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‘‘ <strong>EXHILARATING’’</strong><br />

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL<br />

EMMY® 2016<br />

JUNE 14, 2016<br />

US $9<br />

CANADA $11<br />

UK £ 8<br />

EUROPE €9<br />

AUSTRALIA $14<br />

JAPAN ¥1280<br />

CHINA ¥80<br />

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RUSSIA 400<br />

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©2016 Home Box Offi ce, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO ® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Offi ce, Inc.

FOR YOUR EMMY ®<br />

CONSIDERATION - OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES<br />

AND ALL OTHER CATEGORIES<br />

‘‘TV’S MOST<br />

ESSENTIAL<br />

HALF-HOUR’’<br />

VULTURE<br />

EMMY® 2016<br />

©2016 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO ® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.

Hollywood Reacts to Orlando Shootings p.15<br />

JUNE<br />

Nº2<br />

The Mellow Mogul<br />

How long can Jeff Bewkes keep his cool at Time Warner<br />

as gale winds roil industry waters?<br />

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON p.46

It’s accessible<br />

to children, but<br />

there’s something<br />

a little trippy and<br />

psychedelic and<br />

topsy-turvy about<br />

this world. I just<br />

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creating a universe<br />

from scratch.”<br />

Director Tina Landau on<br />

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P.52<br />

CONTENTS<br />

P.46<br />

Sticking With<br />

the Program<br />

Time Warner chairman/CEO<br />

Jeff Bewkes is dodging<br />

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By CYNTHIA LITTLETON<br />

P.52<br />

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entertainment to the stage<br />

in a musical extravaganza.<br />

By GORDON COX<br />

P.57<br />

Emmy Writers<br />

and Directors<br />

Peak TV is creating<br />

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directors; limited series give<br />

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P.69<br />

Roland<br />

Emmerich<br />

The director is honored just<br />

as his latest “Independence<br />

Day” sequel hits theaters.<br />

By LAURA PRUDOM<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

TIM KLEIN<br />

3

CONTENTS<br />

P.26<br />

Sanaa Lathan on<br />

playing an FBI<br />

agent in ‘Now<br />

You See Me 2’<br />

TOP BILLING<br />

15 Terror in Orlando<br />

The entertainment business<br />

reacts to tragic shootings<br />

20 Disney Shanghai opens<br />

Company facing competition<br />

as it bows newest theme park<br />

22 Media & Money<br />

A murky outlook for<br />

political TV advertising<br />

24 The French paradox<br />

U.S. studios are outsourcing<br />

to French animators<br />

24 Players<br />

Teamwork: Jennifer Lawrence<br />

and Adam McKay; Kate<br />

Winslet and Idris Elba<br />

28 The power of stories<br />

Social media and the rebirth<br />

of reality TV programming<br />

EXPOSURE<br />

35 Parties<br />

Tonys; “Finding Dory” bow;<br />

AFI gala for John Williams<br />

40 WWD Report Card<br />

Which looks won raves at<br />

the CFDA Fashion Awards<br />

41 Devour<br />

Scream to “Mother, May I<br />

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ALSO<br />

INSIDE<br />

5<br />

Plugged In<br />

What’s<br />

trending<br />

online at<br />

Variety.com<br />

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Field Notes<br />

Editors<br />

weigh in<br />

on hot topics<br />

12<br />

Close-up<br />

Mourning<br />

shooting<br />

victims<br />

146<br />

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HBO’s<br />

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Producer Chip Rosenbloom<br />

renting out Malibu estate<br />

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JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

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137 Eyeing possibilities<br />

New light-field camera may<br />

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Finding Dory; Lights Out;<br />

London Town<br />

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Animal Kingdom<br />

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War<br />

P.15<br />

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victims during<br />

L.A. Pride Parade<br />

P.42<br />

Producer Chip<br />

Rosenbloom’s<br />

rental property<br />

If we do<br />

another<br />

sequel,<br />

they<br />

better<br />

hurry up<br />

because<br />

at some<br />

point my<br />

voice is<br />

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change.”<br />

Ellen DeGeneres<br />

at the premiere<br />

of “Finding<br />

Dory.”<br />

P.37<br />

LATHAN: SHAUGHN AND JOHN; DEGENERES. VIGIL: MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK

Variety<br />

Poll<br />

Which<br />

Pixar<br />

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“Finding Dory,”<br />

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2” also on<br />

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Variety readers<br />

which Pixar movie<br />

also deserves<br />

to get the sequel<br />

treatment.<br />

Video<br />

• To watch the video,<br />

head to Variety.com/<br />

SamHeughan.<br />

Leader in the Making<br />

PLUGGED IN<br />

“Growing up,<br />

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because I<br />

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both wrong.”<br />

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Variety.com/Hillary-<br />

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ELBA, MCKINNON: ROB LATOUR/SHUTTERSTOCK; BROOKS: JOHN SALANGSANG/BFA/SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

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Say<br />

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“OUTLANDER” STAR SAM HEUGHAN describes “Prestonpans” as his “favorite episode of the<br />

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After half a season of watching Heughan’s Jamie struggling with the duplicity required to<br />

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F O R Y O U R E M M Y ® C O N S I D E R A T I O N<br />

“...manages…to exert<br />

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– The Wall Street Journal<br />

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES<br />

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– Entertainment Tonight Online<br />

Stars of<br />

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Idris Elba<br />

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His score’s no fluke, and<br />

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Inez<br />

With a pair of blockbusters<br />

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71<br />

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Marlin<br />

His buzz has been up<br />

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a “Pet” project.<br />

VScore, powered by Variety Insight, is a<br />

familiarity and appeal metric for actors.<br />

Scores are calculated based on social<br />

listening, performance data, TV/film<br />

development and awards nominations<br />

and wins. For more info, visit<br />

VarietyInsight.com/vscore.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

5

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Feedback<br />

TV Critic Sonya Saraiya’s<br />

column “Media Coverage<br />

of Orlando Tragedy Follows<br />

Familiar Scripts” drew comments<br />

reflecting on TV news<br />

surrounding horrific events.<br />

Read more on Variety.com.<br />

TVLover44:<br />

“I noticed the U.K. news coverage<br />

was much more in-depth and<br />

contextualized and included an<br />

emphasis upon and analysis of<br />

the insanity of our gun culture<br />

and the politics surrounding it.”<br />

RS Finney:<br />

“Exactly what, Ms. Saraiya, would<br />

you have done differently if you<br />

were out in the field as a reporter,<br />

on the desk, or running one<br />

of the networks providing the<br />

coverage? How exactly would<br />

you would have changed their<br />

approach and made the effort<br />

not a ‘convenient narrative’?”<br />

Local Love<br />

“Variety Studio: Actors on<br />

Actors — Film Actors” has<br />

been nominated for a Los<br />

Angeles Area Emmy Award in<br />

the category of Entertainment<br />

Programming. The program<br />

was co-produced by Variety,<br />

Lodger Films, and PBS SoCal<br />

and hosted by Variety deputyawards-and-features<br />

editor<br />

Jenelle Riley. “Actors on Actors”<br />

won the Emmy in the category<br />

last year.<br />

Let’s Fulfill Our<br />

Cries for Change<br />

The triumph of Hillary Clinton becoming the<br />

first woman to win a major party’s presidential<br />

nomination was closely followed by the horrific<br />

events over the weekend in Orlando. This only<br />

underscores the fact that we must elect a president<br />

who will stand tough on guns and will<br />

refuse to tolerate bigotry.<br />

As we try to process what happened in Orlando, I take comfort<br />

in the fact that we have progressed to a point in which a<br />

woman — a strong, experienced, brilliant woman — stands a<br />

very good chance of becoming president. I only hope that for<br />

those in power in Hollywood — an industry that continues to<br />

be dominated by white males — this will be a strong call to<br />

action for parity.<br />

I called Imagine Entertainment president Erica Huggins to<br />

discuss the impact Hillary’s ascension might have on the business,<br />

and she had much to say.<br />

“The question used to be, ‘What can we do?’” she told me.<br />

“Now the question is, ‘What can’t we do?’”<br />

“HRC being nominated is the best way to remind us of the<br />

superpower we’ve always had: We know another way to do it,<br />

and we can do it that way — not the way it’s been done for the<br />

past 80 years.<br />

“As creators of film and television,” she added, “we constantly<br />

talk about breaking paradigms and shifting perspectives. Our<br />

industry has no problem talking the talk, but now it’s come<br />

time to start doing all we can to match our talking. Let’s continue<br />

to push women into the role of studio chiefs and directors,<br />

grips and writers, producers and CEOs. This process has begun,<br />

but now let’s put our money where our mouth is and fulfill our<br />

own cries for change.”<br />

After the terrible events of this weekend, her words took on<br />

an even broader meaning for me. We need to work toward making<br />

our industry a place for tolerance and inclusion of all. We<br />

need to set an example. Hollywood, it’s time for change.<br />

Claudia Eller<br />

Co-Editor-in-Chief<br />

FIELD NOTES<br />

I only hope that<br />

for those in power<br />

in Hollywood, this<br />

will be a strong<br />

call to action<br />

for parity.”<br />

THE VOICES BEHIND THE ISSUE<br />

VIGIL, RONAN: MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

Uncovered<br />

Illustrated May 27, 2016<br />

This week’s cover looks at Jeff Bewkes and the future<br />

of Time Warner. Artist Justin Metz was hired to convey<br />

Bewkes’ calm in the middle of the storm. “I like the<br />

challenge of bringing ideas to life, and I do have my fair<br />

share of unusual commissions — from a ‘big boned’<br />

Coke bottle to an amorous encounter, mid-air, between<br />

two jet planes — and that’s just for one client!”<br />

About the Illustrator<br />

Trained as an illustrator,<br />

Justin Metz began as a<br />

creative in advertising agencies<br />

developing concepts and<br />

overseeing campaigns for a wide<br />

range of clients. He was able to<br />

use his skills in CGI and photo<br />

manipulation to produce many<br />

of the artworks featured in those<br />

campaigns. His clients now<br />

include Nike, Time, Bloomberg<br />

Businessweek, and the Atlantic.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

11

CLOSE–UP<br />

WASHINGTON, D.C.<br />

JUNE 13, 2016<br />

5:34 A.M.<br />

PHOTOGRAPH BY<br />

J. DAVID AKE/AP<br />

A Nation in<br />

Mourning<br />

FLAGS FLEW AT half-staff<br />

near the U.S. Capitol in<br />

commemoration of what<br />

is being called the deadliest<br />

terrorist attack on U.S.<br />

soil since 9/11. The June 12<br />

shooting at an Orlando, Fla.,<br />

gay nightclub left 50 dead.<br />

As a mark of respect<br />

for the victims, President<br />

Obama ordered that U.S.<br />

flags remain at half-staff<br />

until sunset on June 16.<br />

The order applies to all<br />

U.S. public buildings and<br />

grounds, military posts, and<br />

naval stations, as well as<br />

to embassies and military<br />

facilities located abroad.<br />

Many world cities lit<br />

landmarks in rainbow colors<br />

in commemoration of<br />

the victims of the attack,<br />

including New York, Sydney,<br />

Paris, and Tel Aviv.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

• For breaking news, go to<br />

Variety.com.<br />

13

CARTOON TOUR DE FORCE<br />

U.S. studios are outsourcing to a cost-effective<br />

hotbed of animation talent: France p.24<br />

THE VARIETY INDEX -1.823% p.22<br />

2.0%<br />

0<br />

-2.0% 6/6 6/7 6/8 6/9 6/10<br />

6/13<br />

‘Senseless Acts<br />

of Tragedy’<br />

Lin-Manuel<br />

Miranda recited<br />

an emotional<br />

sonnet as part of<br />

an acceptance<br />

speech for<br />

“Hamilton”<br />

during the Tony<br />

Awards June 12<br />

in New York.<br />

Biz Reacts as Shootings<br />

TOP BILLING EXPOSURE CONTENDERS FOCUS ARTISANS REVIEWS<br />

Cast Pall Over Nation<br />

EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP<br />

Amid subdued Tonys, observers ponder psychological impact on<br />

audiences of steady stream of attacks Story by BRENT LANG & RAMIN SETOODEH<br />

THE TONY AWARDS ON SUNDAY NIGHT<br />

were a muted affair, held just hours after<br />

the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history<br />

left 50 dead in a gay club in Orlando, Fla.<br />

“It’s quite important that in these situations,<br />

we in the arts keep going,” composer<br />

Andrew Lloyd Webber told Variety<br />

at a Tony after-party at New York’s Baccarat<br />

Hotel, adding that he’d just attended<br />

a late-night celebration for his musical<br />

“School of Rock” with the cast’s young<br />

actors. “I came away with one thought,”<br />

he said. “No child is born to hate.”<br />

The entertainment industry is still grappling<br />

with the implications of the Orlando<br />

massacre. On Twitter and elsewhere, celebrities<br />

expressed an outpouring of grief.<br />

J.K. Rowling posted a photo of victim Luis<br />

Vielma, 22, wearing his Hogwarts uniform<br />

as an employee at Universal Studios working<br />

at the “Harry Potter” ride. “I can’t stop<br />

crying,” she wrote. Writer-director Michael<br />

Showalter said he was angry at Hollywood<br />

for glorifying violence: “Just stop it. The<br />

videogames. The movies. All of it.” Ellen<br />

Page talked about how the gay community<br />

“must stand together more than ever.”<br />

Kelly Bush Novak, founder and CEO of ID<br />

PR, and a gay rights advocate, told Variety<br />

she hopes the tragedy will have a galvanizing<br />

effect. “The victims in Orlando paid for<br />

their freedom with their lives,” Novak said.<br />

“Ours is the civil rights struggle of the 21st<br />

century. As agents of cultural change we<br />

must honor the lives of all LGBTQ people<br />

by telling stories that turn fear into pride<br />

for our youth, and that allow us to be seen<br />

in all of our diverse and powerful glory.”<br />

From Aurora to Newtown, after each<br />

mass shooting, Hollywood faces difficult →<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

15

TOP BILLING | NEWS<br />

Orlando Police<br />

officers direct<br />

family members<br />

away from the<br />

Pulse Orlando<br />

nightclub.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

16<br />

← conversations about its role in an<br />

increasingly dangerous world — one in<br />

which killers, warped by religious fundamentalism<br />

or mental illness, rely on access<br />

to assault weapons to end dozens of lives in<br />

a blink of an eye. This year alone, there has<br />

been a mass shooting on 133 of 164 days.<br />

Each cycle of violence raises questions<br />

about people’s willingness to leave their<br />

homes to see movies, concerts, or plays.<br />

The murders in Orlando by a lone gunman,<br />

Omar Mateen, who was killed by<br />

police, may have lasting repercussions.<br />

“At some point there’s a tipping point,”<br />

said Howard Levinson, a security consultant<br />

for schools, movie theaters, and businesses.<br />

He noted that assault-rifle-wielding<br />

police officers are now a common sight<br />

in France and other parts of Europe following<br />

last fall’s terrorist attacks in Paris. In<br />

the days leading up to the Cannes Film Festival,<br />

officials staged an elaborate standoff<br />

with gunmen to look for lapses in their<br />

emergency responsiveness. It’s a tactic that<br />

is already being embraced by sports stadiums.<br />

Officials and police at Boston’s Fenway<br />

Park, for instance, engaged in a mock<br />

counterterrorism exercise June 12, complete<br />

with fake gunshots and explosions. Levinson<br />

predicts such preparations could soon<br />

be the standard at major public venues.<br />

“It’s a different world,” he said. “The term<br />

‘active shooter’ barely existed 20 or 30<br />

years ago. Now it’s on the tip of nearly<br />

everybody’s tongue.”<br />

Theaters have not yet been required to<br />

install metal detectors and armed guards,<br />

but the movie business has made some<br />

moves to deal with the frightening new<br />

reality. Following the 2012 shooting at a<br />

late-night showing of “The Dark Knight<br />

Rises” in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 dead<br />

and 70 injured, studios began moving preview<br />

screenings to as early as 8 p.m. out of<br />

safety concerns. Many major theater chains,<br />

Social<br />

Media<br />

Sadness<br />

“When<br />

will we do<br />

something<br />

to prevent<br />

these killing<br />

sprees?”<br />

John Legend<br />

“My heart, my<br />

soul, and my<br />

anger are in<br />

Orlando”<br />

Dustin<br />

Lance Black<br />

“Sobbing”<br />

Ellen<br />

DeGeneres<br />

People go to the<br />

movies for escapism,<br />

but it’s hard to escape<br />

something like this.”<br />

Analyst Jeff Bock<br />

such as AMC and Regal, tightened their costume<br />

policies, barring guests from bringing<br />

fake weapons or wearing masks.<br />

Privately, studio executives said they<br />

did not expect the Orlando nightclub<br />

shooting to keep people away from<br />

movie theaters. Even in cases where<br />

theaters themselves have been the scene<br />

of murders, the aftershocks have been<br />

limited, and largely regional; ticket sales<br />

have dipped primarily in areas close to<br />

the crime scene, they said. But the steady<br />

stream of such events is bound to have<br />

a psychological impact on audiences.<br />

“People go to the movies for escapism,<br />

but it’s hard to escape something<br />

like this,” said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst<br />

with Exhibitor Relations. “Every<br />

time you’re at a movie or a sporting<br />

event or gathering, it’s going to creep<br />

up into the back of people’s minds.”<br />

Nightclubs will feel a financial pinch<br />

analogous to the one suffered by airlines in<br />

the wake of the 9/11 attacks, security consultants<br />

have said. “Let’s call it the nighttime<br />

economy, the businesses that exist<br />

between 6 pm. and 3 a.m. They will be<br />

impacted by an immediate panic,” predicted<br />

Robert C. Smith, CEO of Nightclub Security<br />

Consultants. “People will not go out.”<br />

Smith believes metal detectors, which<br />

can cost in excess of $200,000 and require<br />

trained staffers to oversee them, could<br />

be prohibitively expensive for small venues.<br />

However, he says, clubs may be<br />

mandated to add training for bouncers<br />

on how to deal with shooters.<br />

In addition to the prohibitive costs of<br />

high-tech security measures, the inconspicuous<br />

profiles of the killers themselves<br />

make preventing the next big<br />

attack nearly impossible. The internet has<br />

enabled shooters to become radicalized<br />

into extreme views, while also providing<br />

them access to information about building<br />

arsenals. Such potential killers typically<br />

have limited criminal records, making<br />

it difficult to track their moves.<br />

“A lot of times they’re flying under<br />

the radar, and there’s not much indication<br />

they’re going to perpetrate an<br />

attack,” said Jeffrey Simon, author of<br />

“Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding<br />

the Growing Threat.” “We’re living in<br />

an age where a lone-wolf terrorist, whatever<br />

their motivation, has an advantage<br />

over people trying to prevent an attack.”<br />

At the Tonys, the “Hamilton” cast felt<br />

bittersweet emotions about winning 11<br />

awards at a time of national tragedy. In the<br />

pressroom, creator and star Lin-Manuel<br />

Miranda told reporters that the LGBT community<br />

is the “cornerstone” of the<br />

theater industry. The evening was the culmination<br />

of seven years of work, he said,<br />

but such shootings are a reminder that<br />

life can be snuffed out in an instant.<br />

“You have tragic acts like today when<br />

you realize that tomorrow is not promised,”<br />

said Miranda. It was a moment of<br />

reflection that carried throughout the<br />

Tonys broadcast. Even the show’s final<br />

number, “The Schuyler Sisters,” seemed<br />

to double as a eulogy with the poignant<br />

lyric: “Look around, look around at how<br />

lucky we are to be alive right now.”<br />

PHELAN M. EBENHACK/AP

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

OUTSTANDING WRITING<br />

/ OUTSTANDING DIRECTING<br />

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JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

20<br />

Disney Plants Stake in China<br />

With Opening of Shanghai Park<br />

Amid its efforts to promote a<br />

‘distinctly Chinese’ experience, the<br />

company faces stiff competition<br />

By PATRICK FRATER<br />

FROM A VISIT TO DISNEYLAND by Shanghai’s<br />

mayor in 1990 to the planned opening<br />

of the $5.5 billion joint venture on June<br />

16, Shanghai Disney Resort has been more<br />

than 25 years in the making. That quarter<br />

of a century stretches from an era when<br />

China was more rural and agricultural than<br />

not, through a period of massive urbanization<br />

and industrialization, to a post-boom<br />

slowdown, with a new middle class that is<br />

increasingly switched on to a service-led<br />

economy.<br />

Walt Disney Co. chairman/CEO Bob<br />

Iger has called the park the entertainment<br />

giant’s “greatest opportunity since buying<br />

land in Florida.” Forecasts are for 15 million<br />

visitors in the first full year of operation;<br />

this compares to the 19 million who<br />

visited Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in<br />

2014, according to the Themed Entertainment<br />

Assn.<br />

Disney is taking pains to stress that the<br />

park will be “distinctly Chinese,” a phrase<br />

Iger used repeatedly in a presentation May<br />

18 at the MoffettNathanson Media and<br />

Communications Summit. As part of an<br />

effort toward “making sure that the people<br />

who visit this park feel that it is theirs,”<br />

the Shanghai park eliminated the Main<br />

Street USA feature, which appears at all five<br />

other Disney parks: Orlando and Anaheim<br />

Shanghai<br />

Stats<br />

Disney has<br />

upped its<br />

investment in<br />

the park since<br />

it was first<br />

announced.<br />

$3.6b<br />

Expected cost<br />

as announced<br />

in 2009<br />

$5.5b<br />

Final cost<br />

$56<br />

Lowest ticket<br />

price<br />

15m<br />

Visitors<br />

expected in<br />

first year<br />

in the U.S., as well as Hong Kong, Paris, and<br />

Tokyo. Frontierland, another traditional<br />

element derived from the American West,<br />

was also eliminated. Iger said that Disney<br />

shows have been reconceived and designed<br />

by Chinese artists, and he touted a massive<br />

teahouse in front of the Disney castle featuring<br />

local art and architectural elements,<br />

and food from across the country.<br />

Disney’s desire to plant a solid stake<br />

in the world’s largest market comes amid<br />

growing competition from Chinese firms<br />

in the theme-park sector, including Dalian<br />

Wanda (which is building upward of<br />

15 theme parks), Huayi Brothers, and<br />

Carnival Group (in Qingdao now, with<br />

plans for another 10 parks), as well<br />

as Six Flags (Tianjin, 2018), Universal<br />

Studios (Beijing, 2019), and DreamWorks<br />

Animation, which will open a joint venture<br />

park in Shanghai next year. Locating the<br />

park in Shanghai gives Disney access to<br />

a local population of 330 million (within<br />

three hours of the park), as well as two<br />

international airports.<br />

Disney says internal decisions were<br />

taken in 2014 to build a bigger park than<br />

was initially envisaged in 2009. The<br />

company says the expansion — not<br />

public safety concerns following a stampede<br />

on Dec. 31, 2014, that killed 36 in<br />

Shanghai — was the reason the park’s<br />

opening, originally expected in 2015, was<br />

pushed back.<br />

In addition to causing delay, the extra<br />

building work bumped up costs, which<br />

went from the $3.6 billion announced in<br />

2009, to $4.7 billion, and finally to $5.5 billion.<br />

Costs are shared proportionally by the<br />

park’s owners — the Walt Disney Co. holds<br />

43% of the ownership company, and Shanghai<br />

Shendi Group (itself formed from two<br />

state-owned enterprises) holds a majority<br />

57% stake. Financing comprised 67% equity<br />

and 33% debt. Disney owns a controlling<br />

70% stake in Shanghai Intl. Theme Park<br />

and Resort Management Co., which operates<br />

the resort.<br />

Those equity splits appear to reflect Chinese<br />

concerns about foreign ownership of<br />

major infrastructure, as well as Disney’s<br />

determination to fully control its intellectual<br />

property in a country where piracy has<br />

been rife and Western brands have been<br />

cautious about handing over their crown<br />

jewels. (Disney was granted a year of special<br />

copyright enforcement running until<br />

October 2016.)<br />

The risks of operating in China were<br />

made clear to Disney in March, when the<br />

company quietly shuttered DisneyLife,<br />

a family-friendly, subscription TV channel<br />

launched in December 2015 in partnership<br />

with China’s Alibaba. The channel<br />

was hindered by new regulations limiting<br />

foreign content and Sino-foreign media<br />

partnerships.<br />

Disney China executives would not comment<br />

for this story ahead of a planned<br />

press junket June 14-16.<br />

Shanghai Disney will have two ticket<br />

pricing tiers, peak ($76) and off-peak<br />

($56), plus concessions for children and<br />

the elderly. That makes it one of the most<br />

expensive theme parks in China, and a significant<br />

outlay given the average $7,000<br />

GDP. It is also the lowest cost of the six Disney<br />

parks worldwide.<br />

Those prices were described last month<br />

as too high by Wang Jianlin, chairman of<br />

Dalian Wanda group. Wanda, which has<br />

expanded from property into leisure and<br />

entertainment, and has made Wang the<br />

richest man in Asia, has set theme parks as<br />

a central plank of its diversification strategy.<br />

Wang used a televised interview on<br />

CCTV to suggest that Disney should never<br />

have come to China, and to criticize the<br />

park’s pricing structure. The war of words<br />

continued when Disney accused Wanda’s<br />

new Nanchang theme park of misusing Disney-owned<br />

Captain America and Snow<br />

White characters.<br />

But Wang’s remarks that “one tiger is<br />

no match for a pack of wolves” serve up a<br />

reminder that foreign companies operating<br />

in China will always be playing a game<br />

that is partially rigged in favor of the local<br />

team.<br />

Talking Points<br />

• Disney is stressing its efforts at appealing<br />

to Chinese tastes through the park’s attractions,<br />

entertainment, architecture, and food.<br />

• The company’s first park in China faces<br />

competition from local firms, including Dalian<br />

Wanda — which has been openly critical of<br />

the venture — and U.S. rivals such as Six Flags,<br />

Universal Studios, and DreamWorks Animation.<br />

IMAGINECHINA/AP

“EXCELLENT”<br />

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER<br />

“FEARLESS...<br />

THE ACTING IS FANTASTIC”<br />

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY<br />

“FUNNY, EMOTIONAL,<br />

AND ENDEARING”<br />

INSTYLE<br />

“GENIUS...<br />

EXTRAORDINARY HUMOR”<br />

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE<br />

NOW STREAMING<br />

NEW EPISODES TUESDAYS

TOP BILLING | MEDIA & MONEY NEWS FACETIME GUEST COLUMN INDIE EYE DATA<br />

Jan Dawson<br />

Media & Money<br />

Iffy Haul for<br />

Political Ads<br />

Despite the ratings boom of the<br />

Trump effect, TV network and station<br />

owners may yet be disappointed<br />

DONALD TRUMP’S CANDIDACY has been<br />

a ratings godsend. What’s still uncertain is<br />

whether it will boost or deflate political ad<br />

spending through the rest of the year.<br />

The U.S. political cycle drives two spikes<br />

in advertising every four years: a large one<br />

during presidential campaigns and a smaller<br />

but still significant bump in even-numbered<br />

years that have congressional elections.<br />

These peaks in spending are enough<br />

to drive more than a quarter of total ad revenue<br />

during election years for some owners<br />

of broadcast stations, which get the lion’s<br />

share of political ad expenditures.<br />

With a lame-duck president and long primary<br />

races on both sides, this year’s race<br />

has had the potential to drive massive ad<br />

spending as campaigns have heated up and<br />

stayed hot. The 2016 race has already generated<br />

substantially more revenue for station<br />

owners than the Obama-Romney campaign<br />

did four years ago. Four station owners —<br />

Nexstar, Meredith, EW Scripps, and Sinclair<br />

— minted $103 million from political ads<br />

from Q1 2015 through Q1 2016; the figure<br />

during the corresponding period for the<br />

earlier campaign was just $38 million. Moreover,<br />

the lengthy battle between Hillary<br />

Clinton and Bernie Sanders likely boosted<br />

spending at least a bit during Q2.<br />

The bigger question is whether we’ll see<br />

any pivot in Trump’s ad-spending strategy<br />

from the primary to the general election.<br />

He has spent a fraction of the amount laid<br />

out by either of his Democratic opponents<br />

and several of his erstwhile competitors for<br />

the Republican nomination. The conventional<br />

wisdom suggests that the free airtime<br />

Jan Dawson<br />

is the founder<br />

and chief analyst<br />

at Jackdaw<br />

Research, an<br />

advisory firm<br />

for the consumer<br />

technology<br />

market.<br />

Total political advertising as percentage of ad revenue Political advertising as percentage of<br />

Nexstar Meredith EW Scripps Sinclair<br />

ad revenue, four companies combined<br />

8% 30%<br />

6%<br />

Q1<br />

’11<br />

Q2<br />

’11<br />

Q3<br />

’11<br />

Q4<br />

’11<br />

Q1<br />

’12<br />

Q1<br />

’11<br />

Q2<br />

’15<br />

Q3<br />

’15<br />

Q4<br />

’15<br />

Q1<br />

’15<br />

25%<br />

20%<br />

4% 15%<br />

2%<br />

Obama/Romney<br />

Campaign<br />

Current<br />

Campaign<br />

10%<br />

0% 0%<br />

5%<br />

Q1<br />

’12<br />

Q2<br />

’12<br />

Q3<br />

’12<br />

Q4<br />

’12<br />

SOURCES: COMPANY REPORTING, JACKDAW RESEARCH ANALYSIS<br />

he attracts as a result of his controversial<br />

remarks is bad news for ad spend.<br />

When Trump does spend on traditional<br />

advertising, he does so in a more targeted<br />

way than his opponents, with the intention<br />

of influencing key groups of voters in<br />

specific geographic areas. Given the rise<br />

in addressable advertising technology, it’s<br />

likely we’ll see candidates opt for more<br />

of this surgical spending, rather than<br />

blanket advertising, as we approach the<br />

general election.<br />

There still may be a bump in spending<br />

from congressional candidates on the<br />

Republican side, concerned that voters lukewarm<br />

on Trump may not turn out at all.<br />

Also in play are super PACs, which could<br />

add meaningfully to a mix that already<br />

includes direct spending from candidates<br />

and their parties.<br />

Overall, the TV industry appears to be<br />

banking on record spending throughout the<br />

rest of the election, but there seems to be<br />

plenty of cause for caution on that front. We<br />

may yet see a disappointing haul for station<br />

and network owners.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

22<br />

The Variety Index<br />

Shares in LinkedIn soared 48%<br />

June 13 to $192.21 on news<br />

that Microsoft would acquire<br />

the networking giant for $26.2 billion,<br />

in an all-cash transaction valued at<br />

$196 per share. LinkedIn stock is still<br />

well below its 52-week high of $258.39.<br />

The Variety Index is an aggregate of the stocks of 100 of the most important<br />

companies in entertainment, media, technology and recreation. For a complete list<br />

of the companies, go to Variety.com/VarietyIndex.<br />

50%<br />

40%<br />

30%<br />

20%<br />

10%<br />

0%<br />

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Change since June 6<br />

Variety Index (-1.823%)<br />

Nasdaq (-2.42%)<br />

LinkedIn (+41.64%)<br />

6/6 6/7 6/8 6/9 6/10<br />

6/13<br />

DOUG CHAYKA

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JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

