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“Actors on Actors” Season 20 was the most-watched Emmys lineup in Variety history, garnering 97 million video views across social media and outpacing 2023’s record-breaking TV season.

Occurring twice a year during Emmys and Oscars voting, Variety’s “Actors on Actors” spotlights the biggest and buzziest names of each awards season. The 2024 TV lineup included Robert Downey Jr. and Jodie Foster’s “Home for the Holidays” reunion; a heartfelt and honest discussion between Quinta Brunson and Jennifer Aniston; and the first-ever public conversation of “The Crown’s” Dianas, Elizabeth Debicki and Emma Corrin.

Instagram video views jumped 151% over last year’s Emmys “Actors on Actors,” while TikTok views accounted for 61% of the traffic. Big moments included Aniston’s reflection on 30 years of “Friends” and Taylor Zakhar Perez sharing about his sister’s legacy.

“For another season, ‘Actors on Actors’ has continued its winning streak as the most successful interview series of its kind.

Pubcaster Kcet landed 24 nominations to lead the field vying for the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, the Television Academy revealed today, with Spanish-language station Kvea next at 20.

Spectrum News 1 is the only other outlet with double-digit noms, scoring 14. KTLA5 and ABC7 were next with nine and seven, respectively. See the full list of nominees below.

The L.A. Area Emmys honor locally produced programs in 34 categories spanning Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Human Interest, Sports, the Environment, and Live and Breaking News Coverage. The hardware will be handed out Saturday, July 28, at the Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Journalist Michaela Pereira will host the ceremony.

Here are the nominees for the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards:

L.A. Local Color

Giant Robot (Artbound) • Kcet

Angela Boisvert, Executive Producer

Juan Devis, Executive Producer

Nic Cha Kim, Producer

Dylan Robertson, Director, Producer

Dennis Nishi,...

Before the onslaught of Emmy campaigning and balloting, which ends on June 26, the Television Academy has announced the nominees for the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. There are a total of 114 nominations over 34 categories, including Entertainment, Sports Series, Culture/History and Human Interest nods.

Kcet led the pack with a total of 24, including nominations for their acclaimed specials “Off the Beaten Path,” “Artbound,” and “The Migrant Kitchen.” Kvea was close behind with a total of 20 nods.

Also Read:

Will Category Hogging Be a Thing of the Past at This Year’s Emmys?

There will be a ceremony on Saturday, July 22 at the Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Wilshire, and will be hosted by Emmy-winning journalist Michaela Pereira (CNN’s “New Day”).

Below is a full list of nominees for the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmys:

L.A. Local Color

Giant Robot (Artbound) • Kcet

Angela Boisvert, Executive Producer

Juan Devis, Executive Producer

Nic Cha Kim,...

Public broadcaster Kcet — part of a PBS duopoly with Koce “PBS SoCal” — is back on top at the Los Angeles Area Emmys. Thanks to locally produced series like “Artbound” and “Broken Bread,” Kcet dominated the L.A. area Emmy nominations, announced Tuesday, with 24.

That’s a return to the top spot among nominees, and up from 15 last year. Cable news outlet Spectrum News 1, which dominated last year’s Emmy nominations, was down to 14 this year (vs. 23 in 2022) — still good enough for third place.

Meanwhile, Telemundo outlet Kvea (part of a duopoly with NBC-owned Knbc) saw a huge surge as well, with 20 nominations — up from just 8 last year. That meant Kvea was not only tops with Spanish outlets, but it was also tops with all commercial broadcasters. That includes its sibling NBC4, just posted just two nominations.

As usual, all stations that enter are immediately nominated in the daily morning newscast (4 a.

Rob Schroeder’s sci-fi-tinged debut feature nests a lot of plots inside but doesn’t really add them up

A nocturnal traveller caught in a freaky menage a trois; an isolated mistress to a powerful senator; a technician in an experimental facility who seems to feed lines to characters in the other dramas. Rob Schroeder’s sci-fi-tinged feature debut expends much effort arranging these nested realities in a furiously scrambled film that makes you feel like you’re the test subject in Inception’s dream machine – and one who’s sniffed a few tubes of Bostik before bedtime. It’s a brave storyteller’s gambit, but there’s something finally underwhelming and convoluted about Ultrasound once it deigns to join the dots.

