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Freakier Friday is being deemed a "true delight" in its first reactions. A sequel to 2003's Freaky Friday, the upcoming film brings back Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as mother-daughter duo Tess and Anna Coleman. Now, two decades later, Anna, her daughter, stepdaughter, and Tess find themselves in a four-way body swap, leading to another journey of empathy and connection.

In addition to Curtis and Lohan, Freakier Friday also features Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Rosalind Chao, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Lucille Soong reprising their roles from the first film. Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Vanessa Bayer join the cast as new characters.

Now, following its premiere in Los Angeles, the first reactions to Freakier Friday have surfaced on social media. Overall, they are praising the sequel's heartfelt humor, nostalgic charm, and standout performances from Curtis and Lohan. It's being called everything from sweet,...

The upcoming Jamie Lee Curtis/Linsday Lohan Disney sequel brings the body-swap trope back in multiples as the switcharoo magic extends to other members of the Coleman family. In Freakier Friday, Lohan’s character Anna has a daughter and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. They, too, get caught up in the switcharoo shenanigans, doubling the confusion and consequences of tampering with unknown forces. The film also stars Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, Vanessa Bayer, and Mark Harmon. Nisha Ganatra directs Freakier Friday, based on the book Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers.

Feakier Friday just had its premiere and the first reactions to the film is now hitting social media. Chris Killian, writer for Comicbook.com, proclaimed, “Even though the body-swap genre’s been played out, #FreakierFriday is a silly, feel-good romp that’s got some heart to it. The cast are game, familiar faces pop up,...

Twenty-one years after the original landed in theaters, Disney's highly anticipated sequel, Freakier Friday, is earning early praise. While the film doesn't officially hit theaters until August 8, members of the press have had an early look and their initial reactions (from those who have shared their thoughts on social media) point to a hilarious outing. This is exciting news for fans of the original movie, especially considering how often these long-awaited sequels miss the mark.

2003's Freaky Friday saw Jamie Lee Curtis' Tess and Lindsay Lohan's Anna switch bodies after consuming some magical fortune cookies. This time around, Anna is now an adult with a teenage daughter of her own, Harper (Julia Butters). Anna is planning to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto), who also has a teenage daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons). The film features a four-way body swap, as Tess and Anna find themselves inhabiting the bodies of the two teenage girls.

Disney's live-action remakes have been nothing if not hit-or-miss. Some are considered improvements over their animated predecessors, and others...not so much.

Lilo & Stitch's fanbase has only grown since it was released in 2002, with merchandise featuring the adorable Experiment 626 still dominating store shelves over two decades later. Disney's marketing campaign for the movie has been fantastic, but will that translate into a great movie?

Based on the first social media reactions we first shared on Toonado.com, the answer to that question is a resounding "yes."

As you can see below, Lilo & Stitch is being hailed as Disney's best live-action remake yet, and the verdict thus far is overwhelmingly positive. Original plans called for this to be a Disney+ Original, so it's safe to say current Disney CEO Bob Iger was right to pivot to a theatrical release.

That's evident from early box office tracking suggesting a debut of at...

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) will spotlight the acclaimed stage adaptation of “Life of Pi” during its expanded Industry Days program. The panel “Bringing Life of Pi to Life – From Page to Stage” will explore the journey of transforming Yann Martel’s beloved novel into groundbreaking theater featuring innovative puppetry and staging.

Cast members Savidu Geevaratne, Sharayu Mahale and Sorab Wadia will participate in a conversation about representation, adaptation and the cultural significance of a South Asian-led narrative on Broadway and beyond.

The panel is part of Iffla’s robust two-day industry forum scheduled for May 8-9, 2025, at the Landmark Theatres Sunset in Los Angeles, which has been expanded following last year’s successful inaugural edition.

“Following the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural Industry Day, the expanded Industry Days offers a vital, curated space for visionary creatives from South Asia and its diasporas to connect,...

If you’re anything like us, right now you’re catching up on the deluge of exciting films that came out at the end of last year. While watching those films, you might wonder how they were made. Fear not, we have you covered. Film Independent Presents has insightful Q&As from some of the buzziest films of last year with the people who made them. Check out Jude Law getting into the mind of a domestic terrorist, Pamela Anderson talking about giving acting everything she has, and Atlantiques director Mati Diop talking about why she turned to documentary for her new project. Plus, we’ll answer the question everyone is asking this award season: why they turned Robbie Williams into a monkey in Better Man!

