people — was still doing the rounds in the increasingly weary adventures of Inspector Clouseau. But the class of '78 was different: wild, irreverent, raucous, bawdy, subversive, counterculture comedy that delighted the kids and antagonized the squares.
The two films had their roots in the '60s. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong developed their stand-up act in the latter part of the decade before making their break on the big screen with the granddaddy of stoner movies,...
There was lowbrow stuff before 1978, of course. Slapstick — the age-old art of falling over, breaking things, and hitting people — was still doing the rounds in the increasingly weary adventures of Inspector Clouseau. But the class of '78 was different: wild, irreverent, raucous, bawdy, subversive, counterculture comedy that delighted the kids and antagonized the squares.
The two films had their roots in the '60s. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong developed their stand-up act in the latter part of the decade before making their break on the big screen with the granddaddy of stoner movies,...
- 3/26/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
Ace Eddies: ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ‘Everything Everywhere’ win over Oscar rivals for Best Film Editing
“Top Gun: Maverick” got a big boost in its bid for Best Editing at the Oscars with a win at the Ace Golden Eddie Awards on March 5. It prevailed in the drama race at these awards bestowed by American Cinema Editors over two of its Oscar rivals –“Elvis” and “Tár ” — as well as “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Woman King.”
Another of the Oscar nominees, “Everything Everywhere All at Once ” won the comedy/musical category over the fifth Oscar contender, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” plus “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness.”
Since 1990, the film that came up with one of the ACEs went on to win the top prize at the Academy Awards 18 times, including the 2020 winner for best drama editing, “Parasite.” And in 10 of the 14 years when the Ace barometer was wrong, at least one of the Eddie champs was a contender for Best Picture.
Another of the Oscar nominees, “Everything Everywhere All at Once ” won the comedy/musical category over the fifth Oscar contender, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” plus “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”, “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness.”
Since 1990, the film that came up with one of the ACEs went on to win the top prize at the Academy Awards 18 times, including the 2020 winner for best drama editing, “Parasite.” And in 10 of the 14 years when the Ace barometer was wrong, at least one of the Eddie champs was a contender for Best Picture.
- 3/6/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
American Cinema Editors announced winners in 14 categories March 5 during the 73rd annual Ace Eddie Awards. And all five Oscar nominees were included among the nominations — though spread out between two categories.
Historically, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has also won the Academy Award 13 of 22 times‚ but not in the last three years. Whether or not that streak will hold remains murky since Oscar nominees “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” both took home trophies.
“The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood received the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, while film editors Lynne Willingham and Don Zimmerman received Career Achievement Awards.
Other winners included awards season faves “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Fire of Love,” and “The Bear.” See the complete list of winners, marked in bold, below.
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)
“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Sven Budelmann, Bfs
“Elvis” – Matt Villa, Ace Ase,...
Historically, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has also won the Academy Award 13 of 22 times‚ but not in the last three years. Whether or not that streak will hold remains murky since Oscar nominees “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” both took home trophies.
“The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood received the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, while film editors Lynne Willingham and Don Zimmerman received Career Achievement Awards.
Other winners included awards season faves “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Fire of Love,” and “The Bear.” See the complete list of winners, marked in bold, below.
Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)
“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Sven Budelmann, Bfs
“Elvis” – Matt Villa, Ace Ase,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
From the outset, Sumner Redstone was a curiosity.
A cluster of power players 50 years ago were suddenly bidding for control of Hollywood’s revered movie studios. Competition was intense but most of the bidders were not even “movie” people. In fact, they’d rarely seen a movie.
Related Story Les Moonves Lies, Shari Pushes, Philippe Dauman Falls, Sumner Steals His Grandson’s Girlfriend And Other Tales In New Book On The Redstones Related Story 'Scream VI' Headed To Franchise Record Opening At Box Office Related Story 'Dungeons & Dragons' John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's GoldDay Inks First Look With Paramount Pictures
The exception was a cantankerous lawyer from Boston who’d inherited a small chain of theaters. Unlike characters like Steve Ross (funeral business), Kirk Kerkorian (airplanes) or Rupert Murdoch (newspapers), Redstone was passionate about film. He wanted to champion filmmaking and build a media conglomerate around that zeal.
