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Fans are excited to see the Oscars ceremony unfold this year. After seeing Jimmy Kimmel for the last two years at the center stage, fans look forward to seeing a new host. Conan O’Brien will be hosting the 97th Academy Awards on March 2nd at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Besides its ABC broadcast, this year’s event will stream on Hulu, a first in the history of the Oscars.

From actors to performers to comedy greats, the Oscars have seen several celebrities take over the hosting duties over the years. The first-ever Academy Awards took place as a private dinner, without a formal host. Douglas Fairbanks, Academy President at the time, hosted the dinner alongside Vice-President William C. deMille.

Conan O’Brien is the host for the upcoming Oscars ceremony | Credits: Conan/TBS

Bob Hope holds the record for hosting the most number of ceremonies. He hosted the Oscars...

Mina Sundwall is only in the early stages of her career in movies and on television, but she's already accumulated a significant number of memorable and impressive performances. Born on October 23, 2001, Mina Sundwall got her career started early, appearing in an episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories at the age of 11. This was followed by a two-year gap before she earned two more roles, in A Good Marriage and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Since then, Sundwall has regularly worked in film and TV, even starring in some of her projects.

Sundwall has had what is, in comparison to other actors who debuted in the 2010s, an unusually classical path to success. With streaming services offering new movies and TV shows at an almost unsustainable rate, young actors have found themselves thrust into the spotlight after only one or two performances. Sundwall is a little different. She got her start very young,...

More on this week’s edition of “Big Ten Whip Around” — start listening to SiriusXM Big Ten Radio (Ch. 372) on the SiriusXM app now.

Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota Earn Weekly Football Honors Hoosiers’ Ponds, Hawkeyes’ Wetjen, along with Gophers’ Brosmer and Perich, garner accolades

Completed 26-of-33 passes for season highs of 320 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Gophers to a 48-23 win against Maryland Finished with 26 completions for the second straight game, just one off his season high 27 at Michigan He’s the first Gopher with four passing touchdowns since Tanner Morgan had four at Northwestern on Nov. 23, 2019 Last Minnesota Offensive Player of the Week honoree: Jordan Nubin

Defensive Player of the Week

D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana

Db – So. – Miami, Fla. – Chaminade Madonna

Totaled five stops with 0.5 tackles for loss, while recording a pair of interceptions in Indiana’s 31-17 victory against Washington Intercepted Will Rogers and went 65 yards for...

Bloody Disgusting’s podcast network, Bloody FM, is happy to announce another addition to the network – Guide to the Unknown.

Each episode, hosts (and siblings!) Kristen Anderson and Will Rogers dive into everything spooky, from horror movies and pop culture, to urban legends, the paranormal, the mysterious…and the stupid. If it’s even vaguely creepy, they’re all over it.

Kristen and Will are long-time fans of scary stuff, who like to crack each other up as much as they like to freak each other out. Guide to the Unknown started over 6 years ago, and has been available in a video version from the very beginning. They quickly began recording each episode live (which came in handy in 2020), which has endured as a fun way to connect with their audience.

“We’re So excited to be joining Bloody FM and be in some seriously great company. One of the...

With both Disney and Warner Bros. turning 100 this year, it’s a great time to remember the Golden Age of moviemaking. The business is changing at a precipitous rate, and recent studio mergers have forever altered the longtime map of Hollywood production.

Actors and crew members, like armies, march on their stomachs, and since the dawn of the industry, it’s been up to the studios where they’re shooting to keep them well fortified. Studio executives and office workers, too, needed a convenient place to eat on the lots.

While researching the recent Culinary Historians presentation “Lunching on the Lot,” a 1997 quote from Variety story turned up which deftly explained what studio commissaries meant to the business. “After a gourmet tour of studio eateries, however, one thing is clear — It ain’t the chow that’s important. When the tribe hunkers down for its daily repast, ritual and symbolism are the rule.

MTV Documentary Films has released the trailer for “Pay Or Die,” a documentary about America’s soaring insulin costs that the platform acquired out of this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival.

The 90-minute film, which was executive produced by Sarah Silverman, will open theatrically at New York City’s IFC Center on November 1, the first day of National Diabetes Month. That screening will be followed by a nationwide rollout. The theatrical release of the doc will qualify it for Academy Award consideration. Paramount + will begin streaming “Pay Or Die” on World Diabetes Day – Nov. 14.

