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Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘We can't lose storytelling in America': DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter on bringing production to L.A.
She has one of the most impressive directing résumé in the business, with credits including Mad Men, Homeland, Justified, The Morning Show, and, most recently, Netflix's Robert De Niro-starrer Zero Day. So much so that Lesli Linka Glatter sits atop the Directors Guild as president — what she jokingly refers to her 'volunteer' job — where her current mission is to bring film and TV production back to Los Angeles. Levels have reached record lows — down 40 percent — thanks to the 'triple whammy' of COVID, the strikes, and the fallout of the recent wildfires, which claimed her own home in the Pacific Palisades as well. 'I came of age when you'd go on a studio lot, and it would be filled with productions,' says Glatter. 'And now I'm looking around now going, 'OK, there's just one or two productions here.' And that hurts our whole city.' More from GoldDerby Taylor Dearden, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Chase Sui Wonders, Brandon Sklenar, and Meg Stalter to headline Breakout Award Panel at Newport Beach TV Fest How Charlie Cox characterizes Matt Murdock through action scenes in 'Daredevil: Born Again' Natasha Lyonne and 13 'Poker Face' guest stars submitted for Emmy consideration Glatter, who is about to start shooting Imperfect Women in L.A. with Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss, spoke to Gold Derby about why she's drawn to conspiracy thrillers, her experience directing De Niro, and why she's so passionate about her advocacy work. 'One of the things that has been amazing after the fires is the incredible support of our community for one another,' says Glatter. 'I have to say, I think that our superpower in the film business is that kind of support. And now we need it to bring production back to L.A. We can't lose storytelling in America.' How's everything going with rebuilding your home? Thank you for asking. I think you know what a blow to our city, our community it's been. Yes, I feel horrible for myself, but it's so much bigger than one person's loss. It's the loss of the whole area, the village — and I know it's the same in Altadena. It's just so much bigger. It's so much bigger. I hate to say this by being an itinerant film worker, I'm used to going into other cities, other people's houses and having to make them my own. So I feel like I've done that very effectively in my own city, which is very odd. I'm just trying to look at what the opportunity in reinvention is in simplicity. Now I want less of everything. There's sadness and loss. And, boy, they don't make it easy for you in terms of insurance, but I'm focused on something else creatively that I try to focus on the things that are positive. … The kindness of strangers, people wanting to be there for our community in distress has been really inspiring. It's like the best part of people has come out. With your work at the DGA, I know you're focused on bringing production back to L.A. Is there any goodwill in Washington, D.C,. as a result of the wildfires that can help in that direction? I'm hoping so. I can't be specific. But I think there's no question that our industry is suffering, and we can't let this disappear. We've got to get these incentives. We have to keep it here at the state level and the Federal level as well. We need both. We really have to look at the big picture. We want to be sure that these incentives really promote jobs and not just help the studios and networks save money. We need them to be our partners in this. What kind of support have you gotten from the studios and networks? I'm going to use the show I'm on right now, Imperfect Women. I have to say, if you are in a position of power to make something stay here, that's what we need. Our actors, our directors, who are in that position to do so really spoke up. We're here because of [stars] Kerry Washington and Elizabeth Moss. That's the truth of it. And that's a huge power. That's a huge input of work into our community right now. Bravo for the two of them standing up. I'm grateful that it's shooting here, and I feel really fortunate to be shooting here and hiring a crew here. I haven't shot in L.A. in a long time, and I get to look at L.A. in a completely different light, which is very exciting. What appealed to you about ? Well, you know I am very interested in certain themes, and I guess I keep coming back to those themes until I work them out in my life. I'm very interested in things are not what they appear to be. You have to look deeper to see what's really going on, and people being put in extraordinary circumstances where they're forced to deal with who they really are and to have that in the guise of almost a paranoid conspiracy. A political thriller is a great vehicle to explore complicated, layered, complex characters. Let say you have a scene where two people have completely opposing views, and they're both right. I don't love white hats and black hats. I like the conversation, and to me this material, and having us look at what is truth in a post truth world felt really relevant. As with you seem drawn to series that feel very ripped from the headlines. What are those challenges for you when it comes to putting those shows together? Great question. I'm a big researcher, I think in a political thriller, I want it to feel realistically real. You know we did a lot of research on this, we had access to a lot of information, and we did take