24<br />

La vie<br />

du chien<br />

Illumination’s<br />

“The Secret<br />

Life of Pets”<br />

French Animators<br />

Lure U.S. Studios<br />

Tax rebates and diverse talent pool are a draw<br />

for economizing Hollywood companies<br />

By JOHN HOPEWELL & ELSA KESLASSY<br />

HOLLYWOOD ONCE OUTSOURCED<br />

animation mostly to Asia. Now it has an<br />

alternative destination: France.<br />

Major U.S. studios are following a trail<br />

blazed by Chris Meledandri’s Illumination<br />

Entertainment, whose “Despicable Me”<br />

movies and “Minions” spinoff for Universal<br />

— both worked up across the Atlantic<br />

— were huge successes; the latter took<br />

in $1.16 billion in global box office.<br />

Illumination’s latest, “The Secret Life of<br />

Pets,” premieres this week at France’s<br />

Annecy Festival.<br />

Among the players tapping French animation<br />

expertise are Paramount and MGM,<br />

for their upcoming spinoff “Gnomeo &<br />

Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes,” and DreamWorks<br />

Players<br />

This week’s big move:<br />

1. Jennifer Lawrence is attached<br />

to star in Adam McKay’s untitled<br />

pitch about CEO Elizabeth Holmes.<br />

2. Kate Winslet is in talks to co-star with Idris Elba in<br />

“The Mountain Between Us.” 3. Andie MacDowell joins<br />

Josh Brolin and Miles Teller in “Granite Mountain” at<br />

Lionsgate. 4. Sacha Baron Cohen is attached to star<br />

and produce “Mandrake the Magician” for Warner<br />

Bros. 5. Mackenzie Davis joins Ryan Gosling and Harrison<br />

Ford in Alcon’s “Blade Runner” sequel.<br />

French<br />

Tax<br />

Credits<br />

“Gnomeo<br />

& Juliet:<br />

Sherlock<br />

Gnomes”<br />

Paramount/<br />

MGM<br />

“Captain<br />

Underpants”<br />

DreamWorks<br />

Animation<br />

Animation, for “Captain Underpants.”<br />

Disney TV Animation is turning to France<br />

to help produce its “Elena of Avalor” TV<br />

series and two Marvel spinoff shorts series,<br />

“Ant-man” and “Rocket and Groot.”<br />

The studios have been lured to France<br />

by a combination of generous tax incentives<br />

and a growing animation talent<br />

base. Three of the world’s top 10 international<br />

animation schools are in France, led<br />

by Gobelins in Paris, according to a survey<br />

by the Animation Career Reviews website.<br />

“France has always produced talented<br />

animation artists,” says Tim Westcott,<br />

senior principal analyst at IHS Technology.<br />

“There’s a lot of French production — since<br />

TV channels commission lots of animation<br />

— and a culture of animation expertise.”<br />

Beyond that are the financial realities of<br />

today’s movie marketplace. When Pixar<br />

and DreamWorks Animation launched in<br />

the 1990s, they delivered fresh animated<br />

films to an underserved market, and<br />

nearly all their titles were hits. Now, consumers<br />

are spoiled for choice, and studios<br />

are churning out tentpole films that end<br />

up cannibalizing each other’s audiences.<br />

Animation studios have had to cut back<br />

on production (DreamWorks Animation<br />

dropped its output to two titles per year<br />

in 2015), and economize in other ways,<br />

including outsourcing work to countries<br />

with lower costs.<br />

France’s generous rebate system<br />

addresses that. In January, the government<br />

raised the tax credits on animation work<br />

from 20% to 30%, with a maximum rebate<br />

of $34 million per movie or series. The 30%<br />

easily beats out Britain’s 20% tax incentive.<br />

The results are clear. Between 2009 and<br />

2014, Illumination was the only big Hollywood<br />

player to outsource animation work<br />

to France, through sister company Illumination<br />

Mac Guff, set up in Paris. In 2014,<br />

just four animated projects won France’s<br />

tax rebate for international production. But<br />

in the first half of this year, 11 productions<br />

have applied and been approved for such<br />

credits. The national film commission Film<br />

France is expected to announce those recipients<br />

at the Annecy Festival.<br />

“The improvement of France’s rebate<br />

makes a big difference for American companies,”<br />

says Valérie Lépine-Karnik, CEO<br />

of Film France. She adds that the euro has<br />

depreciated 18% over the last two years,<br />

making France even more cost-effective.<br />

Hollywood studios contacted for this<br />

story, including Disney, Illumination, and<br />

DreamWorks Animation, would not comment<br />

on the tax breaks or the attraction of<br />

working with French animators.<br />

“Hollywood studios have always done<br />

some production outside the U.S., where it<br />

has been advantageous from a cost point of<br />

view and the talent is available,” says analyst<br />

Westcott. “France has now been able to<br />

provide the right skill base and combine it<br />

with a favorable tax regime.”<br />

It’s not a one-way street. At least 18<br />

French cartoon shows have aired this year<br />

on U.S. TV, either on animation-heavy channels<br />

such as Nickelodeon, or via streaming<br />

platforms. Gilles Gaillard, managing<br />

director of Mikros in Paris, which is slated<br />

to work on “Sherlock Gnomes” and “Captain<br />

Underpants,” says the success is partly<br />

based on French animators’ creativity and<br />

willingness to try new techniques.<br />

“Animation in the U.S. has a long and<br />

rich history with established practices,”<br />

he says. “It’s harder to change old habits.<br />

Whereas in France, we’re very flexible and<br />

have the capacity to shift gears as rapidly<br />

as necessary depending on the projects.”<br />

LAWRENCE: JAMES/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; WINSLET: JAMES GOURLEY/SHUTTERSTOCK; MACDOWELL, DAVIS: MEDIAPUNCH/SHUTTERSTOCK; COHEN: ANDY KROPA/INVISION/AP

WE PROUDLY CONGRATULATE OUR CLIENTS<br />

MATT DUFFER<br />

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VARIETY’S 10 SCRIBES TO WATCH

TOP BILLING | FACETIME NEWS MEDIA & MONEY GUEST COLUMN INDIE EYE DATA<br />

Sanaa Lathan<br />

‘As an actor,<br />

I welcome change.’<br />

Sanaa Lathan portrays an FBI agent in the heist thriller “Now<br />

You See Me 2,” an astronaut in the sci-fi drama “Approaching<br />

the Unknown,” and a crack investigator in Fox’s upcoming<br />

“Shots Fired” — an event series about the aftermath of a<br />

racially charged police shooting in the South. The wide-ranging<br />

star says what she enjoys most about acting is the constant<br />

change, and the rare opportunity to see various points of view.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

26<br />

What’s the biggest change<br />

needed in the entertainment<br />

industry?<br />

I’m really happy that this<br />

conversation has been going<br />

on as of late, but we need<br />

more diversity in every way,<br />

and more diversity behind<br />

the scenes: people writing<br />

stories, people greenlighting<br />

stories, people acting in stories.<br />

What I would love for<br />

the entertainment industry<br />

to do is reflect the beautiful<br />

melting pot of the world we<br />

live in.<br />

Do you think this diversity is<br />

reflected on social media?<br />

There’s something happening<br />

in the last couple years<br />

with certain social-media<br />

stars: They’re all starting<br />

to look the same. There’s a<br />

new aesthetic, and I feel like<br />

it’s going away from natural<br />

beauty. I’m all for celebrating<br />

the differences in<br />

who we are. I’m really into<br />

the beauty of women of all<br />

shapes, sizes, colors, features,<br />

and hair textures. But there’s<br />

something going on — a certain<br />

look that’s very plastic,<br />

with the injections, the fillers,<br />

the nips and tucks.<br />

How have you adapted to<br />

new technology?<br />

I have officially made the<br />

move to reading everything<br />

on my tablet,or even my<br />

phone. I love the fact that<br />

it’s actually creating a cleaner<br />

world in terms of being<br />

green. I do everything from<br />

reading to watching movies<br />

to having video chats<br />

— FaceTiming, meetings,<br />

catching up with friends.<br />

We really are so attached<br />

— it’s like another limb.<br />

What’s the biggest life<br />

change you’ve endured?<br />

A couple years back I lost a<br />

close friend who suddenly<br />

passed away. It happened to<br />

be a very stressful year emotionally<br />

for me, so that was<br />

kind of a defining moment.<br />

A dear friend turned me on<br />

to Transcendental Meditation,<br />

and I started meditating<br />

on a daily basis. I feel<br />

like it saved my life.<br />

What do you love most<br />

about acting?<br />

As an actor, I welcome<br />

change. Part of the fun of<br />

playing different characters<br />

is being able to see the world<br />

through a different perspective.<br />

You’re always going<br />

from group to group, in<br />

terms of cast and locations.<br />

It’s great. The gypsy nature<br />

of being an actor makes me<br />

very comfortable.<br />

What you didn’t know about Lathan:<br />

AGE: 44 RAISED IN: New York and Los Angeles GUILTY PLEASURE:<br />

reality TV shows FAVORITE BOOK: anything by James Baldwin<br />

INDUSTRY ICON: Alejandro G. Iñárritu<br />

Interview by ALYSSA SAGE | Photograph by SHAUGHN AND JOHN

STRETCH YOUR LEGS,<br />

AND YOUR IMAGINATION,<br />

IN FIRST CLASS ON EVERY FLIGHT FROM LAX.<br />

More room to work, relax, or enjoy complimentary entertainment<br />

straight from Hollywood with Delta Studio. <br />

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Marc Juris<br />

Guest Column<br />

Social Media Driving<br />

Reality Renaissance<br />

As everyone becomes a content producer, the genre<br />

of unscripted programming sees great new potential<br />

There are plenty of examples of<br />

powerful people looking at transitional<br />

moments in media and<br />

making exactly the wrong call.<br />

In 1946, Darryl Zanuck predicted<br />

the demise of television when he said people<br />

would “soon get tired of staring at a plywood<br />

box every night.” Years before, as movies<br />

were set to transition from silent to sound,<br />

studio boss Harry Warner asked, “Who the<br />

hell wants to hear actors talk?”<br />

Today, all kinds of smart and sophisticated<br />

people are looking at the television business.<br />

They are focusing on how content is<br />

distributed and consumed. They are talking<br />

about how much of it is being produced. But<br />

most of these people are missing a piece of<br />

the puzzle that has the potential to change<br />

the medium from the inside out.<br />

With social media, we are all reality-content<br />

producers. This is an entirely new activity<br />

— an emerging area of expertise that did<br />

not exist a decade ago, and now increasingly<br />

consumes and defines us. For our own personal<br />

networks, we produce and package the<br />

moments that make up our lives — every<br />

day, sometimes several times a day — across<br />

myriad platforms and interactions. We have<br />

clearly entered a digital age that is being<br />

driven by the power of personal storytelling.<br />

Whether the tools are Facebook, Snapchat,<br />

Instagram, or Twitter, life today is not only<br />

something you live; it’s something you post.<br />

In addition to connecting all of us in new<br />

and powerful ways, social media will give<br />

rise to an era in unscripted or reality programming<br />

on television like nothing we have<br />

seen since the genre came to prominence<br />

almost two decades ago with shows like<br />

“American Idol” and “Survivor.”<br />

The role<br />

we play<br />

as reality<br />

producers<br />

will have<br />

an impact<br />

on how<br />

we as<br />

consumers<br />

define<br />

entertainment.<br />

Selfie-<br />

Satisfied<br />

Thanks<br />

to social<br />

media, the<br />

Kardashians<br />

are “in season”<br />

all year long.<br />

There are hundreds of millions of people<br />

on video-centric social platforms like<br />

Facebook Live, Periscope, and Vine, producing<br />

and consuming content every day that<br />

looks very much like unpolished versions<br />

of unscripted television. And as the familiarity<br />

of this storytelling form becomes pervasive,<br />

it can’t help but have an impact on<br />

our entertainment consumption choices —<br />

not just on how we are going to watch, or on<br />

which device (although those lines are also<br />

blurring in a way that brings social media<br />

and reality TV together), but on what we will<br />

watch. Reality TV will be the beneficiary.<br />

As we continue to produce and share<br />

— as the distinctions between conventionally<br />

produced entertainment and personal<br />

social activity disappear, and resonance<br />

is less reliant on form and more on whether<br />

the content is relatable, entertaining, and<br />

authentic — reality or unscripted television<br />

will experience a renaissance. This is not to<br />

say that reality programming will completely<br />

replace scripted, but the continued prevalence<br />

of social media and the role we play as<br />

reality producers in our daily lives will have<br />

an impact on how we as consumers define<br />

entertainment.<br />

And beyond familiarity of form, consider<br />

the potential for talent to build immense<br />

followings on emerging platforms, and for<br />

reality television stars to use social media<br />

to connect with fans — in character and as<br />

themselves — every day.<br />

When a season of “The Sopranos” ended,<br />

there was no way for a viewer to stay in<br />

touch with Tony and Carmela — they were<br />

gone until new scripts could be written and<br />

episodes shot. But reality stars don’t go away;<br />

they are present before and after each episode.<br />

Fans hunger for these connections with<br />

the stars they watch on TV. There is probably<br />

no better example of this than the Kardashians.<br />

Though new episodes of “Keeping<br />

Up With the Kardashians” air only about a<br />

dozen times each year, the family is “in season”<br />

52 weeks of the year through activity in<br />

the media and on social platforms. That type<br />

of always-on engagement is unprecedented.<br />

Unscripted storytelling is only beginning<br />

to realize its full potential and prominence,<br />

despite those who would have us believe<br />

the genre’s best days are behind it. Thanks<br />

to social media and the impact it’s having<br />

on how we define and consume entertainment,<br />

the famously wrong prognostications<br />

of Zanuck and Warner are sure to have some<br />

company.<br />

Marc Juris is the president of WE tv.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

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& Shakers<br />

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Back in<br />

the Game<br />

Tony Kaye’s<br />

last feature<br />

was 2011’s<br />

“Detachment.”<br />

Eric Kohn<br />

Indie Eye<br />

Staging a Comeback,<br />

Demons Controlled<br />

Director Tony Kaye is back at work with a new tale<br />

of American outrage, ‘Stranger Than the Wheel’<br />

Tony Kaye is preparing for another<br />

comeback. Almost 20 years<br />

after his angry debut, “American<br />

History X,” the notoriously<br />

difficult British-born filmmaker,<br />

63, is making headway on an ambitious,<br />

self-financed movie called “Stranger Than<br />

the Wheel.”<br />

Studios may have written him off years<br />

ago as a flustered eccentric, but Kaye<br />

remains a rare breed — an outlaw artist<br />

working through one hurdle after another,<br />

Go to<br />

Indiewire.com<br />

for the latest<br />

news and<br />

happenings in<br />

indie film and<br />

television.<br />

beaten but not broken, and always ready<br />

to rise again. While virtually every American<br />

studio movie reflects some kind of<br />

compromise, truly unfiltered creative<br />

visions are rare.<br />

At a time when we could use more committed<br />

independents like Kaye, we don’t<br />

hear from him nearly enough. That’s about<br />

to change, and while his characteristic<br />

brashness is still evident, he says he has<br />

learned a bit of restraint.<br />

“We’ve all got demons inside of us,” he<br />

tells me from his home in Los Angeles.<br />

“I’ve gotten rid of mine — or got them<br />

under control.”<br />

Kaye’s reputation was made with “American<br />

History X.” Reviews of the skinhead<br />

drama were good, but his clashes with the<br />

studio and star Edward Norton dominated<br />

headlines. It took nearly a decade to complete<br />

his next feature, the acclaimed abortion<br />

documentary “Lake of Fire.” His third<br />

effort, “Blackwater Transit,” fell apart when<br />

production company THINKfilm collapsed<br />

into bankruptcy.<br />

Then came the 2011 Adrien Brody vehicle<br />

“Detachment,” which was marred by<br />

mixed reviews and more disagreements<br />

with financiers.<br />

“Listen, Tony is a visionary,” says Kaye’s<br />

producer, Raymond Makrovich. “You either<br />

understand that and accept him for that, or<br />

you shouldn’t be dealing with him.”<br />

Kaye has delivered achingly real portraits<br />

of America’s fractured communities,<br />

from the aggressive racists of his debut film<br />

to the feuding radicals on both sides of the<br />

abortion debate in “Lake of Fire” and the<br />

furious teachers struggling to fix the broken<br />

public-school system in “Detachment.” His<br />

new film is set to arrive in the wake of an<br />

election steeped in a uniquely American<br />

kind of outrage — even when he’s not telling<br />

overtly political stories, Kaye’s filmmaking<br />

speaks to the zeitgeist.<br />

“There are some people who don’t really<br />

fit into the Hollywood structure,” says Piers<br />

Handling, CEO and director of the Toronto<br />

International Film Festival, who met Kaye<br />

nearly 20 years ago. “Tony’s one of those<br />

guys. He’s a renegade, an outsider — not<br />

unlike Orson Welles.”<br />

“Stranger Than the Wheel,” written by<br />

Joe Vinciguerra, is the story of a young<br />

man who struggles to reconnect with his<br />

estranged father. “It’s a kind of serial drama<br />

about isolation, alienation, and alcoholism,”<br />

Kaye says. Even if the director hadn’t lost his<br />

father recently, he would identify with the<br />

character’s alienated state.<br />

Last fall, Kaye announced on Facebook<br />

that Shia Labeouf was attached to<br />

star as the young lead in “Stranger Than<br />

the Wheel,” the fancifully named Faunce<br />

Bartelby. Labeouf has since left the project,<br />

replaced by Evan Ross (“The Hunger<br />

Games”).<br />

Kaye has been shooting test footage, and<br />

production is expected to get underway<br />

later this summer. Kaye’s goal is to get the<br />

picture finished in time for the fall festival<br />

circuit. Impossible? Maybe not for someone<br />

so committed to making movies exactly the<br />

way he wants.<br />

“I’ve got something marvelous here,” he<br />

tells me of his new project. “Don’t worry: I<br />

want it to be a hit.”<br />

Eric Kohn is the New York-based deputy editor and<br />

chief film critic at IndieWire. He also manages the<br />

CriticWire Network of professional film critics.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

30<br />

Lifelines<br />

Born<br />

Alex Liakos Keim, publicity<br />

manager at Disney<br />

Channel, and Mike Keim, director<br />

of guest services at the<br />

Chamberlain West Hollywood,<br />

welcomed a son, Rory<br />

Alexander (right), May 21<br />

at Cedars Sinai.<br />

Chris McLaughlin, director<br />

of publicity and social media<br />

at Warner Bros. Television,<br />

and Kaylie McLaughlin welcomed<br />

a son, Tyler Vinh<br />

McLaughlin, May 19 at<br />

Providence Saint John’s<br />

Health Center in Santa Monica,<br />

Calif.<br />

Kris Tapley, awards editor of<br />

Variety, and April Marie Tapley,<br />

a graphic designer, welcomed<br />

a son, Foster Wayne, June 2<br />

at Glendale Adventist.<br />

Wed<br />

Seana Diemer and Stephen<br />

Iwanyk were married May<br />

28 at the Four Seasons Los<br />

Angeles. The bride is a creative<br />

executive at Grey Matter<br />

Prods. The groom is a producer<br />

at Tongal.<br />

KAYE: PICTURE PERFECT/SHUTTERSTOCK

TOP BILLING | DATA<br />

Film Box Office Grosses<br />

(June 10-12, 2016)<br />

TV Ratings<br />

Finals for Week Ending June 5<br />

DOMESTIC<br />

1 The Conjuring 2/WB 40,406,314 3,343 12,087 40,406,314<br />

Scare Tactics Pay Dividends<br />

James Wan’s follow-up to his 2013 haunted house original<br />

for Warner Bros. became the rare sequel this summer to<br />

maintain its hold on audiences.<br />

REPORTED<br />

WEEKEND B.O.<br />

# OF<br />

ENGAGEMENTS<br />

THIS WEEK<br />

PER<br />

ENGAGEMENT<br />

AVERAGE<br />

75%<br />

ROTTEN<br />

TOMATOES<br />

CUMULATIVE<br />

REPORTED B.O. ADULTS 18-49<br />

65%<br />

METACRITIC<br />

LIVE<br />

+SAME DAY<br />

1 NBA Finals Game 1/ABC 7.3<br />

2 Warcraft/U 24,166,110 3,400 7,108 24,166,110<br />

3 Now You See Me 2/Lionsgate 22,383,146 3,232 6,925 22,383,146<br />

4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of ... /Par 14,386,565 4,071 3,534 60,626,348<br />

5 X-Men: Apocalypse/Fox 9,915,017 3,585 2,766 136,289,212<br />

6 Me Before You/WB 9,038,263 2,762 3,272 36,650,841<br />

7 The Angry Birds Movie/Sony 6,550,445 3,083 2,125 98,020,068<br />

8 Alice Through the Looking Glass/Disney 5,646,012 2,898 1,948 62,538,623<br />

9 Captain America: Civil War/Disney 4,314,342 2,101 2,053 396,871,490<br />

10 The Jungle Book/Disney 2,761,034 1,496 1,846 352,689,723<br />

11 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising/U 2,120,535 1,581 1,341 53,088,760<br />

12 The Nice Guys/WB 1,960,130 1,147 1,709 32,502,322<br />

13 Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping/U 1,678,730 2,313 726 8,310,010<br />

14 Love & Friendship/Roadside Attractions 1,404,242 826 1,700 9,421,117<br />

15 The Lobster/A24 987,794 560 1,764 5,552,855<br />

16 Money Monster/Sony 700,810 731 959 39,769,480<br />

17 Maggie’s Plan/Sony Classics 623,248 311 2,004 1,071,019<br />

18 Zootopia/Disney 556,988 319 1,746 338,198,507<br />

19 A Aa/BlueSky Cinemas 345,324 96 3,597 2,255,376<br />

20 Te3n/Reliance 258,066 104 2,481 258,066<br />

21 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice/WB 193,821 215 901 330,249,062<br />

22 The Man Who Knew Infinity/IFC 167,031 115 1,452 3,188,871<br />

23 Weiner/IFC 160,133 71 2,255 836,124<br />

24 Barbershop: The Next Cut/WB 135,049 182 742 53,651,877<br />

25 The Meddler/Sony Classics 129,790 136 954 3,900,943<br />

26 Genius/Roadside Attractions 98,274 16 6,142 98,274<br />

27 The Darkness/High Top 96,315 97 993 10,583,535<br />

28 The Huntsman: Winter’s War/U 85,450 141 606 47,952,020<br />

29 The Boss/U 80,125 127 631 63,034,755<br />

30 Miracles From Heaven/Sony 77,003 123 626 61,391,820<br />

31 Sing Street/Weinstein 66,007 111 595 2,984,926<br />

32 A Bigger Splash/Fox Searchlight 57,733 57 1,013 1,868,477<br />

33 Dark Horse/Sony Classics 43,237 28 1,544 264,842<br />

34 Mother’s Day/Open Road 41,406 115 360 32,463,917<br />

35 Kung Fu Panda 3/Fox 34,770 88 395 143,351,698<br />

INTERNATIONAL<br />

INTERNATIONAL<br />

WEEKEND CUME<br />

# OF<br />

TERRITORIES<br />

INTERNATIONAL<br />

CUME<br />

WORLDWIDE<br />

CUME<br />

1 Warcraft/U 185,800,000 53 261,700,000 286,055,975<br />

2 The Conjuring 2/WB 50,000,000 45 50,000,000 90,350,000<br />

3 X-Men: Apocalypse/Fox 25,000,000 77 342,000,000 478,374,195<br />

5 Now You See Me 2/Various 20,100,000 31 22,800,000 45,825,000<br />

4 Alice Through the Looking Glass/Disney 14,600,000 45 151,000,000 213,437,432<br />

6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows/Par 13,300,000 45 55,300,000 116,339,783<br />

7 The Angry Birds Movie/Sony 10,400,000 88 213,900,000 312,069,623<br />

8 The Jungle Book/Disney 7,500,000 31 557,200,000 909,849,939<br />

9 Money Monster/Sony 5,200,000 84 36,200,000 76,003,670<br />

10 The Handmaiden/CJ 4,800,000 1 22,000,000 22,000,000<br />

Finals Record<br />

Game 1 between the<br />

Cavs and Warriors drew<br />

record highs in the<br />

demo and total viewers.<br />

2 NBA Finals Game 2/ABC 6.5<br />

3 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 7/TNT 6.4<br />

4 Game of Thrones/HBO 3.9<br />

5 Inside the NBA Playoffs/TNT 2.9<br />

6 America’s Got Talent (Tues)/NBC 2.6<br />

7 NBA Countdown Game 1/ABC 2.1<br />

8 American Ninja Warrior/NBC 1.7<br />

9 The Bachelorette/ABC 1.6<br />

9 The Big Bang Theory (r)/CBS 1.6<br />

9 NBA Coundown Game 2/ABC 1.6<br />

12 Maya & Marty/NBC 1.5<br />

13 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 1/NBC 1.4<br />

14 Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night/ABC 1.2<br />

14 Life in Pieces/CBS 1.2<br />

14 Love & Hip Hop/VH1 1.2<br />

14 MasterChef/Fox 1.2<br />

14 Miss USA 2016/Fox 1.2<br />

14 WWE Monday Night Raw (8 p.m.)/USA 1.2<br />

14 WWE Monday Night Raw (9 p.m.)/USA 1.2<br />

TOTAL VIEWERS<br />

LIVE<br />

+SAME DAY<br />

LIVE<br />

+3-DAY<br />

1 NBA Finals Game 1/ABC 19.20m<br />

2 NBA Finals Game 2/ABC 17.49m<br />

3 NBA Western Conference ... Game 7/TNT 16.00m<br />

4 America’s Got Talent (Tuesday)/NBC 11.67m<br />

5 NBA Finals Game 2 Postgame/ABC 9.15m<br />

6 60 Minutes/CBS 8.27m<br />

7 Game of Thrones/HBO 7.80m<br />

‘Thrones’ Rules<br />

The HBO fantasy drama<br />

enjoyed a surge of more<br />

than a million viewers<br />

from week to week.<br />

+0.5<br />

FROM 2015<br />

GAME1<br />

+1.1m<br />

CHANGE FROM<br />

PREVIOUS WEEK<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

32<br />

STUDIO<br />

SCORECARD<br />

PROJECTIONS ON WHETHER<br />

CURRENT FILMS WILL HIT OR<br />

MISS; RATING CAN CHANGE<br />

Paramount<br />

10 Cloverfield Lane<br />

Teenage Mutant Ninja ...<br />

Zoolander 2<br />

Disney<br />

Alice Through ... Glass<br />

Captain America: Civil War<br />

The Jungle Book<br />

Sony<br />

Angry Birds<br />

Miracles From Heaven<br />

Money Monster<br />

Fox<br />

Deadpool<br />

Eddie the Eagle<br />

X-Men: Apocalypse<br />

Universal<br />

Neighbors 2<br />

Popstar: Never Stop ...<br />

Warcraft<br />

Lionsgate<br />

Allegiant<br />

Criminal<br />

Now You See Me 2<br />

Warner Bros.<br />

The Conjuring 2<br />

Me Before You<br />

The Nice Guys<br />

PMC publishes film data compiled by comScore, which collects studio reported data as well as box-office figures from North America and international theater locations. Any information provided by comScore has<br />

been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, comScore does not make any warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of this information and data. the user of this data agrees comScore,<br />

its officers and employees will have no liability arising from the use of disclosure of this information and data. To submit any questions to comScore, please email: boxofficeinfo@comscore.com.*re-release only Send<br />

corrections to boxoffice@variety.com. Reported box office receipts are followed by the week’s paid attendance (including standees) and percentage of the week’s total capacity represented. the theatrical week runs<br />

Monday through the following Sunday. Unless otherwise specified, the week consists of eight performances. Abbreviations and designations are (P) play, (M) musical, (R) revival, (perf) performances, (pr) previews,<br />

(PW) previous week, (LW) last week. ©2016 Variety Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or distribution strictly prohibited. Compiled by Marianne Zumberge. Source: the Broadway League<br />

8 The Big Bang Theory (r)/CBS 7.79m<br />

9 NCIS (r)/CBS 7.42m<br />

10 NCIS: New Orleans/CBS 6.98m<br />

11 Inside the NBA Playoffs/TNT 6.88m<br />

12 Person of Interest/CBS 6.67m<br />

13 American Ninja Warrior/NBC 6.35m<br />

14 NBA Countdown Game 1/ABC 6.27m<br />

15 Maya & Marty/NBC 6.26m<br />

16 The Bachelorette/ABC 5.94m<br />

17 Blue Bloods/CBS 5.75m<br />

18 Hawaii Five-0/CBS 5.60m<br />

19 Life in Pieces/CBS 5.52m<br />

20 Person of Interest (Monday)/CBS 5.49m<br />

NBA: BEN MARGOT/AP

NEWS MEDIA & MONEY FACETIME GUEST COLUMN INDIE EYE<br />

1 Blindspot/NBC 2.5 1.2<br />

2 Law & Order: SVU/NBC 2.6 1.0<br />

2 Chicago PD/NBC 2.4 1.0<br />

4 The Bachelorette/ABC 2.9 0.9<br />

4 Wayward Pines/Fox 1.8 0.9<br />

A Tree Grows<br />

Fox’s summer anthology<br />

series doubled its demo<br />

numbers in seven-day<br />

delayed viewing.<br />

6 Gotham/Fox 2.0 0.8<br />

6 Nashville/ABC 1.7 0.8<br />

8 Criminal Minds: Beyond Border/CBS 1.6 0.6<br />

8 Arrow/CW 1.4 0.6<br />

8 Supernatural/CW 1.3 0.6<br />

Finals for Week of June 3<br />

LATENIGHT TOP 10<br />

LIVE + 7<br />

LIVE + 7<br />

ADULTS<br />

18-49<br />

GROWTH<br />

FROM LIVE<br />

+SAME<br />

DAY<br />

GROWTH<br />

FROM LIVE<br />

+SAME<br />

DAY<br />

TOTAL<br />

VIEWERS<br />

1 Jimmy Kimmel Live/ABC 0.71 2.64m<br />

2 The Tonight Show ... Fallon (r)/NBC 0.70 2.66m<br />

3 Nightline/ABC 0.44 1.71m<br />

4 The Late Show ... Colbert (r)/CBS 0.40 2.08m<br />

5 Late Night With ... Meyers(r)/NBC 0.35 1.17m<br />

6 Late Late Show ... Corden (r)/CBS 0.26 1.07m<br />

7 Last Call With Carson Daly (r)/NBC 0.22 0.70m<br />

8 Conan (r)/TBS 0.20 0.47m<br />

9 The Daily Show ... Noah (r)/Comedy 0.18 0.43m<br />

10 The Nightly ... Wilmore (r)/Comedy 0.15 0.36m<br />

SOURCE: NIELSEN<br />

TV Ratings<br />

Broadcast Delayed-Viewing Growth<br />

for Week Ending May 29<br />

ADULTS 18-49<br />

ADULTS 18-49<br />

+100%<br />

CHANGE FROM<br />

L+SD TO L+7<br />

Cable Delayed-Viewing Growth<br />

for Week Ending May 29<br />

1 Game of Thrones/HBO 5.2 2.0<br />

2 Teen Mom 2/MTV 1.8 1.0<br />

3 Love & Hip Hop/VH1 2.1 0.7<br />

4 Real Housewives of New York/Bravo 1.1 0.6<br />

4 Archer/FX 1.0 0.6<br />

6 Alaskan Bush People/Discovery 1.2 0.5<br />

6 60 Days In Reunion/A&E 1.1 0.5<br />

6 The Challenge: Rivals III/MTV 1.0 0.5<br />

6 Chrisley Knows Best/USA 1.0 0.5<br />

6 Lip Sync Battle/Spike 0.8 0.5<br />

Weekday Syndication Leaders for<br />

Week Ending May 29 (Title/Distrib)<br />

HOUSEHOLD<br />

RATING<br />

1 Judge Judy/CBS 7.0<br />

2 Family Feud/Debmar Murcury 6.8<br />

3 Wheel of Fortune/CBS 6.2<br />

4 Jeopardy/CBS 5.8<br />

5 The Big Bang Theory/WB 5.0<br />

6 Law & Order: SVU/NBCU 4.6<br />

7 Dr. Phil/CBS 3.2<br />

8 The Closer/WB 2.9<br />

8 Entertainment Tonight/CBS 2.9<br />

8 Modern Family/20th 2.9<br />

SHOW<br />

(THEATER)<br />

(PROD. CATEGORY) (SEATS)<br />

Theater Grosses<br />

Final Numbers for Week 3 (June 6-12, 2016)<br />

WEEK’S GROSS<br />

RECEIPTS/<br />

POTENTIAL<br />

GROSS RECEIPTS<br />

$ CHG./<br />

AVG. TICKET<br />

ATTENDANCE<br />

CAPACITY<br />

ATTENDANCE<br />

%<br />

PERFS TO<br />

DATE/TOP<br />

TIX PRICE<br />

GROSS TO DATE/<br />

OPENING DATE<br />

The Lion King $2,071,899.00 $12,255 13,572 100.0 7,731 $1,271,968,022<br />

(Minskoff) (M) (1,696) $2,048,284.00 152.66 13,568 199 11/13/97<br />

Hamilton $2,028,207.50 $173,219 10,754 101.8 357 79,871,035<br />

(Richard Rodgers) (M) (1,321) $1,334,960.00 188.60 10,568 165 8/6/15<br />

Founding Father Flies High<br />

In the week before the Tonys, “Hamilton” topped<br />

$2 million for the first time. But “The Lion King” still<br />

dominated the overall box office. There was good<br />

news for Broadway as nearly all shows reported a<br />

rise in ticket sales.<br />

Wicked $1,859,038.00 $174,221 14,510 97.2 5,263 1,026,634,054<br />

(Gershwin) (M) (1,867) $1,779,845.00 128.12 14,932 145 10/30/03<br />

Aladdin $1,581,642.00 $75,162 13,642 98.7 939 179,566,442<br />

(New Amsterdam) (M) (1,727) $1,671,263.00 115.94 13,816 163 3/20/14<br />

The Book of Mormon $1,343,082.62 $37,108 8,722 102.3 2,184 430,248,908<br />

(Eugene O’Neill) (M) (1,066) $1,376,656.00 153.99 8,528 179 3/24/11<br />

Paramour $1,093,610.45 $69,161 11,279 74.4 18 7,967,307<br />

(Lyric) (M) (1,896) $1,805,456.00 96.96 15,168 145 5/25/16<br />

School of Rock - The Musical $1,082,064.00 $57,364 11,187 93.5 223 30,981,814<br />

(Winter Garden) (M) (1,495) $1,513,947.00 96.73 11,960 143 12/6/15<br />

Waitress $1,058,460.70 $76,538 8,432 100.9 64 10,699,160<br />

(Brooks Atkinson) (M) (1,045) $1,019,480.00 125.53 8,360 165 4/24/16<br />

Shuffle Along $972,860.21 $12,434 7,650 99.3 56 10,141,078<br />

(Music Box) (M) (963) $1,125,028.00 127.17 7,704 167 4/28/16<br />

The Phantom of the Opera $941,327.10 $83,544 10,831 84.4 8,212 1,057,587,427<br />

