Amazon Picks Up 40 SXSW Films

By Creative Media Times

www.sxsw.com

It seems that online retail giant Amazon went to SXSW and did a shopping spree of it’s own. As reported by Variety today, the e-commerce site acquired streaming rights to 40 feature films that played at SXSW Film Festival.

It is a massive haul considering that $1.9 million will be paid upfront for each film, which includes the 2017 Grand Jury Award winner “Most Beautiful Island”.

The titles were acquired through Film Festival Stars initiative, the same program under which Amazon acquired 15 films from Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, both of which designed to bolster Amazon Video Direct.

Here’s the 40 titles picked up by Amazon:

“Inheritance,” “Assholes,” “Win By Fall,” “Signature Move,” “Like Me,” “Sylvio,” “Satan Said Dance,” “Paa Joe & The Lion,” “A Bad Idea Gone Wrong,” “Maineland,” “The Cloud Forest,” “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin,” “Bad Lucky Goat,” “Bill Frisell, A Portrait,” “Divine Divas,” “Pornocracy,” “Tormentero,” “Inflame,” “The Secret Life of Lance Letscher,” “I Am Another You,” “Most Beautiful Island,” “A Critically Endangered Species,” “Dara Ju,” “Spettacolo,” “Ramblin’ Freak,” “DRIB,” “Two Pigeons,” “Going to Brazil,” “Daphne,” “Meatball Machine Kodoku,” “The Honor Farm,” “The Light of the Moon,” “Flesh and Blood,” “Fits and Starts,” “La Barracuda,” “MFA,” “California Dreams,” “Easy Living,” “Let There Be Light,” and “Infinity Baby.”

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‘Artemis’, Andy Weir’s follow-up to ‘The Martian’

By Creative Media Times

Crown Publishing Photo

Fans of Andy Weir’s “The Martian” should be happy to know that, not only will his follow up “Artemis” be released later this year, but the movie rights was already picked up by Fox, as Deadline reports.

Artemis novel is scheduled to be released on Nov.14, in North America and is already available for pre-order Amazon. This was announced by Crown Publishing on its website, which also included description of the novel as follows:

An adrenaline-charged crime caper that features smart, detailed world-building based on real science and the charm that makes Weir’s writing so irresistible, Artemis introduces a protagonist every bit as memorable as The Martian’s Mark Watney: Jasmine Bashara, aka Jazz. Jazz is just another too-smart, directionless twentysomething, chafing at the constraints of her small town and dreaming of a better life. Except the small town happens to be named Artemis—and it’s the first and only city on the moon.

Weir’s debut novel “The Martian”, which follows the survival efforts of Mark Watney after he becomes stranded alone on Mars, was a huge breakthrough for the novelist. The book received generally positive reviews and sold 3 million copies.

But it wasn’t until Twentieth Century Fox optioned the rights to the film that the novel attracted broader recognition. Directed by Ridley Scott, that film starred Matt Damon, made more than $600 million at the boxoffice, and received seven academy award nominations.

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‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Stranger Things’ Big Winners At MTV Movie & TV Awards:

By Creative Media Times

MTV

With a new brand name comes new categories added this year, including including best host, best reality competition, tearjerker, next generation, trending, best musical moment and best American story.

But it was the first category of the night that drew lots of attention. “Billions” star Asia Kate Dillon presented the first gender-less “best actor in a movie,” which went to “Beauty and the Beast” star Emma Watson. The Shrine Auditorium on May 7, 2017 in Los Angeles. The category is the first in history of putting both male and female actors competing in the same category.

Stranger Things won two prize, one for Show of the Year, and another for star Millie Bobby Brown, who was named best actor in a show.

The cast of Fast & Furious was also honored with the MTV Generation Awards, and Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster were there to accept the award for their highly successful franchise. “In 2002, I was standing on this stage and MTV had given Paul Walker and I an award for Best Duo, and now 15 years later, I’m with my whole family and you’re giving us the Generation Award,” Diesel said.

