Peter Caranicas Deputy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Law firm Granderson Des Rochers (GDR) has announced that Jackson Abbeduto, formerly an exec at Google’s YouTube and Universal Music Publishing, has joined the firm’s New Media Practice as senior counsel. Abbeduto joins a collective of former in-house attorneys, led by Elizabeth Moody, working in the arena of digital music and tapping into opportunities to create new revenue streams for artists and songwriters. In addition to licensing deals on behalf of tech companies including Roblox, Hydrow, Styngr and Wave XR, GDR has been at the forefront of the legal implications of the current AI-generated music trend – helping creators and tech companies navigate the emerging landscape and ensuring that the artists and creators are appropriately compensated.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Global law firm Greenberg Traurig now boasts the largest sports, media and entertainment team in the Middle East with the addition of two new attorneys: shareholder David Bintliff and senior associate Lewis Calder, who will be based in the United Arab Emirates office. Both were previously with Bird & Bird.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Adam Driver, star of Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” will travel to Camerimage, the cinematography-oriented film festival, to accept Special EnergaCamerimage Award for an Actor. He will also introduce the film, one of the entries in the Camerimage Main Competition and a prominent awards contender this season. The fest will run in Toruń.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor EnergaCamerimage, the cinematography-focused film festival that will take place in Torun, Poland, Nov. 11-18, has announced three more films for its Main Competition: “El Conde,” “Filip” and “Ferrari.” “El Conde,” helmed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín (“Jackie,” “Spencer”), is billed as a dark comedy/horror picture that imagines a parallel universe in which Chile’s late fascistic dictator Augusto Pinochet is a vampire hiding away in a ruined mansion.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Camerimage, the cinematography-oriented film festival, will bestow its Lifetime Achievement Award on auteur director Krzysztof Zanussi. Born in Warsaw in 1939, Zanussi studied at the National Film School in Lodz, Poland, but even before enrolling he was making amateur films, winning awards at various festivals. His directorial debut, “The Death of a Provincial” (1966), with cinematography by Jan Hesse, foreshadowed the central themes of his work – the juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane, youth and old age, life and death.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor EnergaCamerimage, the cinematography-focused film festival set for Torun, Poland, for Nov. 11-18, has announced that high-profile award contenders “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Black Lies” and “All of Us Strangers” will be featured in its main competition. “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the latest pic from director Martin Scorsese, takes audiences on a journey through 1920s Oklahoma to tell a heartbreaking tale of love, greed and betrayal.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Awards contender “Poor Things” will open EnergaCamerimage, the cinematography-focused film festival that will take place in Torun, Poland, on Nov. 11-18. The film, starring Emma Stone and directed by Greek helmer Yorgos Lanthimos (“Dogtooth,” “The Lobster”), won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Awards contender “Poor Things” will open EnergaCamerimage, the cinematography-focused film festival that will take place in Torun, Poland, on November 11-18. The film, starring Emma Stone and directed by Greek helmer Yorgos Lanthimos (“Dogtooth,” “The Lobster”), won the Golden Lion at Venice. Robbie Ryan, the film’s cinematographer, will introduce “Poor Things” at Camerimage.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Another law firm has opened an L.A. office to serve the growing legal needs of entertainment and sports.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Colin Brady, a former animator who worked at Pixar, has launched his first IP with animation shingle AMGI Studios, where he is chief creative officer. The project, My Pet Hooligan, a free-to-play multiplayer action bunny fighter set in a dystopian environment, is available exclusively through the Epic Games store.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor The annual New York Greek Film Expo has been set for Village East Cinema in Manhattan and the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, N.J. on October 5-15.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor The 20 individuals profiled below are some of the most influential unsung heroes in entertainment. While they work mostly behind the scenes, the fruits of their labors have an immeasurable impact on the fortunes of their companies and often set precedents and examples for others.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor The Camerimage Film Festival, which focuses on the art of cinematography, will honor director Werner Herzog (“Fitzcarraldo”), along with his collaborator, Peter Zeitlinger (“Losses to be Expected”), with its Cinematographer-Director Duo Award. The accolade spotlights collaboration between helmers and their DPs, and both creators will be on hand to receive the trophy at Camerimage, which will celebrate its 31st edition in Torun, Poland, on Nov.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Charles (Chuck) Martin Flood Jr., business managers to some of country music’s top luminaries and co-founder/owner of high-profile Nashville business management firm FBMM, died at 78 on July 21. Flood was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry for more than 40 years. He founded Chuck Flood & Associates in 1986 at his dining room table with the help of John Sayles and Betty Sanders.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz has added Melanie Tomanov as a partner in its Entertainment Group. She will be based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Previously, Tomanov was a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman. Tomanov, a transactional attorney, has represented production companies, motion picture and television studios, animation studios, video game companies and tech firms. She has also worked with individual creators, writers, animation designers, producers and directors. Her high-profile clients have included Matt Groening, creator of TV blockbuster animated series “The Simpsons”; United Plankton Pictures, the production company behind “SpongeBob SquarePants” and other shows); and film production company Legendary Entertainment (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” the “Dune” franchise).

