Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, an early favorite at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, has been picked up by Fox Searchlight for theatrical distribution. The coming-of-age tale is based on Jesse Andrews’ book, which he adapted for the screen. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the cast is led by Thomas Mann, Olivia Cook, and R.J. Cyler, and features Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal and Connie Britton.
“For a film that was such a personal labor of love, I am delighted to find partners who have embraced the film which such enthusiasm,” said director Gomez-Rejon.
“We are so thrilled to be a part of this film – the movie completely floored us and stole our hearts. The response at the festival has been extraordinary. The performances are honest and relatable and the film is smart, funny and original,” stated Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula, announcing the acquisition.
Fox Searchlight is aiming for a 2015 theatrical release.
The Plot:
In Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Thomas Mann plays Greg Gaines, an awkward high school senior whose mom forces him to spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class (Cooke) whom he hasn’t spoken to since kindergarten – who was just diagnosed with cancer.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Adam Levine is the first musical artist confirmed for this year’s Oscars. The Grammy winning singer/songwriter will take the stage to perform “Lost Stars,” the Oscar-nominated original song from Begin Again. Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois wrote the song and Levine performed it in the music-driven romantic drama which he co-starred in along with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.
“Adam Levine is an exceptional and dynamic artist. We’re thrilled to have him make his Oscars stage debut this year,” said Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil MeronZadan and Meron.
This year’s Original Song nominees also include “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie, “Glory” from Selma, “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights, and “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me.
The 2015 Academy Awards will take place on February 22nd and will air live on ABC. The 87th Oscars will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
NBC’s revealed the guests for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon after the Super Bowl telecast will be Ariana Grande and Get Hard co-stars Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart. The special edition of The Tonight Show will air on Sunday, February 1st, live on both coasts following Super Bowl XLIX.
Grande will perform with The Roots while Ferrell and Hart are set to take part in a lip sync battle against Fallon.
This year’s Super Bowl will take place in Phoenix, Arizona and has the Seattle Seahawks battling the New England Patriots (currently embroiled in Deflate-Gate).
The Tonight Show will be on the road for the week following the Super Bowl, taping in Los Angeles instead of New York. Guests scheduled to visit the last night talk show during the week of February 2 – 5 include Michael Keaton, Gwen Stefani, Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Young, Vin Diesel, Carl Reiner, Will Smith, Rosamund Pike, and Jack White.
Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ (Photo (c) 2016 Disney Enterprises inc.)
It’s been a long time in the making but now it’s official: Emma Watson will play ‘Belle’ in the live-action fairy tale-inspired film, Beauty and the Beast. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon is attached to direct and, according to Disney’s announcement, filming will begin sometime later this year.
David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are on board as producers.
Watson was first involved in Beauty and the Beast talks way back in early 2012 when she was apparently ready to play Belle in a Beauty and the Beast production setup at Warner Bros Pictures. That film had Guillermo del Toro set to direct. Unfortunately, del Toro exited the Warner Bros version, but Watson isn’t going to miss out on a chance to play Belle after all after being signed to the Disney production.
Watson shared the news on Facebook:
“I’m finally able to tell you… that I will be playing Belle in Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I’ll get to dance to ‘Be Our Guest’ and sing ‘Something There’. My six year old self is on the ceiling – heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can’t wait for you to see it. Emma xx”
Imagine Dragons is teaming up with Southwest Airlines on a sweepstakes that will send one one lucky fan on the road for a four-day experience with the band. The sweepstakes kicks off on February 3 and the winner (plus three friends) will travel to Vegas for a concert followed by a flight onboard Southwest’s Ultimate Destination Dragons Flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta where they’ll watch the band perform live in the sky. In Atlanta the winner and his/her buddies will attend the band’s concert and take part in a meet-and-greet.
The sweepstakes during Imagine Dragons’ intimate four-city tour in support of their new album Smoke + Mirrors. The band plans stops in Los Angeles on Feb. 20, Salt Lake City on Feb. 21, Las Vegas on Feb. 23, and Atlanta on Feb. 25. The sweepstakes runs from February 3rd through February 16th. For more info, visit www.southwest.com/DestinationDragonspromo.
“We can think of no better way to unveil our new album than to travel together with our fans at 35,000 feet, and to play in the same clubs where we started this journey,” said Imagine Dragons.
