News

A fan-favorite character of the legendary HBO series, Sex and the City, has finally made an appearance in the sequel series.

In the recent episode of And Just Like That..., which focuses on only the trio of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte after the events of the original series and the movies, the much-awaited return of Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones has sparked excitement among fans.

Related: How Will And Just Like That Handle Samantha in Season 2?

In the Season 2 finale, "The Last Supper Part Two: Entree," Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, reappears in her iconic NY Brownstone home to oversee the preparations for an important dinner which is fittingly named "The Last Supper." Finally accepting the change, Carrie has let go of her apartment to create space for Aidan Shaw, portrayed by John Corbett. The cameo takes place when Carrie gets a call from Samantha who is in...

Spoiler Alert: The following reveals major plot points from the Season 2 finale of Max’s And Just Like That…

And Just Like That… Samantha Jones is back and even though Kim Cattrall wasn’t there in person to interact with Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, fans will certainly be elated to see the beloved character return.

Michael Patrick King must’ve known how anxious viewers would be for the reunion that he didn’t make us wait very long at all to see her. Just three minutes into the episode, Carrie returns to her classic NY Brownstown to make the final preparations for her “The Last Supper” dinner party to celebrate new beginnings and of course, one big ending. Carrie has really sold off her apartment this time and will be moving to a bigger place to make space for Aidan (John Corbett) and his 3 boys should they ever want to come stay.

World Mental Health Day is being spotlighted by two public service initiatives by HBO and Comedy Central, both designed to bring awareness to the health condition and remove the stigma of seeking treatment.

Comedy Central, in partnership with Mental Health First Aid (Mhfa), a program of the National Council for Behavioral Health, today premiered its Be The Difference public service announcement (PSA) featuring Jeff Ross, Matteo Lane and Yamaneika Saunders.

The spot is the initial step in Comedy Central’s first long-term social impact campaign that will focus on driving culture change on mental health. Working with its launch partners, Comedy Central will integrate the campaign across all brand platforms, including linear series, social content and live events, with the goal of making emotional health as important as physical health.

The Be The Difference PSA begins airing today on Comedy Central’s linear channel and will air throughout the month of October.

Starting October 10 — World Mental Health Day — HBO is adding mental health awareness disclaimers, called “bumpers”, to select episodes of its programming, including from shows like “Euphoria”, “Barry”, and “The Sopranos”. These bumpers will specifically occur before episodes that feature scenes of mental illness, as well as provide the phone number for a mental health hotline (1.833.HBO.Nami) for viewers to call for help with related issues.

The bumpers are all part of HBO’s new “It’s Ok” initiative and its aim to raise awareness and destigmatize the conversation surrounding mental health. According to a statement released by HBO, with It’s Ok, the cable network will “highlight a diversity of characters seen throughout the network’s series whose stories can help to normalize the conversation.”

“HBO has always been at the forefront of telling stories featuring complex characters, some of whom deal with mental illness, from ‘The Sopranos to ‘Euphoria,...

HBO is adding brief messages to the beginning of select television episodes that include scenes of mental illness. The disclaimers, called “bumpers,” provide a mental health hotline to call if viewers are in need of help.

These 10-second long bumpers are part of HBO’s new initiative, “It’s Ok,” which aims to destigmatize conversations around mental health. Starting Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day, the bumpers will appear before episodes featuring scenes in characters grapple with mental illness, and note which topics the episode touches on — such as bipolar disorder, substance abuse or depression — followed by this message: “If you or someone you know is in need of help, please call 1-833-hbo-Nami.”

The National Alliance on Mental Health (Nami), and its local affiliate Nami NYC partnered with HBO to create the bumpers, which will air in front of select episodes of HBO’s “Barry,” “Euphoria,” “Girls,” “The Sopranos,...

HollywoodNews.com:Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford today announced the DGA’s nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television and Commercials for the year 2011.

?The caliber of work being done on television these days is incredible, and our director nominees in each category are an indispensable element to the success of every project — establishing and enhancing the vision and tone, eliciting outstanding performances and furthering the narrative arc through their creative choices,? said Hackford. ?That they are able to create excellence regardless of obstacles like tighter schedules and in an environment in which audiences have more entertainment options to choose from — is a true testament to the importance of directorial skill in television.?

The winners will be announced at the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.

***

Movies For Television And Mini-series

The nominees for the Directors Guild...

hollywoodnews.com: Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford today announced the DGA’s nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television and Commercials for the year 2010.

‘Whether it’s a 30-second commercial or a multi-part miniseries, television directors are crucial to the success of any television project.’ said Hackford. ‘As the DGA celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, we salute the critical role of the director in TV and are proud to honor the tremendous range of excellence found in the projects nominated today. Congratulations to all of the nominees.’

The winners will be announced at the 63rd Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.

***

Movies For Television And Mini-series

The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series for 2010 are (in alphabetical order):

Mick Jackson

Temple Grandin

(HBO...

The documentary film Boy Interrupted -- to air on HBO on Monday August 3 with a DVD release to follow on August 4 -- not only tells the story of a 15-year-old's death by suicide, but it also tells the story of a mother's anguish dealing with her son's lifelong disease of bipolar mental disorder. You want to brush it off, this is someone else's tragedy, but the truth is, frightened parents are hearing more and more of such cases. Something's up in the Zeitgeist: my own daughter, now in her early 20's, has attended four funerals of classmates, graduates of her Riverdale private school, in the past few years. And what about the granddaughter of another friend, a talented poet attending a summer program in Italy: what made her hang herself? And another boy this past spring, hurling himself...