Full list of winners below >>
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Stylish New ‘Blade Runner 2049’ Posters Revealed

Blade Runner 2049 (Picture: Warner Bros)

By Creative Media Times

It goes without saying that anticipation is very high on ‘Blade Runner 2049’: the original Ridley Scott 1982 classic neo-noir ‘Blade Runner’ has developed a cult following over the decades. Though that movie initially received mixed reactions when it was released, time has been kind to the movie and has since evolved into a landmark film, frequently appearing in all-time best sci-fi ever lists. Today, we finally get our first teaser posters courtesy of the film’s Twitter site.

The two posters very clear shows the contrast between the two characters: Officer K (Ryan Gosling) and Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), one is set in hot color tone with Deckard looking rugged, the other stylishly avant garde and cold. However, both are fittingly mysterious and gloomy. ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is a sequel, and is supposed to take place 30 years after Scott’s original film.

Details about the film is closely-guarded for now, but it looks like the studio is ramping up the promo. It was announced on the movie’s Twitter site that there will be a live Q&A with Gosling, Ford and director Denis Villeneuve this coming Monday, 5/8 at 9AM PT!

Also starring Dave Bautista, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, and Lennie James. Blade Runner 2049 is set for release October 6, 2017.

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‘Dark Tower” Gets Two New Posters Ahead of Trailer Release

By Creative Media Times

The trailer for one of our most anticipated movies this summer, the adaptation of Stephen King’s sci-fi Western horror film ‘The Dark Tower’, is just around the corner. But before that, Columbia Pictures released two new posters (below). Following that creatively provocative one-sheet teaser we saw more than a month ago, these posters show more of what our main characters will look like, but equally intriguing nonetheless.

The posters feature Matthew McConaughey’s sorcerer villain Walter/Man in Black, and Idris Elba’s gunslinger Roland Deschain. We will see more of how these characters interact with the release of the trailer tomorrow. Anticipation is running high for this adaptation especially after that other Stephen King movie ‘It’ smashed online views records.

Here’s the film’s synopsis to those unfamiliar:

Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, is locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey), also known as the Man in Black. The Gunslinger must prevent the Man in Black from toppling the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together. With the fate of worlds at stake, two men collide in the ultimate battle between good and evil.

The Dark Tower will be in theaters everywhere August 4th, 2017.

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Ridley Scott Says Alien 5 Will Never Happen

By Creative Media Times

By Ridley Scott speaking at Wondercon, Anaheim, by Gage Skidmore

Just weeks before Alien: Covenant opens nationwide, Ridley Scott puts to rest any hopes and speculations about the possibility of ‘Alien 5’ becoming a reality.

This speculation has been around for a couple of years since ‘District 9’ director Neill Blomkamp posted a concept art on Instagram, and was later followed by Sigourney Weaver (who worked with Blomkamp in ‘Chappi’) expressing interest in doing the movie.

But with production of ‘Covenant’ sequel already underway, currently titled ‘Awakening’, it looks like Scott will be getting busy piloting the Alien franchise. Scott of course directed the original 1979 Alien film and was followed by three sequels by James Cameron, David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet successively.

Here’s portion of Scott’s statement regarding ‘Alien 5’ (translated by AVP Galaxy):

“Ridley Scott, who was in Paris for the promotion of the new opus of the saga, was even more definitive in our microphone: “I think he will never see the light,” he replied after explaining That the project was far less advanced than previously thought. “There was never a scenario, just an idea that evolved into a pitch of ten pages, I had to participate as a producer but it did not go any further because the Fox decided that She did not want to do it. I had already done Prometheus and worked on Covenant.”

But there will be plenty of ‘Alien’ movies in the pipeline for fans, starting with this summers’ Alien: Covenant. Starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender, the movie opens in theaters on May 19.

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2017 Daytime Emmy Award Winners

By Creative Media Times

emmyonline.com

‘Good Morning America,’ ‘Jeopardy!,’ ‘Ellen DeGeneres’, and ‘Steve Harvey’ were the big winners of the 44th annual Daytime Emmy Awards which were held Sunday night, April 30th, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, hosted by Mario LOPEZ and Sheryl Underwood.