A cluster of power players 50 years ago were suddenly bidding for control of Hollywood’s revered movie studios. Competition was intense but most of the bidders were not even “movie” people. In fact, they’d rarely seen a movie.
Related Story Les Moonves Lies, Shari Pushes, Philippe Dauman Falls, Sumner Steals His Grandson’s Girlfriend And Other Tales In New Book On The Redstones Related Story 'Scream VI' Headed To Franchise Record Opening At Box Office Related Story 'Dungeons & Dragons' John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein's GoldDay Inks First Look With Paramount Pictures
The exception was a cantankerous lawyer from Boston who’d inherited a small chain of theaters. Unlike characters like Steve Ross (funeral business), Kirk Kerkorian (airplanes) or Rupert Murdoch (newspapers), Redstone was passionate about film. He wanted to champion filmmaking and build a media conglomerate around that zeal.
- 2/16/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
The nominations for the 2023 Ace Eddie Awards announced on Wednesday (Feb. 1) include our Oscar frontrunner for Best Film Editing, “Top Gun: Maverick,” along with the other four films contending in that race: “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Tar.”
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals.
“Elvis,” “Tar” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Woman King.”
Facing off against “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” on the comedy side are “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness.”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees (matching that of the Oscars) and in 2000 it split the award in two, with five nominees for each of drama and comedy/musical. Over the past 30 years,...
The Ace Eddie Awards divide their prizes for editing between dramas and comedies/musicals.
“Elvis,” “Tar” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” contend here in the drama race, which is rounded out by “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “The Woman King.”
Facing off against “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” on the comedy side are “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness.”
In 1992, the Eddies went from three to five nominees (matching that of the Oscars) and in 2000 it split the award in two, with five nominees for each of drama and comedy/musical. Over the past 30 years,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The American Cinema Editors group has revealed the nominees for the 2023 Eddie Awards, which will be handed out March 5 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
The live-action theatrical feature competition has two categories, drama and comedy. The nominees in the category of best edited dramatic feature are Sven Budelmann for All Quiet on the Western Front, Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond for Elvis, Monika Willi for Tár, Eddie Hamilton for Top Gun: Maverick and Terilyn A. Shropshire for The Woman King. Nominees for best edited comedic feature are Mikkel E.G. Nielsen for The Banshees of Inisherin, Paul Rogers for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Bob Ducsay for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Christopher Tellefsen for The Menu and Ruben Östlund and Mikel Cee Karlsson for Triangle of Sadness.
With her nomination for The Woman King, Shropshire becomes the second Black woman to be nominated for an Eddie in the dramatic feature category.
The live-action theatrical feature competition has two categories, drama and comedy. The nominees in the category of best edited dramatic feature are Sven Budelmann for All Quiet on the Western Front, Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond for Elvis, Monika Willi for Tár, Eddie Hamilton for Top Gun: Maverick and Terilyn A. Shropshire for The Woman King. Nominees for best edited comedic feature are Mikkel E.G. Nielsen for The Banshees of Inisherin, Paul Rogers for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Bob Ducsay for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Christopher Tellefsen for The Menu and Ruben Östlund and Mikel Cee Karlsson for Triangle of Sadness.
With her nomination for The Woman King, Shropshire becomes the second Black woman to be nominated for an Eddie in the dramatic feature category.
- 2/1/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has nominated “Tár,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Elvis, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “The Woman King” in the category of feature film drama for the 73rd annual Ace Eddie Awards.
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness” all received nominations in the best edited comedic feature category.
The TV nominees include “The Bear,” “Severance” and “The White Lotus.”
Since 1961, only 12 women have won in the best-edited drama feature category. This year, there are two women who made the cut: Terilyn Shropshire for “The Woman King” and Monika Willi for “Tár.” Willi also earned an Oscar nomination for her work.
As previously announced, the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievements in the art and business of film, will be presented to Gina Prince-Bythewood...
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “The Menu” and “Triangle of Sadness” all received nominations in the best edited comedic feature category.
The TV nominees include “The Bear,” “Severance” and “The White Lotus.”
