David Richardson Dies: ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Two and a Half Men & ‘F Is For Family’ Writer-Producer Was 65

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentChiara Bellosi, whose first work, “Ordinary Justice,” launched from Berlin’s Generation 14plus section in 2020, is back with “Swing Ride” (“Calcinculo”) about an overweight 15-year-old named Benedetta pining for attention in an Italian province where she falls in love with the skinny non-binary Amanda.A key difference between the two films is that while “Ordinary Justice,” which examined the lives of two families on opposite sides of a murder case, originated from a deeply researched screenplay that Bellosi wrote, “Swing Ride” — premiering in Panorama on Feb. 13 — stems from a prizewinning script proposed to her by Carlo Cresto Dina, her producer, who also discovered Alice Rohrwacher (“Happy as Lazzaro”) and is known for nurturing the cream of Italy’s new cinematic crop.   “It’s a very different process; it was the first time that I had to start from a world that didn’t germinate from me,” said Bellosi about working from the script penned by Maria Teresa Venditti and Luca De Bei that won Italy’s prestigious Solinas prize in 2018.It was like moving into a new house that she had to make her own, she said.“I worked with the writers; I wanted to make a few tweaks and we did that together,” she added, noting that initially “it was a leap into the void.” But directing from their screenplay actually ended up giving her “more freedom” than her previous pic because “the container is already there; but you can go pretty wild with the rest.”This freedom also made it more fun.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMK2 Films, the banner behind Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” has boarded “Love Life,” the anticipated next film of laureled Japanese director Koji Fukada. Fukada’s credits include the 2016 movie “Harmonium” which won the jury prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, as well as “A Girl Missing” which played at Toronto. His latest film, “The Real Thing” was part of Cannes 2020’s Official Selection.

K.J. Yossman Fresh from appearing in Netflix hit Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” Mark Rylance’s latest big screen outing is “The Outfit,” in which he stars as Leonard, a 1950s tailor. It is a role that could not be more dissimilar to the fictional megalomaniac billionaire Peter Isherwell, whom Rylance plays in McKay’s disaster movie.Written and directed by Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning scribe behind “The Imitation Game,” “The Outfit” sees Rylance star as a Savile Row tailor who has fled across the Atlantic to escape his tragic past.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTrustNordisk has closed a flurry of sales on a pair of 3D-animated family features, “Little Allan — The Human Antenna” and “The Super,” underscoring the market appeal of independent youth-skewing movies.“Little Allan – The Human Antenna” marks Danish film Amalie Naesby Fick’s follow up to her commercially successful debut “The Incredible Story of The Giant Pear,” which premiered in the the Generation Kplus section at Berlin in 2018. This year, the helmer has her daring drama series “Sex” selected for the Berlinale Series.The film takes place during summer vacation, when introverted, 11-year old Allan starts acting as a human antenna for his old neighbor, who thinks a huge invasion fleet from the outer space is on its way.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorAhead of Sunday’s world premiere of documentary “1341 Frames of Love and War,” which plays in Berlinale Special, Variety spoke to Israeli writer/director Ran Tal about the film and its subject, Israeli war photographer Micha Bar-Am.In some ways “Frames” continues Tal’s interest in Israeli history evident in his previous work, “What If? Ehud Barak on War and Peace,” which centered on the former prime minister of Israel. Bar-Am was born in Berlin in 1930, but grew up in what became Israel, and across a five decade-long career as a photographer he documented many of the major episodes – in particular the wars – in the life of the young country, founded in 1948.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentRAI Com is launching sales at the online EFM on Giuseppe Piccioni’s Fascist-era drama ‘L’Ombra del giorno,” starring Italian A-lister Riccardo Scamarcio (“Three Floors”) and Benedetta Porcaroli (“Baby,” “The Catholic School”).Pic, which Scamarcio produced, is a love story with a thriller twist set in 1938, two years before Italy entered World War II. It unfolds entirely in the central Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, a hidden gem with gorgeous medieval monuments, churches and piazzas.The film’s title translates as “The Shadow of the Day,” a reference to the darkness of Fascism.Luciano (Scamarcio), a wounded World War I veteran and a sympathizer of Fascism like most Italians at the time, runs a classy restaurant overlooking the town’s ancient square.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for paying two of the most important benefits that can help certain people with the cost of heating their home when the temperature drops - Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments. We have created a simple guide to help you understand what each benefit is, how much they are worth, who is elaigible and how to claim.

Kate Hudson sat down with Willie Geist for a “Today” interview on Sunday, and the “Almost Famous” star opened up about the unique challenges of raising three children from three different fathers.

Lisa Kennedy A nice-enough young man kills a nice boy. One is Mexican, the other white.

Halfway housing scheme known locally as ‘The Gaza’, that she refuses to allow her nursing home colleagues to drop her off outside her flat.

The Times reports that it leaves many in a precarious position as they wait to receive the emergency Government funding that was announced to keep businesses afloat.

Martin Lewis has shared top tips on how to cut your broadband costs during the annual ‘bill-buster’ segment on his weekly TV show. The latest episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, focused on how to cut your energy and utility bills for the year ahead and one of the biggest areas for making instant savings is on broadband and line rental.

Sign up to the weekly West Lothian Courier newsletter for the latest West Lothian news and sport.Since the start of the pandemic in March, the Money Talk Team has supported 149 households in West Lothian and helped 54 of those bring missing money home and be better off by an average of £1982.The Money Talk Team helps families across West Lothian to maximise their income by advising them on how to save cash by reducing bills and ensure they are claiming all of the benefits and grants they’re entitled to.The Money Talk Team is a free, confidential and personalised service delivered by the Citizens Advice Network in Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, offering families financial advice and support during these tough times.One call

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorShares of Spotify took a hit after analysts at Citi downgraded the stock because the audio-streaming giant hasn’t shown “any material benefit” from its $800 million-plus investment in podcasting content and tech.Spotify’s stock price fell more than 5% Friday in morning trading, outpacing smaller declines in the broader market.

Kate Hudson is putting family first.

KATIE Price has emotionally declared that her son Harvey 'isn't a thing to poke fun at'. The star went on to say how being a mum to a disabled child is a ‘badge of honour’.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed that almost 25,000 Self Assessment customers have set up an online payment plan to manage their tax liabilities in up to 12 monthly instalments, totalling £69.1 million. In October, HMRC increased the threshold for self-serve Time to Pay arrangements from £10,000 to £30,000 for Self Assessment customers.

Survivor: Palau star Angie Jakusz has sadly died after a battle with cancer at just 40-years-old. The tragic news was confirmed via an obituary published by her family via Louisiana news site Nola.com, noting that she died on Friday, January 8, 2021. “Angie was an incredibly passionate person with an extraordinary lust for life,” the obituary read. “Whether she was sewing, painting, drawing, doing nail art or makeup, costuming, reading, snorkeling, scuba diving, traveling or just raising hell, she did it lovingly and with laser precision,” her family also added. Learn more about the gone-too-soon reality star here.