Latest news with #OutoftheBlue
New York Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Hollywood legend Michael Ovitz discovered a cousin through buying his art
Legendary Hollywood power player Michael Ovitz, 78, has donated a stunning sculpture by Joel Shapiro to MOMA — and revealed the surprising link he has to the renowned artist Ovitz and his fiancée Tamara Mellon, 57, have recently gifted a nearly 12-foot tall, multi-colored sculpture by Shapiro called ARK to the museum. The dealmaker has been close to Shapiro, 83, ever since discovering they were cousins back in the '80s. Advertisement 7 Michael Ovitz and his fiancée Tamara Mellon have donated a nearly 12-foot sculpture by his cousin Joel Shapiro to MOMA. Getty Images 7 ARK, by Joel Shapiro, debuted last year at the Pace Gallery in Chelsea. It will now go to MOMA. Courtesy of Michael Ovitz In an astonishing story, Ovitz only made the connection after buying his first Shapiro piece at the Paula Cooper gallery in NYC in 1982, telling The Post, 'I was so excited, it was hard to get his work even then. Advertisement 'I went home to LA and my mom asked what I did in New York, I told her 'I bought a piece of sculpture by a young guy called Joel Shapiro' — she didn't skip a beat and said 'oh yeah he's your cousin' … I had no idea.' When Ovitz asked why he had never met Shapiro before, his mother replied, 'You never asked!' 7 Shapiro is married to fellow artist Ellen Phelan. Getty Images He then got Shapiro's phone number by calling up the Cooper gallery and telling an employee, 'I think I'm related to Joel Shapiro. Advertisement 'He said, 'it's funny, he told me once he had a cousin in the movie business', and I said 'yeah that's me,' ' reminisced Ovitz. When he finally reached Shapiro, he told him, 'I'm told you're my cousin.' 'Yes, I think that's true.' the artist replied. Ovitz was more dramatic. 'I said 'Joel, I hate you, I'm never talking to you again',' he recalled, 'You're my cousin and I just paid retail for a piece of your art.'. Since that day we've talked five times a week for the past 40 years.' Advertisement 7 Ovitz — seen with Mellon at a MOMA benefit hosted by Chanel in October 2024 — told The Post how he discovered that Shapiro was his cousin quite by chance in the 80s. Getty Images for MoMA Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and went on to become one of the quintessential power agents of the 1980s, cunningly negotiating big deals for a star-packed roster of clients that included Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, David Letterman and Steven Seagal. He left CAA in 1995 to become president of the Walt Disney Company but left the following year — with a severance packaged valued at $140 million — after butting heads with CEO Michael Eisner. He's also known for his extensive art collection and philanthropy, and he's such a fan of his cousin's work that when he built a CAA headquarters in Beverly Hills in 1989, he commissioned only two artists to make pieces for the lobby — Roy Lichtenstein and Shapiro. Shapiro debuted ARK last year at the Pace Gallery in Chelsea, as part of his his show, 'Out of the Blue.' It was his first solo show at Pace in a decade. 'It's the biggest wood construction I've ever made, but I think it's not monumental, it's within human experience,' he told Forward at the time. 7 MOMA curator Ann Temkin said of Shaprio's work, 'This is a major late work, both in its scale of the imagination and its literal scale.' Getty Images Ann Temkin, the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at MOMA, said she has the perfect place for ARK. 'When Shapiro's work was shown at the Pace Gallery last autumn, the fantastic response that it had from everybody who has been following Joel's work for decades was really so enthusiastic,' Temkin told The Post. Advertisement 'Here is someone producing something as strong and surprising as ever after more than a century of making sculpture. 7 Shapiro and Phelan have been married for 35 years. WireImage 'It was really joyful when this work was shown and everyone agreed it was a real milestone in his work, we at MOMA were delighted when Michael Ovitz, one of our trustees, told us he would like it to come to us.' MOMA already has plenty of Shapiro's work on display, including drawings and sculptures. Temkin is thrilled to have a more recent work from him. Advertisement 'One of the real distinctions of the MOMA collection is that we really try to show artists' careers from beginning to end,' she said. 'This is a major late work, both in its scale of the imagination and its literal scale.' They plan to place ARK in one of the galleries that has natural light and is adjacent to the sculptural garden. 7 Shapiro's 'Untitled' sculpture is seen on Chicago's lakefront in 2017. Getty Images Advertisement 'I think that is an ideal situation,' she added. Shapiro has no plans to stop making art anytime soon. 'I'm still improving,' he told Forward last year. 'Working keeps me going. As long as I don't get Alzheimer's, I've got plenty of work left in me. The joining together, the arranging, the language of sculpture, how it transcends cultures. All that still thrills me every day. What I am still aiming for is work you cannot refute.'