Directed by Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer, “Pay Or Die” follows three families struggling to afford their diabetes medications. In 2022 the American Diabetes Association reported that over 37 million Americans – about 11% of the nation – are living with diabetes and 8.4 million Americans rely on insulin to survive. According to “Pay Or Die” nearly two-million...

Laughs blended with tears tonight at the Beverly Hilton as many in Hollywood remembered late MGM Theatrical Distribution Boss and big screen champion Erik Lomis who was lauded posthumously with the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s Pioneer of the Year award. Lomis passed suddenly at 64 on March 22.

It was a fitting tribute for Lomis, who was a force to be reckoned with in fundraising for the org which assists those working in distribution and exhibition in need. One longtime friend and MGM colleague of Lomis described his fundraising talents for Will Rogers: “When Erik called you, you never said ‘No’.” It was only a year ago that Lomis served as the charity’s co-Chair and hosted last year’s fun-filled fundraiser which bestowed the Pioneer of the Year award to his longtime colleagues, 007 franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Paul Thomas Anderson, whose movies The Master and Licorice Pizza,...

The 11x Oscar nominee remembered the late distribution boss Erik Lomis on Wednesday night at the Will Rogers Pioneers Dinner, the two having worked together during the latter’s time at Weinstein Co. with The Master and at MGM with Licorice Pizza.

Paul Thomas Anderson had the first 70Mm made movie in 20 years with 2012’s The Master, a dream made possible by Lomis when he was the head of distribution at Weinstein Co. Later on, Lomis brought specialty audiences back with Anderson’s Licorice Pizza during Covid which earned then an opening weekend per theater average of $35K — enormous when cinemas were making their way back from pandemic in 2021.

Taking the podium at the Beverly Hilton, Anderson, said “I’m hear to represent the filmmakers that worked with Erik” before launching into heartfelt and hysterical speech.

“I first met Erik walking down the street on Montana Avenue outside the Aero,...

I recently discovered my pioneer producer great-grandfather Sol M. Wurtzel’s obituary in the April 16, 1958 edition of Variety. In 1917, mogul William Fox sent Sol to oversee production at his Hollywood studio. During his lengthy career as a Fox Studio head, Sol produced over 700 films.

One short paragraph blew my mind. “In 1933, when his [Fox Studio] Western Avenue lot was threatened with a three-month shuttering, Wurtzel went to bat for his staff, refusing to take anyone off salary. The studio remained open, and costs were charged to his later productions.” Wow, exactly 90 years ago, a studio executive cared enough about his employees to keep them on payroll.

During the height of the Great Depression, my great-grandfather bet the house, so his employees had money to cover rent, put food on the table and pay their medical bills. A hardcore gambler, he risked his own career and financial future.

He bluffed his way through,...

Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (Wrmppf) is honoring one of their biggest champs this year with a posthumous recognition: late MGM and United Artists Distribution Boss Erik Lomis. The honor will be recognized at the October 4 dinner at The Beverly Hilton.

Lomis, who was a force in getting movie theaters back open as Covid quelled, and a proponent of the theatrical window with the release of the 007 title No Time to Die, passed away suddenly at 64 on March 22. Lomis was also known for his relentless and passionate fundraising for Will Rogers.

Lomis hosted last year’s Pioneer dinner which honored James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

A tradition for more than 75 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award is bestowed upon esteemed and respected members in the motion picture industry whose corporate leadership, service to the community and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional. All proceeds...

“Pay or Die,” a new feature from MTV Documentary Films, lays bare the cost of America’s insulin crisis.

Directed by Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer, the doc, which premiered at SXSW in March, illustrates how Type 1 diabetics are struggling to afford insulin — a liquid that most humans are lucky enough to produce naturally in their bodies. For those whose bodies have stopped producing it (through no fault of their own) and who can’t pay for it, the consequences can be fatal, as the documentary’s main subject, Nicole Smith-Holt, knows all too well.

“He could not afford to stay alive,” she tells the filmmakers of her son Alec, a Type 1 diabetic who died at the age of 26. Despite earning a salary of $40,000, he could not afford medical supplies, which topped $1,000 per month. He was found dead in 2017 from complications caused by rationing insulin just three and a...

