Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – When Is the Best Time for Actors to Move to L.A.? by Casey Mink

You already know Backstage is the go-to for any and all information pertaining to your craft. But now, you have the chance to get in on the action with the Backstage Community Forum. Here, you can engage with others in your industry, as well as teachers, experts, and, yep, even agents and casting directors. Below are some of this week’s most interesting new topics; drop a reply or post a new thread. Either way, fire up that keyboard and get involved right here!
Best time to move to LA?

“I’m reading contradicting advice from different people/sources on when an actor should take the plunge and move to LA. I currently live in Austin, TX, and it’s a great city and I have a pretty comfortable/stable lifestyle. The acting scene is decent enough; it’s never going to be as bustling as the LA acting environment, but I’m fortunate to live in a city where work is decent and there’s plenty of it (in Austin or surrounding cities). Obviously, financial constraints is a big concern for moving, and acting is an expensive industry to be in. I just turned 25, so I feel like I’m behind on pursuing this impractical dream of mine. I knew I wanted to act at a young age (middle school), but only dipped my toes in it until now… perhaps I’m going through a quarter-life crisis. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – Hollywood’s Movie Dilemma: Gamble at Box Office or Sell to Netflix!, by Tatiana Siegel, Borys Kit

Midbudget titles that would’ve been theatrical fare in years past (like ‘Cloverfield Paradox’) are going direct to streaming as studios minimize risk and Paramount offloads international rights to the new thriller ‘Annihilation.’

Facing an uncertain box-office climate, executives at major studios are more frequently asking: “Should we try our luck in theaters or sell this thing to Netflix?”

In the case of recent midbudget sci-fi films like The Cloverfield Paradox (Paramount) and Extinction (Universal), the answer was “sell.”
The streamer paid more than $50 million for Paradox, even if the gamble didn’t make major waves initially. Paradox drew 2.8 million viewers in its first three days after a stealthy plan to drop it following the Super Bowl on Feb. 4. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – ‘Hamilton’ Alum Brandon Victor Dixon Joins NBC’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live’, by Joe Otterson

Brandon Victor Dixon has been cast as Judas in NBC’s upcoming live staging of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the network announced Thursday.
Dixon won a Tony in 2014 as a producer of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” which won for Best Revival of a Musical. In 2006 Dixon was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Harpo in “The Color Purple,” and again in 2016 for his role as Eubie Blake in “Shuffle Along.”

In addition to his Tony nominations, Dixon is known for taking over the role of Aaron Burr in the hit musical “Hamilton” from original star Leslie Odom Jr. Dixon played Burr for nearly a year at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. He currently co-stars on the Starz series “Power” as Terry Silver. His previous screen credits include “The Good Wife” and “The 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors” in December. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – Casting Directors Are Not the Gatekeepers to Your Success, By Joseph Pearlman

Casting directors have a tough job, one that takes talent, patience, and stamina. They are some of the most gifted and under-praised members of our industry. Through their wisdom and shrewd instincts, they have shaped some of our most beloved films and television shows.
But while casting directors are integral to the process of making great works of film or TV, they do not make final casting decisions. That is the job of the producers, writers, and directors. A fallacy that has so deeply infiltrated itself into the collective consciousness of the actor is that pleasing CDs is the magic pill for launching an acting career. This couldn’t be more untrue.
I blame CD-run workshops/classes—fundamentally flawed gatherings in that they paint the casting director as superior to the actor—for propagating the myth. But this couldn’t be further from reality when it comes to how things actually work in the industry. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Delayed as New Writer Is Brought On, By Mia Galuppo, Borys Kit

1981’s ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (Inset: Jonathan Kasdan)

Jonathan Kasdan, the son of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ scripter Lawrence Kasdan, will work on a new version of the script.

Fans will have to wait a little longer for the return of Indiana Jones.