Scoop
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Kiwi Feature Film Pike River To Receive World Premiere At Sydney Film Festival
Press Release – 818. Major New Zealand feature film Pike River, based on the November 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy that took the lives of 29 men underground, will receive its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on June 7, ahead of its nationwide cinematic release in New Zealand later this year. The film marks the return home to New Zealand of three-time Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets, The Last of Us, Heavenly Creatures), working alongside BAFTA nominated NZ actress Robyn Malcolm (After the Party, Far North, Outrageous Fortune). Directed by Rob Sarkies (Out of the Blue, Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story, Scarfies), Pike River is the powerful true story of Anna Osborne (Melanie Lynskey) and Sonya Rockhouse (Robyn Malcolm), and their fight for justice alongside other Pike families following one of the worst mining disasters in Aotearoa New Zealand's history. Director Rob Sarkies commented: 'This is a huge honour that demonstrates the significance of the story in New Zealand and Australia. It feels particularly special that several Pike River families will be attending the Sydney premiere after years of working so closely with them to bring their story to the big screen. I'm so proud of the whole team, particularly our incredible cast led by Melanie and Robyn. I'm very much looking forward to sharing this film with Kiwi audiences later this year.' Sonya Rockhouse said: 'Having a film made about this experience has in some part helped with our healing. Anna and I have found it to be an incredibly humbling experience to be involved in the film with a crew of people who felt strongly about the injustices we suffered, and wanted to tell our story. We feel extremely honoured to be invited to attend the world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival.' Pike River will premiere as a 'Special Presentation' on the opening weekend of the Sydney Film Festival at the 2,000 seat State Theatre with cast, crew and Pike River families in attendance. Written by Fiona Samuel (Consent, Bliss, Piece of My Heart), Pike River was shot on location in Māwhera, Greymouth, Wellington and Auckland. The film is produced by Vicky Pope (Savage, Went Up The Hill, Gardening with Soul) and Timothy White (Muru, Out of the Blue, The Dark Horse) with Executive Producers Melanie Lynskey, Robyn Malcolm, Paul Wiegard, Paul Gough, James Dean, Jennifer Sutton, Doug Gold, William Watson and Rob Sarkies. Madman will distribute theatrically in New Zealand and Australia, with Capture Entertainment handling international sales. The film has been made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Three, the New Zealand Screen Production Grant and Park Road Post Production.
Scoop
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Kiwi Feature Film Pike River To Receive World Premiere At Sydney Film Festival
Major New Zealand feature film Pike River, based on the November 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy that took the lives of 29 men underground, will receive its world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on June 7, ahead of its nationwide cinematic release in New Zealand later this year. The film marks the return home to New Zealand of three-time Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets, The Last of Us, Heavenly Creatures), working alongside BAFTA nominated NZ actress Robyn Malcolm (After the Party, Far North, Outrageous Fortune). Directed by Rob Sarkies (Out of the Blue, Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story, Scarfies), Pike River is the powerful true story of Anna Osborne (Melanie Lynskey) and Sonya Rockhouse (Robyn Malcolm), and their fight for justice alongside other Pike families following one of the worst mining disasters in Aotearoa New Zealand's history. Director Rob Sarkies commented: 'This is a huge honour that demonstrates the significance of the story in New Zealand and Australia. It feels particularly special that several Pike River families will be attending the Sydney premiere after years of working so closely with them to bring their story to the big screen. I'm so proud of the whole team, particularly our incredible cast led by Melanie and Robyn. I'm very much looking forward to sharing this film with Kiwi audiences later this year.' Advertisement - scroll to continue reading Sonya Rockhouse said: "Having a film made about this experience has in some part helped with our healing. Anna and I have found it to be an incredibly humbling experience to be involved in the film with a crew of people who felt strongly about the injustices we suffered, and wanted to tell our story. We feel extremely honoured to be invited to attend the world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival.' Pike River will premiere as a 'Special Presentation' on the opening weekend of the Sydney Film Festival at the 2,000 seat State Theatre with cast, crew and Pike River families in attendance. Written by (Consent, Bliss, Piece of My Heart), Pike River was shot on location in Māwhera, Greymouth, Wellington and Auckland. The film is produced by Vicky Pope (Savage, Went Up The Hill, Gardening with Soul) and Timothy White (Muru, Out of the Blue, The Dark Horse) with Executive Producers Melanie Lynskey, Robyn Malcolm, Paul Wiegard, Paul Gough, James Dean, Jennifer Sutton, Doug Gold, William Watson and Rob Sarkies. Madman will distribute theatrically in New Zealand and Australia, with Capture Entertainment handling international sales. The film has been made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Three, the New Zealand Screen Production Grant and Park Road Post Production.
