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In a surprising turn of events, pop sensation Justin Bieber has made significant changes to his professional team. Bidding farewell to his longtime business manager Lou Taylor, Bieber hired Johnny Depp’s financial advisor, Edward White, for a shift in financial strategy and managerial oversight.

Justin Bieber at the Sentul International Convention Center | image: Adam Sundana/Wikimedia Commons

Despite Lou Taylor’s experience in working with high-profile clients and managing Justin Bieber’s business affairs for several years, sources revealed that the singer and Taylor made a mutual transition. While Bieber is still associated with his longtime manager Scooter Braun, Edward White is now set to work with the singer alongside Johnny Depp.

Parting Ways with Lou Taylor, Justin Bieber Hired Johnny Depp’s Financial Advisor

After managing the pop sensation Justin Bieber and his business for years, Lou Taylor is no longer associated with the musician as per People magazine.

We’ve become accustomed to movies about American heroes to have grand moments that catch our breath, make our pulses race, and bring forth an audible cheer throughout the auditorium. So, when we’re presented with a film about a grand achievement that is fairly level in its intensity regardless of human or heroic moment, we’re somewhat nonplussed.

Damien Chazelle put heart and soul into La La Land and followed it with this past fall’s First Man, an intimate look at Neil Armstrong who went from test pilot to the first man on the moon. The real Armstrong, who died in 2012, was famously private, almost taciturn. He was unflappable whether he was watching his daughter die from a brain tumor to rescuing his family from a house fire (in a deleted scene) to crashing a test model of the lunar lander. It was those qualities that made him...

You can check Josh Singer’s homework; in fact, the Oscar-winning screenwriter would love nothing more than that. In an awards season that has exalted fact-based features like “Green Book” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” that have been dogged by claims of inauthenticity and fact-stretching, Singer’s “First Man” screenplay provides a compelling counterpoint: a rigorously investigated script that was vetted by experts, family members, and friends, and one that still offers a fresh take on the mythos of astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling).

Singer is no stranger to turning true stories into lauded features — while his 2013 debut film, the Julian Assange-centric “The Fifth Estate,” was hardly a smash hit, it opened the door for his follow-up projects. Two years after “The Fifth Estate,” Singer earned his first Oscar for “Spotlight,” which dramatized the true story of the Boston Globe journalists who uncovered the Catholic Church molestation scandal. In 2017, Singer and...

Writer Josh Singer and director Damien Chazelle were interested in “telling the story that’s never been told before” about Neil Armstrong in their biopic “First Man.” In reading James R. Hansen‘s book detailing the astronaut’s trip to the moon, Singer was “struck by how much loss and pain there had been” in his life. “I really wanted to pay tribute to that because I think in some ways it is incredibly informative to us as we face great challenges.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Singer above.

See How will ‘First Man’ take off at the Oscars?

Singer, who won an Oscar for 2015’s “Spotlight” (Best Original Screenplay with co-writer Tom McCarthy), hoped to sift through “all of the technical stuff” and get into “the meat of Neil’s life, and what his human experience had been.” Armstrong (played in the film by Ryan Gosling) was an “emotionally tightly-packaged guy,...

Minor Spoilers

First Man (2018) is not a movie overly preoccupied with fashion, And why would it be? The focus of the story is astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his journey to become the first person to ever walk on the surface of the moon. Armstrong wears a lot of button down shirts, short sleeve checks, neutral slacks, the odd dark single breasted suit for formal occasions – largely dour attire for a dour man. He also wears a space suit, several of them. However, outside of Emilio Pucci’s involvement in designing the logo for the Apollo 15 flight in 1971, fashion rarely intersects with the requirements of surviving in space. First Man costume designer Mary Zophres ensures Armstrong feels of his time for the film’s 1961 – 1969 setting, but it is difficult to not be more drawn toward the clothing worn by his wife Janet (Claire Foy). Not that she is sartorially distracting in any way,...

‘In Like Flynn.’

Universal’s First Man has an Academy Award-winning director in La La Land’s Damien Chazelle, an Oscar-lauded writer in Spotlight’s Josh Singer and stars two-time Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling.

But that combination did not catapult the Neil Armstrong biopic to great heights in Australia, the Us or 20 other markets last weekend.

Meanwhile Sony’s Venom easily retained the top spot while Fox’s Bad Times at the El Royale opened better here than in the Us, which isn’t saying much, and Umbrella Entertainment’s Errol Flynn biopic In Like Flynn flopped.

Directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Thomas Cocquerel as the Tasmanian-born Flynn alongside Corey Large, William Moseley, Clive Standen, Callan Mulvey, Isabel Lucas and David Wenham, the action-adventure took just $22,000 from limited sessions on 69 screens and $38,000 including previews.

The MA15+ rating caused by the violent opening sequence in Papua New Guinea, which is at odds with the rollicking,...

Chicago – There were several “firsts” for humankind in our civilization and technology breakthroughs, but until 1969 no person had even stepped on a planetary surface other than on earth. Neil Armstrong was that man, and he is portrayed by Ryan Gosling in a respectful overview of that Apollo 11 mission in “First Man.”

