Julie Taymor to Head Jury at Tokyo Film Festival

published Friday by ET Online, credited his longevity to a force of will that led him to take risks that paid off. One of those risks was the hosting job on “Saturday Night Live,” a gig he said several people close to him advised him not to take.“If you want to do it a long time, be prepared to be brave and say ‘Yes’ to things that maybe other people in your life are going to be worried about,” Lowe, 58, advised to up-and-coming actors and other TV and film artists. “I mean, I had people in my life telling me not to host ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I know today it seems like everybody does it, but there was a time when people were like, ‘I don’t know.

“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” Kevin Feige is actually K.E.V.I.N., an artificial intelligence bot. The show wasn’t always planned to end that way, though.In the episode, now streaming on Disney+, we find Jennifer Walters back at Emil Blonsky’s retreat, hoping to escape from the havoc that Intelligencia wreaked on her life. As it turns out, Intelligencia is having their own retreat at the lodge, with Abomination as a guest speaker.

Lea Michele and Tovah Feldshuh have been starring on Broadway in Funny Girl for the past month and they’ve been getting rave reviews for their performances!

Lisa Rinna is opening up about the booing she received at BravoCon.

Victoria Beckham steps out in two more fashionable looks in New York City to cap off her week on Friday (October 14).

Lily Collins is teasing a dreamy and dramatic third season of her hit Netflix series, “Emily in Paris”.

Weighing in. Southern Charm personality Marcie Hobbs shared her thoughts on Taylor Ann Green’s comments about how Shep Rose treats his parents.

Back to his roots. Big Brother alum Joseph Abdin finally returned to his home state of Florida after spending several weeks in L.A. with the winner of his season, Taylor Hale, after the September finale.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Arcade Fire is having trouble keeping name acts in the opening slots for its arena tours. Beck has now dropped out of his position as the opener for the group’s U.S. tour, without any explanation so far. In an email sent to ticket buyers, Beck was described only as “unfortunately no longer able to join Arcade Fire on their upcoming North American tour. Taking his place will be Boukman Eksperyans,” described as a Grammy-nominated Haitian roots band. Contacted by Variety, Beck’s reps declined to comment on his bowing out. The move was not necessarily a surprise, as fans had already been speculating whether the singer-songwriter might exit the Arcade Fire outing, after Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct in an August Pitchfork article. Feist dropped out of her opening slot on the European leg of the tour after playing just the first two dates.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Assemble Media, a literary incubator which concurrently develops its book projects for film and TV adaptation, has sold five new titles to major publishers. Founded by by director and producer Jack Heller, the round of sales includes “Eat Post Like” (to Avon, division of HarperCollins), “Promposal” (to Joy Revolution, an imprint of Delacorte at Penguin Random House), “The Wayside,” “The Light Between Sirens,” and “The Girls From Hush Cabin” (to Blackstone Publishing).  All of Assemble’s intellectual property and book concepts are developed in-house then packaged with writers and shopped to publishers. Heller’s team includes Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen and Steven Salpeter, president of literary and IP development.“The original concepts that come to life from the collaboration of our Assemble team and brilliant writers truly showcase the ingenuity and boldness of those behind the scenes,” said Heller. “We have been extremely lucky to work alongside inspiring individuals and  love watching these projects develop.”The company has served as producers on films like Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain. They also recently sold “Instafamous” to MGM and Orion TV, an original Assemble Media concept written by Alexis Nedd. It was included in the first issue of their Blackstone-published short story publication Assemble Artifacts. Read a brief synopsis of each project: “Eat Post Like” by Emily Arden Wells: Pitched as “Emily in Paris” meets “Eat Pray Love,” the story follows a woman who discovers her newly deceased-boyfriend is behind one of the most popular food critic social media accounts. She decides to take his place on a tour around the world to discover great meals and herself.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Veteran film executive Kylie Munnich has joined leading Australian independent producer Goalpost Pictures as its CEO. She takes up the newly-created position from Nov. 1, 2022, after recently departing from Screen Queensland, which she headed for the past three years. Prior to Screen Queensland, Kylie worked as a scripted sales and co-production executive for Seven Studios, Australia. Before that, she was senior VP for distribution Asia-Pacific for Sonar Entertainment overseeing sales for premium drama series such as Tom Hardy’s “Taboo” and Pierce Brosnan’s “The Son.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China recorded an unchanged top five films and its weakest box office weekend since Chinese New Year. Nationwide gross box office was just $18.6 million. Comedy drama film “Give Me Five” held on to the top spot for the third week, with a weekend score of $6.3 million (RMB43.3 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. It now has a cumulative of $46.4 million since release on Sept. 9, 2022. The film is the story of a young man who is helping his father rediscover his lost memories. As he does so, he is transported back in time and accidentally alters his parent’s pasts. That means he must reunite the pair or risk never being born. It stars Ma Li Chang Yuan and Wei Xiang and is directed by Zhang Luan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sally Aitken a two-time Emmy nominated writer and director (“Playing with Sharks”) and producer and media executive Aline Jacques (“Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story”) have launched SAM Content. The Sydney-based independent production company will develop and produce all genres of unscripted and scripted projects for local platforms and the international marketplace. They open their doors with four film and TV shows in production with Australian broadcasters and screen agencies. They include an untitled Wiggles project in partnership with Augusto Entertainment’s Cass Avery and Daniel Story, and with funding from federal screen agency Screen Australia. The Wiggles is a successful children’s musical group that has been on the scene for 30 years and has been involved with both TV and film.

