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Marshall Brickman, the banjo-playing writer and director who shared an Academy Award with his frequent collaborator Woody Allen for their Annie Hall screenplay, has died. He was 85.

Brickman died Friday in Manhattan, his daughter Sophie Brickman told The New York Times.

On his own, Brickman wrote and directed Simon (1980), a quirky comedy about a psychology professor (Alan Arkin) brainwashed into believing he’s from outer space; Lovesick (1983), featuring Alec Guinness as the ghost of Sigmund Freud who offers relationship advice to a psychiatrist (Dudley Moore); and The Manhattan Project (1986), about a high school student (Christopher Collet) who builds a nuclear weapon for a science fair project.

And in 2001, he helmed an adaptation of Christopher Durang’s play Sister Mary Explains It All, starring Annie Hall herself, Diane Keaton, for Showtime.

Brickman also teamed with Rick Elice to pen the Tony-nominated book for the Broadway musical Jersey Boys, and they wrote...

Whether a curse or a blessing, “May you live in interesting times” certainly applies to the Lgbtq community — the past decade saw the legalization of same-sex marriages and the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, but every advancement has been met with pushback and threats to overturn equal protections under the law. Trans characters got their largest public spotlight on television shows like “Pose” and “Transparent,” while at the same time they remain the targets of violence and of hysterical and reactionary lawmakers. Whatever triumphs and travails the community faced in day-to-day life, their lives and loves continued to be reflected on the big screen; here are some of the decade’s greatest examples, listed alphabetically.

Runners-Up: “1985,” “Appropriate Behavior,” “Booksmart,” “Bpm,” “Cola de Mono,” “Drunktown’s Finest,” “Kiki,” “Love, Simon,” “Paris 05:59 Théo & Hugo,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

“Call Me By Your...

ABC has given a put pilot commitment to 90’s Popstar, a drama based on This Is Us star Mandy Moore’s musical childhood, Deadline has confirmed. It hails from writer Amanda Lasher (The Bold Type), with Moore set to executive produce alongside This Is Us co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio.

Written by Lasher, 90’s Popstar revolves around a family from small town Florida who must adapt to their extraordinary new reality when their teenage daughter goes from aspiring singer to pop superstar practically overnight.

Lasher executive produces alongside Moore, Aptaker, Berger, Adam Londy and Regina Lee. Marc Webb also will executive produce and direct.

Moore signed with Epic Records in 1999 and shot to fame with the release of her first single “Candy” from her debut studio album So Real, which went platinum. Her second studio album, I Wanna Be With You, was...

Spe gets first-look, although it is understood Gabler can make content for any streaming or television platform.

Former Fox 2000 chief Elizabeth Gabler, whose division made global hits such as Life Of Pi and The Devil Wears Prada, has landed at Sony Pictures Entertainment (Spe), where she and her entire Fox 2000 development team will produce content from a wide range of sources including the HarperCollins catalogue.

Spe and HarperCollins are co-funding the new partnership, which remains unnamed for now. Spe gets first-look at projects, although it is understood Gabler can make content for any streaming or television platform.

Gabler and her team,...

Update: More clarity on Elizabeth Gabler and the HarperCollins and Sony situation. She’ll bring her whole Fox 2000 exec team to this new venture, unnamed, that will move her to the Sony lot. It’s a partnership between Sony and HarperCollins Publishers and the goal is to generate productions across multiple platforms from books in the HarperCollins catalog. Gabler had strong relationships both at Sony and HarperCollins, the latter of which is NewsCorp owned, with a straight pipeline from publisher to the studio. Sony will have first look at the projects, with the studio and book publisher cofinancing the relationship. Gabler’s team members moving to the new venture includes Erin Sinimoff, Marisa Paiva, Nikki Ramey and Molly Saffron.

Sony just issued a release, with quote that indicate that not surprisingly, everyone is thrilled. Release is at bottom of original story.

Earlier, 10:50 Am Pst: Sources said that former...

Jordan Fisher, Drew Ray Tanner (Riverdale) and Michelle Buteau are lacing up their dance shoes for the Netflix original movie Work It, which is set to begin filming this week in Toronto.

Sabrina Carpenter leads the ensemble cast that includes previously announced Liza Koshy (Liza on Demand) and Keiynan Lonsdale.

