Category Archives: Celebrity

CMT Exclusive: Interview with Vivek Maddala on Scoring for The Tom and Jerry Show

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By Elizabeth Walker

Vivek Maddala has written scores for numerous films, and studied jazz performance at the Berklee College of Music. One of his most recent projects has been writing for the Cartoon Network reboot of Tom and Jerry. I reached him by phone to discuss his latest project.

Elizabeth Walker: So is this your first time writing for animation?

Vivek Maddala: My first job writing for film was working for Turner Classic Movies. They were restoring old silent films from the 1920s. Back then, there was no score, because they didn’t have a way of synching music with the film, so I had to create the score. I did five or six of thosefor TCM, and they were not that difference from scoring for animation.

EW: How so?

VM: There is no dialogue between Tom and Jerry, and only a bit from the minor characters. As aresult, it is very visual, and the music has to convey a lot of the emotions. So I did my training for that by scoring the silent films.

EW: Interesting. So how were you approached for this particular project?

VM: On the silent films, I was fortunate enough to work with a tremendous recording and mix engineer – and a very talented musician in his own right – named Dan Blessinger. He was actually the one who recommended me for the Tom and Jerry gig.

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John Malkovich: Actor, Director, Fashion Designer?

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By Shane Brooks

During last Sunday’s Super Bowl, an ad aired to promote the release of the new clothing line by Oscar nominated actor John Malkovich.

The ad depicts some of the struggles Malkovich went through in an attempt to be break from the world of acting into this new art form and represents some of the ideas and inspirations behind his designs. During the ad the actor makes the point, “I’m always a figure in someone else’s dream. I’d really rather sometimes make my own figures and my own dreams.”

Most people recognize John Malkovich for his role in the film Being John Malkovich, however, in an ad for Squarespace that aired during the Super Bowl the actor revealed his desire to take his creative talents in a new direction.

Many do not know that this is not Malkovich’s firststep in the fashion world. With his first fashion company, Mrs. Mudd, being released in 2002. His second, Technobohemian, was released in 2010 and featured many of the actor’s own designs.Along with the theatrical Super Bowl ad Malkovich has launched a website, www.JohnMalkovich.com, powered by Squarespace.

The website showcases Malkovich’s winterand summer 2017 collections. The collections include selections of jackets, knitwear, pants, shirts and accessories. An excerpt from the “About” section of the site reads: “John takes inspiration from his travels and experiences, fine art, and storytelling elements, such as setting and characterization. He sketches designs and patterns, refining every detail, while travelling andduring downtime on set. For over 30 years, John has been a passionate fabric collector. With a meditative approach, he often spends several days purely on fabric selection.”

It is clear that John Malkovich puts his heart into every project he works on whether that be acting, directing or designing fashion. So, if you were watching the big game last Sunday you may be pretty excited for all of the new box office blockbusters coming this summer but you may have also found that new summer look you have been waiting for.

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Oscar Nominations Reflect Diversity in Hollywood

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Oscars 2017 – Not ‘So White’ Anymore

By Elizabeth Stainton

Remember last year’s Academy Awards and the hashtag #OscarSoWhite? Not this time. This year, six black actors were nominated for their work in films that championed diversity. These films include Fences, which stars Denzel Washington and is based on August Wilson’s iconic play about African-American life in Pittsburgh.Barry Jenkins’ drama Moonlight has been nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Bond Fans might recognize Naomie Harris from her role as Moneypenny. She received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Moonlight. Also nominated was Ruth Negga, who was recognized for her role in Loving, a film about interracial love during the Civil Rights Era. Richard and Mildred Loving were an interracial couple who were arrested for miscegenation and whose legal battle ended up in the Supreme Court.

Hidden Figures stars three dynamic African American actresses: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe. Hidden Figures, which tells the true, little-known story of the women of color who worked at NASA during the Space Race. Spencer was nominated for best supporting actress, scoring one for intersectional feminism.That’s what is so important about these nominations.

Not only do they recognize talented black actors, but they recognize cinema work that advances the narrative in a meaningful way. It’s of particular significance this year, when the country has been deeply affected the ongoing conversation surrounding institutionalized racism, police violence, and the Black Lives Matter movement. #OscarSoDiverse

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Mary Tyler Moore, iconic TV actress, dies at 80

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By Armando

Iconic American actress, known for her roles in TV sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show, died Wednesday in Greenwich, Conn. She was 80.

“Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine,” Mara Buxbaum, Moore’s longtime representative, said in a statement. “A groundbreaking actress, producer, and passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile.”