The Last Showgirl

Film critic Carla Renata speaks with director Gia Coppola, writer Kate Gersten and actors Pamela Anderson and Brenda Song about their new film The Last Showgirl.

Quick Links Invincible Fight Girl is My Hero Academia Meets WWE Invincible Fight Girls Andy Fits the Profile of an Underdog Anime Protagonist Invincible Fight Girl Went Through Some Major Production Hurdles at Cartoon Network

For fans of animation, Cartoon Network's late-night Adult Swim programming has been the hub of some of the most inventive and original works of adult animation over the last 20 years. Even though its Toonami block is mostly known for airing anime, it's also been the home of some of the most successful Western action cartoons over the last decade, from Samurai Jack to My Adventures with Superman. With the block's most recent non-anime series, Invincible Fight Girl, now hitting their airwaves, the first few episodes have already offered plenty of reasons for animation fans to give it a shot. With its theme of wrestling, it's not only reaching the attention of WWE fans, but with...

The cast and director of “Nickel Boys,” the Amazon/MGM Studios and Orion/Plan B film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, gathered for a conversation and audience Q&a following a Saturday evening screening at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Los Angeles. Moderator Carla Renata spoke with Oscar-nominated director RaMell Ross and stars Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson about the importance of telling Black stories, the impact of the themes explored in “Nickel Boys” and why the actors were cast in their respective roles.

Adapted for the big screen by Ross and co-screenwriter Joslyn Barnes, “Nickel Boys” tells the story of two teenagers — Elwood (Herisse) and Turner (Wilson) — living in Jim Crow-era Florida who become friends while enduring physical and psychological abuse as wards of a juvenile reform center called the Nickel Academy. The academy is a fictionalized version of the infamous Dozier School for Boys,...

Amazon MGM and Orion/Plan B have pushed the release date of “Nickel Boys,” and the film will now debut Dec. 13 in New York and Dec. 20 in Los Angeles, the companies announced on Wednesday. The film was originally scheduled to release Oct. 25 in New York City and Nov. 1 in Los Angeles.

Directed by RaMell Ross, who also wrote the screenplay with Joslyn Barnes, “Nickel Boys” is adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2019 novel. The film is produced by Plan B Entertainment’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner as well as Barnes and David Levine.

The film stars Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson as teenagers in Jim Crow-era Florida who endure barbaric abuse while wards of a juvenile reform center that Whitehead based on the notorious Dozier School, which was run by the state of Florida from 1990-2011. Over years of investigations, forensics documented nearly 100 deaths at the school and...

DreamWorks Animation has found another hit with the studio's newest movie. The Wild Robot, which will have its wide release on Sept. 27, has debuted with a perfect score of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes in its early reviews.

With nearly 30 reviews submitted by approved critics at this point, the praise for The Wild Robot has been agreed upon by all. The praise goes beyond calling the movie enjoyable, with Jack Martin of Film Feeder declaring it to be "one of the best things that has ever come out of DreamWorks' wheelhouse." Louis Roberts of Loud and Clear Reviews called the movie "the most creative and original animation we've seen from a major studio in quite some time."

Related 10 DreamWorks Jokes for Adults (That Go Over Kids' Heads)

DreamWorks Animation created many beloved children's movies that featured some tastefully mature jokes that still hold up.

"The Wild Robot is destined to become an animated classic,...

Columbia Pictures is shifting the release of “SNL” dramatization “Saturday Night” two weeks up to a limited platform release, ahead of the film’s wide release, the studio announced on Friday.

Sony is now giving Jason Reitman’s period comedy a three-tier rollout: it will first release the film in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto on Sept. 27, followed by a limited release on Oct. 4, before going wide on Oct. 11.

The film recently premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and garnered critical acclaim. The historical project currently holds an 85% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.

In her review of the film, TheWrap’s Carla Renata wrote, “At 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television and pop culture forever. ‘Saturday Night’ is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of what was...

“Nickel Boys,” a movie adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2019, debuted its first trailer on Thursday — a melodic and riveting slice of life from the perspective of a young man on the other side of unspeakable traumas.

From first-time feature filmmaker RaMell Ross, “Nickel Boys” dramatizes a friendship built in a reformatory school in the Jim Crow South. It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August and is set to open the New York Film Festival on Sept. 27.

From Orion Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios, the drama begins its limited theatrical release on Oct. 25.

Watch the trailer below:

The film’s official synopsis reads as follows:

Elwood Curtis’s college dream shatters alongside a two-lane Florida highway. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he’s sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South. He encounters another ward,...

