AVATAR 2: THE WAY OF WATER. GRAN TURISMO. SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. BARBIE. Collectively, these four films released over the last 12 months raked in over $4.5 BILLION DOLLARS in box office revenue–nearly $1.75 BILLION DOLLARS in the US alone. Heck, I even saw two of them in theatres. These were not mere hits. They … Read more
Imagine if experience had been a requirement for one of the most iconic roles in movie history. Lana Turner, Katherine Hepburn, Loretta Young, Helen Hayes, and even Lucille Ball all auditioned for Gone with the Wind’s Scarlett O’Hara. But according to SLATE’s Rebecca Onion, it appearently wasn’t: The producer David O. Selznick took more than two years … Read more
Ted Sarandos had the cameras turned on him yesterday at the Bloomberg Screentime Conference, hours after he apparently led the Gang of Four ostensibly attempting to work a deal with the union that represents those who do it best out the door in a hissy-fit that have now stalled negotiations and has yet again brought … Read more
This is a story about the legendary John Gilbert. No, not the venerable announcer of JEOPARDY and one-time emcee of MUSIC BINGO, still going strong today in his late 90s. The one that died more than 80 years ago and never saw his 40th birthday. When Louis B. Mayer, cofounder of MGM, wanted to break … Read more
At a time when we could all use something to distract us from other news, FRASIER’s long-awaited return drops today on Paramount+, and not a moment too soon. It’s been waaaaay too long since we were able to get a visit from Dr. Crane, and if ever we needed a good session with a Harvard-degreed … Read more
Would you have swooned over someone named Archie Leech? Would you have been afraid of a showdown with someone named Marion Morrison? In classic Hollywood, many studio executives felt there would have been no way you could have felt that way. Many of the Old Hollywood stars you know and love—Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Judy … Read more
It was both poignant and ironic that I had just left the FOX lot in Century City when I saw this alert flash onto my phone at a traffic light. Per DEADLINE’s Erik Pedersen: Jonathan Dolgen, a respected longtime entertainment industry executive known for his tough dealmaking and attention to budgets while chairman of Viacom … Read more
We celebrate Hollywood and its great history in these HOLLYWOOD FACTOIDS, which will continue through the end of this week before fading into obscurity. (Perhaps not, if perhaps the call to action at the top and the bottom of this musing is finally heeded). But have you ever wondered why Hollywood even exists in the … Read more
It’s another fall before a Presidential election, and once again we have an outsider with some radical views declaring his intention to run for the office of President of the United States. This time, thankfully, no “golden escalator” was in sight. All I saw in the background of yesterday’s annoucement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. … Read more
The legendary John Barrymore, patriarch of one of the most talented and successful families in the history of stages and screens, was known as THE GREAT PROFILE because of his rugged, handsome, chiseled features that had our great-grandmothers lusting. Probably a handful of our great-grandfathers as well. But for as cherished as Barrymore’s profile may … Read more