LAIKA and Portland Community College Announce Landmark Partnership to Foster Diversity in Animation

Posted on April 2, 2024 by admin

At LAIKA’s studios. From left, Multimedia Instructor Eric Fauske, PCC President Dr. Adrien Bennings, Chief Marketing and Operations Officer David Burke and Production Supervisor Jesselee Kahaloa

Portland Community College has announced a transformative partnership aimed at fostering diversity and inclusivity in the animation industry with LAIKA, the renowned film studio known for its groundbreaking and award-winning animated films “Coraline,” “ParaNorman,” “The Boxtrolls,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” and “Missing Link.” This collaboration reaffirms PCC and LAIKA’s commitment to supporting educational initiatives and promoting equity within the creative arts.

The cornerstone of this partnership is a $60,000 pledge from LAIKA to the PCC Foundation. Over two years, LAIKA will contribute annual gifts of $30,000 to support the newly established LAIKA Scholarship and program funds. This funding aims to create an associate degree in Animation & Motion Graphics, enhancing educational opportunities for aspiring animators in Oregon.

PCC President Dr. Adrien Bennings expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “This collaboration aligns with PCC’s commitment to providing accessible, culturally responsive education. By working closely with LAIKA, we can ensure that our students receive the training and support they need to succeed in the animation industry.”
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Sam Hunt Announces Summer Amphitheater Tour

Posted on April 1, 2024 by admin

Country superstar Sam Hunt announces his North American summer headlining Locked Up Tour. The tour, named for Hunt’s Locked Up EP dropping this Friday, April 5, kicks off June 28 with an opening weekend in Bend, Ore.; Auburn, Wash.; and Nampa, Idaho. The 20-city tour continues through September with dates across the U.S. and Canada, and features support artists Russell Dickerson, George Birge (U.S.), and Dalton Dover (Canada).

Tickets are available now via pre-sale for select dates. The general on sale begins this Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. local time in most markets. Further details can be found below. Fans can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, VIP Lounge access, exclusive VIP gift item, specially designed tour poster & more. VIP package contents vary based on offer selected. For more information, visit vipnation.com.

Fans can tune in Sunday, April 7 to the 2024 CMT Music Awards for Hunt’s performance debut of the four-song EP’s title track, “Locked Up,” airing live on CBS from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

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The Official Teaser Trailer for Solo Leveling: Season 2 Revealed

Posted on March 31, 2024 by admin

They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but that’s not the case for the world’s weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them.

Right after the first season’s finale, it has been confirmed Season 2 for Solo Leveling is in the works. The first season is directed by Shunsuke Nakashige at A-1 Pictures.

No release date is forthcoming, though Q4 2024 is very likely.

Solo Leveling has received acclaim from fans and from critics, currently with a perfect 100% rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

New Trailer for HBO’s “The Sympathizer” Released

Posted on March 30, 2024 by admin

Fresh off the Supporting Actor win at the Oscars, Robert Downey Jr. star in the upcoming HBO series The Sympathizer alongside Hoa Xuande.

Set in 1975 and revolves around the Vietnam War and a Vietnamese spy Captain (played by Xuande), a North Vietnamese spy spying in South Vietnam. Also in the miniseries are Sandra Oh, Toan Le, and Fred Nguyen.

Here’s the official synopsis for “The Sympathizer:

Near the end of the Vietnam War, a plant who was embedded in the South Vietnam army flees to the United States and takes up residence in a refugee community, where he continues to secretly spy and report back to the Viet Cong.

“The Sympathizer” is set to premiere April 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO. See the trailer below.

Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg Trailer Debut

Posted on March 29, 2024 by admin

Directed by Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill, CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG is a vital portrait of the charismatic and fierce rock ‘n’ roller, actress, muse, and mother who rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s after a chance encounter with the Rolling Stones. Scarlett Johansson voices Anita (based on the words of her unpublished memoir) and the film includes her children, Marlon and Angela Richards, and their father, Keith Richards.

