Exclusive: Sky has landed UK broadcast rights to music film My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80thAnniversary Concert.
The deal was announced today by the film executive producers Sophia Dilley from Concord Originals and Imogen Lloyd Webber from Concord Theatricals. Sky will broadcast the film in the UK on Sky Arts in May.
Directed by BAFTA winner Julia Knowles (The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration), the film celebrates the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and features iconic songs from The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Oklahoma! and others.
The film includes a concert captured in London in December 2023 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premiered the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Carousel, SouthPacific and The King and I.
It was headlined by the likes of recent Rogers & Hammerstein leading lady Joanna Ampil (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific); Olivier...
The deal was announced today by the film executive producers Sophia Dilley from Concord Originals and Imogen Lloyd Webber from Concord Theatricals. Sky will broadcast the film in the UK on Sky Arts in May.
Directed by BAFTA winner Julia Knowles (The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration), the film celebrates the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and features iconic songs from The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Oklahoma! and others.
The film includes a concert captured in London in December 2023 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premiered the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Carousel, SouthPacific and The King and I.
It was headlined by the likes of recent Rogers & Hammerstein leading lady Joanna Ampil (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific); Olivier...
- 3/20/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
MGM+ has announced the acquisition of the two-part docuseries “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, debuting on the streamer on March 17 and March 24 at 9 p.m. Edt/Pdt. It focuses on the career of musician Paul Simon.
Per the docuseries’ description, “In Restless Dreams” “juxtaposes Simon’s process of making a new album during the Covid-19 pandemic against archival material tracing Simon’s career and creative journey, including revelatory, previously unseen footage from such historic moments as the recording of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Graceland,’ Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable reunion concert in Central Park, and, 10 years later, Simon’s solo concert there, where he performed before 750,000 people.”
Making appearances in the docuseries are “Saturday Night Live” creator and producer Lorne Michaels, Simon’s wife and singer Edie Brickwell and composer Wynton Marsalis.
Alex Gibney (“The Inventor”) directs and produces, with Jigsaw, Closer Media and Anonymous Content jointly producing.
Per the docuseries’ description, “In Restless Dreams” “juxtaposes Simon’s process of making a new album during the Covid-19 pandemic against archival material tracing Simon’s career and creative journey, including revelatory, previously unseen footage from such historic moments as the recording of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Graceland,’ Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable reunion concert in Central Park, and, 10 years later, Simon’s solo concert there, where he performed before 750,000 people.”
Making appearances in the docuseries are “Saturday Night Live” creator and producer Lorne Michaels, Simon’s wife and singer Edie Brickwell and composer Wynton Marsalis.
Alex Gibney (“The Inventor”) directs and produces, with Jigsaw, Closer Media and Anonymous Content jointly producing.
- 12/6/2023
- by Jaden Thompson and Valerie Wu
- Variety Film + TV
MGM+, a premium linear channel and streaming service, today announced it has greenlit the true-crime docuseries The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood (working title), based on Michael Connelly’s (Bosch; The Lincoln Lawyer) hit Audible podcastof the same name. Directed by Alison Ellwood, the four-episode docuseries will be the definitive examination of the infamous Wonderland murder case in 1980s Los Angeles. The Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywoodwas released exclusively on Audible as a limited documentary podcast series and audiences have spent 150,000 hours listening to Connelly’s riveting investigation. On July 1, 1981, four people were discovered ... Read more...
- 11/8/2023
- by Thomas Miller
- Seat42F
We have some bad news for fans of Chapelwaite.
The horror drama will not be returning for a second season.
Co-creator and Executive Producer Jason Filardi took to X to share the sad news.
"I'm afraid Captain Boone's story ends on that beach of weathered, Maine sand," Filardi posted.
"There will be no Season 2. Thank you to all the Chapelwaite fans!"
Chapelwaite launched in August 2021, with the development of a second season being announced shortly after.
But with a lack of updates, fans were left pondering what would become of the series.
Unfortunately, it's likely that no episodes were produced for the planned second season, and Epix becoming MGM+ likely changed the streamer's priorities away from making the new season.
Set in the 1850s, the Chapelwaite follows Captain Charles Boone (Adrien Brody), who relocates his family of three children to his ancestral home in the small, seemingly sleepy town of Preacher's Corners,...
The horror drama will not be returning for a second season.
Co-creator and Executive Producer Jason Filardi took to X to share the sad news.
"I'm afraid Captain Boone's story ends on that beach of weathered, Maine sand," Filardi posted.
"There will be no Season 2. Thank you to all the Chapelwaite fans!"
Chapelwaite launched in August 2021, with the development of a second season being announced shortly after.
But with a lack of updates, fans were left pondering what would become of the series.
Unfortunately, it's likely that no episodes were produced for the planned second season, and Epix becoming MGM+ likely changed the streamer's priorities away from making the new season.
Set in the 1850s, the Chapelwaite follows Captain Charles Boone (Adrien Brody), who relocates his family of three children to his ancestral home in the small, seemingly sleepy town of Preacher's Corners,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
MGM+ has given the green light to true crime docuseries The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood.
The four-episode series is based on Michael Connelly’s podcast of the same name and will explore the infamous Wonderland murder case in 1980s Los Angeles. Connelly is also the author of the Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer series.
Alison Ellwood will direct the limited series.
“I love Alison’s work and look forward to working with her and MGM+,” Connelly said in a statement. “The Wonderland murders left an indelible impact on Hollywood, and exploring it with the original detectives and witnesses is exciting, and is going to help us answer many of the questions that are still out there.”
Here’s more about the case:
On July 1, 1981, four people were discovered severely beaten to death in a suburban home in Laurel Canyon on Wonderland Avenue. The murders’ aftermath spans two...
The four-episode series is based on Michael Connelly’s podcast of the same name and will explore the infamous Wonderland murder case in 1980s Los Angeles. Connelly is also the author of the Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer series.
Alison Ellwood will direct the limited series.
“I love Alison’s work and look forward to working with her and MGM+,” Connelly said in a statement. “The Wonderland murders left an indelible impact on Hollywood, and exploring it with the original detectives and witnesses is exciting, and is going to help us answer many of the questions that are still out there.”
Here’s more about the case:
On July 1, 1981, four people were discovered severely beaten to death in a suburban home in Laurel Canyon on Wonderland Avenue. The murders’ aftermath spans two...
- 11/7/2023
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Sound Unseen, the music documentary festival held in Minneapolis, is returning with a slew of rock docs including Alison Ellwood’s Cyndi Lauper film Let the Canary Sing and the North American premiere of Peter Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin about the Libertines co-founder.
The 24th iteration of the festival runs between November 8-12.
