Innholdsfortegnelse for 8/5/2021 i Variety

Calling Alan Horn! As the nasty war between Scarlett Johansson and Disney continues to escalate and rage on in the public eye, might it not be beneficial for someone within the not-so-Magic Kingdom — such as Horn — to intervene and help diffuse the hostilities? A highly respected industry statesman who’s always been a voice of reason, Horn should step in and try to get Disney to dial down the vitriol that is alienating some of its own movie fans, angering talent reps and women’s activist groups. Lest we forget: Horn was the seasoned executive who was hired at Disney by leader Bob Iger back in 2012 to help steady the ship after it was rocked by the tumultuous regime of Rich Ross and a string of costly box office…

•→ Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, run by Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan along with partner Issa Rae, has reopened indoor dining at all three of its locations: View Park, Inglewood (above) and the latest café in Eagle Rock. New items include the Affogato Float with dairy-free coconut ice cream, double-shot espresso, chocolate sauce, cream soda and cocoa dust. •→ Screenwriters panicked when the beloved 101 Coffee Shop closed. But good news is on the horizon: The owners of buzzy bakery Clark Street Bread plan to revive the industry-favored Franklin Avenue spot as Clark Street Diner in September. •→ Daniel Holzman, who co-created New York’s popular Meatball Shop chain, is branching out to DTLA, serving New York-style pizza by the slice or the pie, along with meatball sandwiches and chicken Parm.…

July 26 ‘Stillwater’ Premiere Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York Matt Damon celebrated his latest awards-buzzy film just hours after it was announced his next project, “The Last Duel,” a period drama that he co-wrote with Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival. “We wrote so much faster than we wrote ‘Good Will Hunting,’ just because our process has become so much more efficient,” Damon told Variety of reuniting with Affleck. “Out of some osmosis we’ve actually learned about structure in the last 30 years. We outlined it this time. We wrote it like professional writers, rather than actors trying to write themselves roles.” July 28 #Creators4 BIPOC Celebration Dinner La Mesa Lounge, Hollywood JaQuel Knight, a dancer and choreographer known for working with Beyoncé…

THE OSCARS (ABC) NOMINATED FOR VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE) PRODUCTION DESIGN Production designer David Rockwell turned to previous Oscar ceremonies for inspiration for the 93rd annual event last April. He took cues from Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel, site of the first Oscars, to create the esthetic for this year’s setting, Union Station. “We conceived a room within a room that made circulation intuitive and completely enveloped the audience,” he says. “These early ceremonies were all formal seated dinners for a very select group of people: the nominees and their guests. This year, given how the pandemic has impacted our ability to gather, we tried to recapture that same sense of intimacy and community.” His main challenge was the building itself. “Nothing could be affixed or installed inside the train station, given its…

BLACK-ISH (ABC) NOMINATED FOR CONTEMPORARY HAIRSTYLING FOR SEASON 7, EPISODE 6, “OUR WEDDING DRE” The hairstyles for the seventh season episode of “Black-ish,” entitled “Our Wedding Dre,” were highly detailed. Hair department head Nena Ross Davis went all out with “a multitude of styles that were all nice and intricate.” Ross Davis notes an increase in women wanting to wear natural and heat-protective styles, as well as braiding. She brought this into the episode through Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), whose look was “her natural hair styled in loose twists down and had a couple of cute buns at the bottom,” she recalls. “We did her hair with her braids going back in a nice little bun so she looked sleek in her suit.” Since the episode was produced amid the…

Food Network’s star chefs not only serve up delicious recipes, but they also link food with emotion and something deeper to which the audience can connect. Since March 2020, when COVID forced the world to stay indoors, more people than ever before turned to food and cooking in order to occupy their time. The subsequent economic turmoil also threw into sharp relief widespread food insecurity across the U.S. The Food Network is not new to this revelation and has been working for years to end hunger in this country. Well-known chefs such as José Andrés continue their miraculous work via World Central Kitchen, Guy Fieri feeds first responders in California and Marc Murphy serves on the council of City Harvest. And the cabler’s entire stable of stars is also contributing…

After going fully virtual in 2020, the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) returns with a hybrid lineup of screenings Aug. 6-22. The festival will open Aug. 6 with Ryoo Seung-wan’s South Korean action-drama “Escape From Mogadishu,” which depicts the perilous escape attempt by Korean embassy workers stranded during the onset of the civil war in Somalia. Samuel Jamier, executive director of NYAFF, calls it one of the biggest Korean releases of the year and says the film will open in theaters simultaneously with its in-person international premiere at Film at Lincoln Center. “‘Escape From Mogadishu’ shows the expansion of Korea and where it’s aiming to be,” Jamier says. “It would have been hard to conceive 10 years ago another war film set in Somalia, a territory that has only…

