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  • Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2020
Disney delays "Black Widow," Spielberg's "West Side Story"
This image released by Disney/Marvel Studios' shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from "Black Widow." The Walt Disney Co. has further postponed its next mega-movies from Marvel, including "Black Widow," while also postponing Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" a full year in the company's latest recalibration due to the pandemic. (Marvel Studios/Disney via AP)
By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

The Walt Disney Co. has further postponed its next mega-movies from Marvel, including "Black Widow," while also postponing Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" a full year in the company's latest recalibration due to the pandemic.

Ten of Disney's top films shuffled release dates Wednesday, uprooting several of the company's major fall releases. The Scarlett Johansson Marvel movie "Black Widow," last set for Nov. 6, heads to May 7 of next year. Instead of opening next month, Kenneth Branagh's murder mystery "Death on the Nile" moves to Dec. 18. That was the date set for "West Side Story," but Spielberg's musical will instead debut in December 2021. 

Disney didn't entirely abandon the season. The Pixar release "Soul" remains on the calendar for late November. "The Empty Man," a horror release from the former 20th Century Fox, is moving up from December to Oct. 23. 

But the delays of Disney's upcoming blockbusters reinforce the growing More

  • Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2020
Mars drops Uncle Ben's, reveals new name for rice brand
This image provided by Mars Food shows the new logo/name of Ben’s Original. The Uncle Ben's rice brand is getting a new name: Ben's Original. Parent firm Mars Inc. unveiled the change Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 for the 70-year-old brand, the latest company to drop a logo criticized as a racial stereotype. Packaging with the new name will hit stores next year. (Mars via AP)
By Alexandra Olson, Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

The Uncle Ben's rice brand is getting a new name: Ben's Original. 

Parent firm Mars Inc. unveiled the change Wednesday for the 70-year-old brand, the latest company to drop a logo criticized as a racial stereotype. Packaging with the new name will hit stores next year. 

"We listened to our associates and our customers and the time is right to make meaningful changes across society," said Fiona Dawson, global president for Mars Food, multisales and global customers. "When you are making these changes, you are not going to please everyone. But it's about doing the right thing, not the easy thing."

Several companies have retired racial imagery from their branding in recent months, a ripple effect from the Black Lives Matters protests over the police killing of George Floyd and other African Americans. 

Quaker Oats announced in June that it would drop Aunt Jemima  from syrup and pancake packages, responding to criticism that the More

  • Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2020
London Film Fest to feature Taking Black Writers Seriously event
Shantelle Rochester
LONDON -- 

The British Film Institute (BFI) has joined with Black female-owned film production company Ida Rose, and The Young Vic Theatre, led by Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, to present Taking Black Writers Seriously , a showcase and pitching event that will take place as part of the London Film Festival (LFF) on Oct. 16. For the BFI, this initiative is led by Neil Peplow, director of international affairs, and Iyare Igiehon, Inclusion Partnerships and Events executive.

Black novelists, television screenwriters, and emerging writers will pitch stories to an audience of television drama commissioning editors, film and TV drama producers, and Black-led film and drama production companies in order to elevate pipeline projects, scripts, and novels that have strong potential for screen adaptation. Together, the event partners will support projects that reflect the diversity of Black people and their lives in Britain and around the world, rather than stereotypes. This More

  • Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2020
Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie named recipient of Location Managers Guild's Eva Monley Award
Christopher McQuarrie
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- 

Christopher McQuarrie, acclaimed producer, director and Academy Award-winning writer, will receive this year’s Eva Monley Award from the Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) at the 7th Annual LMGI Awards celebrating “2020 Vision: We See It First.”  The Eva Monley Award recognizes and honors industry members who support the vision of location professionals. Hosted by Isaiah Mustafa, the awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 24, at 2 p.m. PST during a virtual ceremony. 
 
McQuarrie received his Oscar for his screenplay of The Usual Suspects (1995) directed by his childhood friend Bryan Singer. The film also garnered McQuarrie BAFTA’s Best Original Screenplay Award. He also went on to win the Edgar Allen Poe Award and the Independent Spirit Award. The Writers Guild of America recognized The Usual Suspects as one of the greatest screenplays of all time.
 
In the years following, McQuarrie directed T More

  • Monday, Sep. 21, 2020
Another record low in viewership for "Pandemmys"
In this video grab captured on Sept. 20, 2020, courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and ABC Entertainment, Jimmy Kimmel, right, speaks with actors, from left, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast. (The Television Academy and ABC Entertainment via A
By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

The novelty of television stars getting Emmy Awards delivered to their homes wasn't enough to keep the annual show from slipping further in popularity.

The Nielsen company said 6.1 million people watched the Emmys on Sunday night, down from 6.9 million in 2019 and the third straight year of record low viewership.

The Emmys faced competition from both NFL football and the NBA Western Conference finals. The coronavirus pandemic eliminated any chance fans had of seeing stars on a red carpet, although host Jimmy Kimmel gamely tried to make do in a mostly empty auditorium with actors accepting awards remotely.

Still, it illustrated how the Emmy Awards are becoming a boutique event. Last year was the first time viewership slipped under 10 million people. As recently as 2013, the Emmys had 17.6 million viewers.