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” debuted in 1970 with Tyler playing Mary Richards, a single 30-something career woman who moves to Minneapolis after being rejected by her boyfriend. The show achieved critical success, made her a TV icon, and inspired a generation of women on television.

Moore’s style and look on the TV show also defined the look of modern women of the 70s and was considered to have revolutionized the look of the modern career woman, The show has remained popular since the final episode was broadcast in 1997.


MARY TYLER MOORE Tribute Screen Actor’s Guild Award Lifetime Achievement

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New ‘Beauty and the Beast’s poster features cast

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By AI Creative Media


Walt Disney Studios on Wednesday released a new poster for its live-action retelling of Beauty and the Beast and its pure magic. The triptych image features many of the characters that we have not seen before, until today.

The poster shows human characters in the background such as Lumière (Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Candenza (Stanley Tucci), Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), and Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson). At the center of them all is the Beast waltzing with Emma Watson’s Belle.

Disney’s original 1991 animated film made $424M at the global boxoffice. With anticipation running high (the trailer broke records for most views in 24 hours), Oscar winner Bill Condon’s live-action version should have no trouble outgrossing the animated classic.

Beauty and the Beast will be released in theaters on March 17.

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The 74th Golden Globes Awards: Winners

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Best Motion Picture – Drama

Moonlight – Winner
Lion
Hacksaw Ridge
Manchester by the Sea
Hell or High Water

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Isabelle Huppert – Elle – WINNER
Ruth Negga – Loving
Amy Adams – Arrival
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Jessica Chastain – Miss Sloane

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea – WINNER
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Joel Edgerton – Loving
Denzel Washington – Fences
Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge

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Jason Momoa’s axe-throwing skills isn’t just an act

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By Armando

It looks like Jason found a perfect promo for the second season of Frontier.

The six-foot-three hulk was recently seen at Jack Axes Inc in St. John’s in Newfoundland, showing off his axe-throwing skills and easily hits the bullseye (some 30 feet from target with minimal effort).

Momoa, best known for his role as Khal Drogo in HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” is in St. John’s filming Discovery Canada’s “Frontier” season 2 where Momoa plays a fur-trading outlaw, Declan Harp. Frontier premiered on Nov. 6, and will continue to air until Dec. 11.

“I’m Jason Momoa. I like beer and throwing tomahawks. And if you’re in Newfoundland, you should come down to Jack Axes.”

It remains to be seen how such skills will be on display in any of his upcoming films Aquaman and Justice League. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Justice League will hit theaters November 17th, 2017 while Aquaman follows on July 26, 2018.

I love beer and throwing Hawks mahalo @jackaxesinc BOOM

A video posted by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on

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Joss Whedon is interested to make a Star Wars film

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By AI Creative Media

Joss Whedon speaking at Comic-con
copyright: aiphotoimaging.com


In an interview with Complex, Whedon talked about many topics including his reappearance with SaveTheDay, returning to TV, his current script (“It’s a historical fiction slash horror movie about a time when the world was going insane, World War II,” he revealed), and the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.

But the most interesting tidbit came when Whedon asked about his interest towards other movie franchises. Following his experience on the Avengers movies, is answer was pretty forthcoming:

“I mean, it’s a fun thing to do, to put yourself in the service of something if you think you can add an interpretation. It’s no different than any other storytelling. Do I want to make a ‘Star Wars’ movie? Yeah.”

Then he adds.
“I was like, “I don’t want to make a Star Wars movie. Like, god dammit, why?” But I saw the trailer for Rogue awhile ago and I was like, “I want to do that.” To make a Star Wars movie and not be wed to the bigger picture.”

Its an interesting thought that is not entirely beyond the realm of possibility, given the recent comments by Disney CEO Bob Iger regarding the future of the Star Wars franchise, which “mapped out” multiple Star Wars movies in the future.

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Drake leads 2016 American Music Awards Nominations.

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By AI Creative Media

Drake broke the 23 year record for the most American Music Awards: 13 nods total. That beats the previous record of 11 nominations set by Michael Jackson in 1984. Drake leads the nomination count in categories including Artist of Year, Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Album.

The nominees were were announced today by singers Joe Jonas and Rachel Platten on “Good Morning America”.

The AMAs telecast will air live Nov. 20 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on ABC.

Below is the full list of nominees:

Artist of the Year

Adele
Beyoncé
Justin Bieber
Drake
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
Carrie Underwood
The Weeknd

New Artist of the Year Un-Leashed By T-Mobile

Alessia Cara
The Chainsmokers
Dnce
Shawn Mendes
Zayn

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