(Majestic) (M) (1,605) $1,514,575.00 86.91 12,840 140 1/26/88<br />

Matilda $911,510.10 $96,083 11,011 96.1 1,323 177,024,098<br />

(Shubert) (MR) (1,432) $1,318,748.00 82.78 11,456 145 4/11/13<br />

Beautiful $889,392.50 $41,833 7,485 91.2 1,009 141,708,066<br />

(Stephen Sondheim) (M) (1,026) $1,174,216.00 118.82 8,208 169 1/12/14<br />

On Your Feet! $859,595.90 $71,817 8,909 68.5 251 37,425,091<br />

(Marquis) (M) (1,626) $1,552,352.00 96.49 13,008 147 11/5/15<br />

An American in Paris $800,245.10 $119,097 9,257 68.9 487 $72,634,534.82<br />

(Palace) (M) (1,679) $1,471,280.00 86.45 13,432 145 4/12/15<br />

Les Miserables $755,855.50 $70,535 9,108 80.8 928 99,917,146<br />

(Imperial) (MR) (1,409) $1,178,022.00 82.99 11,272 145 3/23/14<br />

Fiddler on the Roof $751,606.60 $79,067 9,213 67.5 206 27,705,629<br />

(Broadway) (M) (1,707) $1,556,809.00 81.58 13,656 150 12/20/15<br />

Finding Neverland $688,641.00 $96,004 9,483 78.8 483 $57,878,563.00<br />

(Lunt-Fontanne) (M) (1,504) $1,476,000.00 72.62 12,032 145 4/15/15<br />

Something Rotten! $674,213.00 $46,173 8,250 66.8 478 54,365,239<br />

(St. James) (M) (1,545) $1,388,900.00 81.72 12,358 152 4/22/15<br />

The Color Purple $672,299.39 $93,425 7,342 87.3 214 23,715,845<br />

(Jacobs) (M) (1,051) $1,048,753.00 91.57 8,408 143 12/10/15<br />

Kinky Boots $660,084.00 $53,516 7,193 63.1 1,330 203,103,250<br />

(Hirschfeld) (M) (1,424) $1,240,018.00 91.76755179 11,392 167 4/4/13<br />

In-Demand Shows<br />

U.S. Cross-Platform Audience<br />

(June 5-11, 2016)<br />

DIGITAL ORIGINALS<br />

RATING/<br />

SHARE<br />

1 Bloodline/Netflix 9.86m<br />

2 Orange Is the New Black/Netflix 7.92m<br />

3 Fuller House/Netflix 7.12m<br />

4 Sense8/Netflix 5.26m<br />

5 House Of Cards/Netflix 4.37m<br />

6 11.22.63/Hulu 4.31m<br />

7 Daredevil/Netflix 3.72m<br />

8 Jessica Jones/Netflix 3.49m<br />

9 The Man in the High Castle/Amazon 3.39m<br />

10 The Path/Hulu 3.29m<br />

SOURCE: PARROT ANALYTICS; FOR DETAILS REGARDING THE METRICS<br />

USED FOR THIS CHART, SEE PARROTANALYTICS.COM/DEMAND-RATING<br />

Tighter<br />

at the Top<br />

“Bloodline”<br />

remains the<br />

leader among<br />

digital originals,<br />

though “Orange<br />

Is the New Black”<br />

is gaining.<br />

Multiplatform<br />

Properties<br />

Total U.S. Desktop and Mobile —<br />

Home and Work Locations (April 2016)<br />

PROPERTY<br />

$1.85m<br />

PREVIOUS<br />

WEEK’S GROSS<br />

RECEIPTS<br />

9.34%<br />

INCREASE<br />

IN GROSS<br />

RECEIPTS VS.<br />

PREVIOUS<br />

WEEK<br />

UNIQUE VISITORS/<br />

VIEWERS<br />

1 Google Sites 240.56m<br />

2 Facebook 206.42m<br />

3 Yahoo Sites 202.64m<br />

4 Microsoft Sites 195.86m<br />

5 Amazon Sites 182.28m<br />

6 AOL 163.71m<br />

7 Comcast NBCUniversal 148.93m<br />

8 CBS Interactive 142.86m<br />

9 Apple 139.62m<br />

10 Turner Digital 127.20m<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

33

ADVERTISEMENT<br />

The Ramifications of my Divorce.<br />

BY TERESA DAHLQUIST<br />

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care of me, that was his father’s job.<br />

A ten year old said to his single Mom, “How do<br />

you think it makes me feel when I see Dad being<br />

kind to another woman and mean to you.”<br />

A little girl said to her Mom, “Daddy used to<br />

hold my hand and now he only holds his new<br />

wife’s hand. I don’t like her.<br />

There were so many uncomfortable gatherings<br />

for my children and family members.<br />

Who gets invited to birthday parties and school<br />

performances? Whose house does Santa visit? Who<br />

gets invited to graduations and weddings? etc. etc.<br />

“How do you think it makes<br />

me feel when I see Dad<br />

being kind to another<br />

woman and mean to you?”<br />

I was devastated when my daughter, at 16,<br />

decided to live with her dad. Normal teenage<br />

disagreements between mothers and daughters<br />

make it easy for fathers to convince their<br />

daughters to live with them.<br />

The separation from my daughter was, by far,<br />

the worst heartache I felt in my entire life. I was<br />

scared to death for my daughter’s safety. I lost<br />

complete control and knew no one could or<br />

would love and care for her like I did and would<br />

have. I couldn’t sleep, and I cried for months.<br />

Even now, when I think of that time in my life, I<br />

get a lump in my throat.<br />

So, my dear children, relatives and friends,<br />

please forgive me. My behavior was not illintentioned.<br />

I just didn’t know any better. Today,<br />

I’m so proud of my two children. I have to thank<br />

my extended family and their teachers for that. I<br />

did not do it alone.<br />

I do not regret divorcing. I would not have a<br />

justified opinion had I not experienced divorce<br />

first hand. Neither would I have been able to<br />

share my journey and regrets with you.<br />

I do regret marrying so young. I regret not<br />

finishing my college education. I regret the times<br />

I responded in anger and fear instead of love<br />

and compassion. I regret not hugging, kissing,<br />

dancing or playing with my children more often.<br />

My intentions for writing my story are:<br />

1. So couples would feel proud of themselves,<br />

that with all the ups and downs of married life,<br />

they managed to save a family.<br />

2. To perhaps cause couples that were<br />

contemplating divorce, decide to work it out and<br />

return to the feelings of love and acceptance<br />

they felt for each other years ago.<br />

3. So that divorced parents become aware of<br />

their children’s feelings, and be kinder to one<br />

another. The best lesson a parent could teach a<br />

child is how to expect to be loved. And they learn<br />

that by watching how their parents treat each other.<br />

Teresa Dahlquist was a Golden Sister on<br />

the OWN channel, a Senior Correspondent<br />

on Queen Latifah, and a guest on other<br />

talk shows. SEE JUST TERESA ON YOUTUBE<br />

AND FACEBOOK for the complete article<br />

and more senior wisdom. Contact Teresa<br />

at teresa13dahlquist@gmail.com.<br />

The best lesson a parent could teach a child is how to expect to be loved. And they learn that by watching how their parents treat each other.

‘DORY’ MAKES A SPLASH IN HOLLYWOOD<br />

Celebrites, including Ty Burrell and Kaitlin Olson,<br />

enjoy a day of family fun at ‘Finding Dory’ preem p.37<br />

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE<br />

Adele says ‘Hello’ to<br />

$9.5 million mansion p.43<br />

OLSON: MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK; TONY AWARDS: EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP<br />

TOP BILLING EXPOSURE CONTENDERS FOCUS ARTISANS REVIEWS<br />

The 70th annual Tony Awards set a new diversity<br />

benchmark, thanks in large part to “Hamilton.” For<br />

the first time in Tony’s history, all four musical acting<br />

awards (lead actor, lead actress, featured actor, and<br />

featured actress) went to black actors.

EXPOSURE | PARTIES<br />

‘Roadies’ Premiere<br />

ACE HOTEL, DOWNTOWN L.A., JUNE 6<br />

Holly Laessig, Jess Wolfe, Joy Williams,<br />

and Jim James<br />

While Luke Wilson, Carla Gugino, and Imogen Poots partied<br />

inside the Theater at Ace Hotel, Cameron Crowe and exec producer<br />

J.J. Abrams discussed the development of their longtime-in-the-works<br />

pilot. “We made a promise to each other<br />

that if I were to ever enjoy the benefits of working in TV,” said<br />

Crowe, “we’d do it together.” Also on hand at the premiere<br />

party were a “Roadies” tour bus and live musical performances.<br />

J.J. Abrams, Winnie Holzman,<br />

and Cameron Crowe<br />

David Nevins and<br />

Matthew C. Blank<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

36<br />

Luke<br />

Wilson<br />

Adriana Alberghetti,<br />

Carla Gugino, and<br />

Emmanuelle Chriqui<br />

ROADIES: MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK (3), CHELSEA LAUREN/SHUTTERSTOCK (2)

WWD REPORT CARD DEVOUR DIRT<br />

‘Finding Dory’<br />

Premiere<br />

EL CAPITAN THEATRE, HOLLYWOOD, JUNE 8<br />

Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Eugene Levy, Ed O’Neill, Ty<br />

Burrell, and Kaitlin Olson celebrated the premiere with bubbles<br />

and fish tanks from the Aquarium of the Pacific. “It’s just being<br />

me with a tiny tweak of my voice, and a little more innocence to<br />

who I am,” DeGeneres said of voicing Dory.<br />

Alan Bergman,<br />

Ed Catmull,<br />

Jim Morris, and<br />

Ricky Strauss<br />

John Lasseter and<br />

Ellen DeGeneres<br />

Ty Burrell,<br />

Ed O’Neill, and<br />

Eugene Levy<br />

FINDING DORY: MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK (6)<br />

Kaitlin<br />

Olson<br />

Angus MacLane,<br />

Lindsey Collins, and<br />

Andrew Stanton<br />

Albert Brooks<br />

and Alan Horn<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

37

EXPOSURE | PARTIES<br />

Tony Awards<br />

BEACON THEATRE, NEW YORK, JUNE 12<br />

Lin-Manuel Miranda celebrated 11 wins for “Hamilton” and<br />

performed a heartfelt sonnet for the shooting victims slain at<br />

an Orlando gay nightclub hours earlier. “Theater doesn’t exist<br />

without the LGBT community,” Miranda said. “It is the cornerstone<br />

of our industry.” “The Humans” and “The Color Purple”<br />

also took home multiple Tonys each during the 70th annual ceremony,<br />

while James Corden served as emcee.<br />

Jeffrey Seller,<br />

Lin-Manuel Miranda,<br />

and Barbra Streisand<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

38<br />

Glenn Close<br />

spoofs<br />

Hillary<br />

Clinton<br />

‘Central Intelligence’<br />

Premiere<br />

REGENCY VILLAGE THEATRE, WESTWOOD, JUNE 10<br />

(Brotherly) love was in the air at the premiere of the buddy<br />

comedy. “I really made a good friend,” Kevin Hart said about his<br />

co-star Dwayne Johnson. “We didn’t run to our trailers between<br />

takes like a lot of people do on sets.” Johnson added, “Even if I<br />

never work with him again, he’ll always be my brother.”<br />

Sue Kroll and<br />

Peter Principato<br />

Oprah Winfrey<br />

and Cynthia Erivo<br />

James<br />

Corden<br />

Amy<br />

Ryan<br />

Scott Stuber, Rawson Thurber,<br />

Kevin Hart, and Dwayne Johnson<br />

TONY AWARDS: EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP (3), CAROLYN CONTINO/SHUTTERSTOCK(1); CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE: ROB LATOUR/SHUTTERSTOCK (1), ERIC CHARBONNEAU/SHUTTERSTOCK (2)

WWD REPORT CARD DEVOUR DIRT<br />

‘The Conjuring 2’<br />

Premiere<br />

TCL CHINESE THEATRE, HOLLYWOOD, JUNE 7<br />

James Wan, Vera Farmiga, and Patrick Wilson talked about<br />

the fascinating careers of paranormal investigators Ed and<br />

Lorraine Warren while premiering the sequel to their $320<br />

million success, “The Conjuring.” “There could be many more<br />

movies because the Warrens have so many stories,” Wan said.<br />

Kevin Tsujihara,<br />

James Wan,<br />

Rob Cowan, and<br />

Toby Emmerich<br />

Lorraine Warre<br />

and Vera Farmig<br />

Patrick<br />

Wilson<br />

CONJURING 2: ERIC CHARBONNEAU/SHUTTERSTOCK (3); AFI: MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK (3)<br />

AFI Life<br />

Achievement Award<br />

DOLBY THEATRE, HOLLYWOOD, JUNE 9<br />

John Williams became the first non-director or actor to receive<br />

AFI’s Life Achievement Award, with J.J. Abrams, George Lucas,<br />

Harrison Ford, Drew Barrymore, Peter Fonda, and more paying<br />

tribute to the composer. “This is an example of entertainment<br />

elevated to the level of art,” Ford said. “John, you’re a genius.”<br />

Lesli<br />

Linka<br />

Glatter<br />

Will<br />

Ferrell<br />

Steven Spielberg<br />

and John Williams<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

39

EXPOSURE | WWD REPORT CARD | DEVOUR<br />

Report Card<br />

Not-So-Basic Black Rules<br />

at CFDA Fashion Awards<br />

<br />

The hair feels<br />

too prom-like<br />

and youthful.<br />

<br />

The print is<br />

making us<br />

dizzy, and<br />

the sheer<br />

waist panel is<br />

distracting.<br />

<br />

Our<br />

wooziness<br />

is enhanced<br />

by the<br />

confusing trio<br />

of spaghetti<br />

straps.<br />

<br />

The retro<br />

hairstyle<br />

highlights<br />

her timeless<br />

beauty.<br />

<br />

The black<br />

eyeliner is a<br />

bit overdone.<br />

<br />

The print is<br />

sophisticated.<br />

The cut of<br />

the dress<br />

is pretty<br />

— if generic<br />

— and<br />

showcases<br />

her beautiful<br />

shoulders and<br />

neck.<br />

<br />

The hair is<br />

the perfect<br />

accompaniment<br />

to her<br />

singular style.<br />

<br />

This is one of<br />

her many collaborations<br />

with Haider<br />

Ackerman,<br />

which always<br />

have a quiet,<br />

modern<br />

eccentricity.<br />

It suits her<br />

perfectly.<br />

<br />

It’s meant to<br />

make a statement,<br />

but<br />

the clashing<br />

lipstick<br />

is a tad<br />

aggressive.<br />

<br />

Her shiny<br />

locks look<br />

great in this<br />

sleek haircut,<br />

and her tan is<br />

perfect.<br />

<br />

The dress is<br />

shapeless and<br />

a bit matronly<br />

for the young<br />

actress.<br />

<br />

The polished<br />

geode<br />

embellishment<br />

is<br />

unique — if<br />

a bit strange<br />

— and<br />

adds visual<br />

interest.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

40<br />

Gabrielle Union<br />

<br />

A metallic<br />

tuxedo could<br />

have gone<br />

horribly<br />

wrong. But<br />

on him, it’s<br />

elegant.<br />

<br />

It's beautifully<br />

tailored,<br />

with perfect<br />

slivers of<br />

pocket<br />

square and<br />

cuff and a<br />

precise pant<br />

break.<br />

<br />

The clean<br />

shave and<br />

sleek hair add<br />

to the old-<br />

Hollywood<br />

vibe.<br />

A<br />

Alexander Skarsgård<br />

Ryan<br />

B +<br />

Jessica Chastain<br />

C A –<br />

<br />

The<br />

pompadour<br />

adds height<br />

and works<br />

well with<br />

his chiseled<br />

features —<br />

a win-win.<br />

<br />

The cut of the<br />

blazer suits<br />

his body type,<br />

and the droppeak<br />

label<br />

adds subtle<br />

style.<br />

<br />

The green<br />

shirt and<br />

horizontalstripe<br />

tie<br />

push things<br />

into lawyer<br />

territory.<br />

B B<br />

Seacrest<br />

Tilda Swinton<br />

<br />

Fashion<br />

should be fun.<br />

This 22-yearold<br />

doesn’t<br />

take himself<br />

too seriously.<br />

<br />

This Thom<br />

Browne look<br />

is not easy<br />

to pull off. It<br />

wouldn’t work<br />

for everyday,<br />

but this is a<br />

fashion event.<br />

He owns it.<br />

<br />

The clunky<br />

shoes and<br />

thin socks<br />

drive home<br />

the fearless<br />

sartorial<br />

message.<br />

+<br />

Ansel Elgort<br />

B –<br />

Claire Danes<br />

<br />

This samurai<br />

evening look<br />

is a riot.<br />

Intentionally?<br />

It’s all a bit<br />

affected.<br />

<br />

The 6’4”<br />

athlete looks<br />

like he has<br />

outgrown<br />

his cropped<br />

pants.<br />

<br />

The coat<br />

elongates<br />

him further. A<br />

shorter jacket<br />

— preferably<br />

doublebreasted<br />

—<br />

would help<br />

balance out<br />

the situation.<br />

C<br />

Wade<br />

UNION, CHASTAIN, SEACREST, ELGORT: MATT BARON/BEI/SHUTTERSTOCK; SWINTON: ERIK PENDZICH/SHUTTERSTOCK; DANES, SKARSGARD, WADE: GREGORY PACE/BEI/SHUTTERSTOCK

PARTIES<br />

DIRT<br />

Devour<br />

Download<br />

5 Every Day<br />

L.A. band Yacht is winning fans<br />

for its 5 Every Day app, with a<br />

minimalist interface that each day<br />

uncovers arty, foodie, musical, and<br />

discovery activities. Find it in the<br />

App Store or at 5everyday.com.<br />

Eat<br />

Smorgasburg<br />

Sundays are the perfect time to<br />

venture deep into Downtown L.A.,<br />

where the weekly tasting bazaar<br />

opens June 19 with more than 50<br />

vendors, from Guerilla Tacos to<br />

Rucker’s Pie to Porridge + Puffs.<br />

Watch<br />

‘Mother, May I Sleep<br />

With Danger?’<br />

Nostalgia for past shows no sign of abating, so Lifetime mined its library to bring the 20-year-old vampire<br />

love story “Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?” back from the dead, this time with a contemporary twist. The<br />

1996 version became a campy favorite, centering on a teenage girl (Tori Spelling) whose mother suspects<br />

her new boyfriend has a dark background. Ivan Sergei and Spelling — this time as the mother — return<br />

from the original film, joined by James Franco, Leila George, Emily Meade, and Nick Eversman. Franco<br />

wrote the story, while Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha composed the music. The remake airs June 18; the<br />

original is available on Lifetime’s digital Movie Club service.<br />

Read<br />

‘The Girls’<br />

There are many books with “girls” in<br />

the title, but Emma Cline’s debut novel<br />

— about a group of young women<br />

who belong to a Manson-like cult —<br />

is getting all the buzz. Blurbed by the<br />

likes of Jennifer Egan and Richard<br />

Ford, the book has seen movie rights<br />

snapped up by Scott Rudin.<br />

Edited by PAT SAPERSTEIN | For pitches, email devour@variety.com.<br />

HENSON: JIM SMEAL/BEI/SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

Must Attend<br />

6.15 BEVERLY HILLS<br />

Women in Film<br />

Crystal + Lucy Awards<br />

Lesli Linka Glatter, Natalie Dormer,<br />

Hylda Queally, and Taraji P. Henson<br />

will be honored over dinner and<br />

cocktails at Women in Film’s annual<br />

Crystal + Lucy Awards ceremony at<br />

the Beverly Hilton.<br />

$500 and up; womeninfilm.org<br />

6.15 BEVERLY HILLS<br />

CalCPA Education Foundation’s<br />

Entertainment Industry<br />

Conference has producer Dana<br />

Brunetti as its keynote speaker<br />

at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.<br />

$325-425; calcpa.org<br />

6.15 SANTA MONICA<br />

An auction with artwork from<br />

Ben Affleck and others raises<br />

funds for ALS research at Art<br />

for ALS at Arena 1 Gallery.<br />

ALS.net<br />

6.18 L.A.<br />

Steely Dan headlines opening<br />

night at the Hollywood Bowl,<br />

benefiting the Los Angeles<br />

Philharmonic’s education and<br />

outreach programs.<br />

$25-$190; Hollywoodbowl.com<br />

6.20 NYC<br />

The Museum of the Moving<br />

Image honors Seth Myers and<br />

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos at the<br />

St. Regis Hotel black-tie benefit.<br />

movingimage.us<br />

6.20 NYC<br />

Tony Bennett becomes the sixth<br />

recipient of the Friars Club’s<br />

highest honor, the Entertainment<br />

Icon Award. Robert De Niro and<br />

Larry King are set to attend.<br />

friarsclub.com<br />

6.21 L.A.<br />

Disney premieres Steven<br />

Spielberg’s monstrous movie<br />

“The BFG,” starring Rebecca<br />

Hall and Mark Rylance.<br />

movies.disney.com<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

41

Dirt<br />

$150k<br />

/ MONTH<br />

MALIBU<br />

8,000 SQ. FT.<br />

6 BEDROOMS<br />

8 BATHS<br />

Rosenbloom’s<br />

Faux-Chateau<br />

Up for Grabs<br />

For those inclined and, more important, with the financial wherewithal to do so, it’s not too late<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

42<br />

to rent a lavish beachfront estate on Malibu’s rapidly eroding and, hence, ironically named Broad<br />

Beach that’s listed at a knock-your-flip-flops-off price of $150,000 per month. Property records<br />

show the seaside spread is owned by a corporate entity tied to Tony-nominated theater producer<br />

and filmmaker Dale “Chip” Rosenbloom, who took possession after the estate’s previous owner, his<br />

mother, Georgia Frontiere — iconoclast former owner of the Los Angeles Rams football franchise<br />

— died in 2008.<br />

Mark<br />

The hulking and not particularly beachy-looking mansard-roofed faux-chateau<br />

David<br />

was designed by celebrated architect Edward H. Fickett, and sits on three beachfront<br />

The<br />

parcels that together measure more than an acre, with 120-plus feet of beach frontage.<br />

At nearly 8,000 square feet, the elevator-equipped three-story residence has<br />

Real<br />

Estalker<br />

oversized living and dining rooms, as well as a wood-paneled family room with<br />

Chip and<br />

Kathleen<br />

Rosenbloom<br />

ROSENBLOOMS: DEE CERCONE/EVERETT COLLECTION/NEWSCOM

PARTIES WWD REPORT CARD DEVOUR<br />

what listing descriptions call a “saloon.”<br />

There are a total of six en suite bedrooms<br />

and eight bathrooms, including dual oceanfront<br />

master suites. A 400-foot property<br />

depth allows for a variety of features rare in<br />

oceanfront homes in Malibu: off-street parking<br />

for 10-plus cars; a full-sized, lighted tennis<br />

court; and an ocean-side swimming pool.<br />

An exterior corkscrew stairway stuck to the<br />

backside of the house makes a convenient<br />

if vertiginous three-story curl from a small<br />

balcony on the top level to a large terrace<br />

and soccer-pitch-sized lawn that gives way<br />

to rolling dunes.<br />

Adele Plunks Down $9.5m<br />

for Don Mischer’s Manse<br />

$9.5m<br />

BEVERLY HILLS<br />

6,600 SQ. FT.<br />

4 BEDROOMS<br />

6 BATHS<br />

Thirteen-time Emmy-winning live-event producer<br />

Don Mischer sold his long-time home<br />

in a discreet if remarkably celeb-steeped<br />

enclave tucked up into the mansion-dotted<br />

mountains above Beverly Hills to 10-time<br />

Grammy-winning British chanteuse Adele for<br />

$9.5 million. Mischer, whose mile-long list<br />

of impressive credits include several Super<br />

Bowl halftime shows and President Obama’s<br />

2009 inaugural celebration, purchased the<br />

property in 1991 for $2 million and first<br />

put the Dutch Colonial-style residence up<br />

for sale in the fall of 2015 at $10.75 million.<br />

Online marketing materials show that the<br />

gated and not-quite-6,600-square-foot home<br />

has four bedrooms and six bathrooms along<br />

with a double-height entry, two formal living<br />

rooms — both with fireplaces — a dining<br />

room, an office with a built-in desk, and<br />

a second-floor library loft with a vaulted<br />

ceiling. The cook’s kitchen opens to a family<br />

room with a bookshelf-flanked fireplace<br />

and French doors that lead to a well-stocked<br />

backyard with stone terraces, a swimming<br />

pool, and a gazebo with a porch swing.<br />

Should Adele invite her new neighbors<br />

to a housewarming party, some of her guests<br />

might include Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis;<br />

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem; Cameron<br />

Diaz, who bought her compound from<br />

Candice Bergen in 2010 for almost $9.5<br />

million; and Zoe Saldana, the recent buyer<br />

of a freshly rehabbed Colonial Revival<br />

residence sold for $8.7 million and once<br />

owned by Kimora Lee Simmons. Jennifer<br />

Lawrence, one of Adele’s close gal pals,<br />

owns a house just around the corner that<br />

she bought in 2014 from ailing media<br />

tycoon Sumner Redstone’s ludicrously younger<br />

former-lady-friend Sydney Holland for a<br />

bit more than $8.2 million. That house was<br />

previously owned by a laundry list of<br />

famous folk, including Ellen DeGeneres.<br />

Back in the U.K., the rolling-in-dough<br />

singer is said to own side-by-side townhouses<br />

in a natty London neighborhood,<br />

purchased in two transactions for a total<br />

outlay of about $13 million, as well<br />

as a seaside retreat in Hove near Brighton,<br />

reportedly snapped up in 2012 for about<br />

$3.8 million.<br />

$7.5m<br />

MALIBU<br />

7,700 SQ. FT.<br />

4 BEDROOMS<br />

5.5 BATHS<br />

Hoberman Building in<br />

Malibu’s The Who ’Hood<br />

We first heard it from eagle-eyed real estate<br />

yenta Yolanda Yakketyyak, and property<br />

records confirm that veteran film and television<br />

producer David Hoberman shelled out<br />

$7.5 million for a not-yet-completed contemporary<br />

villa in Malibu’s The Who, a tiny<br />

and curiously named gated enclave perched<br />

on a low bluff above the Pacific Coast Highway.<br />

Designed by savvy Malibu-based designer<br />

and architect Scott Gillen, the low-slung,<br />

single-level residence has four en suite bedrooms<br />

and a total of 5.5 bathrooms in just<br />

over 7,700 square feet, with soaring 13-foot<br />

exposed beam ceilings, wide-plank white<br />

oak floorboards, and custom-crafted black<br />

walnut cabinetry.<br />

A courtyard entry lined with glass walls<br />

leads to a prodigiously proportioned, loftlike<br />

main living/dining/entertaining space,<br />

where an open-concept kitchen will feature<br />

ultra-high-end cabinetry imported from Germany.<br />

A vast wall of floor-to-ceiling glass<br />

sliders will open on a 60-foot-long infinity-edged<br />

swimming pool and spa. A basement<br />

will accommodate a media room and<br />

gym, and there’s a three-car garage.<br />

Digs<br />

The Boy Next Door<br />

The Playboy Mansion is about<br />

to be sold to businessman (and<br />

next-door neighbor) Daren<br />

Metropoulos. The famous estate<br />

hit the market earlier this year<br />

with an asking price of $200 million,<br />

and is said to be in escrow<br />

for right around $120 million.<br />

The main residence was<br />

designed by celebrated architect<br />

Arthur Kelly and built in the<br />

mid-1920s for department-store<br />

heir Arthur Letts Jr. It was later<br />

owned by Louis Statham, a<br />

prolific inventor and avid chess<br />

player, who sold it to Hugh<br />

Hefner in 1971 for a then-recordbreaking<br />

$1.05 million. The 5.3-<br />

acre spread, in the hoity-toity<br />

Holmby Hills hood, is one of the<br />

few properties in Los Angeles<br />

with a zoo permit. Young Mister<br />

Metropoulos, the fortunately born<br />

thirtysomething son of billionaire<br />

investor C. Dean Metropoulos<br />

— the man responsible for saving<br />

the Twinkie and owning the<br />

Pabst Blue Ribbon beer empire<br />

— previously popped up in all<br />

the property gossip columns in<br />

2009 when he paid $18 million<br />

cash for the estate next door, the<br />

former Hefner family home that<br />

was sold by Hugh Hefner’s second<br />

ex-wife, former Playboy Playmate<br />

Kimberly Conrad. The sale<br />

of the Playboy Mansion comes<br />

with the stipulation that Hefner,<br />

now 90 years old, remain in residence<br />

until his death — after<br />

which Metropoulos plans to combine<br />

the neighboring estates into a<br />

single 7.3-acre compound.<br />

MARK DAVID<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

43

EXPOSURE | DIRT PARTIES WWD REPORT CARD DEVOUR<br />

Chris McGurk Quietly<br />

Sells in Beverly Hills<br />

A Beverly Hills mansion long owned by veteran<br />

entertainment industry mover and<br />

shaker Chris McGurk was quietly sold, according<br />

to property records, in an off-market<br />

deal for $16 million. McGurk, formerly vice<br />

chairman and COO of MGM — and currently<br />

chairman and CEO of juggernaut digital<br />

content distributor Cinedigm — acquired<br />

the double-gated estate in August 1996 for<br />

$3.77 million from Louise Taper, an accomplished<br />

historian and the Lincoln-artifact-collecting<br />

daughter-in-law of late real<br />

estate developer S. Mark Taper, after whom<br />

the Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los<br />

Angeles was named.<br />

The nearly three-quarter-acre estate,<br />

just around the corner from the Beverly<br />

Hills Hotel on a wide and tree-lined street,<br />

is anchored by a vaguely Tudor-style mansion<br />

of about 11,500 square feet, with six<br />

bedrooms and seven bathrooms. A double-height<br />

foyer with a curved staircase and<br />

inlaid Parquet de Versailles-style wood floors<br />

leads to a formal living room with a stone<br />

fireplace, a separate dining room, and a family<br />

room with another stone fireplace. The<br />

$16m<br />

BEVERLY HILLS<br />

11,500 SQ. FT.<br />

6 BEDROOMS<br />

7 BATHS<br />

back of the house opens to a flat and highhedged<br />

backyard with a trellis-covered terrace<br />

for dining, a free-form swimming pool<br />

and spa, and a lighted tennis court with a<br />

pergola-shaded viewing platform. According<br />

to listing broker Brett Oppenheim at the<br />

Oppenheim Group, the house will undergo<br />

an 18-month, multimillion-dollar overhaul<br />

by prominent Los Angeles architect Richard<br />

Landry and internationally renowned designer<br />

Thomas Pheasant.<br />

Our research shows McGurk also owns<br />

a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom beachfront<br />

contemporary privately located at the end<br />

of a gated lane near El Matador State Beach<br />

in Malibu that, as it turns out, is available<br />

off-market, per online listings we turned up,<br />

with an asking price of nearly $9 million.<br />

The Broderick-Parkers<br />

Buy Adjacent Homes<br />

Long-married showbiz veterans Sarah Jessica<br />

Parker and Matthew Broderick have significantly<br />

upsized their living situation, as was<br />

first revealed by the plugged-in property gossips<br />

at The Real Deal, with the deep-pocketed<br />

$34.5 million purchase of two side-byside<br />

townhouses on a prime, tree-lined block<br />

in the heart of New York City’s once<br />

bohemian, now fully fancified and wildly<br />

pricey West Village. Owned since the early<br />

1920s by the United Methodist Women nonprofit<br />

organization, and just steps from the<br />

delicious and tourist-thronged Magnolia<br />

Bakery, the turn-of-the-20th-century redbrick<br />

townhouses were originally made<br />

available for purchase in the fall of 2015. At<br />

the time, there was speculation they might<br />

fetch as much as $44 million; they were last<br />

priced, however, at $34.5 million, according<br />

to digital listings. Presumably the Broderick-Parkers<br />

will spend a small fortune<br />

to upgrade and combine the townhouses<br />

that together have 50 feet of street frontage<br />

and encompass a suburban mansion-sized<br />

13,900 square feet, with another 2,100<br />

square feet of private outdoor space.<br />

Parker and Broderick previously owned<br />

another West Village townhouse just off<br />

lower Fifth Avenue’s Gold Coast. They purchased<br />

that building in 2011 for $19 million,<br />

extensively renovated it, put it up for sale in<br />

June 2014 for $25 million, and sold it almost<br />

exactly a year later for $18.25 million.<br />

There are reports that they dropped $4<br />

million on a new townhouse-type property<br />

in Brooklyn Heights a few years ago,<br />

although we have no direct knowledge of<br />

such a purchase. It does appear from a careful<br />

examination of various property record<br />

databases that the couple continues to own<br />

a 4,182-square-foot West Village townhouse<br />

acquired in April 2000 for $3 million, as well<br />

as two neighboring homes in the historic<br />

Hamptons hamlet of Amagansett — one<br />

of them beachfront and the other not —<br />

bought in two separate transactions over the<br />

summer of 2005 for a total of $6.6 million.<br />

$34.5m<br />

NEW YORK CITY<br />

13,900 SQ. FT.<br />

50 FT. OF STREET<br />

FRONTAGE<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

44<br />

Digs<br />

Wilson Goes West<br />

Australian actress Rebel Wilson<br />

has upgraded her circumstances<br />

in Los Angeles with the $3<br />

million purchase of a new residence<br />

on an undistinguished<br />

bungalow-lined street in West<br />

Hollywood. MARK DAVID<br />

Google Goes Gaga for<br />

Spruce Goose Roost<br />

Google is ready to move forward<br />

on its expansion into Playa Vista<br />

after outgrowing its offices<br />

in Venice. After buying 12 acres<br />

in 2014 for $120 million, the tech<br />

giant has leased the adjacent<br />

Spruce Goose hangar, where<br />

Howard Hughes built his giant<br />

wooden seaplane. The huge<br />

structure was constructed during<br />

World War II for aircraft production.<br />

Last week, Google closed<br />

a lease deal with the Ratkovich<br />

Co. for the 319,000 square<br />

foot hangar, which has also been<br />

used as a soundstage. Google<br />

has not yet revealed how it plans<br />

to develop the open 12-acre plot,<br />

which is zoned for office development.<br />

Google already has a<br />

41,000-square-foot YouTube production<br />

facility in Playa Vista,<br />

which is quickly becoming the<br />

epicenter of Silicon Beach with<br />

firms like Facebook, Fullscreen,<br />

and Yahoo. PAT SAPERSTEIN<br />

MCGURK HOUSE: BRIAN PINKETT; WILSON: TYLER BOYE/WWD/SHUTTERSTOCK

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EYE OF<br />

THE<br />

With industry upheaval all around him,<br />

is sticking to his vision<br />

Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes<br />

and fighting the urge to merge<br />

STORY BY<br />

CYNTHIA LITTLETON<br />

June 14, 2016<br />

Variety.com<br />

46

PETER YANG/AUGUST

EFF BEWKES<br />

OESN’T HIDE<br />

IS AMUSEMENT<br />

when asked whether Time Warner is a<br />

takeover target. Sitting at a large circular<br />

table in a conference room on the<br />

11th floor of the Time Warner Center, the<br />

chairman/CEO ticks off the reasons why<br />

the company is well-positioned to keep have been too timid,” says a former Time<br />

thriving in its current configuration. He’s Warner investor. “It’s like [Jeff] has given up<br />

brought along a yellow legal pad with trying to build the company.”<br />

handwritten notes to ensure he doesn’t Time Warner was, of course, deeply<br />

overlook any salient points.<br />

scarred by the economic devastation of its<br />

Bewkes, 64, really doesn’t need any union with AOL in 2001. Bewkes gets credit<br />

reminders. He’s the one who wrote the even from his critics for helping the company<br />

script for the new-model Time Warner.<br />

recover from that mess. A year later<br />

During his tenure as chief executive, it has he started his climb up the corporate ladder<br />

been winnowed from the sprawl following<br />

from HBO chief to chairman of Time<br />

the AOL merger 15 years ago to a threepronged<br />

Warner’s entertainment and networks<br />

content company focused on TV, group, and then to chief operating officer.<br />

movies, and digital across HBO, Turner, and He took the CEO reins from Richard<br />