Let The Canary Sing will open the festival on Wednesday November 8 and Katia de Vidas’s Doherty film closes the festival on Sunday November 12.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing some of the best and most buzzed about music documentaries and fiction films of the year to Minneapolis”, said Sound Unseen Festival Director Jim Brunzell. “The entire team has done an incredible job and after the success of last year’s festival, we hope the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota audiences will bring the same energy and excitement to Sound Unseen more than ever.”
Federation...
The 24th iteration of the festival runs between November 8-12.
Let The Canary Sing will open the festival on Wednesday November 8 and Katia de Vidas’s Doherty film closes the festival on Sunday November 12.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing some of the best and most buzzed about music documentaries and fiction films of the year to Minneapolis”, said Sound Unseen Festival Director Jim Brunzell. “The entire team has done an incredible job and after the success of last year’s festival, we hope the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota audiences will bring the same energy and excitement to Sound Unseen more than ever.”
Federation...
- 10/4/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The Portuguese festival showcases documentaries from around the world.
The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.
Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.
The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.
Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.
Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...
The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.
Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.
The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.
Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.
Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The San Francisco music scene was bursting with magic during the Sixties and Seventies, from the rise of radio DJs and eye-catching poster artists to Rolling Stone magazine and a number of iconic acts who emerged from it, including the Grateful Dead, Sly and the Family Stone, Steve Miller, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, and Big Brother & the Holding Company. Directors Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Terzakian sought to bring audiences back to this lightning-in-a-bottle musical moment in San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time, which covers the years 1965 to 1975.
It...
It...
- 8/20/2023
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
The Bee Gees, The Go-Go’s, David Bowie, the Grateful Dead, Louis Armstrong, the Velvet Underground, and Tina Turner have something more in common than just musical greatness. They’ll all been the subject of recent documentaries, part of an explosion in popularity of the nonfiction genre.
Record companies used to be relatively passive partners in documentary making – licensing songs here and there. But with streaming platforms, theatrical distributors, and cable networks avid for music-driven docs and series, labels are stepping up to deliver nonfiction content themselves. Sony Music’s Premium Content Division has become a leader in the space.
“We have an incredible opportunity to pair up some of the best music artists in the world with some of the best filmmakers in the world and create new art between them,” notes Krista Wegener, EVP Premium Content Development, Sales and Distribution. “That’s a really exciting proposition and something...
Record companies used to be relatively passive partners in documentary making – licensing songs here and there. But with streaming platforms, theatrical distributors, and cable networks avid for music-driven docs and series, labels are stepping up to deliver nonfiction content themselves. Sony Music’s Premium Content Division has become a leader in the space.
“We have an incredible opportunity to pair up some of the best music artists in the world with some of the best filmmakers in the world and create new art between them,” notes Krista Wegener, EVP Premium Content Development, Sales and Distribution. “That’s a really exciting proposition and something...
- 8/8/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
From 1965 to 1975, San Francisco saw the rise of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Steve Miller, Santana, Moby Grape and more. A new two-part docuseries, San Francisco Sounds: A Place, examines this decade that propelled Bay Area musicians into the national scene.
The documentary is directed by Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Tertzakian, and comes from the same team behind the three-time Emmy-nominated documentary Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time including Jigsaw Productions, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Amblin Television, and Jeff Pollack.
The documentary is directed by Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Tertzakian, and comes from the same team behind the three-time Emmy-nominated documentary Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time including Jigsaw Productions, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Amblin Television, and Jeff Pollack.
- 8/2/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
A total of 24 feature films, including five world premieres, make up this year’s programme.
Edinburgh International Film Festival has unveiled a 24-title programme for 2023, featuring the world premiere of Janis Pugh’s feature debut Chuck Chuck Baby, and international titles spanning Europe, China, India and Japan.
There are five world premieres, plus five retrospective titles, five short films and an outdoor screening weekend of seven features.
Chuck Chuck Baby unfurls in a chicken factory in north Wales, and stars Louise Brealey, Annabel Scholey, Sorcha Cusack, Celyn Jones and Emily Fairn. It’s set in the present day, with a...
Edinburgh International Film Festival has unveiled a 24-title programme for 2023, featuring the world premiere of Janis Pugh’s feature debut Chuck Chuck Baby, and international titles spanning Europe, China, India and Japan.
There are five world premieres, plus five retrospective titles, five short films and an outdoor screening weekend of seven features.
Chuck Chuck Baby unfurls in a chicken factory in north Wales, and stars Louise Brealey, Annabel Scholey, Sorcha Cusack, Celyn Jones and Emily Fairn. It’s set in the present day, with a...
- 7/6/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The full line-up includes 21 world premieres, six European premieres and 60 Irish premieres.
Ireland’s Galway Film Fleadh (July 11-16) returns for its 35th edition with a line-up including opening night film Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s The Miracle Club, following its world premiere at Tribeca, that stars Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Agnes O’Casey.
The full line-up includes 21 world premieres, six European premieres and 60 Irish premieres from 43 countries, boasting 95 feature films in total.
Closing the festival will be the Irish premiere of Alison Ellwood-directed Cyndi Lauper documentary Let The Canary Sing, with the US ’Girls Just Want To Have Fun...
Ireland’s Galway Film Fleadh (July 11-16) returns for its 35th edition with a line-up including opening night film Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s The Miracle Club, following its world premiere at Tribeca, that stars Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Agnes O’Casey.
The full line-up includes 21 world premieres, six European premieres and 60 Irish premieres from 43 countries, boasting 95 feature films in total.
Closing the festival will be the Irish premiere of Alison Ellwood-directed Cyndi Lauper documentary Let The Canary Sing, with the US ’Girls Just Want To Have Fun...
- 6/27/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
When you see a documentary about a game-changing pop star, you assume you’re going to get the story of the music, and also a good look at the life, and that there’ll be enough (on both counts) to go around. I was eager to see “Let the Canary Sing,” a documentary portrait of Cyndi Lauper, because it’s directed by Alison Ellwood, who made “The Go-Go’s” a few years back, and that movie had everything: the drama, the trauma, the saga of a total pop-music reset, as we watched the Go-Go’s bust down doors that had been too tightly shut for too long. Cyndi Lauper was no less revolutionary a figure, arriving in the early ’80s, along with Madonna, to announce that we were in the midst of a seismic new definition of what it meant to be a female pop star. The definition was: a star...
- 6/16/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
In her professional life, Cyndi Lauper has been a kaleidoscope of personae: ’80s pop hitmaker; New Wave fashion guru; proto-Third-Wave feminist; LGBTQ activist; Broadway composer and lyricist; chameleon powerhouse vocalist; and bubble gum punk Brooklynese comedian.
