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  • Monday, Oct. 16, 2023
"Three's Company" star Suzanne Somers dies at 76
Suzanne Somers is seen during the funeral services for Merv Griffin at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, Calif., Aug. 17, 2007. Somers, the effervescent blonde actor known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show “Three’s Company,” as well as her business endeavors, died early Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, her family said in a statement provided by her longtime publicist R. Couri Hay. She was 76. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool, File)
By Lindsey Bahr

Suzanne Somers, the effervescent blonde actor known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show "Three's Company" and who became an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author, has died. She was 76.

Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning, her family said in a statement provided by her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay. Her husband Alan Hamel, her son Bruce and other immediate family were with her in Palm Springs, California.

"Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th," the statement read. "Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly."

In July, Somers shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.

"Like any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, 'It's back' you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war," she told Entertainment Tonight at More

  • Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023
Piper Laurie, 3-time Oscar nominee with film credits such as "The Hustler" and "Carrie," dies at 91
Actress Piper Laurie hugs her husband-to-be, drama reporter and critic Joseph M. Morgenstern, at his desk at the Herald-Tribune in New York, shortly after her parents announced their engagement, Dec. 28, 1961. Laurie, the strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a “more meaningful” life, died early Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91. (AP Photo/John Lent, File)
By Bob Thomas
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 

Piper Laurie, the strong-willed, Oscar-nominated actor who performed in acclaimed roles despite at one point abandoning acting altogether in search of a "more meaningful" life, died early Saturday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91.

Laurie died of old age, her manager, Marion Rosenberg, told The Associated Press via email, adding that she was "a superb talent and a wonderful human being."

Laurie arrived in Hollywood in 1949 as Rosetta Jacobs and was quickly given a contract with Universal-International, a new name that she hated and a string of starring roles with Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis, among others.

She went on to receive Academy Award nominations for three distinct films: The 1961 poolroom drama "The Hustler"; the film version of Stephen King's horror classic "Carrie," in 1976; and the romantic drama "Children of a Lesser God," in 1986. She also appeared in several acclaimed roles on television and the More

  • Friday, Oct. 13, 2023
Microsoft clears last hurdle to buying Call of Duty maker Activision in $69 billion deal
An image from Activision's Call of Duty is shown on a smartphone near a photograph of the Microsoft logo in this photo taken in New York, June 15, 2023. Microsoft’s purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard won final approval Friday, Oct. 13, from Britain’s competition watchdog, reversing its earlier decision to block the $69 billion deal and removing a last obstacle for one of the largest tech transactions in history. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
By Kelvin Chan, Business Writer
LONDON (AP) -- 

Microsoft's purchase of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard won final approval Friday from Britain's competition watchdog, reversing its earlier decision to block the $69 billion gaming deal and removing the final obstacle for one of the largest tech transactions in history.

The Xbox maker's quest to acquire Activision — maker of other blockbuster games like Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch — could close imminently ahead of a Wednesday deadline. That would wrap up a merger delayed for close to two years by intense scrutiny from authorities around the world.

The blessing from the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority was expected after it gave preliminary approval last month to a revamped Microsoft proposal meant to address concerns that the deal would harm competition and hurt gamers, especially in the emerging cloud gaming market where players can avoid buying pricey consoles and stream games to their tablets or More

  • Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023
Abboud, Bouverat, Hale, Adornetto team to launch RISE Creative Studios
RISE Creative Studios' co-founders (l-r) KC “Kyung Chang” Adornetto, Brandessa Hale, Katherine Abboud and Jigisha Patel Bouverat

Four entrepreneurs have teamed to launch RISE Creative Studios. The new venture will provide branded and original content for agencies, brands and nonprofits, telling stories from a panorama of perspectives that are inclusionary, equitable and dynamic.

“We recognize that our work extends beyond individual projects. It’s about leaving a lasting mark on the industry, challenging norms, and fostering a culture of inclusivity,” said Katherine Abboud, RISE co-founder and CEO. “I believe that by embracing this mission, we can widen the gaze and create narratives that resonate deeply with audiences around the world.”

Fellow co-founders of the new content creation studio are chief creative officer Jigisha Patel Bouverat, chief production officer Brandessa Hale, and chief financial officer KC “Kyung Chang” Adornetto, all of whom have blazed distinctive and successful trails in business and in content creation. They bring a diversity of talent, More

  • Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023
Walter Schulz joins Cuebric as VFX director
Walter Schulz
BOSTON -- 

Visual effects supervisor Walter Schulz will join creative-led artificial intelligence production software company Cuebric as its new VFX director. 

Prior to joining Cuebric, Schulz served as on set VFX supervisor for Emma Stone’s upcoming episodic show, The Curse. He was also the crowd department supervisor on projects including Godzilla vs. Kong, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Game of Thrones’ final season for which his work won an Emmy.

He additionally served as the on set VFX supervisor for Roland Emmerich’s Midway (2019), and has worked on more than 30 major feature films and television projects throughout his career. 

Schulz has been working with AI and virtual production tools since 2007, by replicating human behavior applied to digital crowds and groundbreaking work for projects such as Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter (Oscar nomination for Best VFX 2010); he also created all AI driven More

  • Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023
VES sets release date of Oct. 31 for Handbook of Virtual Production
LOS ANGELES -- 

The Visual Effects Society (VES) has set Oct. 31 as the release date for The VES Handbook of Virtual Production. As a complement to its acclaimed 3rd edition of The VES Handbook of Visual Effects--the definitive industry bible for VFX--The VES Handbook of Virtual Production is the most comprehensive guide to virtual production techniques and best practices available.

