Best book that changed your life

EXCLUSIVE: Elena Saurel ( Industry) has been confirmed as a lead opposite Katelyn Tarver in Open Book , Amazon Freevee ’s half-hour scripted pilot, inspired by Jessica Simpson ’s bestselling memoir, from Tom Kapinos ( Californication ), Patrick Moran’s PKM Productions and Amazon Studios. Described as a propulsive, music-soaked coming-of-age story, Open Boo k, written by Kapinos, follows pop star Sadie Sparrow’s (Tarver) rise from ingenue to mogul, introducing us to the family, friends, and lovers she collects along the way. Touching on themes of love, friendship, family and sisterhood, relationships, soul connections, Hollywood and the music business, Sadie ultimately comes to embrace herself and the fact that her heart inevitably wants what it wants at every stage of life. Saurel plays Kat. Dark and cynical with a dry wit and unique wisdom, Kat is Sadie’s older sister and the “black sheep” of the family. John Stamos also stars in the pilot and will recur if it … [Read more...] about Elena Saurel Confirmed For Amazon Freevee’s ‘Open Book’ Pilot Inspired By Jessica Simpson Memoir

Multi-award-winning actor Sally Field has been named the 58th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Field will be presented with the honor at the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony, which will be broadcast live on Netflix’s YouTube channel, YouTube.com/Netflix, Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. “Sally is an amazing actor with an enormous range and an uncanny ability to embody any character,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “I joyfully watched her early career when she portrayed Gidget and the Flying Nun and then, in ever more challenging roles, as Sybil and Norma Rae. She never stopped being extraordinary, including as recently as Winning Time in which she was simply sublime as Jessie Buss. “She has an enduring career because she is authentic in her performance and always projects likability and … [Read more...] about Sally Field To Receive 2023 SAG Life Achievement Award

E! is celebrating love with three new rom-coms premiering on the cable network in the coming weeks: Why Can’t My Life Be a Rom-Com?, Royal Rendezvous and Married by Mistake. Watch a preview of the movies in the video posted above. Premiering on Sunday, February 19 at 9 p.m., Why Can’t My Life Be a Rom-Com? stars Em Haine, Cecilia Deacon, Wern Lee, Markian Tarasiuk, Aren Buchholz and Roraigh Falkner. The logline reads as follows: “Eliza is smart and independent, but after years of bad boyfriends she finds herself newly single, jobless and questioning all of her decisions. Throwing caution to the wind, Eliza follows best friend Sofia to the Hamptons and decides to change her approach to romance. They’re going to follow the rules of dating from a 50-year-old self-help book. The book seemingly works and Eliza finds herself in the center of a love triangle between Rich, a perfect doctor, and Doug, the towel boy at a Hampton’s hotel. Torn between two very different but equally viable … [Read more...] about E! Sets Premiere Dates For 3 Rom-Com Movies: ‘Why Can’t My Life Be A Rom-Com,’ ‘Royal Rendezvous’ & ‘Married By Mistake’

Over 50 years after Judy Blume ’s classic novel Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret was published, the author’s work is back in the spotlight on many fronts There’s a Margaret movie from Kelly Fremon Craig and Lionsgate coming this spring, and small-screen adaptation of 1975’s Forever in the works from a Mara Brock Akil and Netflix. However, leading the charge is the documentary Judy Blume Forever from Very Semi-Serious directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok . Set to launch on Amazon Prime Video on April 21, the 97-minute film from  Imagine Documentaries had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. In many ways as much about octogenarian Blume’s legacy’s enmeshment with the state of free speech in 2023 America as it is about the writer’s life, the documentary straddles that rare divide of being a labor of love and a rigorous examination. RELATED: Sundance Film Festival: Deadline’s Complete Coverage “There’s … [Read more...] about ‘Judy Blume Forever’ Directors On The Author’s Legacy, Relevance & Banned Books In America – Sundance Q&A

2nd Update, 7:14 PM: “This is about changing people’s lives, this is about freedom,” said Jeffrey Tambor tonight backstage at the Golden Globes after accepting the the Best Actor in Television Series – Comedy or Musical award. “Jill (Soloway) transformed my life and changed my life. I was given this role called Maura Pfefferman and it’s been the most transformative role and the most challenging,” the actor remarked of his transgendered role on Transparent . “I’m 70 years old, this doesn’t happen every day. This was not for the reviews, the rewards, but to get it right.” Tonight’s GG win was the first for the 6-time Emmy nominated Tambor. The actor also held nothing back in his praise of Amazon Studios . “Amazon and Joe (Lewis) were behind me,” he said of the Jeff Bezos formed company, “they have guts and they have taste.” Tambor’s remarks on the studio and its support echo those of Soloway late last year . Today’s wins were the first major awards for Amazon with the series … [Read more...] about ‘Transparent’ Wins Two Golden Globes With Best TV Series & Best Actor – Comedy Or Musical