The stars of the new movie Alien: Romulus stepped out for the L.A. world premiere and now the first reactions from critics are also in!

Archie Renaux and Isabela Merced posed for photos together at the red carpet event on Monday night (August 12) at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

Also in attendance were co-stars Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu, as well as co-writer and director Fede Alvarez and producer Ridley Scott. Lead actors Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson were not there.

Here’s the film’s synopsis: “While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.”

Fyi: Isabela is wearing a Giambattista Valli Couture dress.

Alien: Romulus will be released in theaters on August 16.

Head inside to read what the critics are saying…

Keep scrolling to see what the critics are saying…...

The first two A Quiet Place movies proved to be big hits with critics, and despite focusing on a completely new group of characters, Paramount Pictures' prequel, Day One, is being hailed as the "best of the franchise" by several reviewers in the first social media reactions.

The full reviews may tell a slightly different story (early reactions generally tend to be much more positive), but this is a strong indication that audiences can expect more nail-biting tension when A Quiet Place: Day One arrives in theaters this weekend.

Have a read through the reactions below.

Loved A Quiet Place: Day One.

Thematically, if Part I and II are more akin to Alien — small, quiet moments of terror — Day One is closer to Aliens.

Big, loud and scary monster carnage.

Nyong’o gives a heartbreaking weight to her role — and the final shot will leave you Broken. pic.twitter.

It's been a difficult few years for Pixar. During the pandemic, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided to drop movies like Soul, Luca, and Turning Red on Disney+, creating the impression that its films were only fit for streaming before Lightyear underperformed at the box office.

Last year, Elemental was quickly written off as a "flop" before proving it had legs (ultimately grossing shy of $500 million), so the pressure is on this weekend's Inside Out 2 to deliver and prove there's still plenty of life left in the studio beyond Toy Story.

Following the sequel's premiere yesterday evening, the first social media reactions are in and they're overwhelmingly positive. As you'll see below, it sounds just as good - if not better - than its 2015 predecessor.

These come just days after Fandango revealed that Inside Out 2 has surpassed the first movie's advance ticket sales, becoming the highest ticket pre-seller...

The first reactions are in for Pixars new movie Inside Out 2. Continuing the story of the stunning 2015 Pixar film that first anthropomorphized the emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger inside the head of young Riley. Now, the sequel continues the story of Riley as she enters puberty and her teenage years, this time adding Ennui, Envy, Embarrassment, and Anxiety to the mix. Inside Out 2 is officially set for release at the end of this week on June 14.

Now, Inside Out 2s first audiences take to social media to give their first reactions to the Pixar film. Check out some of the reactions below:

Pixar knocks it out of the park with Inside Out 2, introducing remarkable new characters like the relatable and multi-dimensional Anxiety, alongside Disgust and Embarrassment. This unforgettable cinematic experience not only entertains but also elevates our self-awareness and pic.twitter.com/S2kt...

Inside Out 2 Early Reviews: Pixar’s Much-Awaited Sequel Including Maya Hawke Gets Praised By The Critics. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is still a week away from hitting the screen. The critics have given their opinion of the sequel. Amy Poehler, Lewis Black, and others return after almost a decade to entertain the audience again. The hopes for this film are high even at the box office, as exhibitors reportedly predict that the film might even beat Dune 2’s $82.5 million debut weekend.

The first film, directed by Pete Docter, was released in 2015, and Kelsey Mann directed the sequel. The voice cast includes Amy as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Maya Hawke as Anxiety. It premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in LA.

According to the film’s synopsis, “Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Doctor Who, Baby Reindeer and the Met Gala.

Baby Reindeer FYC event

Writer, creator and star Richard Gadd joined co-stars Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau, director Weronika Tofilska and editor Peter Oliver for a For Your Consideration panel in L.A. on Tuesday.

Jessica Gunning, Richard Gadd and Nava Mau

Doctor Who premiere

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson walked the red carpet at the L.A. premiere of their Disney+ series, alongside showrunner Russell T. Davies, on Wednesday.

Russell T. Davies, Craig Erwich (president, Disney Television Group), Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Ayo Davis (president, Disney Branded Television) and Charlie Andrews (executive vp, live action and unscripted series at Disney Branded Television)

Loot FYC event

Apple TV+ kicked off its “Think Apple TV+ Emmy House” on May 3 with an FYC event for Loot,...

“TransMexico,” “Edge of Everything” and Andragogy” are among the winners of the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Sbiff, whose mission is to discover and showcase the “best in independent and international cinema,” has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting roughly 100,000 attendees for a packed week slatted with screenings of over 200+ films.

