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Joanna Merlin, whose acting career stretched from Broadway (she was the original Tzeitel in Fiddler On The Roof), film (she played the dance teacher Miss Berg in Alan Parker’s 1980 film Fame) and TV (Law & Order: SVU‘s Judge Lena Petrovsky on dozens of episodes) has died. She was 92.

Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998.

“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher, and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci, and James Ivory,” the NYU message said, adding, “Joanna will be deeply missed at Grad Acting, by the Chekhov community, and by the many people she touched through her artistry.”

As a casting director, Merlin was involved in numerous landmark Broadway productions written by Stephen Sondheim. She was, for many years, Harold Prince’s go-to casting director.

A...

Paulina Gretzky was seen wearing a yellow strapless bikini top with matching bottoms in a series of Instagram story posts. In one of the posts she wrote: “Perfect Sunday With My Boys ”

One of the photos featured her on the beach and the other with her on a boat drinking a High Noon beverage.

She is currently married to the golfer, Dustin Johnson, and the two have two children together, River and Tatum.

She also recently posted a picture of her in Singapore on her Instagram page. She wore a blue and green dress that similarly showed off her body. She accessorized with a gold purse and clear heels. She captioned the photo: “...

Irene Cara, the actress and singer who starred in the 1980 movie “Fame” and then won an Oscar for co-writing the title track to the 1983 hit “Flashdance,” has died in her Florida home at age 63.

“It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara,” publicist Judith A. Moose wrote. “Her cause of death is currently unknown and will be released when information is available.

Born Irene Cara Escalar in the Bronx borough of New York City to a Puerto Rican father and a Cuban-American mother, she learned to play piano by ear at an early age and soon was taking lessons in music and dance. She was soon making appearances on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” and became a regular on PBS’ “The Electric Company” in the early 1970s.

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Charles Koppelman, Music Executive and Former Chairperson of Martha Stewart’s Company,...

The pandemic has had a huge impact on the entertainment industry, including the rescheduling of the 2021 Academy Awards ceremony from February 28 to April 25 — but this isn’t the first time an historic event has caused a change of date for the annual event. On the afternoon of March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured, prompting the Academy to delay the ceremony. Fortunately, by the next day, the president was on his way to recovery, and the show was able to proceed.

Johnny Carson, hosting for the third year in a row, referred to the delay and near tragedy in his opening remarks: “That old adage ‘the show must go on’ seemed relatively unimportant.” Reagan not only offered his blessing for the event to go on, but had weeks before pre-taped a monologue to kickstart the ceremony. It was a solemn opening, leading into one of Oscar’s more lackluster events,...

David Bowie’s “Brilliant Live Adventures” series — a six-part release focusing on the late icon’s Nineties concerts — continues February 12th with its fourth installment, Look at the Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97).

The latest release features Bowie’s performance at the Phoenix Festival in Long Marston, England, on July 20th, 1997. The setlist boasts a handful of Bowie hits, a heavy helping of his then-new album Earthling, and a rare rendition of Laurie Anderson’s classic “O Superman.”

Look at the Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97) arrives February 12th on limited edition...

Rio de Janeiro, Jan 4 (Ians) Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar is the latest Brazilian football icon to join the Maracana stadium's prestigious Walk of Fame.

The 28-year-old, who returned to his homeland after suffering an ankle injury while playing for Psg last month, visited the Maracana in Rio's north to have a mold taken of both feet before flying back to France on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I'm very happy and proud to be able to make football history and join so many great players who left their feet imprinted at the Maracana," Neymar said in an Instagram post.

He joins Pele, Garrincha, Zico, Romario, Socrates, Marta, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo in a select group of players to have their footprints preserved for posterity at Rio's fabled stadium.

Neymar surpassed Ronaldo as Brazil's second-highest scorer by netting a hat-trick in a 4-2 World Cup qualifying win against Peru in October.