The production of the fifth installment of the film franchise, which is set to be directed by Steven Spielberg and see the return of star Harrison Ford, is being delayed as the movie continues to be developed, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Jonathan Kasdan, the son of Raiders of the Lost Ark scripter Lawrence Kasdan, is being brought on to write a new draft of the feature. A previous version was written by David Koepp, who is no longer available to work on the film because he is focused on directing his Blumhouse feature You Should Have Left. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – Film Review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly reunite in a tiny-superhero Marvel sequel that’s faster, funnier, and more cunningly confident than the original., By Owen Gleiberman

Director: Peyton Reed
With: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judy Greer, Tip. “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Forston, Randall Park.
Release Date: Jul 6, 2018

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” has a pleasingly breakneck, now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t surreal glee. It’s a cunningly swift and delightful comedy of scale, in which Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), that quipster mensch of a convict-turned-superhero (has there ever been a movie criminal this nice?), shoots around in his miniaturizing metal suit like the world’s tiniest gadfly, only to loom up as large as Godzilla. Either way, he always has time to deliver a line like “Do you really just put the word quantum ahead of everything?” The answer is: Yes. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is a fantasy of mutating matter in which buildings collapse into Monopoly toys, a Hello Kitty Pez dispenser gets inflated into a freeway battering ram, and the most fearless of the characters is injected into an ocean of psychedelic sub-atomic protoplasm.

The director, Peyton Reed, also made the first “Ant-Man” (2015), but at the time he’d never helmed a special-effects blockbuster before, and his inexperience showed. He jammed comedy, action, and origin-story mythology into a film that had more amiable spirit than craft. In “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” Reed keeps the entire movie — one-liners, Macy’s Parade effects, hand-to-insect-wing combat — spinningly aloft. Always an inspired director of comedy (“Down with Love,” “Bring It On”), Reed has learned how to operate the heavy machinery of a Marvel superhero movie yet keep it all light and fast and dizzying. His combat scenes don’t overpower. They’re well spaced out and actually make visual sense, like a hypnotic one early on in which Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), a.k.a. The Wasp, confronts a pack of goons in a restaurant kitchen by popping in and out of micro size, sliding along the edges of a tossed carving knife only to burst into her full ninja self to deliver the knockout blows. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to Pepper@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – Help Your Child Actor Grow This Summer, By Denise Simon

As the days get longer, temperatures rise and school demands end. It’s officially summer, most kids’ and teens’ favorite season, and a wonderful time to decompress, change up routines, pick up skills, form different relationships, and try new things.
Because young working actors carry the burden of both work and school during the academic year, summer is a valuable time to lighten up and actually be a kid, while at the same time developing new skills. Whether your child is enrolled in a theater or traditional camp, traveling, or working at home, summer affords endless possibilities for growth that can’t take place during the school year.
When I see my students in September, I marvel at how they have not only grown in inches but also in maturity. This summer, encourage your kids to get the most out of their time with these tips.
Become a camper.
I attended sleepaway camp from the age of seven. As an independent, active, social young girl, I was happiest at a camp that offered a host of activities. As I developed into a teen, summer camp became a place to blossom and form healthy relationships, some of which I still maintain today. Read Entire Artice Here.

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘Gundam’ Live-Action Movie in the Works at Legendary, By Mia Galuppo

The popular anime series first launched in 1979.

A live-action Gundam movie is in the works.
Legendary Entertainment will co-produce a feature based on the the popular anime from the Japanese animation studio Sunrise. The announcement was made Thursday at the 2018 Anime Expo, which is taking place in Los Angeles.
The original Gundam series, which began in 1979, is set in the Universal Century, an era in which people have emigrated to space colonies due to a growing population on Earth. Eventually, the people living in the colonies seek their autonomy, and launch a war of independence against the people living on Earth. Battles are fought by piloting robots known as mobile suits.
The massively popular series has led to multi-billion dollar sales in merchandise and licensing, including animated films, video games, plastic models, toys, and books. (Gundam had a cameo in Steven Spielberg’s pop-culture obsessed Ready Player One.) Read Entire Artice Here

Variety- – Sorry to Bother You’ Kicks Off Summer of Socially Conscious Black Films, By Ricardo Lopez

(l to r.) Tessa Thompson as Detroit and Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius Green star in director Boots Riley’s SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, an Annapurna Pictures release.