Exclusive: The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has created the Erik Lomis Leadership Award.

Modeled after the Payne Stewart Award given annually by the PGA Tour, which is given to a player whose values align with the character, charity, and sportsmanship that Stewart demonstrated, the Erik Lomis Leadership Award will be given to an individual who personifies and reflects the leadership, passion for the motion picture industry, as well as dedication to philanthropy that the late MGM Distribution Boss displayed.

Lomis passed suddenly on March 22. The distribution executive was a fierce believer in the theatrical side of the motion picture business, particularly at a time when the majors were caving in toward streaming. He was the first motion picture executive to recognize the ultimate challenges of Covid to the business by postponing MGM’s tentpole and final Daniel Craig title as James Bond, No Time to Die, in March...

Exclusive: MTV Documentary Films has acquired worldwide rights to Pay or Die, a heart wrenching film about Americans living with diabetes who face a cruel choice: pay the “extortionate” cost of insulin charged by pharmaceutical companies or risk death.

Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer directed and produced the documentary, which premiered in March at SXSW. MTV Documentary Films plans a theatrical release later this year, followed by a debut on streaming platform Paramount+.

“Today, nearly two-million Americans living with diabetes are being held hostage by the pharmaceutical industry, as many cannot afford insulin,” notes a release about the documentary. “Without this life-sustaining drug, they will be dead in days. Access to this drug has become increasingly more difficult, as the cost to patients in America soars. Pay or Die follows families struggling to afford their medications and reveals the harrowing reality of living with a chronic illness in the richest country in the world.

Updated: The legacy of MGM Domestic Distribution Chief Erik Lomis was remembered this morning at CinemaCon by his Paramount Domestic Distribution boss Chris Aronson, who worked with the former at MGM years ago. Lomis died suddenly March 22, having just released MGM’s Creed III to record box office results — a win also for the studio’s streaming parent Amazon.

Later on this Am, when exiting NATO President and CEO John Fithian took the stage, he exclaimed, “I’m dedicating this CinemaCon to Erik Lomis and everyone he touched.”

“Erik coached, guided, and mentored many in this industry,” Fithian said.

Lomis was a force during the pandemic. When most studios were looking to jettison their tentpoles to streamers as the state of exhibition remained shuttered and in doubt, Lomis lobbied for a theatrical release for the final Daniel Craig James Bond film. Not only did he ensure that the movie be held until theaters reopened,...

Mark Russell, the political satirist who delivered his wisecracks to the tunes of his piano on PBS specials for nearly 30 years, died today of prostate cancer at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 90.

His death was announced to the Washington Post by his wife Alison Russell.

Russell, sporting a bow tie and standing behind a usually flag-draped piano, was a staple of PBS from 1975 to 2004, where his bipartisan jabs and jaunty playing melded with the gently intellectual tone of the network. With a persona and style closer to Will Rogers than Lenny Bruce, Russell was an affable TV presence whose topical observations offered a family-friendly alternative during an era when George Carlin was saying seven dirty words and Saturday Night Live was making pot jokes.

Still, his amenable demeanor could serve as Trojan Horse for his most pointed and ego-deflating quips. After the exposure of President Bill Clinton’s sexual peccadillos,...

Devastating news: MGM and United Artists Releasing distribution boss Erik Lomis died suddenly Wednesday at his home in Santa Monica, we have learned from sources. No details were provided in regards to his death. He was 64.

Lomis was a towering figure behind many filmmakers’ hits including those from Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam McKay, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Coogler, David O. Russell, Lee Daniels and Tom Hooper to name a few, and most recently Michael B. Jordan with Creed III.

Related: Erik Lomis Remembered By Hollywood Colleagues And Friends: “A Part Of The Industry Has Died With Him Today”, Barbara Broccoli Says

In the wake of Amazon’s purchase of MGM, Lomis, who made the jump, becoming an entrusted consigliere to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke as the streamer looks to capitalize on more big-screen hits.

Lomis gave Amazon a big taste of the box office with its first theatrical hit Creed III,...

Abraham Lincoln, for whatever his historical faults, is perhaps the most cinematic President the Unites States has ever had. Whether you put him in a theatrical D.C. backroom drama like Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," or in a silly, pulpy movie like Timur Bekmambetov's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" (from the same year!), you get a great film. Maybe it's because of his iconic appearance, maybe it's due to the almost mythical challenges of leading a country in the midst of a Civil War, or maybe it stems from the temptation to cast him as a hero battling the evils of U.S. slavery.