Since 1961, only 12 women have won in the best-edited drama feature category. This year, there are two women who made the cut: Terilyn Shropshire for “The Woman King” and Monika Willi for “Tár.” Willi also earned an Oscar nomination for her work.
As previously announced, the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievements in the art and business of film, will be presented to Gina Prince-Bythewood...
- 2/1/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
American Cinemas Editors has cut together the nominees for its 73rd annual Ace Eddie Awards, which will be handed out next month. See the list for all 14 categories below.
Vying for the marquee prize of Best Edited Feature Film prize are the editors behind All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and The Woman King. The Comedy Theatrical race will be among The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu and Triangle of Sadness.
Related Story Gina Prince-Bythewood Set For Golden Eddie At 73rd Ace Eddie Awards, Editors Lynne Willingham & Don Zimmerman To Receive Career Achievement Honors Related Story Ace Eddie Awards 2023 Date Set; Timeline Revised – Update Related Story American Cinema Editors Condemns Oscars' Pre-Taped Category Revamp, Calls For Future Demonstration Of "Fairness And Inclusiveness"
Since the turn of the 21st century, the Eddie...
Vying for the marquee prize of Best Edited Feature Film prize are the editors behind All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and The Woman King. The Comedy Theatrical race will be among The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu and Triangle of Sadness.
Related Story Gina Prince-Bythewood Set For Golden Eddie At 73rd Ace Eddie Awards, Editors Lynne Willingham & Don Zimmerman To Receive Career Achievement Honors Related Story Ace Eddie Awards 2023 Date Set; Timeline Revised – Update Related Story American Cinema Editors Condemns Oscars' Pre-Taped Category Revamp, Calls For Future Demonstration Of "Fairness And Inclusiveness"
Since the turn of the 21st century, the Eddie...
- 2/1/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
A brilliant negotiator, Lew Wasserman was the ex-agent who presided over the vast McA Universal media empire from his black tower. He favored black suits and austere offices and seemed to convey stress as he strolled about his kingdom.
Wasserman seemed always in a state of negotiation: He not only hammered out deals for new projects but also union and guild agreements for the entire industry and antitrust deals governing acquisitions like Decca Records. He even helped negotiate divorce settlements for the stars he once represented like Clark Gable and Myrna Loy.
Related Story Historically, The WGA Is Overdue For A Strike, With Residuals Again A Key Issue Of Upcoming Talks Related Story Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer Reinstated, Team Has 24 Days To Decide His Fate – Update Related Story Sean Connery Foundation Established To Honor Actor's Legacy Through Grants In Scotland & Bahamas
Wasserman likely would have relished this Hollywood moment,...
Wasserman seemed always in a state of negotiation: He not only hammered out deals for new projects but also union and guild agreements for the entire industry and antitrust deals governing acquisitions like Decca Records. He even helped negotiate divorce settlements for the stars he once represented like Clark Gable and Myrna Loy.
Related Story Historically, The WGA Is Overdue For A Strike, With Residuals Again A Key Issue Of Upcoming Talks Related Story Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer Reinstated, Team Has 24 Days To Decide His Fate – Update Related Story Sean Connery Foundation Established To Honor Actor's Legacy Through Grants In Scotland & Bahamas
Wasserman likely would have relished this Hollywood moment,...
- 12/29/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Marvin Josephson, who helped grow a small management company that could not afford a secretary into an international entertainment agency with multiple offices, died May 17 in New York. He was 95.
Josephson was born March 6, 1927 in Atlantic City, N.J. to immigrant parents. Upon graduation from Atlantic City High School, he entered the US Navy just before the end of World War II. After the Navy, he attended Cornell University, where he received a B.A. degree.
He went on to night law school at New York University School of Law and received his law degree in 1952. That same year, Josephson got a job in the CBS legal department. He left CBS to start his own company and was the only employee, since he could not afford a secretary.
The new company started April 1, 1955 as a personal management company. The first important client was Bob Keeshan, who produced and starred in “Captain Kangaroo,...
