August 10, 2012
Father of ET Dies at 86
By Colleem Barry
MILAN (AP) – Special effects master and three-time Oscar winner Carlo Rambaldi died Friday in southern Italy after a long illness, Italian news media reported. He was 86.
Rambaldi was known as the father of “E.T.” He won visual effects Oscars for Steven Spielberg’s 1982 extraterrestrial hit, as well as Ridley Scott’s film “Alien” in 1979, and John Guillermin’s “King Kong” in 1976.
“Carlo Rambaldi was E.T.’s Geppetto,” said Spielberg, referring to the fictional character who created Pinocchio. ” All of us who marveled and wondered at his craft and artistry are deeply saddened by the news of his passing.”
Rambaldi worked on more than 30 films, but was best known for his work on E.T., for which he created three robots, two costumes worn by actors in the scenes when E.T. walked, and gloves for the hands.
Rambaldi, a wizard of a discipline known as mechatronics – which combines disciplines including mechanical, electronic and system design engineering – did not hide a disdain for computerized effects.
“Digital costs around eight times as much as mechatronics,” Rambaldi was quoted by the Rome daily La Repubblica as having once said. “E.T. cost a million dollars and we created it in three months. If we wanted to do the same thing with computers, it would take at least 200 people a minimum of five months.”
Rambaldi was born in 1925 in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna in 1951. While he dreamed of becoming an artist, he was drawn into the world of cinema when he was asked to create a dragon for a low-budget science fiction movie in 1956.
He moved to Rome and found work in television before his first big success, the 1975 Italian horror film “Deep Red.” He drew the attention of Dino De Laurentiis, who brought him to Hollywood to work on “King Kong.”
Italian director Pupi Avati described Rambaldi as “a child who loved to play and make his toys. A child who dreams of making a theme park of all his characters,” the news agency ANSA reported. The pair worked together on a 1975 film.
“In those years, Rambaldi was the only craftsman capable of creating, as he did, a fig tree 12 meters high that he carried to the center of Ferrara with a huge truck, a fig tree that was to change color with the seasons, and also shed its leaves.”
Rambaldi had been living for about a decade in the Calabrian city of Lamezia Terme, where he died.
Travolta, Spielberg light up Foreign Press lunchBy Sandy Cohen, AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Steven Spielberg talked movies with Harvey Weinstein. John Travolta chatted with Bradley Cooper. Dustin Hoffman and Jack Black shared cellphone photos.
Those stars, along with Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lawrence, Kelsey Grammer, Christina Hendricks and others, lit up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual summer luncheon Thursday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the group behind the Golden Globe Awards presented grants and introduced its officers for the coming year.
The stars helped present and accept $1.2 million in grants from the association to organizations around the country that promote film education and preservation.
The Sundance Institute, Film Foundation and American Film Institute were among 40 nonprofit beneficiaries of grants this year.
But the organization’s annual luncheon was really about schmoozing with the stars.
Spielberg thanked the organization for its support of film-preservation efforts that totaled $3.6 million over the past 16 years. Film is “mankind’s most original medium,” he said.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has given nearly $15 million in grants over the past 18 years from profits generated by the Golden Globe Awards telecast. The 2013 Golden Globes are set for Jan. 13.
Veteran Hollywood publicist Dale Olson dead at 78
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) – Veteran Hollywood publicist Dale Olson, who represented such Hollywood legends as Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly and Alfred Hitchcock, and such current A-listers as Clint Eastwood, Shirley MacClaine and Steven Spielberg, is dead at age 78.
Spokesman Harlan Boll said Olson died early Thursday at a Burbank hospital after a long battle with cancer. Despite his struggle, Olson continued working until recently.
Perhaps Olson’s most notable role was as the spokesman for Rock Hudson during the actor’s widely publicized, ultimately fatal bout with AIDS in 1985. Olson is also credited with helping to launch the “Rocky,” ”Rambo,” ”Superman” and “Halloween” film franchises. He led numerous winning Oscar campaigns and was active in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Actors Fund.