something that had never happened before. A 'zero day' event is a flaw in software that can be hacked and take down an entire industry. And it is the most powerful cyber weapon that the intelligence services have. If you take down power, heating in the middle of winter, you know that's a weapon — if you take down aviation, transportation, banking, Internet? What will we do when put in these situations like another 9/11. Would we behave better would we find out who is really at the bottom of this? What do people do when faced with fear like that? We're not doing a documentary; a zero day event has never happened, thank goodness. But we wanted to ask these questions, without saying who is Democrat or who is Republican. And of course, with ex-President Mullen [De Niro], we are asking questions about acuity in a leader. He's an unreliable narrator at times. Did you have an answer into in your own mind about whether he was reliable or not? Yes. Care to elaborate? You know, Proteus, which is based on the Havana syndrome, is also a real weapon that was developed. Is it dementia? Is he suffering untreated grief in his life? Probably a combination of all of that. But yes, I have an idea what happened. But I think the question mark is a good one to leave a question mark in that way. What was it like working with Robert De Niro? Awesome, joyful. I have to admit at first I was like, 'Oh, my God! I'm meeting a living legend.' But he's an extraordinary collaborator, a generous collaborator, so smart, so engaged. He's a wonderful actor. And he wants to be directed. The whole cast was extraordinary — it was a dream team. As a director, what makes you say yes to a project? Oh, that's also a great question. If I read the script and start to see it in my head and feel engaged, and I feel excited and terrified simultaneously, then I'm like I'm the right person. You know I love doing political thrillers. But I'm now doing a show that is not that at all. I always like to mix it up. I don't want to tell the same story over and over again. There are so much complexities in the human condition that there are plenty to explore. The more complex and complicated a character is, the juicier, the more there is to delve into. Do you enjoy getting to direct the entirety of a limited series vs. just coming in for one episode? Yes, it's a big commitment for on every level. But it feels more like doing, you know, a six-hour movie. But I love that. That's how things have broken down between TV and film. It's not about the delivery system. Yes, it's very important to keep theatrical feature films alive. But the fact that whatever length your story is, whatever way you're receiving it, whether it's on an ipad or a huge screen in a theater or a big screen in your home, it's about telling a great visual story. It's a whole other world now. And I think that's really helped both film and TV. I mean. Look at who's crossing over — Robert De Niro is doing a limited series, and I think part of that is because it's limited. What did you take away from ? Ask the questions, have the conversation. If we can't all agree on what is fact, it's very hard to have those conversations and the ability to hear what someone else is saying. We're at a critical point in that and looking at one's own moral compass, your own relationship with truth without being heavy-handed. It's a narrative. It's a thriller. Truth is truth, but it's not always the most important thing. I mean, everyone has a different relationship with truth and that is fascinating to me. … It's interesting to be in a world where there's a level of anxiety everywhere, where the whole world is not on solid ground. I love the idea of being in the back room of power. I want to know how decisions are made and where people's moral compass is with making that decision. You've been a part of so many classic shows like . Are there any you would want to revisit? I feel blessed to have been able to be part of some amazing stories, and to have been able to tell those stories. I don't know if I want to go backward. But I think there's more to explore, I love being able to do what I do. So let's just keep filmmaking here, so all of us can enjoy telling those stories and watching them. Isn't Don Draper in L.A. now? Exactly. [Laughs.] But I think those series are all so powerful because it really is about something in the human spirit trying to understand these complex people that we are. And to me, when you have an extraordinary environment juxtaposed with the human being you have, that's the best. It's a team sport we're in. And I've said this a billion times, we're only as good as our team. I'm not a poet sitting in a room alone. We do this job with hundreds of people. And that's an incredibly challenging and exciting thing to try to focus all of that in a single story. I've been doing this a while, and it used to be like you end a show, you have these incredibly powerful bonds with people that are all very real, and then it could be years before you see them again. It is a bit like we're in the traveling circus, and the feeling is I'm gonna see you down the road. And that happens all the time now. Our paths continue to cross, and that's the beauty of what we do. Best of GoldDerby How Charlie Cox characterizes Matt Murdock through action scenes in 'Daredevil: Born Again' 'Agatha All Along' star Joe Locke on learning from Kathryn Hahn, musical theater goals, and the 'Heartstopper' movie with Kit Connor TV casting directors roundtable: 'The Diplomat,' 'Overcompensating,' 'Only Murders in the Building,' 'Paradise,' 'Doctor Odyssey' Click here to read the full article.