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Studio operator Shawn Papazian is set to lead the development and operation of The Fields Studios, Chicago’s newly minted studio and soundstage complex. The announcement was made by real estate developer and The Fields Studios owner Knickpoint Ventures, which appointed Papazian as its newest partner to oversee all of its studio-related activities. The Fields Studios, launched last month, is set to start filming operations in the first quarter of 2024. Papazian has been involved with the design, development, operations and management of motion picture and television studio facilities for over 25 years.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, an annual showcase that brings films and filmmakers from Greece, Cyprus and other countries in the region to the United States, announced the winners of its 2023 Orpheus Awards at a ceremony on Sunday night at the Silver Screen Theatre in the Pacific Design Center. Toplining the honors: “Listen,” directed by Maria Douza, which won for best fiction feature film. “Iman,” helmed Corina Avramidou and Kyriakos Tofarides, took home the special jury award for best film, and Panos Koutras won the best director award for “Dodo.” Spiros Jacovides won an honorable mention for best director for “Black Stone,” and Efthalia Papacosta was awarded the best performance trophy for “Listen.” “Black Stone” also won the audience award for feature film, and an honorable mention for best performance went to Stephanie Atala for “Iman.”

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Prominent entertainment attorney Ken Deutsch has switched from one powerful firm to another, leaving Latham & Watkins to join Paul Hastings as a partner and global co-chair of the entertainment and media practice. At Latham & Watkins, Deutsch was global co-chair of the firm’s entertainment, sports, and media group.    Deutsch’s move boosts the already impressive Paul Hastings entertainment and media team. On the transactions side it includes Craig Emanuel (who was named Variety’s Power of Law Honoree this year), David Hernand, Mickey Mayerson, Susan Williams and Sean A. Monroe. In litigation, it boasts the services of Steven Marenberg, Tamerlin Godley, James (Bo) Pearl and Josh Gordon. Like Deutsch, all have been featured in Variety’s Legal Impact Report.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Entertainment Lawyer Hillary Bibicoff, who has over the years repped such clients as James Cameron, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Nichols, Robert Towne, “How I Met Your Mother” and “Mom” producer-director Pam Fryman, and “The Power of the Dog” producer Tanya Seghatchian, is joining Beverly Hill firm Pierce Law Group. She moves there after more than a decade at boutique law firm Holmes Weinberg. Prior to that, she was a partner at Greenberg Glusker for a dozen years, arriving there after handling business and legal affairs at LIVE Home Video and then Rysher Entertainment. Bibicoff specializes in talent deals. She also handles production legal for live events, which have included the last two Democratic National Conventions and the most recent Presidential Inaugural Events, as well as seven Super Bowl pre-game and half-time shows.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Chicago is about to join the growing list of cities where new soundstage construction will boost the local entertainment economy. The Fields Studios – the city’s first purpose-built and, to date, largest film production complex – will open in the first quarter of 2024. Owned and developed by real estate firm Knickpoint Ventures, the new campus occupies the site of the former warehouse and distribution center for the city’s legendary Marshall Field’s department store and its retailers across the U.S. It includes nine soundstages on two lots totaling 132,000 square feet of stage space and over 350,000 square feet of creative and production offices, plus mill and support space, on over 20 acres in Chicago’s Northwest Side.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Advancing further into the future of storytelling, immersive entertainment and virtual reality creator Felix & Paul Studios is launching “Space Explorers – Apollo to Artemis,” the latest chapter of its “Space Explorers” VR series. The episode, which takes viewers on a journey through the history of space programs, is available on the Meta Quest headset just in time for Space Day. It features former NASA Chief Flight Director Gene Krantz, who directed missions of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, including the first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11, in 1969. This latest addition to the series showcases archival images projected on locations of historical importance to the space program, firsthand accounts of the Apollo program’s challenges and triumphs, and a deeper understanding of the courage and determination required to achieve a lunar landing.