Five Blind Dates is a romantic comedy—well, not so firm on the comedy part, but it’s still quite romantic. The director Shawn Seet shares his view about the balance between traditionalism and modernity. It’s something that I have been thinking about quite often lately. Where do we stand in the modern age? I suppose people of cultures like ourselves represent our own interpretations of the cultures we come from. Our previous generations often complained about modernism being the antithesis of traditionalism, and I think their worries have been both right and wrong at the same time. I suppose Lia, the drama’s main character, is battling a similar chain of thought while running an old Chinese tea shop representative of her traditions. As a tea connoisseur who loves Darjeeling and Oolong, I can certainly understand this young woman’s frustration towards customers asking for ‘boba tea.’ I...
- 2/14/2024
- by Shrey Ashley Philip
- Film Fugitives
Nicolas Cage is ready to show audiences he’s no Barney when it comes to joining the Dawn patrol for some heavy waves in The Surfer, a psychological thriller from Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan. The project recently wrapped production in Western Australia, with Cage taking the lead as “a man who returns to Australia to buy back his family home after many years in the U.S. but is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a group of local surfers who claim ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he defies them and remains at the beach, demanding acceptance. As the conflict escalates, he is brought to the edge of his sanity, and his identity is thrown into question.” (via Deadline)
Today’s image for The Surfer depicts Cage with a look of bewilderment as he stares at a bullet. With a wound across his forehead and wrinkled clothing,...
Today’s image for The Surfer depicts Cage with a look of bewilderment as he stares at a bullet. With a wound across his forehead and wrinkled clothing,...
- 12/11/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Another two senior execs at The Apprentice UK producer Naked have exited – commercial boss Tamara Howe and Head of Formats Cam de la Huerta.
The Fremantle label also saw its factual entertainment chief James Lessell leave earlier this year to set up an indie, while MD Fatima Salaria left at the start of 2023.
In an all-staff email, Naked MD Tom O’Brien said Howe “leaves Naked in a better place” after a three-year stint as Director of Commercial and Operations, while de la Huerta was thanked for “passion and hard work.”
Howe is an experienced and well-liked exec, who was previously MD of Vice TV Emea. Prior to that, she spent 13 years in various senior roles for the BBC, including Controller of Business for the comedy and entertainment team.
She joined Naked on a three-month contract in 2020 following its merger with Fremantle stablemate Boundless “but became indispensable for us all...
The Fremantle label also saw its factual entertainment chief James Lessell leave earlier this year to set up an indie, while MD Fatima Salaria left at the start of 2023.
In an all-staff email, Naked MD Tom O’Brien said Howe “leaves Naked in a better place” after a three-year stint as Director of Commercial and Operations, while de la Huerta was thanked for “passion and hard work.”
Howe is an experienced and well-liked exec, who was previously MD of Vice TV Emea. Prior to that, she spent 13 years in various senior roles for the BBC, including Controller of Business for the comedy and entertainment team.
She joined Naked on a three-month contract in 2020 following its merger with Fremantle stablemate Boundless “but became indispensable for us all...
- 12/7/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is expanding its romance TV brand from the California Redwoods setting of Virgin River to Texas Hill Country with Ransom Canyon, a new drama series headlined by Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly.
Like hit Virgin River, an adaptation of Robyn Carr’s novels, the new series, from writer, creator and executive producer April Blair, is based on a contemporary romance book series, Jodi Thomas’ Ransom Canyon.
Also following the blueprint of Virgin River, headlined by Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge, Ransom Canyon has a duo of well known TV stars with fan following as its romantic leads in Duhamel and Kelly.
“It’s a multi-generational family show set on a ranch, and we say it’s Virgin River meets Yellowstone,” Jinny Howe, Netflix’s Head of Drama, Development, told Deadline in August 2022 about Ransom Canyon, a romance-fueled family drama...
Like hit Virgin River, an adaptation of Robyn Carr’s novels, the new series, from writer, creator and executive producer April Blair, is based on a contemporary romance book series, Jodi Thomas’ Ransom Canyon.
Also following the blueprint of Virgin River, headlined by Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge, Ransom Canyon has a duo of well known TV stars with fan following as its romantic leads in Duhamel and Kelly.