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Tributes paid to comedy legend Ruth Buzzi, who called North Texas home before her death
Fans are paying tribute to Ruth Buzzi, the comedy legend who called North Texas home before her death on Thursday at age 88. Buzzi, whose humor America first glimpsed on the late 1960s TV show "Laugh-In," turned her iconic characters from those classic skits into an enduring comedy franchise. Ruth Buzzi during The 20th Anniversary William S. Paley Television Festival Presents "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" at Directors Guild Theatre Complex in West Hollywood, California, United States. (Photo by Mike Guastella/WireImage) Mike Guastella American actress and comedian Ruth Buzzi, wearing a black hairnet and a brown cardigan, attends a Hollywood Fan Convention, in Los Angeles, California, 10th January 1996. / Getty Images Throughout the 1970s, Buzzi appeared in everything from children's shows to celebrity roasts and variety programs. She shared the screen with the most famous entertainers of the 20th century and was always willing to play the foil or be the butt of the joke. In the last decades of her life, Buzzi and her husband retired to a sprawling ranch in Erath County. Despite being a comedy legend, she became a familiar face to her neighbors and around the nearby towns, making occasional appearances. She often shared her adventures and jokes on social media, even after a series of strokes in recent years. Alzheimer's disease finally took her life this week. "It was just a great pleasure to meet her and call myself a fan and to call her a friend," said former DFW radio reporter Andrew Greenstein, who got to know Buzzi several years ago when he interviewed her. Greenstein said she was just as funny off-screen as she was on-screen. "She was absolutely hilarious," Greenstein said. "When her husband let me into the house, she had not come down yet, and as she was walking down the stairs, she was calling out to me, 'Andrew.' I had never met her in person in my entire life." Under a photo of her ever-present smile, Buzzi's husband told fans to remember her by knowing that she had as much fun as they did while she was making them laugh.
Express Tribune
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Oscars 2025: Anora, Conclave Lead as Brody, Chalamet, and Moore Shine
The 97th Academy Awards are set to take place on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre, celebrating the past year's most acclaimed films and performances. Among the strongest contenders for Best Picture is Anora, a drama about a Brooklyn stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. The film has gained significant momentum after securing wins at the Directors Guild and Producers Guild awards. Director Sean Baker is also a frontrunner for Best Director. Another major contender is Conclave, a gripping thriller about power struggles in a Vatican papal election. The film recently won at the BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Its storyline has taken on added significance as Pope Francis remains in critical condition in hospital. Brody, Chalamet Lead Best Actor Race In the Best Actor category, Adrien Brody has emerged as a strong candidate for his portrayal of Hungarian-Jewish architect Laszlo Toth in The Brutalist. However, he faces tough competition from Timothée Chalamet, who recently won a SAG Award for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Moore, Madison, Torres in Contention for Best Actress Demi Moore is a leading contender for Best Actress for her role in The Substance, where she plays an ageing actress and television fitness instructor struggling with career decline. She is up against Mikey Madison (Anora) and Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here), both of whom have gained traction in the awards circuit.
USA Today
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Oscar predictions: Who will win at the 2025 Academy Awards
This is indicative of how bonkers this Oscar season has been: One of the best picture contenders begins with a series of strip club lap dances, another ends with a monstrous amount of blood being sprayed everywhere. Just like the movies up for Sunday's top prize, the road to the 97th Academy Awards (live on ABC and Hulu, 7 p.m. EST/4 PST) has been anything but boring. After months of film festivals, Oscar punditry and glitzy awards shows, there's no clear front-runner yet and the lead acting races are still up in the air, which is honestly kind of nice. A year ago, we all figured out that "Oppenheimer" was going to win the night. This time, it could be a bunch of catty pope wannabes, a Hungarian architect, a couple of singing witches, or even Bob Dylan. And what's the best way to end an unpredictable, somewhat toxic Oscar cycle? By fearlessly predicting all the major categories, of course. Best picture "Anora" Rate your 'Film of the Year': Join our Movie Meter panel and make your voice heard! "The Brutalist" "A Complete Unknown" "Conclave" "Dune: Part Two" "Emilia Pérez" "I'm Still Here" "Nickel Boys" "The Substance" "Wicked" Will