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EXCLUSIVE : Gersh has signed filmmaker Jake Van Wagoner out of Sundance, in a competitive situation. Van Wagoner is the director and producer of the Amblin-esque family film Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out , which world premiered at the Park City festival on January 20 and would ultimately land an extra screening as part of its “Best of Fest” category. The Kids Section title penned by Austin Everett follows Itsy (Emma Tremblay), who is new in town and feels like her life is over until she meets her space-obsessed neighbor Calvin (Jacob Buster), who believes his parents (Will Forte and Elizabeth Mitchell) were abducted by aliens. When the aspiring journalist decides to write an exposé on Calvin, she winds up discovering things she never could have imagined. Van Wagoner currently serves as showrunner for Studio C , a sketch comedy series for BYUtv. He previously wrote, directed, produced and starred in the indie comedy My Brother the … [Read more...] about Gersh Signs Jake Van Wagoner Following Sundance Bow Of His Family Film, ‘Aliens Abducted My Parents And Now I Feel Kinda Left Out’

Bono will be among the guests of First Lady Jill Biden at tonight’s State of the Union address, joining a list that includes the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Oksana Markarova and Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols. The White House cited Bono’s work as an activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty. Bono helped build bipartisan support for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which President George W. Bush announced at his State of the Union 20 years ago. Bono visited the White House in December along with other members of U2 as they were recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. The guests give a glimpse of topics that President Joe Biden may highlight during the address. Also on the list: Maurice and Kandice Barron, whose daughter is a survivor of a rare form of pediatric cancer; Lynette Bonar, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who is an executive at … [Read more...] about Bono Will Be Among First Lady Jill Biden’s Guests At State Of The Union

Laika ’s planned expansion into the realm of live-action was furthered on Tuesday, with the announcement that longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin will be joining the studio in the newly created role of President, Live-Action Film & Series. The venerated Oregon animation studio’s hire comes amidst development on its first live-action project — a feature adaptation of the action-thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow ( The Miniaturist , Sylvia ). Levin joins the stop-motion specialist following eight years at Netflix, where he most recently served as Director, Original Independent Film. He co-founded that department and is credited with helping it grow into a full-scale mini-major. His direct report at Laika is President & CEO Travis Knight, who also helmed the company’s acclaimed 2016 feature, Kubo and the Two Strings . Knight remarked in a statement that “Matt Levin is an awesome dude. Both a steely-eyed pragmatist and a starry-eyed … [Read more...] about Laika Appoints Netflix Veteran Matt Levin To New Role Of President, Live-Action Film & Series

Amanda Seyfried ( The Dropout, Mank ) has signed on to star in Seven Veils , the new film from Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan ( Chloe, The Sweet Hereafter ). The pic is set to start shooting next week in Toronto with XYZ selling world rights at the upcoming European Film Market. In the pic, Seyfried plays Jeanine, an earnest theatre director, who has been given the task of remounting her former mentor’s most famous work, the opera Salome . Haunted by dark and disturbing memories from her past, Jeanine allows her repressed trauma to color the present as she re-enters the opera world after so many years away. Elevation Pictures will distribute the film in Canada. Seven Veils is written and directed by Egoyan, who also produces alongside Niv Fichman ( Enemy ), Simone Urdl ( The Captive ), Fraser Ash ( BlackBerry ), and Kevin Krikst ( BlackBerry ). The pic is a Rhombus Media and Ego Film Arts production, produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada in … [Read more...] about Amanda Seyfried To Star In Atom Egoyan’s ‘Seven Veils’; XYZ Films To Launch Sales In Berlin — EFM

Getty Buffalo Bills and Sabres owner Kim Pegula is dealing with both speech and memory issues after suffering cardiac arrest last year ... her daughter, Jessica Pegula , revealed on Tuesday. The tennis star opened up about her mom's health in an emotional piece for The Players' Tribune -- explaining it's been an uphill battle for Kim after she nearly lost her life following a June 2022 medical emergency. Jessica said she first learned of the issues involving the 53-year-old a few days after she had returned to the U.S. from the French Open last year. "I got a call around midnight (on my mom’s birthday) from my sister Kelly who was staying at my parents' house," Jessica said. "Something was wrong with our mom, and she was headed to the hospital in an ambulance." Getty Jessica revealed Kim had gone into cardiac arrest while asleep -- though, thankfully, Kelly performed CPR on her until medics arrived. "She saved her life," Jessica … [Read more...] about Jessica Pegula Says Kim Dealing With Speech, Memory Issues After Cardiac Arrest