A panel of jury members selected the winners, which included Lesley Chilcott, Alex Keledjian, Chris Landon, Lael Loewenstein, Jacqueline Lyanga, David Magdael, Gail Mancuso, Greg Nava, Pituka Ortega Heilbron, Carla Renata, Gil Robertson, Ondi Timoner, Clay Tweel and Ali Wolfe.

“We are so grateful to our dedicated group of jurors for their fine selections,” Claudia Puig, Sbiff’s programming director, said in a statement. “The winning films tell stories that span the globe, from the magic of movie palaces in the Atacama Desert to the stunning mystery of ice caves...

Following the storm of criticism aimed at Dakota Johnson’s rendition of Madame Web in the newest Spider-Man spin-off, fans are gripped by a startling revelation. Critics lambasted the film with scathing reviews, leaving enthusiasts stunned. However, amidst the tumult, a surprising narrative unfolds.

Dakota Johnson in Suspiria.

As the dust of the initial backlash settles, fans voice their opinions, adding layers to the discourse. These emerging perspectives hold the potential to redefine the movie’s reception from the audience’s standpoint.

Suggested“It makes Morbius look like The Dark Knight”: Fans Go Ballistic Over Dakota Johnson’s ‘Madame Web’ After Its Horrible Premiere

Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web Scrutinized By Dreadful Reviews

Dakota Johnson’s turn as Madame Web isn’t winning over the critics, who are tearing into the film with their harshest critiques. Positioned as the latest addition to Sony’s Spider-Man movie universe, Madame Web...

From the moment the infamously bad first trailer dropped, we knew Madame Web was going to be an absolute vibe. But even putting aside lines about researching spiders in the Amazon right before the main character’s mom died, Dakota Johnson’s recent press tour for the movie hasn’t exactly helped this latest Sony superhero foray feel like a winner, either.

For example, while lauding director S.J. Clarkson during an interview with EW, Johnson shared this little tidbit about the way the film was shot: “I’ve never really done a movie where you are on a blue screen, and there’s fake explosions going off, and someone’s going, ‘Explosion!’ and you act like there’s an explosion. That to me was absolutely psychotic. I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is going to be good at all! I hope that I did an okay job!

Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony, a portrait of musician Jon Batiste as he experiences professional success amid the personal challenge of his wife Suleika Jaouad’s cancer battle, leads the nominations for the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

American Symphony is up for six awards including best documentary feature. The film is also nominated for best director (Heineman), cinematography (Heineman, Tony Hardmon and Thorsten Thielow), editing (Heineman, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession and Fernando Villegas), score (Batiste) and best music doc.

20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each scored five nods, with all three titles up for best doc feature and best editing.

20 Days in Mariupol is additionally nominated for best first doc, narration (Mstyslav Chernov) and political doc. Kokomo City is also up for best first doc, cinematography and score (D. Smith). Still is up for best director (Davis Guggenheim), narration (Fox) and biographical doc.

Platinum-selling artist Jason Derulo and Barbie breakout Alexandra Shipp will headline On Air LA Annex with their new romantic thriller podcast Underwater.

Derulo and Shipp will take the stage Nov. 2 at Kcrw’s Annenberg Performance Studio in Santa Monica with an exclusive visual journey into the first episode and audience Q&a, On Air Fest announced Tuesday. The stars will be joined by Allan Coye of Interval Presents, Rich Statter of Clamor and Alex Addison of Temple Hill Entertainment.

Underwater, which premieres Oct. 31 on all major platforms, hails from Warner Music Group’s in-house podcast network Interval Presents and tells the story of Nico and Ana in the form of a narrative album, which features new music from Derulo.

On Air LA Annex is the West Coast spinoff of New York’s On Air Fest and kicks of Nov. 1 with an invite-only business summit. In addition to Underwater, this year...

In our Member Lens series, we’re spotlighting a cross-section of current Film Independent Members to see how they got where they are now, what they hope to do next and what being a part of Film Independent means to them. This profile of Carla Renata originally ran in December 2021.

May is for Members! This week only: 10% off General Membership. This month, we’re celebrating our Membership experience for filmmakers and film lovers all over the globe. All month-long you can enjoy an array of special discounts on Membership. This week, you can join and save 10% on all levels of General Membership. Join or renew today!

Whether by necessity, restlessness or curious exuberance, it’s a fact that 99% of people carving out a living in the entertainment industry are doing so as a multi-hyphenate—a little acting here, a little hosting there, some writing and producing at varying levels of focus and intensity.

