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Oscar, Tony-nominated writer-director Douglas McGrath dies
Read full article: Oscar, Tony-nominated writer-director Douglas McGrath diesStage, TV and film writer-director Douglas McGrath, who earned a Tony nomination for โBeautiful: The Carole King Musicalโ and an Oscar nod for the โBullets Over Broadwayโ screenplay he co-wrote with Woody Allen, has died.
Letters sent to Garcรญa Mรกrquez to be shown in Mexico City
Read full article: Letters sent to Garcรญa Mรกrquez to be shown in Mexico CityWhile reviewing the photo archives left by Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcรญa Mรกrquez, one of his granddaughters came across a mysterious plastic box with the word โgrandchildrenโ written on its label.
Collection of Norman Mailer's writing finds new publisher
Read full article: Collection of Norman Mailer's writing finds new publisherAn anthology of the late Norman Mailerโs writing that Random House allegedly had scheduled for his centennial in 2023, but backed off from, will be released by a publisher that has taken on such discarded works as Woody Allenโs memoir โApropos of Nothingโ and a Philip Roth biography written by Blake Bailey.
Penelope Cruz honored by MoMA for her career in cinema
Read full article: Penelope Cruz honored by MoMA for her career in cinemaDuring a tribute to her career at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), Penelope Cruz recalled the Betamax videotape store that opened in her neighborhood, in a suburb of Madrid, when she was a child and that made her discover cinema.
Philip Roth biography, pulled last month, has new publisher
Read full article: Philip Roth biography, pulled last month, has new publisherA long-awaited book about Philip Roth that was pulled last month amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against biographer Blake Bailey has a new publisher.
HBO docuseries to explore Woody Allen, Mia Farrow fallout
Read full article: HBO docuseries to explore Woody Allen, Mia Farrow falloutFILE - Director Woody Allen attends a special screening of "Wonder Wheel" on Nov. 14, 2017, in New York. A docuseries about the relationship of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow and its fallout is coming to HBO. The four-part documentary series is titled "Allen v. Farrow" and will debut Feb. 21, 2021, on HBO. Allen and Previn didn't participate in the documentary, nor did Moses Farrow, the son of Allen and Mia Farrow. โAllen v. Farrow,โ from filmmakers Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering and Amy Herdy, will debut Feb. 21 on HBO, with episodes airing weekly.
New this week: 'Resident Alien,' Arlo Parks & 'Palmer'
Read full article: New this week: 'Resident Alien,' Arlo Parks & 'Palmer'This image released by Syfy shows Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle in a scene from the new series "Resident Alien," premiering Wednesday on Syfy. โ AP Film Writer Jake CoyleMUSICโ iHeartRadioโs fifth annual ALTer EGO show dedicated to contemporary rock artists starring Billie Eilish, Foo Fighters and Coldplay will air virtually on Thursday night. โ British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks is having a breakthrough, and she can count former first lady Michelle Obama as a fan. โ If a wacky sci-fi series sounds appealing, check out โResident Alien.โ Alan Tudyk plays Harry, masquerading as a small-town doctor โ and a human โ after crash-landing on Earth. Based on the comic book series of the same name, โResident Alienโ debuts 10 p.m. EST Wednesday on SyFy.
Publishing saw upheaval in 2020, but 'books are resilient'
Read full article: Publishing saw upheaval in 2020, but 'books are resilient'(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)NEW YORK โ Book publishing in 2020 was a story of how much an industry can change and how much it can, or wants to, remain the same. To its benefit and to its dismay, publishing was drawn into the events of the moment. Penguin Random House, among other initiatives, asked all employees to read Ibram X. Kendiโs โHow To Be an Anti-Racist.โ Kendi later presided over a company town hall. Macmillan CEO Don Weisberg, who cited a wide range of diversity programs at the publishing house that began before โAmerican Dirt,โ said he โunderstands the skepticism." The CEO of Penguin Random House U.S., Madeline McIntosh, noted how well book publishing could meet the public's needs during the pandemic and other events of 2020.