The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history.Golden Eighties From a broad angle view, it seems as though all movies made in the 1980s could be classified as either action or musical. The neon glitz of the decade easily melds with the flamboyance of musicals, and it was a time when budgets soared, so lavish song-and-dance set pieces fit in nicely with the decadence. But 80s musicals also changed things up in the genre—sometimes focusing more on choreography, other times the songs. The burgeoning cult status of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) also had producers scrambling for the ineffable weirdness that captured the imagination of an audience so intensely that they wanted to spend every weekend watching and mimicking what so delighted them on screen This resulted in odd choices that inevitably flopped, and took decades to gain a devoted following,...

Ever since Debbie Allen landed her breakout role as Lydia Grant in Fame, she's become a living legend. Over the past 40 years, Allen has danced, directed, choreographed, acted, sang, produced, and even served as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, all while raising three children with her husband of nearly 37 years, former NBA star Norm Nixon. Though she's currently busy playing Dr. Catherine Avery Fox on Grey's Anatomy (among other projects), Allen recently brought her talents to Netflix with her documentary Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, and it's as magical as you'd expect. In honor of her 40-year career, we've rounded up pics of Allen over the years!

Related: Christmas on the Square Director Debbie Allen Talks Working With "Bundle of Joy" Dolly Parton...

Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features drummer Sterling Campbell.

In May 1978, 14-year-old Sterling Campbell walked into the lobby of his Upper West Side New York City apartment building and came across his neighbor,...

Tagline: "Fame is a Monster." A trailer for Beast Mode released earlier this year. Starring James Duval (Donnie Darko), this title focuses on an actor who turns to a herbal elixir - to jumpstart his career; the results are a bit hairier than expected. From Devilworks Pictures, Beast Mode also stars: C. Thomas Howell (The Amazing Spider Man), Leslie Esterbrook (The Devil's Rejects), Ray Wise (Robocop) amongst others. Just released this week, a look at Beast Mode's recent launch is available here. The story also mentions shape shifting creature. These ferocious monsters unleash their hunger on Los Angeles as Hollywood succumbs to animalistic attacks. Devilworks Pictures has released Beast Mode on DVD and Digital formats this past December 1st. Available in Canada and the U.S., Beast Mode looks like a fun film, set in an '80s horror, Hollywood story. Release Date: December 1st, 2020. Directors: Chris W. Freeman,...

All those acting challenges on RuPaul’s Drag Race have really paid off for Shangela Pierce: She’s landed a flashy guest appearance in Thursday’s episode of ABC’s Station 19 (8/7c) — and TVLine has the exclusive first photos.

“We Are Family” primarily focuses on the disciplinary hearing that will decide whether recovering addict Sullivan has a future as a firefighter. But another of the hour’s plots revolves around an investigation into an electrical fire at a neglected apartment building that’s the home, fabulous home of “some of Seattle’s most prominent drag queens,” per the show’s official logline.

From Shondaland, “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” spotlights the career of award-winning entertainer Debbie Allen and follows her group of ingénues as they prepare for Allen’s annual ballet showcase, which is produced via her Los Angeles-based Debbie Allen Dance Academy (Dada). Directed by Oliver Bolkenberg, the documentary, which is now streaming on Netflix, follows Allen, her staff, students, and extended family as they prepare for what has become a beloved local tradition that stars more than 200 children and a few professional actors, including Allen herself.

The Houston-born dance icon and her husband Norm Nixon have operated the non-profit Dada for 20 years. It offers a comprehensive dance curriculum to mostly youth of color, regardless of financial status. While in attendance, the students learn from a slew of teachers who are tops in their respective fields, like former Houston Ballet principal dancer Lauren Anderson and tap superstar Savion Glover.

The “Hot...

Dorothea G. Petrie, who won an Emmy award for the Hallmark drama Love is Never Silent, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 24 at age 95. Her family confirmed the death, which they said was by natural causes.

Petrie began her career in New York as an actress and talent agent before putting it on hold to raise four children. She ended her hiatus in 1979 by writing the story and producing the CBS film Orphan Train, starring Jill Eikenberry. She went on to produce Angel Dusted starring Jean Stapleton for NBC, License to Kill with a young Denzel Washington for CBS, and Picking Up the Pieces starring Margot Kidder for CBS.

In 1986, she won an Emmy for producing NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation Love is Never Silent, which also won an Emmy for director Joseph Sargent and nominations for stars Mare Winningham and Phillis Frelich. Petrie next produced Foxfire,...