Otago Daily Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Trump's film tariffs would be ‘devastating' for local industry
Rob Sarkies. Photo: supplied A Dunedin-born film-maker says it would be "absolutely devastating" to the country's film industry if Donald Trump gets his way. The United States President announced in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday he was authorising the Department of Commerce and the country's trade representative to "immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands". "We want movies made in America, again!" Shares in some US streaming and production companies, including Netflix, fell following the announcement, but the White House later said "no final decisions" on foreign film tariffs had been made. Dunedin-born film-maker Rob Sarkies - director of Scarfies, Out of the Blue and the upcoming drama based on the 2010 tragedy Pike River - said yesterday he was "very concerned" by Mr Trump's comments. "If it came in as it's been proposed, not that the detail is particularly clear, but as I understand it, it would be absolutely devastating for New Zealand and specifically the New Zealand film industry. "We're talking millions and millions of dollars simply wouldn't come here and a large number of people would be out of work. "I think companies like Weta, for example, would probably be forced to relocate to survive." It would "simply be unaffordable" for such companies doing high-end work for big Hollywood productions to get hired unless they relocated aspects of their business to the United States - which he believed was exactly what Mr Trump wanted. The announcement should be taken seriously and he expected the New Zealand film industry and the government in the interim to lobby against such a policy, but believed Hollywood was likely to push back and the announcement could be back-tracked. Areas of Otago recently played host to Hollywood actors and crews filming the seven-episode Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel East of Eden. While the source material is mainly set in the Salinas Valley, California, it appeared to have been "clearly more cost effective" to use the Otago landscape as a stand-in, Mr Sarkies said. Because film production in Otago was "more sporadic" than in Auckland and Wellington, such a tariff would have relatively less of an effect among regional industries. "The circus won't come to town as often and that will have an effect, but it won't be as devastating as it will be in the major centres."
Otago Daily Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Foreign film tariffs ‘absolutely devastating' for industry
Rob Sarkies. Photo: supplied A Dunedin-born film-maker says it would be ''absolutely devastating'' to the country's film industry if Donald Trump gets his way. The United States President announced in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday he was authorising the Department of Commerce and the country's trade representative to ''immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands''. ''We want movies made in America, again!'' Shares in some US streaming and production companies, including Netflix, fell following the announcement, but the White House later said ''no final decisions'' on foreign film tariffs had been made. Dunedin-born film-maker Rob Sarkies - director of Scarfies, Out of the Blue and the upcoming drama based on the 2010 tragedy Pike River - said yesterday he was ''very concerned'' by Mr Trump's comments. ''If it came in as it's been proposed, not that the detail is particularly clear, but as I understand it, it would be absolutely devastating for New Zealand and specifically the New Zealand film industry. ''We're talking millions and millions of dollars simply wouldn't come here and a large number of people would be out of work. ''I think companies like Weta, for example, would probably be forced to relocate to survive.'' It would ''simply be unaffordable'' for such companies doing high-end work for big Hollywood productions to get hired unless they relocated aspects of their business to the United States - which he believed was exactly what Mr Trump wanted. The announcement should be taken seriously and he expected the New Zealand film industry and the government in the interim to lobby against such a policy, but believed Hollywood was likely to push back and the announcement could be back-tracked. Areas of Otago recently played host to Hollywood actors and crews filming the seven-episode Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel East of Eden. While the source material is mainly set in the Salinas Valley, California, it appeared to have been ''clearly more cost effective'' to use the Otago landscape as a stand-in, Mr Sarkies said. Because film production in Otago was ''more sporadic'' than in Auckland and Wellington, such a tariff would have relatively less of an effect among regional industries. ''The circus won't come to town as often and that will have an effect, but it won't be as devastating as it will be in the major centres.''