Laura Terruso is directing the pic, which follows Quinn Ackerman (Carpenter), whose admission to the college of her dreams depends on her performance at a dance competition. She forms a ragtag group of dancers to take on the best squad in school…now she just needs to learn how to dance.

Alison Peck wrote the screenplay. Alicia Keys is producing under her A.K. Worldwide Productions banner along with Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton and STXfilms Production. Carpenter is the executive producer,...

Exclusive: Director/producer Jason Ensler is expanding his relationship with 20th Century Fox TV, signing an overall deal with the studio, part of Disney TV Studios. Under the pact, Ensler will serve as the directing executive producer on 20th TV’s upcoming series Love, Simon for Disney+, inspired by the praised 2018 movie which was directed by Greg Berlanti.

Ensler also will develop new shows for all platforms and be available to direct both projects he develops and is assigned.

“We love Jason Ensler at this company,” said Jonnie Davis, 20th Century Fox TV President of Creative Affairs. “He’s not only an incredibly skilled director who is great with talent, but he possesses such a strong aesthetic, and his creative instincts are always spot on. Quite simply, he’s the full package and we consider ourselves lucky to be in business with him.”

Ensler most recently worked on 20th TV...

Exclusive: Devious Maids alumna Ana Ortiz has been tapped as a lead in the Disney + series Love, Simon, inspired by the praised 2018 movie. This marks the first casting for the the half-hour series, from This Is Us executive producers/co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, who wrote the movie, and 20th Century Fox TV, part of Disney TV Studios.

While the series version, which has been greenlighted, will carry the same title as the movie, Love, Simon, it will follow a different young character, Victor. Ortiz will play Victor’s mother, Isabel.

Hailed for its Lgbtq inclusivity, the 2018 Love, Simon is a coming-of-age film about Simon, a closeted gay teen growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta. In it, Simon’s mom is played by Jennifer Garner.

The movie was based on Becky Albertalli’s young adult novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” who has provided some clues about the series.

On Thursday morning, GLAAD released its seventh annual Studio Responsibility Index which sheds some light on the quantity, quality, and diversity of Lgbtq people in films released by the seven largest motion picture studios and their subsidiaries during the 2018 calendar year — and it was a good year for Lgtbq representation.

Even though there was an increase in queer inclusion in film, the representation still is an uphill battle. All of this was addressed in the full report and in a forum co-hosted by Endeavor Content held in Los Angeles with GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, transgender actress Jamie Clayton, executive chairman and founder of Exile Content Isaac Lee and Black List founder Franklin Leonard.

“We are honored to host the second annual forum with GLAAD,” said Endeavor Content Co-President Graham Taylor. “The results of their Sri show promise, but we still have more work to do.

Months after news broke 13 Reasons Why star Katherine Langford would appear in Avengers: Endgame, the film’s directors reveal her scenes were cut.

Joe and Anthony Russo said on MTV’s Happy Sad Confused podcast on Sunday that they had filmed a scene with Langford in their blockbuster film that was a mirror of Thanos’ scene with a young Gamora after he wiped out half of the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet.

The scene with Langford, 23, as Tony Stark’s adult daughter, Morgan, proved too confusing for test audiences, however.

“There was an idea that Tony was going to go...

Nashville alum Charles Esten, Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline (Boy Erased), Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss (Age of Summer), Rudy Pankow (Snapchat’s Solve), Austin North and Drew Starkey are set as leads in Outer Banks, Netflix’s 10-episode Ya drama series set for premiere in 2020.

Co-created and executive produced by Jonas and Josh Pate and Shannon Burke, Outer Banks is set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where a tight-knit group of teens from the wrong side of the tracks called the “Pogues” embark on a mission to find their ringleader’s missing father. In the process, they stumble across a treasure map that unearths a long buried secret.

Stokes will play John B, the charismatic leader of the Pogue crew. His father went missing while...

Exclusive: Jennifer Garner is set to star in Fantasy Camp, a comedy that is set up at STXfilms. Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein are attached to write and direct the feature. They are the helming duo behind the Amy Schumer starring rom-com I Feel Pretty, which was also at STX. The also penned films such as Never Been Kissed, He’s Just Not That Into You, and The Vow with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.

Fantasy Camp follows Julie to a reunion at the theater camp of her youth, Camp Footlights, where she will get the chance to challenge her fears, live out her dreams, and finally take the stage.