Netflix holiday movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is filled with music, magic, and gorgeous visuals. One of the best aspects of the film - aside from its stacked cast - is the dazzling choreography. Between the heartwarming sequence of "This Day" and the high-energy rollicking throughout "Magic Man G," it's almost impossible to sit still while watching each symphonic scene.

So who's behind the dance spectacles? That would be choreographer Ashley Wallen. The Australian dance instructor, known for his work on 2017's The Greatest Showman, joined forces with Jingle Jangle director David E. Talbert to bring the routines to life. In a video shared by Netflix on Nov. 14, Wallen spoke about choreographing Jingle Jangle, an experience he described as "a dream come true." He detailed the process of shooting "Make It Work," which is one of the film's biggest dance scenes. "We had 60 dancers," he said. "There was a lot going on.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has teamed up with iHeartMedia to launch a new podcast Friday, November 6th, featuring classic artist induction speeches from over the years, Variety reports.

The first four episodes of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Vault will feature Mick Jagger inducting the Beatles in 1988, Kendrick Lamar inducting N.W.A. in 2016, Jimmy Buffett inducting the Eagles in 1998 and, Harry Styles inducting Stevie Nicks in 2019. The episodes will boast the raw and full audio of every speech, meaning there will be some previously...

Four former members of B.B. King’s band — Walter Riley King, James “Boogaloo” Bolden, Michael Doster and Tony Coleman — will portray themselves in the upcoming drama “The Thrill Is On.”

Producer Michael Zanetis told Variety, “We’re honored to have these extraordinary musicians join us in our tribute to Mr. King. They traveled the world with him for decades and continue to keep his legacy alive.”

“The Thrill Is On” is a drama about King’s friendship with drummer Zanetis starring Wendell Pierce as King. The movie tells “the inspiring true story of how a chance meeting between Zanetis, a young musician, and B.B. King in 1980 led to King being the first blues artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990,” according to a statement from production.

Variety reported on Oct. 25 that an official biopic of iconic blues musician King is going into pre-production in 2021, according to Vassal Benford,...

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today “Stars in the House” will mark Election Day with a 10 hour marathon!

From 9 Am to 7 Pm on November 3rd, Seth and James will be Live with special guests including Bellamy Young, Dana Delany, Marcia Cross, Jessie Mueller, Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Marc Shaiman, Vanessa Williams, Adam Pascal, Peri Gilpin, Anika Larsen, Judy Kuhn, Marilu Henner, Annette Bening, Kelli O’Hara, and many more. Poll workers across the country from Poll Hero Project – and some familiar faces, like Elizabeth Stanley, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Lauren Patten – will drop by on breaks from their shifts working at the polls. “Stars in the House” favorite Brenda Braxton will join in as a guest host from 2-3 Pm.

Fans have always been a huge part of the show at “Stars in the House,” and on Election Day, that will be truer than ever! Seth and James will be inviting...

Not that it ever was far from rock fans’ consciousness, but Stevie Nicks’ voice is suddenly a ubiquitous part of popular culture again, thanks to a viral video of a skateboarding man singing along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” that has become the feel-good hit of a feel-bad fall season. Naturally, the snippet of it has made a hungry world ready again to consume more of “Dreams” than can fit in a TikTok video, which is why “Dreams” and the “Rumours” album have both returned to the top 10, 43 years later.

But if the resurgence has led you to want to hear not just “Dreams” but two hours and 10 minutes of unexpurgated Stevie, the universe has conspired to accommodate that. Sunday night, Nicks’ film, “24 Karat Gold: The Movie,” will be playing at theaters and drive-ins across the country. It’ll be followed Friday by the release of a full soundtrack on...

William Blinn, a longtime writer responsible for “Purple Rain” and “Starsky & Hutch,” died on Thursday. He was 83.

Blinn passed away due to natural causes at an assisted living facility in Burbank, his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, told multiple media outlets.

