Eugene Lee , the Emmy-winning production designer for Saturday Night Live since 1975 and a multiple Tony Award-winner for such Broadway hits as Wicked, Sweeney Todd and Candide, died yesterday in Providence, Rhode Island. He was 83. Additional information was not immediately available. As this production designer of SNL since the year of its debut, Lee was the longest-serving members of the NBC show’s production staff. He also served as production designer for T he Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from 2014-2018 and numerous SNL specials. Among the numerous Broadway production for which Lee were Sweeney Todd in 1979, Gilda Radner – Live From New York (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Seussical (2001), Wicked (2003), A Streetcar Named Desire (2012), Glengarry Glen Ross (2012), and, most recently, Amazing Grac e (2015). Lee was also instrumental in founding Trinity Rep in Providence, and remained its resident set designer until his … [Read more...] about Eugene Lee Dies: Longtime ‘SNL’ Production Designer, Tony-Winning Broadway Scenic Designer Was 83
Nobel prize winning author v s naipaul dies at 85
Ralph Fiennes’ ‘Four Quartets’ Gets North American Distribution Deal Ahead Of Stateside Bow At Santa Barbara
EXCLUSIVE : Kino Lorber has acquired all North American distribution rights to Four Quartets , the film version of the Ralph Fiennes -starring stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s seminal poem. Directed by Sophie Fiennes, the film will get its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival later this week followed by a theatrical release this spring. One of the giants of modern literature, the poet, playwright, critic, and editor T.S. Eliot is best known as one of the central figures of the Modernist movement in poetry. Consisting of four poems published over a six-year period – Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages , and Little Gidding , each titled after the landscape that inspired their writing – Four Quartets is widely considered Eliot’s masterpiece and the culminating achievement of his career as a poet, offering four interwoven meditations on the nature of time and the quest for spiritual enlightenment. Following the completion of Four Quartets … [Read more...] about Ralph Fiennes’ ‘Four Quartets’ Gets North American Distribution Deal Ahead Of Stateside Bow At Santa Barbara
‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’s Lisa Cortés Strikes First-Look Development Deal With Museum Of The City Of New York
EXCLUSIVE : Renowned documentarian Lisa Cortés has entered into a first-look development agreement with the Museum of the City of New York , the goal being to hone documentary IP based on the museum’s exhibitions. News of the deal — initiated by producer Jon Sechrist — follows the Sundance world premiere of Cortés’ latest critically acclaimed feature doc, Little Richard: I Am Everything , which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in U.S. Documentary Competition and sold to Magnolia Pictures. Cortés will now look to build a creative pipeline from MCNY’s 100 years of exhibitions to the screen, with plans for projects on food, social justice, music, and more. The first being made under the deal is a docuseries based on Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off , an exhibition inviting bakers from every borough to design New York City-inspired gingerbread creations. Cortés will develop and produce all projects through her New York-based production company Cortés … [Read more...] about ‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’s Lisa Cortés Strikes First-Look Development Deal With Museum Of The City Of New York
Dana Walden & Alan Bergman To Oversee New Disney Entertainment Unit
Disney is moving back closer to how things used to be run on the content side with the creation of a new Disney Entertainment unit that will encompass TV and film. This new corporate division, which will sit separate to ESPN and the Parks, Experiences & Products unit, will be led by Dana Walden and Alan Bergman . The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger just revealed the new structure on the company’s latest earnings call, as part of a “ significant transformation ” at the company that he said would “maximize the potential of our world-class creative teams”. It officially dismantles Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, created by former CEO Bob Chapek and run by Kareem Daniel, who left last year. This unit separated the the way content and distribution decisions were made and took decision making power away from the creative teams. “Our new structure is aimed at returning greater authority to our creative leaders, and making them accountable for how … [Read more...] about Dana Walden & Alan Bergman To Oversee New Disney Entertainment Unit
GLAAD Media Awards: Bad Bunny, Christina Aguilera & Jeremy Pope Set For Honors
Recent Grammy winner Bad Bunny , Christina Aguilera and Jeremy Pope will be honored at the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards next month for advancing and supporting the LGBTQ community. Bad Bunny — Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world last year — will receive the Vanguard Award for having made “a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Five-time Grammy winner Aguilera will receive the Advocate for Change Award for having “changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” And Pose alum and two-time Tony nominee Pope will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for having made “a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Read bios for all three below. The awards show will be handed during the March 30 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. RELATED: 2023 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Guilds & More Bad Bunny’s advocacy and outspoken allyship for the … [Read more...] about GLAAD Media Awards: Bad Bunny, Christina Aguilera & Jeremy Pope Set For Honors
Paul Giamatti To Dive Deep Into Aliens, Conspiracies & Hoaxes In Weekly Podcast Series ‘Chinwag’
EXCLUSIVE : Paul Giamatti is set to explore topics such as aliens, conspiracies, hoaxes and altered states of consciousness in Chinwag , a new weekly podcast series. The Billions star and author and philosopher Stephen Asma are hosting the series, which comes from Treefort Media and Giamatti’s own Touchy Feely Films. The series, which launches on April 5, will feature an eclectic lineup of guests and will see the pair delve into questions such as ‘Are we living in a simulation?’ ‘What’s the most perfect sentence in literature?’ and ‘Is Bigfoot interdimensional?’ as well as topics such as science, the occult, philosophy, and magic mushrooms. It will be available on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Treefort Media, which was founded by CEO Kelly Garner, is behind podcasts such as Fatal Voyage: The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood , scripted Sherlock Holmes audio drama Moriarty, Killing Hollywood: The Cotton Club Murder and Killer Psyche. Touchy … [Read more...] about Paul Giamatti To Dive Deep Into Aliens, Conspiracies & Hoaxes In Weekly Podcast Series ‘Chinwag’