Director Ulf Johansson, who left the directorial collective Traktor (repped by bicoastal/international Partizan) this past summer, has teamed with executive producer Philippa Smith to open Smith and Jones Films, with offices in North Hollywood, Calif., and London.…Jason Watts, a former Flame artist from The Mill, London, and Justine White, formerly at Soho 601 (now called One), London, are in the process of setting up Finish, a Flame-based post house in London, according to Discreet. Finish is expected to open formally in January, and offer Discreet’s Flame SD & HD compositing services to clients in commercial, film and TV production….Cine/DRSA International, New York, has signed an exclusive agreement for the U.S. general market with the directing team of Bosco & Jojo. The duo is based in Buenos Aires….Spontaneous, New York, has added design director Jory Hull, producer Kelley McDermott, designer Masayoshi Nakamura, and animator Tamir Diab….Executive producer Gina LoCurcio and editors Jean Kawahara, Ed Feldman, Jessica Congdon and Matt Graham have teamed to form Umlaut Films, a San Francisco-based editorial house. LoCurcio, Feldman and Graham recently came out of now defunct Bob ‘n’ Sheila’s Edit World. Kawahara and Congdon worked at Bob ‘n’ Sheila’s before leaving to pursue independent film and documentary work….Tom McCullough has been promoted to visual effects supervisor at R!OT Manhattan. He will also retain his shop post as senior Inferno artist….Editor Adam Schwartz has come aboard Company X, New York… Audio mixer Mike Greenberg, formerly of CBS Television City, Los Angeles, has joined Eleven, Santa Monica. Also coming aboard audio post house Eleven is studio manager/executive producer DJ Fox-Engstrom, who also heads sales. She was formerly at POP Sound, Santa Monica….New York production company Naked Project has changed its name to Identity….Animation/visual effects house Computer Café, Santa Monica and Santa Maria, Calif., has been renamed CafeFX. Along with Santa Monica-based telecine/spot effects shop The Syndicate, the two divisions will operate under a new corporate umbrella, ComputerCafe Group. The parent company launch paves the way for the formation of additional specialty shops down the road….
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More