Summer movies are synonymous with escapism. They tend to focus on costumed heroes or marauding dinosaurs. But is it possible for these beach weather offerings to be both entertaining and socially conscious? This year, the answer is yes, as a string of critically acclaimed festival darlings with searing commentaries on race relations, corporate greed and police brutality are about to hit theaters.
The first, “Sorry to Bother You,” from Oakland rapper and activist Boots Riley, opens Friday in limited release before expanding wider the following week.
First-time feature director Riley says his absurdist workplace satire, which has been compared to “Idiocracy,” is intended to represent the angst of the working class amid the backdrop of an increasingly corporatized world. It’s also an invitation to think more deeply about inequality and hopes to inspire viewers to take action, he says. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to Pepper@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – 4 Rules for Achieving Limitless Acting, By Shaun Grant

My greatest joy in life comes from being able to share the wisdom I’ve learned with fellow actors that will enable them to gain a greater love and understanding of their craft. I’ve always felt that when I’m fortunate enough to experience a form of success others are striving for, it’s my artistic obligation to share what I’ve learned in the process.

A great example of this type of knowledge is how to remove limits from your acting or, as I like to call it, “limitless acting.” If you feel like you’ve been missing out on roles or auditions or experiences in your career, it’s likely a result of not quite being ready to step into your full availability of creativity—but that will change right here.
It’s my prime objective to help you discover your highest potential as an actor, and that starts with limitless acting.

Fear is where breakthroughs happen.
Have you ever experienced a breakthrough while performing that didn’t occur while you were preparing? Embrace that! Even if you’re not prepared or it catches you off guard, you must act on those moments. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘Black Widow’ Movie Finds Director in Cate Shortland, By Borys Kit

The search saw Marvel meet with over 70 potential directors.

Marvel Studios’ Black Widow standalone movie has its director.

Cate Shortland, the Australian director perhaps best known for the Nazi drama Lore, has signed on to direct Black Widow, Marvel’s action-adventure project that will star Scarlett Johansson.

The move caps off a search that lasted over half-year as the studio met with over 70 directors in order to find its ideal candidate. A female filmmaker was the priority even as the search stalled at one point and the studio looked at male directors.

The hunt narrowed in June with Amma Asante (Belle, A United Kingdom) and Maggie Betts (Novitiate) being the finalists alongside Shortland. Melanie Laurent (Galveston) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) were also in the next-to-final mix. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – Film Review: Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’, By Peter Debruge
Six movies in, Tom Cruise’s category-best action franchise shrewdly pays off elements established over the previous films to deliver the series’ most exciting installment yet.

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT

For a moment there, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise appeared to be getting a little long in the tooth. This was perhaps a decade ago, between the third and fourth films, when audiences weren’t sure whether they were dealing with a trilogy or an open-ended series. Its star, Tom Cruise, was being a little too emphatic about his Scientology convictions in public. He had made a brilliant, self-effacing cameo in “Tropic Thunder,” showing up in a fat suit and a bald cap, then retreated in the other direction in real life via a series of unconvincing age-defying procedures, as if refusing to let go of his image as an eternal twentysomething. It seemed like all signs were pointing to it being time for Impossible Mission Force operative Ethan Hunt to gracefully retire. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to Pepper@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – How to Get Discovered, By Risa Bramon Garcia

You are burning to be discovered. You have loads of talent, desire, and drive. You’ve prepared, taken great headshots, and have a few decent clips on your reel. And you’ve been doing the work. You’ve sacrificed. You love it so much and you want it bad. You just want to know how to get the industry to see you. You’re willing to do everything and anything.

But are you really? If so, do you even know what it is?

Maybe you believe in the story of getting discovered “at Schwab’s” or the restaurant where you work or a party or introduced by someone who knows someone, i.e. being in the right place at the right time. And sure, that happens. Call it serendipity, timing, luck. But if that moment does happen, you have to be ready. And, more importantly, you have to make your own luck.

Luck isn’t magic; it’s work. It takes hard work for a very long time, wherever and whenever you can for however long it takes. It’s doing readings and theater and class and student films and friends’ shorts. It’s putting in more than 10,000 hours. It’s the intense commitment to doing what you love because you must, because it’s a calling, because you can’t live without it. It may take five years or 25 years before anyone even pays you. But you have to be willing to drown yourself in it until the moment of discovery presents itself. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – Fox Exec Peter Rice Expected to Take Major Role in Combined Disney-Fox, By Marisa Guthrie

Dana Walden also is in talks for a new role at the company, while Ben Sherwood is likely to relinquish his current portfolio.