Liza Foreman Murky blue- brown images, bringing to mind a Lorca play developed for today’s premium TV audience, fill the screen in the trailer for “The Gypsy Bride,” from “Penny Dreadful” director Paco Cabezas, which world premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival. The fiction is produced by ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS), with the participation of Atresmedia Televisión, and in collaboration with Diagonal TV. As well as presenting the first season of the series at the Spanish-speaking world’s highest-profile festival, Cabezas, the show’s creator and director had something else to celebrate on Wednesday. 

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor With Oscar season fully underway following the Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, buzz is building for the latest offerings from marquee filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Darren Aronofsky,Sarah Polley and Alejandro G. Iñárritu. But behind the scenes, look for leading artisans to also be recognized for their work on high-profile contenders; within the film community, these names have become as renowned as the directors and A-listers with whom they work. Here are some titans of the crafts who could add a nomination and even an Oscar win to their résumés when the Academy Awards are dispensed in March. Catherine MartinProduction designer“Elvis”

For decades, the big rumor around “Poltergeist” is that credited director Tobe Hooper didn’t actually helm the film’s production. Instead, the story goes, Steven Spielberg ghost-directed the movie, and that’s why “Poltergeist” feels so much like an Amblin Productions film.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean film producer Baek Jaeho has been named as the inaugural recipient of the Choon-yun Award, a prize set up in honor of Lee Choon-yun, the late chairman of the Korean Association of Film Art & Industry. The award, worth KRW10 million ($7,100), will be presented on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 6 in conjunction with IOK Company. Baek participated in the production of 2021 title “Snowball” and was previously involved in indie films “Jane” in 2016 and last year’s “Role.” He also acts and directs. Veteran director Kang Je-kyu praised Baek as ”a filmmaker who maintains his values and outspreads his potential in the insufficient independent film environment.”

Werner Herzog turned 80 on September 5—the last day of the Telluride Film Festival, his abiding favorite film event, which he’s been attending for decades—and, of course, he has a new film to mark the occasion; you’d expect nothing less. It’s a documentary—he’s made many—and it shows the filmmaker as youthfully curious as ever, as he turns his camera on an impressive array of scientists, doctors, researchers, wealthy executives and the odd lawyer and politician to investigate the status of progress of neurological science. It’s an enormous field of endeavor, one that seems certain to become far bigger than is now is, more central to fundamental ways in which we lead our lives and more knowledgeable about how different species interact with one another. It’s an up-to-date primer on the subject, wider than it is deep, but engaging and illuminating always.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japan’s biggest film group Toho announced that it has taken a controlling stake in TIA (previously Toho Interactive Animation), a production company behind the “100 Nichikan Ikita Wani,” film and anime series “iii icecrin,” “iii icecrin2” “Ninja Collection” and “That Is the Bottleneck.” Originally known as I&A, the company was established in 2017 by ILCA and Anima. The name changed to TIA after Toho bought a nearly 35% from the two founders in 2020. Toho has now bought out Anima’s stake, giving it a 67.4% majority holding and cause to rename the company again, this time to Toho Animation Studio. Deal terms were not disclosed.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Iranian action drama “World War III,” which won two awards at the recent Venice festival, will feature among the main competition titles at next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival. The festival will operate as an in-person event with foreign filmmakers, media and other guests in attendance from Oct. 24-Nov. 2, 2022. “World War III” is joined in the competition section by the world premiere of Milcho Manchevski’s “Kaymak,” Spanish director Carlos Vermut’s “Manticore” and Roberta Torre’s “The Fabulous Ones,” Michale Boganim’s “Tel Aviv Beirut,” and Youssef Chebbi’s debut film “Ashkal.”