Greg Silverman is producing this project, which we hear was put together by Management 360, who reps both Kohn and Silverstein as well as Garner.

Garner, who is also repped by CAA and Sloane, Offer Weber & Dern, is reuniting...

A Grease prequel is happening. Paramount Pictures has tapped screenwriter John August to pen the screenplay for the movie, titled Summer Loving, which will be based on the song Summer Nights from the original movie. This comes at a time when studios are desperate for franchises and name recognition, as it's becoming increasingly competitive in the marketplace. Any advantage a studio can attain, like attaching a movie to one of the most popular musicals of all time, for example, is one that they're not likely to ignore.

According to a new report, John August, who has notably collaborated with Tim Burton several times over the years, has been hired by the studio to pen Summer Loving. As it stands, details are somewhat scarce, but the prequel will reportedly tell the tale of the summer when Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson met, which was recounted memorably in the musical number Summer Nights in Grease.

Paramount is revving up some greased lightning.

The studio’s division Paramount Players has put into development a Grease prequel, titled Summer Loving, and has tapped John August, the veteran writer behind such films as Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, to pen the script.

Temple Hill, the prolific banner whose recent output ranges from Love, Simon, the Maze Runner movies and First Man, is producing along with Picturestart, the company run by Lionsgate executive-turned-producer Erik Feig.

Grease is the classic 1978 musical that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as high school teens from opposite worlds — Travolta’s Danny Zuko a rough-and-tumble greaser, Newton-John’...

Paramount is revving up some greased lightning.

The studio’s division Paramount Players has put into development a Grease prequel, titled Summer Loving, and has tapped John August, the veteran writer behind such films as Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, to pen the script.

Temple Hill, the prolific banner whose recent output ranges from Love, Simon, the Maze Runner movies, and First Man, is producing along with Picturestart, the company run by Lionsgate executive-turned-producer Erik Feig.

Grease is the classic 1978 musical that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as high school teens from opposite worlds — Travolta’s Danny Zuko a rough and ...

Beyoncé and Jay-z accepted the Vanguard Award from GLAAD on Thursday night, at the advocacy group’s 30th annual Media Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California.

Approaching the stage to the couple’s 2003 hit “Crazy in Love,” the duo gave short, but heartfelt, speeches. Jay-z spoke for less than two minutes, saying, “This journey is filled with highs, lows and a lot of learning.” He used his time to honor his mother Gloria Carter, a lesbian whose story was shared on Jay-z’s “Smile,” and who...

It's the end of the media world as we know it and nobody should feel fine. That may sound dramatic but with the Disney / Fox merger complete and the ramifications now coming to light, it's clear this isn't going to be sunshine and rainbows. Case in point, it's been revealed that Disney is shutting down the Fox 2000 label, a label responsible for making mid-budget movies that are already having a tough time finding a home in the marketplace these days.

According to a new report, Fox 2000, which has been run quite successfully by executive Elizabeth Gabler, is getting the ax as Disney starts their layoffs and restructuring. It's expected that 4,000 employees will be laid off as the now massive media empire tries to do away with redundancies within their corporate structure. Disney now owns 11 different studio labels and at some point, that may qualify as redundant. As such, Fox 2000 will soon be no more.

Andrew Cripps.

Andrew Cripps, Chris Aronson, Heather Phillips, Mike Dunn and Greg Meidel are among the first wave of senior layoffs at 20th Century Fox following the Walt Disney Co’s $US71.3 billion purchase of Fox’s crown jewels.

A former executive at Paramount, IMAX and United International Pictures, the highly regarded Cripps was hired as Fox’s international theatrical distribution president in 2017.

During his reign the home runs in international markets included Bohemian Rhapsody ($663.7 million), The Greatest Showman ($260.6 million), Deadpool 2 ($460.4 million), Murder on the Orient Express ($250 million) and The Kingsman: The Golden Circle ($310.7 million).

While the $170 million James Cameron production Alita: Battle Angel has struggled in the Us, taking $81 million, the Cripps-led international team was far more effective, generating $312.2 million.

Aronson was the president of domestic distribution, Phillips was executive VP and head of domestic publicity, Dunn was president of product strategy and consumer business development and Meidel was president of Twentieth Television.

Exclusive: In a surprise move, sources said that Disney will be shuttering the Fox 2000 label run by Elizabeth Gabler. It was believed that Gabler, who made a slew of mid-budget elegant tastemaker films, would continue to lead the executive team who make up her label, but sources said that isn’t going to be the case.

