News

David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Ava DuVernay's impassioned Selma

Author, journalist, and fellow First Time Fest juror Gay Talese hosted an Alabama Night in New York screening at Paramount Pictures of Ava DuVernay's Oscar nominated film Selma, a forceful and passionate look at a turning point in Civil Rights history. David Oyelowo in a spectacular performance as Martin Luther King Jr., Carmen Ejogo as his wife Coretta, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Tim Roth as Alabama Governor George Wallace, Keith Stanfield as Jimmie Lee Jackson, with Oprah Winfrey, Common, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tessa Thompson, Dylan Baker, Giovanni Ribisi, Martin Sheen and Alessandro Nivola are part of the remarkable ensemble.

Gay Talese with Mark Nelson and Culpepper Clark: "In 1965, I was one of the reporters covering this story…" Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Glory, performed by John Legend and Common with music and lyrics by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn,...

Paper Mill Playhouse presents its winter comedy, Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This touching and wickedly hysterical Tony Award-winning best play features Broadway, television and film veterans Philippe Bowgen Spike, Gina Daniels Cassandra,Carolyn McCormick Masha, Mark Nelson Vanya, Michele PawkSonia and Jamie Ann Romero Nina. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be directed by Don Stephenson. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater, now through February 15, 2015. The official press opening night is Sunday, January 25, at 700pm. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...

Paper Mill Playhouse presents its winter comedy, Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This touching and wickedly hysterical Tony Award-winning best play features Broadway, television and film veterans Philippe Bowgen Spike, Gina Daniels Cassandra, Carolyn McCormick Masha, Mark Nelson Vanya, Michele Pawk Sonia and Jamie Ann Romero Nina. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be directed by Don Stephenson. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from tonight, January 21 through February 15, 2015. The official press opening night is Sunday, January 25, at 700pm.

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced casting for its winter comedy, Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This touching and wickedly hysterical Tony Award-winning best play features Broadway, television and film veterans Philippe Bowgen Spike, Gina Daniels Cassandra, Carolyn McCormick Masha, Mark Nelson Vanya, Michele Pawk Sonia and Jamie Ann Romero Nina. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be directed by Don Stephenson. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from January 21 through February 15, 2015. The official press opening night is Sunday, January 25, at 700pm. Paper Mill Playhouse's 2014-2015 Season is sponsored by Investors Bank.

Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "The Good Wife" episode 10 of season 6. The episode is entitled, "The Trial," and it sounds like things will get pretty shocking and intense as Cary's trial deal, might leave him contemplating serving jail time,and more! In the new, 10th episode press release: Cary's case is going to go to trial. Press release number 2: When Cary’s case goes to trial, a plea deal offer is going to have him seriously considering jail time. Also, a joke between mother and daughter, will land Alicia in trouble as her campaign for State’s Attorney is in full stride. David Hyde Pierce Returns as Frank Prady. Guest stars feature: Michael Cerveris (James Castro), Nicole Roderick (Nora), David Paymer (Judge Richard Cuesta), John Ventimiglia (Detective Gary Prima), Eric Ruffin (Dylan Bishop), Mark Green (Dante Wallach), Chris Jackson (Michael Wood), Zak Orth...

In keeping with their tradition of bringing a few extra treats for fans around Halloween, DC Comics has released previews of their holiday-themed variant covers that will be hitting store shelves in October. The covers will span such titles as Action Comics, Aquaman, Justice League and others – each featuring our favorite heroes as zombies, vampires and mummies from such artists as Neal Adams, Rafael Albuquerque, Chris Burnham, Mark Nelson, Jason Pearson and Aaron Loprestis.

Click to see larger image

“Action Comics” #35 by Neal Adams

“Aquaman” #35 by Mark Nelson

“Batman and Robin” #35 by Chris Burnham

“Justice League” #35 by Rafael Albuquerque

“Superman” #35 by Jason Pearson

“Wonder Woman” #35 by Aaron Lopresti

via [Buzzfeed]...

Screen Australia is investing $5.4 million in six feature films from directors Gillian Armstrong,. Jeremy Sims and Paul Cox and rising filmmakers Kim Farrant, Mark Grentell and Alexs Stadermann.

Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving will star in Farrant.s Strangerland, a mystery drama about a couple whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert.

Michael Caton and Jacki Weaver are attached to star in Sims. Last Cab to Darwin, a comedy-drama about a dying man.s final journey based on Reg Cribb's play Last Cab to Darwin.

Caton will play Rex, a terminally ill cab driver who drove 3,000 km from his home in Broken Hill to Darwin in the early 1990s in hopes of taking advantage of the Northern Territory's voluntary euthanasia laws. Ningali Lawford has been cast as Polly, an Aboriginal woman who is Rex.s next door neighbour and occasional lover,...