Josephson was born March 6, 1927 in Atlantic City, N.J. to immigrant parents. Upon graduation from Atlantic City High School, he entered the US Navy just before the end of World War II. After the Navy, he attended Cornell University, where he received a B.A. degree.
He went on to night law school at New York University School of Law and received his law degree in 1952. That same year, Josephson got a job in the CBS legal department. He left CBS to start his own company and was the only employee, since he could not afford a secretary.
The new company started April 1, 1955 as a personal management company. The first important client was Bob Keeshan, who produced and starred in “Captain Kangaroo,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav raised the curtain on the combined Warner Bros. Discovery, kicking off the newly merged media giant’s upfront presentation Wednesday morning by declaring the company to be “the largest maker of motion picture and television content in the world.”
Kicking off the presentation at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Zaslav admitted to the packed house that he was “a little nervous” to show off the company that closed its 43 billion transaction with AT&T just six weeks ago.
Zaslav detailed the combined company’s breadth of assets and its goal of being “a place for bold, impactful storytelling with the power to entertain, inform and when we’re at our best, inspire.”
He described himself as “humbled” by the leadership challenge ahead of him. He took time to call out three legendary media figures that he called “personal heroes”: famed cable pioneer and investor John Malone,...
Kicking off the presentation at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Zaslav admitted to the packed house that he was “a little nervous” to show off the company that closed its 43 billion transaction with AT&T just six weeks ago.
Zaslav detailed the combined company’s breadth of assets and its goal of being “a place for bold, impactful storytelling with the power to entertain, inform and when we’re at our best, inspire.”
He described himself as “humbled” by the leadership challenge ahead of him. He took time to call out three legendary media figures that he called “personal heroes”: famed cable pioneer and investor John Malone,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton and Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, proclaimed the merged company as essentially the fifth broadcast network, and repeated his vow that the company would overcome any skepticism about its prospects.
“I’m highly confident in our ability to thrive both creatively and financially,” he said. “Simply stated, we have the content that viewers want.”
Dropping names as is his wont, Zaslav mentioned the original Warner brothers, who founded the movie studio almost a century ago, as well as John Malone, Ted Turner and Steve Ross. One other name he cited was a bit more unexpected: Rupert Murdoch. Three decades ago, Zaslav recalled, Murdoch put the fledgling Fox broadcast network on the map by acquiring rights to the NFL.
Today, he maintained, Discovery has more reach to viewers aged 25 to 54 than any of the four major networks. bigger audience among 25-54 than any of the four broadcast networks.
Notably, Zaslav...
“I’m highly confident in our ability to thrive both creatively and financially,” he said. “Simply stated, we have the content that viewers want.”
Dropping names as is his wont, Zaslav mentioned the original Warner brothers, who founded the movie studio almost a century ago, as well as John Malone, Ted Turner and Steve Ross. One other name he cited was a bit more unexpected: Rupert Murdoch. Three decades ago, Zaslav recalled, Murdoch put the fledgling Fox broadcast network on the map by acquiring rights to the NFL.
Today, he maintained, Discovery has more reach to viewers aged 25 to 54 than any of the four major networks. bigger audience among 25-54 than any of the four broadcast networks.
Notably, Zaslav...
- 5/18/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and other top execs met with employees in a town hall this morning on the Warner lot in Burbank. The gathering was primarily a restatement of many of the key messages from the nearly year-long buildup to the historic merger, though the exec did briefly touch on looming layoffs, highlighted CNN and how the merger came together.
The roughly hour-long event was the first all-hands meeting since last Friday’s close of the 43 billion merger.
According to a preliminary transcript of the event provided to Deadline, Zaslav declared it “a new day, a bright and shiny day.” After speaking briefly, he introduced Oprah Winfrey, who interviewed Zaslav onstage and took him through an hour-long discussion of mostly high-level observations about the overall portfolio. Asked how the deal came together from the initial talks last February,...
The roughly hour-long event was the first all-hands meeting since last Friday’s close of the 43 billion merger.
According to a preliminary transcript of the event provided to Deadline, Zaslav declared it “a new day, a bright and shiny day.” After speaking briefly, he introduced Oprah Winfrey, who interviewed Zaslav onstage and took him through an hour-long discussion of mostly high-level observations about the overall portfolio. Asked how the deal came together from the initial talks last February,...