Spielberg's "Lincoln" has scenes set in the wreckage of battlegrounds. "Vampire Hunter" has Honest Abe fighting vampires on runaway trains. Most every film about Lincoln dramatizes the Civil War to some degree, and they typically allude to Ford's Theatre, where he was assassinated. That's what...

Even the Academy Awards, one of TV's most sophisticated ceremonies, can be the subject of controversy every once in a while. Getting nominated is no easy task, and winning requires much more than just talent and goodwill. While the Oscars value quality and diversity to a certain extent, at the end of the day the awards go to those who carried out the most effective campaigns. To make the battlefield fair for everyone, the Academy has implemented plenty of new rules throughout the years, limiting Q&As with the directors and stars, taming lobbying practices, and bringing any post-nomination parties for a particular film or celebrity to a halt (via Oscars.org).

Even with new rules added every year, there's always room for problems. The Oscars have been going on ever since 1929, and the Academy continues to learn from its mistakes. Over the decades, scandals only piled up: multiple actors refused their Oscars,...

Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies is a riveting political thriller that chronicles the true story of insurance lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) as he finds himself tasked with the legal protection of a Kgb spy captured in America. Like Spielberg’s best work, Bridge of Spies takes a highly entertaining approach to a complex story that tackles plenty of important, topical issues. The movie primarily focuses on the constant threat of conflict that loomed over the world throughout the Cold War, detailing the importance of those who fought for what they believed in, regardless of the dangers it posed to them.

Bridge of Spies has a fascinating ending that’s filled with tension and surprises, as Donovan and his team pull off a high-stakes soldier exchange with the Soviet government. The way that these final moments perfectly encapsulate its central themes makes Bridge of Spies one of Spielberg’s best movies,...

Jeff Dunham is back with another hilarious special in Me the People. The latest stand-up special from the acclaimed comedian sees him tackling everything from the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, to today's youth and cancel culture.

Dunham has assembled some of his most iconic characters for Me the People, including Walter, who's chosen to disguise himself as Biden, Bubba J, Peanut, and José Jalapeño on a Stick. The special also introduces a new subject to the mix with Url, a technology-obsessed young man with a unique physical design.

Related: Best Comedy Stand Up Specials On Amazon Prime Right Now

In anticipation of its premiere, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Jeff Dunham to discuss Me the People, reuniting with Comedy Central, navigating edgier comedy in a modern world, crafting a new character for the special, and more.

Jeff Dunham on Me the People

Screen Rant: You've worked...

Three years since Elizabeth Banks was honored as Pioneer Of The Year in 2019, the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation returned Wednesday night with their Pioneer Of The Year dinner, this time honoring James Bond franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It was a welcome return for the industry charity which earned what co-chair Erik Lomis (with Heather Morgan) announced was a healthy haul of 1.5M dollars for the cause.

MGM, United Artists Releasing and their new owner Amazon Studios sponsored the evening for the organization whose membership spans the distribution and exhibition side of the business. Everyone was in high spirits at the Beverly Hilton ballroom. Of course the honorees themselves were responsible for much of that upbeat response for a crowd eager to get back to normal after three years where the pandemic had Ko’d this event. It didn’t hurt that the most recent James Bond himself,...

Click here to read the full article.

Very few, if any, actors have sprinted out of the blocks like Jena Malone.

After debuting in a Michael Jackson music video, the Nevada native starred in directorial debuts for Anjelica Huston and Goldie Hawn, shared the screen with Jeff Bridges and Frances McDormand, played a young Jodie Foster, got caught between Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, did a period piece with Glenn Close, got weird with Jake Gyllenhaal in a cult classic, played a ferry girl for Anthony Minghella, charmed an emo Hayden Christensen, snagged an ensemble part in a starry indie with Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and tested the convictions of Emile Hirsch and Kieran Culkin.

And she did it all by her 18th birthday.

Malone has continued working at a breakneck pace over the years, eventually graduating to franchise fare (The Hunger Games, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice...

Click here to read the full article.

Clu Gulager, the real-life cowboy from Oklahoma known for his turns on The Tall Man, The Virginian, The Last Picture Show and horror movies including The Return of the Living Dead, has died. He was 93.