Blinn enjoyed a four-decade career where, along with penning the script for the Prince-starring film, he also served as a writer for TV productions including “Roots,” “Bonanza” and “Fame.” In the 1970s, Blinn adapted Chicago Bears’ running back Gale Sayers’ autobiography, “I Am Third” into the ABC TV film, “Brian’s Song.” Based on the relationship between Sayers and his Bears teammate, Brian Piccolo, it is the fourth most-watched made-for-tv film. “Brian’s Song” earned Blinn one of his two Emmy awards.

In 1975, Blinn created “Starsky & Hutch,” which ran for 93 episodes over four seasons on ABC. It was originally presented as a 70-minute “movie of the week” before being turned into a TV show.

William Blinn, the two-time Emmy-winning screenwriter of “Brian’s Song” and “Roots,” died on Thursday, his daughter Anneliese Johnson confirmed to Variety. He was 83.

Blinn died of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, according to his daughter.

Blinn penned two landmark TV productions of the 1970s, both for ABC. The 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song” was a commercial and creative triumph that garnered five Emmys and other accolades.

The film revolved around the true story of two Chicago Bears pro football players — one white, one Black — who forge a deep bond as one of them dies of cancer. Sayers died last month at the age of 77. It was viewed by 55 million people when it premiered on Nov. 30, 1971. At the time it ranked as the fourth most-watched film ever to air on television.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Blinn moved to Los Angeles for college, where he launched his career as...

Emmy Award winner and Starsky & Hutch creator William Blinn has died at the age of 83.

Blinn passed from natural causes on Thursday at an assisted living community in Burbank, Calif., his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, told The Hollywood Reporter.

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In addition to Starsky, which ran for four seasons and produced a total of 93 episodes, Blinn developed Eight Is Enough, Hunter, The Interns,...

William Blinn, the two-time Emmy winner who penned the Prince-starring Purple Rain, created Starsky & Hutch and wrote for such landmark TV projects as Roots, Fame and Brian’s Song, has died. He was 83.

Blinn died Thursday of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A writer, producer and drama specialist who received the prestigious Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award from the WGA in 2009, Blinn also served as a staff writer on Bonanza, developed Eight Is Enough and created The Interns, The Rookies and Pensacola: Wings of Gold.

In his busy four-decade career, Blinn had just one feature screenplay credit,...

William Blinn, the two-time Emmy winner who penned the Prince-starring Purple Rain, created Starsky & Hutch and wrote for such landmark TV projects as Roots, Fame and Brian’s Song, has died. He was 83.

Blinn died Thursday of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A writer, producer and drama specialist who received the prestigious Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award from the WGA in 2009, Blinn also served as a staff writer on Bonanza, developed Eight Is Enough and created The Interns, The Rookies and Pensacola: Wings of Gold.

In his busy four-decade career, Blinn had just one feature screenplay credit,...

After five weeks of “Dancing with the Stars,” four celebrities have been eliminated from the competition, narrowing down the lineup to the “Top 11.” So who gave the best performances this week, and who was eliminated just short of the top 10? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments and our commentary throughout the night.

Last week was “’80s Night,” and it was the end of the road for actor Jesse Metcalfe, who was eliminated in 12th place. He landed in the bottom two with football player Vernon Davis, but the judges voted unanimously to save Davis. Was the NFL star able to make a comeback after that? This week he had to dance a cha cha, and the pressure was high to deliver in order to survive.

SEEHere are the top 11’s — and Derek Hough’s — dances for Week 6 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’

Meanwhile, after...

Tommy Rall, the actor and dancer who brought Broadway skills to Hollywood films including Kiss Me Kate, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Girl and Pennies From Heaven, died Tuesday of congestive heart failure in Santa Monica. He was 90.

His death was announced by friend Cynthia Wands on Facebook.

“A hospice nurse was by Tommy’s bedside,” Wands wrote, “and found a box that held the cards and letters that had been sent to him in the last few weeks. She spent the afternoon reading each one to him, and when she finished reading the last one – he peacefully stopped breathing and passed away.”

As a dancer in the 1950s, Rall shuttled between Broadway and Hollywood, choreographed onstage by Jerome Robbins, Gower Champion (Small Wonder) and Agnes de Mille (Juno) and directed on screen by Stanley Donen (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), George Sidney (Kiss Me Kate...