win: "Conclave" Should win: "The Substance" "Anora" was starting to look like a true Cinderella story, winning best film out of the Directors Guild and Producers Guild of America awards ceremonies. That is, until "Conclave" scored a major victory for best cast at last weekend's Screen Actors Guild Awards − important because thespians are the largest voting bloc in the Academy. The last film to win PGA and DGA but not Oscar was "1917," which lost to SAG winner "Parasite" in 2020. We're thinking repeat: "Anora" still is a safe bet but "Conclave" winning the BAFTA for best film leans toward a victory for the popes. But really, we're just rooting for a "Substance" shocker and all those "Monstro Elisasue holding an Oscar" memes Monday morning. Best actress Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked" Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez" Mikey Madison, "Anora" Demi Moore, "The Substance" Fernanda Torres, "I'm Still Here" Will win/should win: Moore The love for "Anora" and a BAFTA best actress honor give Madison a puncher's chance, but this has been Moore's Oscar season. All of the nominees are first-timers – and a win would give Erivo an EGOT – but the "Substance" star not only shines in a wonderfully bizarre role, Moore has a 40-year career to stand behind. Along with the kudos, she's been winning hearts and minds with her acceptance speeches, most significantly her rousing "popcorn actress" moment at the Golden Globes. She's had blockbusters; now it's time for Moore to get her flowers. Best actor Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist" Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown" Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing" Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave" Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice" Will win: Chalamet Should win: Domingo It appeared early on that this was Brody's to lose after an early Golden Globe win. However, between "The Brutalist" not becoming an "Oppenheimer"-esque powerhouse and Chalamet winning at SAG, the young "Unknown" star has an excellent shot to beat Brody on the scoreboard and in the record book (as the youngest best actor winner ever). The odds are also in Chalamet's favor: Six of the last seven SAG winners also won Oscars. He's certainly deserving, as good an onscreen Bob Dylan as you could imagine doing all his own performing, yet Domingo digs so deep in "Sing Sing" playing an incarcerated thespian that it's a joy to watch him work. He'll take home Oscar one day, just not this year. Best supporting actress Monica Barbaro, "A Complete Unknown" Ariana Grande, "Wicked" Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist" Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave" Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez" Will win/should win: Saldaña Grande was supposed to have been a more, ahem, popular choice this Oscar season. The "Wicked" wunderkind just hasn't given Saldaña much of a fight, though, with the "Emilia Pérez" standout running the table. All the various "Emilia" controversies and backlash haven't derailed her one bit, and that's a testament to her performance. As the lawyer/consigliere to a Mexican drug lord who secretly undergoes gender confirmation surgery, the Marvel and "Avatar" star sings, dances and showcases a new level of her acting talent. Best supporting actor Yura Borisov, "Anora" Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain" Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown" Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist" Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice" Will win: Culkin Should win: Borisov Barring some unforeseen and monumental upset, Culkin will be raising an Oscar in his hand on Sunday. (Good news, Kieran: It weighs less than that SAG trophy.) He does a phenomenal job in "A Real Pain," though his brand of lovable puckishness does follow him everywhere, from acceptance speeches to his Emmy-winning role on "Succession." If we had a ballot, Borisov would be the pick simply for being awesome and giving us the type of character we haven't seen a ton: a quietly charismatic, scene-stealing henchman with a heart of gold. Best director Sean Baker, "Anora" Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist" James Mangold, "A Complete Unknown" Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance" Will win: Baker Should win: Corbet Don't worry, "Anora" faithful, you're likely not leaving Sunday night empty-handed. Only eight times since 1948 has the DGA winner missed out on an Oscar, the most recent being Sam Mendes ("1917") in 2020. And since "Conclave" filmmaker Edward Berger isn't even in the Academy's mix, it's an easy call for Baker. That said, the best director probably should go to the best movie. With what Corbet pulls off in the monumental "Brutalist," a movie where even the intermission title card is a part of the narrative, his not winning is a snub that'll be talked about years down the line.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who's up and down in the Oscar race after Sunday's BAFTA Awards shockers?