Alison Ellwood’s 140-minute Lauper rockumentary Let the Canary Sing uncovers yet another side of the iconic musician — master technician. Lauper’s older sister Ellen describes her as such toward the end of the doc, quaintly encapsulating the film’s thesis. You may think of Lauper as one or all of the above identities, but recognizing her precision as a producer seems to be the only true way to understand her artistry. And like any pop diva, her public image is just as engineered as her albums.
Let the Canary Sing is slight but competent, a “Cyndi by Cyndi” opportunity for the singer and a choice group of her family, friends and collaborators to nostalgically recount her biography.
Alison Ellwood’s 140-minute Lauper rockumentary Let the Canary Sing uncovers yet another side of the iconic musician — master technician. Lauper’s older sister Ellen describes her as such toward the end of the doc, quaintly encapsulating the film’s thesis. You may think of Lauper as one or all of the above identities, but recognizing her precision as a producer seems to be the only true way to understand her artistry. And like any pop diva, her public image is just as engineered as her albums.
Let the Canary Sing is slight but competent, a “Cyndi by Cyndi” opportunity for the singer and a choice group of her family, friends and collaborators to nostalgically recount her biography.
- 6/15/2023
- by Robyn Bahr
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is one of Cyndi Lauper’s signature songs, but the iconic singer admits when she first recorded the track written by Robert Hazard, she thought: “It was like yawn and boring.”
“It wasn’t right for me. I sang his version. I sucked,” Lauper tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It was written by a guy and he was writing, ‘Hey, we’re lucky. They want to have fun. Here I am.’ And it wasn’t that way for me because I’m a woman. I’m not a man. And that would be a problem.”
But the budding singer did what she does best — takes matters in her own hands and got creative — flipping the song so it fit for her persona. And it became an international hit — one that is still recognizable 40 years after its release.
The story of “Girls” is one of many the Grammy,...
“It wasn’t right for me. I sang his version. I sucked,” Lauper tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It was written by a guy and he was writing, ‘Hey, we’re lucky. They want to have fun. Here I am.’ And it wasn’t that way for me because I’m a woman. I’m not a man. And that would be a problem.”
But the budding singer did what she does best — takes matters in her own hands and got creative — flipping the song so it fit for her persona. And it became an international hit — one that is still recognizable 40 years after its release.
The story of “Girls” is one of many the Grammy,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Polygram Entertainment, the film and television division of Universal Music Group, has announced that Daniel Inkeles will become the new senior vice president of film and television development and production.
Prior to his promotion, Inkeles was the vice president of scripted film and television for Umg. In that role he served as executive producer of NBC’s musical comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” During the series’ two-season run, it was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one for Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming. Inkeles was also an executive producer for Alison Ellwood’s Critics Choice-winning documentary “The Go-Go’s,” which centered around the American rock band of the same name, as well as the 2019 film, “Billie,” James Erskine’s documentary about Billie Holiday.
Inkeles is based in Los Angeles and will report to David Blackman, the executive vice president and head of film and television development and production for Umg.
Also Read:
‘Louis Armstrong...
Prior to his promotion, Inkeles was the vice president of scripted film and television for Umg. In that role he served as executive producer of NBC’s musical comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” During the series’ two-season run, it was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one for Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming. Inkeles was also an executive producer for Alison Ellwood’s Critics Choice-winning documentary “The Go-Go’s,” which centered around the American rock band of the same name, as well as the 2019 film, “Billie,” James Erskine’s documentary about Billie Holiday.
Inkeles is based in Los Angeles and will report to David Blackman, the executive vice president and head of film and television development and production for Umg.
Also Read:
‘Louis Armstrong...
- 6/1/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
It is directed by Alison Ellwood and financed by Sony Music Entertainment and Concord Originals.
London-based documentary specialist Dogwoof has picked up international sales, excluding North America, for Alison Ellwood’s Let The Canary Sing – a documentary feature chronicling US musician Cyndi Lauper’s career that has spanned over four decades.
It will world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June, and be introduced to buyers next week at Cannes.
Let The Canary Sing is a Fine Point Films production, produced by Trevor Birney, Eimhear O’Neill and Andrew Tully. It is executive produced by Lisa Barbaris and Gregory P. Cimino II,...
London-based documentary specialist Dogwoof has picked up international sales, excluding North America, for Alison Ellwood’s Let The Canary Sing – a documentary feature chronicling US musician Cyndi Lauper’s career that has spanned over four decades.
It will world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June, and be introduced to buyers next week at Cannes.
Let The Canary Sing is a Fine Point Films production, produced by Trevor Birney, Eimhear O’Neill and Andrew Tully. It is executive produced by Lisa Barbaris and Gregory P. Cimino II,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
The top-to-bottom rebrand of Epix into MGM+ under Amazon’s ownership means an increase in not only scripted series but also documentary content.
R.J. Cutler’s “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA” is the first of five docuseries that will stream on the new platform in 2023.
About Jack Roland Murphy, an infamous jewel thief turned murderer, “Murf the Surf” was commissioned by Epix three years ago after Imagine Documentaries’ president Sara Bernstein and her former co-president Justin Wilkes pitched the story to Michael Wright, former president of Epix and current head of MGM+. (Wilkes was recently promoted to president of Imagine Entertainment.) After reading a New York Times’ article with the headline “How a Band of Surfer Dudes Pulled Off the Biggest Jewel Heist in N.Y. History,” Bernstein and Wilkes were immediately intrigued.
“It read like an “Ocean’s Eleven” story,” Bernstein says. “So, we sought out Jack Murphy,...
R.J. Cutler’s “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA” is the first of five docuseries that will stream on the new platform in 2023.
About Jack Roland Murphy, an infamous jewel thief turned murderer, “Murf the Surf” was commissioned by Epix three years ago after Imagine Documentaries’ president Sara Bernstein and her former co-president Justin Wilkes pitched the story to Michael Wright, former president of Epix and current head of MGM+. (Wilkes was recently promoted to president of Imagine Entertainment.) After reading a New York Times’ article with the headline “How a Band of Surfer Dudes Pulled Off the Biggest Jewel Heist in N.Y. History,” Bernstein and Wilkes were immediately intrigued.
“It read like an “Ocean’s Eleven” story,” Bernstein says. “So, we sought out Jack Murphy,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Paul McCartney’s incredible creative output in the decade after he left The Beatles will come into focus in Man on the Run (working title), a documentary to be directed by Oscar and Grammy winner Morgan Neville.