Fox executive Peter Rice is in talks to lead the combined TV properties of Fox and Disney when the companies clear regulatory approval for Disney’s proposed $71.3 billion acquisition of many of 21st Century Fox’s film and TV assets.
The move has been expected, and comes as Comcast on Thursday officially dropped its bid for Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox.
Fox shareholders are scheduled to vote on the sale July 27. And the deal has already been approved by the Justice Department, on the condition that the new company divests Fox’s 22 regional sports networks, which would compete with Disney owned-ESPN. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – Box Office: ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ Dancing Past ‘Equalizer 2’ to $30 Million-Plus Opening, By Rebecca Rubin

In true popcorn-season form, it’ll be a battle of the sequels at the domestic box office this weekend.
Universal’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is taking a chance at the top spot against fellow newcomers “The Equalizer 2” and “Unfriended: Dark Web.”
The follow-up to 2008’s jukebox musical “Mamma Mia!” is tracking for a three-day tally between $30 million and $36 million when it opens in over 3,200 locations. A $30 million-plus debut would be a jump on its predecessor’s $27 million start. Much like the hit Broadway musical it was based on, “Mamma Mia” became a box office smash, earning $615 million worldwide on a $52 million budget. Though it pocketed an impressive $144 million in North America, “Mamma Mia” found even greater success overseas, where Swedish pop group ABBA has a huge following. At the time, it was the highest-grossing film directed by a woman (Phyllida Lloyd), until it was surpassed by Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” in 2017.

Arriving in theaters a decade after the first film, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is both a sequel and a prequel that once again features ABBA classics. Meryl Streep returns as Donna, the mother of Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie. Though set five years later, the film relies heavily on flashbacks of Lily James as a young Donna to tell the story of how she came to the Greek villa of Kalokairi and met Sophie’s three potential fathers. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to Pepper@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – The Holistic Benefits of Self-Care for Actors, by Clay Banks

I make my living primarily as an acting coach. However, when people ask what I do professionally, I generally tell them that I’m a performance coach. You see, alongside acting training, I also dedicate much of my time to helping people with health, fitness, and nutrition. Having spent a majority of my life in the competitive arena, I’ve learned a few things about the advantages of optimum performance and living in “the zone!’

At age 19, I was in contention for junior Mr. America. By 25, I became a top performer for a prestigious New York-based Fortune 500 company. I competed for a spot in “Men’s Health” at forty-five and continue to challenge guys in the gym who are one-third my age. I’ve also managed to retire from an 18-year career as an actor (fully insured with a pension) and I believe the high-level of attention I placed on self-care was a huge factor in achieving that.
Top-level performance, engaging the individual’s entire being (body, soul, spirit) has tremendous benefits far beyond what you may think. When a person is functioning at their peak-performance level, they have access to untold potential that manifests itself in many areas of their life. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – Louis C.K.’s Movie Premiere Canceled in Advance of N.Y. Times Story, by Katherine Schaffstall

The ‘I Love You, Daddy’ screening was abruptly axed just hours before it was set to take place.

The New York premiere of Louis C.K.’s upcoming film, I Love You, Daddy, set for Thursday, has been canceled. Reps for the premiere, due to take place at the Paris Theatre, cited “unexpected circumstances.”

A source tells The Hollywood Reporter that a New York Times story on the comedian is about to break, and the premiere was canceled in case it is damaging. Additionally, Louis C.K.’s planned appearance on CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was also canceled, with William H. Macy taking his place.
Louis C.K. wrote, directed and stars in I Love You, Daddy. The comedy-drama tells the story of a successful TV writer-producer who attempts to stop his 17-year-old daughter’s (Chloe Grace Moretz) growing admiration and relationship with a 68-year-old filmmaker (John Malkovich). The film also stars Pamela Adlon, Rose Byrne, Charlie Day, Edie Falco and Helen Hunt. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – ‘Darkest Hour’: Gary Oldman Credits Makeup Artist for Winston Churchill Transformation, by Dave McNary

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Rob Latour/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (9212875bs)

Gary Oldman was particularly thankful to his makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji at the Los Angeles premiere of “Darkest Hour” on Wednesday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills.
Oldman admitted on the red carpet that looking like Winston Churchill was essential for the role to work, since Churchill has such worldwide renown. So he was willing to spend several hundred hours in makeup during shooting, rather than using prosthetics.