BAFTA Awards voters often go by the beat of their own drums, and that independence was fully displayed during Sunday's ceremony. After winning top awards from the Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and Writers Guild, Best Picture frontrunner Anora won only two awards on Sunday — but its victory for Mikey Madison in Best Actress was significant. Meanwhile, after flopping with the major guilds, The Brutalist rebounded with four wins, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody and Best Director for Brady Corbet. However, The Brutalist couldn't win Best Film, falling to Conclave, which also won three other awards. Ahead, the biggest takeaways from the BAFTA Awards results and what it all might mean for the Oscars race as winner voting continues until Tuesday. More from GoldDerby Oscars Best Picture breakdown: 'Anora' in the lead with 'The Brutalist' and 'Conclave' close behind Oscars Best Director breakdown: Sean Baker still ahead with Brady Corbet just behind Oscars Best Supporting Actress breakdown: Why it's still Zoe Saldaña vs. the field To steal from Anne Hathaway: It came true. After speculating for the last week about whether Mikey Madison could ride the wave of support for Anora to an upset Best Actress win over presumed frontrunner Demi Moore at the BAFTA Awards, Madison indeed pulled off the victory. The win is significant: It's not only the first time Madison has defeated Moore during a televised awards ceremony this season but also the first time the industry has weighed in on the Best Actress race. Previously, Moore won non-industry honors from the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards. The Substance star remains the category favorite for now — and some will likely argue that her status as a Hollywood veteran will keep her out in front at the Oscars since Madison is a relative newcomer. However, in recent years, the BAFTA Awards have an impressive track record of signaling when the 'narrative' favorite — like Lily Gladstone, Chadwick Boseman, and Glenn Close — lacks genuine support. It's possible that, in hindsight, we'll view Madison's win as a red herring. She could be Austin Butler, who won for Elvis, to Moore's Brendan Fraser, the eventual Oscar winner for The Whale (and Moore, like Fraser did, might win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards next weekend, reshaping the Best Actress race one last time before the Oscars). However, with the industry's strong support for Anora, Madison might follow in the footsteps of Frances McDormand, who was underestimated in the 2021 Best Actress field but won while leading the Best Picture-winning Nomadland. Not to pile on The Substance, but the unlikely Oscar contender won only a single BAFTA Award on Sunday in the hair and makeup category. Moore's loss was tough, but arguably, the Best Original Screenplay defeat was worse. Heading into the BAFTA Awards, Sean Baker led in the odds for Anora with Coralie Fargeat in second — and it felt like if Fargeat could pull off the win on Oscar night in the original screenplay category, her march to victory would start at BAFTA. However, Fargeat lost at the BAFTA Awards, not to Baker but to Jesse Eisenberg for A Real Pain. The win was a moderate shock: A Real Pain had only one other nomination at the BAFTA Awards (its win for Kieran Culkin in Best Supporting Actor; more on that one below) and isn't a Best Picture Oscar nominee. It's counterintuitive, but that The Substance lost here and lost to A Real Pain instead of Anora probably puts Baker in a solid position to win at the Oscars, with Eisenberg as the potential upset winner and Fargeat as the spoiler. (Baker beat Eisenberg head-to-head at the Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, where Fargeat was not nominated due to eligibility rules.) While Best Actress is full of intrigue, the other three acting races have stabilized. In the supporting categories at the BAFTA Awards, Culkin and Zoe Saldaña won expected honors, putting each on the verge of a sweep heading into Oscar night. At this point, if either performer lost at the SAG Awards next week, it would be a significant surprise. In Best Actor, many have underestimated Adrien Brody for The Brutalist, hoping that Timothée Chalamet could pull off the Oscar win for A Complete Unknown. Maybe that was wishful thinking because Brody won at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday. While that doesn't guarantee he'll win next weekend at the SAG Awards (the SAG Awards nominating committee blanked The Brutalist outside of Brody but widely embraced A Complete Unknown), it puts him in a great spot. As noted, Anora only won two awards on Sunday: Best Actress and Best Casting. However, it wasn't predicted that it would win Best Film or Best Director at the BAFTA Awards, so it's not like the movie took a step back after dominating the industry guilds over the last week. Instead, Sunday's results did well in illustrating which movie might be running second to Anora in the Best Picture race. So, while The Brutalist earned four wins (including Best Director), Conclave left the BAFTA ceremony in a great spot. Edward Berger's film also won four awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing — two categories it is predicted to win at the Oscars. But it also won Best Film and Best British Film, and it heads into next weekend's SAG Awards as a strong contender in the Best Ensemble category (where The Brutalist was snubbed). If Conclave — a consensus movie not considered all that polarizing — can pull off the win there over Anora and current favorite Wicked, it will head into the Oscars as a prime Best Picture upset choice. That's a spot Berger is familiar with: two years ago, his film All Quiet on the Western Front was the BAFTA Best Film winner over Everything Everywhere All at Once and emerged as the runner-up contender. Best of GoldDerby 'Conclave' takes Best Picture at 2025 BAFTA Awards, thwarting 'The Brutalist' and 'Anora' 2025 Oscars race scorecard: 'Conclave' tops BAFTA while Mikey Madison shakes up the Best Actress race 2025 Oscars calendar update: BAFTA Awards on Feb. 16 Click here to read the full article.