AFI Fest said Tuesday that its lineup for the upcoming 2022 edition will include red-carpet premieres for six films including the latest movies from Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro as well as the Harvey Weinstein exposé story She Said and Florian Zeller’s The Son starring Hugh Jackman.

grossed an impressive $11.3 million at the North American box office this year.Instead, the country’s selection committee went with “Last Film Show,” a coming-of-age drama that was compared to “Cinema Paradiso” after its premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. In the vein of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” and James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” it is a semi-autobiographical work based on moments from its director’s childhood.The decision was reminiscent of the choice in 2013 to send “The Good Road” to the Oscars over “The Lunchbox,” which had been considered an all-but-certain nominee if it had been chosen.India has sent 54 films to the Oscars dating back to 1957, landing three nominations with no wins.

the first Oscar front runner of 2022 in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans following the film’s win of the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. And now Spielberg himself has spoken out in thanks to all those that have supported his film. It’s somewhat surprising that Steven Spielberg had never previously entered a film he directed into the competition of TIFF,  but he certainly had a memorable experience the first time.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Luang Prabang Film Festival held annually in Laos’ cultural hub will make an in-person return to action in December. The festival operated as a virtual event in 2020 under pandemic conditions. But was forced to cancel its 2021 edition. The town has no permanent movie theater and the festival uses temporary facilities, but previous editions have attracted big crowds. All events are open to the public and are free of charge. Over four days (Dec. 8-11, 2022) organizers will put on a mix of some twenty film screenings, public discussions and Q&A sessions with local audiences. This year, the LPFF will add a second night venue.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Indian star Varun Tej is to head the cast of a patriotic air force action thriller backed by Sony Pictures International Productions. The untitled picture will begin filming from November. Tej, known locally as ‘Mega Prince,’ has his roots in the Telugu-language regional film industry and achieved fame with the Krish-directed “Kanche” in 2015. With the new picture, he will be making his debut in a film in Hindi, the default language of Bollywood. Production will take place in Hindi and Telugu versions. Jointly produced by SPIP and Renaissance Pictures, the film will be directed by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada – a seasoned commercials maker, cinematographer and VFX aficionado who will be making his directorial debut with this film. Written by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada, Aamir Khan and Siddharth Raj Kumar, the movie will be shot in Telugu and Hindi simultaneously. A release is expected in cinemas in 2023.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Comedy drama film “Give Me Five” held on to the top spot at the mainland Chinese box office with a weekend score of just $7.4 million (RMB50.8 million). The film is the story of a young man who is helping his father rediscover his lost memories. As he does so, he is transported back in time and accidentally alters his parent’s pasts. That means he must reunite the pair or risk never being born. It stars Ma Li Chang Yuan and Wei Xiang and is directed by Zhang Luan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief For the second weekend running, comedy action film “Confidential Assignment 2: International” held top spot at the South Korean box office. And it did so with a massive 75% share of the market. But as the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday retreated into the rear-view mirror numbers, both for the sequel film and the nationwide box office, came crashing down. “Confidential Assignment 2” earned $6.89 million over the latest Friday to Sunday period, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). That figure was down 57% compared with its opening salvo of $21.0 million a week earlier.

Steven Spielberg is enjoying another triumph, with his quasi-autobiographical drama “The Fabelmans” earning this year’s People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The People’s Choice Award from the just wrapped 2022 Toronto International Film Festival has gone to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans.  First Runner Up is Canada’s own Sarah Polley’s Women Talking. And Second Runner Up was Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The Documentary Award went to Black Ice, and the Midnight Madness winner was Weird: The Al Yankovich Story             .

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical coming-of-age story “The Fabelmans” took home the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award, providing a major boost to its awards season chances. TIFF’s People’s Choice Award is one of the most reliable predictors of eventual Oscar success.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” but with this being a streaming series, fans may be wondering exactly when they can watch new episodes of the show.“The Rings of Power” is set thousands of years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” in a time of relative peace for J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world.

The world premiere of documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me will fire up the 36th AFI Fest on Nov. 2.

Michaela Zee editor The American Film Institute has announced that the world premiere of “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” is set to open the 36th edition of AFI Fest on Nov. 2. “AFI is proud to launch AFI Fest 2022 with ‘Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,’ a film as profoundly powerful as it is personal,” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “Selena is a global force in art and entertainment, and we are honored to partner with her, Alek and Apple to shine a light upon her journey in this beautifully crafted celebration of optimism, vulnerability and hopefulness.” Directed by Alek Keshishian (“Madonna: Truth or Dare”), the documentary explores Gomez’s rise to stardom as an actress and singer, along with the personal crises she’s endured throughout her life.

Toronto Film Festival returned in spectacular fashion after two years of virtual premieres or limited capacity screenings. The parties were packed (which may lead to COVID outbreaks down the road, but… that’s showbiz?), the red carpets were glittering and the atmosphere was electric, bordering on euphoric, as director Rian Johnson’s acclaimed sequel “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story,” Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” and the Harry Styles-led romantic drama “My Policeman” debuted to blockbuster-starved audiences in Canada. Hollywood seemed eager to make up for lost time. So, as the curtain comes down on TIFF, here’s a look back at the major trends and takeaways from the 10-day festival.

Herzog also teased some of his upcoming projects: in addition to the volcanologist documentary “The Fire Within,” he’s in pre-production on “two or three narrative feature films” and is toying with releasing a book of poetry and returning to acting, “probably as a villain.”Where his own mind is concerned, said Herzog: “I never can catch up with it.”Studio sponsors include GreenSlate, Moët & Chandon, PEX and Vancouver Film School.