Mpl and Polygram Entertainment – the film and television unit of Universal Music Group – announced the project today, a day before the 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The feature film will explore “Paul McCartney’s extraordinary life following the breakup of The Beatles and how the love he shared with Linda McCartney influenced a journey that would lead to the formation of Wings and more of the greatest music ever created.”
Paul and Linda McCartney, circa 1970.
Neville, whose directing credits include 20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, and Roadrunner: An Anthony Bourdain Movie, has been granted access to never-before-seen home videos and photos from the archives...
Mpl and Polygram Entertainment – the film and television unit of Universal Music Group – announced the project today, a day before the 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The feature film will explore “Paul McCartney’s extraordinary life following the breakup of The Beatles and how the love he shared with Linda McCartney influenced a journey that would lead to the formation of Wings and more of the greatest music ever created.”
Paul and Linda McCartney, circa 1970.
Neville, whose directing credits include 20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, and Roadrunner: An Anthony Bourdain Movie, has been granted access to never-before-seen home videos and photos from the archives...
- 2/4/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
More changes are afoot within the television industry.
Epix, the premium television network delivering a broad lineup of quality original series and docuseries, the latest movie releases, and classic film franchises, will rebrand as MGM+ on January 15, 2023.
Don't worry; your favorite content and ways to access it will remain fairly static.
Epix made the announcement today, saying the rebranding will exemplify the network's brand promise to provide premium cinematic television and a curated leading theatrical library, delivered by one of the world's most enduring entertainment brands.
The rebranded network will continue to deliver premium content with scripted originals, including the Emmy-winner Godfather of Harlem, the epic romantic adventure Billy the Kid, the contemporary sci-fi horror thriller From, and bold dramas Rogue Heroes and Belgravia.
The new brand will be unveiled in conjunction with The Godfather of Harlem Season 3.
The show's second season was Epix's best performing season of all time,...
Epix, the premium television network delivering a broad lineup of quality original series and docuseries, the latest movie releases, and classic film franchises, will rebrand as MGM+ on January 15, 2023.
Don't worry; your favorite content and ways to access it will remain fairly static.
Epix made the announcement today, saying the rebranding will exemplify the network's brand promise to provide premium cinematic television and a curated leading theatrical library, delivered by one of the world's most enduring entertainment brands.
The rebranded network will continue to deliver premium content with scripted originals, including the Emmy-winner Godfather of Harlem, the epic romantic adventure Billy the Kid, the contemporary sci-fi horror thriller From, and bold dramas Rogue Heroes and Belgravia.
The new brand will be unveiled in conjunction with The Godfather of Harlem Season 3.
The show's second season was Epix's best performing season of all time,...
- 9/28/2022
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
There’s another plus in town – Epix is being rebranded as MGM+.
The cable network and streaming service is getting a new name and identity as well as a handful of new titles, as part of a relaunch set for January 2023.
MGM+ joins the likes of Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, ESPN+ and BET+ with the use of the symbol.
It comes five years after the vaunted Hollywood studio completed its acquisition of Viacom and Lionsgate’s stake in the business, giving it full control of the network, and five months after Amazon completed its own acquisition of MGM.
As part of the rebrand, the network, which will continue to be available in the U.S. on Prime Video, cable, telco, satellite, has handed out a number of greenlights.
Hotel Cocaine, which comes from Narcos’ Chris Brancato, has been handed an eight-episode order and Julian Fellowes’ British period drama Belgravia has been given a follow-up series.
The cable network and streaming service is getting a new name and identity as well as a handful of new titles, as part of a relaunch set for January 2023.
MGM+ joins the likes of Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, ESPN+ and BET+ with the use of the symbol.
It comes five years after the vaunted Hollywood studio completed its acquisition of Viacom and Lionsgate’s stake in the business, giving it full control of the network, and five months after Amazon completed its own acquisition of MGM.
As part of the rebrand, the network, which will continue to be available in the U.S. on Prime Video, cable, telco, satellite, has handed out a number of greenlights.
Hotel Cocaine, which comes from Narcos’ Chris Brancato, has been handed an eight-episode order and Julian Fellowes’ British period drama Belgravia has been given a follow-up series.
- 9/28/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Alex Gibney is adapting Michael Pollan’s mind-altering substance book How To Change Your Mind for Netflix.
Gibney is exec producing the four-part docuseries, which is based on The New York Times best-selling author’s book, which looks at what the science of psychedelics teaches people about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression and transcendence.
How To Change Your Mind is presented in four parts, each focused on a different mind-altering substance: LSD, psilocybin, Mdma, and mescaline.
With Pollan as guide, viewers will journey to the frontiers of the new psychedelic renaissance – and look back at almost-forgotten historical context – to explore the potential of these substances to heal and change minds as well as culture.
The docuseries launches on July 12.
The series is directed by Emmy-nominated Alison Ellwood, who has directed films such as Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, History of the Eagles, and Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search...
Gibney is exec producing the four-part docuseries, which is based on The New York Times best-selling author’s book, which looks at what the science of psychedelics teaches people about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression and transcendence.
How To Change Your Mind is presented in four parts, each focused on a different mind-altering substance: LSD, psilocybin, Mdma, and mescaline.
With Pollan as guide, viewers will journey to the frontiers of the new psychedelic renaissance – and look back at almost-forgotten historical context – to explore the potential of these substances to heal and change minds as well as culture.
The docuseries launches on July 12.
The series is directed by Emmy-nominated Alison Ellwood, who has directed films such as Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, History of the Eagles, and Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search...
- 6/16/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
In 1980, Cyndi Lauper found herself in court with her fellow Blue Angel bandmates, mixed up in a legal dispute with former manager Steve Massarsky. He sued the group for 80,000 and the singer filed for bankruptcy. When the case was finalized, she recalled to Rolling Stone in 1984, the judge exclaimed: “Let the canary sing!” Now, Lauper is taking that iconic line and lending it to Sony Music Entertainment as the title of her forthcoming definitive, career-spanning documentary.
Now in production via Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division, Let the Canary...
Now in production via Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division, Let the Canary...
- 5/3/2022
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Sony Music Entertainment is officially in production for a Cyndi Lauper documentary titled “Let The Canary Sing,” a feature-length film that promises to explore the singer’s 30-plus year career.
The film, which is being made in partnership with Lauper herself, will be directed by award-winning documentarian Alison Ellwood, who most recently directed the Emmy-nominated two-part documentary, “Laurel Canyon.” Ellwood has also previously collaborated with Fine Point Films on “The Go-Go’s,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Music Film at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
“Like many people, I assumed when Cyndi Lauper burst onto the music scene in the early ’80s, that she was another young star experiencing a meteoric rise to fame and success thanks to MTV,” said Ellwood. “Her music videos were wild and colorful, her songs like ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ were infectious. But as it turns out,...