“It’s a multi-generational family show set on a ranch, and we say it’s Virgin River meets Yellowstone,” Jinny Howe, Netflix’s Head of Drama, Development, told Deadline in August 2022 about Ransom Canyon, a romance-fueled family drama...
- 12/5/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Tina Howe, the celebrated playwright whose works included the oft-staged Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances, died yesterday of natural causes after a short illness due to complications from a hip fracture sustained in a recent fall. The two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist was 85.
Her death was announced by her longtime agent Patrick Herold.
A New York City native, Howe attended Sarah Lawrence College, Teacher’s College at Columbia University and Chicago Teachers College and studied philosophy at Sorbonne University in Paris before her mainstream stage breakthrough in 1981 with the production of Painting Churches at Second Stage Off Broadway. Set in the Beacon Hill area of Boston, the play, about the relationship between an artist and her aging parents, was a major success, winning an Obie Award, moving to Broadway in 1983 and becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Howe had actually made her professional New York stage debut 11 years prior to Painting Churches,...
Her death was announced by her longtime agent Patrick Herold.
A New York City native, Howe attended Sarah Lawrence College, Teacher’s College at Columbia University and Chicago Teachers College and studied philosophy at Sorbonne University in Paris before her mainstream stage breakthrough in 1981 with the production of Painting Churches at Second Stage Off Broadway. Set in the Beacon Hill area of Boston, the play, about the relationship between an artist and her aging parents, was a major success, winning an Obie Award, moving to Broadway in 1983 and becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Howe had actually made her professional New York stage debut 11 years prior to Painting Churches,...
- 8/29/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
If you were paying close attention to the second and third episodes of “Only Murders in the Building” Season 3, you may have noticed a few Easter eggs paying homage to its high-profile murder victim Paul Rudd.
Production designer Patrick Howe spoke with TheWrap about the fun but challenging task of decorating Ben Glenroy’s (Rudd) lavish penthouse apartment at the Arconia, as well as his stalker’s apartment in Episode 2, with objects celebrating both Glenroy’s and Rudd’s storied career in Hollywood.
“99% of the credit goes to decorator Rich Murray… He really did come up with this long laundry list of Easter egg opportunities that were attributed to Paul’s career up to this point,” Howe said. “The directives we had from the script was that he was going to move into the penthouse apartment, it was going to be sublet from Amy Schumer which would be said in dialogue.
Production designer Patrick Howe spoke with TheWrap about the fun but challenging task of decorating Ben Glenroy’s (Rudd) lavish penthouse apartment at the Arconia, as well as his stalker’s apartment in Episode 2, with objects celebrating both Glenroy’s and Rudd’s storied career in Hollywood.
“99% of the credit goes to decorator Rich Murray… He really did come up with this long laundry list of Easter egg opportunities that were attributed to Paul’s career up to this point,” Howe said. “The directives we had from the script was that he was going to move into the penthouse apartment, it was going to be sublet from Amy Schumer which would be said in dialogue.
- 8/22/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Subtle details in costume design, hairstyling and even production design showed the growth and progression of Selena Gomez’s Mabel in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” Season 2 begins where the first left off — Mabel is the prime suspect after being found by the side of the dead body of Bunny, who lives in the same building as Mabel, Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles (Steve Martin).
When audiences were first introduced to Mabel in Season 1, she’s someone who is trying to protect herself. Costume designer Dana Covarrubias says, “I put her in chunky- soled boots and big puffy coats and jackets that create this sense of a protective armor around her.”
As the season progresses and she begins to connect with Oliver and Charles, she softens up. Solving a murder and being implicated in a murder brings the podcasting trio closer together.
Since no time lapses between the...
When audiences were first introduced to Mabel in Season 1, she’s someone who is trying to protect herself. Costume designer Dana Covarrubias says, “I put her in chunky- soled boots and big puffy coats and jackets that create this sense of a protective armor around her.”
As the season progresses and she begins to connect with Oliver and Charles, she softens up. Solving a murder and being implicated in a murder brings the podcasting trio closer together.