13 random things that happened on this day, September 20th, in showbiz history...

1941 The Porky Pig short "Notes to You" was released. It's sometimes credited with introducing Sylvester the Cat but that's erroneous. The confusion probably stems from the fact that this short was remade as "Back Alley Uproar" seven years later with Sylvester, by then an official character who looks not unlike this cat, and Elmer Fudd in the roles. 

1975 "Fame" hits #1 in the US, the first David Bowie record to do so... ...

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Forget space being the final frontier, we all know the true undiscovered country is collecting. And when it comes to fandom there is none greater than Star Trek. After all, Trekkies were the first fans in history to revive a fandom that would have otherwise vanished into the past.

Bear in mind this was an age when tech like the internet seemed about as far-fetched as a replicator or transporter. The Trek faithful keep their hopes for a peaceful future alive first through a letter-writing campaign that gave the show a third season. After NBC cancelled the show in 1969, viewers kept the dream alive through fan newsletters and some of the country’s first science fiction conventions. Word-of-mouth spread that Star Trek was a force to be reckoned with and its Lazarus came in the form of individuals from different ages, races, and sexual orientation...

It was the late director Alan Parker’s most enduring hit, capturing what it was to be young and ambitious in the hot, gritty New York of 1980. The cast and crew reflect on the acting, fighting, flirting and fallout

• ‘The most important experience of my youth’: Fame star Barry Miller on Alan Parker

Forty years ago, Alan Parker’s musical about a group of teenagers at the New York High School for the Performing Arts was released.

Originally titled Hot Lunch after one of the composer Christopher Hope’s key numbers, the film is a crowd-pleaser with a heart of ice. For all the fun and legwarmers, this isn’t some starry-eyed fantasy. Rather, its edge and pessimism make it a remarkably responsible piece of film-making, with a conclusion about the wisdom of pursuing a career in the arts that is ambivalent at best.

“Lost” and “The Good Doctor” actor Daniel Dae Kim has successfully crowdfunded $55,000 in an attempt to get actor James Hong a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hong, an American-born actor of Chinese descent, has over 600 film and television credits to his name over a career that has spanned nearly seven decades and counting. Hong’s credits include “Chinatown,” “Blade Runner,” “Wayne’s World 2,” voice roles in “Kung Fu Panda,” “Mulan,” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and more. A CNN article published August 3 highlighting Hong’s prolific career as a working actor went viral and inspired Kim to launch a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to help get Hong a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

“James Hong just might be the most prolific actor in Hollywood history,” Kim wrote in an introduction. “As of July 2020, he has a total of 672 credits, which include 469 TV shows, 149 feature films, 32 short films, and 22 video games…...

A working-class Londoner who started out in advertising, Parker knew how to play to the crowd but wasn’t afraid to take risks or challenge convention.

That was evident from his feature debut, Bugsy Malone, an inspired pastiche of Hollywood gangster films that saw Parker defy genre norms with the recruitment of an all-child cast wielding ‘Splurge’ guns firing whipped cream instead of bullets.

It was a decision that drew anger in some quarters with noted critic John Simon famously branding the film “an outrage” in New York Magazine.

“Wholesome youngsters have been duped into acting like adults,” he said, “stupid, brutal, criminal adults, at that.”

Bugsy Malone flopped in the US but Parker soon established himself stateside with Midnight Express and Fame, two box office hits and examples of Parker’s unrivalled versatility and habit of defying expectations.

In time, Bugsy Malone enjoyed critical reappraisal, emerging as a firm...

UK filmmaker Alan Parker died aged 76 on Friday.

Tributes from across the industry have been paid to filmmaker Alan Parker, who died on Friday (July 31), aged 76.

Former colleagues talked warmly of Parker’s achievements as a filmmaker, his work for public bodies including the BFI and the UK Film Council, his loyalty to friends and his encouragement of young talent.

“Alan was my oldest and closest friend,” said producer David Puttman, Parker’s long-time collaborator with whom he first worked at Collett Dickenson Pearce (Cdp) in what was later called ‘the golden age of advertising’ in the 1960s. “I was...

Alan Parker photographed by another legend, Terry O'Neill, in this press still for "Angel Heart" (1987).