Glen (Vincent Kartheiser) is out in his car at night when he drives over a makeshift stinger that means an enforced stop at the house of Art (Bob Stephenson...

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Netflix and Dark Horse Comics have settled a copyright lawsuit from comic book artist Kevin Atkinson alleging the idea for a fish-tank headed villain in The Umbrella Academy was lifted from him, according to Atkinson’s attorney.

Details of the deal, filed on Wednesday, were not made public as the filing is sealed. The agreement was reached less than a month after the judge overseeing the case granted Netflix’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit for a second time. Atkinson was given one last chance to fix his claims but opted to settle.

Atkinson sued last year claiming that the source material, published in 2008, from which Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is adapted, copied his design for a character that first appeared in 1996 in his Rogue Satellite Comics. Both characters are villains known for having talking fish in bell jars as heads with normal human bodies.

Now available on DVD and On Demand from Magnolia Home Entertainment (via their Magnet label), we have an exclusive bonus feature clip from Ultrasound!

"Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where his car gets stuck, he spots a house, knocks on the door and is greeted by an oddly friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Elsewhere, a young woman, Katie, is feeling emotionally weighed down by a secret romantic arrangement that feels like a textbook case of gaslighting. And at the same time, in a nondescript research facility, medical professional Shannon begins questioning her role in a bizarre experiment, fearing that she’s doing more harm than good."

Directed by Rob Schroeder and written by Conor Stechschulte, Ultrasound stars Vincent Kartheiser,...

Based on the comic book Generous Bosom by Conor Stechschulte, Ultrasound is directed by Rob Schroeder and written by Conor Stechschulte.

Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where his car gets stuck, he spots a house, knocks on the door and is greeted by an oddly friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his younger wife, Cyndi.

The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Elsewhere, a young woman, Katie, is feeling emotionally weighed down by a secret romantic arrangement that feels like a textbook case of gaslighting. And at the same time, in a nondescript research facility, medical professional Shannon begins que...

Indemnity, Italian Studies, Ultrasound, Mars One attract buyers.

Magnolia Pictures International has announced multiple territory sales on its EFM slate led by South African thriller Indemnity, drama Italian Studies, sci-fi Ultrasound and Brazilian Sundance premiere Mars One.

Travis Taute’s Indemnity is described as a Bourne-esque story about a former firefighter in Cape Town accused of murdering his wife. Sales have closed for France (Swift), Germany (Meteor), Latin America (A2/ Great Movies), Cis (New People Company), South Korea (Challan), Taiwan (Best Digital) and Poland (Mayfly). Magnolia’s genre label Magnet released the thriller in the US on February 11 and Mongrel...

Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where his car gets stuck, he spots a house, knocks on the door and is greeted by an oddly friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Elsewhere, a young woman, Katie, is feeling emotionally weighed down by a secret romantic arrangement that feels like a textbook case of gaslighting. And at the same time, in a nondescript research facility, medical professional Shannon begins questioning her role in a bizarre experiment, fearing that she’s doing more harm than good. Magnet Releasing will release Rob Schroeder's Ultrasound in theaters and...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Magnet Releasing will release Ultrasound in theaters and on demand March 11, 2022 Based on the comic book, Generous Bosom, by Conor Stechschulte Directed by Rob Schroeder Written by Conor Stechschulte Starring Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Bob Stephenson, Brenda Wool, Tunde Adebimpe, and Rainey Qualley Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where …

The post Ultrasound directed by Rob Schroeder | Official Trailer Out Now appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

"We are doing true good here, Shannon, don't lose sight of that." Magnolia Pictures has revealed the first trailer for an indie sci-fi thriller titled Ultrasound, made by producer Rob Schroeder making his feature directorial debut. This premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and it also played at the Fantasia Film Festival last fall. The synopsis is incredibly vague: After his car breaks down, Glen spends one hell of an odd night with a married couple, setting into motion a chain of events that alter their lives... "Brilliantly constructed and meticulously detailed, [the film] gradually destabilizes the viewer's processing of the reality it presents, with a control that is as uncommon as it is remarkable... Textured with all kinds of clever subtleties, the film plays with its audience in revealing its mysteries, always keeping several steps ahead." Starring Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Breeda Wool Tunde Adebimpe, Chris Gartin, plus Rainey Qualley. From...