Since no time lapses between the...
- 8/20/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Longtime Metal Church drummer Kirk Arrington died Monday, May 22nd, at the age of 61.
The band shared the news of Arrington’s passing in a social media statement on Monday night, writing, “We just received the sad news, Kirk Arrington passed away this morning due to health issues. Rip in brother! See you on the other side….#Rip #legend #gonetoosoon #MetalChurch #drummer”.
In 2006, Arrington exited Metal Church due to health issues stemming from years of coping with diabetes. Since then, his post behind the kit has been assumed by Jeff Plate and Stet Howland (W.A.S.P.), who is the group’s current drummer.
Arrington joined Metal Church in the early 1980s prior to the band signing to Elektra and dropping its seminal self-titled album in 1984. Songs like “Beyond the Black” are early examples of the thrash/speed metal style, and the LP — which had future Pantera producer Terry Date behind the...
The band shared the news of Arrington’s passing in a social media statement on Monday night, writing, “We just received the sad news, Kirk Arrington passed away this morning due to health issues. Rip in brother! See you on the other side….#Rip #legend #gonetoosoon #MetalChurch #drummer”.
In 2006, Arrington exited Metal Church due to health issues stemming from years of coping with diabetes. Since then, his post behind the kit has been assumed by Jeff Plate and Stet Howland (W.A.S.P.), who is the group’s current drummer.
Arrington joined Metal Church in the early 1980s prior to the band signing to Elektra and dropping its seminal self-titled album in 1984. Songs like “Beyond the Black” are early examples of the thrash/speed metal style, and the LP — which had future Pantera producer Terry Date behind the...
- 5/23/2023
- by Jon Hadusek
- Consequence - Music
Anderson Cooper is taking a shot at a scripted TV series — one based on his family history.
The CNN anchor will be an executive producer of Vanderbilt, a drama in development at Amazon’s Prime Video. Patrick Macmanus (Dr. Death, The Girl From Plainville) is set to write and executive produce, adapting Cooper and Katherine Howe’s 2021 book Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty. Universal Studio Group’s UCP, where Macmanus has an overall deal, and Amazon Studios are producing.
The project’s logline describes Vanderbilt as “an epic drama chronicling 400 years of the rise and fall of one of America’s most powerful dynasties. From the family’s humble beginnings in New Amsterdam, patriarch Cornelius ‘Commodore’ Vanderbilt weaponized cunning, cutthroat business tactics to amass unimaginable wealth, leading to power struggles between heirs over control, salacious scandals and financial ruin. That is, until Gloria, the last of...
The CNN anchor will be an executive producer of Vanderbilt, a drama in development at Amazon’s Prime Video. Patrick Macmanus (Dr. Death, The Girl From Plainville) is set to write and executive produce, adapting Cooper and Katherine Howe’s 2021 book Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty. Universal Studio Group’s UCP, where Macmanus has an overall deal, and Amazon Studios are producing.
The project’s logline describes Vanderbilt as “an epic drama chronicling 400 years of the rise and fall of one of America’s most powerful dynasties. From the family’s humble beginnings in New Amsterdam, patriarch Cornelius ‘Commodore’ Vanderbilt weaponized cunning, cutthroat business tactics to amass unimaginable wealth, leading to power struggles between heirs over control, salacious scandals and financial ruin. That is, until Gloria, the last of...
- 4/5/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Scary fish lurking in the depths of the ocean served as the unlikely inspiration for the title theme of Apple TV+’s newest show, “Shrinking.”
Starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, the series follows a group of therapists as they navigate their own problems along with those of their patients. Aptly titled “Frightening Fishes,” the theme song — co-written by show composer Tom Howe and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard — stems from the idea of “letting the wreckage of your life sink to the depths of the ocean and the seas – those unexplored places,” Gibbard tells Variety.
The song’s lyrics — “Help me carry this weight, that’s dragging me down/ Pull me out of the drink before I start to drown/ Let the wreckage all sink to where the fishes are frightening” — serve as a metaphor for the show’s struggling characters. Ford plays Paul, a...
Starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, the series follows a group of therapists as they navigate their own problems along with those of their patients. Aptly titled “Frightening Fishes,” the theme song — co-written by show composer Tom Howe and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard — stems from the idea of “letting the wreckage of your life sink to the depths of the ocean and the seas – those unexplored places,” Gibbard tells Variety.
The song’s lyrics — “Help me carry this weight, that’s dragging me down/ Pull me out of the drink before I start to drown/ Let the wreckage all sink to where the fishes are frightening” — serve as a metaphor for the show’s struggling characters. Ford plays Paul, a...
- 2/21/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Early previews for "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur" teased the introduction of a classic villain to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the Beyonder, an all-powerful being able to warp space and time with a thought. As played by Laurence Fishburne, the Beyonder performs musical numbers, changes shape, and threatens to end the universe for kicks. It's a quirky introduction to a character some have theorized might be the McU's next big bad after Thanos, assuming Kang the Conqueror doesn't steal his thunder. Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of "Avengers: Endgame," have said that "Secret Wars" is a favorite of theirs, and you can't have "Secret Wars" without The Beyonder.
There are smarter, crueler, and more dangerous foes in Marvel's archives than the Beyonder. Just look at Doctor Doom, who briefly usurped the Beyonder's power in the very first "Secret Wars." But the secret to the Beyonder's strength is that he...
There are smarter, crueler, and more dangerous foes in Marvel's archives than the Beyonder. Just look at Doctor Doom, who briefly usurped the Beyonder's power in the very first "Secret Wars." But the secret to the Beyonder's strength is that he...
- 2/17/2023
- by Adam Wescott
- Slash Film
Netflix will take viewers on a wild ride later this year when Beef hits the air.
The dark comedy is set to premiere globally on April 6, 2023.
"Beef follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers," according to the official description.
"Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life."
"The increasing stakes of their feud unravel their lives and relationships in this darkly comedic and deeply moving series."
Beef was ordered to series back in March 2021.
The A24 series is created by Lee Sung Jin.
"Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, A24 and Netflix. It's a dream team, and I'm honored to be collaborating with them," the creator said at the time of the pickup, revealing that the basis for the show was a real-life incident.
"I'm also grateful to the...
The dark comedy is set to premiere globally on April 6, 2023.
"Beef follows the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers," according to the official description.
"Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life."
"The increasing stakes of their feud unravel their lives and relationships in this darkly comedic and deeply moving series."
Beef was ordered to series back in March 2021.
The A24 series is created by Lee Sung Jin.
"Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, A24 and Netflix. It's a dream team, and I'm honored to be collaborating with them," the creator said at the time of the pickup, revealing that the basis for the show was a real-life incident.
"I'm also grateful to the...
- 2/13/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
All of the 2022 auditions are over, and The Casting Society has unveiled the feature film nominees for its 38th annual Artios Awards, which will be handed out in March.
Vying in the Big Budget – Drama category are the casting pros behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár and Till. Up for Big Budget – Comedy are the folks who cast Bros, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical and White Noise.
Related Story 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Golden Globes, Guilds & More Related Story Artios Awards TV Nominations: Netflix & HBO/Max Lead Field For Casting Society Related Story Artios Awards: Casting Society Lauds 'Coda', 'West Side Story', 'Don't Look Up' & More
See the full list of film nominations below. The Casting Society revealed the Artios Awards TV nominees in October.
Ellen Chenoweth...
Vying in the Big Budget – Drama category are the casting pros behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár and Till. Up for Big Budget – Comedy are the folks who cast Bros, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical and White Noise.
Related Story 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Golden Globes, Guilds & More Related Story Artios Awards TV Nominations: Netflix & HBO/Max Lead Field For Casting Society Related Story Artios Awards: Casting Society Lauds 'Coda', 'West Side Story', 'Don't Look Up' & More
See the full list of film nominations below. The Casting Society revealed the Artios Awards TV nominees in October.
Ellen Chenoweth...
- 1/10/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Regardless of what you might think of his movies, his worldview, or anything else, filmmaker Kevin Smith remains a genuine maverick in the industry. His first movie, Clerks, was made for 27,000 with local actors in and around the south New Jersey environs of his youth, which inspired the movie. And it remains a genuine milestone of independent filmmaking. It helped pave the way for more DIY filmmakers to emerge outside the confines of the studio systems, with its improvised, lo-fi aesthetic being seen today in movies filmed on iPhones.