Sir Alan Parker has died at age 76. The esteemed British filmmaker was known for making highly diverse, acclaimed films. He had received two Oscar nominations for Best Director, the first for "Midnight Express" and the other for "Mississippi Burning". Parker made his feature film directorial debut in 1975 with "Bugsy Malone", an offbeat and inspired send up of old gangster movies starring a cast comprised of child actors including Jodie Foster. His other films include "Fame", "The Commitments", "Pink Floyd- The Wall", "Shoot the Moon", "Angela's Ashes", "Evita", "Angel Heart" and "Birdy". Parker had not directed a film since "The Life of David Gale" in 2003. As news of his death broke, tributes were paid by his peers in the entertainment industry including Andrew Webber, David Putnam and Barbara Broccoli.

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In the late 1970s, when Hollywood was in the middle of its most seismic transformation since the collapse of the studio system, there was a much-talked-about trend that seemed to fit all too snugly into the new world order. That was the arrival of hotshot British movie directors who had honed their craft in the rarefied world of English TV commercials.

At first there were two such transplants: Alan Parker and Ridley Scott. They were soon joined by Adrian Lyne (who made his first feature in 1980) and Scott’s younger brother, Tony Scott (who released his first major film in 1983). All four became players in the industry, and each developed his own style and brand and personality. Ridley Scott was the artiste of the group, crafting visionary sci-fi like “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” Adrian Lyne, director of “Foxes” and “Flashdance,” was the youth-culture maven, and Tony Scott, of “Top Gun” fame,...

Actors and directors took to social media to pay tribute to British director Alan Parker, who died Friday. The filmmaker behind “Evita, “The Commitments” and “Bugsy Malone” was 76.

Parker’s first feature film was 1976’s “Bugsy Malone.” He directed over 25 films, and his last film was “The Life of David Gale” starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. Parker received two Oscar nominations, one for “Midnight Express” and “Mississippi Burning.”

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts wrote, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker. As BAFTA-winning filmmaker, he brought us joy with Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Midnight Express and many more.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber who remembered Parker for their collaboration on his adaptation of “Evita,” wrote, “Very sad to hear the news of Alan Parker’s death. My friend and collaborator on the Evita movie and one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen.

Updated with latest reactions: Alan Parker, who died today at 76, was remembered Friday by colleagues and friends, with Andrew Lloyd Webber calling his Evita collaborator “one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen” and Matthew Modine, who starred in Parker’s 1984 drama Birdy, praising the director as a “great artist” who “transformed” the actor’s life.

And Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher explained the pivotal role Parker played in his life by casting the then-nine-year-old Fletcher as “Babyface” in 1975’s Bugsy Malone.

In a statement, Fletcher said:

Sir Alan inadvertently changed my life at the age of 9 when he stuck me at the end of a line of 30 kids, passing a baseball bat, all whilst saying ‘Give this to Babyface’. He told me to say something different on every take He generously made each moment unique and fun...

Alan Parker is not one of the name auteurs you learn about in Film History 101. That’s partly because he wasn’t known for doing one thing. The working-class Londoner made his mark in the 70s with commercials and television before breaking out with period child-gangster musical “Bugsy Malone” (1976), starring Jodie Foster. He died Friday morning at age 76.

True story “Midnight Express” (1978) took viewers on a harrowing descent into Turkish prison hell (starring Brad Davis as Billy Hayes), established Oscar nominee Parker as a taut manipulator of suspense, and won Oscars for screenwriter Oliver Stone and composer Giorgio Moroder. In drama “Birdy” (1984), Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage went on another unpredictable journey, from kids hanging in Philadelphia to soldiers fighting in Vietnam and finally, a grim hospital ward.

Always skilled at using music in his movies, from New York high-school musical “Fame” (1980) to Madonna vehicle “Evita” (1996), Parker became a stylish Hollywood director-for-hire.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker. As BAFTA-winning filmmaker, he brought us joy with Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Midnight Express and many more. pic.twitter.com/fVOcXARgKM

— BAFTA (@BAFTA) July 31, 2020

Midnight Express director Sir Alan Parker has died, aged 76.