It remains unclear if Gabler will become a producer, but sources said that division will cease after The Woman in the Window, the Joe Wright-directed thriller that stars Amy Adams and Gary Oldman.

RelatedSeveral Top Execs Laid Off After Disney-Fox Merger: Deadline’s Complete Coverage

Gabler’s division would seem a strong fit for a hybrid making pictures for theatrical and streaming. Her highlights include Hidden Figures, The Fault In Our Stars, The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me, Love, Simon and The Hate U Give. But then again, Disney will have 11 film labels and at some point,...

For a second weekend in a row Disney and Marvel's Captain Marvel topped the weekend box office as it has now posted over $760 million worldwide in just twelve days in global release. Overall, the weekend ended up topping the same weekend last year for a second straight week as both Wonder Park and Five Feet Apart outperformed expectations with their opening weekend performance. At the same time Lionsgate's release of Pantelion's No Manches Frida 2 delivered a top ten finish from just 472 theaters, topping Focus's disappointing release of Captive State, which struggled in its debut in over 2,500 locations. Disney's Captain Marvel topped the weekend box office for a second weekend in a row, delivering an estimated $69.3 million sophomore frame, dipping -54.8% and outperforming the -56% average second weekend dip for a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This pushes the film's domestic cume over $266 million after just ten days in domestic release.

There are plenty of book-to-movie adaptations coming your way in 2019, but some of the most exciting projects are the Ya books set to become films. Last year was huge for Ya adaptations with movies like Love, Simon, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and The Kissing Booth leaving fans of all ages swooning. While there are plenty of romantic adaptations coming your way in 2019, there's also a nightmarish anthology series heading to the big screen, a classic steampunk caper getting the Disney treatment, and so much more. Mark your calendars now, because it's looking like all of these Ya films will be must-see.

20th Century Fox won distributor of the year; Disney takes home marketing team of the year.

20th Century Fox, Disney and Curzon Artificial Eye were among the big winners at the Screen Awards 2018, which recognises excellence in UK distribution, exhibition, marketing, publicity and brand partnerships.

Scroll down for full list of winners

The prizes were handed out at the Ballroom Southbank in London tonight (Nov 29). Comedian Adam Buxton hosted the ceremony for the first time.

20th Century Fox won distributor of the year award for a busy 2018 during which it released Deadpool 2, The Greatest Showman, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...

The 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Conference has announced its initial slate of titles. The list is rife with hot world premieres (Kick-Ass), films fresh from Sundance (The Runaways, Cyrus), hot titles from the 2009 editions of Tiff and Cannes that haven't had much U.S. play (Enter the Void, Dogtooth, Trash Humpers), interesting documentaries (Lemmy, The People v. George Lucas) and much, much more. Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue, which has received much praise on Twitch based on its Iffr screenings, will have its North American premiere.

Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).

Headliners

Big names, big talent:  Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...

Katie Stevens impresses with 'At Last'; cancer survivor Justin Williams returns.

By Gil Kaufman

Norberto Guerrero auditions in Boston

Photo: Fox

"American Idol" kicked off season nine on Tuesday night with the usual assortment of freaks, geeks and tone-deaf delusional jokers, mixed in with the occasional ringer with a compelling backstory that might actually have a chance in Hollywood.

The intro acknowledged the judging turmoil that has roiled "Idol" since the last season ended in May, alluding to Paula Abdul's departure and Ellen DeGeneres' addition to the panel. But there was no mention of Simon Cowell's announcement on Monday that he would be leaving "Idol" at the end of this season, either because the news broke too late to re-edit the episode or because producers didn't want to draw attention to it.

With DeGeneres not suiting up until the Hollywood round airs, the season premiere featured the...

Tuesday (January 12) night's "American Idol" season nine kick-off had everything we've come to expect from the series' early audition episodes: Sob stories, delusional wannabes and Alicia Keys covers. Everything, of course, except Paula Abdul.

Producers shrewdly addressed the Paula Issue with the very first audition of the season: A walking Boston stereotype named Janet McNamara whose sole purpose — aside from saying "wicked" and conveniently promoting the "American Idol" video game — was confusing "new" judge Kara DioGuardi with Paula. "See?" the TV show said to its devoted fanbase. "This random girl who can't sing didn't notice Paula was gone. Neither should you."