In the nearly 30 years since Clerks was released, Smith has continued to write and direct his own features while also occasionally working as a director-for-hire on larger studio projects. The core movies of his canon, known as the View Askewniverse and featuring Jason Mewes and Smith himself as anchor characters Jay and Silent Bob, predated the Marvel Cinematic Universe by more than a decade.
In the nearly 30 years since Clerks was released, Smith has continued to write and direct his own features while also occasionally working as a director-for-hire on larger studio projects. The core movies of his canon, known as the View Askewniverse and featuring Jason Mewes and Smith himself as anchor characters Jay and Silent Bob, predated the Marvel Cinematic Universe by more than a decade.
- 9/17/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’: Turning the Mines of Moria Into the Halls of Khazad-dûm
It’s hard to imagine now that there are several movies and a TV show based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but at one point there were very different, competing visions of what Middle Earth looks like. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” production designer Ramsey Avery first fell in love with Tolkien illustrations by the Brothers Hildebrandt in the ’70s and has watched artistic interpretations of the author’s legendarium evolve over the decades, to the point where the work of Alan Lee and John Howe was so central to Peter Jackson’s vision for his “Lord of the Rings” films, they were both hired as concept artists for the series.
Avery’s particular challenge on “The Rings of Power” was to build environments that are both familiar and unfamiliar — some unevolved versions and some much more evolved versions of the...
Avery’s particular challenge on “The Rings of Power” was to build environments that are both familiar and unfamiliar — some unevolved versions and some much more evolved versions of the...
- 9/15/2022
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
Kevin Smith has quite a few horror comedies under his belt (alongside the straight-horror banger that is "Red State"), but his most controversial horror outing is easily 2014's Justin Long-starring "Tusk." Long plays podcaster Wallace Bryton, who, in a desperate moment, ends up at the house of the isolated elderly Manitoba man Howard Howe (Michael Parks). Howe has interesting tales to tell, including the story about how a walrus named "Mr. Tusk" saved him from a shipwreck. Bryton falls asleep and wakes to find himself strapped to a table. As Howe explains, his former walrus comrade died long ago, and Howe wants to employ fairly dramatic methods to make Bryton his new friend and ensure that he has a transformative visit in the depths of rural Canada.
The film was a box office bomb with mixed-to-negative critical reception, but it has since grown a significant cult following. In Kevin Smith's podcast "Fatman Beyond,...
The film was a box office bomb with mixed-to-negative critical reception, but it has since grown a significant cult following. In Kevin Smith's podcast "Fatman Beyond,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Jeff Ewing
- Slash Film
As New Zealand’s screen sector roars back to business as usual, Auckland-based production facility Studio West is unveiling what will be the city’s largest purpose-built sound stage.
Studio West, a regular base for both local and international production over the past 25 years, began developing its expansion as far back as 2019, but construction was put on hold for a full year during the most difficult phases of the pandemic.
“Back in April 2021, I would say we were quite brave to begin construction again,” says Kay Howe, Studio West’s CEO. “But now everything is looking quite good. We’re ready to open our doors, and film and TV production in New Zealand has come surging back again. It’s been an exciting journey getting here.”
Situated in the Glen Eden area of Auckland, Studio West spans eight acres and has three pre-existing sound stages (3,315 square feet, 5,650 square feet and...
Studio West, a regular base for both local and international production over the past 25 years, began developing its expansion as far back as 2019, but construction was put on hold for a full year during the most difficult phases of the pandemic.
“Back in April 2021, I would say we were quite brave to begin construction again,” says Kay Howe, Studio West’s CEO. “But now everything is looking quite good. We’re ready to open our doors, and film and TV production in New Zealand has come surging back again. It’s been an exciting journey getting here.”
Situated in the Glen Eden area of Auckland, Studio West spans eight acres and has three pre-existing sound stages (3,315 square feet, 5,650 square feet and...
- 8/2/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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