Innholdsfortegnelse for 9/21/2022 i Variety

It must have been a devastating obituary to write. Sixty years ago, Variety reported on the death of Norma Jeane Baker. Of course, the story introduced her by her other, better-known name. “Marilyn Monroe, who often tried without success to shut herself off from the world, early yesterday did so,” began the dispatch, published on Aug. 6, 1962. “The 36-year-old actress was found dead in bed in her Brentwood home, apparently the victim of an overdose of sleeping pills.” From that day on, Monroe never really left us: Her screen roles turned her into a star, but the tragedy and lost potential she symbolizes has made her a legend. She’s been the subject of countless biographies, fashion retrospectives, films, songs and musicals (including the fictional one on NBC’s “Smash,” a cult…

Sept 21 Wednesday • Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are honored at the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s Pioneers of the Year Dinner. Sam Smith performs. The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills• Shelli and Irving Azoff are honored by the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The Wallis, Beverly Hills• Oprah Winfrey, Reginald Hudlin and Derik Murray premiere the Sidney Poitier doc “Sidney.” Academy Museum, Los Angeles Sept 22 Thursday • Designer Billy Reid celebrates the opening of his Los Angeles pop-up with Southern-inspired cocktails. Platform LA, Culver City• Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Tom Campbell, RuPaul Charles, Ronan Farrow, Carson Kressley, Alec Mapa, Ross Mathews and Michelle Visage co-host World of Wonder’s House of Love’s ExtraOrdinary Families benefit. Private residence, Hancock Park, Los Angeles• Sony Music…

A few years back, Ana de Armas needed to convince Netflix that she could be Marilyn Monroe. She was already the first choice of director Andrew Dominik, whose film “Blonde,” a surrealist vision of the life and death of the screen legend, had been reportedly cast with various leading ladies before alighting on de Armas, but “Knives Out” — the hit film in which the previously little-known performer sat at the center of the mystery — hadn’t yet come out. In 2019, few knew her name. De Armas brought her accent coach to the in-person screen test with Netflix. “I hadn’t had the training and the voice and everything,” says de Armas, who was born and raised in Cuba. “So my coach was crouching on the floor, under the table.”…

Landing James Bond may be the biggest acting gig in Hollywood, but producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson say they still have to pitch prospective actors on the part. When Variety caught up with Britain’s most famous producers in late August, they were busy preparing for the 60th anniversary of James Bond in October. But the search for a new actor to play the world’s most famous spy is quietly rumbling on in the background. It’s still “early days,” they claim, but whoever lands the role has to be in it for the long haul. For a while, that person seemed to be Idris Elba. But the “Luther” star recently said he didn’t see Bond when he “looks in the mirror” — remarks that some have interpreted as Elba’s…

It’s midnight on a hot Thursday in July at the David Kempinski hotel in Tel Aviv, and Mathew Rosengart is in the lobby poring over a legal brief. A litigator and shareholder at the Greenberg Traurig law firm who rocketed to fame representing Britney Spears in her victorious courtroom fight to terminate her 13-year-long conservatorship, Rosengart has traveled to Israel to address a crowd of attorneys at Tel Aviv U. While not a vacation, per se — “I feel really privileged to have been able to speak in Israel,” he notes — Rosengart rarely allows himself even a moment of relaxation, so devoted is he to his slate of high-profile clients in and out of the entertainment biz, from Verizon and Michael Mann to Sean Penn and Community Organized Relief…

Variety chief TV critic Daniel D’Addario met Ana de Armas in New York for this week’s cover story. “Ana provided a fascinating contrast to Marilyn Monroe,” he says. “She was assured, confident and seemed like a true New Yorker.” Variety senior TV features editor Emily Longeretta spoke to Candace Cameron Bure in the star’s first in-depth interview about leaving Hallmark Channel for Great American Family — and dove into the booming business of holiday programming. Danish portrait photographer Marc Hom’s portfolio includes Samuel L. Jackson, Saoirse Ronan and Alicia Vikander. He captured Ana de Armas in L.A. “She leaned into her character while still allowing her strength to shine through,” he says. Canadian photographer and filmmaker Caitlin Cronenberg lensed the images at the Variety Studio at TIFF. “The energy in Toronto was…