- 4/14/2022
- by Dade Hayes and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Bob Ross was known for his permed hair and his sanguine PBS TV series, The Joy of Painting, where he taught art to viewers nationwide for more than a decade in the 1980s and early Nineties. But as a titillating trailer suggested last week, his career wasn’t all happy trees and clouds.
The new documentary, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed, now streaming on Netflix, covers the span of Ross’ career with a focus on his relationship with business partners and Bob Ross, Inc. co-creators Walt and Annette Kowalski,...
The new documentary, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed, now streaming on Netflix, covers the span of Ross’ career with a focus on his relationship with business partners and Bob Ross, Inc. co-creators Walt and Annette Kowalski,...
- 8/26/2021
- by Andrea Marks
- Rollingstone.com
The Donald Trump era is passing like a dark cloud, but I’d offer a second headline of equal importance: The Rupert Murdoch era also is history. As the media lord nears 90, his ominous hold on the politics and pop culture of three nations is lifting as well. Hollywood, too, will be healthier in his absence.
The Trump legacy is one of hatred and betrayal – that much has come into alarming focus in the last 48 hours. But that shouldn’t distract from the reality that Murdoch’s media arsenal helped build Trumpism – Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and even those assets overseas. Murdoch has profited from splintering American society.
Thirty years ago this week I wrote a column I regret which was headlined “Rupert Rebounds.” At that moment Murdoch was in a $6.8 billion sinkhole of debt, unable to secure a $600 million bridge loan to pacify his bankers.
The Trump legacy is one of hatred and betrayal – that much has come into alarming focus in the last 48 hours. But that shouldn’t distract from the reality that Murdoch’s media arsenal helped build Trumpism – Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and even those assets overseas. Murdoch has profited from splintering American society.
Thirty years ago this week I wrote a column I regret which was headlined “Rupert Rebounds.” At that moment Murdoch was in a $6.8 billion sinkhole of debt, unable to secure a $600 million bridge loan to pacify his bankers.
- 1/7/2021
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Donald Trump was not the first American president who owed his education to Hollywood, but he was the first who tried to turn it into a cult. As things turned out, even the stars of show business turned against their self-anointed protégé.
“Trump became obsessed that celebrity could become a cult,” said one corporate CEO who declined to be quoted.
A new Showtime series titled The Reagans forcefully reminds us that it was Ronald Reagan who set the stage for Trump, demonstrating how Hollywood fame could translate into votes. Still, it was not until after his death that the Reagan name assumed a cult-like status.
Early on, some in Hollywood saw Trump’s rise to power as a curious joy-ride. Where Reagan had been a movie star, Trump was a fringe attention-seeker who achieved TV stardom by preaching a doctrine of success. It soon became clear that Trump enjoyed firing...
“Trump became obsessed that celebrity could become a cult,” said one corporate CEO who declined to be quoted.
A new Showtime series titled The Reagans forcefully reminds us that it was Ronald Reagan who set the stage for Trump, demonstrating how Hollywood fame could translate into votes. Still, it was not until after his death that the Reagan name assumed a cult-like status.
Early on, some in Hollywood saw Trump’s rise to power as a curious joy-ride. Where Reagan had been a movie star, Trump was a fringe attention-seeker who achieved TV stardom by preaching a doctrine of success. It soon became clear that Trump enjoyed firing...
- 11/5/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
The reminders came often from Sumner Redstone, self-made architect of a vast media empire.
“Viacom is me,” he once told Fortune magazine. “I’m Viacom. That marriage is eternal, forever.”
“I’m in control!” he chided Mel Karmazin in a nationally televised news conference as the executive tried to outline his vision for the newly merged Viacom and CBS. “Remember — I’m in control!”
The late Frank Biondi Jr., who engineered a series of key deals in the 1980s and ’90s as Viacom CEO, once acknowledged to the New Yorker‘s Ken Auletta that it could be frustrating toiling in semi-obscurity. “Sumner is the embodiment of this place,” he shrugged.