From Magnet Releasing and director Rob Schroeder, Ultrasound is coming to theaters and On Demand on March 11, 2022, and the official Ultrasound trailer has arrived this afternoon. In the film, written by Conor Stechschulte… “Driving home late at night during a heavy rainstorm, Glen experiences car trouble. Near where his car gets stuck, he […]

The post ‘Ultrasound’ Trailer Promises a Horror Mind-Bender in the Vein of ‘Memento’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Exclusive: Magnet Releasing has acquired worldwide rights to Ultrasound, the first narrative feature from director Rob Schroeder, with plans to release it in theaters next year.

The sci-fi thriller follows Glen (Vincent Kartheiser), who is stranded by two flat tires on a rainy night and must seek help at a nearby house. There, he’s welcomed in by Art (Bob Stephenson), who cajoles him into sleeping with his younger wife Cyndi (Chelsea Lopez). Glen’s unease only escalates when, a short time later, the consequences of this strange night begin to spiral out of control. Glen and Cyndi soon find themselves at the center of a web of deception and manipulation that tests the foundations of reality.

Ultrasound made its world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and recently went on to screen at Fantasia Fest, where it won the Silver Audience Award.

Conor Stechschulte penned the film, which is based on his graphic novel,...

Gravitas Ventures Acquires North American Rights to Documentary ‘Lady Buds’

Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, acquired North American rights to the documentary “Lady Buds,” directed, produced and written by Chris J. Russo.

“Lady Buds” tells the story of six women in cannabis who left their livelihoods behind in the underground market to forge a path to legalization in California as they attempt to claim their piece of the “American dream” in the very market they helped create.

“In her confident and ambitious feature debut, Russo highlights six women who are as interesting as they are inspiring. Seeing these underdogs fights against bureaucracy and regulations make for a highly insightful and engaging film,” says David Sullivan, sales and acquisitions manager at Gravitas Ventures. “We can’t wait to play our part in getting this timely and enjoyable film out into the world.”

Sullivan negotiated the deal with Travis Tammero at CAA.

The 2021 Fantasia Film Festival wrapped a little over a week ago now, and today I’ve got a pair of reviews on tap from the fest that feature two truly audacious genre-bending projects that I highly recommend fans keep an eye out for in the coming months. So, read on to check out my thoughts on Phil Tippett’s stop-motion masterpiece Mad God and the twisty-turny sci-fi thriller Ultrasound from Rob Schroeder.

Mad God: A film 30 years in the making, Phil Tippett’s Mad God is truly a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that I’d liken to meeting the maniacal and menacing love child of Ray Harryhausen, Hieronymus Bosch, and The City of Lost Children. Like an esoteric descent into the deepest, darkest pits of hell, Mad God is a haunting journey highlighting the atrocities of war, the drain of capitalism, and the danger of politics as it follows a...

The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival announced their lineup for this year's in-person film festival, happening at the end of September. Of particular notice are some films that we have enjoyed over the past year. Rob Schroeder's Ultrasound is picking up steam, so is meta indie Man Under Table. We were particularly impressed with the southern gothic thriller What Josiah Saw. We are also pleased to see the LatAm title History of the Occult made the cut as well. The full press release follows. 7th Annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival Announces 2021 Film Line-Up Festival Will Be Held September 22-26, 2021 Throughout Mammoth Lakes The West Coast Premieres of “Ultrasound” and “First Step” to Open and Close the Festival. The...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Asian and Pacific Islander non-profit collective Gold House announced the launch of a Gold Open for Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in partnership with GoFundMe.

Gold House’s Gold Open premieres, launched in partnership with Cape (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) are an initiative that aims to drive box office success for films led by Asians and Pacific Islanders. “Parasite” and “Crazy Rich Asians” are two films to have received Gold Opens in the past. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which premieres Sept. 3, will be the first theater-exclusive Gold Open since the start of the pandemic.

This Gold Open utilizes GoFundMe to increase community engagement, via the “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” Gold Open Community Fund. The page acts as a central location for information about theater buyout campaigns and hosts a fundraiser to buy tickets for underserved...

Yoo Ah-in (Voice Of Silence), Zelda Adams (Hellbender) win acting prizes.

EuiJeong Hong’s South Korean thriller Voice Of Silence has won the 25th anniversary edition Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir award for best film.