Gulager died Friday of natural causes at the Los Angeles home of his son John and daughter-in-law Diane, they told The Hollywood Reporter.

Gulager also portrayed the protégé of hitman Charlie Strom (Lee Marvin) taken out by a mob boss (Ronald Reagan) in Don Siegel’s The Killers (1964), a race-car mechanic opposite Paul Newman in Winning (1969) and a detective working alongside John Wayne’s character in John Sturges’ McQ (1974).

More recently, he showed up on the big screen in such critical darlings as Tangerine (2015), Blue Jay (2016) and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

Gulager’s performance in The Killers convinced Peter Bogdanovich to cast him as Abilene,...

"You are sane, approximately." "Sane as you are." Vertical Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for an indie film titled Adopting Audrey (formerly known as Porcupine at its festival premiere), an awkward sort of dramedy from filmmaker M. Cahill. Not to be confused with the other Mike Cahill this Mike Cahill now goes by M Cahill, and directed the indie hit King of California with Michael Douglas back in 2007. This is only his second feature film. Jena Malone stars as Audrey, an "adult woman" who puts herself up for adoption and forms a bond with the misanthropic patriarch of her adoptive family. Based on a true story. The cast also features Robert Hunger-Bühler, Brooke Bloom, Will Rogers, and Emily Kuroda. This actually looks like a nice, sweet little indie flick. Malone looks like Evan Rachel Wood or even Andrea Riseborough in this; I love her style with the short hair and quirky attitude.

Tom Cruise will be receiving The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s 2018 Pioneer of the Year Award on April 25 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Cruise is the first actor to receive the honor, as the award has traditionally been bestowed to industry executives. Past Pioneer of the Year honorees include Dick Cook, Cecil B. DeMille, Michael D. Eisner, Jim Gianopulos, Alan Horn, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Donna Langley, Sherry Lansing, Frank G. Mancuso…...

Exclusive: Suki Waterhouse has joined Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez and Jude Law in Woody Allen’s currently untitled film, his latest project with Amazon Studios. Not much is known about the project. The ensemble cast also includes Annaleigh Ashford, Rebecca Hall, Cherry Jones, Will Rogers, Kelly Rohrbach, Diego Luna, and Liev Schreiber. The film is the follow-up to Allen’s Wonder Wheel, which will premiere as the closing night film of the New York Film…...

Liev Schreiber and Diego Luna have been added to the cast of Woody Allen’s new untitled movie, his latest collaboration with Amazon. It will be Allen’s next project after Wonder Wheel, which is having its world premiere next month as the closing-night film of the New York Film Festival. Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez and Jude Law are already aboard the new pic along with Annaleigh Ashford, Rebecca Hall, Cherry Jones, Will Rogers and Kelly Rohrbach. Wonder Wh…...

Diego Luna and Liev Schreiber are joining the cast of Woody Allen’s untitled feature, which will be released theatrically by Amazon Studios.

They join the previously announced Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez and Jude Law. The cast also includes Annaleigh Ashford, Rebecca Hall, Cherry Jones, Will Rogers and Kelly Rohrbach.

Allen’s latest completed theatrical film, Wonder Wheel, starring James Belushi, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake and Kate Winslet, which have its world premiere as the closing-night film of the New York Film Festival in October. Produced by Letty Aronson, Erika Aronson and Ed Walson and financed by Amazon Studios, the...

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag enjoyed one very active 4th of July this year.

The Hills alums were spotted taking part in the 40th anniversary Will Rogers run through the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The adorable pair got all dressed up in red, white and blue for the occasion, with Pratt, 33, opting for a stars-and-stripes themed hat, and Montag, 30, putting her baby bump on full display in an American flag tank top with a matching baseball cap.

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the People Babies newsletter.

As previously announced, Tony Award-winnersBarry Bostwick andJoanna Gleason will revisitNickand Nora in a reunion concert presented byFEINSTEIN'S54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, onMay 2nd, 2017. Feinstein's now proudly announces that the show's original stars will be joined by special guest Cady Huffman Tony Award-winner,The Producers, The Nance, Will Rogers' Folliesas Tracy Gardner. Huffman will step into the role originated by Christine Baranski. Also joining the ensemble is Kathy SakoloveNewsical,Mammia MiaNational Tour,who will step into the role of Lorraine Bixby, originated by Faith Prince.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been pulled, even dragged, into the future by two women: CEO Dawn Hudson, who makes a half million dollars a year, and president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is a volunteer. She’s only the third woman to serve as president, following the successful Fay Kanin and the notorious Bette Davis, who walked off the job.

