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The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016PUTTING THE PERFECT PIECES TOGETHERFOR THR’S SIXTH ANNUAL STYLIST issue, THR’s style team focused, as always, on the breakouts who were the talk of awards season and the red carpet. The result is the 25 Most Powerful Stylists in Hollywood portfolio, in which stars including Saoirse Ronan, Brie Larson and Amy Schumer pose alongside their go-to sartorial pros. Scheduling six separate fashion shoots within a matter of weeks is no easy feat: “One came together the day before pages started to close,” says THR photo editor Michelle Stark, who adds that Michael B. Jordan and stylist Jeff K. Kim were a particularly fun pair to shoot. (“Jeff knows how to move in front of the camera.”) The list ranks the town’s top stylists based on the impact of the looks they created in the…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016Hollywood: Now Showing Faith in Faith-Based FilmsHOLLYWOOD HAS REDISCOVERED religion. While movies long have trafficked in biblical epics — Paramount is readying the third big-screen Ben-Hur for August — a new wave of inspirational movies is hitting theaters. Some offer new takes on the gospels, while others serve up contemporary tales in which God intervenes in human events. And many are attracting stars and filmmakers who in the past wouldn’t have given such projects so much as a prayer.Producer Joe Roth recalls how, in 2013, when he was assembling Heaven Is for Real, he met resistance. “At that time, if the casting agent says, ‘I want Brad Pitt,’ his agent says, ‘No, no. He’d never do a faith-based movie.’ There was definitely some of that,” says Roth. Nonetheless, the filmmakers and Sony Pictures enticed Greg Kinnear…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016CALL IT A ‘SPIRITUAL SUCCESSOR,’ NOT A SEQUELWANT TO ADD SOME CACHET TO A MOVIE THAT ISN’T a traditional sequel but could benefit from positive association with a previous hit? Just call it, in the words of J.J. Abrams, a “spiritual successor.” The marketing ploy paid off big time for the Abrams-produced 10 Cloverfield Lane, which opened to a strong $24.7 million domestic during the March 11 weekend after costing Paramount $13 million to produce. The film creates a new franchise as well as a new phrase. Details are murky as to when the decision was made to tie 10 Cloverfield Lane to Cloverfield, a 2008 found-footage monster pic that opened to $40.1 million. The project began as a script titled The Cellar that was picked up by Abrams’ Bad Robot in 2012. Dan Trachtenberg was hired…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016WEtv Latest to Wade Into Telenovela TerritoryON THE HEELS OF SUCH SERIES as The CW’s Jane the Virgin and NBC’s Telenovela, AMC-owned cable network WEtv has greenlighted eight episodes of My Life Is a Telenovela. The docuseries revolves around actresses who set out to land a role on Telemundo’s real-life telenovela Eva La Trailera. As part of the unique arrangement, cameras for WEtv and Telemundo rolled simultaneously on the soap’s Miami set. Matador Content (Lip Sync Battle) initially approached WEtv president Marc Juris with the concept, but it was he who urged the producers to find a real telenovela to center it on. “We have a brand promise, which is bringing you into these immersive real-life situations,” he says. To avoid spoiling the Telemundo series, which already is airing on the Spanish-language channel, and to accommodate…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016HOLLYWOOD HITS THE RED CARPETAlliance for Children’s RightsBeverly Hills, March 10TONIGHT’S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY to kiss my bosses’ asses,” joked Grandfathered’s John Stamos, nodding at Fox TV Group’s chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman, as the actor emceed the 24th annual Alliance for Children’s Rights dinner at The Beverly Hilton. Guests of the event, which raised money for children in foster care, included Seth MacFarlane, Betsy Brandt, Melissa Fumero and Julie Bowen. Walden and Newman, who both received the 2016 National Champions for Children Award for their work with the organization, kept their buttocks away from Stamos but were touched by the honor (“It feels great,” said Walden). Following the ceremony, Grammy winner Ne-Yo performed while attendees participated in an auction. By the end of the evening, the event raised a total…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016A Banner Year (Already!)HOLLYWOOD STUDIO CHIEFS APPEAR TO HAVE DEALMAKING ON THEIR minds. Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman made another pitch at a Feb. 23 investor conference for a deep-pocketed investor to acquire a slice of Paramount Studios, and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says he “fantasizes” about such a deal. Tribune Media CEO Peter Liguori said a few days later he wants to sell assets that could include the WGN America cable network or some of its TV stations. And media mogul John Malone continues to beat the drum about rolling up his Starz cable network with Lionsgate.All of this could lead to what is shaping up to be a banner 2016 for mergers and acquisitions in the entertainment industry. Since Jan. 1, there have been eight deals worth $8.4 billion, according to…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016‘THIS IS JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF ME’MONDAYS TYPICALLY are a quiet day on Stage 20 on the Fox lot, but the set of The Carmichael Show is anything but on this late February afternoon, thanks to the presence of Norman Lear. The writers of the family sitcom form an impromptu receiving line to greet the TV legend; then, Lear and series co-creator, executive producer and star Jerrod Carmichael break into song, belting out a string of duets that include Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” and Paul McCartney’s “My Valentine.” In between, the pair share stories, laughs and even pose for selfies during their hourlong Hollywood Reporter photo shoot. Though the two — one a 93-year-old married father of six from Connecticut and the other a single 28-year-old from North Carolina — have several decades…8 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016‘SHE GAVE GLAMOUR TO THE WHITE HOUSE’Amid the Republican candidacy circus, the Reagan administration often is referenced with near-reverential nostalgia. It’s not just the former leading man who gave Wall Street one of its biggest booms, but his size 2 first lady who morphed from Hollywood actress to social asset, setting a tone of elegance in the White House. Some critics saw her as extravagant (her $209,508 china plate purchase while the country was still in a recession is notorious), while others noted limited success with advocacy (such as her “Just Say No’’ antidrug campaign). But those who crossed her sartorial path experienced a dedication and taste that helped create the Reagan legacy.“Mrs. Reagan gave glamour to the White House, like Mrs. Kennedy,’’ says Carolina Herrera, who designed dresses for both first ladies. “Her style was…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/201625 STYLISTS, 50 LOOKS, 1 YEARHATHAWAY, VIKANDER BLACK, JAMES STRIPES: KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE. WATTS SILVER, JOHNSON: VENTURELLI/WIREIMAGE. NYONG’O, DUNST BLACK, MOORE, BLUNT, HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY: GEORGE PIMENTEL/WIREIMAGE. GAGA WHITE: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES. COOPER: GILBERT CARRASQUILLO/FILMMAGIC. BLANCHETT BLACK: JIM SPELLMAN/WIREIMAGE. LARSON GOLD, SCHUMER BLACK, LAWRENCE RED, DANES: JOHN SHEARER/GETTY IMAGES. SCHUMER WHITE, THERON: JEFFREY MAYER/WIREIMAGE. JAMES WHITE: JASON LAVERIS/FILMMAGIC. RONAN GREEN, LARSON BLUE: DAN MACMEDAN/WIREIMAGE. LETO, WATTS BLUE, LAWRENCE WHITE, LOPEZ, MCADAMS, WASHINGTON BLACK: STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE. WASHINGTON SILVER, GAGA BLACK: AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC. BANKS: JON KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC. HEARD: SAMIR HUSSEIN/GETTY IMAGES. CRUISE: ANDREAS RENTZ/GETTY IMAGES FOR PARAMOUNT PICTURES INTERNATIONAL. MULLIGAN, MILLER: MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE. WILDE: ANDREW TOTH/FILMMAGIC. BIEBER: JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGES. STILLER: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES. DUNST WHITE: GRAHAM WHITBY BOOT/STARTRAKSPHOTO.COM. BYRNE: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES. MALEK: FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES. BLANCHETT FLORAL, POWLEY: LUCA TEUCHMANN/GETTY IMAGES. STEWART BLACK: HAN MYUNG-GU/WIREIMAGE. STEWART SILVER: STEFANIA D’ALESSANDRO/WIREIMAGE. HEADEY:…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016The PathIN THE RIGHT HANDS, FAITH IS AN INTRIGUING NARRATIVE theme; stories of lost or hurt people who want to believe in something that can alleviate their pain can be compelling when told right. Case in point: The Path, Hulu’s impressive and riveting new drama from creator Jessica Goldberg (Parenthood) and executive producer Jason Katims (Parenthood), which is blessed with exceptional performances by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Michelle Monaghan (True Detective) and Hugh Dancy (Hannibal).Yet another strong original content push from Hulu, hot on the heels of 11.22.63, Path centers on the (fictional) Meyerist Movement in upstate New York. Outsiders call it a cult — the group has a gated compound, and members frequently sport the Meyerist logo — but charismatic leader Cal (Dancy, by turns ominous and vulnerable) insists it’s…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016In 1995, Marcia Clark’s Hair Made HeadlinesDURING HIS 1995 trial, O.J. Simpson was not the only person being judged. Prosecutor Marcia Clark came in for personal criticism of her hair, clothes and even her personality. When Simpson was acquitted, The Hollywood Reporter said one reason the prosecution lost was that Clark came off as “shrill and short-tempered.” To say the then-41 year-old mother of two was under mounting stress would be an understatement. She was in a custody battle with her second husband over their two young sons; her