Other Hollywood greats represented by Olson included Steve McQueen, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis and more.
Comedian Kevin Hart to host MTV Video Music Awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Hart isn’t just the host of next month’s MTV Video Music Awards, he’s also part of Hollywood’s hottest new couple.
The comedian stars alongside Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in a video posted Wednesday on MTV’s website. Hart tells the pair he’s hosting the VMA show and that paparazzi are trying to get a look at “the new ‘it’ couple,” even though they would actually be a trio. He says, “I’m talking about Kev-Ye-Kim.”
The video shows a casually clad Kardashian and West, who is up for two Video Music Awards, lounging on the end of a bed. When West asks what Hart means, he offers other possible couple nicknames, including “Ye-Kev-Kim” and “Ye-Kim-Kev.”
The MTV Video Music Awards will be presented Sept. 6 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
DGA Hires Assistant Executive Director Danny Bush
Los Angeles — Directors Guild of America National Executive Director Jay D. Roth announced today that Daniel G. Bush has joined the executive staff of the Directors Guild of America as an Assistant Executive Director.
Bush will focus on areas related to representation, contract enforcement and organizing, in a newly-created position designed to enhance the Guild’s efforts in these areas. He will report to Associate National Executive Director/Western Executive Director Bryan Unger.
“Danny’s labor relations experience and his knowledge of contracts and organizing will be in high demand as the DGA expands its coverage of these areas and prepares for major contract negotiations next year,” said Roth.
Prior to joining the DGA, Bush was an attorney at Bush Gottlieb Singer Lopez Kohanski Adelstein & Dickinson, a union-side labor law firm, where he represented public and private sector labor unions, including serving as lead negotiator for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Mineworkers ILWU Local 30. Previously, he worked for the SEIU as an organizer. Bush received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis and his J.D. from Yale Law School.
72andSunny Taps Heather Wischmann as Director of Interactive Production
Los Angeles, CA – 72andSunny announced today that Heather Wischmann has joined the agency as Director of Interactive Production. In this role, Wischmann will lead the interactive efforts at 72andSunny, driving excellence and innovation in both process and execution.
“Digital has always been at the core of our creative process,” CEO John Boiler commented. “Heather will help us continue to be one of the few integrated agencies that can go toe to toe with any pure play digital shop.”
Heather’s famous body of work includes milestones like GetTheGlass.com for the Got Milk? Campaign and the eBay, Toys for Tots “Give-a-Toy Store” digital installation. As one of the industry’s first interactive producers, she has earned a reputation for defining standards and best practices in production protocol by managing interactive teams at agencies such as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, AKQA and Venables, Bell and Partners.
“72andSunny has a commitment to innovation that I could not resist. It takes something this unique and special to get a San Francisco girl to move to Los Angeles,” Wischmann said.
Anderson’s ‘The Master’ to debut in Venice
MILAN (AP) — The Venice Film Festival says U.S. director Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” will be the 18th film competing for its coveted Golden Lion award.
Festival director Alberto Barbera Tuesday said Tuesday that the film, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, will premiere Sept. 1.
Anderson, the director of “Magnolia” and “There will be Blood,” is the 12th director in competition screening a film for the first time in Venice.
The festival announced the remaining 17 competing films last month, including another four by American directors. By recent tradition, the title of the final “secret film” was delayed.
The 69th Biennale opens Aug. 29 with Mira Nair’s “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” which shows out of competition.
Whedon suits up to write, direct ‘Avengers’ sequel
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joss Whedon has been hired on again as boss of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and their superhero pals for a sequel to “The Avengers.”
The news came Tuesday from Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger, who said during a company earnings call that the filmmaker is returning to write and direct the sequel adapted from the Marvel Comics tales.
Iger also said Whedon is helping to develop a Marvel-based TV series for ABC. Marvel is a Disney subsidiary.
No details were provided on a start of production or release date for the sequel to Whedon’s “The Avengers,” the year’s biggest hit with nearly $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. But the film will have to get in line behind a busy schedule of solo sequels featuring “Avengers” co-stars.