“I wasn’t going to put on 50 or 60 pounds and put my health at risk so it was contingent on getting Kazuhiro to see if this thing was going to work,” he recalled. “You could control the other component — the energy, how he used his hands, the way he moved. But if you look ridiculous, it’s not going to work. So you surrender to it.” Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – Advice for New Actors + More From the Backstage Community Forums, by Casey Mink

You already know Backstage is the go-to for any and all information pertaining to your craft. But now, you have the chance to get in on the action with the Backstage Community Forum. Here, you can engage with others in your industry, as well as teachers, experts, and, yep, even agents and casting directors. Below are some of this week’s most interesting new topics; drop a reply or post a new thread. Either way, fire up that keyboard and get involved right here!

New actor asking for advice:
“Hello! I am a 13 year old girl with a strong interest in acting. The only problem is; I’ve only ever done a play in 4th grade, but I was the lead. I’m in my school’s drama club, but my school/ town is so small, we can’t afford to put on a real show.
“Any advice? Anything ranging from how to get roles, how auditions are like/ how to find them, to acting tips and whatnot. I am brand new to the acting world, and could really use some advice. Anything helps! Thank you!” —nur-aksamija

Determining your child’s age range?
“My daughter just turned 14 and we’re very new to this…We started submitting on actors access and backstage a couple of weeks ago and she’s received 3 invitations for auditions but all three parts have been older teens and I really thought her range would be younger. She’s under 5 feet tall and in person people tend to think she’s younger. Perhaps because the headshot is just her face, she looks older than when you see her whole body. We’ve been submitting for anything 10-15 but she has not been contacted for any of the under 14 parts…Just curious how you determined your child’s age range?” —SG401 Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘The Royals’ Female Cast and Crew Accuse Mark Schwahn of “Repeated Unwanted Sexual Harassment”, by Bryn Elise Sandberg

The letter comes after Schwahn was suspended from his role as showrunner on ‘The Royals’ on Wednesday.

After sexual harassment allegations were levied against television producer Mark Schwahn by former One Tree Hill cast and crew members, the female team behind E!’s The Royals is speaking out.

In a letter released on Thursday signed by 25 cast and crew members from the series, the women on the drama accuse the showrunner of “repeated unwanted sexual harassment of multiple female members of cast and crew.” The letter comes a day after Schwahn was suspended from his role as showrunner on the show.

What’s more, star Elizabeth Hurley released her own comments on Twitter. In the statement, she revealed that she was unaware of Schwahn’s behavior but felt she had “let down” her cast by not picking up on what was allegedly happening. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – Can Warner Bros.’ Expensive, Long -Awaited ‘Justice League’ Deliver the Hit That DC Needs? by Ricardo Lopez

Warner Bros. is holding its breath as the studio prepares to unveil “Justice League” this weekend.
The costly superhero team adventure carries a production budget of more than $250 million, according to several sources, and with it, the hope that DC’s interconnected cinematic universe of comic book heroes and villains can deliver huge audiences around the globe.
When tens of millions of dollars in worldwide marketing and distribution costs are added in, “Justice League” would have to bring in a lofty sum of around $600 million from ticket sales alone and additional revenue from ancillaries like pay-TV and home entertainment in order to turn a profit.
Warner Bros. executives are already concerned that the movie’s debut this weekend — projected to be $110 million — is less than what they had hoped for. In comparison, last year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” opened to $166 million. The film will also face some competition over the upcoming holiday weekend from another big release, Disney/Pixar’s “Coco,” though the animated film skews younger. So far, early reaction to “Justice League” has been mixed both among critics and fans. Some have panned it, while others have praised its lighter tone. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – Should I Audition With an Accent + More From the Backstage Forums, by Casey Mink

You already know Backstage is the go-to for any and all information pertaining to your craft. But now, you have the chance to get in on the action with the Backstage Community Forum. Here, you can engage with others in your industry, as well as teachers, experts, and, yep, even agents and casting directors. Below are some of this week’s most interesting new topics; drop a reply or post a new thread. Either way, fire up that keyboard and get involved right here!