The filmmaker, whose hits included Mississippi Burning, Fame, The Commitments and Bugsy Malone saw his work collect ten Oscars, ten Golden Globes and 19 BAFTAs across his career, although he didn't win a Best Director Oscar despite being nominated twice.

He is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, five children and seven grandchildren.

Among those leading the tributes, was BAFTA, which wrote on Twitter: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker."

The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences also wrote: "From Fame to Midnight Express, two-time Oscar nominee Alan...

British director Sir Alan Parker — whose vast filmography included gangster flicks, musical projects, crime thrillers and comedies — has died, Variety reports. He was 76.

The British Film Institute confirmed Parker’s death Friday morning. An exact cause wasn’t given, but he reportedly died after a long illness.

We're deeply saddened to learn that British filmmaker Alan Parker passed away this morning. Also a former Chairman of the BFI, his works as director include Midnight Express, The Commitments and Angela's Ashes https://t.co/wuBtJvHG1b pic.twitter.com/TDEqyxWgWb

— BFI (@BFI) July 31, 2020

Over three decades,...

Sir Alan Parker, a British director known for “Evita,” “Mississippi Burning,” “Midnight Express” and “The Commitments,” has died, an individual with knowledge of his passing told TheWrap. He was 76.

Parker died on Friday after a long battle with an illness.

Parker was a two-time Oscar nominee for directing both “Midnight Express” and the racial drama “Mississippi Burning.”

Among some of Parker’s other iconic credits include “Bugsy Malone,” “Fame,” “Pink Floyd: The Wall,” “Angel Heart,” “Angela’s Ashes” and most recently “The Life of David Gale” in 2003.

Also Read: Olivia de Havilland, Last Survivor of 'Gone With the Wind,' Dies at 104

Parker received the Cbe in 1995 and was knighted in 2002. He’s also a founding member of the Director’s Guild in Britain and was also the chairman of the UK Film Council.

Parker got his start directing TV commercials in the late ’60s and early ’70s, coming up...

Alan Parker, an English movie director with an exceptionally wide-ranging oeuvre ranging from “Bugsy Malone” to “Evita,” from “Midnight Express” to “The Road to Wellville,” has died. He was 76.

The British Film Institute confirmed Parker’s death on Friday, noting he died after a long illness.

Parker was twice Oscar-nominated for best director, for 1978’s “Midnight Express” and for 1988’s Mississippi Burning.” While the director’s subject matter was eclectic, he did return frequently to the musical form: His films “Bugsy Malone,” “Fame,” “Pink Floyd the Wall,” “The Commitments” and “Evita” were all musicals or had strong musical elements in one form or another.

Parker’s first feature film, 1976’s “Bugsy Malone,” made a considerable splash for an audacious concept that worked only because everyone kept a straight face. The film was a Depression-era gangster musical cast entirely with children, the oldest perhaps 15. These included Jodie Foster and Scott Baio.

Director who first made his mark in the 1970s and had later hits including Fame and The Commitments, became the chair of the UK Film Council

Alan Parker, the British director behind a string of hits including Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and The Commitments, has died aged 76.

The news was announced by a representative, who said he had died on Friday “after a lengthy illness”.

His body of work includes Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita, Fame, Birdy, Angel Heart and Angela’s Ashes.

Acclaimed UK filmmaker Alan Parker died this morning (July 31) following a lengthy illness.

Parker was one of the UK’s most acclaimed and successful filmmakers, with a body of work including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita, Fame, Birdy, Angel Heart and Angela’s Ashes. His films won a combined 19 Baftas, 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars.

Parker was a passionate supporter of the UK film industry and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain,...

Alan Parker, the versatile British writer-director and two-time Oscar nominee who came from the world of commercials to make such features as Fame, The Commitments, Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning, has died. He was 76.

Parker died Friday in London following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute said.

With his range of eclectic movies — many ending on a downbeat note — Parker was fluent in several genres. "I like to do different things each time" as a way to stay creatively fresh, he said. He received the British film industry's highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, in ...

Alan Parker, the versatile British writer-director and two-time Oscar nominee who came from the world of commercials to make such features as Fame, The Commitments, Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning, has died. He was 76.