Well, okay then!

Guest judge PoshBot-2000 (also known as Victoria Beckham) was on hand to play the role of Pop Culture Relic Who Wears Funny Clothes, and she did a fine job of sitting in a chair and blinking. Based on that criteria alone, she's already proven to be...

It’s that time of year again, when sites the web-over compile helpful holiday shopping lists to guide you into the deepest, darkest pits of retail with a map that will hopefully get you out alive. Here now, without further ado, is the 2009 Quick Stop Holiday Shopping Guide.

(If you see anything you like, please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make your holiday purchases - it’s appreciated!)

I’ve banged on about for years, and I’m going to keep going virtual door to virtual door until the word gets out about Qi. If you’ve never heard of the UK quiz program Qi, you’re missing out on one of the funniest “educational” shows ever devised (the devisee being creator/producer John Lloyd, formerly of Blackadder, Not The Nine O’Clock News, and Spitting Image). The key to Qi (which stands for “Quite Interesting...

Are you as excited by Conan O'Brien's Tonight show debut as I'm not? One of the most dreary and predictable subdivisions of media journalism is the sandlot where Leno-Letterman-Conan jockey for late night supremacy and the coveted crown of America's Sweetheart. There's Jay with his persistent, inane rattle of "I write jokes--i tell jokes--that's what I do--go out, tell jokes--make people laugh--i get paid--tell jokes that make people laugh..." Jay and his Jokes--perhaps the most successful, boring couple in the history of showbiz. Conan O'Brien, who cares. He wags himself around like a baby rattle exhibiting a boyishness that the estate of Howdy Doody ought to demand residual fees from. From his storied career as a talkshow host, Dick Cavett was able to preserve a scrapbook treasure of fascinating interviews and exchanges; is there anything worth remembering from O'Brien's multiyear stint on Late Night?--it was an epic run of ephemera.

Jeff Favreproduction: A Beautiful View, Son of Semele Theatre; Robots vs. Fake Robots, Powerhouse Theatre; Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Geffen Playhouse.Playwriting: David Largman Murray, Robots vs. Fake Robots.Direction: Don Boughton, A Beautiful View; John Doyle, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre; Tiger Reel, Cartoon, Art/Works Theatre; Elise Robertson, The Women, Circus Theatricals.Music Direction: Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Scenic Design: Simon Higlett, The School of Night, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum; Christine Jones, Spring Awakening, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre; Anthony Ward, My Fair Lady, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.Lighting Design: Russell H. Champa, The School of Night; Richard Jones, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Costume Design: Anthony Ward, My Fair Lady.Sound Design: Dan Moses Schreier, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Perfomance In A (Primarily) Straight Play:Gregory Itzin,...

One of the professors in my masters studies likes to use the following scene in his classes. It's from "The Graduate," and while the movie maybe hasn't aged as well as others, this is a pretty seamless example of brilliant cinematography, editing, and direction.

Maybe what really should be appreciated there is just how perfect the music by Simon & Garfunkle, is. Using pop music that reflected the existential malaise of Ben Braddock, a young man with absolutely no ambition or direction, rather than just traditional Elmer Bernstein-style scoring, was considered, in 1967, pretty damn daring. Songs in film were usually limited to musicials, though by this point the musicial was slowly dying, a reflection in the change of the national attitude; somehow with Vietnam going on, and protests in the street, pretty people bursting into happy songs didn't quite feel right.

In four decades subsequent, pop music has become ubiqutious in modern movies,...

• A little bit of fluff (Harald Zwart’s Pink Panther II), an Oscar hopeful (Stephen Daldry’s The Reader) and some prestige titles from master filmmakers who might have lost their touch and offerings from less-seasoned directors are among the world preems that have been announced in the Berlin Film Festival’s Competition and Out of Competition section). Some long-awaited films from the veterans in Sally Potter, Theo Angelopoulos and Chen Kaige (see pic) are being paired with filmmakers such as Moodysson, Bouchareb and Rebecca Miller. Along with Miller and Moodysson’s films, I’m looking forward to seeing Oren Moverman’s directorial debut – which will be soon a couple of weeks earlier at Sundance. Here is the complete ten list of films announced. The fest begins on the 5th of February. Alle Anderen Germanyby Maren Ade (The Forest for the Trees)with Birgit Minichmayr, Lars Eidinger, Hans-Jochen Wagner,

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