Composer Marc Shaiman Explains How ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ Influenced ‘Bros’ Movie Score

SF Studios Acquires Johan Rundberg’s ‘Moonwind & Hoff’ Book SeriesSF Studios has acquired the film rights to Johan Rundberg’s book series Moonwind & Hoff. The series includes the novels The Night Raven, The Queen of Thieves, The Angel of Death, and The Blood Pact. The Night Raven is the first novel that will be adapted, produced, and distributed by SF Studios. The film is expected to start shooting at the beginning of 2024 with a theatrical release in 2025. Stefan H. Lindén and Alexandra Thönnersten, producers at SF Studios, said: “The Night Raven and the entire series about Moonwind & Hoff are exactly in the realm of magical realism that we both dreamed of producing. In many ways, both the world and the characters feel inspiring and exciting. We want to create a grand series of films that can enthrall cinema audiences.”

Marko Arnautovic's agent has claimed that it was the striker who rejected a move to Old Trafford, rather than Manchester United pulling out of the deal.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Mike Schank, guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject of the 1999 documentary “American Movie,” died on Thursday morning, according to the Milwaukee Record. He was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult classic directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught horror movie “Coven.” With a crew made up of friends and family members, just about every part of the production process fell apart, except for Schank, who was always there for his friend. Schank appeared as an extra, assistant, edit bay buddy and epic storyteller.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject from the 1999 documentary “American Movie” Mike Schank has died. According to the Milwaukee Record, Schank passed away early this morning, he was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult-loved documentary directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught horror movie “Coven.” With a crew made up of friends and family members, just about every part of the production process fell apart, except for Schank who was always there for his friend. Schank appeared as an extra, assistant, edit bay buddy and epic storyteller.

Seattle’s Office of Inspector General released an 81-page review slamming how the police handled the riots of 2020, focusing on its handling of the Capitol Hill Occupied Zone.  The report, released Tuesday by city inspector general Lisa Judge, focuses on 23 days in June, shortly after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, which set off protests and riots across the country.  Seattle’s summer of unrest was highlighted by an eight-block "cop-free" zone known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone that demonstrators established after police abandoned the East Precinct building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The inspector general’s office found the occupation revealed a dysfunctional relationship between the city administration, led by then-Mayor Jenny Durkan, and the police department, led by then-Police Chief Carmen Best.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Hulu’s “Rosaline” (streaming Oct. 14) puts a rom-com spin on Shakespeare’s classic love story “Romeo and Juliet.” With that, composers Drum & Lace (Sofia Hultquist and Ian Hultquist) put a similar spin on their musical approach to scoring. The film stars Kaitlyn Deaver as Rosaline, the story’s jilted ex-lover. Drum & Lace integrated traditional instruments of the time, such as harpsichord, lute, wooden flutes, renaissance drums and more, into a score with a pop sensibility. But for the composing duo whose credits include “Dickenson” and “Good Lenny,” scoring comedy was more of a challenge than scoring drama. Sofia Hultquist said, “You have comedic timing to keep very much in mind. For ‘Rosaline,’ we tried to find very strong themes that we could use often so as to build a familiarity with the characters as well as play up the emotional arcs that were happening on-screen.”

A starry group of global talent has been set to join Paolo Sorrentino on the main jury for the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival which runs from November 11-19 in the Moroccan city. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Marrakech International Film Festival will make a big comeback this year with a star-studded jury, including Oscar Isaac (“Scenes from a Marriage”), Vanessa Kirby (“The Son”), French actor Tahar Rahim (“The Serpent”), Australian director Justin Kurzel (“Nitram”) and Danish director Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”). Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki (“Caparnum”), German actor Diane Kruger (“Inglorious Basterds”) and Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi (“Marock”) complete the high-profile jury. As previously announced, Paolo Sorrentino, the Oscar-winning director of “The Great Beauty” and “The Hand of God,” will preside over the jury, which spans 10 countries from four continents.

Strictly Come Dancing's Kym Marsh was photographed with her daughter after earning her highest score in the competition so far on Saturday night.The Coronation Street actress performed a stunning Charleston to If My Friends Could See Me Now from the movie Sweet Charity, starring Shirley MacLaine and Sammy Davis Jr. Kym, 46, who is also a former member of Hear'Say, earned herself an impressive 33 points from judges Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos might have celebrated their status as "empty nesters" after their youngest son, Joaquin Consuelos, went to college in 2021, but they've already lost the title. The pair had been vocal about adjusting to their life post-kids, but on Wednesday's, Ripa revealed that they're no longer the only ones in their home. «We were kind of empty nesters and then my mom had heart surgery,» Ripa, 52, explained. «So now we're living with my parents. And Mark's like, 'That didn't take long.' The nest is full again but with older people.» She joked that her and Consuelos' parents have all needed their help at some point. «We love collectively all of our parents, and we appreciate that they fall apart in different stages,» she quipped.

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready opened the Seattle Mariners’ baseball game with Detroit Tigers last night (October 4) with a blistering rendition of the US national anthem.He previously played it at a 2019 University of Washington American football game, as well as a 2014 Seattle Sounders soccer match. You can view footage of him performing his latest rendition below.It comes just weeks after Ozzy Osbourne played a multi-song medley at half-time of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills, which marked the first game of the 2022 NFL season.Controversially, only a few seconds of the performance was broadcast on television by NBC, but the full performance did make it online eventually.A-list national anthem performer today, Mike McCready #SeaUsRise #WHEREiROOT pic.twitter.com/5MbMtnPhQ1— Chris Caldwell (@caldwell78) October 5, 2022Earlier this year, Jack White also played an instrumental version of the anthem before the Detroit Tigers’ baseball game against the Chicago White Sox.For the performance, White was backed by bassist Dominic Davis, keyboardist Quincy McCrary, and drummer Daru Jones – the same trio that accompanied White on his ‘Supply Chain Issues Tour’.White previously threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Tigers game against the White Sox back in 2014.Meanwhile, Pearl Jam, Wet Leg, David Byrne, R.E.M.

Clayton Davis Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir is already in the history books after she won the best original score Oscar for “Joker” (2019). Now, she could break a new record with two bonafide awards contenders. Todd Field’s “Tár,” a fictional psychological drama about one of the greatest living composers and conductors, has received critical acclaim after debuting at many of the fall film festivals. One of the highly praised elements was the incredible music featured in the film. However, in a movie about a composer, many casual cinema-goers were left wondering what was original or pre-purposed (unless you are an expert on musical compositions). Focus Features has confirmed to Variety exclusively that the film’s music by Guðnadóttir meets the requirement for Academy Awards and will be submitted for consideration.

Morrissey has performed his new song ‘Kerouac’s Crack’ for the first time in Blackpool. Watch a clip of the performance below.He debuted the track, which comes from his upcoming album, ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’, last night (September 28).

Jenna Dewan is getting steamy in a new film, executive produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. In Lifetime’s upcoming movie,, Dewan plays a fitness instructor who moves into a small town to open a pole dancing business -- which doubles as a prostitution ring.  When it comes to working with the beloved Hollywood couple, Dewan couldn’t enjoy it more. “I’m obsessed with them,” she told ET’s Deidre Behar at the Variety Power of Women event in Los Angeles on Wednesday.