Considered the highest accolade given to television shows, the Emmys “recognize outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production”. To be eligible, a show must to at least 50% of the US between 2AM and 6PM.

Friday night also saw Animation/Netflix series ‘Trollhunters’ win big at the Daytime Emmy Creative Arts.

Here’s the list of Sunday night’s Emmys:

OUTSTANDING MORNING PROGRAM – Good Morning America (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT TALK SHOW HOSTS – The Talk (CBS)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES – Steve Burton, The Young and the Restless (CBS)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES – Kate Mansi, Days of Our Lives (CBS)
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES – Bryan Craig, General Hospital (ABC)
OUTSTANDING YOUNGER ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES – Lexi Ainsworth, General Hospital (ABC)
OUTSTANDING GAME SHOW – Jeopardy

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Snoop Dogg’s “Neva Left” Official Cover Art Released

By: Melgie Claire

Subsequent to declaring another album was underway earlier this month, Snoop Dogg is back with the official cover art for his fifteenth studio album, “Neva Left”, which fills in as the follow-up to 2016’s “Coolaid”. The matchless Doggfather took to Instagram to share the cover art and furthermore the album is to be released on May 19. With the expectation just building all the more every week, the veteran rapper proceeded and debuted the official album cover for his new venture on his Facebook page.

Snoop fused a return photograph of him taken by amazing photography Chi Modu, who has taken shots of notable hip-hop stars since the 1990s. In the cover art for Neva Left, Modu’s exemplary photograph indicates Snoop remaining under an expressway 187 sign in California in 1993, where the words “Neva Left” are written on the post in white paint.

While disclosing the photograph to XXL, Modu expressed, “That is my photograph taken of Snoop in 1993 when we were taking a shot at pictures for his album Doggystyle. We needed to take it at the highway 187 sign as a result of his verse in “Deep Cover”. The photo shows a youthful Snoop Dogg, brandishing his previous jheri curl hairdo that ended up noticeably well-known amid his introductory album years.
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44th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners


By Creative Media Times

‘Trollhunters’ was the big winner on Friday night’s Daytime Emmy Creative Arts. The DreamWorks Animation/Netflix series created by Guillermo del Toro won 6 trophies, while ‘Days of Our Lives’ led the drama-series categories with five.

The computer-animated fantasy series won for Outstanding Casting for an Animated Series or Special, Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program, as well as Kelsey Grammer for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program. Overall, ‘Trollhunters’ helped Netflix win 11 statuettes, second best of the night after Amazon which took home 13, which was bolstered by 5 big wins from its soap opera ‘The Bay the Series’.

Some of the other notable winners included “Lost in Oz Extended Adventure,” “SuperSoul Shorts – Maggie the Cow,” “The Young and the Restless,” and “The Bold and the Beautiful”.

Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards honors “excellence in all fields of daytime broadcast production“. This year’s ceremony was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. More winners of the Daytime Emmy will be announced this coming Sunday night.

Click here to see the full list of winners.

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Rest In Peace Jonathan Demme

By Creative Media Times

John Stephen Dwyer

The great auteur who gave us ‘Silence of the Lambs’ and ‘Philadelphia’ died this morning in New York. He was 73. The Oscar-winning director died of cancer complications.

Demme rose to prominence with a wide range of genres such as the comedies Melvin and Howard (1980) and Married to the Mob (1988), the concert film featuring Talking Heads’ live performance Stop Making Sense (1984) which is hailed as one of the greatest rock movies ever, and the drama Philadelphia (1993) which won star Tom Hanks his first Best Actor Oscar.

But Demme is probably best known for directing “Silence of the Lambs,” the 1991 horror-thriller which swept the Academy Awards, winning the 5 major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, Best Actress for Jodie Foster and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally.

As such, this makes ‘Lambs’ only the third film in history to accomplish such a feat, and the first and only horror film to win Best Picture.

Demme is survived by his wife Joanne Howard, and their three children.

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