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale spoke a real truth about the money-making Hollywood awards machine as he opened the proceedings for Friday’s annual AFI Awards honoring the year’s best in movies in television as chosen by a distinguished jury. “This is the only event of its kind where you are informed of your honor and then not asked to pay to attend,” he said. The Top 10 films AFI selected this year include Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis , Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans , Nope , She Said, T á r, Top Gun: Maverick , The Woman King and Women Talking , with an AFI Special Award for The Banshees of Inisherin. On AFI’s top 10 TV list are The Bear , Mo , Pachink o, Severance , Somebody Somewhere, Abbott Elementary, Hacks , Reservation Dogs , Better Call Saul and anthology series The White Lotus. Stars, creatives and executives connected … [Read more...] about AFI Awards Bring Out The Best In The Season; ‘The Whale’ Rising?; Oscar’s Longshots Hoping For A Miracle – Notes On The Season

Heinrich Böll’s short story, ‘Anecdote Concerning the Lowering of Productivity’ might be one of the most famous tales of the internet era. Although it was originally published in 1963, its brevity and “gotcha” ending have made it the prime subject for IM and social media sharing. It’s so popular it’s one of those things that are so misattributed, misquoted, and modified that at a certain point nobody knows where it originally came from. All of you surely know it already. A smug tourist attempts to lecture a scruffily dressed fisherman about how to live his life and ends up receiving quite the lesson. The story is fantastic, definitively one of Böll’s best, but it has been shared so many times on grandma’s Facebook page and co-opted by so many wellness gurus that I can’t help cringing at it. Speaking to these surfers that have spent their lives pouring their blood, sweat, and tears to improve their local communities, the overused tale suddenly came back to me, and I must … [Read more...] about Surfers tell us why Western Australia is the best place in the world to live like a retired rockstar

Prince Harry has said he trimmed down his tell-all memoir Spare and chose not to publish certain details as he knew his family would never forgive him if they were made public. In a new interview, the Duke of Sussex told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph that the original initial transcript for Spare was twice the length of the final draft, and he had enough material to complete two books on his life and family. “The first draft was different,” he told the newspaper. “It was 800 pages, and now it’s down to 400 pages. It could have been two books, put it that way. And the hard bit was taking things out.” Prince Harry continued to add that things have happened between him and his father and brother that he doesn’t “want the world to know.” “I don’t think they would ever forgive me,” he said. Prince Harry’s Spare was released on Tuesday after several days of newspaper leaks and headlines about its contents. The book also went on sale prematurely in Spain. … [Read more...] about Prince Harry Says He Cut Details From ‘Spare’ Because He Feared Royal Family Would Never Forgive Him: “It Could Have Been Two Books”

A series adaptation of the beloved Frog and Toad books is coming to Apple TV+ . The streamer announced the new series Wednesday, as part of its spring kids and family slate. It’s set to premiere Friday, April 28 on Apple TV+. The series is based on the Caldecott and Newbery Award-winning four-book series by Arnold Lobel published by HarperCollins Children’s Books. Per Apple: Frog is a frog. Toad is a toad. They have a lot in common… but they are also very different. Frog and Toad are best friends who know that the true secret to friendship is not only enjoying the things you have in common, but embracing the things that make you different. Our differences are what makes us special, and Frog and Toad celebrate them in what makes them unique. Voice cast includes Nat Faxon ( Our Flag Means Death ) and Kevin Michael Richardson ( The Simpsons ) as Frog and Toad, as well as appearances by Ron Funches ( Trolls ), Fortune Feimster ( Good Fortune ), Cole Escola ( At … [Read more...] about Apple TV+ Sets ‘Frog And Toad’ Series Based On Children’s Books

Daisy Jones & The Six isn’t so fictional anymore. A trailer for the upcoming Prime Video series, based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, brings the band to life led by Riley Keough as the titular character. In 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world. Fronted by two charismatic lead singers — Daisy Jones (Keough) and Billy Dunne ( Sam Claflin ) — the band had risen from obscurity to fame. And then, after a sold-out show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, they called it quits. Now, decades later, the band members finally agree to reveal the truth. This is the story of how an iconic band imploded at the height of its powers. The trailer released Wednesday features clips of the band performing and writing music together, also hinting at the rocky relationship between Daisy and Billy. The trailer also includes the band performing their hit single from the book, “Regret Me.” The song is part of the fictional album Aurora , which has also been brought … [Read more...] about ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’: Fictional Band Led By Riley Keough & Sam Claflin Brought To Life In New Trailer Featuring Their Single