Both serve at the pleasure of the Academy Board of Governors. But as they recover from the Oscar night PricewaterhouseCoopers fiasco — they’ve decided to keep the accounting firm, which promises more oversights — Hudson will keep her job, as Boone Isaacs completes her final term as president and returns to full-time public relations consulting.

Read More: #OscarsSoWhat? Why Academy Head Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ SXSW Talk Was a Missed Opportunity

But Boone Isaacs’ high profile and the mark she has left on Hollywood is considerable. At CinemaCon...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been pulled, even dragged, into the future by two women: CEO Dawn Hudson, who makes a half million dollars a year, and president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is a volunteer. She’s only the third woman to serve as president, following the successful Fay Kanin and the notorious Bette Davis, who walked off the job.

Both serve at the pleasure of the Academy Board of Governors. But as they recover from the Oscar night PricewaterhouseCoopers fiasco — they’ve decided to keep the accounting firm, which promises more oversights — Hudson will keep her job, as Boone Isaacs completes her final term as president and returns to full-time public relations consulting.

Read More: #OscarsSoWhat? Why Academy Head Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ SXSW Talk Was a Missed Opportunity

But Boone Isaacs’ high profile and the mark she has left on Hollywood is considerable. At CinemaCon...

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs was honored Wednesday night at CinemaCon as Pioneer of the Year at the 76th annual Will Rogers Motion Picture Foundation Dinner, a part of every CinemaCon convention. She became only the fourth woman and first African American ever awarded the top honor by the charitable organization, which raised $1.1 million in proceeds. It was quite an impressive affair led off by a videotaped tribute from Steven Spielberg, an Academy Governor…...

Bela Lugosi fan alert! This Monogram horror opus is yet another narrative-challenged fumble of unmotivated, incomprehensible characters… but Bela’s great in it, in a central role. He’s a sympathetic, non- maniac this time, if you don’t count his tendency to go into trances and smother random houseguests. Savant’s review has the lowdown on the interesting cast; Tom Weaver’s commentary has the authoritative lowdown on whole show.

Invisible Ghost

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 64 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Bela Lugosi, Polly Ann Young, Clarence Muse, John McGuire, Betty Compson, Ernie Adams, Terry Walker, George Pembroke .

Cinematography: Harvey Gould, Marcel Le Picard

Film Editor: Robert Golden

Original Music: hahahahah, good one.

Written by Helen Martin & Al Martin

Produced by Sam Katzman

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Horror movie fans come in two varieties, obsessive and dangerously obsessive. Back...

For all you gentlemen who just watched Black Sails Season 4 Episode 6 in real time with your strong, independent wives, how long did it take for her to tell you: "You see that? That's what he gets for not listening to his wife."

Gov. Woodes Rogers missed that memo — but it's not too late for you, gentlemen.

All Rogers had to do was listen to his better half, Eleanor Guthrie and right now he'd be laying back in Port Royal, sipping a piña colada, under British protection, away from the war with the pirates and waiting for her to show up with a ton of loot.

But no. Instead, the Spanish navy and its ornery sailors — which he invited into Nassau to burn down and rape and pillage as they pleased — killed Eleanor at a supposed safe house.

Rogers rolled up on horseback, hoping to be her savior and instead was...

We might never stop talking about the Oscar gaffe heard ’round the world on Sunday night; it’s definitely the biggest mistake in Academy Awards history, but it’s not the only one. In 1934, when host Will Rogers called “C’mon, get it, Frank!” for Best Director, Frank Capra started for the stage, thinking he was the winner, but the award went to Frank Lloyd. But in 89 years, only one other person has been given the wrong envelope at an Oscar ceremony: Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964.

As Wgn pointed out when it posted the vintage footage, Davis was presenting two similar awards: scoring of music (adaptation or treatment) and music score (substantially original). He read the scoring of music nominees off the teleprompter, then was handed an envelope, and read the name in it out loud. He then realized immediately that the name he read wasn’t ...

