California

Omar Apollo put a new spin on the classic “California Dreamin'” as part of his entry into Spotify ’s Singles series, where artists contribute a new version of one of their songs along with a cover of another artist. The Mexican-American singer conjured up the same moodiness and mystique found in the Mamas & the Papas’ original, using a slightly different method: The sparse arrangement twists his echoing vocals around strumming acoustic guitar and a hissing organ. Apollo also included a chilled-out, downtempo version of his song “Go Away.” Apollo premiered “Go Away” last month, marking the singer’s first new music since releasing his project Apolonio in 2020. Apollo produced “Go Away” with the help of Carter Lang and Chromeo. The artist is set to play a one-off show in Chicago on July 27th, followed by performances at Lollapalooza (July 30th) and Bonnaroo (September 3rd). A North American tour will launch September 18th in Miami and wrap November 10th in Boston; …

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EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has scooped up global rights to the Alloy Entertainment Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum-directed romance feature Purple Hearts which will begin shooting in California later this summer with Nicholas Galitzine and Sofia Carson starring. Adapted from Tess Wakefield’s novel of the same name by Tony Award-nominee Kyle Jarrow ( Valor ) and Liz Garcia ( The Lifeguard ), Purple Hearts follows an aspiring singer-songwriter Cassie (Carson) and marine Luke (Galitzine), who in spite of their many differences and against all odds, fall hopelessly in love. Carson, the star of Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and Disney’s Descendants franchise will co-write and perform Purple Hearts ‘ original soundtrack. She will also serve as EP. Galitzine most recently starred as Prince Robert in Amazon’s Cinderella , opposite Camila Cabello; and his previous credits include the Netflix series Chambers , in which he starred opposite Uma Thurman, Pippa Bianco’s …

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Jonathan Rinzler, prolific author under the name J.W. Rinzler of bestselling “making of” books about Star Wars , Indiana Jones, Alien and The Shining , among numerous others, died July 28 at his home in Albion, California, of pancreatic cancer. He was 58. His death was announced on Twitter today by his daughter Sarah Rinzler. “Jonathan passed away on July 28th after a nearly one-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” Sarah Rinzler wrote on her father’s Twitter page. “Thank you to all for your support and love.” The author of more than 20 books, including The Making of Star Wars, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones and the graphic novel The Star Wars , Rinzler worked with George Lucas as the executive editor at Lucasfilm for 15 years before leaving the company in 2016. In addition to more than a dozen Star Wars titles – including The Making of The Empire Strikes Back, The Sounds of Star Wars and Star Wars: The Blueprints – Rinzler authored The Making of …

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Effective next year, Walt Disney Animation Studios is throwing the doors open to a new facility in Vancouver, BC that will focus on long-form series and special projects for Disney+. The first in the pipeline is the anticipated, feature-quality musical series Moana . Animation veteran Amir Nasrabadi will serve as head of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Vancouver. He most recently served as EVP/General Manager at WildBrain Studios. Previous roles include overseeing Pixar Canada as VP/General Manager as well as senior leadership roles with Illumination and Paramount Animation. Nasrabadi’s role with WDAS marks a return to the studio, where he served as a finance lead. The Burbank studio will also expand its more than 900 employees as it remains Walt Disney Animation Studios’ exclusive hub for feature film projects as well as shorter form series such as the recently announced Baymax! and Zootopia+ . Story development, storyboarding and production design for all …

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