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The film is directed by Damien Chazelle of “La La Land,” and nobody would ever accuse him of sitting back on his laurels. He has taken his time as an artist to pursue different genres of storytelling, and “First Man” is a based-on-history drama of high order. The slowly paced film breaks down the pursuit to get to the moon… part geopolitics, part discovery and all adventure. Neil Armstrong was a famously reticent man, and actor Ryan Gosling is perfect to interpret that part of him. The actor’s infamous stone face is super-astronaut appropriate, but he also...

Don Kaye Oct 12, 2018

The screenwriter of First Man, Josh Singer, tells us how he got under the hood of astronaut Neil Armstrong to see what made him tick.

First Man tells the story of Neil Armstrong, the legendary engineer, pilot and astronaut who achieved one of the pinnacles of human history on July 21, 1969 when he became the first explorer to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon and then set foot on the lunar surface. Armstrong’s journey (on which he was accompanied by Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins) was the culmination of years of research, experimentation, trial and error by the dedicated men and women of Nasa, a quest marked by several heart-rending tragedies yet yielding that historic “giant leap for mankind.”

Famously taciturn, Armstrong was a man of few words and often distant emotions -- characteristics driven home early in First Man when Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his...

(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you haven’t seen “First Man.”)

“First Man” is a retelling of one of the biggest moments in history, as well as a portrait of the reclusive man who became the first to walk on the moon.

Damien Chazelle’s drama starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong focuses more on the home life of the astronaut as he prepared for his dangerous missions into space.

That includes delving into the 1962 death of his daughter, Karen, of a malignant brain tumor at age 2. Throughout the movie, Armstrong is seen holding his daughter’s bracelet — and even takes it to the moon and throws it into a giant crater there before returning home.

But how factual is that part? Did Armstrong really throw his daughter’s bracelet into the crater?

Also Read: 'First Man' Lifts Off This Weekend to Steep Box Office Competition

Long story short,...

Why doesn’t this movie show astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) planting the American flag on the moon? That was the question nagging away at folks in Venice after the premiere of First Man, Damien Chazelle’s bluntly visceral and deeply empathetic look at the Apollo 11 mission that culminated on July 21, 1969, when Armstrong became the first man ever to walk on the lunar surface. The answer comes down to the filmmaker’s approach to the material, which favors men over machinery and the personal over the political. The Stars...

After “Venom” and “A Star Is Born” gave October a record-breaking start, a slew of new offerings should keep box office momentum going strong.

Universal’s “First Man” should achieve a solid liftoff when it launches in 3,600 theaters, but the space epic will have to fend off an otherworldly being before it can top domestic charts. “Venom,” starring Tom Hardy as the alien symbiote from Sony’s arsenal of Marvel characters, blew past estimates last weekend with $80 million. The superhero film, which posted the best Monday in October with $9.6 million, will likely win the weekend with as much as $30 million to $40 million in its second outing.

Damien Chazelle’s biographical drama — featuring Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong — is shooting for upwards of $20 million, though some industry analysts suggest “First Man” could reach north of $25 million. The production budget for “First Man” was around $70 million, but tax incentives lowered the...

To celebrate the eagerly-anticipated release of Damien Chazelle’s latest film, First Man, which opens in UK cinemas this Friday, we sat down with one of the film’s stars Olivia Hamilton to chat about the project.

Olivia Hamilton, who very recently married director Chazelle (2 weeks ago to be exact!), plays Pat White in the film who in real life was married to Ed White, an American aeronautical engineer and Nasa astronaut who worked with Armstrong at Nasa during the 1960’s and was the first man to walk in space. In our chat, Hamilton talks about researching her character and her place in history as well as working alongside Jason Clarke (Mudbound), who portrays Ed in the film, and why the film is so immersive on IMAX.

You can watch the full interview below:

Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, Patrick Fugit, Ciaran Hinds, Pablo Schreiber,...

Damien Chazelle proves himself to be one of the more versatile directors around, following Oscar-nominated hits like Whiplash and La La Land by tackling a completely different genre — outer space — and succeeding admirably in bringing the story of Apollo 11’s first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, to life in the appropriately titled First Man.

As I say in my video review above, this area is not new to Hollywood and has been favorably filmed with such Best Picture nominees as Apollo 13, The Right Stuff and Gravity. But this one stands out as the singular portrait of just one of those heroes featured in the previous films, and it seems a natural a movie would want to focus on one of the truly genuine pioneers of this or any other lifetime.

Based on the James R. Hansen book and adapted skillfully by Josh Singer, this movie doesn’t...

On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

Written by Academy Award® winner Josh Singer, the epic drama of leading under the pressure of grace and tragedy is produced by Wyck Godfrey & Marty Bowen through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner, alongside Isaac Klausner and Chazelle. Steven Spielberg, Adam Merims and Singer executive produce, while DreamWorks Pictures co-finances the film.