Later this month, General Hospital is set to honor both the late Sonya Eddy and her character, no-nonsense Gh head nurse Epiphany Johnson, in a special episode. TV Insider has learned exclusively that Yvette Nicole Brown, who’d been friends with Eddy for 20 years, will appear on Gh as part of the show’s tribute to the late actress. Eddy passed away on December 19 due to complications from a scheduled surgery that she had underwent earlier in the month. The actress joined the ABC soap opera in March 2006 as Epiphany, becoming Gh’s new head nurse, succeeding Audrey Hardy (Rachel Ames) in the position. Brown shared on Instagram last year how she and Eddy became pals. “ first met @sonyaeddy back in 2003 when we both were testing for the sitcom #TheBigHouse,” Brown wrote. “From that moment on she became a dear friend of mine. I collected her. “Sonya, @octaviaspencer, @thecurvycritic [nm1484341 autoCarla...

During the 2022 Power Women Summit panel “Inside the Writer’s Room: Telling Stories That Matter” on Tuesday, moderator Carla Renata asked the group about their advice for breaking into film and television screenwriting.

“Ozark” screenwriter Ning Zhou emphasized that “everyone has a different path,” citing herself as an example. She knows many screenwriters who studied the craft and business in college, but she had a less traditional start in the field by switching gears mid-career.

"Watching someone like Laura Linney take a scene that you've written and carve her own path with that scene is an experience that every writer should have," says Ning Zhou the screenwriter of "Ozark" in our #PowerWomenSummit panel https://t.co/eMIrwguNzw pic.twitter.com/P9sckMDNRe

— TheWrap (@TheWrap) December 13, 2022

“The good news is that I think there’s many different ways to to get into it,” she said. “The bad news is you kind...

The Critics Choice Association (Cca) has announced the nominees for the Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda). The winners will be revealed at a Gala Event on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, marking a change of venue and borough. The ceremony will be hosted by longtime event supporter, actor, and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac.

Fire of Love leads with seven nominations, including nods for Best Documentary Feature, Sara Dosa for Best Director, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Narration, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Science/Nature Documentary.

Good Night Oppy is recognized with six nominations, including Best Documentary Feature, Ryan White for Best Director, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Narration, and Best Science/Nature Documentary.

Cenac is an Emmy-winning, WGA-winning, and Grammy-nominated performer, writer, and producer. From 2008 to 2012, he was a writer and popular correspondent on the hit late-night Comedy Central series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,...

A scene from ‘Fire of Love’ (Credit: National Geographic Documentary Films / Neon)

Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love tops the list of the Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards with seven nominations. Director Ryan White’s Good Night Oppy follows close behind with six nominations. Both films earned spots in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Narration, and Best Science/Nature Documentary categories.

In addition, Fire of Love picked up a nomination in the Best Archival Documentary category.

“This year’s nominees prove that documentaries of all lengths and formats are advancing nonfiction media like never before,” stated Christopher Campbell, Co-President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch. “And we are excited to celebrate the tremendous talents who contributed to all of these brilliant films and series.”

“We are also thrilled to witness an exemplary number of women filmmakers and female-focused subjects being represented, further...

Kicking off the nomination season, Fire of Love and Good Night Oppy lead all comers in nominations for the seventh annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

Both are nominated in the marquee Best Documentary Feature category and also will square off against each other for Best Director, Music Score, Editing, Narration and Science/Nature docu.

Related Story 'Personality Crisis: One Night Only' Review: Martin Scorsese And David Tedeschi Rock Out To The Music Of New York Legend David Johansen Related Story Box Office Hit And Oscar Contender 'Fire Of Love' To Get Limited Imax Release Related Story 'Good Night Oppy' Telluride Review: A Mission To Mars Becomes A Heartfelt Documentary From Amazon And Amblin

Fire of Love, the adventure love story of a pair of volcano hunters and scientists, has a leading seven noms and also is a contender for Best Archival docu. The doc has been in theatrical...

Click here to read the full article.

The Critics Choice Association on Monday announced the nominees for the 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the winners of which will be announced Nov. 13 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan.

Fire of Love led the nominations with seven nods, including nominations for best documentary feature, best director (Sara Dosa), best editing, best score, best narration, best archival documentary and best science/nature documentary.

Good Night Oppy received six nominations, including best documentary feature, best director (Ryan White), best editing, best score, best narration and best science/nature documentary.

Actor and stand-up comedian Wyatt Cenac will serve as host of the award show. From 2008-12, he was a writer and correspondent on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, where he earned three Emmy Awards and one Writers Guild Award.

