Director Jayson Moyer, formerly of bicoastal/international Believe Media, has joined Santa Monica-headquartered Area 51 Films….John Garland has been promoted to executive VP/creative director of broadcast and development at J. Walter Thompson, Chicago….Chicago editorial boutique Amazon Inc. has hired Laurel Dobose as executive producer. Dobose previously served as manager of broadcast production at FCB Chicago, where she worked for 14 years. Amazon’s roster of editors consists of Janice Rosenthal, Scott Taradash and Christina Seamonson-Smith….. Editor John Hoyt has joined 3 Fingered Louie, New York. He was formerly at bicoastal Lost Planet…..Jim Ferguson has resigned from Young & Rubicam, where he was executive creative director of North America, based in the New York office. He will join DDB Chicago as an executive VP/creative consultant, working on McDonald’s….Katie Jones and Ken Kolasny have been named executive producers at Spank! Music & Sound Design, Chicago and Santa Monica. Jones has previously handled West Coast sales for the company, while Kolasny covered the Midwest….
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More