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Atlanta continues its steady expansion in content production with the launch of a new production hub, Electric Owl Studios, set to open on June 8. The new complex, described as “the greenest studio on earth,” Electric Owl Studios is a purpose-built film and television studio located in DeKalb County, just south of Decatur, Ga., co-founded by former Third Rail Studios executives Dan Rosenfelt and Michael Hahn. The 312,000-square-foot production campus says it’s the world’s first ground-up LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-certified facility, making it “the greenest studio on earth.” It aims to minimize its environmental impact by taking measures to reduce its carbon footprint and generate clean energy by including LED lighting, 48 EV charging stations, solar panels, living walls, high-efficiency HVAC, carbon-negative concrete, food dehydrators for landscaping reuse, solar golf carts, water refill stations and more.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Global law firm Greenberg Traurig has elevated attorneys Ann Brigid Clark, Paul Sarker and Jared S. Welsh to shareholder in its Entertainment and Media Practice, and promoted Alana C. Kirkland to of counsel.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor This year, Variety’s Power of Law breakfast at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on April 19 is treating attendees to not one but two keynote conversations with industry players: showrunner Damon Lindelof, interviewed by Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton, and executive Erica Huggins, interviewed by Variety Chief Production Officer Claudia Eller. At the Power of Law event – where City National Bank is the presenting partner and Signature Resolution is an official partner – the pair will offer their insights into the rapidly evolving entertainment landscape to an audience of invited attorneys who form this year’s Legal Impact Report honorees.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Filmmakers Robert Rippberger and Devin Keaton have teamed with industrial contractor Nathan Edwards to break ground for Ascent Studios in North Carolina. The facility will be located on 200 acres in Spring Hope, a short drive from Raleigh, and will include five production stages totaling 170,000 square feet, making it the largest film studio in the state upon completion in late 2023. Productions that utilize Ascent Studios will receive a 25% tax rebate on qualifying expenses and purchases funded by the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant. In addition to offering interior space and new technology for every kind of production, Ascent will sit on a landscape that provides picturesque exteriors of fields, forests and lakes.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Continuing its global territorial expansion, Netflix picked up and is now streaming Greek TV series “Maestro in Blue,” its first-ever exclusive worldwide distribution deal for a Greek scripted series. Created for Greek broadcaster Mega TV by multihyphenate Christoforos Papakaliatis, “Maestro” was launched on the platform internationally on March 17 and this week hit the global top 10 of the most-watched shows on Netflix. “Maestro” debuted on Greek linear TV last October. Season 1, consisting of nine episodes, premiered on Netflix in Greece and Cyprus in December before expanding to audiences around the world.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Things are moving fast at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard. The bicoastal law firm has announced a new co-head of its entertainment practice, new co-heads in the Los Angeles office, a partner promotion, and further development of its art law group.   Caitlin S. DiMotta (above right) has joined Frederick P. Bimbler (above left) in heading up the firm’s entertainment practice. Based in Los Angeles, DiMotta joined the firm in 2021 and works with clients in all areas of development and publishing in the television, literary, comic book/graphic novel, and motion picture industries.   With almost 30 years’ experience in entertainment law, Bimbler has long advised clients in the areas of motion picture, television, theater, and performance art. His portfolio includes clients on both coasts, and he will co-head management of the firm’s Los Angeles office with partner Sarah Conley Odenkirk.  