Trump books will continue after Trump leaves office
Read full article: Trump books will continue after Trump leaves officeNEW YORK โ One of publishing's most thriving genres of the past four years, books about President Donald Trump, is not going to end when he leaves office. In 2021 and beyond, look for waves of releases about the Trump administration and about the president's loss to Democratic candidate Joe Biden. โBut there are tens of millions of Americans who look to the Trump presidency as an important time and are fans of his administration. Center Street, a Hachette Book Group imprint, has published Donald Trump Jr., Newt Gingrich and Judge Jeanine Pirro among others. Any publisher signing with Trump or a top administration official might face the anger not just of Trump critics among the general public, but from within the industry.
Broadway veteran Nick Cordero dies from virus complications
Read full article: Broadway veteran Nick Cordero dies from virus complicationsFILE - In this April 10, 2014, file photo, actor Nick Cordero attends the after-party for the opening night of "Bullets Over Broadway" in New York. Tony Award-nominated actor Cordero, who specialized in playing tough guys on Broadway in such shows as Waitress, A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway, has died in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. Cordero died Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Cedars-Sinai hospital after more than 90 days in the hospital, according to his wife, Amanda Kloots. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP, File)
Broadway veteran Nick Cordero dies from virus complications
Read full article: Broadway veteran Nick Cordero dies from virus complicationsFILE - In this April 10, 2014, file photo, actor Nick Cordero attends the after-party for the opening night of "Bullets Over Broadway" in New York. Tony Award-nominated actor Cordero, who specialized in playing tough guys on Broadway in such shows as Waitress, A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway, has died in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. Cordero died Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Cedars-Sinai hospital after more than 90 days in the hospital, according to his wife, Amanda Kloots. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero, who specialized in playing tough guys on Broadway in such shows as Waitress, A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway, has died in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. Cordero died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai hospital after more than 90 days in the hospital, according to his wife, Amanda Kloots.
2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fall
Read full article: 2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fallFILE - In this Feb. 23, 2018, file photo, Garrison Keillor poses for a photo in Minneapolis. Keillor has two books coming out this fall, his first releases since sexual harassment allegations were made against the author and humorist three years ago. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen, File)NEW YORK Garrison Keillor will have two books out this fall a novel and a memoir marking his first releases since sexual harassment allegations were made against the author and humorist three years ago. Arcade Publishing announced Thursday that Keillor's The Lake Wobegon Virus, which continues his popular Lake Wobegon series and ties it to the current pandemic, is coming Sept. 8. "The people of Lake Wobegon were waiting for the chance to go wild and so the book wrote itself.
Spike Lee issues apology after defending Woody Allen
Read full article: Spike Lee issues apology after defending Woody AllenNEW YORK After voicing support for Woody Allen and criticizing cancel culture, Spike Lee apologized Saturday for words he said were wrong.In an interview Friday on the New York radio station WOR 710, Lee called Allen a great, great filmmaker.This cancel thing is not just Woody. Woodys a friend of mine, said Lee. "I know hes going through it right now.The following day, Lee tweeted an apology. Earlier this year, he released a memoir through Arcade Publishing after his original publisher, Hachette Book Group, dropped the book amid widespread criticism. Lee's latest film, the Vietnam War drama Da 5 Bloods, debuted Friday on Netflix.
'Exorcist' actor Max von Sydow dies at age 90
Read full article: 'Exorcist' actor Max von Sydow dies at age 90"It is with a broken heart and with infinite sadness that we have the extreme pain of announcing the departure of Max von Sydow,โ Diamond said. In 1980, von Sydow starred as the evil emperor Ming the Merciless in "Flash Gordon." He was baptized Carl Adolf von Sydow, but later changed his first name to Max. โIโm very grateful to the schooling I had in Sweden because in order to learn acting you have to work, work, work,โ he said. Von Sydow married Swedish actress Christina Olin in 1951 and had two sons, Clas and Henrik.