The film, which is being made in partnership with Lauper herself, will be directed by award-winning documentarian Alison Ellwood, who most recently directed the Emmy-nominated two-part documentary, “Laurel Canyon.” Ellwood has also previously collaborated with Fine Point Films on “The Go-Go’s,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Music Film at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
“Like many people, I assumed when Cyndi Lauper burst onto the music scene in the early ’80s, that she was another young star experiencing a meteoric rise to fame and success thanks to MTV,” said Ellwood. “Her music videos were wild and colorful, her songs like ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ were infectious. But as it turns out,...
- 5/3/2022
- by Thania Garcia
- Variety Film + TV
Epix is continuing to rock with new music documentaries and is throwing some scares into the equation.
The MGM-owned cable network has ordered the four-part series Women Who Rock, exec produced by John Varvatos, who was behind its Punk series.
It is the latest music-focused series for the network, which recently aired Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records and has put a slew of titles into development (see the list below).
It has also ordered docuseries The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders and renewed NFL Icons for a second season.
Women Who Rock will feature interviews with the likes of Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. It will pay homage to the legion of female pioneers in music who have stormed...
The MGM-owned cable network has ordered the four-part series Women Who Rock, exec produced by John Varvatos, who was behind its Punk series.
It is the latest music-focused series for the network, which recently aired Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records and has put a slew of titles into development (see the list below).
It has also ordered docuseries The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders and renewed NFL Icons for a second season.
Women Who Rock will feature interviews with the likes of Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. It will pay homage to the legion of female pioneers in music who have stormed...
- 2/3/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Polygram Entertainment, the film and television arm of Universal Music Group, is embarking on a feature documentary about iconic singer Donna Summer, with some of the biggest names in nonfiction attached to the project.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will direct Donna, alongside Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano. Williams is producing with Oscar nominee Julie Goldman, Emmy winners Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements, and Polygram chief David Blackman.
Donna marks the latest in an ambitious slate of films and series from Polygram Entertainment, leveraging the artists and catalogues of Umg. Polygram’s recent documentaries include Oscar contender The Velvet Underground, Emmy-winner The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, and The Apollo, the winner of the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Special that was directed by Williams and on which Goldman served as an executive producer.
“We had been involved in The Apollo documentary with Roger,...
Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will direct Donna, alongside Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano. Williams is producing with Oscar nominee Julie Goldman, Emmy winners Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements, and Polygram chief David Blackman.
Donna marks the latest in an ambitious slate of films and series from Polygram Entertainment, leveraging the artists and catalogues of Umg. Polygram’s recent documentaries include Oscar contender The Velvet Underground, Emmy-winner The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, and The Apollo, the winner of the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Special that was directed by Williams and on which Goldman served as an executive producer.
“We had been involved in The Apollo documentary with Roger,...
- 12/16/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Go-Go’s are releasing their documentary of the same name this coming winter, featuring interviews with Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin. Part of the film focuses on the band’s efforts to write a new song, “Club Zero,” about female empowerment — and they dropped the video for the track Friday.
Directed by Alison Ellwood, the documentary first premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival before airing on Showtime during the summer, when the Covid-19 pandemic made a wide theatrical release out of the question.
Directed by Alison Ellwood, the documentary first premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival before airing on Showtime during the summer, when the Covid-19 pandemic made a wide theatrical release out of the question.
- 11/20/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
“It’s complete bullsh*t…he has no idea what he’s talking about” is a quote from the trailer from Totally Under Control, Alex Gibney’s documentary that chronicles Donald Trump and the White House’s failed response to the coronavirus pandemic. The trailer for the upcoming Neon film caught the eyes of over 6 million viewers in its first 72 hours across all platforms since its Friday release, which pretty much shows that the world is searching for the truth.
The trailer comes in the wake of the Covid soup that has brewed in the White House as President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and numerous members of his administration and the Republican party have tested positive for the coronavirus. The documentary was directed by Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger and was filmed in secrecy over the last four months.
On January 20, 2020 the U.S. and South Korea both...
The trailer comes in the wake of the Covid soup that has brewed in the White House as President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and numerous members of his administration and the Republican party have tested positive for the coronavirus. The documentary was directed by Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger and was filmed in secrecy over the last four months.
On January 20, 2020 the U.S. and South Korea both...
- 10/5/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
As film and TV try their best to get back into production amidst the constraints of a global pandemic, Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has been quietly filming a documentary for the past four months with Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger. The project, titled Totally Under Control puts a spotlight on the White House’s failed response to the global pandemic and how it could have been prevented. Neon announced today that they will be releasing the docu in October.
Gibney, Harutyunyan and Hillinger dive deep into how this happened and the pandemic’s devastating impact. The film gives damning testimony from public health officials and hard investigative reporting, Gibney exposes a system-wide collapse caused by a profound dereliction of Presidential leadership.
“With an extraordinary team of collaborators, I was compelled to mount this production when I saw the scale of incompetence and political corruption by the Trump Administration in the face of a global pandemic,...
Gibney, Harutyunyan and Hillinger dive deep into how this happened and the pandemic’s devastating impact. The film gives damning testimony from public health officials and hard investigative reporting, Gibney exposes a system-wide collapse caused by a profound dereliction of Presidential leadership.
“With an extraordinary team of collaborators, I was compelled to mount this production when I saw the scale of incompetence and political corruption by the Trump Administration in the face of a global pandemic,...
- 9/10/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Altitude handles international sales.
Neon is planning a pre-election US release and Altitude will handle international sales on an Alex Gibney documentary that exposes the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic crisis in the US.
Details of the film, which is called Totally Under Control and shot secretly over the last four months, emerged on Thursday (September 10) with less than two months to go before the US election.
Neon plans to release the film in October.
Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger co-directed and obtained testimony from public health officials that argues a system-wide collapse and dereliction of...
Neon is planning a pre-election US release and Altitude will handle international sales on an Alex Gibney documentary that exposes the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic crisis in the US.
Details of the film, which is called Totally Under Control and shot secretly over the last four months, emerged on Thursday (September 10) with less than two months to go before the US election.
Neon plans to release the film in October.
Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger co-directed and obtained testimony from public health officials that argues a system-wide collapse and dereliction of...
- 9/10/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Neon has nabbed rights to Alex Gibney’s documentary “Totally Under Control,” detailing the White House response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and plans to release the film in October.
Neon made the announcement Thursday, a day after revelations from journalist Bob Woodward that President Donald Trump admitted he knew weeks before the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus death that the virus was dangerous and repeatedly downplayed it publicly. The distributor said “Totally Under Control” has been filming for the past four months.