Parker died Friday in London following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute said.

With his range of eclectic movies — many ending on a downbeat note — Parker was fluent in several genres. "I like to do different things each time" as a way to stay creatively fresh, he said. He received the British film industry's highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, in ...

Crown Media Family Networks have named a new President and CEO.

Wonya Lucas previously worked as CEO for TV One and will report directly to Hallmark Cards CEO, Mike Perry.

Former CEO, Bill Abbott, left under a dark cloud in January after he came under fire for the decision to remove a commercial featuring a same-sex couple.

While Abbott later apologized for the decision, the family of networks came under fire for their lack of diversity, and as Abbott was at the helm, he paid the price.

Lucas will focus on growing the iconic television brand, whose flagship Hallmark Channel is routinely ranked among the top cable networks.

She’s responsible for the strategic direction, daily management, and growth of the three linear networks—the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama—as well as the company’s digital platforms and subscription streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now.

“Wonya...

Annie Ross, the legendary Jazz singer who was part of the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross died in the early morning hours of July 22 at her home in New York City. She was 89. Ross’ former manager, Jim Coleman, confirmed the cause of death to be emphysema and heart disease.

Her nephew Domenick Allen wrote on his Facebook page, “My Aunt, Annie Ross, passed today at 2:00est in NYC. She was a Force of Nature, both in her music and in her life. I stood onstage next to her many times, and she truly was a Powerhouse. Her Jazz/standard hit was Twisted, but she was Straight Ahead all the way…I know she’ll be swinging somewhere in the Universe…”

Born Annabelle Allan Short in 1930, in Surrey, England, Ross moved to the U.S. with her Vaudeville actor parents, John and Mary Short, when she was four. She would grow...

What’s the story, Wishbone? A Wishbone movie, that’s what. Wishbone, the PBS kids series where a Jack Russell terrier would inhabit the roles of various literary figures, is now set to become a film from producer Peter Farrelly, the man who brought us both Green Book and Movie 43. There’s no word on just how the Wishbone formula will be adapted […]

The post ‘Wishbone’ Movie Coming From Producer Peter Farrelly of ‘Green Book’ and ‘Movie 43’ Fame appeared first on /Film.

An HBO November special honoring this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will replace the annual spring induction ceremony due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hall’s Foundation announced today.

The program, set for Nov. 7 on HBO and HBO Max, will honor 2020 inductees Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T-Rex, and Ahmet Ertegun Award recipients Jon Landau and Irving Azoff.

“To protect the health and safety of our Inductees, their families, crews and our attendees, we’ve made the decision that the scheduled live event is not possible,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Together with HBO and executive producer Joel Gallen, we will still create an exciting program honoring our 2020 inductees, by telling the stories of their incredible contributions to music and impact on a generation of artists that followed them.”

The...

In just the past few days alone, the entertainment industry has lost some icons and favorites from film, television and Broadway. Our newly updated photo gallery above now features 29 people who have died in the first half of 2020, included the recent losses of TV legend Carl Reiner, Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone, veteran newsman Hugh Downs, theatre star Nick Cordero and Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels.

Here are some of the bios included in our special photo gallery tribute:

NBA superstar Kobe Bryant died on January 26 in a helicopter crash at age 41. After he retired from playing, he won an Oscar for his animated short “Dear Basketball” in 2018.

Broadway star Nick Cordero died on July 5 age age 41 after complications from Covid-19. He was a Tony nominee for “Bullets Over Broadway” and also starred in “Rock of Ages,” “Waitress” and “A Bronx Tale.”

Singer, songwriter and fiddler Charlie Daniels died...

Lionsgate and the Erwin Brothers' Kingdom Story Company have found their Kurt Warner.

Shazam! star Zachary Levi is set to play the two-time NFL most valuable player in American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. The film, to be released by Lionsgate, is set to start production later this year.

Levi will follow Warner's unlikely journey from stocking shelves at a supermarket in Iowa to becoming an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback. Jon Erwin and Andrew Erwin will direct and produce the film written by David Aaron Cohen, Jon Gunn and Jon Erwin.

Kingdom Story acquired Warner’s life rights, and ...