AWARDS HEADLINES
Tonight’s AARP Movies For Grownups Awards Celebrate Mature Achievements
Forget tired jokes about arthritic winners too stiff to climb up on stage, or audience members too feeble to help them — the 15th Movies for Grownups Awards show, to be held tonight at the Beverly Wilshire, promises to be a star-studded and lively event. This year’s edition honors Lily Tomlin and Bryan Cranston as lead actress and actor for their work in Grandma and Trumbo, respectively, with Ridley Scott earning the director’s award for The Martian. (IC)
The Prestigious Guest List For This Year’s Oscar Lunch Has Finally Been Revealed
Oscar hopefuls, ranging alphabetically from Trumbo’s Bryan Cranston to The Danish Girl’s Alicia Vikander, are expected to attend the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Nominees Luncheon, which will be held Feb. 8 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. All five nominees in the directing category — Lenny Abramason, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Tom McCarthy, Adam McKay and George Miller — are planning to attend. (HRA)
OTHER HEADLINES
Exec Shuffle for 2/8/16: Moonves & Dauman to Take Over for Redstone, Major Shake-up at Focus Features, Multiple Shifts at Magilla Ent.
Plenty of other action this week, as IBM and Fandango make major acquisitions, the New York Office of Media and Entertainment gets a new commissioner, and a whole bunch of people get promotions. Click the link for more. (SSN)
Feds Probing ‘Wolf Of Wall Street’ Producer Red Granite’s Money Relationships
Hollywood has been drawn into a federal investigation as the U.S. Department of Justice continues to probe possible wrongdoing by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. An extensive federal investigation in the U.S. is underway to determine whether the crime of money laundering applies to the transactions made by the Prime Minister and others, with the DOJ’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section investigating the case. (DH)
No Marvel Movie, No Problem For Ava DuVernay, Who Is Now Up To Direct Two Big Movies
Since flirting with Marvel to potentially take the reins of Black Panther, a job that ended up going to Ryan Coogler, DuVernay has been looking at several projects as her Selma followup. Now, two different studios are now vying for her services. Disney has offered the fantasy A Wrinkle in Time, based on the classic 1963 Madeleine L’Engle novel, and Amblin wants DuVernay to helm Intelligent Life, a sci-fi thriller scripted by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. (COL)
If You Want an Oscar Winner To Play Amy Schumer’s Mom In Her Next Movie, Goldie Hawn Is a Good Place To Start
Originated by The Heat‘s Katie Dippold and inspired by her relationship with her own mother, Schumer has adapted it for her voice, working with regular collaborator and sister Kim Caramele. The story is still mostly being kept quiet but it apparently follows a family holiday that goes horribly, hilariously wrong. Jonathan Levine is on board to direct with Paul Feig producing. It would be the first acting gig for Hawn in 15 years. (EMP)
Pierce Brosnan Will Reunite With Martin Campbell To Adapt an Ernest Hemingway Novel
Brosnan will star and Campbell will direct Across the River and Into the Trees, which follows an American officer serving in Italy right after WW II, faced with news of a terminal illness. Determined to spend his weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver for a simple duck hunting trip and a visit to his old haunts in Venice. As his plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with a young countess begins to kindle in him the hope of renewal. (THR)
Only Three Episodes In, and Syfy Already Knows It Wants Another Season Of ‘The Magicians’
The show will return for 13 episodes, slated to air in 2017. Based on the bestselling series of novels from Lev Grossman, the show hails from Universal Cable Productions and is executive produced by John McNamara, Sera Gamble, Henry Alonso Myers and Groundswell Productions’ Michael London and Janice Williams. (VAR)
Trailer Buzz, Part One: ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’
Twentieth Century Fox has released the first trailer for the upcoming comedy starring Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick. The film hits theaters July 8th. (TP)
Trailer Buzz, Part Two: ‘The Lobster’
Alchemy has released the first look at the upcoming romantic satire, starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Lea Seydoux, Olivia Colman and Ben Whishaw. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film hits theaters March 11th. (CS)