Last night, pop singer and former Wham! member George Michael died in his Oxfordshire home at the age of 53. His longtime manager told the Hollywood Reporter that Michael died of heart failure.

Read More: George Michael Dead: A Life in Photos, from Wham! to ‘The X-Factor’

“It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period,” his representative said in a statement to the BBC.

As a solo artist and with Wham!, George Michael racked up ten No. 1 singles. His first solo album “Faith” spent 51 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1989. He released four subsequent solo albums and all told has sold over 115 million records globally.

Read More: SXSW 2016 Review: Key & Peele’s ‘Keanu’ is...

The Weinstein Company has moved up the qualifying run of its Michael Keaton starrer.

The Founder opened in Los Angeles on December 7 for one week ahead of nationwide roll-out on January 20.

John Lee Hancock directed the story of McDonald’s entrepreneur Ray Kroc and will take part with the cast in a week-long series of Q&A’s as Harvey Weinstein pushes for awards.

The film also stars Laura Dern as Kroc’s first wife Ethel; Linda Cardellini as his second wife Joan Smith; John Carroll Lynch as Mac McDonald and Nick Offerman as Dick McDonald.

The 16th annual Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival will run from January 13-26 at Tiff Bell Lightbox in Toronto before touring select cities. The line-up showcases the best Canadian features, shorts and student shorts in 2016 selected by a panel of seven filmmakers and industry professionals. Zacharias Kunuk’s Maliglutit (Searchers) opens the programme, which includes...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs will be honored with the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s annual Pioneer Of The Year award, to be bestowed at CinemaCon in March. "We are delighted that Cheryl has accepted the 2017 Pioneer of the Year Award and will be receiving this well-deserved honor," said Jim Orr, Wrmppf president and Evp Domestic Theatrical Distribution at Universal. "She is a true Pioneer in our industry, who…...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs will be honored with the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s annual Pioneer Of The Year award, to be bestowed at CinemaCon in March. "We are delighted that Cheryl has accepted the 2017 Pioneer of the Year Award and will be receiving this well-deserved honor," said Jim Orr, Wrmppf president and Evp Domestic Theatrical Distribution at Universal. "She is a true Pioneer in our industry, who…...

Veteran’s Day is November 11. While we all try to escape from the most exasperating Presidential Campaign in our history let me pay tribute to the Men and Women who have served in the military to insure we keep our electoral process and our freedoms.

Having served in the Navy four years (there he goes again!) I have a keen interest in any movie about the military, especially the sea service. I did serve during peace time so had no experience with combat but still spent most of my tour of duty at sea on an aircraft carrier, the USS Amerca CV66. Among other jobs I ran the ship’s television station for almost two years. Movies have always been important to me and so providing a few hours of entertainment every day when we were at sea was just about the best job I could have had.

The author...

"Sorry, I just slashed my wrists." "Well, tape 'em!"  This is the aftermath of the '60s protest movement. Ivan Passer's riveting murder mystery of flakes and losers in sun-drenched, guilty Santa Barbara expresses the rage of radicals faced with the growing class divide, and the arrogance of the wealthy. Cutter's Way Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1981 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109 min. / Ship Date , 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry, Stephen Elliott, Arthur Rosenberg, Nina Van Pallandt. Cinematography Jordan Cronenweth Production Designer Josan F. Russo Film Editor Caroline Biggerstaff Original Music Jack Nitzsche Writing credits Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, from the novel Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg. Produced by Paul R. Gurian Directed by Ivan Passer

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Sort of the bad-news post-graduate version of American Graffiti, Ivan Passer's Cutter's Way is a movie with a mindset and background that I partly lived through,...

This noir hits with the force of a blast furnace -- Cy Endfield's wrenching tale of social neglect and injustice will tie your stomach in knots. Sound like fun? An unemployed man turns to crime and reaps a whirlwind of disproportionate retribution. It's surely the most powerful of all filmic accusations thrown at the American status quo. Try and Get Me! Blu-ray Olive Films 1950 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 92 min. / Street Date April 19, 2016 / The Sound of Fury / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95 Starring Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, Richard Carlson, Lloyd Bridges, Katherine Locke, Adele Jergens, Art Smith, Renzo Cesana, Irene Vernon, Cliff Clark, Donald Smelick, Joe E. Ross. Cinematography Guy Roe Production Design Perry Ferguson Film Editor George Amy Original Music Hugo Friedhofer Written by Jo Pagano from his novel The Condemned Produced by Robert Stillman Directed by Cyril Endfield

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Socially conscious 'issue' movies are not all made equal.

Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley was awarded one of the industry's highest honors Wednesday night as she received the Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year award. Charlize Theron, star of Universal's upcoming The Huntsman: Winter's War, helped introduce Langley. "Donna has a storied 15-year run with Universal...f--k yeah," Theron said during the awards dinner in Las Vegas. "She's a sheep in wolf's clothing, an artist in a suit," Theron continued, saying Langley is one of a kind. "She's a hero, a goofball and a gangster. "It really is such a great honor to be here

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The Universal Pictures chairman became only the third woman to collect the Will Rogers Pioneer Of The Year award at a ceremony in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Langley told attendees at the Caesars Palace event, “It really is such a great honour to be here tonight. It’s an extraordinary event. I’m deeply touched by this honour.”

The studio head presided over last year’s extraordinary box office haul of $6.88bn worldwide, comprising $4.44bn internationally and the $2.44bn in North America. All three results set new industry records.

Charlize Theron, who stars in the studio’s The Huntsman: Winter’s War, introduced Langley to the stage at the Octavius Ballroom in uncompromising fashion.

“Donna has a storied 15-year run with Universal – fuck yeah!” said Theron. “She’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing, an artist in a suit.”

The gala dinner raised close to $1.6m for the Pioneers Assistance Fund, a record...

Liam Hemsworth has been named the theatrical fundraising spokesperson for Brave Beginnings, an initiative of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. The program works to improve the lives of premature babies by providing hospitals with grants to purchase life-saving neonatal equipment and support critical-care pulmonary services. This year’s campaign from the theatrical distributors’ and exhibitors’ charity includes participating theater chains AMC Theatres…...

Anne Marie is tracking Judy Garland's career through musical numbers...

Click to embiggenToday's clip is a plea for the importance of film preservation. The following 3 minute clip is all that is currently known to survive of a short called "If I Forget You" starring Judy Garland and Bette Davis. That's right, two of Classic Hollywood's biggest stars once shared the screen and we know virtually nothing about it.

The little we do know about this teeny number and the tiny short surrounding it comes from reviews and an ad (pictured left) that ran in a few trade papers circa April of 1940. The short was part of the third annual tribute to Will Rogers, who passed away in 1935. It featred Kay Kyser and his Kollege of Musical Knowledge, then Judy singing the title song, then Bette Davis stepped onscreen to ask audiences to donate to the Will Rogers Memorial Commission...

The Grammy Awards allow all genres of music to gather together under one roof; rock, pop, country, rap and all the rest meet up for the sole purpose of picking up awards. But when viewers tune in to the 2016 awards on Monday, they'll see a style of performance that's only rarely been part of the Grammy awards: Broadway. The show's opening number will be performed by the cast of Hamilton, the hit musical based on the life of Alexander Hamilton. While the Grammy Awards themselves will be given out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the cast of Hamilton...

Comedy is generational. It's always changing and adapting. What made your great-grandmother laugh will probably be a bit different from what tickles you. More fans today are listening to Jim Gaffigan than Will Rogers. Does that mean Gaffigan is funnier than Rogers? Not necessarily. Usually, after a couple generations, most comedy loses a good deal of its bite. So, in an ever-changing art form, what passes as modern and edgy can slowly turn old-fashioned. The bar for what constitutes modern keeps moving. The evolution of comedy is evident in Vulture's 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy (disclosure: I helped compile that list), with each comic standing on the shoulders of comics standing on the shoulders of comics, and so on. Similarly, one can see exactly how game-changing technology modernized and transformed comedy: feature-length films (1914), sound films (1927), network radio (1928), network television (1947), the LP record (1948), HBO comedy...

Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley will receive the 2016 Pioneer of the Year from the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, the organization announced Tuesday. The honor will be presented at the Pioneer of the Year dinner on April 13 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. An industry tradition for over 70 years, the event honors leaders of the motion picture industry and within the philanthropic community. Since starting with Universal Pictures 15 years ago, Langley is now in her third year as the sole chairman of the film studio. She oversees all aspects of Universal’s production and marketing operations worldwide, including the international production and.