“With an extraordinary team of collaborators, I was compelled to mount this production when I saw the scale of incompetence and political corruption by the Trump Administration in the face of a global pandemic,” Gibney said. “Now we know that by Feb. 7, Trump knew that Covid was, in his words, ‘a deadly virus.’ But instead of working to protect the American people by containing the virus, the current...
Neon made the announcement Thursday, a day after revelations from journalist Bob Woodward that President Donald Trump admitted he knew weeks before the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus death that the virus was dangerous and repeatedly downplayed it publicly. The distributor said “Totally Under Control” has been filming for the past four months.
“With an extraordinary team of collaborators, I was compelled to mount this production when I saw the scale of incompetence and political corruption by the Trump Administration in the face of a global pandemic,” Gibney said. “Now we know that by Feb. 7, Trump knew that Covid was, in his words, ‘a deadly virus.’ But instead of working to protect the American people by containing the virus, the current...
- 9/10/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Alex Gibney has a new documentary film called “Totally Under Control” aimed at President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Neon will release the movie this October ahead of the general election, the distributor announced Thursday.
Gibney, an Oscar winner for “Taxi to the Dark Side,” has been quietly filming the documentary alongside co-directors Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger for the past four months. In “Totally Under Control” they ask the simple question as deaths — which currently number 190,000 in the U.S. — have continued to rise, “How did this happen?”
Gibney criticizes carelessly designed lockdowns and how the economic effects of those lockdowns have led to 23 million job losses, not to mention widespread hunger, dislocation and a runaway federal deficit. The documentary asserts that much of this destruction could have been avoided if the federal government had followed guidelines and acted properly, even as the Trump administration makes a...
Gibney, an Oscar winner for “Taxi to the Dark Side,” has been quietly filming the documentary alongside co-directors Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger for the past four months. In “Totally Under Control” they ask the simple question as deaths — which currently number 190,000 in the U.S. — have continued to rise, “How did this happen?”
Gibney criticizes carelessly designed lockdowns and how the economic effects of those lockdowns have led to 23 million job losses, not to mention widespread hunger, dislocation and a runaway federal deficit. The documentary asserts that much of this destruction could have been avoided if the federal government had followed guidelines and acted properly, even as the Trump administration makes a...
- 9/10/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Selection includes Sundance, Berlinale and Rotterdam award-winners.
The Sarajevo Film Festival (August 14-21) has revealed the 15 features selected for its Kinoscope strand, including award-winners from Sundance, the Berlinale and Rotterdam.
Scroll down for full lineup
Titles include South Korea’s The Woman Who Ran, which won the Silver Bear in Berlin for director Hong Sangsoo, and Shirley, starring Elisabeth Moss, which won the Auteur Filmmaking award at Sundance for director Josephine Decker.
Cannes 2020 label title Garagine, which proved one of the buzziest arthouse titles at the virtual Marche du Film, has also been selected as well as South Korea’s Beasts Clawing At Straws,...
The Sarajevo Film Festival (August 14-21) has revealed the 15 features selected for its Kinoscope strand, including award-winners from Sundance, the Berlinale and Rotterdam.
Scroll down for full lineup
Titles include South Korea’s The Woman Who Ran, which won the Silver Bear in Berlin for director Hong Sangsoo, and Shirley, starring Elisabeth Moss, which won the Auteur Filmmaking award at Sundance for director Josephine Decker.
Cannes 2020 label title Garagine, which proved one of the buzziest arthouse titles at the virtual Marche du Film, has also been selected as well as South Korea’s Beasts Clawing At Straws,...
- 8/3/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
The Go-Go’s aren’t in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. It’s a fact repeated quite a few times in Alison Ellwood’s documentary on the titular band, and “The Go-Go’s” doesn’t just lift the veil on the Los Angeles punk band-turned-pop goddesses but also attempts to cast an eye on the misogyny of a music industry that hasn’t given the band their due. “The Go-Go’s” lit the world on fire, and while Ellwood’s documentary might not do the same thing, it’s a great crash course.
Ellwood’s name, frankly, is worth the Showtime subscription in itself. She helmed the utterly brilliant documentary on the Laurel Canyon music scene for Epix earlier this year, and if you saw that, then it’s hard to avoid comparisons with “The Go-Go’s” despite the fact the two very different musical stylings. Elwood brings...
Ellwood’s name, frankly, is worth the Showtime subscription in itself. She helmed the utterly brilliant documentary on the Laurel Canyon music scene for Epix earlier this year, and if you saw that, then it’s hard to avoid comparisons with “The Go-Go’s” despite the fact the two very different musical stylings. Elwood brings...
- 7/31/2020
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Alison Ellwood’s “The Go-Go’s,” a documentary about that pioneering all-female band that premieres on July 31 on Showtime, is one of my favorite nonfiction films of 2020. But as I said when I interviewed Ellwood and the band at the Sundance Film Festival in January, I can’t even pretend to be an objective reporter when it comes to this movie, because I’ve known the Go-Go’s since before their first album came out in 1981, and I wrote about them often and with affection over the years.
As someone who was around the band during their first years of existence and sporadically since then, I found that Ellwood told the story with sympathy but also honesty. The Go-Go’s were always tougher than their frothy, happy image suggested, and there was always infighting and excesses of various kinds — and the film shows all the dimensions of the story,...
As someone who was around the band during their first years of existence and sporadically since then, I found that Ellwood told the story with sympathy but also honesty. The Go-Go’s were always tougher than their frothy, happy image suggested, and there was always infighting and excesses of various kinds — and the film shows all the dimensions of the story,...
- 7/31/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Ahead of the Friday premiere of a documentary celebrating the Go-Go’s, the band has released “Club Zero,” their first new song in 19 years.
The self-produced song was created via email exchanges between band members and recorded at studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In the closing scene of the Showtime doc The Go-Go’s — premiering tonight, July 31st — the reunited band is shown working on the track, as well as performing “Club Zero” at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go, a one-time stomping ground of the trailblazing all-female rock group.
The self-produced song was created via email exchanges between band members and recorded at studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In the closing scene of the Showtime doc The Go-Go’s — premiering tonight, July 31st — the reunited band is shown working on the track, as well as performing “Club Zero” at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go, a one-time stomping ground of the trailblazing all-female rock group.
- 7/31/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
This review originally ran in January as part of our Sundance Film Festival 2020 coverage.
Even if you’ve seen the footage before, in L.A. punk docs and Vh-1 specials, it’s still thrilling to watch: Five women on stage, their outfits resembling a day-glo mix of thrift-store chic and a temper tantrum’s aftermath, two different kinds of eyeshadow and smeared streaks of rouge fighting for dominance, bashing out crude anthems at the Masque Club. “They played three songs, and two of them were the same song,” one witness remembers about that gig.
