After Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos announced their plans to divorce after 25 years of marriage, Amazon investors have reacted with a shrug, with the company’s stock price essentially flat in mid-day trading today. Even so, the news puts the fortune of the world’s richest man and the ownership structure of an era-defining, global powerhouse in a state of flux. The Bezoses tweeted Wednesday that after “a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.” (See their full statement below.) They have yet to file any official paperwork with the courts, confirming expectations that they will seek to handle the matter privately so as to avoid attracting unwanted attention to the company. President Donald Trump, who has frequently attacked Bezos and Amazon while in office, was asked by reporters about the divorce today. “Well, I wish him luck. I wish him luck,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a beauty.” … [Read more...] about Jeff Bezos Divorce Draws Shrugs From Amazon Investors, But Intrigue Swirls Around Ownership Stake
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MPA Upgrades Trusted Partner Network To Boost Security In Studio Supply Chains
The Motion Picture Association is upgrading a platform and services that assess content security safeguards of producers and their suppliers. The Trusted Partner Network , in which members’ content security is measured against a set of best practices, will now include software and cloud security assessments, adding to those of physical locations and home workplaces. The intent of the Trusted Partner Network , being relaunched as the TPN+ platform, is to have a set of standards for vendors as a way to prevent instances like the pre-release leaks of footage from major blockbusters. The new platform is designed to help members manage and communicate their content security status, including with non-TPN security certificates such as ISO and Soc2, along with conforming to a set of updated MPA best practices. The Trusted Partner Network includes smaller firms and large pre- and post-production companies, as well as content owners. The MPA launched the Alliance for … [Read more...] about MPA Upgrades Trusted Partner Network To Boost Security In Studio Supply Chains
‘All Quiet On The Western Front’s Edward Berger Launches Production Outfit & Partners With Fremantle
Oscar-nominated All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger has launched a production outfit and struck a first-look deal with Fremantle. Berger has forged Nine Hours with partner Luke Rivett ( The Tomorrow Man) and producer Jeanne Tremsal ( So Long Daddy, See You in Hell) and the indie will make global TV and film projects. Fremantle will house Nine Hours’ TV projects for the next two years as well as being given second-look access to Berger’s new film pipeline. Berger is fresh off the back of nine Oscar nominations for critically-acclaimed Netflix adaptation All Quiet on the Western Front , which has also secured a record 14 BAFTA noms. Other high-profile credits include Patrick Melrose, Your Honor, The Terror and Deutschland 83 , the latter of which he made with Fremantle. “Great drama comes from filmmakers who have an undeniable urge to tell their story,” said Berger. “We intend to find and nourish these filmmakers in their endeavors to … [Read more...] about ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’s Edward Berger Launches Production Outfit & Partners With Fremantle
Mark Hamill Will Sign ‘Luke Skywalker’ Posters To Raise Funds For Ukraine
Mark Hamill wants to help the Ukrainian army maintain its drone supply. So Mr. Luke Skywalker is going to start selling signed posters to raise cash. “We decided to sign Star Wars posters , a limited amount,” said Hamill, speaking to Politico. “For real hardcore collectors — especially those that have disposable income — you can get way more money … than you would imagine.” Details on where the posters will be on sale isn’t finalized. Hamill envisions an auction where competition will drive up the price. The poster sale is expected to start next week. Hamill said he hasn’t sold autographed items since 2017, when Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out. “It’s just not something I do,” he said, claiming that he’s contributing to prolonging a war effort he termed “nothing short of inspirational.” Hamill said that Star Wars taught him that such gestures are “doing right thing for the good of everyone, rather than being all about self-interest.” Hamill said he’s not … [Read more...] about Mark Hamill Will Sign ‘Luke Skywalker’ Posters To Raise Funds For Ukraine
Jim Mahoney, PR To Sinatra, McQueen, Gable, Explores 60 Years Of Hollywood In Memoir: “It Was About Taming The Lion”
Jim Mahoney was one of Hollywood’s go-to guys. He spent 60+ years in public relations, guiding the public images of Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Christie Brinkley, Peggy Lee, and hundreds more. He was on the front lines when Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped, and was at the party at Peter Lawford’s house the night Marilyn Monroe died. He was also there with the Rat Pack in Las Vegas. Now age 95, Mahoney has captured all of that in a memoir, Get Mahoney!: A Hollywood Insider’s Memoir. “Get Mahoney!” was the phrase often used when stars and their handlers knew trouble was brewing and needed to keep their names out of the press. Mahoney was good at his job, and frequently referred to himself as a better “suppress” agent than press agent. “It was about ‘taming the lion’ – both the press and the clients themselves,” Mahoney said. That sometimes involved making arrangements with the authorities and media to keep … [Read more...] about Jim Mahoney, PR To Sinatra, McQueen, Gable, Explores 60 Years Of Hollywood In Memoir: “It Was About Taming The Lion”
