Forks, Unicycles And A Cage: Hollywood Producer Todd Lieberman On His First Time At The Oscars – Guest Column

Dina LaPolt Guest ColumnistDuring the spring and summer of 2020, as protests across the country illuminated the systematic injustices Black Americans have faced and continue to face, the music industry was one of many that was called out to take accountability and action for its treatment of a group of people that is largely responsible for its many decades of profitability. While the industry’s unfair treatment of Black Americans is longstanding and deep-seated, one seemingly simple course of action is to cease all usage of the term “master recording,” which may sound innocuous but, as detailed in Variety’s expansive August 2020 interview with Pharrell Williams, derives from the words “master and slave.” For those not aware, the terms have long been used to distinguish between a source recording (the “master”) and the subsequent copies made (the “slaves”), which has led to a pervasive use of both terms in many industry contracts.

Harry Lennix The Motion Picture Academy’s decision to ban Will Smith from Oscar ceremonies and events for 10 years as discipline for slapping Chris Rock is little more than an extended time out for a playground bully. It’s a toothless penalty that lays bare the shallowness of Hollywood morals.At this point, the only person who can redeem the integrity of the Oscars is Smith himself.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Johnny Depp might walk down the aisle again, someday. Yet, after how his first two marriages turned out, no one would blame the Dark Shadows star if he skipped matrimony for the rest of his days. Johnny’s first attempts at married life have not worked. His first marriage to Lori Depp ended right as his career was taking off, and his failed marriage to Amber Heard is the subject of headlines and legal briefs. Here’s what you need to know:

Vertical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the ensemble comedy Tankhouse, starring Christopher Lloyd (The Tender Bar, Nobody), Richard Kind (Argo, Inside Out), Tara Holt (Ballers, Californication) and Stephen Friedrich (This is Us & Nice Girl Like You), with plans to release it in theaters and on VOD on May 13th.

Oscars, it was easy to miss when three actors identified as Disney princesses presented the best animated feature award by reading, “Animated films make up some of our most formative movie experiences as kids. So many kids watch these movies over and over… and over and over and over and over… I think some parents out there know exactly what we’re talking about.”Framing the five Academy Award nominees for best animated feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure could be dismissed as simply careless.

Mark I. Pinsky If the increasingly bare-knuckle battle between Florida’s conservative Republican Gov.

Manori Ravindran International EditorJane Tranter’s Bad Wolf has set up its first major drama since joining Sony Pictures Television, Variety can reveal.The company is adapting the first book in Bernard Cornwell’s “Warlord Chronicles” trilogy, “The Winter King,” into a 10-part series. The show — which is expected to be a returner that will go on to cover the other books in the series — will shoot in Wales and the West Country in 2022.“The Winter King” is being positioned as a revisionist take on the Arthurian legends, which were first published in the mid-1990s.

Jay Ruderman There were several beautiful, gratifying moments at the 94th Academy Awards. But you would not necessarily know that by watching the viral videos circulating social media that emerged in the immediate aftermath of the ceremony, which focus on one particular distasteful incident.Today, it is time to let the dust settle on the so-called “slap heard around the world” and shift the conversation to “CODA,” enabling this year’s Best Picture winner to receive the attention and accolades it deserves.The narrative surrounding the success of “CODA” — which also took home Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Troy Kotsur) and Best Adapted Screenplay — encompasses much more than initially meets the eye.

Nick Jarjour As we head into Grammy weekend, Harvey Mason Jr, the CEO of the Recording Academy, deserves to be commended for restructuring the organization to credit and support songwriters like never before. Among the positive changes under his watch: establishing a songwriter wing and including writer credits on albums.

after he slapped Chris Rock at the awards show. The authorities did not take any action because Mr Rock decided not to press charges, Will Packer, who produced the the 2022 Oscars ceremony, said. It comes following reports from Variety that Smith met with leaders of the Academy on Tuesday to discuss his outburst, and apologised to chief executive Dawn Hudson and president David Rubin.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are officially recipients of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Former The Only Way Is Essex star, Gemma Collins had emergency dental work done on Wednesday to remove her wisdom tooth, just a week before she is due to start rehearsals for her debut as Mama Morton in Chicago the Musical.The reality TV star, 41, told her 2.2million Instagram followers about the pain she had been experiencing, saying: "Had a pain, been getting pains in my ear, been getting pains in my teeth.” She added: “Needed wisdom teeth removal!” Gemma posted a snap to her Instagram story wearing dentist goggles with a painful-looking swollen mouth, before videoing her dentist at Highland View Dental Surgery and showing off her removed wisdom tooth. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.The star could be heard saying: “Guys, this man is God for me today.

Will Smith refused to leave the Dolby Theatre after slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars on Sunday, the Academy has claimed. Officials from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars, released a statement on Wednesday in which they claimed the King Richard actor was asked to leave the auditorium after he slapped Oscars presenter Chris Rock onstage during the ceremony but he refused. "Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated.

Three days after he was attacked by Will Smith at the Oscars, Chris Rock made his first public appearance at the opening show of his Ego Death World Tour in Boston.

Mitch Glazier Guest ColumnistNon-fungible tokens (or NFTs) have exploded in popularity, with everything from digital artwork to basketball highlights being minted to the blockchain. It’s exciting and full of promise and opportunity — but unfortunately also a fast-moving vector for new forms of fraud and misuse.An NFT is a unit of data recorded on an infinite digital ledger — a blockchain.

Jada Pinkett Smith says it's "time for healing" after the Oscars drama involving her husband Will Smith and Chris Rock.

Riz Ahmed is a winner!

Editor’s note: Mooky Greidinger is CEO of the world’s second-largest exhibitor, Cineworld, which also owns Regal in the U.S. A staunch supporter of the theatrical experience, Greidinger grew up in the industry and is avowedly passionate about the movie business. But as Oscars weekend arrives, he is confounded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as, in his words, “many of the largest and most influential films of today remain unrecognized.” Greidinger penned the guest column below in which he calls for the Academy Board to convene an “industry emergency committee… to brainstorm and identify a more sustainable solution.”