first husband’s mother sold topless vacation beach photos of her to the National Enquirer; and for 15 months, the Southwestern School of Law graduate was struggling in court with O.J.’s “Dream Team” of high-priced lawyers in the racially charged murder trial. Today, she describes to THR the…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016A Dinner to Toast the StylistsNATALIE JARVEYCOVERING THE FEBRUARY PREMIERE of A Trip to Unicorn Island — the new doc about Canadian vlogger Lilly Singh — is an event the THR staff writer won’t soon forget (page 54). “Some young girls waited hours to meet Lilly and were crying with excitement when she walked the red carpet,” says the Seattle native, 27, who has interviewed everyone from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to Grumpy Cat in her two years covering digital media for the magazine. “It showcased the power of the relationship between social media stars and their fans.”ZOEY GROSSMANTHE PHOTOGRAPHER SHOT BRIE LARSON with her stylist Cristina Ehrlich (page 68) just days before Larson won an Oscar. Greeted by the Room star with a warm hug, Grossman says she was “blown away” by the actress’…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016Pilot Season: 6 Casting Directors Give the DishWITH 87 PILOTS IN the works, the broadcast networks have had their work cut out for them as they try to lure top talent in a landscape where scripted originals have topped 400 and stars continue to find shortorder cable and straight-to-series streaming shows more appealing. As the casting portion of pilot season winds down, six casting directors open up about the big diversity push, growing competition and discovering new talent.What’s been the most glaring new trend in casting this pilot season?B. KLEIN Rather than the normal casting and testing process, a lot of actors are getting test offers converted to straight offers. So we’re skipping the audition process altogether.S. KLEIN Dealing with exclusivity. Everyone has a gazillion pre-existing recurring roles. The competition, too. If I hear one more time…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016HARVEY ON ELLISON POACHING: ‘WE DON’T SEE THEM AS RIVALS’DEAL OF THE WEEKTHE REVOLVING door at The Weinstein Co. is back in action. After a five-year stint, distribution president Erik Lomis exited the cost-cutting studio March 10 to join free-spending Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures. Lomis’ hire signals that Annapurna is moving directly into TWC’s space as a distributor and presumably will compete for the same Oscarfriendly projects on which Harvey Weinstein has built his business.Adding to the blow is the fact that Weinstein, 63, is a known adversary of Ellison. The two famously feuded over Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, which Annapurna backed and Weinstein distributed, and TWC came out on the losing end to Annapurna to finance Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.Lomis, whose contract expires ON THE HEELS OF SUCH SERIES as The CW’s Jane the Virgin and…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016KA-CHING!FILMJason Bateman (CAA, Lighthouse, Hansen Jacobson) will direct STX’s Significant Other and star with Jennifer Aniston.J.K. Simmons (Gersh) will play Commissioner Gordon in Warner Bros.’Justice League.Jake Johnson (UTA, 3 Arts, Jackoway Tyerman) has joined Universal’s The Mummy.Zendaya (CAA, Monster Talent, Skrzyniarz Mallean) will join Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man reboot.The Big Number$ 15 M Annual royalties ESPN should pay for the ambient stadium music heard on its broadcasts, according to a March 8 court filing by BMI.The One Direction singer is in talks to make his acting debut in Christopher Nolan’s ensemble World War II thriller Dunkirk.Randall Park (UTA, Principato Young, Myman Greenspan) is joining Aniston and Bateman in DreamWorks’Office Christmas Party.Harry Styles (CAA, Full Stop) is in talks to join Tom Hardy in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.Jason Segel (WME, Abrams, Sloane…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016Want to Spend 90 Minutes With a YouTube Star?THERE HAVE BEEN SOME glitzy movie premieres for the YouTube world’s biggest celebrities. Smosh: The Movie fans packed Westwood’s Village Theater, Lilly Singh debuted her documentary A Trip to Unicorn Island at the famed TCL Chinese Theatre, and Kian Lawley’s Shovel Buddies had a prime March 14 premiere scheduled at the South by Southwest Film Festival.But despite all the trappings of traditional Hollywood events, the irony is that these featurelength films rarely find a home in theaters — their largest audiences are online. Yet younger viewers are clamoring to watch their favorite digital stars in something more than short YouTube videos, six-second Vines or Snapchat stories. And studios are taking note.There were about a dozen such “film” projects in 2015 alone, and that number could double this year as major…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016THE LOOK OF LOUCHEWHEN VIEWERS LAST LEFT Edina and Patsy, the middleaged train wreck heroines of the 1990s