‘The Terminal List’: More Details Revealed About Season 2 Of Prime Video Series Starring Chris Pratt & Taylor Kitsch-Led Prequel
Prime Video has confirmed Deadline’s report that hit MRC Television conspiracy thriller The Terminal List , headlined by Chris Pratt , has been renewed for a second season , and that the streamer also has ordered an untitled prequel series focusing on fan-favorite Ben Edwards, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch . Season 2 of The Terminal List , whose first installment was based on Jack Carr’s bestseller of the same name, will be based on Carr’s novel True Believer. Additionally, it has been revealed what other Carr characters the prequel series, co-created by Carr and Season 1 creator-showrunner David DiGilio, will feature opposite Kitsch’s Ben in addition to James Reece (Pratt) and Raife Hastings, which Deadline had already reported. The list includes Mohammed Farooq and Ernest “Boozer” Vickers, played in Season 1 by Pratt’s longtime coach, former Navy SEAL and series producer Jared Shaw. The untitled prequel is described as an elevated espionage thriller that takes … [Read more...] about ‘The Terminal List’: More Details Revealed About Season 2 Of Prime Video Series Starring Chris Pratt & Taylor Kitsch-Led Prequel
Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Sundance Winner ‘The Persian Version’
Sony Pictures Classics has taken North American on Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version which won the Audience Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) at this year’s Sundance. Keshavarz is the first filmmaker to have two films win the Sundance Audience Award in the Dramatic Competition category. This is the second title that SPC has snapped out of Sundance, Deadline first telling you about their acquisition of A Little Prayer, which they took global rights on. Logline: Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret … [Read more...] about Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Sundance Winner ‘The Persian Version’
Dardennes, Alice Diop, Cristian Mungiu, Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah Demand Iran’s Fajr Film Fest Remove Titles From Line-Up
Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne , Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, French filmmaker Alice Diop and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu have demanded that Iran ’s Fajr International Film Festival remove their films from the line-up of its current edition, running from February 1 to 11. The filmmakers said in separate statements that they discovered by chance that their respective films Tori And Lokita , Saint Omer , Rebel and R.M.N. had been included in Fajr’s selection without their personal permission. The issue only came to light as the festival kicked off because it had kept its line-up under wraps in a bid to head off boycotts by directors and producers, due to the brutal crackdown of ongoing protests related to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September. Paris-based sales agent Wild Bunch International which handles the titles said their inclusion in the Fajr line-up was also a surprise to them. Two other … [Read more...] about Dardennes, Alice Diop, Cristian Mungiu, Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah Demand Iran’s Fajr Film Fest Remove Titles From Line-Up
Toni Collette & Odessa Young Reunite On Nathan Silver’s Revenge Thriller ‘The Prima Donna’; Cornerstone Launching At The EFM
Mafia Mamma and Knives Ou t star Toni Collette and Odessa Young ( The Staircase, Mothering Sunday, Shirley ) have signed to co-star in writer and director Nathan Silver’s twisted revenge thriller The Prima Donna . Collette and Young previously worked together on HBO’s award-winning series The Staircase . The drama revolves around dysfunctional family dynamics, the dangers of ambition, and the lengths we will go to make our mark on the world. Set in contemporary Rome, Collette will play a legendary opera diva who is about to step into the role of a lifetime just as her estranged daughter (Young) shows up at her doorstep, right out of rehab. An aspiring opera singer herself, the daughter summons up the courage to ask to be her mother’s understudy. When her mother callously dismisses the suggestion, she snaps and starts mulling the ultimate revenge, igniting a cut-throat battle of wills. Silver, whose previous credits include Thirst Street, Uncertain … [Read more...] about Toni Collette & Odessa Young Reunite On Nathan Silver’s Revenge Thriller ‘The Prima Donna’; Cornerstone Launching At The EFM
NFL Collabs With American Heart Association, Red Cross To Promote CPR Training
Getty The NFL is promoting CPR awareness following the Damar Hamlin incident ... teaming up with the American Heart Association and Red Cross to help train those involved in youth sports to learn the procedure. The league says it is committed to ensuring all participants at the youth sports level are educated properly and have the necessary equipment to respond to medical emergencies in light of what happened to the Buffalo Bills safety during Monday Night Football last month. Getty "Being able to deliver care in emergency situations is not just important at sporting events, but in all walks of life," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our continued partnerships with the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross will ensure even more people have the capability to administer CPR and respond to emergencies." "The tools and trainings exist to keep young athletes safe -- we embrace our responsibility to ensure that … [Read more...] about NFL Collabs With American Heart Association, Red Cross To Promote CPR Training