White Plains, New York-based computer animation/visual effects house Blue Sky Studios has closed its commercial division. The company, which is owned by 20th Century Fox, will now focus on animated features. Currently in the works is Ice Age, to be directed by Chris Wedge….Director Roger Lunn has signed with New York based Link for U.S. representation. He is repped in Europe by Frontier Pictures, London….Sound designer/music composer Claude Letessier has joined Primal Scream, Santa Monica…. Chicago-based Chameleon Music is launching SoundPunks, an Internet music and sound design division ….Director Michel Gondry of bicoastal/international Partizan is wrapping up work on his feature film directorial debut, Human Nature, which will open in theatres in March; Gondry will be available for commercials at the end of October…….Director McG is again available for spots via Los Angeles-headquartered A Band Apart Commercials after wrapping his feature directing debut, Charlie’s Angels….Lizzie Friedman and Francesca Silvestri, who head the Hollywood-based motion picture/TV division of bicoastal commercial house Moxie Pictures, are co-producing A View From the Top for Miramax Films. Gwyneth Paltrow has committed to star in the film, which Friedman and Silvestri sold as a property to Miramax in 1999, when they maintained Friedman/Silvestri Entertainment. Friedman and Silvestri came aboard Moxie earlier this year (SHOOT, 6/23, p. 1)….
Snubs and Surprises In Oscar Nominations
In one of the more wide-open Oscar fields in recent history, there were plenty of nominations surprises Thursday. Not too long ago, it seemed that people like Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman were destined for best actress nominations, while general audience disinterest in the young Donald Trump movie "The Apprentice" might have indicated its awards chances were dead on arrival. But the members of the film academy had something different in mind. Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises from the 97th Oscar nominations. SURPRISE: Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice" The young Trump movie "The Apprentice" has been one of the bigger awards season question marks, especially after it failed to resonate with moviegoers in theaters. And yet both Jeremy Strong, for his portrayal for Trump lawyer Roy Cohn, and Sebastian Stan (who was also in the conversation for "A Different Man" ), for playing the future two-time president, made it in. Only Strong got nominated by the Screen Actors Guild. SNUB: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths" This will forever be one of the more confounding awards season oversights. Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivered one of the all-time great performances in Mike Leigh's "Hard Truths," as the perpetually aggrieved and sharp-tongued London woman Pansy. The general thinking is that it was either going to be Jean-Baptiste or Fernanda Torres, and Torres got in for the equally beloved "I'm Still Here." SNUB: Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl" This is perhaps up for debate, but there was certainly a lot of goodwill behind Anderson's movie-star turn in Gia Coppola's "The Last Showgirl," especially considering her SAG nomination. But like with Jennifer Lopez and... Read More