“This year’s nominees prove that documentaries of all lengths and formats are advancing nonfiction media like never before,...

MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) continued its yearlong centennial celebration with “100 Years of Hollywood: A Celebration of Service,” an unforgettable evening of musical performances, tributes, and inspirational storytelling at The Lot at Formosa in West Hollywood, CA.

During the show, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg received the Silver Medallion Award while Adam Scott, Jodie Foster, Yvette Nicole Brown, Harry Northup, Casey Wasserman, Jim Gianopulos, and Peter Goldwyn took to the stage. The evening featured musical performances by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Ledisi, Tori Kelly, and Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies. Amanda Kloots, Cameron Monaghan, Carla Renata, Chuck Lorre, Heather Dowling, J. Lee, Kimberly Pierce, Mallory Weggemann, Natasha Bassett, Nicky Whelan, Omar Sharif Jr., Patrick Fabian, Pierson Fodé, Saxon Sharbino, and Tia Carrere also appeared at the benefit. The event was presented by City National Bank, Delta Air Lines, and UCLA Health, with support from Diamond sponsors Directors Guild of America,...

Click here to read the full article.

When Jeffrey Katzenberg was a kid growing up in New York, his father Walter, “a very successful, man-about-town stockbroker,” always carried a wad of discreetly folded 100 bills. As he moved through the day, Walter would “quietly and stealthily” slip one to people in his orbit, whether it be “a doorman, a waiter, a valet, someone standing on the street with a sign about needing help, a maid, a taxi driver, a guitarist on a corner.”

One day, Jeffrey asked his father to explain the generous habit. “He asked me if I ever looked behind us. I said, ‘No,’ and he said, ‘Well, the next time we’re out together, please look back and tell me what you see,’” Jeffrey recalled from the stage Saturday night during the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s 100 Years of Hollywood: A Celebration of Service. “The next day, I...

Over the weekend, MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) hosted the 19th annual “Night Before” party, reimagined as a special virtual edition.

MPTF Online Night Before Event 2021

Credit/Copyright: Alex J. Berliner/ ABImages for MPTF

Hosted by the incomparable Wayne Brady, the evening raised nearly $2 million, which will be used to support those in the industry who benefit from MPTF’s charitable programs and services, especially during this unprecedented time.

The virtual party was filled with outstanding musical and comedy moments, including performances from legendary artists Andra Day, Gary Oldman, D-Nice, The E. Family ft Pete Escovedo, Sheila E., Juan Escovedo, and Peter Michael Escovedo, Macy Gray, and Jeff Ross, as well as host Brady. 12-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren participated in a special segment, highlighting some of her most memorable nominated songs with performances from LeAnn Rimes, El DeBarge, Laura Pausini, and Brandon Victor Dixon. The night also included special appearances from Lena Hall,...

MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund) has announced the star-studded line-up of performers that will join the 19th annual “Night Before” party, which will take place virtually on Saturday, April 24.

Legendary artists including Gary Oldman, D-Nice, The E. Family ft Pete Escovedo, Sheila E., Juan Escovedo, and Peter Michael Escovedo, Macy Gray, and Jeff Ross will deliver memorable musical and comedy moments for guests, who will also be treated to a performance from the night’s host, Wayne Brady. 12-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren will participate in a special segment, highlighting some of her most memorable nominated songs with performances from LeAnn Rimes, El DeBarge, Laura Pausini, and Brandon Victor Dixon. The night will also include special appearances from Lena Hall and Carla Renata.

Funds raised during the iconic evening will be used to support those in the industry who benefit from MPTF’s charitable programs and services, especially during this unprecedented time.

The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards, held virtually on Thursday evening, marked another big night for “Nomadland” and more of this year’s indie gems.

Usually a casual, day-drinking affair on the beach in Santa Monica, the digital ceremony marked the final stop before Sunday’s Academy Awards. The evening’s top prize of best feature went to “Nomadland,” as did best director to its helmer Chloé Zhao. Both have been steamrolling triumphantly through the pandemic-extended award season.

in this year’s nail-biting best actress race, Carey Mulligan notched a win for best female lead for her powerful turn in “Promising Young Woman.” She dedicated her award to a “true independent spirit,” the late British actress Helen McCrory. Riz Ahmed took best actor for his role in “Sound of Metal,” in a stacked category against Steven Yuen of “Minari” and the late Chadwick Boseman for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

Winning in...