Accents for auditions?
“I’m auditioning for ‘King Lear.’ Do you think an English accent is required?” —ClassAct

A director will only meet me for the first time at his house…
“I am trying to decide how sketchy this is. A few months ago I found a job posting on here (I am a freelance Stage Manager) and I applied. I got a response from the director (who will remain nameless for now but who is also the composer to a famous Christmas song) saying that he was interested in working with me and to get back to him in a few month so that he can get everything figured out. Fast forward to last night, I emailed him asking if he was still looking for a SM and he said yes. I tried to call him a few times but his cellphone was acting all weird (we would speak for a second and then get cut off but a super loud sound). I email him and tell him to call me back from a different phone. He ignores that statement and asks if I live in this area and if I’d like to meet up. I say yes let’s meet at a Starbucks near you, he says no, that he only meets with people inside his home…. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – How ‘La La Land’ Songwriting Duo Created Songs for P.T. Barnum Biopic ‘Greatest Showman’, by Ashley Lee

Oscar- and Tony-winning duo Benj  Pasek and Justin  Paul, who penned 11 original songs for the musical, talk crafting showstoppers for Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Zendaya.

After winning the Oscar for penning La La Land’s lyrics and the Tony Award for composing the Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are taking on the big top in the movie-musical P.T. Barnum biopic The Greatest Showman, out Dec. 20 from 20th Century Fox. In the songwriting contender race, the returning Oscar champs’ 11 original songs in the film, from spectacular group numbers to empowering ballads, will face off against new numbers from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (by Alan Menken and Tim Rice), along with tunes from notable music industry crooners including Ryan Tedder (An Inconvenient Sequel), Sufjan Stevens (Call Me by Your Name) and Sara Bareilles (Battle of the Sexes). Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – ‘Star Wars’ Video Game Microtransactions Ignite Controversy, by Matt Fernandez

With the excitement already building for the year-end release of the latest “Star Wars” film, the new video game “Star Wars: Battlefront II” was poised to capitalize on all the excitement for the vaunted Disney franchise.

Unfortunately for Electronic Arts, the video game studio behind “Battlefront II,” controversy and fan anger over the game’s microtransactions greatly decreased enthusiasm for its November launch, illustrating increasing consumer discontent with some current trends in the gaming industry.

Microtransactions refer to a business model where virtual goods, such as characters, costumes, or weapons, can be purchased online for small sums of real currency. One form of microtransactions are loot boxes, a type of unlockable in-game content that contains a randomized selection of items. These loot boxes can either be earned through normal gameplay or can also often be purchased for real money. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – Mastering the Delicate Art of Self-Promotion, by Charis Joy Jackson

Actors need to promote themselves for success. No one is immune unless you’re an A-List actor, a group that makes up a fraction of the industry. So unless your name is Chris Pratt or Jennifer Lawrence, you need to promote yourself and your career.
If like me, you’re not a huge fan of the idea, take heart: even well-known actors like Robert Downey Jr. are doing self-promotion. In fact, I highly recommend you follow him for good ideas on how to do so successfully without coming across like a narcissist. In a surprise to no one, two of the biggest platforms for said self-promo are Facebook and Twitter, so here are my tips on how to use both for your cause.
Facebook
Creating an actor page is easy and fairly painless. You may even be pleasantly surprised by how many of your friends will “Like” the page to support you. Write a status at least once a week to get started, but if you can update with great content every day, do it. Being consistent will pay off and get you more likes and comments in the process.
Be friendly and reply to any comments you get. Someone once told me we all wear an invisible sign that says, “Make me feel special.” The more you can make your fans/followers feel special, the more they’ll want to help you. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘The Big Sick’ Writers Plot Immigration Anthology Series for Apple, by Lesley Goldberg

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon are teaming with ‘SMILF’s’ Lee Eisenberg and ‘Master of None’s’ Alan Yang to develop ‘Little America.’
Apple continues to bolster its impressive scripted development pipeline.
The tech giant is teaming with the Oscar-nominated screenwriters behind The Big Sick as well as producers from Master of None and SMILF to develop Little America, an immigration-themed anthology series.

The half-hour anthology series will be written and exec produced by Lee Eisenberg (The Office, SMILF) and The Big Sick duo Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Alan Yang, who co-created Netflix’s Master of None, will also exec produce the comedy. The potential series hails from Universal Television, where Yang is under an overall deal. Should it move forward, Eisenberg would serve as showrunner.

