News

Pop rock, adult contemporary and blue-eyed soul legend Daryl Hall will throw a fit if you ever call his music “yacht rock” — as if he could ever be that smooth.

In 2005, J.D. Ryznar, Hunter D. Stair and Lane Farnham debuted the first episode of their mockumentary video series Yacht Rock at Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab’s short-film festival Channel 101, unaware that they were about to recontextualize a decades-old movement in popular music forever. Yacht Rock told the comedically dramatized stories behind the biggest artists and smoothest hits of the “West Coast sound” era, as it was previously known, back when kings like Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald blended soft rock, R&b, soul, jazz and about a half-dozen other genres into a new form of relaxing music.

As the series title suggests, Ryznar, Stair, Farnham and their collaborators dubbed this sailor-friendly sound “Yacht Rock.”

Despite running for just 12 episodes...

With the features lineup out of the way last week, the 2025 Sundance Film Festival has revealed the short films headed to Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, for the event’s 41st edition. Beginning January 23 through February 2, festival attendees can catch 57 short films from 28 countries and territories — including live action, animated, and nonfiction documentary titles. Shorts will also be available online during the festival’s second half along with select feature sections.

The 57 short films selected for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival were chosen from 11,153 submissions. Out of these submissions, 4,909 came from the U.S. and 6,244 were international. The selected films will be eligible for juried awards at the end of the festivals.

The Sundance Film Festival has long been celebrated as a platform for innovative short-form projects spanning genres from international filmmakers. Alums of the short film program include Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay Duplass,...

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” have won the top feature film trophies at the seventh annual Location Managers Guild International Awards.

Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” won the award for outstanding locations in a period film, and Joe Talbot’s “The ‘Last Black Man in San Francisco” won for outstanding locations in a contemporary film.

The television winners were HBO’s “Perry Mason” for a period series, BBC America’s “Killing Eve” for a contemporary series and a tie between Apple TV Plus’ “Little America” and Amazon Prime Video’s “ZeroZeroZero” in the limited anthology category.

Isaiah Mustafa hosted the event Saturday with the theme “2020 Vision: We See It First.” The ceremony was presented on a digital platform and streamed to a worldwide audience on Lmgi’s YouTube channel.

“At a time when the industry is shifting under our collective feet,...

The 7th annual Lmgi Awards have named Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and The Last Black Man in San Francisco as its film location winners.

The awards spotlight international features, television, and commercials in which the creative use of filming locations set the tone, enrich the character and enhance the narrative.

The Location Managers Guild International /Lmgi announced the winners in an online event hosted by Isaiah Mustafa, honoring outstanding creative contributions of location professionals in film, television and commercials from around the globe, and recognizing outstanding service by film commissions for their support “above and beyond” during the production process.

Celebrating the theme “2020 Vision: We See It First,” this year’s Lmgi Awards broke with tradition in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ceremony was presented on a digital platform and streamed to a worldwide audience.

“At a time when the industry is shifting under our collective feet,...

This story was originally published on June 26, 2015

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, musical artists like Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Toto, Hall and Oates, and dozens of others regularly popped up on each other’s records, creating a golden era of smooth-music collaboration.

And on June 26th, 2005, an internet phenomenon was born. In 12 short but memorable episodes — first via the the short-film series Channel 101 and then online — Jd Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons, Lane Farnham and their friends redefined an era and coined a term for the sultry croonings of McDonald,...

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, musical artists like Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Toto, Hall and Oates, and dozens of others regularly popped up on each other's records, creating a golden era of smooth-music collaboration.

And 10 years ago (June 26th, 2005), an internet phenomenon was born. In 12 short but memorable episodes — first via the the short-film series Channel 101 and then online — Jd Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons, Lane Farnham and their friends redefined an era and coined a term for the sultry croonings of McDonald, Fagen, et al.

In advance of their official Upfronts presentation on Monday, NBC jumped the gun to be the first network to unveil their complete 2012-2013 schedule on Sunday.

The biggest story? "Community" is moving to Fridays, along with sophomore sitcom "Whitney," which will kick off that rather random new night of programming.

"Smash" is also being bumped -- all the way to midseason -- to make way for the premiere of "Revolution," a new thriller from J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke, which will air after "The Voice" on Mondays. And yes, that means "The Voice" will be back in the fall, giving it two cycles a year, as predicted.

NBC will also try their hand at airing comedies on Tuesday nights, with Matthew Perry's "Go On" and Ryan Murphy's "Th New Normal" getting paired together.

Also being saved for midseason are new sitcoms "Save Me," "1600 Penn" and "Next Caller," and new dramas "Do No Harm,...

In advance of their official Upfronts presentation on Monday, NBC jumped the gun to be the first network to unveil their complete 2012-2013 schedule on Sunday.

The biggest story? "Community" is moving to Fridays, along with sophomore sitcom "Whitney," which will kick off that rather random new night of programming.

"Smash" is also being bumped -- all the way to midseason -- to make way for the premiere of "Revolution," a new thriller from J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke, which will air after "The Voice" on Mondays. And yes, that means "The Voice" will be back in the fall, giving it two cycles a year, as predicted.

NBC will also try their hand at airing comedies on Tuesday nights, with Matthew Perry's "Go On" and Ryan Murphy's "Th New Normal" getting paired together.

Also being saved for midseason are new sitcoms "Save Me," "1600 Penn" and "Next Caller," and new dramas "Do No Harm,...

To celebrate the upcoming release of Drive Angry 3D, we look back at cinema’s most dangerous road users, and why you definitely wouldn’t want to get in a car with them…

It's a familiar horror scenario: you're hitching a lift, and against your better judgement, you get in a car with someone you gradually realise isn't entirely stable. Too late, you notice the huge black bin bags on the back seat, and as the driver skitters off down the road as though the forces of hell are at his tyres, you quietly pray that those bin bags aren't full of dismembered body parts.

This actually happened to me about a dozen years ago (I was the hitcher, not the drive), and while I never discovered the contents of those sinister bin bags, I was eventually deposited safely at my destination by the kind, yet terrifying driver.

Get in...