Warner Bros. Now, at a time of immense Parsons in January 2008.<br />

industry upheaval, Bewkes favors a strategy The company’s financial track record<br />

of holding steady with Time Warner’s formidable<br />

under Bewkes speaks for itself. Shareholder<br />

assets as they stand today. As talk earnings grew at a compound rate of<br />

swirls about potential merger options — 17.3% from 2010 to 2015. In that same time<br />

Apple? CBS? — Bewkes steadfastly insists frame, Time Warner returned some $29.1<br />

he likes the hand he’s playing.<br />

billion to shareholders in the form of stock<br />

“After all the failures of Time Warner 10 buy-backs and dividends.<br />

years ago and 20 years ago [HBO, Turner, However, some fault Bewkes for failing<br />

and Warner Bros.] finally have the experience<br />

to use Time Warner’s strong balance sheet<br />

and shared interest to help each other to take big swings — such as moving more<br />

succeed,” Bewkes says. “We have the brands, aggressively into premium streaming video<br />

we have the money, we have the distribution<br />

via HBO when Netflix was in its infancy, or<br />

platform support, and we have the combining with a broadcast network, or<br />

program supply. We have better access to expanding Warner Bros. through acquisitions.<br />

movies and TV shows than any other company<br />

(WB execs in recent years floated the<br />

probably other than Disney. We can idea of buying DreamWorks Animation<br />

use our scale together, or not, and that and at least one major video game company,<br />

balance is one of the biggest advantages of<br />

to no avail.)<br />

our company.”<br />

Now, as the company’s core businesses<br />

But within entertainment circles, the fight industrywide headwinds, Time Warner<br />

conventional wisdom about Time Warner<br />

is facing the perception that manage-<br />

is different. There is strong sentiment that ment is in caretaker mode until the right<br />

it is long past time for Bewkes to make a buyer comes along. The heightened attention<br />

move to expand the company’s horizons.<br />

to spending, even behind the velvet<br />

Disney and its decade-long buying spree of rope of HBO, has fueled speculation that<br />

blue-chip brands (Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm) the objective is to make the books look as<br />

is the standard by which all entertainment good as possible for prospective suitors.<br />

content companies are judged.<br />

All of this sounds plausible — until you<br />

At Time Warner, the recent emphasis on spend five minutes with Bewkes talking<br />

cost containment, stock buy-backs, delivering<br />

about Time Warner’s future. He does not<br />

its promised double-digit earnings sound like a CEO who is focused on his exit<br />

growth, and raising the dividend has signaled<br />

package. He’s engaged in the challenge of<br />

48<br />

to some a lack of ambition. “They navigating the company through<br />

choppy<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

JEFF BEWKES<br />

Time Warner<br />

chairman/CEO<br />

Jeffrey L.<br />

Bewkes joined<br />

what he calls<br />

the “fascinating<br />

platoon” of<br />

HBO in 1979,<br />

working in<br />

sales and marketing.<br />

He rose<br />

through the<br />

finance ranks<br />

to become<br />

president in<br />

1991, and CEO<br />

in 1995. In<br />

2002 he was<br />

called up to the<br />

corporate level<br />

to steady the<br />

ship after the<br />

AOL merger<br />

as president of<br />

Time Warner’s<br />

entertainment<br />

and networks<br />

group. He<br />

was upped to<br />

president in<br />

2006, and CEO<br />

in 2008.<br />

Bewkes<br />

earned a B.A.<br />

from Yale<br />

University and<br />

an MBA from<br />

Stanford Graduate<br />

School of<br />

Business.<br />

waters as the industry sorts through disruption<br />

in the economic structures that<br />

have powered film and TV for decades.<br />

“We’ve spent a long time getting our<br />

company down to a nimble, focused, musthave<br />

group of capabilities that we think<br />

is very well suited to all these evolutions,”<br />

says Bewkes. “First and foremost, in program<br />

development, we think we have the<br />

right people and processes in place to get<br />

breakthrough content made at HBO, Warner<br />

Bros., and Turner. And we think we<br />

have exactly what we need for optimal<br />

positioning in global distribution.”<br />

Bewkes’ streamlining of Time Warner<br />

could make it an attractive takeover target<br />

for a well-heeled suitor seeking enviable<br />

assets at a time when industry observers<br />

believe consolidation among content companies<br />

is poised to accelerate. The notion<br />

of an Apple-Time Warner union was even<br />

briefly considered last year after the two<br />

companies worked closely together on the<br />

launch of the HBO Now broadband service.<br />

The what-if discussion came up in the context<br />

of Apple’s pursuit of its TV channel<br />

bundling and navigation guide initiatives,<br />

but it didn’t advance to the level of Bewkes<br />

or Apple CEO Tim Cook, sources say.<br />

Still, Apple’s interest underscores that<br />

Time Warner is seen as a prime M&A<br />

target, in part because its operations have<br />

been so intensively streamlined. Within<br />

CBS Corp., speculation about what a<br />

Time Warner merger might look like has<br />

increased in the past year, given the natural<br />

fit of the broadcast network with Warner<br />

Bros. and Turner.<br />

Just a month after Time Warner completed<br />

the last piece of Bewkes’ slim-down<br />

campaign (the 2014 spinoff of the Time Inc.<br />

magazine group), 21st Century Fox came<br />

knocking with its $80 billion buyout bid.<br />

Bewkes and his board barely broke a<br />

sweat batting down Rupert Murdoch’s overture<br />

as greatly undervaluing the company.<br />

Fox’s $85-per-share offer set a benchmark<br />

for Time Warner to demonstrate that it<br />

would be more valuable to shareholders<br />

to go it alone. Yet amid the broader market<br />

volatility, Time Warner shares haven’t<br />

closed above $80 since August.<br />

Bewkes shakes his head with a knowing<br />

smile at the suggestion that the company<br />

has faced pressure from major shareholders<br />

to consider new options, such as<br />

a spinoff of HBO. That’s been a source of<br />

chatter in financial and media circles —<br />

but not from actual shareholders, Bewkes<br />

insists, and he meets with them regularly.<br />

“There has been no formal approach,<br />

no demands, which is exactly what we<br />

expected,” he says.

Big Influence<br />

Jeff Bewkes<br />

opened the<br />

2014 Time 100<br />

gala at Time<br />

Warner Center<br />

in New York.<br />

“WE HAVE THE BRANDS, WE<br />

HAVE THE MONEY, WE HAVE<br />

THE DISTRIBUTION PLATFORM<br />

SUPPORT, AND WE HAVE THE<br />

PROGRAM SUPPLY. WE HAVE<br />

BETTER ACCESS TO MOVIES<br />

AND TV SHOWS THAN ANY<br />

OTHER COMPANY PROBABLY<br />

OTHER THAN DISNEY.”<br />

Jeff Bewkes<br />

CLINT SPAULDING/PATRICK MCMULLAN/SIPA USA/AP<br />

COOL AND UNFLAPPABLE, Bewkes says<br />

there’s no strategic piece missing from<br />

Time Warner, and he has no wish list of<br />

potential acquisitions.<br />

He had some fun with the constant<br />

“What will Time Warner do next?” speculation<br />

on the company’s May 4 first-quarter<br />

earnings call. A snafu at the call-hosting<br />

service caused participants to hear a few<br />

seconds of a pre-recorded earnings call for<br />

Minnesota-based St. Jude Medical .<br />

Bewkes was quick to joke as his investor<br />

relations chief, Michael Kopelman, started<br />

in with the usual earnings-call preamble<br />

about forward-looking statements. “Are you<br />

going to tell them about our big merger<br />

with St. Jude Medical?” Bewkes interrupted.<br />

“Catheters are up!”<br />

Joking aside, industryites shouldn’t hold<br />

their breath for a mega-deal . More than<br />

anything else, the chief exec wants the<br />

company to execute on its content-focused<br />

strategy.<br />

Those who know Bewkes well praise his<br />

decisiveness and incisiveness .<br />

“He’s got really good brain power,” says<br />

Bob Miron, the former head of Advance/<br />

Newhouse Communications, and current<br />

non-executive chairman of Discovery Communications.<br />

Bewkes impressed Miron<br />

decades ago when they collaborated on a<br />

complicated deal involving ownership of<br />

the E! channel. Bewkes was then a midlevel<br />

executive in finance at HBO, but he<br />

was the one who sorted out thorny issues<br />

among various owners.<br />

“He knows how to find a happy medium<br />

to reach a deal,” Miron says.<br />

Wall Street respects Bewkes for his<br />

attention to earnings growth and return<br />

on invested capital. His deconstruction of<br />

AOL Time Warner has been good for business,<br />

and complex divestitures and spinoffs<br />

of Time Warner Cable and AOL ( both in<br />

2009) and Time Inc. (2014) required a lot<br />

of financial advisers . But in the end, those<br />

companies proved to be worth more as<br />

stand-alone entities than they were valued<br />

under the Time Warner umbrella. All of<br />

this contributes to Bewkes’ view that bigger<br />

doesn’t mean better. Even the talk of Time<br />

Warner joining Disney, Fox, and NBCUniversal<br />

as an equity partner in Hulu has<br />

been overstated, although his interest in<br />

being part of Hulu’s nascent channel bundle<br />

is not.<br />

“We’ve been talking to them since the<br />

beginning of Hulu,” Bewkes says.<br />

TW 2015 FINANCIALS<br />

Total Revenue<br />

$29.2B<br />

36%<br />

Turner<br />

Total EBITDA<br />

$8.1B<br />

19%<br />

HBO<br />

22%<br />

Warner Bros.<br />

24%<br />

HBO<br />

45%<br />

Warner Bros.<br />

54%<br />

Turner<br />

Percentage<br />

of Revenue<br />

Percentage<br />

of EBITDA<br />

BEWKES’ VISION for the leaner Time Warner<br />

will be tested in coming months as<br />

each of its units pursues business-transformation<br />

efforts.<br />

“With all the paranoia about cordcutting,<br />

the company needs a new growth<br />

narrative,” says a Time Warner alum.<br />

“Jeff in his heart believes it’s wrong to<br />

break it into pieces until all the other<br />

paths of internal growth are exhausted, or<br />

until someone comes along and offers a<br />

huge premium.”<br />

Bewkes sees a bright future ahead for<br />

Turner thanks to the emergence of digital<br />

channel packages from Hulu, YouTube, and<br />

possibly Apple, as well as the early entrants<br />

of Dish Network’s Sling TV and Sony’s Play-<br />

Station Vue. The CEO wants Time Warner<br />

channels on all of those systems, so long as<br />

they’re willing to pay market rates.<br />

The hope is that those alternative services<br />

will take root during the next few<br />

years while Turner is guaranteed rich<br />

rate-card fee increases from its traditional<br />

MVPDs, thanks to deals that were completed<br />

several years ago before the erosion<br />

of traditional pay-TV subscribers became<br />

noticeable.<br />

In a skinny-bundle environment, it may<br />

have been wise for Time Warner to have<br />

nurtured a half-dozen dominant channels<br />

— HBO, CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network/Adult<br />

Swim, TCM — that demand to<br />

be in any smaller cable bundle, rather than<br />

developing tonnage à la Disney’s ESPN<br />

in sports or Viacom in MTV- and VH1-<br />

branded offshoots.<br />

Alexia Quadrani, senior media analyst<br />

at JP Morgan, has confidence in Bewkes’<br />

approach to the changing landscape. “Time<br />

Warner could get bigger, but it doesn’t need<br />

to,” she says. “They are not at the top of the<br />

list of media companies to be concerned<br />

about. I think they have more tailwinds<br />

than they have had in a while.”<br />

But even the best-laid plans hit unex-<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

49<br />

SOURCE: COMPANY REPORTS, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS,<br />

EXCLUDES INTERSEGMENT ELIMINATIONS IN REVENUE +<br />

EBITDA AND EXCLUDES CORPORATE COSTS IN EBITDA

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

50<br />

Upfront<br />

Viewing<br />

From left,<br />

Turner<br />

president<br />

David Levy,<br />

Bewkes,<br />

Turner<br />

chairman/<br />

CEO John<br />

Martin, and<br />

Warner Bros.<br />

Entertainment<br />

chairman/CEO<br />

Kevin Tsujihara<br />

at the 2015<br />

Turner<br />

presentation<br />

pected hurdles. HBO is undergoing a major<br />

executive transition on the West Coast,<br />

with programming president Michael<br />

Lombardo being replaced by Casey Bloys.<br />

Turner is just beginning a risky effort to<br />

refurbish its TNT and TBS motherships<br />

with an edgier brand of younger-skewing<br />

original series. And the sports rights, notably<br />

professional basketball and baseball<br />

games, which are crucial to keeping TNT<br />

and TBS must-haves in any bundle, are<br />

only growing more expensive.<br />

Warner Bros. TV’s production business<br />

is formidable and growing in its international<br />

scope. But the prevailing trends in<br />

the U.S. of the largest networks producing<br />

more shows in-house will challenge the<br />

studio’s tried-and-true model of spending<br />

big on talent and producers to command<br />

the richest fees from networks. In this environment,<br />

the Warner Bros.-Turner relationship<br />

becomes more important.<br />

The current Warner Bros. movie division<br />

continues to struggle with more flops<br />

than hits — a sharp contrast to the “We’re<br />

No. 1” swagger of earlier regimes. The studio’s<br />

first salvo in its enormous bet on the<br />

DC Comics vault to launch the next decade<br />

of franchise films, “Batman v Superman,”<br />

was widely considered a creative misstep<br />

despite its financial success.<br />

NOTHING IS MORE CENTRAL to Bewkes’<br />

growth plan than embracing the widening<br />

world of video-on-demand and over-thetop<br />

distribution. That explains why Time<br />

Warner in February bought the Korean subscription<br />

VOD service DramaFever, which<br />

specializes in Korean TV shows and movies.<br />

At first, industry observers were scratching<br />

their heads over the acquisition. But<br />

the 7-year-old, New York-based company<br />

has grown into a decent little business,<br />

with service available in multiple languages<br />

in more than 20 countries. Even<br />

more attractive to Time Warner was its<br />

technology and the streaming-video knowhow<br />

of DramaFever founders Seung Bak<br />

and Suk Park.<br />

The DramaFever deal came about six<br />

months after Turner acquired a majority<br />

stake in an even larger streaming platform,<br />

Las Vegas-based iStreamPlanet. (Warner<br />

Bros. just this month set up the Warner<br />

Bros. Digital Networks division to house<br />

DramaFever, its digital ventures with Ellen<br />

DeGeneres and LeBron James, and its<br />

investment in Machinima.)<br />

“We want to make sure we expand our<br />

capabilities for new, alternative distribution,”<br />

Bewkes says. That’s a measured way<br />

of saying that Time Warner wants the firepower<br />

to be able to go direct-to-consumer<br />

with its biggest networks if the need arises.<br />

EARNINGS GAIN<br />

Adjusted operating income<br />

(in billions)<br />

7.3%<br />

FIVE-YEAR CAGR<br />

Q3/Q4 2014 programming charges at<br />

Turner and restructuring and severance<br />

charges<br />

$4.9<br />

$5.3<br />

$5.7<br />

$6.2<br />

$0.9<br />

$5.8<br />

$6.9<br />

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015<br />

100<br />

90<br />

80<br />

70<br />

60<br />

50<br />

40<br />

30<br />

20<br />

Bewkes sees the new virtual bundles as<br />

providing both a fresh source of revenue<br />

and a competitive spur for the old-guard<br />

MVPDs to improve their bundle offerings,<br />

from a pricing, technology, and marketing<br />

perspective. He and others believe that<br />

long-overdue innovation will help MVPDs<br />

preserve the traditional pay-TV ecosystem<br />

that remains the single-biggest driver of<br />

earnings for the largest media congloms.<br />

Bewkes, like many of his media-CEO<br />

peers, is frustrated that the old-guard<br />

MVPDs were generally slow to respond<br />

to the changes in consumer viewing habits<br />

that allowed Netflix to storm onto the<br />

scene. He knew the appeal of on-demand<br />

viewing options because HBO blazed the<br />

trail back in 2001 with the launch of its<br />

cable-based HBO on Demand service.<br />

In 2009, Bewkes and Comcast chief<br />

Brian Roberts sought to galvanize the<br />

industry around the concept of “TV Everywhere,”<br />

in which cable operators would<br />

offer subscribers streaming-video access to<br />

the channels for which they were already<br />

paying . Only Comcast really expanded its<br />

offerings in a significant way — through its<br />

Xfinity platform — which is a big reason<br />

Comcast boasts the industry’s leading subscriber-retention<br />

rates.<br />

“They bungled it,” Bewkes says. “By and<br />

large, the incumbent distribution system<br />

was too slow to give the consumers what<br />

had already been invented. They had the<br />

programming; they could have offered it in<br />

an effective way to consumers who would<br />

have watched. Instead, [MVPDs] let consumers<br />

go to alternatives for the very same<br />

programming they already had, because<br />

consumers wanted it on VOD and with a<br />

great interface.”<br />

Since April 2015, HBO Now, the $15-<br />

per-month streaming-only service, has<br />

been Time Warner’s canary in the OTT<br />

coal mine. It’s an effort to reach subscribers<br />

who don’t have traditional cable service<br />

or are put off by the high price of taking<br />

basic service plus the premium fee for<br />

HBO. For the first time in its nearly 45-year<br />

history, HBO can be purchased as a stand-<br />

BIG BOOST<br />

Time Warner’s stock has risen 60%<br />

during Jeff Bewkes’ tenure as CEO.<br />

2008<br />

Jan. 2,<br />

2008:<br />

$32.87<br />

2009<br />

2010<br />

Jan. 4,<br />

2010:<br />

$22.78<br />

Jan. 3,<br />

2012:<br />

$32.56<br />

Jan. 2,<br />

2014:<br />

$57.77<br />

Jun. 10,<br />

2016:<br />

$73.63<br />

Jan. 4,<br />

2016:<br />

$70.02<br />

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016<br />

KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES<br />

SOURCE: COMPANY REPORTS, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, EXCLUDES<br />

INTERSEGMENT ELIMINATIONS IN REVENUE + EBITDA AND<br />

EXCLUDES CORPORATE COSTS IN EBITDA<br />

*STOCK PRICE ADJUSTED FOR SPLITS AND DIVIDENDS

alone channel. That’s a breakthrough<br />

that amounts to Time Warner leading the<br />

charge in offering consumers à la carte<br />

cable. (Showtime and Starz followed HBO’s<br />

lead within months.)<br />

Bewkes and HBO chairman/CEO Richard<br />

Plepler have told Wall Street that HBO Now<br />

will be transformative. With just under<br />

1 million subscribers to date, the streaming<br />

service’s growth trajectory is on target,<br />

Bewkes says (although he would not confirm<br />

that number). “It’s doing pretty much<br />

exactly what we wanted. It’s delivering the<br />

right sub numbers, the right viewing, and<br />

the right retention numbers.”<br />

HBO Now is also a cudgel that Time<br />

Warner is holding over the head of Big<br />

Cable to get operators to work harder to<br />

sell HBO to their subscriber bases. The premium<br />

network’s wholesale model incentivizes<br />

operators to sell subscriptions, giving<br />

them a slice of the monthly fee paid by<br />

every new subscriber.<br />

But Time Warner is convinced that HBO<br />

has room to grow in homes with traditional<br />

cable service if only operators are<br />

more aggressive in marketing the service.<br />

Time Warner Cable, HBO’s former corporate<br />

sibling, is seen as the biggest offender.<br />

Bewkes points to the fact that HBO’s penetration<br />

within Comcast’s cable footprint<br />

is nearly twice as high as in TW Cable’s.<br />

(There’s hope that will improve now that<br />

Charter has swallowed up TW Cable.)<br />

So Bewkes has a message for cable<br />

operators: “Last call.” As HBO ramps up its<br />

consumer marketing for HBO Now, cable<br />

operators have a final chance to step up<br />

the marketing of traditional HBO or partner<br />

on selling HBO Now — or stand back<br />

and watch the premium network sign up<br />

new subscribers in which MVPDs get no cut<br />

of the monthly $15 check.<br />

“For the operator who has been sitting<br />

on his hands, we’re saying, ‘You’ve got two<br />

choices here: Either a house gets HBO Now,<br />

or gets it from you. If you don’t do it, we’re<br />

doing it.’” he says.<br />

Bewkes believes the leverage is working.<br />

In the 18 months since HBO Now was<br />

3,000<br />

2,500<br />

2,000<br />

1,500<br />

1,000<br />

500<br />

0<br />

CHASING DISNEY<br />

Adjusted EBITDA by studio (in millions)<br />

unveiled, the channel overall has added<br />

2.7 million subscribers, its biggest growth<br />

spurt in 30 years. And more of them came<br />

from traditional cable than from Now.<br />

The HBO Now experience has reinforced<br />

Bewkes’ view that Time Warner’s focus on<br />

content production and distribution —<br />

particularly TV content — is the right one.<br />

“There has never been more interest or<br />

vibrancy in television and the relationship<br />

that audiences have to it,” Bewkes says. “It<br />

really is the Golden Age.”<br />

The exec is equally certain that now is<br />

not the time to court a deal with a Facebook<br />

or an Apple or a Verizon. Time Warner<br />

went the online-partner route once<br />

before, and it played like a disaster movie.<br />

STANDING IN AN EMPTY ROW of seats at the<br />

Theater at Madison Square Garden after<br />

Turner’s nearly two-hour upfront presentation<br />

on May 18, Bewkes is gamely talking<br />

shop with a reporter. As workers sweep up<br />

confetti, strike the stage, and pack up heavy<br />

equipment all around him, Time Warner’s<br />

titan sticks around to articulate the central<br />

challenge that media giants face in this<br />

fraught moment of change.<br />

TV programming is more plentiful, more<br />

beloved, and more “at your service” on<br />

multiple platforms, as he puts it, than ever<br />

before. That’s good news for Time Warner,<br />

because demand is only going up. But the<br />

economic fundamentals of how all that<br />

programming is paid for are very much<br />

in flux, leading to nervousness in the executive<br />

suites and bearishness on Wall Street.<br />

In Bewkes’ view, all of this quaking and<br />

shaking will sort itself out. “Great content,”<br />

he says with characteristically patrician<br />

delivery, “will carry the day.”<br />

But as seismic changes whirl around<br />

him, Bewkes will face plenty of challenges<br />

in his steering of the Time Warner ship. It<br />

begs the question about a Plan B. Is he biding<br />

his time until the right offer comes in?<br />

Is he hoping to outmaneuver his rivals? Is<br />

he in denial? For now, it’s a cliffhanger<br />

worthy of “Game of Thrones.”<br />

2013 2014 2015 2016 (estimated) 2017 (estimated)<br />

DISNEY WARNER BROS. 20TH CENTURY FOX LIONSGATE PARAMOUNT<br />

SOURCE: COMPANY REPORTS, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS ESTIMATES<br />

TW STATUS REPORT<br />

Time Warner chairman/CEO Jeff Bewkes has been<br />

crystal-clear about his priorities: Embrace new forms<br />

of distribution, double down on content production,<br />

and expand internationally. He also places a focus on<br />

finding operating efficiencies — aka cost-cutting —<br />

and on collaboration among HBO, Turner, and Warner<br />

Bros. “The company is operating together better than<br />

it did five years ago,” says a Time Warner alum. Here’s<br />

a look at TW’s core divisions. —Cynthia Littleton<br />

HBO<br />

The Good<br />

• HBO is poised for renegotiations of MVPD affiliation<br />

deals that could add momentum to its subscriber<br />

growth. It’s also targetting broadband-only homes<br />

with HBO Now.<br />

• It’s adding dimension with new shows from<br />

Jon Stewart, Bill Simmons, and Vice Media. A deal<br />

for “Sesame Street” aims to keeps HBO relevant<br />

with families.<br />

• It has the goods over its premium rivals, including<br />

Netflix, when it comes to movies, with output deals<br />

with Warner Bros., Fox, Universal, and Summit.<br />

• It’s pursuing a mix of OTT, linear, and licensing<br />

options to grow its international footprint.<br />

The Bad<br />

• HBO faces fierce competition for talent and market<br />

share from a wider array of rivals than ever before.<br />

• Mergers among distributors, including Charter-Time<br />

Warner Cable and AT&T-DirecTV, could mean more<br />

expensive carriage terms.<br />

• With the end of “Game of Thrones” in sight, the<br />

network is thin on buzzy scripted hits.<br />

TURNER<br />

The Good<br />

• TW has doubled the budgets for original programming<br />

at TBS and TNT.<br />

• TW says Turner will deliver double-digit affiliate fee<br />

growth in the next few years, thanks to increases<br />

baked into existing contracts.<br />

• Bleacher Report has blossomed into the No. 2 digital<br />

sports site, behind ESPN, since its 2012 acquisition<br />

by Turner.<br />

• The digital and mobile operations of CNN Digital are<br />

growing at a fast clip, outpacing U.S. news rivals.<br />

The Bad<br />

• Cord-cutting will exact a toll.<br />

• TBS and TNT lean on pricey sports rights — for the<br />

NBA, Major League Baseball postseason, and NCAA<br />

tournament — to drive affiliate rate increases.<br />

• TBS has been reliant on “The Big Bang Theory”<br />

reruns to keep it the No. 1 cabler in adults 18-49. In<br />

syndication since 2011, the show will undoubtedly<br />

cool off.<br />

WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT<br />

The Good<br />

• Warner is seeding international growth prospects<br />

with recent investments in China and Europe.<br />

• The success of NBC’s “Little Big Shots” shows the<br />

worth of WB’s investment in unscripted production.<br />

• The video-game unit continues to be strong.<br />

• Bewkes predicts that the window between theatrical<br />

release and in-home VOD options will continue to<br />

shrink. These film exhibition shifts benefit studios.<br />

• A free agent, Warner Bros. TV has an edge over its<br />

vertically integrated studio rivals.<br />

The Bad<br />

• Warner Bros. TV is facing more pressure to hand<br />

over rights and profit stakes to network partners as<br />

a condition of getting shows on the air.<br />

• Content licensing is booming, but syndication is<br />

dropping as platforms diversify.<br />

• Warner Bros. has had a prolonged bad run at the<br />

box office and is tweaking its plans for the release<br />

of 10 DC Comics-inspired titles after the poor critical<br />

response to “Batman v Superman: Dawn of<br />

Justice.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

51

Soaking Up<br />

Fantasy Under the Sea<br />

David Zinn, set and<br />

costume designer, and<br />

director Tina Landau on<br />

the “SpongeBob” stage<br />

in Chicago.

the<br />

Stage<br />

‘The SpongeBob<br />

Musical’ brings<br />

the classic<br />

cartoon to life<br />

Story by Gordon Cox<br />

Photographs<br />

by Tim Klein<br />

June 14, 2016<br />

Variety.com<br />

53

In1<br />

2 3<br />

a basement studio under Chicago’s Oriental<br />

Theatre, things are getting dramatic — and<br />

a bit surreal. A 14-piece orchestra is swelling<br />

to a cinematic crescendo. Three actors<br />

— portraying a sponge, a starfish, and a<br />

squirrel — mime their struggle to reach<br />

the top of an underwater volcano. Just<br />

as the music reaches its peak, one of the<br />

actors, in a voice that sounds not unlike<br />

a certain invertebrate fry-cook, cries out,<br />

“Give me the eruptor interruptor!”<br />

The musicians fall silent, waiting. ...<br />

“… Aaand then we don’t have this part yet,”<br />

says orchestrator Tom Kitt, who’s overseeing<br />

this rehearsal session for “The Sponge-<br />

Bob Musical.” He’ll finish the rest later. For<br />

4<br />

now, it’s a cliffhanger.<br />

Underwater World<br />

“SpongeBob” is also a cliffhanger for<br />

1. Cast member Emmy<br />

Broadway rivals. The big-budget production<br />

Raver-Lampman<br />

— costing between $15 million and $20<br />

2. Sea anemone<br />

costume detail<br />

million — which opens in Chicago to critics<br />

June 19 with New York in its sights,<br />

L’ogan J’ones,<br />

3. Cast members<br />

arrives under the auspices of a deep-pocketed<br />

entertainment conglomerate, and<br />

Slater (far right), who<br />

Stephanie Hsu, Danny<br />

Skinner, and Ethan<br />

touts a powerhouse international brand<br />

stars as SpongeBob 4.<br />

that stands poised to absorb a major<br />

musical supervisor and<br />

orchestrator Tom Kitt<br />

share of Broadway’s ultra-profitable<br />

5. Dress for Miss<br />

family business.<br />

Urchin 6. Set detail<br />

for the song “Bikini<br />

But these are dangerous waters. Nickelodeon,<br />

the Viacom label that originated<br />

The Electric Skates<br />

Bottom Boogie” by<br />

and oversees the “SpongeBob SquarePants”<br />

property, is a Broadway amateur, embarking<br />

5 6<br />

on a stage adaptation that, if it doesn’t<br />

strike exactly the right balance, risks alienating<br />

fervent multigenerational fans. The “We are talking about a wholly original for a splashy musical based on a cartoon.<br />

storyline is entirely new — it’s not based musical, based on something that’s entirely But she won over Vargo and Nickelodeon<br />

on an episode of the series or on one of two-dimensional, with a score that’s by a with a human-powered, found-object<br />

the two “SpongeBob” films — and its score diverse group of musicians, and a group vision that aims to match the animated<br />

comes from a disparate group of artists, of theater creators who are maybe not the series’ indie vibe without striving for a<br />

including John Legend, T.I., Panic! at the most commercial,” admits executive producer<br />

literal translation. No foam heads required.<br />

Disco, and the late David Bowie.<br />

Susan Vargo. “There are a lot of mov-<br />

The physical production is big and col-<br />

Fans, not to mention the ticket-buying ing pieces.”<br />

orful, but steers clear of massive technological<br />

public at large, may be predisposed to skepticism.<br />

Leading the creative charge is director<br />

demands. The sets and costumes (by<br />

Because at first blush, it’s almost Tina Landau. As a Steppenwolf member “Fun Home” designer David Zinn) all have<br />

impossible to get your head around what best known for serious Off Broadway a homemade, low-tech vibe.<br />

the offbeat undersea realm of Bikini Bottom<br />

fodder like “Head of Passes” and “Floyd “I’ve been leaning into this kind of antic,<br />

