MARCH 8, 1996/Robert Lieberman has won the Directors Guild of America’s 1995 Best Commercial Director award. This, his second win, is for two entries: "Jeffrey’s Secret" for Hallmark and agency Leo Burnett Co., Chicago; and Merrill Lynch’s "Sisters," out of Bozell Worldwide, New York….Director Leslie Smith has signed with Santa Monica-based Crash Films for exclusive spot representation in the U.S. She was formerly repped in the States by now defunct Café Filmurg….
MARCH 8, 1991/With the ending of the Persian Gulf War, film commissioners expressed guarded optimism over business prospects during the sixth annual Location Expo, sponsored by the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI), last week, in Santa Monica….Command Post & Transfer, Toronto, has acquired Medallion Film & Video Laboratories from Toronto-based Standard Broadcasting Corporation….In Los Angeles, the West Coast chapter of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers has moved to build its legislative and political clout, hiring a political analyst and joining with 22 major industry trade organizations—the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) among them—to form the California Advertising Alliance….
Alec Baldwin Urges Judge To Stand By Dismissal Of Involuntary Manslaughter Case In “Rust” Shooting
Alec Baldwin urged a New Mexico judge on Friday to stand by her decision to skuttle his trial and dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie.
State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin halfway through a trial in July based on the withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust."
The charge against Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can't be revived once any appeals of the decision are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently asked the judge to reconsider, arguing that there were insufficient facts and that Baldwin's due process rights had not been violated.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on "Rust," was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.
The case-ending evidence was ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins' killing. Prosecutors said they deemed the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin's lawyers alleged that they "buried" it and filed a successful motion to dismiss the case.
In her decision to dismiss the Baldwin case, Marlowe Sommer described "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct" by law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as false testimony about physical evidence by a witness during the trial.
Defense counsel says that prosecutors tried to establish a link... Read More