Publisher cancels plans to release Woody Allen memoir
Read full article: Publisher cancels plans to release Woody Allen memoirNEW YORK, N.Y. โ Woody Allenโs publisher has decided to cancel the planned release of his memoir โApropos of Nothing.โThe announcement Friday by Hachette Book Group followed days of criticism focused on allegations that Allen sexually abused his daughter Dylan Farrow. โThe decision to cancel Mr. Allenโs book was a difficult one. At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly,โ the publisher announced. Allen has denied any wrongdoing and was never charged after two separate investigations in the 1990s. Ronan Farrow followed up a day later, calling Hachetteโs decision โwildly unprofessional.โ Both he and his sister complained that the publisher had not reached out to fact check their fatherโs book.
Dylan and Ronan Farrow blast upcoming Woody Allen memoir
Read full article: Dylan and Ronan Farrow blast upcoming Woody Allen memoirNEW YORK, N.Y. โ An upcoming memoir by Woody Allen is being blasted by two of his children, daughter Dylan Farrow and author-journalist Ronan Farrow. Dylan Farrow, who alleged Allen molested her as a child in the early 1990s, calls the upcoming release โdeeply upsetting.โ Allen has denied any wrongdoing, and he was never charged after two separate investigations. Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced Monday that the book is called โApropos of Nothingโ and will be released April 7. Dylan Farrow added that she was never contacted by fact-checkers for the memoir: โThis provides yet another example of the profound privilege that power, money and notoriety affords. He also said he had no notice that Allen's book was forthcoming.
Long-rumored Woody Allen memoir coming in April
Read full article: Long-rumored Woody Allen memoir coming in AprilThis cover image released by Grand Central Publishing shows "Apropos of Nothing," an autobiography by Woody Allen, to be released on April 7. (Grand Central Publishing via AP)NEW YORK, N.Y. โ A memoir by Woody Allen, rumored for years and once thought unpublishable in the #MeToo era, is coming out next month. An Allen memoir nearly came out more than a decade ago. In 2018-2019, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir. An Allen memoir once seemed the most obvious of publications.
Why 'cancel culture' doesn't always work
Read full article: Why 'cancel culture' doesn't always workSome people rail against this "cancel culture" while others say it's necessary. "[Cancel culture] doesn't really work," Wortham says. This, in a lot of ways, is what cancel culture has become. Some people argue that cancel culture is justified because celebrities are facing repercussions for their actions. After Gillis was fired from "SNL" for racist jokes he made as recently as 2018, comedian Jim Jeffries said, "This is just cancel culture.
Scarlett Johansson 'would work' with Woody Allen 'anytime'
Read full article: Scarlett Johansson 'would work' with Woody Allen 'anytime'Scarlett Johansson (L) and director Woody Allen arrive at the premiere of Weinstein Company's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" at the Mann Village Theater on Aug. 4, 2008, in Westwood, California. (CNN) - Scarlett Johansson is facing major backlash for some reported comments about controversial director Woody Allen. Johansson was asked during the interview how she felt about Allen and said, "I love Woody. "Scarlett Johansson vehemently defending Woody Allen, further solidifying herself as one of the worst people working in Hollywood," Michael Cuby, editor-at-large for Them, tweeted. Johansson was asked during the interview about her stance on Allen in light of the "cultural environment where there is a new and powerful emphasis on believing women's allegations."
Woody Allen sues Amazon Studios for reneging on movie deal
Read full article: Woody Allen sues Amazon Studios for reneging on movie dealNEW YORK โ Oscar-winning director Woody Allen is suing Amazon Studios for breach of contract, claiming it reneged on a deal to finance and distribute his future films without legal basis. According to the lawsuit, Amazon backed out of its agreement with Allen and his production company in June after Dylan Farrow became more vocal about her accusation that her father had molested her. "Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year-old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen -- and, in any event it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract," the lawsuit said. According to the lawsuit, Amazon entered into an agreement with Allen's Gravier Productions to finance and distribute at least four Allen films. The lawsuit claims Allen completed the first, "A Rainy Day in New York," when Amazon "simply refused to make its guaranteed payment and purported to terminate" the contract.