Redstone, who died Wednesday at age 97, personified more than just a single company. He came to represent a media and entertainment era when deeply flawed, nakedly ambitious, larger-than-life personalities single-handedly set the agenda.
“Sumner Redstone was, for all his business thuggery,...
“Viacom is me,” he once told Fortune magazine. “I’m Viacom. That marriage is eternal, forever.”
“I’m in control!” he chided Mel Karmazin in a nationally televised news conference as the executive tried to outline his vision for the newly merged Viacom and CBS. “Remember — I’m in control!”
The late Frank Biondi Jr., who engineered a series of key deals in the 1980s and ’90s as Viacom CEO, once acknowledged to the New Yorker‘s Ken Auletta that it could be frustrating toiling in semi-obscurity. “Sumner is the embodiment of this place,” he shrugged.
Redstone, who died Wednesday at age 97, personified more than just a single company. He came to represent a media and entertainment era when deeply flawed, nakedly ambitious, larger-than-life personalities single-handedly set the agenda.
“Sumner Redstone was, for all his business thuggery,...
- 8/13/2020
- by Dade Hayes and Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
His credentials seemed impeccable. He was 60, a Yale graduate, a former studio chief, a gifted dealmaker and now a newly named company president. But there were a few clouds: He was also a convicted embezzler, a compulsive gambler and his Yale degree was bogus.
This was 1981 and David Begelman, the new boss of MGM, was in many ways representative of the executives who were running Hollywood in that period – men who compulsively operated on the margin.
The cast of characters of that generation would not have been comfortable in the same room with the corporate soldiers who are presently taking their seats at the CEO table – Jason Kilar (WarnerMedia), Bob Chapek (Disney), Jeff Shell (NBCUniversal), et al. All came armed with Harvard MBAs and have already proved their management skills at various corporate levels: Kiler built Hulu. Chapek ran the world’s biggest theme parks. Shell built a giant global distribution machine.
This was 1981 and David Begelman, the new boss of MGM, was in many ways representative of the executives who were running Hollywood in that period – men who compulsively operated on the margin.
The cast of characters of that generation would not have been comfortable in the same room with the corporate soldiers who are presently taking their seats at the CEO table – Jason Kilar (WarnerMedia), Bob Chapek (Disney), Jeff Shell (NBCUniversal), et al. All came armed with Harvard MBAs and have already proved their management skills at various corporate levels: Kiler built Hulu. Chapek ran the world’s biggest theme parks. Shell built a giant global distribution machine.
- 6/25/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre has announced an upcoming online run of four plays, becoming what could be Off Broadway’s first summer season created specifically for virtual viewing. Included in the line-up is the world premiere of Darren Murphy’s short play The Gifts You Gave to the Dark, with characters affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Like all Broadway and most Off Broadway theaters, Irish Rep is under shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly all New York venues have been dark since mid-March.
Announced today by artistic director Charlotte Moore and producing director Ciarán O’Reilly, Irish Rep’s first online summer season will feature three of the company’s more popular recent productions reimagined for the screen and filmed remotely – Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom, The Weir and Love, Noël: The Songs and Letters of Noël Coward – as well as the world premiere of Darren Murphy...
Like all Broadway and most Off Broadway theaters, Irish Rep is under shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly all New York venues have been dark since mid-March.
Announced today by artistic director Charlotte Moore and producing director Ciarán O’Reilly, Irish Rep’s first online summer season will feature three of the company’s more popular recent productions reimagined for the screen and filmed remotely – Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom, The Weir and Love, Noël: The Songs and Letters of Noël Coward – as well as the world premiere of Darren Murphy...
- 5/21/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
At the controversial Hamptons fundraiser hosted at the home of SoulCycle and Equinox majority owner Stephen Ross this week, President Donald Trump stirred up even more controversy by mimicking an Asian accent and mocking South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, the New York Post reported.
When news broke that Ross was hosting the fundraiser for the president, a number of people decided to cancel their memberships to the fitness centers in protest. Referencing the criticism Ross had received, Trump said, “Steve Ross got into a...
When news broke that Ross was hosting the fundraiser for the president, a number of people decided to cancel their memberships to the fitness centers in protest. Referencing the criticism Ross had received, Trump said, “Steve Ross got into a...