The 36th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards are set for Thursday live at 10 p.m. Et/Pt exclusively on IFC and AMC+, with Saturday Night Live‘s Melissa Villaseñor as host of the two-hour ceremony, which will be virtual this year because of the pandemic.

In another twist from the norm, the Spirits this year moved off its traditional Saturday-before-the-Oscars date, a longtime staple. The event is traditionally held on the beach at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica.

Still, organizers are pulling out some virtual tricks in an effort to get close to what is always a laid-back, fun affair at the beach celebrating the best in indie film. Film Independent has teamed with virtual venue Looped to create and produce an interactive online equivalent of the Spirit Awards’ beach tent for “attendees,” who can venture to a curated cocktail hour (beginning at 9 p.m. Et/6 p.m. Pt and...

The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards are going virtual and have partnered with virtual venue Looped to make the awards show a virtual interactive experience for attendees.

In place of its signature beach tent, virtual guests will watch this year’s ceremony from inside an online equivalent. The 36th annual Spirit Awards telecast will air on April 22, and “Saturday Night Live’s” Melissa Villaseñor will serve as the show’s host.

As part of the fully interactive experience, a cocktail hour will begin at 9:00 p.m. Et / 6:00 p.m. Pt with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Nina West serving as the main stage DJ. The annual Spirit Awards after party will be reimagined as a virtual karaoke party.

Before heading to private Spirit Awards viewing suites, the virtual show will kick off with a curated, pre-show cocktail hour for all guests, featuring a main stage DJ set.

Attendees will have...

After six seasons and 113 episodes, “Superstore” wrapped things up with a well-received finale on March 25. The episode ended with Cloud 9 Superstore #1217 shutting its doors and turning into a warehouse fulfillment center for parent company Zephra, and the team from the Ozark Highlands store splitting up.

But even as the show — and the store — closed up, the series wrapped up storylines and left nearly everyone in a hopeful place. Even Carol was invited to their alumni picnic, even though she’s Carol.

Before taping the finale, the cast gathered on Zoom for their final table read, and Variety has the exclusive video of that moment. The table read, which took place on February 19, was for Episode 615, “All Sales Final,” which aired on March 25.

Creator/executive producer Justin Spitzer introduces the read, along with showrunners/executive producers Gabe Miller and Jonathan Green. Spitzer, Miller and Green wrote the finale, which was directed by Ruben Fleischer.

The Casting Society of America will host a virtual town hall on February 1 and a three-day online open call for for Black actors from Feb. 19-21. Both events are part of Csa’s Black Actors Initiative, which is designed to effect real change in how actors in historically underrepresented communities are afforded access to job opportunities.

The town hall will include an in-depth discussion “to forge actionable changes in the representation of these actors,” Csa said. Actors who identify as Black are invited to attend, as are all casting professionals — casting directors, associates and assistants — talent agents and talent managers. The event will be moderated by casting director Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd and actor Carla Renata. Panelists will include:

• Josiah Akinyele (talent agent)

• Charlton Blackburne (manager)

• Yvette Nicole Brown (actor)

• Kim Coleman (casting director)

• Keith David (actor)

• Leah Daniels-Butler (casting director)

• Fatmata Kamara (talent agent)

• Anthony LeBlanc (producer/director)

• Harold Lewter...

Regina King would make Oscar history as the second woman and first Black to win the Academy Award for Best Director the historical drama “One Night in Miami.” This three-time Emmy winner (most recently for HBO’s “Watchmen”) and a supporting actress Oscar-winner for 2018’s “If Beale Street Could Talk,” makes her feature film directorial debut with this lauded drama. Its set on Feb. 25, 1964, the night that 22-year-old Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) won the heavyweight championship by beating Sonny Liston at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

After the win, he arrives at the Hampton Inn, a hotel that specializes in hosting black celebrities, to meet with his friends Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), football giant and budding actor Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and popular singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.). Each man is at the crossroads of their lives: Malcolm X is looking to leave the Nation of Islam, while Clay...

On today's episode of Movie Talk, Perri Nemiroff, Haleigh Foutch and Carla Renata discuss the following: Collider's Vinnie Mancuso revealed the villain Toy Story 4 in a write up on the site. It's the franchise's first female villain and will be voiced by Christina Hendricks. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood producers David Heyman and Shannon McIntosh revealed to EW that the film is not a Charles Manson film. Amazon Studios released a new Late Night trailer starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling that reveals more of the plot and the connection their characters have in …...

The 91st Academy Award nominations delivered the expected and unexpected, with a strong showing for African-American artists, who were nominated in 10 out of 24 categories, matching totals achieved in 2016 and 2017.