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Things are moving fast at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard. The bicoastal law firm has announced a new co-head of its entertainment practice, new co-heads in the Los Angeles office, a partner promotion, and further development of its art law group.   Caitlin S. DiMotta (above right) has joined Frederick P. Bimbler (above left) in heading up the firm’s entertainment practice. Based in Los Angeles, DiMotta joined the firm in 2021 and works with clients in all areas of development and publishing in the television, literary, comic book/graphic novel, and motion picture industries.   With almost 30 years’ experience in entertainment law, Bimbler has long advised clients in the areas of motion picture, television, theater, and performance art. His portfolio includes clients on both coasts, and he will co-head management of the firm’s Los Angeles office with partner Sarah Conley Odenkirk.  

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Lawrence Pitkethly, who produced and directed multiple documentary series shown on PBS and other broadcasters, died Feb. 24 at Albany Medical Center near his home in Hudson, N.Y., of cardiopulmonary arrest linked to complications from Parkinson’s. He was 79. Pitkethly is best known for “American Cinema” (1995), a 10-part, $7 million series for PBS, BBC and Canal Plus covering U.S. filmmaking that he produced, co-wrote and co-directed. It examined film genres, the rise and fall of the studio system, the creation of stars and other aspects of American movies through interviews with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Sydney Pollack, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee, Joel Coen and other major players. John Lithgow served as host; Matthew Modine, Kathleen Turner and Cliff Robertson narrated.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor The films of legendary Greek writer-director Theo Angelopoulos – whose “Eternity and a Day” won the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1998 – are being screened at a two-month tribute in the Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theater near the UCLA campus in Westwood. The career retrospective opened on October 14 and will continue through December 18. Called Landscapes of Time: The Films of Theo Angelopoulos, the tribute includes all the director’s feature films and a selection of shorts. Angelopoulos was a major force in the Greek film industry from the mid-1970s until his death in 2012. Drawing on his own experiences with the tumultuous events taking place in Greece, his films often center on characters whose personal journeys become intertwined with the tides of history.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor Moving in parallel with the recent upsurge of film production in Greece, the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF), an annual showcase for new works from Greek filmmakers worldwide, plans to expand its activities on an international scale. The fest, now in its 17th year, is launching the Global Greek Film Initiative (GGFI), an umbrella program to advance cultural exchange between Greece, the U.S. and the Greek diaspora, provide opportunities for employment and economic growth within Greece, and serve as the North American hub for Greek film programs and initiatives.  Lia Bozonelis, a Greek-American writer-producer and LAGFF Board Member who conceived the idea of the year-round multifaceted program, said that “Greece is experiencing a hard-won opportunity with the amount of international production pouring in.”

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor“Smyrna My Beloved,” a tale weaving together tragic refugee stories of the past and present on the island of Lesbos, and “Holy Emi,” portraying the lives of two Filipino sisters living in Athens who are beset by mysterious forces (pictured above), will serve, respectively, as opening and closing night presentations at the 16th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF), set to unspool on May 9-15.LAGFF returns live this year following a pandemic hiatus in 2021 and 2020. “We’re thrilled to physically welcome back filmgoers and filmmakers,” says artistic and festival director Aristotle Katopodis.

Peter Caranicas Deputy Editor“Pari,” the story of an Iranian mother’s search for her missing son in Athens, directed by Siamak Etemadi, an Iranian who lives in Greece, won the top feature film prize at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, an annual showcase for Greek cinema that wrapped its fifteenth edition on May 30.“Parontes,” under its English title “Being Present,” a penetrating look at the COVID-19 crisis in Greece (pictured above), directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos, took home LAGFF’s