Hong’s film follows a mute low-level gangster tasked with taking charge of an 11-year-old kidnapped girl from a wealthy family. The jury described Voice Of Silence as “impossible to pin down, and truly idiosyncratic. Put simply, it’s unlike anything we’d seen before”.

Juried awards

In other Cheval Noir awards Yoo Ah-in who plays the mute man won best actor while...

Arrow Video FrightFest, the UK’s biggest horror and fantasy film festival, is back at the Cineworld Leicester Square from Thursday August 26th – Monday 30th August 2021 for five days of the very best of global genre cinema.

The internationally renowned event leads the way in attesting to the versatility of the genre and, despite the interruptions caused by the pandemic, this year is no exception as the twenty-five films to be presented in the main screens are revealed. They include four world premieres and eight International / European premieres.

Global events over the past eighteen months have not only altered most people’s lives but have had a profoundly influential effect on a lot of genre filmmakers and both the opening and closing films this year reflect that.

From the press release:

The festival opens with the European premiere of Demonic, the latest, highly anticipated and petrifying new vision from artist Neill Blomkamp,...

Ultrasound

One of the more unusual films at 2021’s Tribeca Film Festival, multi-layered mystery Ultrasound opens with a man who finds himself in an unusual situation after his cars goes off the road and proceeds to explore a series of bizarre and ethically suspicious experiments involving hypnotism. It’s a complex puzzle built around the work of an impressive ensemble cast, and it also has a fascinating soundtrack which is more than usually integral to one’s interpretation of the narrative. Shortly after it screened at the festival, I met with key members of its creative team to discuss it: director Rob Schroeder; screenwriter Conor Stechschulte, who adapted it from his own graphic novel series; and composer Zak Engel.

It was Rob, it emerges, who first decided that the graphic novels should become a film, having read the first one. “I reached out to Conor who wrote the book about developing.

Earlier this month, filmmaker Rob Schroeder celebrated the world premiere of Ultrasound, his mystery box debut feature that follows a series of interweaving stories that play around with viewers’ perceptions and expectations at every turn, and is based on Conor Stechschulte’s graphic novel series Generous Bosom.

Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to chat with Schroeder as well as with two of Ultrasound’s co-stars—Chelsea Lopez and Breeda Wool—about their experiences working on this project together, and they discussed their responses to Stechschulte’s story and concepts, how Ultrasound parlays into today’s issues, and more.

So great to speak with you all, today. This movie took me in so many different directions, I had no idea to expect, but I really enjoyed it. Rob, for you, in terms of the story, can you talk about how you got connected with Connor on this and what the...

Ultrasound Review — Ultrasound (2021) Film Review from the 20th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Rob Schroeder, starring Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Tunde Adebimpe, Breeda Wool, Bob Stephenson, Dana Lyn Baron, Jim Boeven, Mark Burnham, Cheryl Dent, Chris Dougherty, Porter Duong, Tony Evangelista, Gabe Fonseca, Chris Gartin, [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Ultrasound: A Sci-Fi Puzzle That’s Also a Confounding Thrill Ride [Tribeca 2021]...

There’s a limit to how long a movie can mess with viewers’ minds, and “Ultrasound” eventually crosses that threshold. A thriller whose discomforting early going provides few clues to the head-spinning madness lying in wait, director Rob Schroeder’s feature debut channels a host of acclaimed masters while attempting to craft a uniquely beguiling dreamscape in which nothing is as it appears. , although the reward for such perseverance isn’t enough to make up for its prior, aggravating puzzle-box obliqueness.

Heading home in the rain from a wedding, Glen (Vincent Kartheiser) drives over a plank of nails and has to seek help at a nearby house. There, he’s welcomed in by Art (Bob Stephenson), who after a bit of friendly chitchat, cajoles Glen into sleeping with his younger wife Cyndi (Chelsea Lopez). Glen’s unease over this arrangement is significant, and it only escalates when, a short time afterwards,...

Nothing is as it seems in director Rob Schroeder’s adaptation of screenwriter Conor Stechschulte’s graphic novel, Generous Bosom. What begins as an unsettling nightmare scenario switches gears abruptly to introduce a wholly different set of situations and characters. Ultrasound slowly unfurls its dizzying mystery, plunging viewers into the deep end of a disorienting tangled web. It’s a psychological sci-fi mystery […]...