Even if you’ve seen the footage before, in L.A. punk docs and Vh-1 specials, it’s still thrilling to watch: Five women on stage, their outfits resembling a day-glo mix of thrift-store chic and a temper tantrum’s aftermath, two different kinds of eyeshadow and smeared streaks of rouge fighting for dominance, bashing out crude anthems at the Masque Club. “They played three songs, and two of them were the same song,” one witness remembers about that gig.
- 7/31/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Do not ask the Go-Go’s what they thought of their infamous 1997 episode of VH1’s Behind the Music. They did not like it.
“We really were unhappy,” frontwoman Belinda Carlisle says. “It dwelled more on the darker moments and all the negative stuff. We were kind of embarrassed and very, very disappointed.”
“We felt like that representation of us was really salacious,” guitarist and singer Jane Wiedlin says. “But it’s not like VH1 treated us any different than anyone else. I’m 100 percent convinced they had a template: the rise,...
“We really were unhappy,” frontwoman Belinda Carlisle says. “It dwelled more on the darker moments and all the negative stuff. We were kind of embarrassed and very, very disappointed.”
“We felt like that representation of us was really salacious,” guitarist and singer Jane Wiedlin says. “But it’s not like VH1 treated us any different than anyone else. I’m 100 percent convinced they had a template: the rise,...
- 7/30/2020
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
When the Los Angeles based band the Go-Go’s was at the top of the rock world in the 1980s, there were easy labels to describe the five young women who were the first all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs and hit No. 1 on the charts.
“They would always describe us as cute, bubbly and effervescent,” lead singer Belinda Carlisle said at theWrap’s studio at Sundance Film Festival, where director Alison Ellwood’s documentary “The Go-Go’s” premiered in January. “It was very superficial and it didn’t describe who we really are.”
“It’s such a ready-made hook,” bassist Kathy Valentine added. “It fits into the general myth of Cinderella and Prince Charming. We were Cinderella and the public was Prince Charming, and they just embraced the myth of this scrappy little band. It fit with the archetypes — the gender boxes, I like to call them.
“They would always describe us as cute, bubbly and effervescent,” lead singer Belinda Carlisle said at theWrap’s studio at Sundance Film Festival, where director Alison Ellwood’s documentary “The Go-Go’s” premiered in January. “It was very superficial and it didn’t describe who we really are.”
“It’s such a ready-made hook,” bassist Kathy Valentine added. “It fits into the general myth of Cinderella and Prince Charming. We were Cinderella and the public was Prince Charming, and they just embraced the myth of this scrappy little band. It fit with the archetypes — the gender boxes, I like to call them.
- 7/27/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
When the Los Angeles based band the Go-Go’s was at the top of the rock world in the 1980s, there were easy labels to describe the five young women who were the first all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs and hit No. 1 on the charts. “They would always describe us as cute, bubbly and effervescent,” lead singer Belinda Carlisle said at theWrap’s studio at the Sundance Film Festival, where director Alison Ellwood’s documentary “The Go-Go’s” premiered in January. “It was very superficial and it didn’t describe who we really are.” “It’s such a ready-made hook,” added bassist Kathy Valentine. “It fits into the general myth of Cinderella and Prince Charming. We were Cinderella and the public was Prince Charming, and they just embraced the myth of this scrappy little band. It fit with the archetypes – the gender boxes, I like to call them.
- 7/27/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Remember when July was going to be the month when everything would be back to normal? Tenet and Mulan would play theaters, summer movie season would be in full swing, and we could start to put this whole Covid-19 catastrophe behind us? [Cue laughter that quickly turns into sobbing] Sadly, that hasn’t been the case — and if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that no release date is set in stone. That doesn’t mean, however, that there won’t be plenty to watch before Labor Day weekend. Like, for example, a new Seth Rogen comedy,...
- 7/27/2020
- by Keith Phipps
- Rollingstone.com
The Go-Gos’ lips are very unsealed, thankfully, in the documentary named after the band that debuts on Showtime July 31. It’ll be all the reunion that anyone gets for now: a brief summer tour that was announced when the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January is, of course, on hold until Go-Go music can safely make the world dance again. But the film from director Alison Ellwood (“Laurel Canyon”) will be a happy — if occasionally harrowing — occasion for fans of a band that has remained intermittently intact since “We Got the Beat” took the world by storm 40 years ago.
Variety spoke individually with all five members of the group about the film, their place in history and the perennial subject of why they aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — something Ellwood’s film might finally joyfully cajole certain committees into making happen.
Variety spoke individually with all five members of the group about the film, their place in history and the perennial subject of why they aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — something Ellwood’s film might finally joyfully cajole certain committees into making happen.
- 7/24/2020
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The vicar will continue his sleuthing: PBS has renewed Grantchester for Season 6, stars Tom Brittney and Robson Green announced via Instagram on Friday.
The PBS Masterpiece/ITV series is set in the quaint but crime-ridden village of Grantchester, England, where the unlikely duo of Detective Geordie Keating (Green) and Reverend William Davenport (Brittney), an Anglican vicar, investigate crime.
More from TVLineHomeschool Musical, Starring Real Students From Cancelled High School Productions, Ordered at HBO MaxTVLine Items: Impractical Jokers at Home, Lilly Singh Renewed and MorePerformer of the Week: Tracey Ullman
The show’s Season 5 finale airs this Sunday at 9/8c.
Ready...
The PBS Masterpiece/ITV series is set in the quaint but crime-ridden village of Grantchester, England, where the unlikely duo of Detective Geordie Keating (Green) and Reverend William Davenport (Brittney), an Anglican vicar, investigate crime.
More from TVLineHomeschool Musical, Starring Real Students From Cancelled High School Productions, Ordered at HBO MaxTVLine Items: Impractical Jokers at Home, Lilly Singh Renewed and MorePerformer of the Week: Tracey Ullman
The show’s Season 5 finale airs this Sunday at 9/8c.
Ready...
- 7/17/2020
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
Update Showtime has shifted the premiere date for Alison Ellwood’s documentary feature The Go-Go’s to Friday, July 31 at 9 pm Et/Pt. An encore replay is set for Saturday, August 1 at 7:20 pm Et/ 4:20pm Pt.
Previous, May 13 Showtime has set premiere dates for documentary features The Go-Go’s and Belushi and the four-part docuseries Love Fraud.