Edited by VFX producer Susan Zwerman, VES, and VFX supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun, VES, The VES Handbook of Virtual Production features real-world expertise gleaned from 82 experts in the world of virtual production in areas including VR, AR, MR, and XR technology, as well as detailed sections on interactive games, full animation and Unreal and Unity to provide real-time in-camera VFX. Additionally, the authors share their best methods, tips, tricks, and shortcuts developed as hands-on practitioners.

VES chair Lisa Cooke said, “We are excited to bring forth The VES Handbook of More

  • Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been separated since 2016, she says
Will Smith, left, and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 13, 2022. Pinkett Smith and husband Will Smith have lived what she says are “completely separate lives” since 2016. Pinkett Smith made the revelation in an interview with Hoda Kotb. The prominent Hollywood couple married in 1997 and have addressed separations and marital troubles. But never this specifically. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 

Jada Pinkett Smith and husband Will Smith have lived "completely separate lives" since 2016, she revealed in an interview with Hoda Kotb. The prominent Hollywood couple married in 1997 and have addressed separations and marital troubles, but never this specifically.

Though it's not a legal divorce, Pinkett Smith told Kotb in a clip released Wednesday on "Today" that it is essentially a divorce without papers. Smith and Pinkett Smith share two children, Willow and Jaden, as well as a son, Trey, from Smith's first marriage.

Representatives for Smith and Pinkett-Smith did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The news came as a surprise to many, considering Pinkett Smith's candor in her "Red Table Talk" series, in which she and Smith addressed her extramarital relationship in an episode in 2020, and the slap at the 2022 Academy Awards. At the ceremony, Smith infamously walked up on stage and struck presenter Chris Rock after More

  • Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023
Harbor expands its reach with launch of post studio in Chicago
Casey Swircz (l) and Oisin O'Driscoll
CHICAGO -- 

Production and post house Harbor has opened a state-of-the-art studio in the heart of Chicago. This strategic move comes as part of Harbor’s commitment to meeting the demands of its clients while establishing a presence in one of the most influential advertising cities in the nation.

The new studio in Chicago offers talent across all postproduction artistries--creative editorial, color/finishing, sound, VO record and casting, VFX, and design.

Overseeing Harbor Chicago, executive producer Casey Swircz, formerly of the Mill and Carbon, is supported by a deep bench of award-winning talent. Creative director Oisín O’Driscoll, head of color Steve Perski, sound and VFX creative directors Kyle Cody, Anne Trotman, Andrew Granelli, Alex Candlish, and David Soto lead a global team of VFX and design artists focusing on CG, 2D, and motion design.

Executive creative director Chris Hellman, formerly of Crew Cuts and Homestead, curates Harbor’s More

  • Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023
American Society of Cinematographers honors Student Heritage Award winners
Pictured at the 2023 ASC Student Heritage Awards are (l-r): Matthew Cheung, Armando Salas, ASC, Thomas Bolles, Craig Kief, ASC and Hannah Platzer (photo by Andrew Rogers) S
LOS ANGELES -- 

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced the 2023 Student Heritage Awards winners. These three student filmmakers were chosen for demonstrating exceptional cinematography skills in their submitted work:

  • The Owen Roizman Student Heritage Award (Graduate Category) was given to Hannah Platzer from the American Film Institute for “Im Finstern.”
  • The George Spiro Dibie Heritage Award (Undergraduate Category) was presented to Thomas Bolles of Loyola Marymount University for “Drawn into Darkness.”
  • The Haskell Wexler Documentary Award to Matthew Cheung from Loyola Marymount for “Balancing Act.”

The awards ceremony, sponsored by Sony, was held at the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood, Calif.. ASC president Shelly Johnson introduced Student Awards co-chairs Crag Kief and Armando Salas who presented the winners with their awards.

The Student Heritage awards are just one of many educational programs More

  • Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023
Terence Davies, filmmaker of the lyrical "Distant Voices, Still Lives," dies at the age of 77
Director Terence Davies poses for portrait photographs at at the 2016 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Sunday Feb. 14, 2016. British filmmaker Terence Davies, best known for a pair of powerful, lyrical movies inspired by his childhood in postwar Liverpool, has died at the age of 77. Davies’ manager John Taylor said the director died “peacefully at home in his sleep” on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 after a short illness. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, file)
By Jill Lawless
LONDON (AP) -- 

British filmmaker Terence Davies, best known for a pair of powerful, lyrical movies inspired by his childhood in postwar Liverpool, has died at the age of 77.

Davies' manager John Taylor said the director died "peacefully at home in his sleep" on Saturday after a short illness.

Raised in a large working-class Roman Catholic family in the English port city, Davies worked as a clerk in a shipping office and a bookkeeper in an accountancy firm before enrolling at a drama school in the city of Coventry and later the National Film School.

After making several short films, Davies made his feature debut as writer-director in 1988 with "Distant Voices, Still Lives," a dreamlike — sometimes nightmarish — collage of a film that evoked a childhood of poverty and violence leavened by music and movie magic. The film won the Cannes International Critics Prize in 1988, and in 2002 was voted the ninth-best film of the past 25 years by British film More

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