Little America is based on the true stories featured in Epic Magazine. It is described as a funny, romantic, heartfelt and inspiring look beyond the headlines at the lives of immigrants in America at a time when their stories are more relevant than ever. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – Armie Hammer Set to Star in Untitled Annapurna Thriller, by Justin Kroll

Following his critically acclaimed role in “Call Me By Your Name,” Armie Hammer has found his next project in an untitled Annapurna Pictures thriller.
“Under the Shadow” helmer Babak Anvari is writing and directing, with Lucan Toh of Two & Two Pictures, Christopher Kopp of AZA Films, and Annapurna Pictures all on board to produce.
The story follows a New Orleans bartender whose life begins to unravel after a series of disturbing and inexplicable events begin to happen when he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.
Annapurna is fast tracking the film, having already set a March 29, 2019 release for the pic.
Hammer is coming off some of the best reviews of his career for the Sony Classics romantic drama “Call Me By Your Name,” which earned Hammer a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor, while the film scored an Oscar nomination for best picture. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – The Importance of Diversity on Voiceover Work, by Jamie Muffett

This week on the VO School podcast, we’re celebrating our 20th episode by honoring Black History Month with a show devoted entirely to diversity.

This episode is guest hosted by Doug Melville, chief diversity officer for the international advertising agency, TBWA. As a vocal proponent for diversity in all its forms both day to day in his role within TBWA and via his personal outreach on social media and public appearances, Doug brings a wealth of knowledge to this episode.

Joining us this week on the podcast are power couple Joan Baker and Rudy Gaskins, founders of SOVAS (the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences), a not-for-profit organization that helps educate and advocate voiceover around the globe. They organize and present workshops and learning opportunities across America and curate That’s Voiceover and The Voice Arts Awards, a voiceover convention and voice awards show, respectively. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – Arnold Schwarzenegger Joins ‘King Fury’ Feature Film, by Alex Ritman

Michael Fassbender and David Hasselhoff have already been cast in the buzzy follow-up to David Sandberg’s cult 2015 action-comedy short, which Bloom is introducing to buyers in Berlin.
In what sounds like a match made in ’80s heaven, Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the cast of Kung Fury, the feature-length follow-up to the cult 2015 short.
THR understands that the Terminator, Predator and Total Recall icon (and former California governor) will play the American president in David Sandberg’s action-comedy, set to shoot in Europe and in the U.S. this summer. He joins fellow ’80s hero David Hasselhoff and Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, who were announced earlier this week. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – Jeffrey Tambor Officially Departs ‘Transparent’, by Daniel Holloway

Jeffrey Tambor has officially exited “Transparent,” Amazon confirmed Thursday.
Tambor leaves the series ahead of it’s upcoming fifth season. His departure follows multiple misconduct allegations and a period of waffling on whether he would return to the Amazon Studios series.
The actor was accused of sexual harassment by his former personal assistant, a trans woman named Van Barnes, in a private Facebook post on Nov. 8. Later that month, guest star Trace Lysette came forward with further alleged instances of inappropriate behavior.
Tambor issued a statement Nov. 19 saying, “Playing Maura Pfefferman on ‘Transparent’ has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life. What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago. I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue. Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to ‘Transparent.’” Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – When Is the Best Time for Actors to Move to L.A.? by Casey Mink

You already know Backstage is the go-to for any and all information pertaining to your craft. But now, you have the chance to get in on the action with the Backstage Community Forum. Here, you can engage with others in your industry, as well as teachers, experts, and, yep, even agents and casting directors. Below are some of this week’s most interesting new topics; drop a reply or post a new thread. Either way, fire up that keyboard and get involved right here!
Best time to move to LA?

“I’m reading contradicting advice from different people/sources on when an actor should take the plunge and move to LA. I currently live in Austin, TX, and it’s a great city and I have a pretty comfortable/stable lifestyle. The acting scene is decent enough; it’s never going to be as bustling as the LA acting environment, but I’m fortunate to live in a city where work is decent and there’s plenty of it (in Austin or surrounding cities). Obviously, financial constraints is a big concern for moving, and acting is an expensive industry to be in. I just turned 25, so I feel like I’m behind on pursuing this impractical dream of mine. I knew I wanted to act at a young age (middle school), but only dipped my toes in it until now… perhaps I’m going through a quarter-life crisis. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – Hollywood’s Movie Dilemma: Gamble at Box Office or Sell to Netflix!, by Tatiana Siegel, Borys Kit

Midbudget titles that would’ve been theatrical fare in years past (like ‘Cloverfield Paradox’) are going direct to streaming as studios minimize risk and Paramount offloads international rights to the new thriller ‘Annihilation.’