Getty Beyoncé broke the all-time Grammy record this weekend, an honor previously held by a classical musician for years, who'd be very happy for Bey if he was still around today. Georg Solti -- the Hungarian-British conductor who had the most Grammys before Bey took the mantle Sunday -- would absolutely celebrate her achievement ... so says his daughter, Claudia Solti . Georg died in '97 -- the year before he won his posthumous, record-setting 31st Grammy. Getty According to Claudia ... her dad's music brought people together, and she feels Beyoncé's work does the exact same thing -- more than enough reason to get excited. She tells us her father loved all kinds of music, and that she feels like he's probably somewhere out there smiling over the new milestone that's been hit ... even though, Claudia says he probably doesn't understand all the fuss about records. CBS An organization named in Georg's honor -- Georg Solti … [Read more...] about Beyoncé’s Grammy Record Predecessor, Georg Solti, Would Be Thrilled for Her

EXCLUSIVE : Johannes Roberts — the filmmaker behind the shark thrillers 47 Meters Down (2017) and 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) — is reteaming with Byron Allen ’s Allen Media Group Motion Pictures on a new film in the genre titled The Red Triangle . The project will look to recapture the success of those past two films co-written and directed by Roberts, each of which registered strongly at the worldwide box office. The original, starring Mandy Moore and Matthew Modine, marked AMGMP’s entrée into the theatrical marketplace and grossed over $62MM worldwide. The sequel, featuring Yellowjackets ‘ Sophie Nélisse, John Corbett, Nia Long, Brec Bassinger and more, netted over $47MM globally. AMGMP’s next big-budget theatrical feature is set in Northern California — famous for its gorgeous beaches, but also known for a particular stretch of ocean that has a bloody reputation — The Red Triangle. Stretching south from Bodega Bay toward San Francisco and jutting out … [Read more...] about ‘47 Meters Down’ Filmmaker Johannes Roberts Reteaming With Allen Media Group Motion Pictures For Shark Thriller ‘The Red Triangle’

The six-member editorial staff at Talking Points Memo has voted unanimously to ratify the WGA East ’s new three-year contract with the political news website. “The guild’s new collective bargaining agreement with Talking Points Memo raises the bar for online media workers, setting standards that keep up with cost-of-living expenses and the state of the industry,” said WGA East Executive Director Lowell Peterson. “It is rewarding, especially for guild members working at Talking Points Memo, to see a company live up to the values it espouses online.” The new contract will see the minimum salary go from $52,000 up to $65,000 in January 2025. Employees making below $75,000 will receive a 3.5% salary increase in each year of the contract, those making up to $100,000 will receive 3.25% annual salary increases, and staffers making over $100,000 will receive 3% annual salary increases. The company also agreed to increase severance minimums from six weeks to eight, with two … [Read more...] about Talking Points Memo Editorial Staffers Ratify New WGA East Contract

EXCLUSIVE : Lauren Oliver — the bestselling YA author, screenwriter and producer known for titles like Panic and Before I Fall — has today announced the launch of her new media company, StoryGiants , also naming projects currently on its slate. StoryGiants is a decentralized company with employees and partners in L.A., NY, Palo Alto, Austin, Dubai and France, which will look to create powerful and compelling stories across a variety of mediums, leveraging both technological and structural innovation to improve production efficiency and grow the value of great IP faster. The company is building at launch upon its own library of IP, the goal being to introduce universes of content with myriad expressions of media and revenue opportunities. By anchoring content creation into proprietary real-time animation and VFX technology, StoryGiants will be able to produce not only animated and live-action series, but also feature films, digital media, and published works. The … [Read more...] about ‘Panic’ Creator & Author Lauren Oliver Launches Media Studio StoryGiants, Unveils Upcoming Slate

The 11-member editorial staff of Talking Points Memo has unanimously ratified its first union contract with the WGA East , making it the latest digital news site to come under the guild’s umbrella. All members of the news and political site’s editorial staff signed a letter expressing their intent to join the guild in May 2018, and publisher Josh Marshall immediately recognized the union as their bargaining representative. The new three-year agreement includes a minimum starting salary of $52,000, annual cost-of-living wage increases of 3% for employees earning under $75,000, weekend pay and reimbursements, 10 weeks of paid parental leave and a non-discrimination clause and a commitment from management for diverse hiring practices. “TPM has a history of reporting on labor rights and this collective bargaining agreement demonstrates that they are willing to walk-the-walk and address the concerns raised by guild-represented employees at the bargaining table,” said … [Read more...] about Talking Points Memo Editorial Staff Ratifies First Contract With WGA East