Robert Downey Jr. is filming “Iron Man 3” for release next May, while “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth will have his own sequel out in November 2013. Chris Evans’ “Captain America” sequel will follow in April 2014.
Publicis denies rumor, Interpublic shares drop
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of The Interpublic Group of Cos. fell Monday after Publicis Groupe of France shot down a report that it was weighing a bid for its rival American advertising company.
Shares of New York-based Interpublic fell 97 cents, or 9 percent, to $10. Its shares peaked for the past year at $12.17 on May 1.
In a statement issued Monday, Paris-based Publicis “denied having engaged in any discussions with Interpublic Group” and said it hadn’t hired any banks to explore such talks.
The rumored bid was reported Friday by the Financial Times’ Alphaville site, which cited sources it did not name as saying the deal has been under preparation for six months. The newspaper said that a combination of Interpublic and Publicis would create the world’s second-biggest ad company after Britain’s WPP.
On Sunday, The Financial Times updated its story with Publicis’ denial.
“Apologies, but our usually knowledgeable sources turned out to be lacking on this occasion,” the newspaper wrote.
Publicis owns Leo Burnett, Rosetta and Saatchi & Saatchi. Interpublic’s agencies include McCann Erickson and Draftfcb. Last month, Interpublic said its second-quarter net income fell 3 percent, hurt by the stronger dollar and some U.S. account losses in 2011.
Red Tettemer + Partners brings on new talent
PHILADELPHIA–Red Tettemer + Partners (RT+P), the Philly-based indie creative agency, today announced it has hired four additional team members: Jeremy Gilberto, art director; Elizabeth Latham, sr. account manager; Edward Taylor, developer; and Kristen Meade, media manager.
The hires reflect the need for new talent in support of a new business streak that includes Planet Fitness, Maaco, and most recently, Right Guard.
• Jeremy Gilberto joins RT+P as art director, having most recently worked in that capacity at Arc Worldwide/Leo Burnett in Chicago. Reporting to executive creative director and partner, Steve O’Connell, Gilberto will work on Dial for Men, Century 21 and Planet Fitness.
• Elizabeth Latham joins the agency as sr. account manager, working across clients that include Planet Fitness, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and Einstein Medical Network. Latham was previously at LG Electronics, where she was associate brand manager. At RT+P, she will report directly to agency partners Carla Mote and Jared Scott.
• Edward Taylor, formally IT programmer at FMC Corporation, joins RT+P as developer. Taylor’s duties will include building websites and web apps for existing clients such as Peach Street Distillers and Ska Brewing Company. Taylor will also report directly to O’Connell.
• Kristen Meade, previously a freelance media consultant, joins RT+P as media planner. Meade joins the agency’s in-house media team led by Kelly Goldenberg and will be working for clients such as Front Burner Brands and Planet Fitness.
New chief executive for the ARRI Rental Group
BLAUVELT, NY–ARRI, a leading manufacturer and distributor of professional motion picture equipment, has appointed Martin Cayzer as chief executive of its global network of camera and lighting rental operations.
In this new role, Cayzer will have global responsibility for ARRI’s diverse rental businesses and service capabilities, with plans to extend global reach, grow the customer base and enhance market leadership.
Prior to joining ARRI, Cayzer served as managing director of Panavision Asia Pacific for 13 years, responsible for its own operations and third party distributors throughout the region. He has 30 years experience through roles in a number of industry organizations in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, serving on the board and as chair of the Australian organization Ausfilm, a partnership organization between private industry and government responsible for connecting the international film community with Australia’s screen incentives, talent and facilities.
“ARRI has been at the forefront of camera, digital intermediate and lighting technology for ninety-five years and with the successful introduction of the ALEXA camera range and LED lighting systems, continues to be a leader in an industry in transition,” Cayzer said. “It’s exciting to join ARRI at this particular time as it firmly stakes a key role in the future of our industry.”