- 8/11/2019
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Ann Sarnoff has yet to begin her new job as chairman-ceo of Warner Bros., but she already has deep family ties to the entertainment company.
When she made her first visit to the Burbank lot last month, she was touched to find that studio staffers had framed for her a memo her father-in-law, Bill Sarnoff, wrote back in 1977 approving a then-unknown Christopher Reeve to play the Man of Steel in the studio’s first live-action “Superman” film.
Bill Sarnoff, who worked with the legendary Steve Ross in the late 1960s, had orchestrated the acquisition of DC Comics for Ross’ Kinney Corp. in 1968. The superhero troupe became part of Warner Bros. the following year, when Kinney Corp. bought the studio.
Flash-forward 50 years, and the DC trove is more important to the studio’s health than ever.
The weight of her new role as the leader of the industry’s largest studio...
When she made her first visit to the Burbank lot last month, she was touched to find that studio staffers had framed for her a memo her father-in-law, Bill Sarnoff, wrote back in 1977 approving a then-unknown Christopher Reeve to play the Man of Steel in the studio’s first live-action “Superman” film.
Bill Sarnoff, who worked with the legendary Steve Ross in the late 1960s, had orchestrated the acquisition of DC Comics for Ross’ Kinney Corp. in 1968. The superhero troupe became part of Warner Bros. the following year, when Kinney Corp. bought the studio.
Flash-forward 50 years, and the DC trove is more important to the studio’s health than ever.
The weight of her new role as the leader of the industry’s largest studio...
- 7/30/2019
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
I was walking on the Fox lot not long ago when my companion, a TV producer, pointed to a figure just ahead of us. “That’s Peter Rice,” he said. “Notice there’s no shadow.”
Rice’s shadow was in fact looming behind him, but I got the joke. Rice, the newly anointed most powerful man in television, is by design so low profile he may seem absent. He dislikes parties, doesn’t do interviews, avoids fundraisers and, in meetings, may be cryptic to the point of silence.
In short, the man who, as of last week, now rules the combined TV assets of Disney and Fox, is winning renown for high clout and low visibility. Renown and also respect: To a growing, even disturbing, degree, the figures who shape decisions in global entertainment are unknown to the public and even to most of the creative community. And Peter Rice...
Rice’s shadow was in fact looming behind him, but I got the joke. Rice, the newly anointed most powerful man in television, is by design so low profile he may seem absent. He dislikes parties, doesn’t do interviews, avoids fundraisers and, in meetings, may be cryptic to the point of silence.
In short, the man who, as of last week, now rules the combined TV assets of Disney and Fox, is winning renown for high clout and low visibility. Renown and also respect: To a growing, even disturbing, degree, the figures who shape decisions in global entertainment are unknown to the public and even to most of the creative community. And Peter Rice...
- 10/18/2018
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
The NFL’s Miami Dolphins are threatening to suspend players who protest during the national anthem for up to four games.
The policy was announced in a recently issued nine-page discipline document under the section “Proper Anthem Conduct.”
So far, NFL players have not reacted well to the league’s mandate that they stand at attention during the national anthem in the upcoming season. The NFL Players Association has threatened to take the league to court if it attempts to fine teams, as promised. The two sides will meet with an independent arbiter later this month.
But this latest report is the first to surface regarding individual team discipline.
The Miami Dolphins document lists anthem protests under “conduct detrimental to the team,” and mentions suspensions, fines or a combination of both as a possible penalty.
So far, at least one NFL star is thumbing his nose at the league’s...
The policy was announced in a recently issued nine-page discipline document under the section “Proper Anthem Conduct.”
So far, NFL players have not reacted well to the league’s mandate that they stand at attention during the national anthem in the upcoming season. The NFL Players Association has threatened to take the league to court if it attempts to fine teams, as promised. The two sides will meet with an independent arbiter later this month.
But this latest report is the first to surface regarding individual team discipline.
The Miami Dolphins document lists anthem protests under “conduct detrimental to the team,” and mentions suspensions, fines or a combination of both as a possible penalty.
So far, at least one NFL star is thumbing his nose at the league’s...