54<br />

could possibly look like onstage. Collins,” she’s not the most obvious choice unexpected, surreal, edgy sense of<br />

humor<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM

and sense of Bikini Bottom,” says Landau.<br />

“It’s accessible to children, but there’s<br />

something a little trippy and psychedelic<br />

and topsy-turvy about this world. I just<br />

loved the idea of creating a universe<br />

from scratch.”<br />

It’s been eight long years of development<br />

for Landau and Nickelodeon, which<br />

was intrigued enough by the possibilities<br />

of a cross-demographic stage musical to<br />

fund the ongoing work , but wary enough<br />

to need to be convinced that it would be,<br />

in Vargo’s words, “surprising, inventive, and<br />

exciting to a ‘SpongeBob’ fan of any age.”<br />

According to Cyma Zarghami, the head<br />

of Nickelodeon: “There was never a financial<br />

imperative. But as a franchise manager,<br />

you have to continuously think about ways<br />

to reinvent.” The discovery that one quarter<br />

of “SpongeBob” watchers are adults without<br />

children encouraged Nick to believe<br />

that the property might be a good fit for<br />

the multigenerational Broadway audience.<br />

Landau’s audition for the network began<br />

with a series of collages focused on casting<br />

or design or the mood of the show, progressed<br />

into an initial movement and physical<br />

comedy session (during which they<br />

discovered their 24-year-old SpongeBob<br />

actor, Ethan Slater), and then moved into<br />

the development of the script and score by<br />

adding book writer Kyle Jarrow (“A Very<br />

Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology<br />

Pageant”) to the team.<br />

Landau and Jarrow pitched a handful of<br />

potential narrative choices to Nickelodeon,<br />

which settled on the one with the highest<br />

possible stakes: the end of the world.<br />

In “The SpongeBob Musical,” an underwater<br />

volcano threatens to destroy Bikini Bottom,<br />

sending the town’s residents into a<br />

panic — and SpongeBob on a quest to<br />

avert disaster.<br />

For Jarrow, the work lay in discovering<br />

two hours worth of high stakes in a world<br />

that mostly exists in 11-minute snippets.<br />

“What felt like the hardest thing for me,”<br />

he says , “was figuring out, for each of these<br />

characters, what’s an emotional arc that<br />

feels true to who they are , but also feels<br />

like we get to see them change over the<br />

course of an evening.”<br />

It was Landau, inspired by the varied<br />

soundtrack to the 2004 “SpongeBob<br />

SquarePants Movie,” who came up with the<br />

idea of asking different musicians to each<br />

contribute a song to the score. She and Jarrow<br />

plotted out precise story beats where<br />

tunes should go, and which artists might<br />

match each mood. The diversity of the<br />

music, she reasoned, would gel with the<br />

animated series’ non-sequitur spirit.<br />

Co-producer Sony Music Masterworks<br />

helped connect the show’s collaborators to<br />

the artists on their musical wish list. The<br />

result could make for an orchestrator’s<br />

nightmare, but Kitt (“Next to Normal,” “If/<br />

Then”) counters that his job is to preserve<br />

each artist’s unique sound, not sand off the<br />

edges. “T.I. wrote a great song; I want it to<br />

sound like T.I.,” he says. “Aerosmith — Steve<br />

Tyler and Joe Perry — I want it to feel like<br />

a song they would be in the studio making.”<br />

In that basement studio at the Oriental,<br />

it’s certainly true that Bowie’s tune sounds<br />

like it could have been written by no one<br />

else, even when performed by a cast of<br />

actors and an orchestra. The song, lifted<br />

from the 1995 album “Outside” and given<br />

new lyrics (by Jonathan Coulton) with<br />

Bowie’s blessing before he died, is called<br />

“No Control.” It’s full of broody anxiety over<br />

the eruption that threatens Bikini Bottom<br />

— but it also serves as a reminder of the<br />

variables over which Team SpongeBob has<br />

no control, ranging from critical response,<br />

to which theater owner will commit a<br />

Broadway house to the project, to exactly<br />

when the musical will debut in New York.<br />

Can SpongeBob save the day in Chicago<br />

and on Broadway? Stay tuned.<br />

Family Fare<br />

Nickelodeon<br />

joins a crowd of<br />

mega-producers<br />

in making a play<br />

for an all-ages<br />

audience with<br />

“The SpongeBob<br />

Musical.”<br />

Disney<br />

Theatrical Prods.<br />

Chief: Thomas<br />

Schumacher<br />

Banner titles:<br />

“The Lion King,”<br />

“Aladdin”<br />

The Dodgers<br />

Chief:<br />

Michael David<br />

Banner title:<br />

“Matilda”<br />

Warner Bros.<br />

Theatre Ventures<br />

Chief:<br />

Mark Kaufman<br />

Banner title:<br />

“Charlie and the<br />

Chocolate Factory”<br />

(upcoming)<br />

Not-So-<br />

Square<br />

Tunesmiths<br />

David Bowie, John<br />

Legend, and T.I. are<br />

among the popular<br />

songwriters who<br />

floated tunes into<br />

Bikini Bottom.<br />

Sara Bareilles<br />

The Flaming Lips<br />

Lady Antebellum<br />

Cyndi Lauper<br />

They Might<br />

Be Giants<br />

Panic! at the Disco

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With a continuous uptick in small-screen projects, television directors relish a flood<br />

of plum job opportunies Story by WHITNEY FRIEDLANDER | Illustration by BILL BUTCHER | p.58<br />

P.59<br />

Women<br />

Directors<br />

Reign over TV<br />

Susanne Bier, S.J. Clarkson,<br />

and Amy Seimetz are among<br />

the helmers bringing TV<br />

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Limited Series<br />

Out on a Limb<br />

The limited series format has<br />

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and others weigh in.<br />

By BOB VERINI<br />

P.62<br />

New Dramas<br />

Go for Gold<br />

Freshman drama series such<br />

as “Mr. Robot” and “Jessica<br />

Jones” are challenging<br />

established dramas for spots<br />

in the Emmy writing<br />

competition.<br />

By MELANIE MCFARLAND<br />

TOP BILLING EXPOSURE CONTENDERS FOCUS ARTISANS REVIEWS<br />

ROMANO: ROB LATOUR/VARIETY/SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

57

CONTENDERS THE DIRECTOR<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

58<br />

Women’s Day<br />

Top: Lynn<br />

Shelton directs<br />

the “Family<br />

Business Trip”<br />

episode of<br />

“Fresh Off the<br />

Boat”; Nicole<br />

Kassell on the<br />

set of “Vinyl.”<br />

Seasoned Helmers<br />

Get Choice of Offers<br />

Peak TV finds plenty of opportunities for veterans to book<br />

projects, but newcomers still struggle to gain foothold<br />

By WHITNEY FRIEDLANDER<br />

THE BAD NEWS ABOUT<br />

the plethora of options<br />

available during peak TV is<br />

that the DVRs of television<br />

directors are just as backed<br />

up as everyone else’s. The<br />

good news is that this<br />

increase in television production<br />

offers more opportunities<br />

for said directors to<br />

land jobs.<br />

“I try to be selective in<br />

what I choose to do and I<br />

try to find the shows that<br />

seem to be the most interesting,”<br />

says Daniel Attias,<br />

who’s helmed episodes of<br />

“Homeland,” “Masters of<br />

Sex” and “Ray Donovan.”<br />

“I have to rely on word-ofmouth<br />

to just be clued into<br />

what I should investigate<br />

or I happen to see them on<br />

my own. When I’m interested<br />

in a show, or when I<br />

investigate it and find that<br />

it is interesting to me, I<br />

have to get acquainted with<br />

it. Sometimes that happens<br />

after I’ve been hired. If<br />

and when that does occur,<br />

I have to immerse myself<br />

with it by watching all the<br />

episodes I can and read all<br />

the scripts of the season.”<br />

Attias’ latest and upcoming<br />

credits include such<br />

new series as AMC’s “Feed<br />

the Beast,” Amazon’s “Good<br />

Girls Revolt” and Hulu’s<br />

“Chance,” as well as fan-favorite<br />

“The Americans” on<br />

FX.<br />

And he isn’t the only one<br />

with an eclectic resume.<br />

The influx in new programming<br />

has given many seasoned<br />

directors an opportunity<br />

to get in on the ground<br />

floor and help set the look<br />

and feel for new projects.<br />

Director Nicole Kassell sat<br />

through “very long, in-depth<br />

tone meetings” where “I just<br />

asked and asked and asked<br />

a lot of questions” to figure<br />

out the design of her episode<br />

from the first season<br />

of HBO’s “Vinyl.”<br />

“The pilot was already<br />

shot and I didn’t see a<br />

complete cut of it [when I<br />

signed on]; as early as possible,<br />

I went to see it,” says<br />

Kassell, whose recent credits<br />

also include “The Americans,”<br />

HBO’s “The Leftovers”<br />

and SundanceTV’s “Rectify.”<br />

“That was really the source<br />

for the look and style of<br />

it. It was very much [pilot<br />

director and series executive<br />

producer Martin] Scorsese’s<br />

body of work, whether<br />

it was ‘Goodfellas’ or ‘Casino’<br />

or ‘Taxi Driver.’ As a lover<br />

of film and a film student,<br />

all of those films are in my<br />

DNA already.”<br />

Kassell and Attias both<br />

say the lines between basic<br />

and premium cable have<br />

blurred and she says the<br />

only real difference is budgets<br />

— which, for her purposes,<br />

“translates to time.”<br />

“The budgets are at the<br />

opposite extremes of the<br />

spectrum,” Kassell says. “I<br />

think it’s a fantastic experience<br />

going from ‘Vinyl’ to<br />

‘The Americans’ because,<br />

to me, it gives me so much<br />

respect to all of these shows<br />

that find a way to deliver<br />

fantastic stories and cinematic<br />

pieces of art within<br />

their budgets. With ‘Vinyl’<br />

and ‘The Leftovers,’ it was<br />

truly like making a movie.”<br />

Uta Briesewitz, whose<br />

diverse resume spans Netflix’s<br />

“Orange Is the New<br />

Black” to Starz’s “Black<br />

Sails,” says because she’s<br />

directed so many cable<br />

shows she has “not felt as<br />

handcuffed as you might on<br />

other shows.” This is something<br />

she’s grown used to;<br />

she spent part of her early<br />

career as a cinematographer<br />

on HBO’s “The Wire”<br />

where she had “always been<br />

given freedom.”<br />

The ample television<br />

options have also allowed<br />

some helmers to brand<br />

themselves and be choosy,<br />

carving out careers in<br />

which living in Los Angeles<br />

or New York is not mandatory.<br />

Lynn Shelton, for<br />

example, directed the pilot<br />

episode of ABC’s “Fresh Off<br />

the Boat,” but chose not<br />

to take on a directing producer<br />

title so that she could<br />

continue to live in Seattle.<br />

She still frequently travels<br />

to L.A. to film episodes<br />

of “Fresh Off the Boat” and<br />

other series like Showtime’s<br />

“Shameless” and Fox’s “New<br />

Girl.” She also flies to New<br />

York to direct episodes of<br />

Netflix’s “Master of None.”<br />

“I do think I know funny,<br />

but I’m also interested in<br />

actors,” Shelton says. “I’m<br />

really interested in performances<br />

that are grounded<br />

and have authentic feelings<br />

and that’s where the humor<br />

comes from instead of a<br />

broader approach. That’s<br />

something that I think<br />

all of the shows that I’ve<br />

worked on have … I always<br />

think of it as a dramatic-comedic<br />

mix.”<br />

Shelton also scans projects<br />

to make sure they fit<br />

her qualifications for diversity<br />

and says she has “definitely<br />

looked at scripts that<br />

didn’t seem diverse enough,<br />

frankly.”<br />

“I like to work on shows<br />

that I feel are adding to<br />

the conversation, culturally,<br />

instead of regurgitating the<br />

same old stuff,” she says.<br />

The need for female<br />

and minority representa-<br />

VINYL: MACALL B. POLAY/HBO

CONTENDERS THE DIRECTOR<br />

FREDERIC AUERBACH<br />

tion in Hollywood has<br />

been a heated topic in<br />

recent years, especially<br />

for DGA members as<br />

the focus is often on filling<br />

these roles behind<br />

the camera. Fast-rising<br />

stars on the directing circuit<br />

include Anthony<br />

Hemingway [FX’s “American<br />

Crime Story” and<br />

WGN’s “Underground”]<br />

and Deborah Chow<br />

[USA’s “Mr. Robot” and<br />

The CW’s “The Vampire<br />

Diaries”].<br />

Some series, like the<br />

Jenji Kohan-created<br />

“OITNB” and Jennie Snyder<br />

Urman’s CW series<br />

“Jane the Virgin” have<br />

a reputation for hiring<br />

female helmers. Briesewitz<br />

has worked on both<br />

and is appreciative of<br />

those opportunities, but<br />

notes, “I don’t want to<br />

be put on a show that<br />

just has a lot of female<br />

characters because it’s<br />

almost like I am saying<br />

I agree to be excluded<br />

from the action-hero<br />

type shows.”<br />

Briesewitz is prepping<br />

for her episode of Netflix’s<br />

upcoming Marvel<br />

installment, “Iron Fist.”<br />

Of course, with so<br />

many TV series and so<br />

many seasoned directors<br />

snagging the jobs,<br />

younger, less-experienced<br />

helmers are now<br />

struggling to break into<br />

the industry. Attias, who<br />

has often mentored<br />

novice directors, has<br />

attempted to combat<br />

this problem by encouraging<br />

producers to take<br />

risks with new talent.<br />

This year, he offered to<br />

shadow Steph Green<br />

on set in exchange for<br />

allowing her a chance to<br />

direct an episode of “The<br />

Americans.”<br />

It worked and her episode<br />

aired in May.<br />

“Once you get the<br />

first credit, people are<br />

more willing to take the<br />

chance,” Attias says. He<br />

understands producers’<br />

reluctance to take a gamble<br />

on such an expensive<br />

project, but adds,<br />

“it’s a big problem and<br />

I think it’s going to take<br />

people stepping up and<br />

sponsoring people to get<br />

them to break in.”<br />

Primetime for<br />

Women Directors<br />

on the TV Front<br />

Crop of female helmers break new ground on<br />

major cable and network television series<br />

By RANDEE DAWN<br />

WHEN S.J. CLARKSON<br />

came onboard Showtime’s<br />

“Banshee” to helm the second<br />

episode and help set<br />

the tone of the Alan Ball<br />

series, she knew exactly<br />

what she had to speak up<br />

about.<br />

“I said, ‘Women can’t just<br />

be sex objects for the men,’”<br />

she says. “Being female I<br />

do keep an eye out a little<br />

more for how women are<br />

marginalized in scripts. And<br />

when you’re in a roomful<br />

of men you need to bring<br />

that point across. I felt<br />

really pleased about how I<br />

was able to nurture those<br />

characters.”<br />

Women directors in Hollywood<br />

rarely get to voice<br />

their concerns like Clarkson,<br />

who made her mark<br />

more recently directing the<br />

pilot and several episodes<br />

of Netflix’s “Jessica Jones”<br />

(and in the process become<br />

the first woman to helm any<br />

Marvel property). According<br />

to the Directors Guild<br />

of America, just 16% of episodic<br />

directors in primetime<br />

were women in the 2014-15<br />

season — higher than the<br />

6.45% of women directing<br />

feature movies, but still far<br />

from parity.<br />

And yet a select number<br />

of women do slip past the<br />

gatekeepers and are making<br />

their mark by helming<br />

series whose topics are<br />

not necessarily considered<br />

“women’s territory.” Along<br />

with “Jones,” about a superhero<br />

private detective recovering<br />

from being under a<br />

super-villain’s mind control,<br />

Susanne Bier, directed<br />

all six episodes of the limited<br />

series based on John le<br />

All ‘Night’<br />

Long<br />

With “Night<br />

Manager,”<br />

Susanne Bier<br />

became the<br />

first female<br />

director to<br />

helm every<br />

episode of a<br />

limited series.<br />

Carré’s spy novel “The Night<br />

Manager” for AMC. While<br />

Amy Seimetz, who along<br />

with Lodge Kerrigan (who<br />

is male), produced, directed<br />

and wrote Starz’s escortservice<br />

tale “The Girlfriend<br />

Experience,” based on Steven<br />

Soderbergh’s 2009 film.<br />

“There’s no doubt that<br />

the entire media industry<br />

is suffering from not representing<br />

the diversity of society,”<br />

says Bier, who “absolutely<br />

loves” doing action<br />

films. “It’s also suffering<br />

from a slightly conventional<br />

way of thinking about projects,<br />

because yes, in general,<br />

female directors get to<br />

do a certain kind of material.<br />

But female directors<br />

are just as good doing traditional<br />

male material as<br />

male directors.”<br />

That said, getting hired<br />

for the job is only half the<br />

battle; taking control of a<br />

set and crew that might be<br />

more accustomed to a male<br />

helmer’s approach means<br />

women have to gird themselves<br />

ahead of time.<br />

“I don’t try to ignore my<br />

gender,” says Seimetz, who<br />

also appears in some episodes<br />

of “Experience,” “but<br />

when I walk into a room<br />

[as the director] I just think,<br />

‘You’re supposed to respect<br />

me.’ That attitude of not<br />

vying for respect means it<br />

doesn’t become a factor.”<br />

For Clarkson, getting to<br />

oversee a damaged heroine’s<br />

story progress meant<br />

she was able to dig deeper<br />

than perhaps a male director<br />

might have in fleshing<br />

out Jones.<br />

“The Marvel universe is<br />

known for being ‘testosterone-y,’<br />

but when you have a<br />

female superhero it’s hard<br />

to say a man must direct it,”<br />

she says. “I wanted to make<br />

sure that we explored her<br />

vulnerability, that she could<br />

be multifaceted and multilayered<br />

and witty and<br />

many things on the turn of<br />

a dime.”<br />

Bier had a bit more of<br />

an uphill battle: her spy<br />

story was very male-centric<br />

and women had little to<br />

do. But she suggested a gender<br />

switch on one character<br />

[Angela, played by Olivia<br />

Colman] and did what she<br />

could to give another, Jet,<br />

more agency in her story.<br />

“We made a conscious<br />

attempt to address the<br />

white heterosexual boys’<br />

club a little bit,” she says.<br />

“It is an obligation, I feel, to<br />

have female characters be a<br />

lot more than an extension<br />

of the male imagination.<br />

It’s about having an overall<br />

view that’s less stereotype<br />

than it is about being real.”<br />

It’s a start, and there’s<br />

little doubt that directors<br />

like these three are doing<br />

their best to reshape the<br />

expected mold, both on set<br />

and in story. That said, it’s a<br />

far cry from smooth sailing.<br />

“It’s not like someone’s<br />

on set calling me ‘Sugar<br />

Tits,’” Seimetz says. “It’s not<br />

blatant. It’s subtle. It comes<br />

in the form of soft gloves.<br />

I’m used to being questioned<br />

more when I’m in an<br />

authoritative position.”<br />

But overall, she notes,<br />

roles in both genders<br />

are undergoing a certain<br />

amount of reconfiguring.<br />

“Men are having something<br />

of the same crisis as<br />

well,” she says. “They’re also<br />

wondering: ‘What is our<br />

role in society? How does<br />

our personality play into<br />

that?’ Ultimately, I don’t see<br />

feminism as a female problem,<br />

but a human problem.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

59

CONTENDERS Q&A<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

60<br />

With ‘Vinyl,’ Ray Romano<br />

Leaves Raymond Behind<br />

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON<br />

A decade ago, Ray Romano found himself in the enviable position of never<br />

having to work again. The success of his CBS series “Everybody Loves Raymond”<br />

had left him flush with the kind of windfall-for-life that only a hit sitcom can<br />

deliver. But his nine-year run as Ray Barone on the definitive family comedy of<br />

its era also could have easily sentenced him to typecasting as a TV dad for the<br />

rest of his professional life. In a conversation with Variety, Romano spoke about<br />

the evolution of his post-“Raymond” career, from TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age”<br />

to NBC’s “Parenthood” to his most challenging assignment yet: a 1970s record<br />

company exec facing a midlife crisis on HBO’s “Vinyl.”<br />

How did you decide your<br />

next moves as an actor<br />

after “Raymond” ended<br />

in 2005?<br />

There was no game plan.<br />

To be blunt, I didn’t have<br />

to do anything for money<br />

after “Raymond” — which<br />

is what my wife keeps<br />

telling me after she sees me<br />

in a threesome in “Vinyl.”<br />

One thing I knew was<br />

that I didn’t want to do a<br />

four-camera sitcom. I was<br />

proud of what we did on<br />

“Raymond” — that was my<br />

legacy — but I wanted to<br />

move on.<br />

Were you concerned<br />

about typecasting?<br />

[Typecasting] is just natural<br />

when for nine years<br />

everybody sees you as that.<br />

I’m guilty of that. When<br />

we were casting actors [for<br />

“Men of a Certain Age”],<br />

when someone’s name<br />

would come up, I would<br />

say, “He’s not right.” It’s just<br />

ingrained in you.<br />

Were you surprised at<br />

how well-received you<br />

were in the much more<br />

dramatic role on “Men of<br />

a Certain Age”? Was that<br />

a big boost for you?<br />

Yes, we were very surprised<br />

when it debuted. I’m the<br />

first one to self-deprecate,<br />

but I couldn’t find a bad<br />

review. I wasn’t playing a<br />

serial killer or a drug addict<br />

— I was playing someone<br />

real. I was happy people<br />

accepted me. It wasn’t a<br />

super stretch of a character<br />

— it was kind of like a reallife<br />

version of Ray Barone<br />

going through some deeper<br />

issues. This wasn’t “Dallas<br />

Buyers Club.” Then we won<br />

a Peabody, which means<br />

you get canceled. And<br />

one cable show that gets<br />

canceled helps free you<br />

from that branding as a<br />

sitcom guy.<br />

How did you wind up on<br />

“Vinyl”? Zak Yankovich is<br />

pretty far removed from<br />

Ray Barone.<br />

Scorsese had never heard of<br />

me before. He’d never seen<br />

“Raymond.” I put myself on<br />

tape and sent in a video.<br />

He told his casting director<br />

he’d never heard of me —<br />

not that he’d never seen<br />

“Raymond” before, but he’d<br />

never even heard of me. It<br />

was the best backhanded<br />

compliment I ever got.<br />

It helped me get cast. He<br />

didn’t have to overcome<br />

Ray Barone when he<br />

watched me.<br />

Was it hard to get under<br />

the skin of the character?<br />

The hardest thing was<br />

getting in the head of a<br />

guy this tragic, where he<br />

contemplates suicide. It<br />

was hard to dig into that<br />

and feel what that guy<br />

is feeling. … When I was<br />

on “Parenthood,” Mae<br />

Whitman told me that to<br />

play [emotional] scenes,<br />

she liked to listen to music<br />

to get in the mood. She’d<br />

be in a bubble under headphones.<br />

I made a playlist,<br />

and oddly it worked for<br />

me. It can trigger these<br />

emotions. I have Coldplay<br />

and Jeff Buckley to thank<br />

for those scenes.<br />

Do you enjoy the<br />

debauchery featured in<br />

“Vinyl”? All joking aside,<br />

is it hard to play?<br />

I’ve never had a threesome<br />

in real life — I’ll come<br />

right out and say that. I<br />

was talking to another<br />

very good-looking actor on<br />

“Vinyl” about that threesome,<br />

and I asked him<br />

if he’d ever had one. His<br />

answer was, “Five or six.”<br />

He didn’t even know how<br />

many he’d had! I had to be<br />

naked, which was terrifying<br />

for me. And I had to do it in<br />

a scene with Bobby Cannavale.<br />

I had to stand up and<br />

wear that sock-like wardrobe<br />

thing. On the second<br />

take, Bobby says to me, “Ray,<br />

you don’t gotta wear that<br />

for me. Don’t worry about<br />

it. I never wear it.” I told<br />

him, “I’m not wearing it for<br />

you, trust me. I understand<br />

why you don’t wear it. I’ve<br />

seen that shot of you naked.<br />

I need to wear it.” I had to<br />

be drunk in that episode,<br />

too. For me as an actor,<br />

the two scariest things are<br />

being drunk and naked.<br />

My joke was that the director<br />

was never going to yell,<br />

“You’re too big!” during the<br />

naked scene.<br />

You and Cannavale had<br />

such instant chemistry.<br />

Did you know each other<br />

before the show?<br />

We’d never met before.<br />

We became buddies. He’s a<br />

New Yorker. We went to Jets<br />

games, and he came down<br />

to the [Comedy Cellar] to<br />

watch me. The hours that<br />

guy has to put in on the<br />

show, it’s amazing.<br />

Do you go out of your<br />

way to make time to do<br />

standup comedy?<br />

I play Vegas about seven<br />

times a year, at the Mirage.<br />

If I’m in New York, I’ll<br />

always drop into the Comedy<br />

Cellar. I still love to get<br />

up there. The thrill is coming<br />

up with new material.<br />

“Vinyl” was shooting from<br />

May to October [last year],<br />

so I went on a lot. I don’t<br />

think I’ll ever give that up.<br />

Some guys do. If I have to<br />

be nice to myself and say<br />

one thing I’m good at, it’s<br />

doing standup. Everything<br />

else I suck at. Golf I really<br />

suck at, even though I love<br />

doing it.<br />

BRINSON+BANKS

CONTENDERS THE WRITER<br />

Frisky<br />

Business<br />

“The Girlfriend<br />

Experience”<br />

pushed the<br />

envelope on<br />

Starz.<br />

LIMITED SERIES<br />

Scribes Take Bigger<br />

Risks in Short Runs<br />

Writers revel in the chance to tell complete stories and break the<br />

rules — even as they wonder if their networks will back them up<br />

By BOB VERINI<br />

THE LIMITED SERIES is<br />

staking a claim to 24K status<br />

in television’s current<br />

Golden Age.<br />

While so-called “minis”<br />

once ladled out meat<br />

and potatoes narrative<br />

in appointment TV epics,<br />

today’s short form is a<br />

binge-worthy oasis of offbeat,<br />

buzzy entertainment.<br />

This year alone, David<br />

Farr inserted radical time,<br />

place, and plot changes<br />

in adapting international<br />

bestseller “The Night Manager”<br />

for AMC. In a unique<br />

partnership, indie auteurs<br />

Lodge Kerrigan and Amy<br />

Seimetz were tapped by Steven<br />

Soderbergh for equal<br />

shares in Starz’s sexually<br />

groundbreaking “The Girlfriend<br />

Experience.” For season<br />

two of FX’s “Fargo,”<br />

Noah Hawley crafted a cold<br />

open consisting of footage<br />

from a (fake) 1950s Ronald<br />

Reagan Western, and had a<br />

UFO drop into the midst of<br />

a climactic shootout.<br />

Whether dazzling or puzzling<br />

viewers, these scribes<br />

see freedom and opportunity<br />

traditional episodic<br />

doesn’t necessarily afford.<br />

“If you’re coming in to<br />

write specific episodes in a<br />

big series,” says Farr (who<br />

did just that on the U.K.’s<br />

“MI-5”), “there’s a tendency<br />

for a writer to push it, hard,<br />

because you want to show<br />

what you can do.” Solo control<br />

of a single narrative<br />

affords what Hawley calls<br />

“a chance to make a movie.<br />

… It’s a complete thought<br />

you’re expressing.”<br />

To turn John le Carré’s<br />

high-stakes espionage<br />

yarn into a complete TV<br />

thought, Farr shifted the<br />

action from 1990s Colombia<br />

to contemporary Egypt’s<br />

“Arab Spring,” and teased<br />

out a tight cat-and-mouse<br />

between an ordinary hotel<br />

manager and a wicked zillionaire<br />

arms broker.<br />

“It takes you back and<br />

forth in time, plays with the<br />

audience in terms of withholding<br />

and giving information,<br />

which can either<br />

entice or frustrate,” he says,<br />

but he felt he could rely on<br />

the novel’s “strong skeletal<br />

structure.”<br />

In commissioning a<br />

series lightly inspired by his<br />

2009 movie about a highclass<br />

call girl, Soderbergh<br />

gambled on two bold indie<br />

artists getting more out of<br />

each other (and providing<br />

It takes you back<br />

and forth in time,<br />

plays with the<br />

audience in terms<br />

of withholding<br />

and giving<br />

information,<br />

which can<br />

either entice or<br />

frustrate.”<br />

David Farr<br />

gender perspective) if they<br />

worked together and were<br />

left alone. Seimetz and Kerrigan<br />

divvied up directing<br />

12 episodes equitably, wrote<br />

the episodes together before<br />

going to camera, and flipped<br />

a coin for episode 13 rights.<br />

Kerrigan reports, “Steven’s<br />

notes were always<br />

suggestions, take what you<br />

want.” When all was said<br />

and done, “Starz didn’t give<br />

a single note,” not even<br />

on the finale’s eye-opening<br />

18-minute sex scene<br />

among protagonist Christine,<br />

a client, and another<br />

male escort in what Kerrigan<br />

calls “this cuckold fantasy”<br />

of “intimacy, control,<br />

and performance.”<br />

The pair enjoyed creating,<br />

in Seimetz’s words, “this<br />

strange, unapologetic character<br />

with a lot of traits<br />

you would call, in cinema<br />

or in television, much more<br />

masculine.”<br />

Kerrigan lines them up<br />

as “selfish, contradictory,<br />

manipulative, ambitious<br />

… someone unpredictable<br />

whom the audience would<br />

hopefully be glued to.”<br />

Christine ultimately<br />

rejects family and the law<br />

for continued escort work.<br />

“If you were working in network,<br />

you’d have her have<br />

a big law firm and she’s<br />

really successful, and she’s<br />

still escorting,” Seimetz says.<br />

“But that’s just not honest.”<br />

In an edgier art form, she<br />

can be made to act without<br />

shame. “She’s like, ‘You<br />

know what, I don’t want to<br />

face that right now. I want<br />

to focus on what makes me<br />

feel good, and what I have<br />

control over.’”<br />

When it comes to riskiness,<br />

the sophomore season<br />

of “Fargo” probably took<br />

the cake.<br />

Hawley calls his “Massacre<br />

at Sioux Falls” opening,<br />

with its grainy, blackand-white<br />

faux-film fakeout,<br />

“a sort of reverse ‘Sopranos’<br />

ending. I figured half the<br />

audience would go, ‘Oh crap,<br />

I thought we were watching<br />

“Fargo”’ and they’d turn<br />

the channel to look for it.<br />

I kept waiting for FX to say,<br />

‘You can’t do that.’” If viewers<br />

stewed, Hawley justifies<br />

his choice as directly<br />

relevant to his story’s waiting-for-Reagan<br />

and American<br />

Indian themes.<br />

Likewise the UFO<br />

descent, allowing a working<br />

stiff to dispatch a distracted<br />

crime kingpin. In 1979,<br />

Hawley remembers, “We’d<br />

had ‘Close Encounters’ and<br />

‘Star Wars’; we’d survived<br />

Watergate. … There was<br />

this deep-seated sense of<br />

paranoia.”<br />

In that context, a benign<br />

alien intervention “had an<br />

oddness-offness to it, funny<br />

and unsettling at the same.<br />

It’s one of those things<br />

that’s so unprocessable, it<br />

becomes sublime.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

61

CONTENDERS THE WRITER<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

62<br />

DRAMA<br />

Bold Freshman<br />

Dramas Shake<br />

Up Emmy Race<br />

Fierce competition for nominations has<br />

showrunners breaking conventions<br />

By MELANIE MCFARLAND<br />

FOR TELEVISION writers<br />

striving for Emmy<br />

attention, our age of peak<br />

TV adds a new level of<br />

trial and tribulation to<br />

an already gladiatorial<br />

environment.<br />

Nevertheless, a number<br />

of freshman contenders<br />

could make this year’s<br />

writing category a particularly<br />

interesting race with<br />

their takes on subjects that,<br />

in previous seasons, may<br />

never have made it out of<br />

the pitch phase.<br />

‘It works’ is what<br />

you would do on<br />

network. … If it<br />

wasn’t something we<br />

loved and that all of<br />

us were excited to<br />

write, we would say,<br />

‘Let’s just explore.<br />

Can we do better?’ ”<br />

Melissa Rosenberg<br />

Series such as “Underground,”<br />

“Marvel’s Jessica<br />

Jones,” “UnReal,” “Mr. Robot,”<br />

“Billions,” and others all<br />

have strong shots at Emmy<br />

noms. Different though<br />

they all may be, many of<br />

the ideas guiding their<br />

showrunners come from<br />

similar motivations.<br />

Melissa Rosenberg, showrunner<br />

for Netflix’s widely<br />

acclaimed “Jessica Jones,”<br />

made a point of urging<br />

her staff to go against standard<br />

operating procedure<br />

when writing the Peabody<br />

Award-winning series.<br />

“There’s always that<br />

mark where we say, ‘Oh<br />

well, it works,’ ” she says. “ ‘It<br />

works’ is what you would do<br />

on network. … If it wasn’t<br />

something we loved and<br />

that all of us were excited<br />

to write, we would say, ‘Let’s<br />

just explore. Can we do better?’<br />

”<br />

The result: a comic<br />

book-inspired drama that<br />

defies the superhero label,<br />

featuring a flawed heroine<br />

whose backstory placed<br />

struggling with PTSD, the<br />

aftermath of rape and abortion<br />

— issues network television<br />

has vehemently<br />

shunned — at the center of<br />

its first season’s narrative.<br />

The 2015-16 season also<br />

saw WGN America launch<br />

its slavery thriller “Underground,”<br />

which took a subject<br />

usually handled with<br />

absolute solemnity and<br />

instead set scenes to a modern<br />

soundtrack featuring<br />

hip-hop and pop music<br />

tracks, injecting subplots<br />

with soap- opera elements.<br />

“We said we wanted to<br />

be bold storytelling-wise,<br />

visually, and with the<br />

music,” says Misha Green,<br />

who co-created the series<br />

with writing partner Joe<br />

Pokaski. “We also had the<br />

advantage, when we started<br />

researching the Underground<br />

Railroad, that this<br />

amazing story had never<br />

been told.”<br />

Hack Attack<br />

“Mr. Robot”<br />

was meant<br />

to be a<br />

screenplay,<br />

and is staffed<br />

with film<br />

writers.<br />

Heroine High<br />

“Jessica<br />

Jones”<br />

brought dark,<br />

adult themes<br />

to the Marvel<br />

universe.<br />

Pokaski and Green previously<br />

worked together on<br />

NBC’s “Heroes,” an experience<br />

they credit for informing<br />

the tone of “Underground,”<br />

given their mutual<br />

love for comic books.<br />

An admiration for<br />

genre’s style of storytelling<br />

also guided Brian Koppelman<br />

and David Levien in<br />

executing the first season of<br />

Showtime’s “Billions.”<br />

“People talk about<br />

world-creation a lot when<br />

they’re talking about sci-fi<br />

movies,” says Koppelman,<br />

who, with Levien, came to<br />

TV after writing a number<br />

of film scripts starting<br />

with 1998’s “Rounders.”<br />

“But for us … the world of<br />

hedge funds and the world<br />

of United States attorneys<br />

are each worlds that lend<br />

themselves to that kind<br />

of cinematic treatment,<br />

because you’re dealing with<br />

people who consider themselves<br />

larger than life.”<br />

USA Network also bet<br />

on the story of an outsized<br />

character who may<br />

not be all that he appears<br />

— and landed a serious<br />

awards contender in doing<br />

so. To date, “Mr. Robot,”<br />

a mind-warping tale of<br />

hacker culture, has already<br />

won a Golden Globe for<br />

best TV drama, as well as a<br />

Peabody.<br />

Series creator Sam<br />

Esmail credits part of “Mr.<br />

Robot’s” success to it having<br />

been initially conceived as<br />

a film; the show’s first season<br />

mirrors the plan for his<br />

movie’s first act. His writers’<br />

room reflects that. “It’s<br />

mostly feature [film] writers<br />

and not television writers,<br />

and we’re looking at<br />

it as, how do we efficiently<br />

and economically get to<br />

that satisfying conclusion,”<br />

Esmail says.<br />

Jessica Goldberg, creator<br />

of “The Path”, approached<br />

her Hulu series from her<br />

experience as a playwright.<br />

“What people are compelled<br />

to do comes from<br />

whatever their emotional<br />

life happens to be,” she says.<br />

Marti Noxon, showrunner<br />

for Lifetime’s “UnReal,”<br />

believes her show’s exploration<br />

of the psychology of<br />

reality television was key to<br />

connecting with the audience<br />

for her dark drama<br />

that goes behind the scenes<br />

of a fictional romantic competition<br />

series.<br />

“This show is just trying<br />

to be a mirror, not only of<br />

why the characters are the<br />

way they are, but of why<br />

our culture is the way it<br />

is now,” Noxon says. “What<br />

does it do to us, when we<br />

try to have our cake and eat<br />

it too? I think in the end,<br />

everyone ends up hungry<br />

and sad.”