The Emmys were once a celebration of all things television timed for the beginning of a new fall season. Yet the pandemic More

  • Monday, Sep. 21, 2020
Micosoft will buy video game maker ZeniMax for $7.5 billion
A man wearing a mask looks at this phone outside the Microsoft office in Beijing, China in a Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 file photo. Microsoft is buying the company behind popular video games The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout. The software giant said Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 that it is paying $7.5 billion for ZeniMax Media, the parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- 

Microsoft is buying the company behind popular video games The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout.

The software giant said Monday that it is paying $7.5 billion for ZeniMax Media, the parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks.

Microsoft said it is buying Bethesda in part to beef up its Xbox Game Pass game subscription service, which it says has over 15 million subscribers.

Bethesda games, such as Starfield, which is currently in development, will launch on Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch on Xbox or computers, Microsoft said.

Microsoft has new consoles debuting  on Nov. 10, the Xbox Series X and stripped down Series S version. It will be competing against Sony's new PlayStation 5 console. 

R.W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian said the deal is part of a wider industry trend of consolidation. Microsoft already owns studios that make popular games including Minecraft and the Halo franchise.

"We More

  • Monday, Sep. 21, 2020
Veteran director Bruce Van Dusen reflects on ad biz in book "60 Stories About 30 Seconds"
Bruce Van Dusen

With a career spanning 45 years and more than 1,000 commercials for the likes of Ford, AT&T, TD Ameritrade, Fiat and Kellogg’s, among many others, director Bruce Van Dusen reflects on commercialmaking in his recently released book, “60 Stories About 30 Seconds: How I Got Away with Becoming a Pretty Big Commercial Director without Losing My Soul (Or Maybe Just Part of It).” 

In the early 1970s, armed with a film school degree from Boston University and a total of $175 in his pocket, Van Dusen headed to New York City to make documentary films. Having no industry contacts and little resources, he was desperate for a job. With a mix of audacity, determination and hard work, he found himself directing commercials and running his own company at the age of 23. He discovered he had a knack for crafting emotional stories, anchored by great performances, that could be told in 30 seconds.  Along the way, he came in contact with a remarkable cast of More

  • Monday, Sep. 21, 2020
Ellen DeGeneres makes on-air apology, vows a "new chapter"
Ellen DeGeneres poses in the press room at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. DeGeneres says she'll be ready to talk when her daytime show returns this month after a staff shake-up prompted by allegations of a toxic workplace. “I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we’re gonna talk about it,” DeGeneres said in a statement announcing the show's Sept. 21, 2020, start of its 18th season. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
By Mark Kennedy, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

Ellen DeGeneres used her opening monologue of the new season of her daytime talk show to addressed allegations of a toxic work environment, apologizing for things "that never should have happened." 

"I know that I'm in a position of privilege and power and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show," she said in a video posted Monday.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" started its 18th season in Los Angeles with the host on stage for the first time in months after taping from DeGeneres's home during quarantine. There wasn't a studio audience but a virtual one, with faces beamed in on monitors put in the audience seats.

"We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future," she said. "We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter."

Three of the show's producers exited over the More

  • Saturday, Sep. 19, 2020
Beyond Fest unveils its lineup of films
A scene from "The Wolf Of Snow Hollow," opening night film for Beyond Fest (photo courtesy of Orion Pictures)
LOS ANGELES -- 

Genre film festival Beyond Fest has unveiled its complete slate of 2020 programming consisting of seven nights of double-bill features including three world premieres, one North American premiere, and two U.S. premieres. Following a sold-out summer residence with the American Cinematheque at the Mission Tiki Drive-In, Beyond Fest returns to the socially distanced safety of the drive-in Friday, October 2-Thursday, October 8 to generate funds for American Cinematheque, a 501c3 non-profit film institution. 

With a diverse slate celebrating all corners of genre cinema, Beyond Fest is will open with a double-barreled-double-bill curated by director Jim Cummings including the world premiere of his electric werewolf tale, The Wolf Of Snow Hollow, paired with Joe Dante’s The Burbs. Closing night honors are bestowed upon Blumhouse and Beyond Fest alum Christopher Landon for the world premiere of their outrageous body-swap-slasher More

  • Friday, Sep. 18, 2020
Emmy show will include $2.8M donation to fight child hunger
In this July 12, 2018, file photo, an Emmy statue is displayed onstage at the 70th Primetime Emmy Nominations announcements at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, in Los Angeles. The Emmy Awards being held on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, will include a $2.8 million donation to No Kid Hungry to support the group’s efforts to feed children affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Television Academy announced the donation Friday, Sept. 18. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 

Every Emmy Award handed out Sunday will come with something extra — a $100,000 donation to fight child hunger.

The Television Academy announced Friday that each network and streaming service competing on the telecast has pledged the donation for every Emmy they win. 

With 23 Emmys being handed out and the academy committing $500,000, that will mean a donation of $2.8 million to No Kid Hungry, a group working to relieve child hunger brought on by the coronavirus crisis. 

The 72nd Emmy Awards air Sunday at 5 p.m. on ABC. 

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting from Staples Center in Los Angeles and winners will accept their awards from remote locations, but little beyond that has been revealed about what will happen during the show that is being put on under unique pandemic circumstances. 

The HBO limited series "Watchmen" is the top nominee. 

Guests set to appear include Anthony Anderson, Mindy Kaling, Lin-Manuel Miranda, More

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