• On HBO tonight, I'll finally have the opportunity to catch a docu film that I managed to miss at Sundance. Hart and Dana Perry's Boy Interrupted tells the heartbreaking story of Evan Perry: the heart-wrenching profile of a family torn apart. Using footage of their son Evan – taken from the moment of his birth throughout childhood and adolescence and supplemented by interviews with family, friends, doctors and teachers, Dana and Hart Perry share the intensely personal story of every parent’s worst nightmare: the death of a child by suicide. Casual and innocuous before his death, the home movies provide a visual record of Evan’s life, and help create an intimate portrait of this vibrant, troubled young man.. I'll be featuring the remaining films in HBO Documentary Films Summer Series - (9:00-10:30 p.m. Et/Pt). ...

...

The Sundance Film Festival officially announced the lineup for the films playing in competition next month. The 16 movies will compete for the Grand Jury Prize in Park City, Utah at the 25th anniversary of the largest independent film festival in the U.S. from January 15-25.

The list was announced by festival director Geoff Gilmore, who recently received the first annual Sydney Pollack Award.

At the bottom of the page is a full list with synopsis and partial cast lists, but I wanted to focus on a few of the titles that stand out. Alphabetical order with omissions of films I don’t care about yet:

Arlen Faber - A single mother and a man out of rehab intrude into the life of a reclusive author, played by Jeff Daniels. He’s my other favorite Jeff, but I also like young actresses Kat Dennings and Olivia Thirlby.

Big Fan -...

I am heading out the door and have no time to really dig into this, but here is the line-up for next year's 2009 Sundance Film Festival as reported by Variety. Dramatic Competition Adam, directed and written by Max Mayer ("Better Living"), about a slightly dysfunctional man's attempt at a relationship with an alluring new neighbor. Stars Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison. Amreeka, directed and written by Cherien Dabis, a drama examining the challenges faced by a divorced Palestinian woman and her teenage son upon moving to rural Illinois. With Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem. Arlen Faber, directed and written by John Hindman, about the intrusion of two strangers into the life of a famous reclusive author. With Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Pucci, Olivia Thirlby, Kat Dennings. Big Fan, directed and written by Robert Siegel (writer of "The Wrestler"), which hinges on the reaction of a...

Oh I'm so excited! One of the best fests of the year! The 2009 Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its U.S. and World competitions for dramatic and documentary features. The non-competitive sections including Premieres, Spectrum, Midnight, and New Frontiers will be announced December 4. Sundance unspools January 15-25, 2009 in Park City, Utah.

Check out the film list after the break. via Variety.

Dramatic Competition

* Adam (Max Mayer)

* Amreeka (Cherien Dabis)

* Big Fan (Robert Siegel)

* Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (John Krasinski)

* Cold Souls (Sophie Barthes)

* Dare (Adam Salky)

* Don’t Let Me Drown (Cruz Angeles)

* The Dream of the Romans (John Hindman)

* The Greatest (Shana Feste)

* Humpday (Lynn Shelton)

* Paper Heart (Nicolas Jasenovec)

* Peter and Vandy (Jay Dipietro)

* Push (Lee Daniels)

* Sin nombre (Cary Fukunaga)

* Taking Chance (Ross Katz)

* Toe to Toe (Emily Abt)

Documentary Competition

* Art and Copy (Doug Pray)

* Boy Interrupted (Dana Perry)

* Sergio (Greg Barker...

U.S. Dramatic Competition

This year's 16 films were selected from 1,026 submissions. Each film is a world premiere.

Adam (Director-screenwriter: Max Mayer)

A strange and lyrical love story between a somewhat socially dysfunctional young man and the woman of his dreams. Cast: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison.

Amreeka (Director-screenwriter: Cherien Dabis)

When a divorced Palestinian woman and her teenage son move to rural Illinois at the outset of the Iraq war, they find their new lives replete with challenges. Cast: Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Alia Shawkat.

Big Fan (Director-screenwriter: Robert Siegel)

The world of a parking garage attendant who happens to be the New York Giants' biggest fan is turned upside down after an altercation with his favorite player. Cast: Patton Oswalt, Michael Rapaport, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Matt Servitto.

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (Director-screenwriter: John Krasinski)

When her boyfriend leaves with little explanation,...

It looks like the 25th annual Sundance Film Festival is borrowing the late Harvey Milk's famous line: You gotta give 'em hope.

Despite the war-weary, economically ravaged state of the nation and the industry, the Sundance Institute eagerly announced the 2009 competition lineup Wednesday. And while it certainly maintains a somber quotient, the festival roster includes enough fresh takes on old genres (think romance, sci-fi and politics) to satisfy moviegoers and industry players looking for some warmth during the snowy 11-day event.

At least that's how fest organizers Geoffrey Gilmore, Sundance's longtime director, and John Cooper, its programming director, choose to see it.

"What you might have expected is that the festival would be really reflective right now of a very dark time, and it's not really true," said Gilmore, in his 19th year overseeing the fest. "We haven't seen the numbers drop, we haven't seen productions severely impacted yet by these factors,...