The look of Netflix’s new animated feature “Vivo” is informed by its vibrant Cuban music, a fusion of reggae and mambo. Production designer Carlos Zaragoza kept those lively sounds in mind as he created the visuals. Set across Havana, Key West, the Everglades and Miami, the film needed a unique color palette and personality for each locale. Location scouts and interviews with locals helped Zaragoza in his world-building. Meanwhile, Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins brought his expertise as visual consultant, advising on lighting and helping to give the film a kaleidoscopic, photoreal look. Premiering Aug. 6, “Vivo” follows a one-of-a-kind kinkajou (a mammal native to the tropical rainforest — voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda) who spends his days in Havana performing in the town square alongside his owner, Andrés (Juan de Marcos…

Amanda Peet has been a staple on television screens since the mid-1990s, most recently seen as the eponymous character in “Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story.” But for the first time in her career, she has stepped behind the scenes to co-create and run a series. “The Chair,” bowing Aug. 20 on Netflix, stars Sandra Oh as Ji-Yoon, the titular head of a small university’s English department; Jay Duplass is Bill, a grieving professor who comes under fire for an offensive gesture caught on camera. Their relationship is complicated not only by her becoming the boss, but also by calls for his cancellation. • You have such a rich history in this industry, but you set your show in the world of higher education. What inspired that? I was working…

Last month, to fete the 100th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party, China broadcast a propaganda megashow convened at Beijing National Stadium, which was built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Throughout the massive two-hour spectacle, Olympic themes intertwined with political imagery to depict the party as a benevolent, beloved world leader. In one number, women plucking traditional instruments accompanied hundreds of dancers dressed in Olympic colors, who held hands to form dozens of spinning rings as a digital display blared a retrospective of President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic milestones. In another key scene, hundreds of performers in Beijing 2008 jerseys held aloft Olympic torches and ran in unison to militant music below videos of Chinese athletes receiving gold medals. A screen overhead showed an animation depicting the blastoff of the nation’s…

In a Manhattan studio late last month, a rehearsal was in progress. Two actors ran through a playful chase sequence. A fight choreographer, seated at the head of the room with the director, the stage management team and the understudies, suggested the best way to perform a quick leap-and-catch maneuver and then roll to the ground without injury. At one point, the choreographer’s two assistants stepped in to demonstrate. In many ways the session played out in exactly the manner it would have in pre-pandemic times. But in others, the rehearsal for Antoinette Nwandu’s “Pass Over” highlighted the additional layers of protection now in place as multiple Broadway shows gear up to reopen after an unprecedented shutdown of nearly 18 months. Before that day’s rehearsal, the cast and crew had…

For the past two years, comedy series celebrating their final seasons have cleaned up at the Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019 it was Amazon Prime Video’s “Fleabag,” which, after being overlooked for its inaugural season, nabbed 11 noms (six wins, including lead comedy actress for creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as well as the coveted comedy series statue). Just last year the Television Academy went even harder for Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek,” nominating it 15 times and awarding it six, including in comedy series and all of the major comedy acting races. This year, for the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, there was an even bigger showing for HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” which picked up 18 nominations overall, including in the drama series category and all four major acting categories, guest…

While movie theaters were shuttered for much of the past year and a half, it was up to TV to provide the grandest scale entertainment. And thanks to more players in the original content game, bigger budgets and better technology, projects delivered in 4K, 5K and even 8K, allowing for stunts and fantastical worlds, specifically, to stand out even more. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the crop of visual effects Emmy nominees. Nominated in the season or movie visual-effects category, Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian” continued to wow with its innovative Stagecraft LED walls while building 360-degree virtual sets in its second season. They were all designed to immerse the viewer in the “Star Wars” set universe amid many miniature props, animatronics and practical effects. Meanwhile, that same streamer’s…

There’s a certain caliber of performer that has a well-established screen persona but is still inventive with each new role. They spark recognition in audiences, often due to a bevy of past roles and/or one big beloved one; yet they can still delight and surprise anew. This year, many of them can be found on the guest actor and actress Emmy Awards ballots. Consider how Timothy Olyphant’s rugged lawman persona from “Justified” helps signal the frontier spirit of Cobb Vanth on Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian,” a Western hero viewed through a sci-fi/fantasy lens. Or how TV icon Phylicia Rashad brings her familiar poised matriarchal bona fides to Beth’s mother Carol on NBC’s “This Is Us” but revealed a more flawed and vulnerable maternal figure. Or how Charles Dance, known for playing…

There’s no more iconic figure in the skateboarding world than Tony Hawk, the superstar athlete whose name has become virtually synonymous with the sport. The 53-year-old “Birdman” launched his philanthropic organization, The Tony Hawk Foundation, in 2002. Renamed as the Skatepark Project in 2019 (to better recognize the work it actually does), the charity will next year celebrate its 20th anniversary. Since its inception, the org has funded the growth and creation of nearly 700 skate parks across the U.S., issuing grants totaling more than $10 million. And through its international program, it has provided technical and financial support to assist youth in countries such as Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Hawk saw the need to lend his name to a charity in his early 30s, as his popularity was…

