The black phone

EXCLUSIVE: The Woodstock Film Festival will give honorary awards to Ethan Hawke , Awkwafina , Leave No Trace director Debra Granik and IFC Films president Arianna Bocco this fall. The festival’s 23rd annual edition is set to run from September 28 to October 2. The awards ceremony, a consistent industry draw over the years given the fest’s location two hours north of New York City, is also set to feature appearances by actresses Amanda Seyfried and Vera Farmiga as well as filmmaker Marina Zenovich. Hawke is receiving Woodstock’s Maverick Award, which goes to “a leader and a visionary in the film and media arts who exhibits fierce and independent spirit, strong artistic vision, and the pursuit of positive change.” The four-time Oscar nominee is also a screenwriter, director, producer, and best-selling novelist. He recently directed the well-received HBO Max docuseries The Last Movie Stars , about Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Hawke’s recent onscreen roles were in … [Read more...] about Woodstock Film Festival To Honor Ethan Hawke, Awkwafina, ‘Leave No Trace’ Director Debra Granik And IFC Films Chief Arianna Bocco

EXCLUSIVE : More major casting is emerging for the upcoming sixth season of Black Mirror , with Under the Banner of Heaven and Signs star Rory Culkin the latest to sign up. Details are scarce on Culkin’s role and Netflix isn’t commenting but Deadline understands the deal was struck recently for the actor to appear in an episode of Netflix’s critically-acclaimed Charlie Brooker -penned anthology. Having entered production recently, the latest Black Mirror is the first from Brooker’s new Netflix-backed outfit Broke & Bones , which he runs with Black Mirror exec Annabel Jones. Culkin was most recently seen in FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven as Samuel Lafferty, starring opposite Andrew Garfield in the Dustin Lance Black show. Past TV credits include Paramount’s Waco and Netflix’s Halston. On the film side, Culkin appeared in Jonas Akerlund’s 2018 heavy metal thriller Lords of Chaos. He broke through in Signs and the Academy … [Read more...] about ‘Black Mirror’: Rory Culkin To Star In Season Six Of Netflix Anthology

EXCLUSIVE: The Writers Guild Foundation has revealed the participants for the 2022 session of the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program. The program’s mission is to provide writers who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, writers with disabilities, and writers over the age of 50, with tools and education to become writers’ assistants and script coordinators, ultimately resulting in meaningful employment opportunities. Out of the 1,205 applications received, 16 candidates were selected: Anpa’o Locke, Christian Mejia, Da Eun Kim, Diarra McCormick, Isabel Meza-Roquebert, Jewel Powell, Lydia Caradine, Malaika Jules, Michelle Driscoll, Olivia Woodward, Peter Lee, Rachel Yang, Reed Tsuda, Renee Ross, Shanice Williamson, and Sherin Shetty. The 12-week course, set to kick off in late August, will be taught by instructors Debbie Ezer ( The Good Doctor ) and Clay Lapari ( Community ), who have extensive experience as writers’ assistants and script coordinators for television. The … [Read more...] about Writers Guild Foundation Reveals 2022 Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program Participants

With fame and money comes tons of ego and attitude. Maybe, not all the famous people throw shade or behave inappropriately, but these cranky Hollywood celebrities are believed to be too hard to work with! Below is the list of stars who have given their actors, directors and other people at the sets an extremely hard time: Charlie Sheen Needless to say, we all know what sort of a reputation Charlie Sheen has had in the industry. He was fired from the show Two and a Half Men after he had a melt down on the sets. His beef with the creator of the show was quite bad. Lindsay Lohan This is what a report had to say about the actress, 'Lindsay was out with Lady Gaga till 5:30 am. Her call was 6 am. By 9 am, Lohan was lying down in a Cafe Med booth with her hands over her eyes shading them from imaginary sunlight.' Katherine Heigl Supposedly, Katherine Heigl is very demanding on the sets. She has a very bad reputation for dissin all her movies … [Read more...] about Hollywood Celebrities Who Are Nightmares To Work With!

EXCLUSIVE : Following the success of Shonda Rhimes-produced steamy Regency romance Bridgerton , Netflix is betting on another soapy period drama produced by a top showrunner from its roster of overall deals, Orange Is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan . The streamer has given an eight-episode series order to The Decameron , from Kathleen Jordan , creator of Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters, and Kohan who executive produced the teen drama alongside her. Created by Jordan, who serves as showrunner, The Decameron is set in 1348 when the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic in human history which killed as many as 200 million people, strikes hard in the city of Florence. A handful of nobles are invited to retreat with their servants to a grand villa in the Italian countryside and wait out the pestilence with a lavish holiday. But as social rules wear thin, what starts as a wine-soaked sex romp in the hills of Tuscany descends into an all out scramble for survival. … [Read more...] about ‘The Decameron’: Netflix Orders 14th Century Soapy Drama From Kathleen Jordan & Jenji Kohan

A popular standup TV franchise is making a comeback. Scott Koondel ’s Sox Entertainment has acquired global rights to Caroline’s Comedy Hour, which ran on A&E Network from 1989-96. Koondel, former CBS Chief Content and Licensing Officer, plans to produce new installments, which he will shop alongside 100 library episodes from the show’s original run as a lower-cost comedy programming alternative for cable networks and streamers. Koondel was retained to distribute the package of new and old episodes by Caroline’s owner Caroline Hirsch. The A&E series was hosted by Carol Leifer, Colin Quinn and Rich Jeni and featured acts appearing at Hirsch’s New York comedy club, including Marc Maron, Bill Hicks, Joy Behar, Denis Leary, Jon Stewart, Louis CK, Richard Belzer, Judy Tenuta, Susie Essman, Mario Cantone, Ray Romano, Colin Quinn, Larry Miller, Jeff Foxworthy, Lewis Black, George Lopez, Al Franklin, Kevin James, Norm MacDonald, Caroline Rhea, Jay Mohr, Gilbert … [Read more...] about ‘Caroline’s Comedy Hour’ Revival Set As Scott Koondel Acquires Rights To 1990s Standup Series

EXCLUSIVE : XYZ Films has acquired North American distribution rights to thriller Dash , a “one-take feature” about an adulterous rideshare driver navigating the streets of Hollywood. Written and directed by Sean Perry and starring Alexander Molina, the film follows Milly (Molina), a rideshare driver who leads a double life. Over the course of one night shift behind the wheel, he attempts to sell drugs to his unassuming passengers. As the night progresses, his life takes a turn for the worse as he desperately tries to take the secret of his nefarious double life to the grave. The film’s locations included Hollywood Boulevard with shooting taking place in real time. The deal was negotiated by XYZ ’s Executive VP of U.S. Distribution, James Emanuel Shapiro and Spam Pictures. XYZ plans to release the film domestically late this fall. Molina also serves as executive producer and is co-creator of Spam Pictures. The cast also includes Monette Moio, Paige Grimard, … [Read more...] about XYZ Acquires North American Distribution Rights To One-Take Thriller ‘Dash’