CONTENDERS CREATIVE ARTS EMMYS<br />

COMEDY<br />

Finding Gags<br />

That Make<br />

Viewers Sweat<br />

Comedies dare viewers to laugh<br />

while pondering serious issues<br />

Laughs Matter<br />

“Black-ish”<br />

episode<br />

“Hope” found<br />

humor in<br />

issues of police<br />

brutality.<br />

By CARITA RIZZO<br />

ADDICTION, POLICE<br />

BRUTALITY, gender<br />

discrimination,<br />

and racism are hardly<br />

issues that, on their<br />

surface, are particularly<br />

amusing for<br />

those facing them.<br />

And yet, some of<br />

this year’s funniest TV<br />

comedies are making<br />

topical issues exactly<br />

that — a laughing<br />

matter.<br />

“I really believe<br />

that comedy allows<br />

a lot of entry points<br />

for conversation,” says<br />

“Black-ish” creator<br />

Kenya Barris, who frequently<br />

tackles race<br />

and cultural issues<br />

on his ABC sitcom. “If<br />

you get people laughing,<br />

you can talk about<br />

almost anything.”<br />

Jill Soloway, creator<br />

of “Transparent,”<br />

which continues<br />

to explore sexual<br />

identity and gender<br />

in a changing world,<br />

agrees. In fact, mining<br />

humor out of<br />

uncomfortable situations<br />

is something<br />

they delve into so frequently<br />

in the writers<br />

room that Soloway<br />

even has a term for it:<br />

“funcomfortable.”<br />

To Soloway, whose<br />

show is based on her<br />

own family’s experience<br />

of her father’s<br />

transition from male<br />

to female, being able<br />

to address serious,<br />

sometimes controversial<br />

topics is as important<br />

as the story itself.<br />

“I can’t imagine making<br />

art any other way,”<br />

she says. “I love comedy<br />

and I love filmmaking,<br />

but I don’t<br />

think I would be able<br />

to enjoy myself if I<br />

didn’t feel like I was<br />

doing something to<br />

change the world.”<br />

Soloway says she<br />

likes using humor<br />

in uneasy situations<br />

because in her experience,<br />

that is usually<br />

how life unfolds.<br />

“The silly and the<br />

sad always seem to be<br />

wrapped up in each<br />

other,” she says. “There<br />

is a space where something<br />

deep or sad is<br />

happening and it just<br />

fills and expands and<br />

then finally bursts<br />

because of something<br />

shared and funny.”<br />

But it is challenging<br />

to try to mine humor<br />

out of a controversial<br />

topic. Barris was nervous<br />

as he set out to<br />

write “Hope,” the episode<br />

dealing with<br />

I don’t think I<br />

would be able<br />

to enjoy myself<br />

if I didn’t feel<br />

like I was doing<br />

something to<br />

change the<br />

world.”<br />

Jill Soloway<br />

FOR YOUR EMMY<br />

“…visually and emotionally striking.”<br />

– IGN<br />

“…critically acclaimed<br />

miniseries…”<br />

– TV Guide Magazine<br />

“…unique and highly<br />

satisfying.”<br />

– Collider.com<br />

“Almost everything<br />

about 11.22.63 is<br />

intriguing…”<br />

– The Wall Street Journal<br />

®<br />

police brutality in the<br />

aftermath of the Ferguson<br />

indictment.<br />

“I did not want<br />

to trivialize the conversation<br />

and the<br />

situation, and this<br />

aspect of the world<br />

that we’re living in<br />

today,” he says. “At<br />

the same time, we’re<br />

doing a comedy, and<br />

so I felt like it was<br />

really important to<br />

make sure there was<br />

a balance between<br />

the comedy and the<br />

seriousness.”<br />

To his relief, his<br />

script had the desired<br />

effect, evoking a range<br />

of emotions in his cast<br />

and crew. “The table<br />

read was really heavy<br />

and light and cathartic<br />

for all of us. People<br />

were laughing. People<br />

were crying. At<br />

CONSIDERATION<br />

the end, people stood<br />

up and applauded. I<br />

wanted to cry.”<br />

While some shows<br />

look for balance, the<br />

writers of “Veep” rarely<br />

hold back when making<br />

fun of a broken<br />

political system and<br />

addressing issues that<br />

make some Americans’<br />

blood boil. Showrunner<br />

David Mandel<br />

believes one of<br />

the reasons they can<br />

evoke more laughter<br />

than wrath is because<br />

Selina Meyer (Julia<br />

Louis-Dreyfus) and her<br />

staff aren’t defined by<br />

a particular political<br />

party.<br />

“They are based<br />

on the real world, but<br />

they’re never the real<br />

world,” Mandel says.<br />

“We are an equalopportunity<br />

offender.”<br />

Mandel has no<br />

problem exploring sexism,<br />

or centering an<br />

entire episode around<br />

the worst word one<br />

can use to describe a<br />

woman.<br />

“Our job is to find<br />

the comedy in these<br />

difficult issues,” he<br />

says. “My own personal<br />

feeling is there’s<br />

nothing that shouldn’t<br />

be laughed at. [The<br />

ability to laugh] is the<br />

most important thing<br />

in the world.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

63

CONTENDERS VOICES<br />

Malina Saval<br />

Entertainment Anonymous<br />

Small Screen’s<br />

Addict Addiction<br />

Drug and alcohol abuse aren’t pretty, but —<br />

for better or worse — they’re TV mainstays<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

64<br />

There’s a lingering perception<br />

in pop culture<br />

that drug use is<br />

glamorous and au courant,<br />

something that builds character<br />

and renders a person<br />

sexy and intriguing, like an<br />

advanced degree in comp<br />

lit or the ability to acquire<br />

foreign languages easily. See<br />

Don Draper with a martini<br />

in one hand and a beautiful<br />

mistress in the other. Or<br />

Jessa on “Girls,” whose bohemian<br />

clothes and Rapunzel<br />

hair perpetuate the illusion<br />

that cocaine-cum-heroin<br />

junkies forever maintain<br />

the appearance of a Free<br />

People catalogue model.<br />

In real life, heroin junkies<br />

develop abscesses and hacking<br />

coughs, sores on their<br />

lips and acne. They look<br />

like ghosts. Even on “Nurse<br />

Jackie,” one of the decade’s<br />

most convincing portraits<br />

of drug addiction, there<br />

were just so many episodes<br />

where you had to suspend<br />

your disbelief — Jackie<br />

should have been dead by<br />

season two. Of course, then<br />

we would have missed out<br />

on five more seasons and<br />

Edie Falco’s most dynamic<br />

career performance, for<br />

which she won the 2010<br />

Emmy for lead actress in<br />

a drama.<br />

Because of addiction’s<br />

prevalence in our society<br />

— according to the Centers<br />

for Disease Control and Prevention,<br />

in 2014 there were<br />

10,574 heroin overdose<br />

deaths in the U.S. — TV is<br />

teeming with characters<br />

struggling with drugs and<br />

alcohol, from “Shameless” to<br />

“Mr. Robot” to IFC’s “Maron”<br />

and the sobriety sitcom<br />

“Mom.” And some shows<br />

do it well; if ever a series<br />

unflinchingly — if, occasionally,<br />

satirically — captured<br />

the gory violence of<br />

the crystal meth trade it’s<br />

“Breaking Bad,” for which<br />

Bryan Cranston pretty<br />

much monopolized the<br />

actor in a drama series category,<br />

winning the Emmy an<br />

astounding four times.<br />

The Television Academy,<br />

in fact, has a history<br />

of rewarding small-screen<br />

lushes. For his iconic turn<br />

as the perpetually soused<br />

Hawkeye on “MASH,” Alan<br />

Alda won two actor Emmys.<br />

Candice Bergen won the<br />

Emmy for actress in a comedy<br />

series five times for<br />

playing a recovering alcoholic<br />

on “Murphy Brown,”<br />

and Ted Danson scored<br />

two Emmys for playing<br />

sobered-up baseball playerturned-bar<br />

proprietor Sam<br />

Malone on “Cheers.” Even<br />

Jim Parsons, who plays<br />

socially challenged theoretical<br />

physicist Sheldon<br />

Cooper on the “The Big<br />

Bang Theory,” nabbed his<br />

first Emmy win for an episode<br />

in which he gets<br />

sloppy drunk. Hollywood,<br />

it seems, loves a character<br />

who can’t handle his booze.<br />

But rare is the series<br />

that deals with addiction<br />

in a way that accurately<br />

depicts the frustrating, oft<br />

fatal, and sometimes even<br />

boring reality of what it is<br />

— a disease. There’s a general<br />

tendency among critics<br />

to assess shows on the<br />

strength of their entertainment<br />

value, and not<br />

Rare is the<br />

television series<br />

that deals with<br />

addiction in a way<br />

that accurately<br />

depicts the reality<br />

of what it is —<br />

a disease.”<br />

Coffee Talk<br />

Allison<br />

Janney plays<br />

a recovering<br />

alcoholic in<br />

CBS sitcom<br />

“Mom.”<br />

how truthfully they convey<br />

what it’s actually like<br />

to be an addict — or live<br />

with one. “Ray Donovan”<br />

tackles heady addiction-adjacent<br />

subject matter like<br />

molestation and Irish-Catholic<br />

broods, and “Orange Is<br />

the New Black” features a<br />

cast of addict convicts, but<br />

there isn’t a small-screen<br />

counterpart examining,<br />

say, the lives of depressed,<br />

college-educated worker<br />

bees quietly dependent<br />

on benzo diazepines. And<br />

there are millions of those<br />

people.<br />

Granted, most facets<br />

of addiction probably<br />

wouldn’t make for good<br />

television. Comedies like<br />

“Broad City” and “Freaks<br />

and Geeks” aside, in the real<br />

world there is nothing less<br />

interesting than watching<br />

potheads get stoned.<br />

A life of abstinence,<br />

however, can be hilarious,<br />

which is why comedies like<br />

“Mom” and “Catastrophe,”<br />

with all of their off-color,<br />

self-effacing wit, so successfully<br />

chronicle the journey<br />

of the addict in recovery. On<br />

“Mom,” Emmy-winner Allison<br />

Janney and Anna Faris<br />

play a sober mother-daughter<br />

team coping with booze<br />

cravings, romantic dysfunction,<br />

and the daily challenges<br />

of being sober physically<br />

— but not necessarily<br />

emotionally. On Amazon’s<br />

“Catastrophe,” Rob Delaney<br />

nails the part of an affectionate<br />

and loving but also<br />

conventionally narcissistic<br />

man-child who quit drinking<br />

after he “shit at [his] sister’s<br />

wedding.”<br />

What’s especially refreshing<br />

about both of these<br />

shows is that they debunk<br />

the myth that once you<br />

get clean you’re suddenly<br />

“fixed.” Instead, they’re<br />

predicated on the fact that<br />

addiction is a disease that<br />

people live with for their<br />

entire lives, whether or<br />

not they’re actively getting<br />

wasted. What’s so commendable<br />

about “Mom”<br />

especially is that it examines<br />

what most people<br />

do not understand —<br />

that sobriety can be the<br />

most difficult aspect of<br />

alcoholism.<br />

On the flip side,<br />

Freeform’s now-canceled<br />

“Recovery Road” was a<br />

show that missed the mark<br />

entirely, serving up a<br />

candy-coated rendering<br />

of rehab that belies most<br />

everything we know to be<br />

true. The series’ collective<br />

flaws are best summed up<br />

in one line, said by a high<br />

school guidance counselor<br />

to Maddie (Jessica Sula),<br />

a strung-out party girl<br />

she’s threatening with<br />

expulsion unless she moves<br />

into a sober living facility:<br />

“You can go to school<br />

by day and spend your evenings<br />

getting sober.” As if<br />

sobriety is a part-time job.<br />

Maddie tries to keep her situation<br />

a secret, and the surrounding<br />

adults seem OK<br />

with that — even though<br />

honesty is one of the primary<br />

tenets of recovery. You<br />

can tell what the network<br />

was trying to do — create<br />

a show about addiction<br />

that parents could watch<br />

with their kids. But that’s a<br />

pointless task if it doesn’t<br />

ring true.<br />

“Shameless,” for all of its<br />

outlandishness — patriarchal<br />

drunk Frank Gallagher<br />

(Emmy-nominated William<br />

H. Macy) has survived liver<br />

failure, a kitchen fire, and<br />

being tossed over a bridge<br />

into a river — is the series<br />

that perhaps most accurately<br />

captures the pervasiveness<br />

with which alcoholism<br />

wreaks havoc on a<br />

family. Everybody suffers.<br />

Everybody is powerless.<br />

Denial rips through the<br />

family line. Whether they<br />

are using or not, all of the<br />

Gallagher kids are living<br />

with the –ism.<br />

When it comes down<br />

to it, no fictional TV series<br />

can definitively capture the<br />

brutal truth of how drugs<br />

and alcohol destroy people’s<br />

lives. Rather, it’s documentaries<br />

like Steven<br />

Okazaki’s brilliant and harrowing<br />

“Heroin: Cape Cod”<br />

— which focuses on eight<br />

young addicts — that paint<br />

the starkest, most blistering,<br />

and most realistic portrait<br />

of addiction. Because<br />

addiction isn’t pretty, and<br />

it’s often not something<br />

that you want to tune in to<br />

watch.

F O R Y O U R E M M Y ® C O N S I D E R A T I O N<br />

“…we too often take for granted the established broadcast network series<br />

that continue to do terrific work week after week after week.”<br />

– Los Angeles Times<br />

“…Mom has it all. It has crisp writing…plus a strong<br />

set of supporting characters and two gifted-but-opposite stars.”<br />

– TV America Syndicate<br />

“…when it comes to great multi-cam/studio-audience comedies…Mom and The Big Bang Theory<br />

are the current standard-bearers of how they can soar when built around terrific characters and,<br />

in the case of Mom, truly relevant and often tough material.”<br />

– TV Guide Magazine<br />

“…Mom deserves credit both for bending the mold and standing a cut above…”<br />

– Variety<br />

“…Mom feels more like one of the great Norman Lear comedies…”<br />

– USA Today<br />

ANNA FARIS<br />

• ALLISON JANNEY

IMPRINT CEREMONY ROLAND EMMERICH<br />

Soulful Master of Disaster<br />

He’s wreaked more destruction than a thousand hurricanes, but beneath the mayhem,<br />

Roland Emmerich aims to bring people together Story by LAURA PRUDOM<br />

INSIDE<br />

P.75<br />

Women in Film<br />

Crystal + Lucy<br />

Women in Film is seeing a<br />

slow uptick in the hiring of<br />

women in the industry and<br />

awareness of the gender gap.<br />

By HILLARY ATKIN<br />

P.81<br />

Variety’s 10 TV<br />

Scribes to Watch<br />

This year’s class of rising<br />

TV writers includes siblings<br />

— twins — among the<br />

standout crowd.<br />

By VARIETY STAFF<br />

P.89<br />

AFI Docs Stocks<br />

Short Schedule<br />

Keeping to a fast-paced and<br />

small screening schedule,<br />

AFI Docs brings a diverse<br />

slate to Washington, D.C.<br />

By ANDREW BARKER<br />

TOP BILLING EXPOSURE CONTEDNERS FOCUS ARTISANS REVIEWS<br />

JOHN RUSSO<br />

P.89<br />

Festivals Galore<br />

Provincetown, Munich,<br />

Maui, and the Art Film Fest<br />

in Slovenia all gear up for<br />

summer cinephiles.<br />

By VARIETY STAFF<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

67

IMPRINT CEREMONY ROLAND EMMERICH<br />

CLAUDETTE BARIUS<br />

Reunited<br />

Emmerich, left,<br />

with Bill Pullman<br />

on the set of<br />

“Independence<br />

Day: Resurgence”<br />

Director Roland Emmerich has destroyed plenty<br />

of iconic landmarks in his 30-year career — he’s<br />

blown up the White House on three separate<br />

occasions — but there’s one oft-filmed locale<br />

that has somehow managed to escape his<br />

appetite for destruction: the TCL Chinese Theatre,<br />

where Emmerich will immortalize his hands and feet<br />

in cement June 20.<br />

“Maybe in one of the next films, they can show my<br />

hand and footprints getting something dropped on<br />

them,” the director laughs.<br />

Emmerich undoubtedly enjoys his work; he recalls<br />

a previous instance of Los Angeles-inspired carnage in<br />

“The Day After Tomorrow”: “I envisioned these images<br />

that, because of climate shifts, tornadoes race through<br />

Los Angeles. It was naturally fun then to have a little<br />

twister erase the Hollywood sign.” He grins with the<br />

giddiness of a child, like the world is his sandbox with<br />

castles ripe for kicking down.<br />

But while it would be easy to dismiss Emmerich’s<br />

penchant for property damage as gratuitous, the<br />

director maintains, “I’m not blowing up stuff just to<br />

blow up; there’s always a story point to it.”<br />

In breakout 1996 blockbuster<br />

“Independence Day,”<br />

Emmerich and his writing<br />

and producing partner,<br />

Dean Devlin, set out to replicate<br />

the passion and creativity<br />

they observed in the<br />

’70s disaster movies they<br />

loved — while still offering<br />

audiences a deeper<br />

message.<br />

“It has to have an element<br />

beyond what the<br />

story at its surface is. ‘Independence<br />

Day’ was about<br />

three people from three different<br />

ethnic groups joining<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: Roland Emmerich<br />

imprint ceremony<br />

When: 5:30 p.m., June 20<br />

Where: TCL Chinese<br />

Theatres, Hollywood<br />

web: tclchinesetheatres.<br />

com/imprint-ceremonies<br />

together to save the world<br />

— that was very important<br />

for me,” he says. “And<br />

I think that message also<br />

made the movie that successful.<br />

When I did ‘Day<br />

After Tomorrow,’ I was<br />

really concerned about the<br />

environment.”<br />

“Independence Day”<br />

star Jeff Goldblum, who<br />

is reuniting with Emmerich<br />

for sequel “Resurgence,”<br />

recalls hearing the director’s<br />

initial hopes for the<br />

film. “He and Dean Devlin<br />

originally said, ‘You know<br />

those Irwin Allen disaster<br />

movies of the ’70s like “The<br />

Towering Inferno”? Let’s<br />

make a cool version of one<br />

of those with a contemporary<br />

sensibility.’ This was<br />

back in the mid-’90s, and<br />

that’s what they pursued,<br />

and they did it with not so<br />

much a careerist ambition,<br />

but a real artist’s love. And<br />

this idea of a diverse →<br />

Helmer’s Plate<br />

Heaped High<br />

Roland Emmerich’s slate<br />

ranges from a war drama<br />

to sci-fi thrillers. He’s<br />

always in demand, so<br />

his slate is often in flux,<br />

but here’s what’s on the<br />

docket at press time:<br />

“Stargate”<br />

Emmerich is teaming with<br />

long-time writing partner<br />

Dean Devlin for a reboot<br />

of his career-making 1994<br />

hit, “Stargate.” Nicolas<br />

Wright and James A.<br />

Woods are on the project<br />

as writers. Says Emmerich,<br />

“It took very long for<br />

‘Independence Day,’ so<br />

it will probably also take<br />

equally long.”<br />

“Battle of Midway”<br />

“I was just drawn to this<br />

battle because America<br />

was just a total underdog<br />

and I’m just in awe of the<br />

bravery of these young<br />

pilots,” Emmerich says.<br />

“And yes, they won the<br />

battle, but what was the<br />

price?”<br />

“Confluence”<br />

A futuristic thriller about<br />

the blurring line between<br />

human and machine;<br />

Emmerich is producing,<br />

with John Robinson Irwin<br />

directing.<br />

“Maya Lord”<br />

A feature film based on<br />

John Coe Robbins’ novel<br />

telling the fact-based<br />

story of Gonzalo Guerrero,<br />

a Spaniard whose<br />

shipwreck in 1511 led<br />

to adventures with the<br />

Mayan people in colonial<br />

Mexico.<br />

“Emergence”<br />

An alien-invasion film<br />

containing hot-button<br />

science elements,<br />

produced by Emmerich’s<br />

Centropolis Entertainment.<br />

Emmerich will helm<br />

and produce.<br />

“Rise”<br />

Centropolis is keeping<br />

details of this thriller set<br />

on an Arctic dive ship<br />

under wraps. Wright and<br />

Woods are scripting.<br />

Emmerich is producing.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

69

IMPRINT CEREMONY ROLAND EMMERICH<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

70<br />

← group of people from all<br />

over the world that have to<br />

unify and band together,<br />

which is the theme in the<br />

first one and even more so<br />

in [“Resurgence”], is dear to<br />

his real, authentic heart.”<br />

The alien invasion hit<br />

grossed more than $817<br />

million worldwide, establishing<br />

Emmerich as Hollywood’s<br />

master of disaster.<br />

“It was a seminal movie,<br />

because all of a sudden people<br />

realized if you have a<br />

certain tone … the movie<br />

had a very big, international<br />

feel to it that was<br />

also something totally new,”<br />

Emmerich says. “But Steven<br />

Spielberg told me and<br />

Dean when we met him<br />

afterwards, ‘this will be<br />

one of the most imitated<br />

movies for the next 20, 30<br />

years.’ And it was, in a way.”<br />

Devlin — who has collaborated<br />

with Emmerich<br />

for 27 years, since they<br />

met on the set of “Moon 44”<br />

— says they approached<br />

“Independence Day” with<br />

the desire to recapture the<br />

action-packed escapism<br />

of such films as “Star Wars”<br />

and “Indiana Jones.”<br />

“I think that there’s a<br />

tendency in blockbusters<br />

today to take themselves<br />

very, very seriously, and<br />

while that’s created some<br />

very compelling content,<br />

it doesn’t quite have that<br />

same joyous feeling,” Devlin<br />

notes, attributing part of<br />

“Independence Day’s”<br />

success to its self-awareness.<br />

“There were a lot of references<br />

in the movie. There’s<br />

a lot of saying to the audience,<br />

‘Hey, this is part of a<br />

type of popcorn movie that<br />

we’ve loved and we’ve forgotten<br />

about. Let’s bring it<br />

back.’”<br />

Growing up in Germany,<br />

Emmerich studied at the<br />

University of Television<br />

and Film Munich, where<br />

he initially intended to<br />

be a production designer.<br />

When discussing his early<br />

career, Emmerich describes<br />

himself as “a little bit of an<br />

odd duck,” who eschewed<br />

the popular style of<br />

German cinema of the time,<br />

which drew its influences<br />

from the French and British<br />

New Wave and Italian neorealism<br />

that was in vogue<br />

across Europe.<br />

Steven Spielberg<br />

told me and Dean,<br />

‘This will be one of the<br />

most imitated movies<br />

for the next 20, 30 years.’<br />

And it was, in a way.”<br />

Roland Emmerich<br />

“I was always looking<br />

to America, and I just<br />

thought the movies were<br />

were more entertaining,<br />

more to my taste,” he says.<br />

“I was relatively strongly<br />

supported at first from<br />

the [German] funding system,<br />

but when they realized<br />

what movies I really<br />

wanted to do, they backed<br />

off, so I had to look for outside<br />

financing.”<br />

Help arrived in the<br />

form of Robert Little, who<br />

owned Overseas Filmgroup,<br />

a worldwide sales and production<br />

company. The shingle<br />

helped finance Emmerich’s<br />

early pictures, allowing<br />

him the autonomy to film<br />

them in English and appeal<br />

to a wider audience.<br />

These days, financing<br />

isn’t a concern for the<br />

multi-hyphenate, whose<br />

films have grossed over<br />

$3 billion worldwide.<br />

“Here’s a filmmaker<br />

that generated franchises,”<br />

says James A. Woods, who<br />

co-wrote the screenplay<br />

for “Resurgence” with<br />

Emmerich, Devlin, and<br />

Nicolas Wright. “This is a<br />

time in cinema where, if<br />

you don’t have a brand,<br />

whether it’s an X-Men or<br />

a Batman or a Transformers<br />

or a Ninja Turtles, it’s<br />

really difficult<br />

to make those big-scale<br />

movies, and Roland was<br />

able to create those, a few<br />

times in his career, which<br />

Pulp Fixation<br />

Dean Devlin, Ellory Elkayem,<br />

and Roland Emmerich on the<br />

set of “Eight Legged Freaks”<br />

in 2002; Emmerich on the set<br />

of “Stargate”<br />

is kind of incredible as a<br />

filmmaker; you’re also a<br />

storyteller who’s generated<br />

franchise-worthy material.<br />

That’s like if Stan Lee was<br />

also Matt Vaughn together<br />

as one human being.”<br />

Despite his success in<br />

the disaster movie genre —<br />

apocalyptic drama “2012”<br />

grossed $769 million worldwide,<br />

second only to “Independence<br />

Day” in his filmography<br />

— it’s telling that<br />

Emmerich’s favorite film is<br />

one of his smallest, both in<br />

budget and gross.<br />

“For the longest time,<br />

‘Anonymous’ was my dream<br />

project,” he says. “It’s so different,<br />

people didn’t even<br />

know that I did it.”<br />

Despite the underwhelming<br />

box office performance<br />

of his smaller films,<br />

Emmerich still intends to<br />

pursue those personal<br />

projects in addition to his<br />

blockbuster crowd-pleasers.<br />

“When you make smaller<br />

pictures, it’s a little bit more<br />

family-oriented,” he says.<br />

“You feel more that you’re<br />

making a movie. These<br />

bigger movies, it’s a little<br />

bit like you’re running a<br />

company.”<br />

Collaborators Sing<br />

Helmer’s Praises<br />

One word that frequently<br />

pops up when discussing<br />

Roland Emmerich is “fun.”<br />

When discussing the<br />

director’s attitude on set,<br />

his colleagues are quick<br />

to praise his enthusiasm,<br />

attention to detail, and<br />

collaborative nature.<br />

Jeff Goldblum<br />

“He’s terrifically prepared<br />

and wildly conscientious.<br />

He’s a force of nature. He’s<br />

an amazing, freakishly<br />

powerful, creative force, but<br />

then he’s fun,” says Goldblum.<br />

“He loves actors and<br />

then he likes to collaborate<br />

with them and create an<br />

atmosphere of trust and<br />

playfulness and improvisation.”<br />

Dean Devlin<br />

Producer Devlin, Emmerich’s<br />

creative partner on<br />

“Stargate” and “Independence<br />

Day,” notes that<br />

Emmerich’s positivity has<br />

stayed consistent throughout<br />

their 27-year working<br />

relationship. “This is a business<br />

that becomes more of<br />

a business all the time, and<br />

many people believe that<br />

unpleasant experiences<br />

make for good movies, and<br />

Roland’s not one of those<br />

guys,” he says. “Working<br />

with Roland is fun, because<br />

his passion becomes infectious,<br />

and then everybody<br />

has it, and it’s a really<br />

unique experience.”<br />

Bill Pullman<br />

In keeping with “Independence<br />

Day’s” theme,<br />

Pullman jokes that Emmerich<br />

is “a little bit of alien<br />

hybridization” too. “Maybe<br />

it’s his Germanic side, which<br />

is about his precision and<br />

his visual aesthetic, married<br />

to him always being kind of<br />

a teenage boy,” he laughs.<br />

“I love it most on set when<br />

he’s describing what you’re<br />

seeing — he always says,<br />

‘and then this comes, and<br />

it’s really cool.’ Just the way<br />

he says ‘cool,’ it means a<br />

lot more than anybody else<br />

saying it.”<br />

EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS: WARNER BROS/PHOTOFEST; STARGATE: CLAUDETTE BARIUS/MGM/PHOTOFEST

WE PROUDLY CONGRATULATE<br />

OUR FRIEND<br />

ROLAND<br />

EMMERICH<br />

ON HIS<br />

HANDS & FEET IMPRINT CEREMONY

IMPRINT CEREMONY ROLAND EMMERICH<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

72<br />

‘RESURGENCE’ AMPS UP<br />

FOR A NEW GENERATION<br />

Emmerich’s vision was too big for vfx tech<br />

By LAURA PRUDOM<br />

Twenty years have<br />

passed since Roland<br />

Emmerich’s “Independence<br />

Day” blasted<br />

into the zeitgeist with the<br />

image of the White House<br />

being obliterated by an<br />

alien spaceship. June 24<br />

will mark the release of the<br />

sequel, “Resurgence” — a<br />

first for the director — and<br />

a reunion with frequent<br />

collaborator Dean Devlin,<br />

who co-wrote and produced<br />

the original.<br />

The duo previously tried<br />

to develop a follow-up to<br />

the 1996 action pic several<br />

times, and even wrote<br />

a script back in 2002. “We<br />

were paid for it, and then<br />

we gave the check back<br />

because we thought it was<br />

just not good enough,”<br />

Emmerich admits.<br />

The project lay dormant<br />

until after Emmerich made<br />

“2012” and felt confident<br />

that the digital effects could<br />

match his imagination. He<br />

They’re Back<br />

Some 20 years after the events<br />

of “Independence Day,” the aliens<br />

return to face young fighters who<br />

grew up preparing for them.<br />

brought in two younger<br />

writers, Nicolas Wright and<br />

James A. Woods, to help<br />

transition between the<br />

returning characters and<br />

newcomers.<br />

“It was interesting to<br />

explore a generation that<br />

grew up in the shadow of<br />

what we call ‘the Great War,’<br />

that these were people who<br />

lost their families; who<br />

never knew a time when<br />

there wasn’t an alien threat<br />

possible,” Devlin says of the<br />

younger cast — including<br />

Liam Hemsworth, Maika<br />

Monroe and Jessie Usher.<br />

“Resurgence” takes place<br />

20 years after the first film,<br />

which saw half the Earth’s<br />

population wiped out. Jeff<br />

Goldblum’s David Levinson,<br />

who helped save the day<br />

in the original, is now the<br />

director of the Earth Space<br />

Defense program, tasked<br />

with preventing another<br />

alien attack. “I work with<br />

the best and the smartest<br />

people to figure out who<br />

they were; if they’re coming<br />

back; what they’re up<br />

to; why really they were<br />

here and who we are in the<br />

whole tapestry of the universe,”<br />

he says of David’s<br />

new role.<br />

Meanwhile, Earth’s<br />

leader during the War of<br />

1996, former President<br />

Whitmore (Bill Pullman)<br />

is a shell of his former self,<br />

suffering from “Alien Residual<br />

Condition” after his<br />

close encounters in the first<br />

film.<br />

Pullman had some trepidation<br />

about returning to<br />

the role that gave him one<br />

of cinema’s most iconic<br />

presidential speeches. “But<br />

it genuinely felt like a part<br />

that was different than the<br />

first one,” he says.