How has "My Name is Asher Lev" never been made into a movie? The novel by Chaim Potok, about a young Hassidic Jew who becomes a controversial and successful fine artist (painting crucifixations of all things) is one of those mainstays of primary education so you'd think that there would be a movie. Most of those get-em-while-they're-young classic novels can claim multiple film versions. But there's only been runs at the stage. I recently saw a new adaptation by Aaron Posner at the Westside Theater. 

The production was minimally staged but the set was a moody beauty. The night I attended the understudy for the female roles (there are only three actors in the production) went on. Turns out she was Chaim Potok's actual daughter! Imagine that.

Ari BrandAri Brand was constantly on the stage in the title role but adeptly swung around between various ages from little boy to...

Here's a great World War I set animated short called The Jockstrap Raiders. The story follows "a group of misfits during world war I. It takes place in Leeds, England where our heroes are all excluded from the war due to various abnormalities. Threatened by the invading German Kaiser and his army, they must learn to become a team and overcome their deficiencies in order to save Britain, and the world."

The short was made at UCLA by Mark Nelson as his Mfa thesis project. It has won several awards that include the Student Academy Award; Best Animation, British Animation Festival; Best Animation, Macon Film Festival; Best Narrative Short GI Film Festival, and the Orlando Film Festival; Audience Award.

I thought the short was really fun and entertaining. I think you'll enjoy it so check it out!

The Jockstrap Raiders from Mark Nelson on Vimeo.

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The upcoming episode of Theater Talk features cast members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton from Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf,' the Steppenwolf Theater production currently on Broadway, followed by Ari Brand, Jenny Bacon and Mark Nelson from 'My Name is Asher Lev,' the Aaron Posner adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel, playing off-Broadway at the Westside Theater.

The upcoming episode of Theater Talk features cast members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton from Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf,' the Steppenwolf Theater production currently on Broadway, followed by Ari Brand, Jenny Bacon and Mark Nelson from 'My Name is Asher Lev,' the Aaron Posner adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel, playing off-Broadway at the Westside Theater.

Beverly Hills, Calif. — Students from across Southern California dominated the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 39th annual Student Academy Awards.

Amanda Tasse of the University of Southern California and David Wolter of California Institute of the Arts were among the five students hailing from Southern California schools. Both received gold medals, the highest honor at Saturday's ceremony at the motion picture academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Other winners of the gold medal included David Winstone of the University of Westminster in London, Mark Raso of Columbia University in New York and Keiko Wright of New York University.

The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight trophies.

At the 84th annual Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzo...

Thirteen students from colleges and universities around the world were honored tonight (June 9) as winners at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 39th Annual Student Academy Awards. The medal placements were announced at the awards ceremony, which featured as presenters actors Laura Dern, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Greg Kinnear and Mena Suvari alongside Academy President Tom Sherak at the Academy.s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The winners are:

Alternative

Gold Medal*:    .The Reality Clock,. Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California

*Only one winner was selected in this category.

Animation

Gold Medal:      .Eyrie,. David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts

Silver Medal:    .The Jockstrap Raiders,. Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles

Bronze Medal:  .My Little Friend,. Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design

Documentary

Gold Medal:      .Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment,. Keiko Wright, New York University

Silver Medal:    .Dying Green,. Ellen Tripler, American University

Bronze Medal:  .Lost Country,...

They don’t get an Oscar just yet, but the winners of the Student Academy Awards certainly get a boost as they set out to tell their stories on the big screen.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors a wide selection of student films each year, and this 39th class includes tales both harrowing, heartbreaking and hilarious — from a man placing a desperate bet on a horse to save his dog, to a border patrol agent robbing a cartel to save her own life. The winners in each category will be honored Saturday night, where gold, silver,...

Ten students from nine U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles to join the international student winners in the Foreign Film category for a week of industry activities. The festivities will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy.s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where the placements in each category will be announced.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title in each category):

Alternative

“The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California*

*Only one winner was selected in this category.

Animation

“Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts

“The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles

“My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design

Documentary

“Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler,...

Attention, Hollywood! Your next generation has arrived. Ten students from nine U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as winner in the Academy's 39th Annual Student Academy Awards Competition. In the past, winners of the Student Academy Awards have received a total of 46 Oscar nominations, including last year's Live Action Short Film nominees Hallvar Witzo and Max Zahle. The awards ceremony will take place June 9 at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills. The complete list of winning films is reprinted below: Alternative "The Reality Clock," Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California* *Only one winner was selected in this category. Animation "Eyrie," David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts "The Jockstrap Raiders," Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles "My Little Friend," Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design Documentary ...

Thirty-five students from 20 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists. films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles, along with the international student winners in the Foreign Student Film category, for a week of industry activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy.s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):

Alternative

“Falconer,” Micah Robert Barber, University of Texas at Austin

“In Between Shadows,” Tianran Duan, University of Southern California

“Last Remarks,...