Anita Pallenberg was at many points in her life a newspaper headline: a “rock n’ roll goddess,” a “voodoo priestess,” and an “evil seductress.” She was accused of trying to break up the Rolling Stones, among other things. But those who loved her considered her an exciting cultural force, and a loving mother – and innocent of the accusations.

Never-seen-before home movies and family photographs explore life with the Rolling Stones and tell a bittersweet tale of both triumph and heartbreak. From Barbarella to the Swiss Alps, and the Lower East Side to London, Anita Pallenberg was a creative force ahead of her time.

Prime Video’s “Them: The Scare” Official Trailer Released

Posted on March 28, 2024 by admin

Today, Prime Video has released the official trailer of the horror anthology series Them: The Scare. This second installment will consist of eight episodes and premiere on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. All episodes will be available upon release.

THEM will once again be set in Los Angeles (the first installment, subtitled Covenant, took place in Compton circa 1952 but will move the time frame forward to 1991).

The story centers on LAPD Homicide Detective Dawn Reeve, who is assigned to a new case: the gruesome murder of a foster home mother that has left even the most hardened detectives shaken. Navigating a tumultuous time in Los Angeles, with a city on the razor’s edge of chaos, Dawn is determined to stop the killer. But as she draws closer to the truth, something ominous and malevolent grips her and her family.
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SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival

Posted on March 27, 2024 by admin

Today, SFFILM announced the full lineup for the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival), the longest running film festival in the Americas.

This year’s program, curated from nearly 5,000 submissions and invitations, will screen exclusively in theaters in San Francisco’s Marina and Presidio neighborhoods, and in Berkeley from April 24–28. A selection of titles, curated from the full festival, will be presented from May 2–4 as SFFILM Festival Encore Days at the historic Roxie Theater.

“We have been boldly imagining a future where the San Francisco Bay Area is thriving in its celebration of and engagement with the arts and community,” said Anne Lai, Executive Director of SFFILM. “Film—always a reflection of and beacon for society—remains the gateway to a vibrant, healthy future of our culture and city.
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Korn Announces Massive 25-City Tour Across North America With Special Guests Gojira & Spiritbox

Posted on March 26, 2024 by admin

Following the announcement and sellout of their milestone 30th anniversary show in Los Angeles, two-time GRAMMY-award winning band Korn, has announced their 2024 run of shows across North America.

The rock cultural icons will embark on the 25-date Live Nation produced tour featuring special guests, GRAMMY-nominated band Gojira and Canadian heavy metal group Spiritbox, beginning September 12 at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL.

The tour will make stops in Toronto, ON; Chicago, IL; Phoenix, AZ; Houston, TX and more before wrapping up in St. Paul, MN at Xcel Energy Center on October 27.
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Riley Keough & Lily Gladstone Search for a Killer in “Under the Bridge”

Posted on March 25, 2024 by admin

Hulu has released the official trailer for “Under the Bridge” which star Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough and Archie Panjabi.

The true crime drama series is based on Rebecca Godfrey’s 2005 book, “Under the Bridge”. It is adapted by Quinn Shephard.

Here, Reena Virk ( (Vritika Gupta), a fourteen-year-old girl, went to join friends at a party and never returned home. Seven teenage girls and a boy were accused of the savage murder.

Under the Bridge is set to premiere on Hulu April 17. Watch the trailer below.

IMAX To Present NBC’s Live Coverage Of The Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

Posted on March 24, 2024 by admin

NBC Universal

The NBC television network will extend its live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony to IMAX locations nationwide on Friday, July 26 — the first time ever the global event will be presented live in IMAX, it was announced this week.

The plans for the Opening Ceremony are unlike any other. The first-ever Summer Olympic opening ceremony not held in a stadium, the organizers are turning one of the world’s most famous waterways, the River Seine, into the world’s biggest theatrical stage. Instead of walking into a stadium, a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 100 boats will carry thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries past hundreds of thousands of spectators seated on the banks of the Seine.

The river parade will follow the course of the Seine past the iconic sites of Paris, from Austerlitz Bridge, beside the Jardin des Plantes, crossing through central Paris and finishing in front of the Trocadéro, where the final elements of the show and ceremony will take place.
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