“Every year, further steps are taken towards inclusion, but obviously more needs to be done to support women filmmakers,” says Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Assn. (Aafca), referring to the fact that no female helmers were cited for feature film work in 2018 at the Oscars. However, Lebanon’s Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” was nominated in the foreign-language race. Docu directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West were nommed for “Rbg.” The Aafca was formed in 2003, and includes 53 members nationwide, all of whom vote at the end of the year for their own awards program, this year selecting “Black Panther” as top choice.

“We’re ecstatic that ‘Black Panther’ has received a best picture nomination from the Academy.

When Hollywood discusses diversity and inclusion, the focus naturally tends to be on the future — diversifying writers’ rooms and executive suites; tackling pay inequality; erasing the many long-held myths about box office performance and films with people of color. But there’s an all-too-important counterpart to that discussion: How to address Hollywood’s past, and reevaluate the film canon, in a way that takes into account perspectives from outside of the white establishment that has typically served as gatekeeper for which films are considered classics.

That was part of the motivation for the African-American Film Critics Assn.’s partnership with Turner Classic Movies, “The Black Experience on Film,” which launched this week. For the next month, an Aafca-curated program of 32 films, stretching from the 1920s to the early 1990s, will screen on the network, presented and contextualized by a pair of Aafca members each night. Organized by theme, the offerings...

This week in Los Angeles, Billy Porter hosted Diversity x Design, an Emmy season soirée celebrating diversity, inclusion and representation on television.

Billy Porter, Hailie Sahar, Johnny Sibilly

Credit/Copyright: Nina Prommer/Boom Events

Presented by Boom Events, the evening benefitted Diffa: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, the national non-profit organization that raises awareness and grants funds to organizations that provide treatment, direct care services, preventive education programs and advocacy for individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS.

The star-studded cocktail party was held at the spectacular Bolon and Louis Poulsen showrooms at the landmark Helms Design Center in Culver City, California. Among the guests in attendance were Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (“American Horror Story: Apocalypse”), Mary Chieffo (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Jake Choi (ABC’s upcoming “Single Parents”), Kathryn Gallagher (Lifetime’s new series “You”), Adrian Gonzalez (Starz’s “Vida”), Carla Jeffery (“Disney’s Zombies”), Maya J (Radio Disney), Isis King (“America’s...

Turner Classic Movies and the African American Film Critics Association have partnered on The Black Experience on Film, a monthlong programming initiative showcasing portrayals of African-Americans throughout cinematic history.

Hosted by 13 different members of the Aafca from print, online and broadcast outlets, programming begins September 4 and continues every Tuesday and Thursday in primetime.

The Black Experience on Film provides a wide-ranging retrospective from the 1920s through the 1990s including:

Exploring Black Identity airing Sept. 4 – Aafca president Gil Robertson and cultural critic Ronda Racha Penrice explore films ranging from Oscar Micheaux’s look at racial violence in Within Our Gates (1920) to Julie Dash’s 1991 story following three generations of Gullah women in Daughters Of The Dust; Hollywood Confronts Racism airing Sept. 6 – Aafca co-founder and film critic Shawn Edwards and HipHollywood.com’s Jasmine Simpkins examine A Raisin in the Sun (1961), about a black Chicago family searching for a better life, and...

Welcome to your very first episode of Review Talk hosted by Scott Mantz! On this episode, Scott, Jenna Busch and Carla Renata are discussing three new releases - Ocean’s 8, Hereditary and Hotel Artemis. Ocean’s 8 stars Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean. After five years, eight months and 12 days in prison, she’s free and ready to pull off a heist she’s been planning her entire time behind bars. In order to make it happen, she puts together the ultimate team that includes characters played by Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson and …...

As you can tell by the title, this week's episode of Ugly Betty centers on Baby William and involves a kidnapping and deception ... and by the time it's over three cast members will be gone!

But there's also room for the single greatest hideous outfit the show has ever given us!

Wilhelmina's baby has been kidnapped! Which we all sort-of knew was going to happen. Christina is the kidnapper! Which we all sort-of knew was going to happen. Wilhelmina faked the DNA test, and Christina is really the mother of baby William! Which we .... to happen.

So there were no real surprises in this episode. Christina kidnapped the baby and went on the lam with reluctant help from Betty (and they run afoul of a lesbian cop, played by Avenue Q's Carla Renata). There's also a Three's Company-esque scene at the Suarez house when Hilda tries to hide them from...