In...

Damien Chazelle’s space epic “First Man” should achieve a solid liftoff when it opens on Oct. 12.

Universal’s biographical drama — starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong — is eyeing a launch north of of $20 million though stellar reviews leading up to its opening could propel it closer to $30 million. “First Man’s” production budget was around $70 million, but when tax incentives were taken out, the cost of the film was closer to $60 million.

Josh Singer, known for his work on the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” and the Oscar-nominated “The Post,” penned the script, which is based on James R. Hansen’s book, “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.” It follows Armstrong’s life and the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969. Claire Foy plays Armstrong’s first wife, while Jason Clarke portrays astronaut Ed White. The cast also includes Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll,...

The decision to leave out the planting of the American flag on the moon by First Man director Damien Chazelle has now been defended by Neil Armstrong's sons and bashed by Buzz Aldrin. The movie premiered last week at the Venice Film Festival and has since received backlash for not including the iconic moment in American history. Ryan Gosling, who stars as Armstrong, says that the film portrays the achievement as a human one, as opposed to solely American, in an attempt to be from Armstrong's point of view. Now, the astronaut's sons are defending that decision, while Aldrin, who was on the mission, took a subtle swipe at the film.

Damien Chazelle's First Man goes to great lengths to tell the story through Neil Armstrong's perspective, which focuses on the personal and professional setbacks that the astronaut went through to complete the mission. Chazelle wanted to show off the "unseen,...

Neil Armstrong’s sons and director Damien Chazelle have defended the absence of a flag-planting scene in the movie “First Man,” which details the 1969 moon landing.

Rick Armstrong and Mark Armstrong released a statement jointly with “First Man” author James R. Hansen on Friday in the wake of claims that the lack of the flag planting in the movie is unpatriotic.

“We do not feel this movie is anti-American in the slightest,” the trio said. “Quite the opposite. But don’t take our word for it. We’d encourage everyone to go see this remarkable film and see for themselves.”

“First Man” is directed by Chazelle from a script by Josh Singer, based on Hansen’s book “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.” The film stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and focuses on the the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. “First Man” had...

Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic First Man received good marks this week when it landed for its world premiere as the opening-night film at the Venice Film Festival. But not all saw it that way, with a small backlash brewing over the lack of a scene showing Armstrong’s planting of the American flag on the moon’s surface during his legendary 1969 moon landing.

The flag appears several times during the movie, which stars Ryan Gosling as Armstrong, but not having the iconic flag-plant has riled many online who believe the omission may have been deliberate. Sen. Marco Rubio was among those who noted it:

This is total lunacy. And a disservice at a time when our people need reminders of what we can achieve when we work together. The American people paid for that mission,on rockets built by Americans,with American technology & carrying American astronauts. It wasn’t a Un mission.

Neil Armstrong’s sons Rick and Mark, along with “First Man” author James R. Hansen, released a statement Friday addressing the flag omission from the film: “we do not feel this movie is anti-American in the slightest.”

Complaints against the moon mission film have been “made largely by people who haven’t seen the movie,” the joint statement to TheWrap said.

The statement comes after star Ryan Gosling said at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival earlier in the day: “I don’t think that Neil viewed himself as an American hero,” which sparked backlash from Sen. Marco Rubio criticizing the omission of the American flag being planted on the moon.

This is total lunacy. And a disservice at a time when our people need reminders of what we can achieve when we work together. The American people paid for that mission,on rockets built by Americans,with American technology & carrying American astronauts.

Damien Chazelle has become an Oscar favorite after his feature breakout “Whiplash” won three awards and his follow-up, “La La Land,” won six after earning a record-tying 14 nominations. “La La Land” made Chazelle the youngest best director winner in Academy Award history, which only sets the anticipation bar higher for the director’s upcoming “First Man.”

“First Man” reunites Chazelle with “La La Land” star Ryan Gosling in the true story of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s mission to land on the moon. The script by “Spotlight” co-writer Josh Singer balances Gosling’s astronaut life with his responsibilities to his family at home. Claire Foy, pulling double duty this fall with “First Man” and her starring role in “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” plays Armstrong’s wife, Janet Shearon. Singer promises the film is not a traditional biopic but a visceral mission movie with tons of action.

Chazelle has...

Damien Chazelle directed Ryan Gosling to an Oscar nomination for best actor in “La La Land,” and he could do the same in the upcoming “First Man.” The Neil Armstrong space drama is one of Universal Pictures’ major Oscar contenders set for release this fall and it’s Chazelle’s first movie since “La La Land” made him the youngest best director Oscar winner in history.

“First Man” stars Gosling as Armstrong and recounts the astronaut’s obsession with landing on the moon and the years it took to achieve the goal. Claire Foy, who also has “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” opening in the fall, plays Janet Shearon, Armstrong’s first wife. The supporting cast includes Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin, Kyle Chander as Deke Slayton, and Jason Clarke as Ed White.

“Ryan and I described the movie to each other as it’s about the moon and the kitchen,...