TV hit Absolutely Fabulous — played, respectively, by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley — the ladies were boozing it up and popping pills while keeping up the appearance of holding down fashionable careers. On the show, which aired on BBC America in the U.S., Edina ran her own PR agency and Patsy was an MIA fashion editor.The London party girls were delinquent fashion victims of their time, a kind-of English version of Sex and the City, except these ladies were far too self-obsessed to be worried about men. Frequently clad in their favorite designer, Christian Lacroix (“It’s Lacroix, sweetie, Lacroix”), and other ageinappropriate outfits, they were designer eye candy long before the Internet invented street…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/20165 RINING STYLISTSAnnabelle HarronClients Patricia Arquette, Rachel Bloom, Elizabeth DebickiTop looks Harron dressed last year’s Oscar winner Arquette, 47, for her Boyhood run, but a more recent standout was The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s Debicki, 26, in a white Giambattista Valli Couture with pink flowers at the Macbeth premiere in Cannes. “We had less than an hour to try options and pull her entire look together before she walked the red carpet,” recalls Harron.Fashion bio Born and raised in Australia, Harron got her start working retail: “It was a way to learn about garments, fabrics and how to fit people.” She went on to study fashion at Southern Australia’s TAFE SA before moving to Los Angeles and assisting Cristina Ehrlich (No. 2 on THR’s list).Camille SeydouxClients Lea Seydoux, Adele ExarchopoulosTop looks The off-the-shoulder…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/20165 OF Hollywood’s Most In-Demand Men’s StylistsFrom leftJeff K. Kim and client Michael B. JordanPhotographed by DEWEY NICKS on March 8 at Hollywood Loft in Los AngelesKim “There aren’t as many options for guys — with suits, you can change the color or underpinnings, but to stay innovative and fresh, you have to step outside of the box.”Jordan “Jeff pushes the boundaries, for sure. There are always a couple of wild-card suits [at fittings], either as a joke or just to see my reaction — he hopes I’ll be into it and push the limits a little.”On Jordan: Hermes suit and tie, Kenzo shirt, The Tie Bar tie bar, Piaget watch, Christian Louboutin shoes. On Kim: Hermes jacket and shirt, Todd Snyder pants, Christian Louboutin shoes, Piaget watch, Hermes bracelet, Established jewelry and Boucheron rings.The Making…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016James McBrideJAMES MCBRIDE, A 2013 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER (The Good Lord Bird), 58, offers a first-person take on the Godfather of Soul in Kill ’Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul (out April 5). McBride, who has written two screenplays for Spike Lee, talks to THR about current and upcoming projects — and one, starring Jaden Smith, that got away.Your new book is the fruit of interviews with James Brown’s friends and family, several of whom had not previously spoken publicly about him. What’s the most surprising thing you learned?That James Brown in many ways was more of a Southerner than a black man. Most of his actions were dictated by the nation he came from, which was the American South. There’s so much unsaid and…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016The Fuzzy Math Behind Wanda’s Purchase of LegendaryWITH THE hiring of Mary Parent as vice chair of worldwide production at Legendary Entertainment, China’s Dalian Wanda Group has added some steak to the sizzle of the company it acquired in January for $3.5 billion. Or at least that’s the number widely reported. Like much about the deal, the reality of that figure is far from clear.What does seem clear is that Wanda bought out such other Legendary investors as Japan’s SoftBank for a big number, but many Hollywood insiders with ties to China believe it doesn’t matter if the price was high because Wanda expects to make an even bigger amount when it sells a company revolving around Legendary to the public. Wanda revealed March 14 that it will fold Thomas Tull’s U.S. productionfinance outfit and Wanda Pictures…6 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016New at the Movies: R Is for RelaxationALAMO DRAFTHOUSE Cinema, the Texasbased theater chain founded in 1997 by mechanical engineer Tim League and his wife, Karrie, was a pioneer in creating the upscale moviegoing experience with in-theater dining and beer on tap. Now it’s at the forefront of a trend that quietly has been adopted by a majority of theaters nationwide: barring children under age 6 from seeing R-rated films after 6 p.m. so as to provide a better experience for adults.Exhibitors say they enacted the policy based on a cascade of complaints from customers bothered by noisy and restless tots, or by the idea of seeing a kid watching violent or sexual content. In the latest twist, some circuits are enforcing the rule 24/7. That group includes Regal Entertainment, the largest U.S. chain. The two next-largest…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016Rights Available!Dark Money(Doubleday)BY Jane MayerAGENCY ICM PartnersHollywood loves to hate the Koch brothers, the billionaire benefactors of far-right causes. The New Yorker staff writer’s deep dive into their rise to power and nearly unparalleled influence on the political system has stayed on The New York Times’ best-seller list every week since its Jan. 19 publication.Surrender, New York(Random House)BY Caleb CarrAGENCY APATwo present-day investigators try to solve the gruesome ritualistic murders of homeless teens using the theories of their idol Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, the hero of Carr’s 1890sset mega-blockbuster The Alienist.