Here’s the basic details on the sweepstakes, courtesy of Southwest Airlines and Imagine Dragons:
NO PURCHASE OR OBLIGATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASES DO NOT INCREASE ODDS OF WINNING. Open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous United States, excluding Rhode Island, age 18 or older at time of entry. Void in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, Rhode Island, and where prohibited. Sweepstakes begins on February 3, 2015 and ends on February 16, 2015. Total approximate prize value $3,600. Must be legal U.S. resident and 18 years or older.
Bobby Moynihan as Dougie Spoons and Taran Killam as Tom Brady during the “Patriots Press Conference Cold Open” on ‘SNL’ (Photo by: Dana Edelson / NBC)
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (Beck Bennett) throws quarterback Tom Brady (Taran Killam) under the bus, placing the blame for Deflate-Gate squarely on the pretty boy QB’s shoulders in the cold opening of Saturday Night Live‘s January 24, 2015 episode hosted by Blake Shelton. And then Brady plays dumb, claiming not even to know footballs contained air or that they could be inflated or deflated, passing the buck to the assistant equipment co-manager (Bobby Moynihan).
After just 10 days in wide release the dramatic action film American Sniper has made it over the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures release collected $64 million over its second weekend in theaters, following up its record-setting opening weekend by retaining the top spot at the box office and bringing its box office total to $200.1 million.
“The filmmakers, led by Clint Eastwood, and cast, led by Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, have created a gripping drama with a rare insight into the toll of war that has resonated with audiences in almost every demographic,” said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution. “We congratulate them not only on the film’s box office success but on generating one of the most talked about films of this or any year.”
Based on the true story of Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in American history, American Sniper is up for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor nominations. The cast also includes Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kyle Gallner, and Luke Grimes.
The Plot:
U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.
Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the SEAL creed to “leave no man behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya Renae Kyle (Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.
Birdman director Alejandro González Iñárritu teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy for the dramatic adventure film The Revenant based on a true story and coming to theaters on December 25, 2015 in limited released (followed by a wide release on January 8, 2016). Given the talent both behind and in front of the camera – plus the Christmas release date – The Revenant is likely to 20th Century Fox’s big Oscar push and even though we’re months away from its release, Fox is starting to build the buzz with the unveiling of the first official photos from the December release.
The Plot:
Deep in the uncharted American wilderness, trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is severely injured and left for dead by a traitorous member of his team, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). With sheer will as his only weapon, Glass must navigate a hostile environment, a brutal winter, and warring Native American tribes in relentless quest to survive and exact vengeance on Fitzgerald.
Michael Keaton and Edward Norton in ‘Birdman’ (Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight)
Birdman is flying high following its back-to-back wins at both the Producers Guild of America Awards and the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the dark comedy was voted the winner of the best ensemble award by SAG voters – the equivalent of a ‘best film’ win at other awards shows. After winning both the PGA and SAG awards, Birdman has emerged as the frontrunner to take home the Best Picture Oscar.
Also emerging as a surprise winner was Netflix’s Orange is New Black. The comedy, set in a women’s prison, snagged SAG awards in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Uzo Aduba) and the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series categories.
21st ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS WINNERS
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
EDDIE REDMAYNE / Stephen Hawking – THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (Focus Features)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JULIANNE MOORE / Alice Howland – STILL ALICE (Sony Pictures Classics)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
The Screen Actors Guild awards for the best stunt ensembles from feature films and 2014 television shows went to Unbroken and Game of Thrones, as announced on the red carpet prior to the 2015 SAG Awards show. JoBeth Williams and Daryl Anderson made the announcement live during the red carpet broadcast on January 25, 2015.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Unbroken (Universal Pictures)
Lee Adamson
Joel Amos Byrnes
Richard Anderson
Yoshianao Aonuma
Glenn Boswell
Damien Bryson
Glenn Chow
Jimmy Christiansen
Simon Crane
Haydn Dalton
Ashley Fairfield
Toby Fuller
Scott Gregory
Brendan Jakins
Alex Jewson
Chris Mitchell
Craig Morgan
Chris Patton
George Saliba
Mick Saliba
Nik Schodel
Brett Sheerin
Neil Stoddardt
Leon Stripp
Ben Toyer
Nick Turello
Darko Tuskan
Bernadette van Gyen
Gavin Wilde
Darren Yost
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES Game of Thrones (HBO)
Richard Bradshaw
Jonathan Cohen
Jason Curle
David Foreman
Dean Foster
Paul Herbert
Paul Howell
Stewart James
George Kirby
Guy List
Daniel Naprous
Andy Pilgrim
CC Smiff
Shane Steyn
Richard J Wheeldon