A particular type of mind-bending genre pulp seems to arise from the wounded psyche of a freshman filmmaker. Often, these transfixing head-trips feel constructed to play better on repeat viewings by design — one thinks of Christopher Nolan’s “Following,” or Shane Carruth’s close to impenetrable “Primer.” As part of Tribeca’s Midnight Movie selection, Rob Schroeder’s hypnotic debut “Ultrasound,” falls into this category.

Continue reading ‘Ultrasound’: A Low-Budget Christopher Nolan Is A Mesmerizing Head-Trip [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled much of its feature lineup including early highlights from several sidebars for this year’s online 25th edition, with the full program to be announced in July.

Fantasia’s preliminary lineup is highlighted by a glut of world and premieres including Edoardo Vitaletti’s “The Last Thing Mary Saw”; fest regular Richard Bates Jr.’s “King Knight”; Mikhael Bassilli and Luc Walpoth’s “Baby Money”; Canadian actor-turned-director Mark O’Brien’s debut “The Righteous”; “Hellbender” from John Adams, Toby Poser, and Zelda Adams; and the highly anticipated directorial debut of former Fantasia winning writer Travis Taute’s (“Number 37”) “Indemnity.”

Available to audiences across Canada, Fantasia will run Aug. 5-25 and present screenings, panels and workshops on its digital platform, hosted for the second year running by Festival Scope and Shift72. Event organizers are also closely monitoring the health and safety guidelines laid out by public officials in Montreal,...

Canadian genre festival Fantasia has unveiled the first crop of titles that will screen at its 25th edition, which is set to take place virtually August 5-25.

As per last year, the event will run on a platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72 and will feature screenings, panels and workshops, available to audiences in Canada. Organizers continue to discuss with local authorities about the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events, they said.

This year’s edition will have an enhanced focus on Japanese cinema. Below, the first wave of confirmed titles is listed, with the full program announcement to follow in late July. As previously announced, Fantasia will open with Quebec-set zom-com Brain Freeze.

Fantasia 2021 titles:

The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8

Dir. Shunji Iwai

Japan

North American Premiere

Agnes

Dir. Mickey Reece

USA

International Premiere

All The Moons

Dir. Igor Legarreta

Spain...

Organisers consulting with local Montreal authorities on possibility of limited range of physical events.

Top brass at Fantasia International Film Festival have announced the first wave of films including a focus on Japan for the virtual edition of the 25th anniversary festival that runs August 5-25.

The festival will screen for Canadian audiences on a platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72. Organisers are taking advice from local health authorities in Montreal on the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events.

Japanese selections include Tsutomu Hanabusa’s manga adaptation Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette about a deadly school...

XLrator Media announced that they've acquired North American distribution rights to Sun Choke, with plans to release the Barbara Crampton-starring film sometime this summer:

Press Release: Los Angeles (January 19, 2016) – XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the thriller Sun Choke and will release the film this Summer on its acclaimed “MacAbre” genre label. The film has played over a dozen festivals including FrightFest and the Stanley Film Festival.

Written and directed by Ben Cresciman (Negative Space), Sun Choke stars iconic horror film actress Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Re-Animator, Lords of Salem), Sarah Hagan (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Sara Malakul Lane (17 & Life: Jailbait, the upcoming Kickboxer: Vengeance) along with Evan Jones, Joe Nieves and Jim Boeven. The film features a haunting score by noted musician/producer Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon).

“Sun Choke is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller in the vein of...

Vcr board games: they brought tabletop entertainment to a new, interactive level. In Beyond the Gates, though, two brothers discover a video board game that's a little too interactive, transferring them to another world where their dad's soul is on the line and a roll of the dice could lead to eternal torment. The Barbara Crampton-produced movie is now filming with Jackson Stewart behind the camera and a group of talented cast members playing the mysterious game.

Press Release -- "Los Angeles, CA (April 27, 2015) – Jackson Stewart has set indie horror favorites Graham Skipper (Almost Human), Chase Williamson (The Guest), and Brea Grant (Halloween 2) as the leads in Beyond The Gates, a throwback paranormal movie in the spirit of horror classics such as Phantasm, The Beyond, and Poltergeist.

Matt Mercer (Contracted), Justin Welborn (FX’s “Justified”), Henry LeBlanc (“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”), Jesse Merlin (Fdr: American Badass...