- 7/19/2018
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Miami Dolphins players who protest on the field during the national anthem could face suspension for up to four games under a new team policy, the Associated Press reported on Monday afternoon.
The team’s nine-page discipline document, which was provided to the Associated Press by a person familiar with the policy, includes anthem protests under a long list of “conduct detrimental to the club,” all of which could lead to a fine, a paid or unpaid suspension, or both. The document has not yet been released to the public.
In March, Dolphins owner Steve Ross told the New York Daily News that “all of our players will be standing,” explaining that although he had supported their right to kneel as an exercise of freedom of speech, he felt the message being sent by players kneeling was a protest against “support of our country or the military.” He later walked back the comments,...
The team’s nine-page discipline document, which was provided to the Associated Press by a person familiar with the policy, includes anthem protests under a long list of “conduct detrimental to the club,” all of which could lead to a fine, a paid or unpaid suspension, or both. The document has not yet been released to the public.
In March, Dolphins owner Steve Ross told the New York Daily News that “all of our players will be standing,” explaining that although he had supported their right to kneel as an exercise of freedom of speech, he felt the message being sent by players kneeling was a protest against “support of our country or the military.” He later walked back the comments,...
- 7/19/2018
- by Juliette Verlaque
- The Wrap
The time has come to augment the endangered species list, with Hollywood media moguls as the latest entries. They used to be the loudest voices in the room, but now you need a scorecard to figure out who’s in charge of what.
Consider this week: The CEOs of At&T and Time Warner took the stand in federal court to slam the Justice Department for opposing their vaunted merger (what will be the fate of CNN and HBO?). Les Moonves must audition again for the (dubious?) privilege of running the newest proposed iteration of CBS-Viacom. With the abrupt dismissal of Gary Barber, MGM shareholders are looking for a new leader and business plan (will the Mark Burnett attachment hold firm?). And tense meetings continue within the newly forged Disney-Fox empire to hammer out a new power structure (will Rupert Murdoch truly limit his clout to the Fox News propaganda machine?...
Consider this week: The CEOs of At&T and Time Warner took the stand in federal court to slam the Justice Department for opposing their vaunted merger (what will be the fate of CNN and HBO?). Les Moonves must audition again for the (dubious?) privilege of running the newest proposed iteration of CBS-Viacom. With the abrupt dismissal of Gary Barber, MGM shareholders are looking for a new leader and business plan (will the Mark Burnett attachment hold firm?). And tense meetings continue within the newly forged Disney-Fox empire to hammer out a new power structure (will Rupert Murdoch truly limit his clout to the Fox News propaganda machine?...
- 4/19/2018
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve Ross I Remember Him Well: The Songs of Alan Jay Lerner Birdland Jazz Club, NYC Monday, January 22, 2018
Lerner who?
Getting serious for a moment, this is the fact around which we will orbit: What really constitutes American culture? Literature and architecture and painting -- yes, certainly. But what particularly animates our hearts is song -- and, in particular, the living energy of the American musical theater. In that buoyant realm, there’s no greater literate master than lyricist and writer Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986). The open-and-shut-case evidence for this assertion is his CV: On A Clear Day, Brigadoon, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon, An American In Paris (story and screen play), Camelot, and -- most famously, My Fair Lady.
Watching our black and white TV, as a child I noticed my parents (and the studio audience) were delighted by a singer I’d never heard of. I could not understand the big to-do about him.
Lerner who?
Getting serious for a moment, this is the fact around which we will orbit: What really constitutes American culture? Literature and architecture and painting -- yes, certainly. But what particularly animates our hearts is song -- and, in particular, the living energy of the American musical theater. In that buoyant realm, there’s no greater literate master than lyricist and writer Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986). The open-and-shut-case evidence for this assertion is his CV: On A Clear Day, Brigadoon, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon, An American In Paris (story and screen play), Camelot, and -- most famously, My Fair Lady.
Watching our black and white TV, as a child I noticed my parents (and the studio audience) were delighted by a singer I’d never heard of. I could not understand the big to-do about him.
- 1/27/2018
- by Jay Reisberg
- www.culturecatch.com
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