CNN’s new chief wants to gain ground in the morning — and has shifted Don Lemon from his primetime perch to early duty as part of a broader shuffle aimed at shoring up that key period. Chris Licht, who has vowed to tone down some of the more aggressive commentary at the network since taking its reins earlier this year, launched the durable MSNBC franchise “Morning Joe” in 2007 and then helped CBS gain early-day momentum in 2012 by starting “CBS This Morning.” Neither program was the most watched of its brethren, but Licht gained new viewership for the networks that backed him by encouraging more substantial conversation among anchors and ignoring some of the lighter elements common at that time of day, like cooking demonstrations or street interviews with…

Candace Cameron Bure was the undisputed queen of Hallmark Channel’s slate of popular holiday fare, with more than 30 credits to her name. Who could forget her work as a high-strung doctor who moves to Alaska in “Christmas Under Wraps”? OK, just because you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a huge hit. The 2014 made-for-TV movie has the distinction of being the most watched Hallmark Christmas special ever, landing almost 6 million viewers on its debut airing. So when Bure, 46, split with Hallmark to join rival upstart cable network GAC (now Great American Family) earlier this year, not even Santa himself could cheer up Hallmark. The brains behind this Christmas steal wasn’t the Grinch. Instead, it was Great American Media president/CEO Bill Abbott, the former chief…

Thanks to the Will Rogers Pioneer Assistance Fund, thousands of movie theater workers can sleep better at night. The PAF provides financial aid and support to individuals who work in theatrical exhibition and distribution, and vendors who are experiencing an illness, accident or injury. The Pioneer of the Year Dinner, the PAF’s annual fundraising event, will be returning to in-person festivities Sept. 21 in Beverly Hills this year, contributing a significant chunk of the fund’s donations. Each year, the event honors a person or people due to their work in Hollywood and philanthropy. This year, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, the producers behind the James Bond franchise, are being honored. “We take great pride in the relationships that we develop in this industry,” says Jim Orr, president of domestic…

Since its July release, “Wasteland,” Brent Faiyaz’s dark, introspective R&B album, has been one of this year’s more polarizing releases. Some have criticized the disc’s length and skits, while others have praised its honesty and cohesive narrative. In 2017, Faiyaz’s debut album, “Sonder Son,” announced a major new voice in R&B, and “Wasteland” seals that initial hype. As an independent artist, Faiyaz is one of the genre’s buzziest artists, with his album reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart despite its independent release via Lost Kids, Venice Music and Stem Disintermedia. He’s also expected to pull in several Grammy nominations this year. • You recorded “Wasteland” during COVID and during a time of political unrest. Since then, how would you say you have spent time healing? I haven’t…

Sept 15 ‘Andor’ Premiere El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood Diego Luna was shocked to learn that Cassian Andor was getting his own “Star Wars” series, but now the titular star says the show has been “a beautiful journey, and an inspiring one.” “I think ‘Rogue One’ is a film about an event, but you don’t get to know much about these characters,” Luna told Variety. “This long format [is] a great way to go deep into who they are and why they make the choices they make.” Creator Tony Gilroy said “there was nothing bittersweet” about knowing that the series was limited to a two-season run: “It’s very helpful to have a frame.” Sept 14 Bar Lis Party Bar Lis, Hollywood The Vinyl District hot spot kicked off its one-year-anniversary celebration…

From Hugh Jackman to Janelle Monáe, the biggest stars at the Toronto International Film Festival stopped by the Variety Studio to discuss their buzzy new projects and to break news. Brendan Fraser spoke for the first time about Warner Bros’ decision to cancel the release of “Batgirl,” calling the outcome “disappointing” but championing comic book fans for “getting this movie made,” while Jennifer Lawrence broke the internet by giving her hot take on the current season of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The Oscar winner and “Housewives” super fan slammed the “boring” new episodes and called cast member Erika Jayne “evil.” Check out the portraits below for more highlights. “As a Black man, I don’t know how many opportunities I’d have to right the ship.”– Tyler Perry “What this movie…

Norman Reedus never dreamt of being a star — and he definitely never thought it’d be possible to have his name on a star the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The “Walking Dead” star, who has been part of the massive AMC franchise for 12 years and will continue after the show ends with his own spinoff, has come a long way since being discovered the day he was fired from a motorcycle shop after getting into an argument with his boss. His attitude may have gotten him fired — but it also opened another door wide open. “A friend of mine said, ‘Hey, let me take you to a party to make you feel better. It was one of those big Hollywood parties in a big house,” he recalls of…