Facing an uncertain box-office climate, executives at major studios are more frequently asking: “Should we try our luck in theaters or sell this thing to Netflix?”

In the case of recent midbudget sci-fi films like The Cloverfield Paradox (Paramount) and Extinction (Universal), the answer was “sell.”
The streamer paid more than $50 million for Paradox, even if the gamble didn’t make major waves initially. Paradox drew 2.8 million viewers in its first three days after a stealthy plan to drop it following the Super Bowl on Feb. 4. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – ‘Hamilton’ Alum Brandon Victor Dixon Joins NBC’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live’, by Joe Otterson

Brandon Victor Dixon has been cast as Judas in NBC’s upcoming live staging of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the network announced Thursday.
Dixon won a Tony in 2014 as a producer of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” which won for Best Revival of a Musical. In 2006 Dixon was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Harpo in “The Color Purple,” and again in 2016 for his role as Eubie Blake in “Shuffle Along.”

In addition to his Tony nominations, Dixon is known for taking over the role of Aaron Burr in the hit musical “Hamilton” from original star Leslie Odom Jr. Dixon played Burr for nearly a year at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. He currently co-stars on the Starz series “Power” as Terry Silver. His previous screen credits include “The Good Wife” and “The 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors” in December. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.

 

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.

Backstage – Read More Books, Be a Better Actor, By Charis Joy Jackson

Are you looking for fresh inspiration for your acting or even life in general? The good news is you don’t have to trek across the globe to find it (unless you want to); if you’ve got a local library or bookstore or even a stack of novels you’ve been meaning to read, that inspiration is at your fingertips. The simple act of reading not only helps expand your horizons, it can help you become the best version of yourself while also helping your acting career have more of that ever-elusive x-factor.

Reading increases your empathy.
When you read—especially if it’s a story about someone completely the opposite of your personality—you get a glimpse of how that person feels, thinks, and what motivates him to move one way or another.

This is a huge benefit for the actor who is struggling to connect with a character they don’t relate to. It’s also helpful in offering a non-stereotypical approach to an unfamiliar character, helping you think outside the box for a more original and believable response. Read Entire Artice Here

The Hollywood Reporter – ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Reboot: Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska Join Kristen Stewart, By Borys Kit

Elizabeth Banks, who is directing the crime adventure, will take on the role of Bosley.

Charlie and Sony have found their Angels.

Naomi Scott, who is starring as Jasmine in Disney’s upcoming Aladdin remake, and British newcomer Ella Balinska are set to join Kristen Stewart in the studio’s new Charlie’s Angels reboot.

Elizabeth Banks, who is directing the project, will also take a role in front of the camera: She will play Bosley, the face of the enigmatic and never-seen owner of the detective agency, Charlie Townsend.

The new story takes the detective agency premise of the original television series and turn-of-the new century movies and takes it global, with the Townsend Agency now a worldwide security and intelligence service that has teams around the planet. The movie will focus on one of those teams and the next generation of Angels. Read Entire Artice Here

Variety – ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Targets $50 Million-Plus Opening, By Rebecca Rubin

Tom Cruise’s mission, should he choose to accept it, is to steal the box office crown.
Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” looks to easily win the weekend, where the franchise’s sixth installment is eyeing a North American debut between $50 million and $65 million.
Stellar reviews could help “Fallout” land a series-best domestic launch. That title currently belongs to “Mission: Impossible II,” which opened with $57.8 million in 2000. The highest-grossing iteration is “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” ($694.7 million), followed by “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” ($682.7 million), and “Mission: Impossible 2” ($546.4 million). Combined, the series has earned over $2.7 billion globally. Read Entire Artice Here

Please send any questions or comments to Pepper@ActorsReporter.com

And, remember, you heard it through The TradeVine.