The Go-Go’s, director Allison Ellwood’s documentary feature which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, will premiere Saturday, August 1 at 9 pm Et/Pt. The docu chronicles the first all-female band to play its own instruments, write its own songs and soar to No. 1 on the album charts. Featuring candid testimonies, Ellwood’s film charts the meteoric rise to fame of a band born of the L.A. punk scene that not only captured but created a zeitgeist.
R.J. Cutler’s Belushi will premiere Sunday, September 27 at 9 pm Et/Pt. Using...
Previous, May 13 Showtime has set premiere dates for documentary features The Go-Go’s and Belushi and the four-part docuseries Love Fraud.
The Go-Go’s, director Allison Ellwood’s documentary feature which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, will premiere Saturday, August 1 at 9 pm Et/Pt. The docu chronicles the first all-female band to play its own instruments, write its own songs and soar to No. 1 on the album charts. Featuring candid testimonies, Ellwood’s film charts the meteoric rise to fame of a band born of the L.A. punk scene that not only captured but created a zeitgeist.
R.J. Cutler’s Belushi will premiere Sunday, September 27 at 9 pm Et/Pt. Using...
- 7/16/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Established in 1978, but reaching true fame in the 1980s, The Go-Go’s are still going strong today and their rollicking story of New Wave stardom has received the documentary treatment. Premiering earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival, Alison Ellwood’s documentary received much acclaim and now ahead of a Showtime release next month, the first trailer has landed.
John Fink said in his review, “The all-female punk band that defined mall culture in the early 1980s with the opening tune of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Go-Go’s are still shockingly kicking ass in their 60s as a new lively, definitive documentary captures. Exploring the winding path from punk rock obscurity in L.A. to pop stardom and the lows between, director Alison Ellwood never misses a beat as the band looks back at how they came together on their own without the intervention of a label...
John Fink said in his review, “The all-female punk band that defined mall culture in the early 1980s with the opening tune of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Go-Go’s are still shockingly kicking ass in their 60s as a new lively, definitive documentary captures. Exploring the winding path from punk rock obscurity in L.A. to pop stardom and the lows between, director Alison Ellwood never misses a beat as the band looks back at how they came together on their own without the intervention of a label...
- 7/10/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Rock star David Crosby likens it to Paris in the 1930s, or even the Italian Renaissance.
The creative flowering that grew out of the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles in the 1960s produced some of the greatest music of that or any other era, changing the culture and the lives of some of rock & roll’s most gifted talents.
“We used to call it Oz,” remembers Johnny Echols of the band Love.
“It’s little rabbit runs,” Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas tells Deadline of the neighborhood that threads through the Hollywood Hills. “Everyone was very accessible. All you had to do was walk down the street and you were at somebody’s house and they had a guitar or a piano. It was very communal.”
Members of The Mamas and the Papas, Love, The Byrds, The Doors, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Monkees, The Eagles...
The creative flowering that grew out of the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles in the 1960s produced some of the greatest music of that or any other era, changing the culture and the lives of some of rock & roll’s most gifted talents.
“We used to call it Oz,” remembers Johnny Echols of the band Love.
“It’s little rabbit runs,” Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas tells Deadline of the neighborhood that threads through the Hollywood Hills. “Everyone was very accessible. All you had to do was walk down the street and you were at somebody’s house and they had a guitar or a piano. It was very communal.”
Members of The Mamas and the Papas, Love, The Byrds, The Doors, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Monkees, The Eagles...
- 7/2/2020
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Showtime has released the official trailer for The Go-Go’s, an upcoming documentary that delves into the wholly unique story of the titular all-female New Wave band. The doc will premiere on Showtime August 1st at 9 p.m. Et.
The clip offers a broad breakdown of the band’s lightning-fast journey to stardom, which started in the late Seventies when they were just a fledgling act in the Los Angeles punk scene. “Their set was three songs long and two of them were the same song!” remembers punk poet Pleasant Gehman with a laugh.
The clip offers a broad breakdown of the band’s lightning-fast journey to stardom, which started in the late Seventies when they were just a fledgling act in the Los Angeles punk scene. “Their set was three songs long and two of them were the same song!” remembers punk poet Pleasant Gehman with a laugh.
- 7/1/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
When you’re watching “Laurel Canyon,” it’s easy to become overwhelmed with how many influential musical acts came out of that area and it’s something that filmmaker Alison Ellwood was able to discover in a very natural manner. “It’s amazing how these artists were connected to one another and that was one of the things that we discovered very organically in the process of making the films, that we would find these connections that were so wonderful,” she tells us in our recent webchat (watch the video above). But even with all the musical acts that are shown in the film, there were still a few that Ellwood wasn’t able to include. “I would have loved to have included Carole King and James Taylor, who were both part of that scene, at least for a while.”
SEEEmmys 2020 exclusive: HBO categories for ‘Succession,’ ‘Watchmen,’ ‘Westworld’ and more...
SEEEmmys 2020 exclusive: HBO categories for ‘Succession,’ ‘Watchmen,’ ‘Westworld’ and more...
- 6/29/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
‘The Mole Agent’, ‘Max Richter’s Sleep’ and ‘Laurel Canyon’ have all sold.
UK documentary specialist Dogwoof has sealed deals for three of its new titles heading into the online Cannes Marché du Film.
Maite Alberdi’s Sundance title The Mole Agent has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Madman); Scandinavia (NonStop); Israel (Yesdocu); China (DDdream); and Brazil (Globoplay). It follows Sergio, an 83-year-old widower in a retirement home who becomes a spy when one of the resident’s children becomes suspicious of the conditions.
Max Richter’s Sleep by Natalie Johns has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Madman...
UK documentary specialist Dogwoof has sealed deals for three of its new titles heading into the online Cannes Marché du Film.
Maite Alberdi’s Sundance title The Mole Agent has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Madman); Scandinavia (NonStop); Israel (Yesdocu); China (DDdream); and Brazil (Globoplay). It follows Sergio, an 83-year-old widower in a retirement home who becomes a spy when one of the resident’s children becomes suspicious of the conditions.
Max Richter’s Sleep by Natalie Johns has sold to Australia and New Zealand (Madman...
- 6/21/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Their names are familiar to anyone who grew up on SoCal rock. In various combinations, guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel, bassist Leland Sklar, and drummer Russ Kunkel contributed to countless albums by James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, and Don Henley, among many others.
What they’ve never done is make a record on their own, but after nearly 50 years of playing together, these veterans have finally done just that. Calling themselves the Immediate Family, a nod to their connections to classic-rock all-stars, the band — which also includes singer,...
What they’ve never done is make a record on their own, but after nearly 50 years of playing together, these veterans have finally done just that. Calling themselves the Immediate Family, a nod to their connections to classic-rock all-stars, the band — which also includes singer,...
- 6/11/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
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