Anyone who has studied theater and dance will know the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and its founder. Not only did Ailey form a dance movement, but his company also became a pioneering force for Black artists as they traveled the world, introducing political themes and helping integrate the world of dance. Street dancer-turned-choreographer Rennie Harris had heard the name but didn’t become interested in the Ailey movement until late in the 2000s. “I was a hardcore dancer. At that point, I wasn’t feeling modern dance,” Harris explains. Now the two are linked through the doc “Ailey,” which will be released nationwide Aug. 6. The film highlights the legendary choreographer’s life and visionary work, with Harris interpreting his dances. It was when Harris finally saw the trailblazing “Revelations,” the 1960s…

Simon Helberg was so invested in landing the role of The Conductor in Leos Carax’s musical movie “Annette,” he became a French citizen. The actor, perhaps best known for his 12-season run on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” steals scenes opposite Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in the film, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 6 before hitting Amazon Prime on Aug. 20. With a screenplay by Carax and Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks (who also wrote the music and lyrics), the film is largely a two-hander about a famous couple and their talented daughter — the title character. It wasn’t Helberg’s TV stardom or roles in films like “Florence Foster Jenkins” that enticed Carax. “I had never seen Simon’s work in anything,” reveals the director. “He turned out…

Hello, gorgeous. Guess who’s my guest on this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast? Barbra Streisand! (1) We talked about her new album “Release Me 2,” why we haven’t seen a Babs biopic à la “Rocketman” and the movie she still may direct. Check out our chat Aug. 6 on Variety.com or at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Attention, Marvel Studios: Eugenio Derbez (2) wants to play a villain in the MCU. “I’m not the kind of guy who is tough, so I would like to do something sweet but very mean,” the actor tells me. “Extremely mean — but something very smiley and charming.” In his latest film, “CODA,” Derbez shows off his dramatic chops playing a high school music teacher who inspires one of…

Jennifer Hudson is about to finally be seen as Aretha Franklin in the highly anticipated biopic “Respect.” It’s no coincidence that this also marks the 15th anniversary of Hudson’s film bow in “Dreamgirls,” an Oscar-winning role that provided the eureka moment about who could possibly be credible enough to portray Franklin on-screen. “Back then people were like, ‘Is there gonna be a “Dreamgirls 2”? What could you do after this?’ And I said, ‘The only thing I could think of that would feel like that to me would be to be able to play Aretha Franklin.’ When I was on ‘American Idol,’ my audition song was an Aretha Franklin song, ‘Share Your Love With Me.’ … Fifteen years later, it manifested and it’s happening. It blows me away.” A lot…

Plenty of philanthropic organizations had to change plans during the pandemic, but probably none executed a pivot as successfully and visibly as did Global Citizen. In the span of 13 months, the org put on no fewer than six major broadcast/webcast specials, starting with the all-star “One World: Together at Home” emanating from celebrity living rooms in April 2020 and culminating (to date) with “Vax Live” from L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in May. Yet another special, “Global Citizen Live,” is on the docket for Sept. 26, emanating from Central Park, the Eiffel Tower and other locations around the world — a 24-hour event that CEO-founder Hugh Evans calls “the big one,” which is saying something, given the recent track record. Evans reflects on how Global Citizen sprang into action when the…

Video from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s wedding served as a reference for the single-take opening sequence of Leos Carax’s new film “Annette,” reveals cinematographer Caroline Champetier. Bowing Aug. 6, “Annette” centers on Henry (Adam Driver), a standup comedian who falls in love with Ann (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. It’s a rock opera of sorts, with Russell and Ron Mael of Sparks writing not only the music but the lyrics (Carax also contributes to the latter) and the original screenplay. The number “So May We Start” serves as a preface to the movie. A close-up of drums cuts to a guitar before settling in on a tight shot of Russell Mael. As the camera zooms out to include a recording studio, we see singers moving down the connecting hallway, where they…

TV REVIEW Comedy: Netflix (6 episodes; all reviewed); Aug. 20 Starring: Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass, In “The Chair,” Sandra Oh heads an English department that includes Nana Mensah and Holland Taylor. Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban About halfway through the first season of “The Chair,” I found myself profoundly grateful that it wasn’t the show it too easily could have been. Created by Amanda Peet, the Netflix comedy takes place at the fictional Pembroke College, a fittingly idyllic liberal arts school where Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) has just become the English department’s first female chair. (The pilot, co-written by Peet and Annie Julia Wyman, establishes such a recognizable academic world that anyone who’s fretted over a core curriculum or lounged on a quad should have immediate, visceral flashbacks.) Ji-Yoon’s harried…

MUSIC REVIEW Artist: George Harrison Label: Apple Most fans have a favorite Beatle, but there’s not much debate about which Beatles solo album is the best: George Harrison’s epic “All Things Must Pass.” Released in November 1970, just seven months after the group’s breakup was belatedly confirmed, it has become synonymous with the concept of suppressed brilliance. Since he first landed a composition on a Beatles album with “Don’t Bother Me” in 1963, Harrison had battled, largely unsuccessfully, to place his songs on the group’s records, eventually securing one per disc and finally one per vinyl side. Thus, he had a huge backlog of material, and his deep frustration at trying to break the John Lennon-Paul McCartney songwriting stranglehold was one of many factors in the group’s dissolution. Yet it…