Director Henry Hobson–whose commercialmaking home is the recently launched bicoastal company Alive & Well–has been named by 20th Century Fox to helm its upcoming feature film adaptation of the classic 1954 Isaac Asimov science-fiction novel, Caves of Steel, a murder mystery set in a dystopian future. The assignment marks the second theatrical feature to which Hobson has been attached in recent months–the other being Maggie, which centers on a teenage girl’s six-month metamorphosis into a zombie. Maggie is currently in pre-production. Alive & Well is headed by veteran industry execs Stephen Dickstein and Phillip Detchmendy….Director Lucy Walker–who’s repped for commercials by Supply & Demand Integrated–is jockeying for a return engagement to the Oscar nominees’ circle. A recipient of a Best Documentary Feature Academy Award nomination earlier this year for Waste Land, Walker is again in the running for another nom, this time for her The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom which made Oscar’s 2011 short list of Documentary Short Subject contenders. The short list consists of eight films, of which three to five will end up earning Academy Award nominations….Michael Thyen, director of marketing and sales global procurement for Eli Lilly and Company, has been named the new co-chair of the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) Advertising Financial Management committee. He joins committee co-chair Jim Zambito, senior director, agency management/finance at Johnson & Johnson. The ANA Advertising Financial Management committee explores efficiencies, cost savings, return on investment and bringing better value to members’ organizations….
FireAid Concert Features Major Music Stars, Shares Stories Of Loss To Raise Money For L.A. Wildfire Relief
Pop stars, first responders, rock stars and those who've lost everything in the devastating LA-area wildfires came together for FireAid, a massive benefit concert Thursday that combined spectacular performances with moving storytelling from survivors and reminders of the destruction.
In a night full of surprises, a reunion of Nirvana — fronted by St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett in the place of the late Kurt Cobain — tops the list. They launched into "Breed," "School" and "Territorial Pissings" respectively, inspired and unexpected choices.
Drummer Dave Grohl's daughter, Violet, then emerged on stage for "All Apologies."
Closer Lady Gaga, after powering through the Oscar-award winning "Shallow" and "Always Remember Us This Way" from "A Star Is Born," played a new song on the piano. "It's just for tonight, it's just for you," she said of the song she wrote with fiancé businessman Michael Polansky. "Time is a healer."
"All I need is time," she sang in the folk-y pop chorus. "To heal my broken wings and then I'll soar."
Green Day kicked off the massive show by launching into "Last Night on Earth" at the Kia Forum and were soon joined by Billie Eilish for the first surprise of the night. The lyrics are surprisingly astute: "If I lose everything in the fire / I'm sending all my love to you."
After their set, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong hugged actor Billy Crystal, who was there to welcome to the crowd at the Kia Forum.
"Our goal is simple tonight, to spend more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents," he joked. He told the audience U2 offered the first big donation of the night: $1 million dollars.
Crystal said he was wearing the clothes he had on when he evacuated. He lost his home in... Read More