…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016Viacom’s Real Motives in a Rushed Paramount SaleAMAJOR MOVIE STUDIO DOES not come up for sale very often. When it does, it means an epochal power shift in Hollywood — or at least it signifies for the buyer epochal ambitions. Rupert Murdoch strode to the head of the media business with his purchase of 20th Century Fox in 1985. Sumner Redstone became Sumner Redstone by winning a battle to buy Paramount Pictures in 1993. There were big, if shattered, studio dreams for the Japanese (Universal Studios and Columbia Pictures, which Sony Corp. still owns), the French (Universal), the Coca-Cola Co. (Columbia) and Ted Turner (MGM).But more recently, the movie studios that launched the modern entertainment business have seemed less central to media fortunes, demanding a substantial commitment of capital and generating low returns and, increasingly, less prestige.…6 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016HOLLYWOOD’S NEWEST STAR IS … MARC JACOBS?SOME PEOPLE CALL ME perverse,” says Marc Jacobs one recent rainy evening in London. “Yeah, I guess that’s me.” He adds dryly, “But they also say I’m hilarious.” It’s two days after the designer’s gushingly reviewed Fall 2016 show closed out New York Fashion Week — a dark and moody extravaganza of Victoriana meets Goth complete with black feathers, rat prints and spider webs. Since bursting onto the scene with his famed grunge collection for Perry Ellis way back in ’92, Jacobs has managed to remain the cool kid with New York’s fashion elite. He’s picked up dozens of Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, and his hipper-thanthou NYFW spectacle shows always have been the town’s toughest ticket. His unlikely inversion of luxury brand Louis Vuitton (he was creative…6 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016THE 25 MOST POWERFUL STYLISTSFrom rightLeesa Evans (No. 25) and client Amy SchumerPhotographed by DAVID NEEDLEMAN on March 8 at the Carnegie Club in New York CitySchumer “I’ve had fittings for the last 10 years. They’ve always been kind of traumatic. If you’re above a size 12, they’re kind of like, ‘Oh, why don’t you just, like, go into a field and graze with the cows?’ Leesa’s attitude when I walked in was, ‘That’s great!’ or ‘We can do better!’ It’s completely changed how I feel about clothes, and now we’re going to be together for life. I’m going to be buried with her. … You agreed to that, right?”Evans “I completely agreed to that.”On Schumer: Vivienne Westwood dress and Giuseppe Zanotti heels. On Evans: Valentino dress and bag.WELL, NO ONE CAN SAY HOLLYWOOD…25 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016MUSIC'S 5 MOST INFLUENTIAL STYLISTSAldene JohnsonClient Florence WelchTop look About her pink chiffon Gucci custom gown with sparkling appliques at the 2016 Grammys, the singer, 29, has said: “It’s just the most beautiful, romantic thing, but there’s some kind of edge to it.”Fashion bio Zimbabwe-born Johnson was the first U.K. fashion editor of Vice magazine and has been styling Welch since the 2009 album-cover shoot for Lungs, collaborating with Alexander McQueen, Givenchy and Gucci (which will be making costumes for the singer’s upcoming world tour).Inspiration Johnson says that she is a “massive fan” of Diane Keaton.Gaelle PaulClient AdeleTop look For the Brit Awards, the singer, 27, performed “When We Were Young” in a multicolored, sequined Valentino dress adorned with the Chrysler building on the front. “Very pop, very modern, very bold,” says Paul.Fashion bio…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|4/1/2016Everybody Wants SomeBY THE STANDARDS of Hollywood, where the word “sequel” usually means “the same thing, with a roman numeral after the title,” Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some hardly is a sequel to his 1993 teen-comedy classic Dazed and Confused.That’s not only because the films share no common characters but also because, while both observe school-daze milestones, they’re such different animals. The deft and lovely new movie, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival, discards the earlier work’s omniscient point of view — which sympathized simultaneously with freaks and geeks and the in crowd — in favor of a specific perspective: watching an incoming freshman spend his first few days with the college baseball players who will constitute his family the rest of the year. Inevitable “Brohood” jokes are fair…5 min
