Amazon Prime Video is delving deeper into the true crime mystery game.
10.11.2023 - 10:11 / variety.com
Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Christmas comes early this year, as “Journey to Bethlehem” puts words (and music) in the mouths of all who bore witness to Jesus’ birth. Some of those tunes — like “Silent Night” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” — will sound familiar enough, though most of the songs — like most of the script — represents a fresh interpretation of believers’ original miracle, courtesy of Adam Anders, making a competent, if undistinguished directorial debut with the least edgy retelling of the nativity story around (which is essentially what the faith-based audience has been asking for).
One half of the duo behind the music for “Glee,” Swedish-born Anders comes to the project after more than two decades of penning and producing songs for boy bands and Disney Channel artists, including the Backstreet Boys (“More Than This”), Nick Lachey and the Jonas Brothers. He was instrumental in the soundtracks of big-screen musicals “Rock of Ages” and “The Prom,” and now he puts his pop stylings — and wife Nikki Anders’ lyrics — to work imagining the mindsets of Mary (Fiona Palomo), Joseph (Milo Manheim) and their respective families.
With various Spanish desert locations doubling for the Holy Land — and a good-sport Antonio Banderas doubling for jealous Herod, king of Judea — “Journey to Bethlehem” boasts sufficient production value to reward its early-November theatrical run, though it will surely get far more play in home formats. Opening with a sly card that reads, “Inspired by a true story… the greatest one ever told,” the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously.
But that doesn’t mean it’s the slightest bit irreverent either. Adam Anders and co-writer Peter Barsocchini (a collaborator on Tyler Perry-hosted TV event
.Amazon Prime Video is delving deeper into the true crime mystery game.
Sabrina Carpenter is speaking out about her controversy with the Catholic church!
As the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Toshio Suzuki has worked with director Hayao Miyazaki on many films. With The Boy and the Heron, he was able to help bring Miyazaki’s semi-autobiographical fantasy story to life.
Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Whether it’s a soundtrack, a score or a song placement, there are countless wrong ways to do music for film and so few ways to make it feel right. There’s very little leeway, which is why it can be so challenging for even the most successful hitmakers to make the transition to film music — especially with a major film event like “Barbie.” To say that the music for the summer blockbuster has been a success is a vast understatement: Not only is the film’s companion album Variety’s Hitmakers Soundtrack of the Year, the music from the film scored a whopping 11 Grammy nominations across seven categories — including song and record of the year — and four of the five entries nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
RAYE has opened up about her experience of abuse of power in the music industry, calling the effects “crippling”.In a snippet of an upcoming interview with Louis Theroux, the singer delved into what it has taken to release her debut album, ‘My 21st Century Blues‘. The interview will be released on November 28.“When you’re up and coming, when you have a dream and you cross paths with powerful people – some people abuse their power and the effects of that can be crippling,” she said.As RAYE initially entered her music career, she said she was “so young and so hungry to make my dreams a reality.”But in 2021, RAYE publically expressed her frustrations at her then-label, Polydor.
Matt and Katherine Jackson-Smith have welcomed the newest addition to the family: their first child, Anastasia Maria.The couple, who are are more than equipped when it comes to caring as they already share a dog named Harry, a snake called Storm, and Dennis the bearded dragon, exclusively introduce their daughter to OK!, who was born at 2.21pm on 25 October via a planned C-section, weighing 7lb 9oz. Anastasia has already settled into their rural home near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and her parents Katherine and Matt - best known for his appearances on hit Channel 5 show The Yorkshire Vet - tell us all about the adorable newborn "We love her to pieces but it’s been a rollercoaster.
To watch “Hell’s Kitchen,” the new off-Broadway musical by Alicia Keys that opened Sunday night at the Public Theater, is to experience euphoria followed by enormous frustration over and over again. How can we not feel elated being there for the star-is-born moment of actress Maleah Joi Moon, who makes an earth-shaking professional debut as 17-year-old Ali, a fictional stand-in for Keys?Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission.
Celebrities really are just like us! By that, we mean that Mariah Carey is their festive queen, too!
Heather Morris is opening up about her murder mystery podcast, her former Glee costars, and Beyoncé and Taylor Swift!
The biggest story of the 1936 summer Olympics in Berlin was Black track and field star Jesse Owens winning four gold medals and putting the lie to Adolf Hitler’s theories of race supremacy. A less-heralded U.S. gold medal triumph over host country Nazi Germany glides onto screens this Christmas with The Boys in the Boat from MGM Amazon Studios, directed by George Clooney.
No, Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” didn’t have the best opening weekend at the box office. Why is that? Well, that’s something a bunch of people have been trying to analyze over the past several days.
Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music If there is a bible for the music industry, it’s Donald Passman’s book, “All You Need to Know About the Music Business.” Since the first edition came out more than 30 years ago, it has guided countless musicians and executives, and has prevented many of them from making decisions they’d later regret. Considering the deep detail Passman gets into about contracts, royalties and other complicated business arrangements, his tone is remarkably conversational, and he makes sure readers don’t miss the important stuff: The section on business managers begins with him saying “Listen to me!!!” in italics with several exclamation marks.
Broadway loves a recognizable name, a famous band or singer that can fuel a jukebox musical on nostalgia and familiar tunes. To its credit, Harmony isn’t that.
wicked night.Ariana Grande, 30, and Ethan Slater, 31, seemingly made their Instagram debut as a couple after stepping out to see “Gutenberg! The Musical” Monday night on the Great White Way. The “Wicked” co-stars were photographed backstage at the Broadway musical with the show’s two lead actors Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad.Rannells, 45, posted the photo on his Instagram account and it may very well be the very first image of the pair as a couple.
Euphoria and The Idol producer Kevin Turen has passed away aged 44.His death was confirmed by father Edward Turen as well as company Penske Media Corporation, though no cause of death has been revealed.“Kevin was so incredibly special, this world is going to be less without him,” Edward said in a statement (via Deadline).Jay Penske, head of PMC, added: “Despite his many achievements in Hollywood, Kevin’s greatest passion was his family and friends. He was so proud of his children.
HBO’s “Euphoria” and “The Idol,” has died at 44.A spokesperson for Penske Media Corporation confirmed the news in a statement late Sunday. No other details on Turen’s death have been released.“Despite his many achievements in Hollywood, Kevin’s greatest passion was his family and friends,” Jay Penske, CEO of PMC and a close friend of Turen, said in a statement.
Six months in, the strikes are over. Ten days out, the holidays begin. As for the movies—unfortunately, the most exciting part of the year is already behind us.
Ellise Shafer As evidenced in its title, music plays a big part in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” In the prequel to the original trilogy, “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler portrays Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12 for the 10th annual Hunger Games, who hails from a musical and nomadic people called the Covey. The film features Zegler singing several songs, including franchise favorite “The Hanging Tree.” Much of the music is folk-inspired, and Zegler sang each track live during filming.
Mean Girls” is back, ready to teach to introduce a new generation of people to the madness of Girl World. The film, based on the Broadway musical of the same name, has just released a new trailer, showing a first look of the cast and some of the iconic scenes that have been reinterpreted for a new audience. Jennifer Garner and Rita Moreno star in a new Netflix Holiday filmWho is Pablo Larraín, the director hanging out with Angelina Jolie?“Mean Girls” stars Angourie Rice as Cady Heron, Renee Rapp as Regina George, Auli’i Cravalho as Janis, Jaquel Spivey as Damian, Bebe Wood as Gretchen, and Anantika as Karen.
Karamo Brown is spilling some tea after hanging out with the cast of Vanderpump Rules behind the scenes at BravoCon 2023.