CONGRATULATIONS ROLAND<br />

on an honor well-deserved.<br />

Thank you for honoring us by filming<br />

“INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE”<br />

at Albuquerque Studios.<br />

We look forward to welcoming you back soon.<br />

www.abqstudios.com

WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT<br />

PROUDLY SUPPORTS WOMEN IN FILM<br />

AND CONGRATULATES ALL OF THE<br />

2016 CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARDS ® HONOREES<br />

CRYSTAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM<br />

DENISE DI NOVI<br />

LAUREN SHULER DONNER • LUCY FISHER<br />

LIANNE HALFON • LYNDA OBST • JANE ROSENTHAL<br />

PAULA WAGNER • PAULA WEINSTEIN<br />

LUCY AWARD FOR<br />

EXCELLENCE IN TELEVISION<br />

TARAJI P. HENSON<br />

BMW DOROTHY ARZNER<br />

DIRECTOR’S AWARD ®<br />

LESLI LINKA GLATTER<br />

MAX MARA<br />

FACE OF THE FUTURE AWARD ®<br />

NATALIE DORMER<br />

SUE MENGERS<br />

AWARD<br />

HYLDA QUEALLY<br />

©2016 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARDS<br />

COURTESY OF CATHERINE HARDWICKE<br />

Dawn Breaking<br />

Catherine Hardwicke, here on the<br />

“Twilight” set, says people want<br />

to hire more women now.<br />

Women in Film Sees Slow Pace<br />

of Change in the Workplace<br />

Organization seeks parity with peer-to-peer initiative<br />

By HILLARY ATKIN<br />

Designing Change,<br />

the theme of this<br />

year’s Women in<br />

Film Crystal + Lucy Awards,<br />

could not be more appropriate<br />

given the spotlight<br />

on gender parity and the<br />

federal government’s probe<br />

into whether there is a<br />

pattern of bias against<br />

hiring female directors in<br />

Hollywood.<br />

Yet for nearly four years,<br />

WIF has been conducting<br />

an awareness campaign<br />

and raising funds for research<br />

on the falling-out<br />

points for women, leading<br />

to the Systemic Change<br />

Project that is already<br />

showing results.<br />

The project grew out<br />

of extensive research and<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: Women in Film<br />

Crystal + Lucy Awards<br />

When: 6 p.m. June 15<br />

Where: Beverly Hilton<br />

web: womeninfilm.org<br />

an inaugural summit for<br />

50 professionals held last<br />

November in which executives,<br />

agents and creatives<br />

brought their ideas for<br />

solutions to the table, augmented<br />

by best practices<br />

from medicine, finance,<br />

technology and politics.<br />

“The idea was to work<br />

together to create change,”<br />

says WIF president Cathy<br />

Schulman. “The key thing<br />

that resulted was to create<br />

a peer-to-peer fix-it system.<br />

The process has been<br />

slow because there hasn’t<br />

been peer pressure. The<br />

idea is that decision-makers<br />

will listen to progressive<br />

ideas for change from<br />

people they normally listen<br />

to, such as studio heads<br />

working with agents and<br />

producers.”<br />

Director Catherine Hardwicke’s<br />

recent experience<br />

is a prime example. Within<br />

days of the summit, she got<br />

a call from a participant<br />

that led to a directing job<br />

on a DreamWorks television<br />

project — and then another<br />

gig, executive producing<br />

and helming the first two<br />

episodes of USA Network’s<br />

crime thriller “Eyewitness.”<br />

“I’m sure that all this<br />

noise and excitement<br />

made it easier for me to<br />

get approved,” she says.<br />

“People want to be on the<br />

right side of history and<br />

do something positive<br />

instead of getting shamed<br />

in the media, like the article<br />

revealing there were no<br />

women directors on several<br />

studios’ upcoming release<br />

schedules. All this attention<br />

is great and it’s making<br />

people think twice — and<br />

some people are already<br />

taking action.”<br />

On the set of HBO’s<br />

“Vinyl,” director S.J. Clarkson<br />

worked with a crew of<br />

about 50% women — for<br />

the first time in her directing<br />

career. “There’s a risk<br />

aversion in this business<br />

and women get caught in<br />

that. It’s been a systemic<br />

problem, partially because<br />

of a lack of role models,<br />

which is discouraging,” she<br />

Programs to Help<br />

Female Filmmakers<br />

WIF’s programs include<br />

monthly screening and<br />

speaker series, a finishing<br />

fund, scholarship and<br />

mentorship programs, and<br />

a PSA production program.<br />

Goal<br />

WIF partners with the<br />

Sundance Institute for<br />

the Systemic Change<br />

Project with actionable<br />

goals to achieve gender<br />

parity. WIF documents<br />

the accomplishments of<br />

women in the industry by<br />

filming them for its Legacy<br />

Series, housed at the UCLA<br />

Film & Television Archive.<br />

1.5k<br />

Women in Film was founded<br />

in 1973 as a nonprofit<br />

dedicated to equal<br />

opportunities for women.<br />

It has 1,500 members.<br />

$75k<br />

WIF awards eight to 15<br />

grants annually, totaling<br />

$50,000-$75,000 and<br />

eight scholarships for<br />

amounts from $2,000<br />

to $25,000.<br />

+7k<br />

WIF’s social media campaign<br />

#52FilmsByWomen<br />

has more than 7,000 people<br />

committed to watching<br />

a female-made film every<br />

week and posting about it.<br />

200<br />

The Finishing Fund awards<br />

millions in cash and in-kind<br />

services to over 200 films<br />

internationally.<br />

100<br />

Upto 80-100 members are<br />

mentored yearly by pros.<br />

says. “But women should<br />

not accept limitations.”<br />

Helmer Lesli Linka Glatter<br />

agrees, saying, “You have<br />

to be incredibly tenacious<br />

and everyone needs a hand.<br />

Everyone needs the door<br />

to be opened a little bit and<br />

any person who is working,<br />

male or female, has had<br />

someone grab the hand and<br />

help. And that’s what the<br />

women that are working<br />

have to do.<br />

“And the men! I’ve been<br />

incredibly mentored by<br />

men as well, you have to do<br />

that. I’ve had<br />

so many mentors along<br />

the way but one of the first<br />

people who really sat down<br />

with me was (director)<br />

George Miller. I met him<br />

in Tokyo when I was living<br />

there and he was one of<br />

the first people who really<br />

gave me a helping hand.<br />

I got to thank him this year,<br />

which was amazing.”<br />

Change is slow, but is<br />

coming, she says.<br />

“I think we’re at a tipping<br />

point now.”<br />

Television writer Marjorie<br />

David has also seen<br />

change since the days when<br />

it was considered progressive<br />

to have one woman<br />

scribe in a room. “People<br />

do respond to consciousness-raising<br />

and external<br />

pressure,” says David,<br />

a WGAW board member<br />

who is on NBC’s upcoming<br />

“Taken.” “Most people<br />

now are very aware that a<br />

diverse staff is a better staff,<br />

making the atmosphere<br />

better and more creative.<br />

What we need to do is open<br />

the door even more.”<br />

“It feels like the conversation<br />

has changed and<br />

that we’re at a tipping<br />

point — like there was for<br />

gay marriage,” says Marielle<br />

Heller (“The Diary of<br />

a Teenage Girl”), the only<br />

woman nominated in the<br />

feature film directing categories<br />

at this year’s DGA<br />

Awards. “I hope the needle<br />

will move and we won’t<br />

have just article after article<br />

about this and then<br />

nothing happens.”<br />

Schulman also feels<br />

optimistic about change.<br />

“My colleagues are hearing<br />

for the first time interest in<br />

hiring women not just for<br />

gender-specific content or<br />

lead characters,” she says.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

75

CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARDS<br />

CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE<br />

Women in Film has named ‘exemplars’ in<br />

their fields for their pioneering work<br />

By MARIA CAVASSUTO & LAMARCO MCCLENDON<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

76<br />

DENISE DI NOVI<br />

LIANNE HALFON<br />

LYNDA OBST<br />

JANE ROSENTHAL<br />

PAULA WAGNER<br />

LUCY FISHER<br />

LAUREN SHULER DONNER<br />

PAULA WEINSTEIN<br />

The Crystal Award for Excellence in Film<br />

The eight honorees have<br />

blazed a trail for female<br />

producers while overcoming<br />

hurdles and making some great<br />

films. This year, the group<br />

includes risk-takers Denise Di<br />

Novi, who has produced dozens<br />

of films including “Heathers,”<br />

“Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed<br />

Wood,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,”<br />

and is making her directorial<br />

debut with “Unforgettable.”<br />

Honoree Lianne Halfon has<br />

produced such docs as “Crumb”<br />

along with fiction features<br />

“Demolition,” “The Perks<br />

of Being a Wallflower,” and<br />

“Juno.” Lynda Obst’s credits<br />

include the iconic “Sleepless in<br />

Seattle,” “The Fisher King” and<br />

“Interstellar.” Jane Rosenthal,<br />

who is also Tribeca Enterprises<br />

executive chair, worked on “Wag<br />

the Dog,” “Meet the Parents,”<br />

and Katie Holmes’ feature debut,<br />

“All We Had.” Paula Wagner<br />

has been behind some of the<br />

biggest blockbusters of the past<br />

couple of decades, including the<br />

“Mission: Impossible” trilogy,<br />

“War of the Worlds,” and has<br />

Reginald Hudlin’s “Marshall,”<br />

about a young Thurgood<br />

Marshall, on tap. Lucy Fisher’s<br />

credits include the “Divergent”<br />

series and “The Great Gatsby.”<br />

Action hits are the driver of<br />

Lauren Shuler Donner’s career,<br />

including “Deadpool” and the<br />

“X-Men” franchise. As exec VP<br />

Kick-Ass Women<br />

Lauren Shuler Donner’s produced<br />

the recent “X-Men: Apocalypse”<br />

with Olivia Munn.<br />

of Tribeca Enterprises, Paula<br />

Weinstein helps run the Tribeca<br />

film festival; she produced<br />

“Blood Diamond” and “The<br />

Perfect Storm,” among other<br />

films.<br />

W E PROUDLY SALUT E<br />

PAULA WAGNER<br />

AND ALL OF THE OTHER<br />

2016 CR Y STAL AWARD HONOREES<br />

11111 Santa Monica Blvd | Suite 1750 |<br />

Los Angeles, CA 90025 | T: 310.286.9696<br />

KLEINBERGLANGE.COM

CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARDS<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

78<br />

LESLI LINKA GLATTER<br />

The BMW Dorothy Arzner<br />

Directors Award<br />

Glatter, whose stellar reputation<br />

has been built on such series<br />

as “Homeland,” “ER” and “Mad<br />

Men,” couldn’t be happier about<br />

female directors, showrunners,<br />

and executive producers<br />

taking the lead. “Even on a<br />

bad day, I love my job. I love<br />

being a storyteller and getting<br />

to work in this incredible<br />

‘team sport’ with so many<br />

extraordinary artists,” she says.<br />

“I am profoundly grateful to<br />

WIF for this amazing honor<br />

especially now, where issues<br />

regarding women directors are<br />

at the forefront of the cultural<br />

conversation.”<br />

Making a Point<br />

Executive producer and director<br />

Lesli Linka Glatter and director of<br />

photography David Klein work on<br />

the set of “Homeland.”<br />

NATALIE DORMER<br />

The Women in Film Max Mara<br />

Face of the Future Award<br />

As Queen<br />

Margaery Tyrell<br />

on “Game of<br />

Thrones,”<br />

Dormer plays a<br />

powerful and clever royal, not far<br />

from her Anne Boleyn in<br />

Showtime’s “The Tudors.” The<br />

actress has a lot on her docket,<br />

including more “Thrones” and<br />

Stefan Ruzowitzky’s “Patient<br />

Zero.” “I am proud to be part of<br />

the movement pushing forward,”<br />

she says.<br />

HYLDA QUEALLY<br />

The Sue Mengers Award<br />

Named after<br />

groundbreaking<br />

superagent Sue<br />

Mengers, who<br />

guided the<br />

careers of Barbra Streisand,<br />

Steve McQueen, and Faye<br />

Dunaway, among others, the<br />

award has been presented only<br />

once before. CAA’s Queally has<br />

earned it, representing some of<br />

the top talent in the film industry,<br />

including Marion Cotillard, Cate<br />

Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Lupita<br />

Nyong’o, Jessica Chastain, Rose<br />

Byrne, and Daisy Ridley.<br />

TARAJI P. HENSON<br />

The Lucy Award for Excellence<br />

in Television<br />

Henson has<br />

become one of<br />

the most<br />

recognizable<br />

names in TV<br />

and film. Her role as Cookie Lyon<br />

on Fox’s “Empire” earned the<br />

actress a Golden Globe award<br />

and an Emmy nom. “I couldn’t be<br />

more honored or thrilled to<br />

receive an award from women<br />

and with the name Lucy attached<br />

makes it perfect,” she says. “After<br />

playing so many very dramatic<br />

roles, I hope this means someone<br />

thinks I can be funny.”<br />

CONGRATULATIONS<br />

to<br />

Lynda Obst<br />

on receiving her<br />

2016 CRYSTAL + LUCY ® “EXCELLENCE IN FILM” AWARD<br />

Your wonderful work inspires us every day!<br />

From your friends at<br />

GLATTER: STEPHAN RABOLD/SHOWTIME; QUEALLY: JUDY HOST

We proudly congratulate our clients.<br />

2016 CRYSTAL + LUCY AWARD HONOREES<br />

LIANNE HALFON<br />

Crystal Award for Excellence in Film<br />

LESLI LINKA GLATTER<br />

Dorothy Arzner Directors Award<br />

2016 MAUI FILM FESTIVAL HONOREE<br />

VIOLA DAVIS<br />

Navigator Award<br />

2016 AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE HONOREE<br />

LESLI LINKA GLATTER<br />

Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal<br />

LGNAF<br />

Lichter, Grossman, Nichols,<br />

Adler & Feldman, Inc.

10 TV SCRIBES<br />

TO WATCH

10 TV SCRIBES TO WATCH<br />

CORINNE<br />

BRINKERHOFF<br />

“American Gothic” (CBS), June 22;<br />

“No Tomorrow” (The CW), fall; age 36<br />

BRINKERHOFF: RICHARD BOETH/CBS<br />

Good Penmanship Stands Out<br />

in the Peak TV Entertainment Era<br />

Variety’s 2016 rising stars are poised to innovate across all platforms<br />

Every year the competition<br />

for Variety’s<br />

list of TV Scribes to<br />

Watch gets more intense.<br />

As some of Hollywood’s<br />

most promising talent<br />

flocks to the wide open<br />

spaces of cable, digital and<br />

the creatively resurgent<br />

broadcast nets, we realize<br />

this list could easily be<br />

twice as long.<br />

The range of viewpoints<br />

and material on tap is<br />

breathtaking. Peak TV isn’t<br />

going to end any time soon.<br />

I think it’s rare [when]<br />

you find a collaborator<br />

you really sync up with<br />

and with whom you<br />

share a vision.”<br />

Charles Rogers<br />

SARAH-<br />

VIOLET BLISS<br />

& CHARLES<br />

ROGERS<br />

“Search Party” (TBS), fall;<br />

ages 32 (Bliss), 28 (Rogers)<br />

Bliss and Rogers have been<br />

a writing and directing<br />

team since graduate school<br />

at NYU, where they hatched<br />

the idea for “Fort Tilden,”<br />

which began as their thesis<br />

project and won the grand<br />

jury prize at the 2014 SXSW<br />

festival.<br />

“It was a really fast and<br />

furious experience,” says<br />

Bliss of making the indie<br />

comedy about two ditzy<br />

Brooklyn millennials making<br />

their way to the beach.<br />

“We had come up with it<br />

while we were just hanging<br />

out together — and that<br />

was in May 2013. We had<br />

shot it by end of the summer.<br />

It was one of the hardest<br />

and most satisfying<br />

things we had ever done<br />

creatively.”<br />

After a move to L.A,<br />

Bliss and Rogers, who name<br />

Christopher Guest, Charlie<br />

Kaufman and Miranda<br />

July as shared inspirations,<br />

landed staff writing jobs on<br />

the Netflix comedy prequel<br />

“Wet Hot American Summer:<br />

First Day of Camp.”<br />

“It was incredible practice<br />

for us developing and<br />

making our own TV show,”<br />

says Rogers. “There was just<br />

so much creative chaos in<br />

order for everybody to get<br />

enough ideas to work on.”<br />

‘American’ Women<br />

Corinne Brinkerhoff, left, on the<br />

set of CBS’ “American Gothic”<br />

with actress Megan Ketch.<br />

Next up for the duo is<br />

their own creation: TBS’<br />

“Search Party,” a dark comedy<br />

that centers on Dory<br />

(Alia Shawkat), an unemployed<br />

twenty-something in<br />

Brooklyn who attempts to<br />

solve a missing person case.<br />

“TBS completely understood<br />

the way we wanted to<br />

approach the filmmaking<br />

of the show,” says Bliss. “It’s<br />

kind of this indie millennial<br />

murder mystery and<br />

they’ve been really supportive<br />

along the way.”<br />

The series debuts in<br />

November.<br />

“I don’t think that everyone<br />

can or should work<br />

together but the experience<br />

of us working together<br />

has been very unique, and<br />

we’re very lucky to have<br />

found each other when<br />

we did,” says Rogers. “We<br />

have experienced personal<br />

growth both separately and<br />

together. I think it’s rare<br />

[when] you find a collaborator<br />

you really sync up with<br />

and with whom you share a<br />

vision.” — Malina Saval<br />

Representation<br />

ICM; Rise Management<br />

Although the creator of CBS’<br />

summer mystery “American<br />

Gothic” and The CW’s fall<br />

comedy “No Tomorrow” is<br />

definitely in the big leagues<br />

now, Brinkerhoff landed<br />

her first industry job as an<br />

assistant for her favorite TV<br />

writer, David E. Kelley, on<br />

“Boston Legal.”<br />

“I wrote a spec ‘Boston<br />

Legal’ right when the<br />

show first started,” Brinkerhoff<br />

says. “I asked David to<br />

read it and he agreed. I was<br />

hoping he would give me<br />

some relatively kind notes<br />

or advice and he said, ‘We<br />

should buy it and shoot it.’”<br />

Brinkerhoff landed stints<br />

on “The Good Wife” and<br />

“Jane the Virgin” before<br />

finding the leverage to<br />

launch her own show.<br />

The concept of “American<br />

Gothic,” developed<br />

with author James Frey,<br />

reminded Brinkerhoff of<br />

a criminal case from her<br />

home state of Kansas.<br />

“It just spun my wheels.<br />

It was about what happens<br />

in a family as they start to<br />

suspect one of their own<br />

was, or is, a killer,” she says.<br />

Joining the still-growing<br />

crop of female showrunners<br />

definitely has challenges,<br />

Brinkerhoff admits, but the<br />

most crucial piece of advice<br />

she has for other women is<br />

to help each other.<br />

“Finding a voice in<br />

rooms that tend to be very<br />

male-dominated — that’s a<br />

challenge,” she says. “What’s<br />

always helped me were<br />

other women who pulled<br />

me up with them and made<br />

sure my voice was being<br />

heard.” — Maria Cavassuto<br />

Representation<br />

UTA<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

81

10 TV SCRIBES TO WATCH<br />

JOHN<br />

CHERNIN<br />

& DAVE<br />

CHERNIN<br />

“The Mick” (Fox), 2017;<br />

ages 33 (John); 31 (Dave)<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

82<br />

Writing partnerships face<br />

the challenge of needing<br />

to feel like a kinship while<br />

maintaining some form<br />

of professional decorum.<br />

Unless that partnership is<br />

made up of two siblings.<br />

“Generally, we’re pretty<br />

much in lockstep, but we<br />

have issues like anyone else.<br />

The fact that we’re brothers<br />

makes it easier to just be<br />

straightforward and forgive<br />

one another when something<br />

horrible is said,” says<br />

Dave Chernin, who created<br />

Fox’s midseason series “The<br />

Mick” with brother John. “If<br />

all else fails, we grease up<br />

and wrestle it out.”<br />

Both Chernins have tried<br />

writing with other partners,<br />

but, as John explains, “It’s<br />

pretty advantageous to be<br />

writing with someone with<br />

whom you have this shorthand<br />

going back 30 years.<br />

There’s a lot of inside jokes<br />

that we’re familiar with<br />

and I don’t think either of<br />

us will ever get over the fact<br />

that people pay us money<br />

The fact that we’re<br />

brothers makes it easier<br />

to just be straightforward<br />

when something<br />

horrible is said.”<br />

Dave Chernin<br />

to crack each other up.”<br />

The brothers, whose<br />

father is the Chernin<br />

Group’s Peter Chernin, got<br />

their big breaks writing on<br />

the FXX comedy “It’s Always<br />

Sunny in Philadelphia” and<br />

say they learned everything<br />

from that series’ stars and<br />

exec producers Glenn Howerton,<br />

Rob McElhenney and<br />

Charlie Day — be it putting<br />

character first and figuring<br />

out story second, or the<br />

importance of good casting.<br />

Kaitlin Olson, who plays<br />

Sweet Dee on “Sunny,”<br />

toplines “The Mick,” a comedy<br />

about a deadbeat who<br />

ends up as the parental<br />

guardian to three kids.<br />

“We wrote the character<br />

for Kaitlin’s voice to get on<br />

the same page during the<br />

writing process,” John says.<br />

“In the back of our minds,<br />

we were holding out hope<br />

that she would be available.<br />

And then, we heard there<br />

was a possibility, [and] it<br />

was full speed ahead, and<br />

she was the only one we<br />

were interested in working<br />

with. To us, she is the funniest<br />

woman on the planet<br />

and has been for well over<br />

a decade.”<br />

— Whitney Friedlander<br />

Representation<br />

WME, 3 Arts<br />

MATT &<br />

ROSS DUFFER<br />

“Stranger Things” (Netflix), July 15;<br />

ages 32<br />

Netflix’s upcoming series<br />

“Stranger Things” started<br />

with a simple idea. “We<br />

wanted to see something on<br />

TV that was in the vein of<br />

the films we loved growing<br />

up,” Matt Duffer says.<br />

North Carolina natives<br />

Matt and twin brother,<br />

Ross, came of age in the<br />

’80s, when genre films were<br />

in full bloom. “The Steven<br />

Spielberg films, John Carpenter<br />

films, Stephen King<br />

books,” Matt Duffer says.<br />

“when we were watching<br />

those films or reading<br />

those books, it was like we<br />

were on that adventure and<br />

encountering that supernatural<br />

being. We wanted<br />

to try to capture that experience<br />

on TV in a longform<br />

nature.”<br />

“Stranger Things” follows<br />

three boys, who, when<br />

searching for their missing<br />

friend, get wrapped up in<br />

a wild adventure with sci-fi<br />

and horror overtones. Think<br />

“Super 8” meets “Freaks and<br />

Geeks,” with the mother of<br />

the missing boy played by<br />

’80s teen star Winona Ryder<br />

(her casting is no coincidence,<br />

as the brothers also<br />

cite frequent Ryder collaborator<br />

Tim Burton as a formative<br />

influence).<br />

“Stranger Things” was<br />

originally conceived as a<br />

feature film, the arena the<br />

Duffers always aspired to<br />

work in (their 2015 thriller<br />

“Hidden” was released<br />

straight to DVD and VOD<br />

by Warner Bros.), but they<br />

were encouraged by seeing<br />

idols like Steven Soderbergh,<br />

David Fincher and<br />

Cary Fukunaga move to TV.<br />

“When I saw the ‘True<br />

Detective’ trailer, I was more<br />

excited about that than I<br />

was about most upcoming<br />

movies,” Ross says.<br />

They first dabbled in TV<br />

on staff of the Fox series<br />

“Wayward Pines.” “What<br />

it taught is that we could,<br />

with a gun to our head,<br />

pound out scripts very<br />

quickly, which is something<br />

we had never done before,”<br />

Ross says.<br />

Now, having completed<br />

an eight-episode first season<br />

for Netflix, they’ve fully<br />

embraced the upside of the<br />

small screen.<br />

“It feels right now in<br />

film, everyone is doing<br />

something branded or with<br />

some sort of IP, [and] if<br />

you’re not playing in a designated<br />

sandbox you can’t<br />

really get to play,” Matt says.<br />

“For people our age, a lot of<br />

Brothers In Arms<br />

Writer-directors Matt, right,<br />

and Ross Duffer on location<br />

for Netflix’s ’80s-set thriller<br />

“Stranger Things.”<br />

us all want to tell original<br />

stories — inspired by these<br />

films but aren’t remakes of<br />

them, and have our own<br />

DNA in them. I think that’s<br />

why people are moving into<br />

television, because it’s a little<br />

freer and a place like<br />

Netflix will allow us to tell<br />

our own story.”<br />

They focused on making<br />

“Stranger Things” feel as<br />

much like a complete feature<br />

film as possible, helming<br />

six episodes themselves<br />

(exec producer Shawn Levy<br />

directed the other two).<br />

They prefer to think of possible<br />

future seasons as<br />

“sequels” instead of a single<br />

ongoing story.<br />

To that end, they feel<br />

Netflix’s binge model is a<br />

perfect fit. “You want the<br />

family to sit down with the<br />

popcorn and watch one<br />

episode and then want<br />

to watch another and<br />

another,” Matt says. “That’s<br />

the goal.”<br />

— Geoff Berkshire<br />

Representation<br />

Paradigm<br />

DUFFER: CURTIS BAKER/ NETFLIX

CONGRATULATIONS<br />

ONE OF VARIETY’S 10 TV SCRIBES TO WATCH 2016<br />

ANGELA KANG<br />

®<br />

©2016 AMC Network Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.<br />

®

10 TV SCRIBES TO WATCH<br />

ANGELA<br />

KANG<br />

“The Walking Dead” (AMC),<br />

returns Oct. 2016; age 40<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

84<br />

MICHAEL<br />

D. FULLER<br />

& GRAHAM<br />

GORDY<br />

“Quarry” (Cinemax), fall;<br />

ages 34 (Fuller); 40 (Gordy)<br />

Patience paid off for Gordy<br />

and Fuller. The writing<br />

duo pitched their ’70s-set<br />

thriller “Quarry” to HBO<br />

executives back in 2012, and<br />

it will finally premiere this<br />

fall on Cinemax.<br />

The slow burn fits an<br />

intriguing series that combines<br />

the character-driven<br />

elements of SundanceTV’s<br />

critically acclaimed “Rectify”<br />

(on which Gordy and<br />

Fuller were writers for the<br />

first season) with the gritty<br />

action angle Cinemax has<br />

turned into a brand.<br />

“We sparked to the tremendous<br />

possibilities of<br />

this character returning<br />

from war and dealing with<br />

the effects of that trauma<br />

at a time when there wasn’t<br />

an acronym for it,” Fuller<br />

says of the show’s hero,<br />

Vietnam vet Mac Conway<br />

( Logan Marshall-Green in a<br />

breakout performance).<br />

“We were very interested<br />

in the era, the early ’70s,”<br />

Gordy adds. “The original<br />

idea was that this was the<br />

best era for feature films of<br />

anything we knew.”<br />

“Quarry” is inspired by<br />

a series of novels by Max<br />

Allan Collins that Fuller<br />

found surfing Amazon’s<br />

“readers also liked” recommendations.<br />

Already a fan<br />

of Collins’ work, Fuller took<br />

the material to Gordy and<br />

the pair discovered the<br />

rights were available. Collins<br />

ultimately wound up<br />

scripting one of the first<br />

season’s eight episodes.<br />

Arkansas native Gordy<br />

and South Carolina native<br />

Fuller met in college<br />

through a mutual connection<br />

at NYU’s playwriting<br />

program. They quickly<br />

bonded over a love of college<br />

football and television<br />

(they wrote an AMC pilot<br />

set in the world of college<br />

ball that ultimately didn’t<br />

go to series).<br />

Fans of TV’s new golden<br />

era touchstones like “The<br />

Sopranos” and “The Wire,”<br />

they’re bringing those influences<br />

to “Quarry.” As Fuller<br />

says, “It was intriguing to<br />

us to say, ‘What if you did<br />

something in the way “Mad<br />

Men” uses the era so deftly<br />

to be a commentary on<br />

where we are now, and you<br />

have that driving criminal<br />

narrative [of] “Breaking<br />

Bad” that makes you lean<br />

up in your seat because<br />

you’re invested in the characters<br />

and their journeys?’”<br />

— Geoff Berkshire<br />

Representation<br />

CAA; Anonymous Content<br />

DAVID<br />

GUGGENHEIM<br />

“Designated Survivor” (ABC), fall; age 37<br />

Having already worked with<br />

the likes of Denzel Washington<br />

and Nicolas Cage on<br />

the big screen, Guggenheim<br />

understands how to talk to<br />

stars. So when it came time<br />

to meet Kiefer Sutherland<br />

for his pilot “Designated<br />

Survivor,” the tension was<br />

barely there.<br />

“We got along from the<br />

get go,” Guggenheim says.<br />

“He read the script before<br />

meeting me, so I didn’t have<br />

to sell my voice. I wanted<br />

him to trust me. When he<br />

signed on it was the get of<br />

the century.”<br />

Sutherland plays a member<br />

of Congress who unexpectedly<br />

becomes the<br />

leader of the free world<br />

when a terrorist attack kills<br />

the president, his cabinet<br />

and all of Congress.<br />

With a leading man best<br />

known for his role as special<br />

agent Jack Bauer on<br />

the long-running Fox series<br />

“24,” Guggenheim wants to<br />

reintroduce audiences to<br />

Sutherland .<br />

“I wrote him to be me,<br />

so when Kiefer signed up,<br />

I didn’t want him to be Jack<br />

[Bauer]. The ultimate goal<br />

is to be the ordinary man,”<br />

Guggenheim says. “That<br />

said, it’s all right to have<br />

a little flash of that character.<br />

Kiefer is so great that<br />

you forget about Jack Bauer<br />

immediately .”<br />

Guggenheim still considers<br />

himself a feature writer<br />

first (his reboot of “Commando”<br />

is casting at Fox),<br />

but as he heads into his<br />

first season of television<br />

he’s only seeing the bright<br />

side of the small screen.<br />

“I can tell a story on a<br />

much bigger scale compared<br />

to just two hours,”<br />

he says. “So far it’s a dream<br />

scenario. ” — Justin Kroll<br />

Representation<br />

Paradigm, Madhouse<br />

Entertainment<br />

When Kiefer [Sutherland]<br />

signed up, I didn’t want<br />

him to be Jack [Bauer].”<br />

David Guggenheim<br />

As a writer and the sole<br />

co-executive producer on<br />

AMC’s “The Walking Dead,”<br />

Kang has a knack for connecting<br />

with fans. Her contributions<br />

to the recent<br />

sixth season — including<br />

“The Same Boat” and “The<br />

Next World” — were hailed<br />

as innovative standouts<br />

by loyal viewers and critics<br />

alike.<br />

“I started doing theater<br />

because I was a shy,<br />

awkward kid and my parents<br />

thought it would be a<br />

good activity,” Kang says . “I<br />

acted and learned behindthe-scenes<br />

things, but I was<br />

always very drawn to writing,<br />

so I started writing<br />

plays. I used to walk around<br />

with a notebook filled with<br />

stories I wrote.”<br />

AMC signed Kang to a<br />

two-year overall deal earlier<br />

this year, and her vast imagination<br />

comes in handy<br />

on “Dead,” especially with<br />

its ever-growing stable of<br />

characters.<br />

“With each script I try to<br />

find the thing I love about<br />

the particular characters in<br />

that moment, ” she says.<br />

Kang, whose previous TV<br />

gig was FX’s quirky drama<br />

“Terriers,” was an admirer<br />

of Robert Kirkman’s “Walking<br />

Dead” comic-book series<br />

before she found herself<br />

writing for the zombie<br />

apocalypse drama.<br />

“I go back back to the<br />

comics all the time for<br />

inspiration and to pull<br />

pieces from it,” Kang says.<br />

“The TV show does have<br />

a life of its own and some<br />

of the character’s journeys<br />

have diverged quite a bit .”<br />

— Jacob Bryant<br />

Representation<br />

UTA, The Shuman Co.<br />

GORDY & FULLER: CINEMAX/MICHELE K. SHORT; KANG: SEAN OLSON

SILVA<br />

CARDENAS<br />

OLIVAS<br />

“Elena of Avalor” (Disney), July 22;<br />

age 45<br />

Telling diverse, entertaining<br />

stories has always been a<br />

part of Olivas’ life. A shy<br />

child, she learned at an<br />

early age the value of listen-<br />

ing and observing in order<br />

to tell the richest tales.<br />

Growing up, “I really<br />

started to pay attention to<br />

the way people spoke, their<br />

The Princess Scribe<br />

Silvia Cardenas Olivas, left, and<br />

creator Craig Gerber collaborate<br />

on Disney’s “Elena of Avalor.”<br />

mannerisms, dialogue,”<br />

she says. “I come from a big,<br />

loud, funny Latino family,<br />

so at all the gatherings,<br />

I was really soaking in all<br />

the colorful personalities.”<br />

This should serve her<br />

well as the story editor of<br />

Disney Channel’s upcoming<br />

“Elena of Avalor,” which<br />

tells the tale Disney’s newest<br />

princess, the teenage<br />

ruler of a magic kingdom<br />

inspired by Latin cultures<br />

and folklore. Olivas leads<br />

the writing staff and works<br />

on production alongside<br />

creator, Craig Gerber, who<br />

also created “Sofia the First.”<br />

Animation takes time,<br />

and the pair have been<br />

working on “Elena” since<br />

2014. The show will debut<br />

July 22.<br />

Olivas’ TV writing career<br />

started on “Moesha.” She<br />

moved to animation in<br />

2001 when she followed<br />

her mentor to Disney Channel’s<br />

“The Proud Family.”<br />

It was a bit of a shock for<br />

her “until I realized it’s<br />

just storytelling,” she says.<br />

“Whether it’s wacky or<br />

more grounded, at the end<br />

of the day you’re telling<br />

stories.”<br />

Diversity on television<br />

is important to Olivas, and<br />

that extends to the writers’<br />

room. “When I hear the<br />

word ‘diversity,’ I hear positivity,<br />

progress, strength,”<br />

she says. “It was so important<br />

that our writers have<br />

different backgrounds,<br />

ethnicities, sensibilities,<br />

points of view and upbringing.<br />

I knew it would make<br />

for more compelling storytelling,<br />

and it has.”<br />

— Terry Flores<br />

Representation<br />

Gotham Group<br />

85<br />

OLIVAS: RICK ROWELL/DISNEY CHANNEL<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM

10 TV SCRIBES TO WATCH<br />

TV Scribes to Watch:<br />

Alumni Update<br />

Catching up with the<br />

writers Variety has singled<br />

out in recent years.<br />

Jack Amiel and<br />

Michael Begler 2014<br />

After collecting a WGA<br />

nom for season one of<br />

Cinemax’s “The Knick,”<br />

the acclaim continued in<br />

season two, but the future<br />

remains an open question<br />

as Amiel, Begler and fellow<br />

showrunners Steven<br />

Soderbergh, and Gregory<br />

Jacobs work with the net to<br />

determine what additional<br />

seasons might look like.<br />

PRENTICE<br />

PENNY<br />

Rachel Bloom 2015<br />

The star and co-creator<br />

of The CW’s “Crazy<br />

Ex-Girlfriend” won a<br />

Golden Globe this year<br />

for lead actress in a<br />

comedy series. Her show,<br />

a critics’ favorite, was<br />

picked up for season two.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

86<br />

“Insecure” (HBO), fall; age 41<br />

Penny found early on he<br />

wasn’t the “cool kid in<br />

school.” He was the “funny<br />

kid” and that didn’t draw<br />

girls his way.<br />

However, his comedic<br />

sensibilities helped make<br />

the little boy who grew up<br />

watching “Diff’rent Strokes”<br />

the showrunner of HBO’s<br />

fall comedy “Insecure,” starring<br />

Issa Rae.<br />

“I wrote this letter about<br />

what I related to in the<br />

pilot, which I felt was brilliant,<br />

[to say] what I felt I<br />

could offer Issa as a showrunner<br />

and how I know<br />

what it’s like being the only<br />

black writer in a comedy<br />

room,” Penny says.<br />

After getting his start<br />

working under Mara Brock<br />

Akil as a writer on the sitcom<br />

“Girlfriends,” Penny<br />

saw “Insecure” as an opportunity<br />

to pass along what<br />

he’s learned as a writer<br />

of color in the same way<br />

Akil did for him.<br />

With “Insecure,” Penny<br />

says the goal is to tell stories<br />

that are true to life and<br />

find the humor in them.<br />

“We want to bring stories<br />

that black people talk about<br />

privately and that you will<br />

be able to hear public discussions<br />

about and be like<br />

‘Oh, black people talk about<br />

that?’ or ‘That’s what their<br />

life is like?’ or ‘Oh, they have<br />

to code switch when they<br />

go between worlds?,”’ says<br />

Penny.<br />

With a resume that also<br />

includes the final season of<br />

“Scrubs,” “Happy Endings”<br />

and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,”<br />

Penny admires work that<br />

offers big laughs mixed<br />

with quieter slices of life,<br />

like “Roseanne.” He seeks<br />

to bring that quality to<br />

“Insecure” and his feature<br />

project, “Uncorked,” a<br />

father-and-son story based<br />

in the gritty world of<br />

Memphis BBQ, which he<br />

aims to write and direct.<br />

“I gravitate toward not<br />

having to feel like you<br />

have to go for the joke<br />

every time and you can<br />

have real moments. I feel<br />

like that’s inevitably what<br />

people respond to. We<br />

can always find another<br />

joke. We can’t always find<br />

another moment.”<br />

— Lamarco McClendon<br />

Representation<br />

CAA; Generate<br />

I was so bad at<br />

auditioning, and<br />

I realized that what<br />

I wanted to do<br />

was create.”<br />

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson<br />

JENNIFER<br />

KAYTIN<br />

ROBINSON<br />

“Sweet/Vicious” (MTV), fall; age 28<br />

In any life, there are telling<br />

crossroads. One came for<br />

Robinson when she almost<br />

played the best friend in<br />

“Hannah Montana.” When<br />

Disney tapped Miley Cyrus<br />

to star, the noticeably-older<br />

Robinson was replaced by<br />

Emily Osment. “No hard<br />

feelings,” Robinson laughs.<br />

She hit a wall with acting<br />

in her early 20s. “I hated<br />

it,” Robinson says. “I was so<br />

bad at auditioning, and I<br />

realized that what I wanted<br />

to do was create.”<br />

Her first pilot was about<br />

five girls living in Los Angeles.<br />

“We pitched it the week<br />

Lena Dunham sold ‘Girls’ to<br />

HBO,” she remembers .<br />

Frustrated by the way<br />

that young women are<br />

often portrayed , Robinson<br />

wanted to write some-<br />

Not So ‘Insecure’<br />

Prentice Penny, left, and director<br />

Cecile Emeke on set.<br />

thing more personal and<br />

inspiring .<br />

“What if Quentin Tarantino<br />

wrote ‘Girls’?” was<br />

the concept that inspired<br />

“Sweet/Vicious,” a dark comedy<br />

about vigilante justice<br />

and rape on college campuses.<br />

“I thought it would<br />

be so beautiful if the survivor<br />

of sexual assault, and<br />

the weirdo loner who deals<br />

with depression and anxiety<br />

were the two superheroes<br />

of the show,” Robinson<br />

says. MTV picked it up<br />

to series.<br />

Robinson is ambitious.<br />

As soon as the room closes<br />

for “Sweet/Vicious” in June,<br />

she has a deal to write a<br />

feature film, and a spec<br />

lined up that she describes<br />

as “500 Days of Summer”<br />

meets “Drunk History.”<br />

But right now, the scribe<br />

says she’s thankful for her<br />

creative allies, including<br />

co-showrunner Amanda<br />

Lasher (“a beautiful<br />

genius”) and producers Stacey<br />

Sher (“a beast, a wonder<br />

woman”) and Emily Levitan<br />

(“a partner from the very<br />

beginning”), and most of all,<br />

her mom. — Seth Kelley<br />

Representation<br />

CAA; Gotham Group<br />

Scott M. Gimple 2013<br />

AMC’s “The Walking Dead,”<br />

on which he serves as<br />

showrunner, continued<br />

its ratings dominance in<br />

season six, again finishing<br />

as the top drama in adults<br />

18-49 across all networks.<br />

Gimple’s co-executive<br />

producer, Angela Kang, is<br />

on our list this year.<br />

Ilana Glazer and<br />

Abbi Jacobson 2013<br />

Three seasons in,<br />

Comedy Central’s<br />

“Broad City” remains one<br />

of TV’s most acclaimed<br />

comedies, and the creatorstars<br />

earned a WGA nom<br />

for best comedy this year.<br />

Gennifer Hutchison 2013<br />

The “Breaking Bad”<br />

alum is now a supervising<br />

producer and writer on<br />

AMC’s buzzy prequel<br />

“Better Call Saul,” and<br />

has collected Emmy,<br />

PGA, and WGA noms for<br />

her work on the show.<br />

Zander Lehmann 2015<br />

His Hulu comedy series<br />

“Casual” nabbed a<br />

surprise Golden Globe<br />

nom, and season two<br />

launched June 7.<br />

Ray McKinnon 2013<br />

After four critically<br />

acclaimed seasons,<br />

McKinnon’s “Rectify”<br />

will come to a close this<br />

summer on SundanceTV.<br />

Ben Queen 2014<br />

Although his series<br />

“A to Z” proved shortlived<br />

at NBC, Queen will<br />

return to the Peacock<br />

next season to oversee<br />

the DC Comics-inspired<br />

comedy “Powerless.”<br />

Graham Wagner 2014<br />

He’s earned back-to-back<br />

Emmy noms on the staff<br />

of IFC sketch favorite<br />

“Portlandia” and is also a<br />

writer on FX’s acclaimed<br />

new comedy “Baskets.”<br />

PENNY: ANNE MARIE FOX; ROBINSON: SCOTT EVERETT WHITE

®<br />

BEST ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMING<br />

PBS SoCal has been nominated for a Los Angeles Area Emmy® Award for<br />

best Entertainment Programming “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors”<br />

WATCH SEASON 4 ON PBS SOCAL<br />

SUNDAY, JUNE 19 @ 7 PM<br />

AND ON PBS STATIONS NATIONALLY CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS<br />

ADDITIONAL SCENE SELECTIONS NOW AVAILABLE ON VARIETY.COM | #ACTORSONACTORS

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE<br />

AFI<br />

DOCS<br />

JUNE 22–26<br />

FILM<br />

SILVER SPRING, MD / WASHINGTON, DC<br />

FESTIVAL<br />

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE APP<br />

FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE<br />

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AFI DOCS<br />

Short and Sweet’s<br />

the Winning Formula<br />

Washington, D.C., documentary festival uses<br />

its five-day span to its advantage<br />

By ANDREW BARKER<br />

Last year, Michael<br />

Lumpkin arrived as<br />

director of Washington,<br />

D.C.’s, five-day AFI Docs<br />

Film Festival a mere six<br />

short months before his<br />

inaugural fest. For his second<br />

go-round, he has had<br />

the whole year to prepare<br />

and promises a festival that<br />

is more international and<br />

“diverse, in terms of the<br />

types of films, where they<br />

come from, and who’s making<br />

them.”<br />

The festival, previously<br />

known as SilverDocs, has<br />

also completed its gradual<br />

move from its first home in<br />

Silver Spring, Md., to a centralized<br />

hub in the heart<br />

of D.C.<br />

The vast majority of<br />

screenings will be held<br />

at the Newseum and the<br />

nearby Landmark E Street,<br />

opening with Alex Gibney’s<br />

“Zero Days” on June<br />

22, and closing with Rachel<br />

Grady’s “Norman Lear: Just<br />

Another Version of You” on<br />

June 26.<br />

All told, the fest will<br />

screen 94 films from 30<br />

countries, including Robert<br />

Kenner’s nuclear warhead<br />

expose “Command<br />

and Control,” Judd Apatow<br />

and Michael Bonfiglio’s<br />

baseball doc “Doc and Darryl,”<br />

Toby Oppenheimer<br />

and Dana Flor’s “Check It,”<br />

and Nicole Opper’s “Visitors<br />

Day.” Werner Herzog will be<br />

on hand for a panel as the<br />

Charles Guggenheim Symposium<br />

honoree, followed<br />

by a screening of his internet-history<br />

film “Lo and<br />

Behold, Reveries of the Con-<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: AFI Docs Film<br />

Festival<br />

When: June 22-26<br />

Where: Washington, D.C.<br />

web: afi.com/afidocs<br />

nected World,” with additional<br />

panels scheduled to<br />

discuss diversity in documentary<br />

filmmaking, shortform<br />

docs and virtual<br />

reality.<br />

As always, the festival<br />

boasts an unusual character<br />

thanks to its brief duration<br />

— less than half the allotment<br />

for its biggest counterparts,<br />

such as Amsterdam’s<br />

IDFA and Toronto’s<br />

Hot Docs — but the five-day<br />

span allows Lumpkin and<br />

his team to program with<br />

a mind toward thematic<br />

coherence.<br />

“You have to say ‘no’ to<br />

films that you really, really<br />

love,” Lumpkin says. “So that<br />

forces you to really think<br />

about it and consider the<br />

entire program you’re presenting.<br />

Yes, all the films are<br />

great, but how do they fit in<br />

together as a festival?”<br />

Despite taking place in<br />

the nation’s capital shortly<br />

before the two party conventions,<br />

Lumpkin says<br />

that the political atmosphere<br />

didn’t play an outsized<br />

role in programming.<br />

But as one would expect<br />

from a documentary festival,<br />

hot-button current<br />

events will rarely be far<br />

from the minds of those<br />

attending. [Speaking of<br />

which, the fest’s attendance<br />

rose from 11,000 to 15,000<br />

from 2014 to ’15, and<br />

Lumpkin expects a “significant<br />

increase” this year.]<br />

In particular, Lumpkin<br />

calls attention to the<br />

Newseum screenings of<br />

Kim A. Snyder’s “Newtown,”<br />

about the Sandy Hook Elementary<br />

School shootings,<br />

and the Netflix-bound sexual<br />

assault documentary<br />

“Audrie and Daisy,” directed<br />

by Bonni Cohen and Jon<br />

Shenk.<br />

“They’re both very<br />

important films in terms<br />

of those issues, but they<br />

both approach the issues in<br />

very unique and different<br />

ways,” Lumpkin says. “This<br />

happened with a number<br />

of films this year, where<br />

you see the title and the<br />

short description, and you<br />

think, ‘Oh I’ve seen this film<br />

before.’ But you go in and<br />

watch it and say, ‘No, I haven’t<br />

seen this film, this is<br />

something I was not expecting<br />

at all.’ And that points<br />

to very good filmmaking.”<br />

Lumpkin is also high on<br />

Wide Focus<br />

From Top: “Norman Lear:<br />

Just Another Version of You,”<br />

“Newtown,” and “Under the Sun”<br />

are set to unspool at AFI Docs.<br />

Vitaly Mansky’s “Under the<br />

Sun,” filmed in North Korea<br />

with the oversight of the<br />

country’s government, but<br />

which, he says, “plays with<br />

the format, and uses the<br />

actual frame of the image”<br />

to give a subtle but revealing<br />

glimpse of life in the<br />

inhospitable country.<br />

“They were able to really<br />

uncover a truth about the<br />

culture and the people<br />

who live there that, if they<br />

had gone in and said, ‘this<br />

is what we’re doing,’ they<br />

never could have done. So<br />

it’s all in the filmmaking,<br />

about what they’re choosing<br />

to show you or not<br />

show you.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

89

PROVINCETOWN INT’L FILM FESTIVAL<br />

Fresh Summer Screenings<br />

“Strike a Pose,” the documentary<br />

on Madonna’s back-up dancers,<br />

closes the festival.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

90<br />

Edgy Filmmaking<br />

Meets Cape Cod Cool<br />

Ocean-front fest in historic New England<br />

vacation town holds fast to indie spirit<br />

By PAUL GAITA<br />

Like the Massachusetts seaside town that serves as its<br />

host, the Provincetown Intl. Film Festival has been a<br />

beacon for independent-minded artists who seek to<br />

showcase and discuss their work with a diverse and appreciative<br />

audience. The 18th iteration of the festival, which<br />

takes place June 15-19, is no exception, as evidenced by its<br />

lineup of feature films and special programs. This year’s<br />

schedule includes the Viggo Mortensen starrer “Captain<br />

Fantastic,” fresh off winning Un Certain Regard’s director<br />

prize at Cannes, as its opening night presentation. It<br />

closes with the New England premiere of the documentary<br />

“Strike a Pose,” about the dancers who backed Madonna<br />

on her “Blonde Ambition” tour. The festival will also honor<br />

Ang Lee and Cynthia Nixon and offers a restored presentation<br />

of long-time festival supporter John Waters’<br />

rarely seen sophomore feature, the 1970 cult film “Multiple<br />

Maniacs,” in addition to many other films, panels and<br />

presentations.<br />

COD COMMUNITY<br />

According to the festival’s<br />

organizers, PIFF’s popularity<br />

is informed by the Cape<br />

Cod town itself, which<br />

over the course of three<br />

centuries has counted a<br />

Portuguese-run fishing<br />

industry, an array of<br />

artists, writers and actors,<br />

and a significant LGBTQ<br />

community among its<br />

residents.<br />

“There’s something<br />

very unique about<br />

Provincetown,” says<br />

filmmaker Christine Walker,<br />

who is also the festival’s<br />

executive director. “There’s<br />

a camaraderie among<br />

the filmmakers and the<br />

audiences because we<br />

all feel like we’re in this<br />

inspirational place together.<br />

It doesn’t feel like you’re<br />

running around trying to<br />

secure a deal — it feels like<br />

you’re meeting colleagues<br />

and people who love film.”<br />

Waters, whom festival<br />

artistic director Connie<br />

White describes as PIFF’s<br />

guru, says the town and<br />

the festival draw eclectic<br />

crowds because “it’s still a<br />

beatnik place — a place for<br />

Bohemians, a gay fishing<br />

village that’s also hetero<br />

friendly. [And festival]<br />

audiences are passionate<br />

and crazy and accepting<br />

of almost anything. Who<br />

wouldn’t want to go to<br />

Provincetown?”<br />

HONOREES AND KEYNOTES<br />

In addition to Lee, who<br />

will receive this year’s<br />

Filmmaker on the Edge<br />

award from Waters on June<br />

18, and Nixon, who will be<br />

honored with the festival’s<br />

Excellence in Acting Award<br />

that same day, the lineup<br />

will feature a keynote<br />

speech by producer Effie<br />

Brown [“Dear White<br />

People”] at the Evan<br />

Lawson Filmmakers Brunch<br />

on June 19. Actress-director<br />

Illeana Douglas will speak<br />

about her memoir “I<br />

Blame Dennis Hopper” at a<br />

PIFFtalks panel discussion<br />

June 16, while authors<br />

David Ebershoff and Lisa<br />

Genova will speak at a<br />

June 18 panel about the<br />

transition of their books —<br />

“The Danish Girl” and “Still<br />

Alice,” respectively — into<br />

feature films.<br />

In addition to<br />

interviewing Lee as part<br />

of the Filmmaker on the<br />

Edge Award — a duty he’s<br />

handled since the first<br />

PIFF in 1999 — Waters will<br />

also be present to offer up<br />

a newly restored print of<br />

“Multiple Maniacs,” which<br />

he describes as “training<br />

wheels for ‘Pink Flamingos.’”<br />

Directed in 1970 and<br />

featuring the late Divine as<br />

the owner of a homicidal<br />

carnival act called “The<br />

Cavalcade of Perversion,”<br />

the film originally played<br />

Province-town when Waters<br />

summered there, as he<br />

has for the last 50 years.<br />

“It played there before<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: Provincetown Intl.<br />

Film Festival<br />

When: Provincetown, Mass.<br />

Where: June 15-19<br />

web: ptownfilmfest.org<br />

it had a distributor,” says<br />

Waters. “I worked at the<br />

[East End] Bookshop, and<br />

the owner let me turn<br />

the display windows into<br />

advertisements for the<br />

film.”<br />

Waters decided to revisit<br />

the film after appearing<br />

with the Baltimore<br />

Symphony for a production<br />

of “Hairspray,” the familyfriendly<br />

musical based on<br />

his 1988 film. “I was the<br />

onstage narrator, and I<br />

thought that the audience<br />

loved it for all the right<br />

reasons,” he says. “But<br />

what if they saw ‘Multiple<br />

Maniacs?’ They would be<br />

horrified!” After working<br />

out some music rights and<br />

sound issues, Waters says<br />

that the film will enjoy<br />

a brief theatrical run<br />

following its debut at PIFF<br />

on June 17.<br />

SCREENINGS<br />

“We’re always looking for<br />

films that are edgy and [of]<br />

quality,” says White. “We<br />

want something crowdpleasing<br />

to kick off the<br />

festival, that will engage<br />

the town, and ‘Captain<br />

Fantastic’ [June 15 and<br />

19] sets the right tone.<br />

Closing night is something<br />

that people can build up<br />

towards, and ‘Strike a Pose’<br />

[June 16 and 19] had the<br />

right flavor to end the<br />

festival — it’s touching and<br />

very interesting.”<br />

Other films screening<br />

include Jonah Markowitz<br />

and Tracey Ware’s<br />

documentary “Political<br />

Animals,” the drama<br />

“Indignation,” which<br />

director James Schamus<br />

adapted from the Philip<br />

Roth novel, and Susanna<br />

White’s film version of<br />

John Le Carre’s “Our Kind<br />

of Traitor” with Ewan<br />

McGregor and Naomi<br />

Harris. Todd Solondz’s new<br />

comedy “Wiener-Dog” will<br />

also screen.

MAUI FILM FESTIVAL<br />

Movies and Island<br />

Setting Lift the Spirit<br />

This year’s event includes Maui-centric<br />

lineup in a relaxed outdoor setting<br />

By TIM GRAY<br />

Among the world’s film festivals, Maui is unique<br />

because of its setting, scheduling and, most important,<br />

its philosophy.<br />

Fest director and founder Barry Rivers only books films<br />

that offer positive messages and insights. “There’s enough<br />

darkness surrounding us all,” he tells Variety. “There is acrimony<br />

in the culture and among nations, and people are<br />

always being confronted with problems but no easy solutions.<br />

So we want to show the world as it might be.”<br />

It’s not a lineup of Candyland films, he stresses; some<br />

tackle subjects that are challenging and gritty, but the endings<br />

are uplifting and transformative. He says they are<br />

films “at the intersection of smart and heart.”<br />

This year’s fest will offer about 30 features and 20 shorts<br />

(out of 1,000 submissions), but unlike many sprocket operas,<br />

each film will screen only once in its five-day stretch.<br />

Many of the screenings will occur at the Celestial Cinema,<br />

an outdoor venue where 2,000 guests sit on the grass.<br />

Attire during the entire festival is “resort wear,” meaning<br />

nice but not formal. There are no black-tie events in Maui.<br />

Rivers says he has a luxury when booking films: He’s<br />

not competing with other festivals for world premieres, so<br />

he is free to book movies that he thinks the audiences will<br />

like. There is an industry presence, but no market. “For me,<br />

it’s just about assembling the best films possible.”<br />

Every year, the fest salutes stars, with the 2016 lineup<br />

including Bryan Cranston and Viola Davis.<br />

The Great Outdoors<br />

“Captain Fantastic,” which stars<br />

Viggo Mortensen, screens in<br />

Maui’s Celestial Cinema.<br />

SCREENINGS<br />

The fest will offer “Captain<br />

Fantastic,” the Matt Ross-directed<br />

drama that stars<br />

Viggo Mortensen as the<br />

unorthodox patriarch of<br />

six kids. The event will take<br />

place at the Celestial Cinema,<br />

aka the Wailea Golf<br />

Course Amphitheatre. Other<br />

screenings will be held at<br />

various sites, including the<br />

Castle Theatre in the Maui<br />

Arts & Cultural Center.<br />

June 18 offers a free<br />

community event known<br />

as the Toes-in-the-Sand<br />

screening. It’s a showcase<br />

for Hawaii filmmakers and<br />

this year spotlights four:<br />

“God Is a Dog,” “The Roots<br />

of ‘Ulu,” “Aina: That Which<br />

Feeds Us” and “Sam Choy’s<br />

Poke to the Max.” The event<br />

takes place at the Wailea<br />

Beach by the Four Seasons.<br />

“It’s our gift to Maui,” Rivers<br />

says. “Every year the quality<br />

of Hawaiian filmmaking<br />

has increased.”<br />

There are also under-12<br />

free screenings:<br />

June 16 at the Celestial<br />

Cinema: “Mad Dogs” followed<br />

by “Saltwater Buddha”<br />

at 8 p.m., and “It Ain’t<br />

Pretty” followed by “One<br />

Way: A Journey to This<br />

Moment” at 10 p.m.<br />

At 1 p.m. June 18 at the<br />

indoor Castle Theater: “Boy<br />

in the World”<br />

June 19 at the Celestial<br />

will be New Zealand’s “Hunt<br />

for the Wilderpeople,” preceded<br />

by “Live Monumental”<br />

at 8 p.m. Then at 10<br />

p.m. are “Gerry Lopez: The<br />

More Things Change,” followed<br />

by “Chapter One” and<br />

“Kanaloa: Voyage Into the<br />

Depths.”<br />

HONOREES<br />

Every year the fest honors<br />

actors and filmmakers,<br />

with each salute including<br />

a Q&A and a presentation<br />

of the award. The recipients<br />

of the Navigator Award<br />

for distinguished work<br />

are Cranston and Davis.<br />

Michael B. Jordan, star of<br />

“Fruitvale Station” and<br />

“Creed,” will be handed the<br />

Rainmaker Award, given<br />

to “film artists who profoundly<br />

affect their projects,<br />

both on and off screen.”<br />

Kelly Rohrbach and Wyatt<br />

Russell will be honored<br />

with Rising Star Awards.<br />

Rohrbach will appear in<br />

Paramount’s bigscreen “Baywatch”;<br />

Russell stars in<br />

Richard Linklater’s “Everybody<br />

Wants Some.”<br />

TASTY OPTIONS<br />

In addition to the screenings,<br />

there are four main<br />

social events, and all<br />

include a double feature.<br />

From 5 to 7 p.m. June<br />

15 is the Taste of Summer<br />

opening-night party<br />

at Molokini Gardens. The<br />

evening features samples<br />

of local specialties ranging<br />

from an oyster bar to taco<br />

station and Kona crab cakes<br />

to coconut cakes.<br />

From 9 to 11 p.m. June<br />

17 will be Taste of Chocolate<br />

at the Four Seasons. Offerings<br />

include savory or sweet<br />

pizzas, with toppings such<br />

as beef, short ribs, Nutella,<br />

or M&Ms. Keeping with the<br />

theme, there will be chocolate<br />

fountains, truffles, and<br />

chocolate panacotta.<br />

From 4:30 to 7 p.m. June<br />

18 is Taste of Wailea at the<br />

Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf<br />

Course. The event is considered<br />

the crown jewel of the<br />

festival, with about a dozen<br />

restaurants participating.<br />

They offer everything from<br />

ravioli to roasted pork belly,<br />

and novelties such as passion<br />

fruit ceviche and tomato-watermelon<br />

gazpacho.<br />

There is also a gala,<br />

which is a VIP soiree and<br />

celebration of honorees,<br />

from 10 p.m. to midnight<br />

June 16 at Spago.<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: 17th annual Maui<br />

Film Festival<br />

When: June 15-19<br />

Where: Wailea Resort<br />

in Maui<br />

web: mauifilmfestival.com<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

91

With the support of<br />

WHERE<br />

THE INDUSTRY<br />

MEETS<br />

EVERY SUMMER<br />

filmfest-muenchen.de<br />

#ffmuc<br />

Veranstalter Internationale Münchner Filmwochen GmbH Creative Direction & Design Abc&D – Manuel Trüdinger, Justin v. Keisenberg Fotografie Fritz Beck Malerei René Birkner

MUNICH INT’L FILM FESTIVAL<br />

Summer Treat for<br />

German Film Lovers<br />

Festival offers international fare plus<br />

top local cinema and best of television<br />

By ED MEZA<br />

The Munich Film Festival kicks off June 23 with some<br />

180 feature films, documentaries and TV movies,<br />

including Maren Ade’s Cannes competition title<br />

“Toni Erdmann,” which opens this year’s event. Germany’s<br />

second-biggest film fest offers an ideal summer platform<br />

for world cinema, cutting-edge German films, and new discoveries<br />

while also showcasing young talents. “We have a<br />

fantastic line-up with well-known directors, but also discoveries<br />

from countries like Vanuatu or Nepal, which are<br />

in our program for the first time,” says festival director<br />

Diana Iljine. Matt Ross’ “Captain Fantastic” closes the event.<br />

SCREENINGS<br />

The Spotlight sidebar is<br />

known for presenting lavish<br />

productions, big-name filmmakers,<br />

and major stars.<br />

This year is no different.<br />

The lineup includes: Paul<br />

Schrader’s “Dog Eat Dog,”<br />

starring Nicolas Cage and<br />

Willem Dafoe; Jason Batemen’s<br />

“The Family Fang,”<br />

with Nicole Kidman and<br />

Christopher Walken; Werner<br />

Herzog’s documentary<br />

“Lo and Behold, Reveries of<br />

the Connected World”; and<br />

Andy Goddard’s “A Kind of<br />

Murder,” starring Patrick<br />

Wilson, Jessica Biel, and<br />

Haley Bennett.<br />

It’s a particularly good<br />

year for German cinema,<br />

Iljine says. “The New German<br />

Cinema section shows<br />

the most innovative and<br />

original world premieres<br />

from Germany.” Highlights<br />

include films by Aron Lehman,<br />

Klaus Lemke, Dani<br />

Levy, Sven Taddicken, a special<br />

selection of never-before-seen<br />

short films by<br />

“Der Nachtmahr” director<br />

Akiz.<br />

This year’s Independents<br />

lineup offers a strong<br />

selection of works from<br />

U.S. filmmakers, including<br />

Brady Corbet’s critically<br />

acclaimed “The Childhood<br />

of a Leader”; Chad Hartigan’s<br />

“Morris From America,”<br />

about a 13-year-old<br />

African-American boy living<br />

in Heidelberg and trying<br />

to fit in; Kerem Sanga’s<br />

teen romance “First Girl I<br />

Loved”; and Maggie Greenwald’s<br />

World War II-set love<br />

story “Sophie and the Rising<br />

Sun.”<br />

Munich’s Kinderfilmfest<br />

sidebar unspools 10<br />

feature films, six shorts<br />

and a special screening<br />

of a 360-degree film: “The<br />

Secrets of Gravity — In the<br />

Footsteps of Albert Einstein.”<br />

Dominik Wessely’s<br />

“Nelly’s Adventure,” about a<br />

13-year-old girl who is kidnapped<br />

in Romania but res-<br />

Overview<br />

The Media Program<br />

has proven essential to<br />

continental filmmakers<br />

1983<br />

Year established<br />

80k<br />

Tickets sold<br />

2.5k<br />

Attendance by industry<br />

professionals<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: Munich Film Festival<br />

When: June 23-July 2<br />

Where: Munich, Germany<br />

web: filmfest-muenchen.de<br />

cued by two friendly siblings,<br />

opens the section.<br />

Other films include Rafig<br />

Aliyev and Cavid Tevekkul’s<br />

Azerbaijani title “The Lesson,”<br />

about an overweight<br />

boy who can’t play football<br />

but who writes beautiful<br />

poetry, and Mamoru<br />

Hosoda’s Japanese animated<br />

pic “The Boy and the<br />

Beast.” In addition, German<br />

director Andreas Dresen,<br />

who is remaking German<br />

children’s classic “Timm<br />

Thaler,” will host a filmmaking<br />

workshop for kids.<br />

LOCATION<br />

Munich is one of Germany’s<br />

main film hubs. It<br />

is home to HFF Munich,<br />

one of the country’s premier<br />

film schools, media<br />

heavyweight Bavaria Film<br />

and its vast studio complex,<br />

camera and production<br />

equipment giant Arri,<br />

and countless production,<br />

post-production, and vfx<br />

companies, not to mention<br />

regional funder FFF Bayern,<br />

which has an annual budget<br />

of €31 million [$36 million]<br />

and a special incentive<br />

for international co-productions.<br />

Canadian writer-director<br />

Mark Palansky’s “The<br />

Jester,” a thriller based on<br />

“Hop-Frog” by Edgar Allan<br />

Poe and starring Peter<br />

Cannes Transfer in Spotlight<br />

Paul Schrader’s “Dog Eat Dog,”<br />

starring Nicolas Cage, screens in<br />

Munich’s sidebar devoted to<br />

big-name filmmakers.<br />

Dinklage, is being backed by<br />

FFF Bayern to the tune of<br />

$1.7 million.<br />

About a third of Germany’s<br />

film industry is<br />

based in Munich, making<br />

the fest an ideal meet and<br />

greet for local and international<br />

filmmakers and<br />

industry insiders. The European<br />

Commission’s Creative<br />

Europe Desk is organizing<br />

a panel on comedy in<br />

film, while Arri is hosting a<br />

workshop on its latest gear.<br />

NEW GERMAN TV MOVIES<br />

Munich is a major TV production<br />

hub, so it’s no surprise<br />

that the fest offers a<br />

showcase of upcoming German<br />

TV movies, many of<br />

them from public broadcaster<br />

ARD and its regional<br />

affiliates. This year’s 20<br />

TV pics range from tales<br />

of political scandal to psychotherapy<br />

and sportsshoe<br />

empires. “Rivals Forever<br />

— The Sneaker Battle”<br />

tells the story of brothers<br />

Adolf and Rudolf Dassler,<br />

the feuding founders of<br />

Adidas and Puma. In “The<br />

Fourth Estate,” a journalist<br />

[Benno Fürmann] exposes a<br />

government scandal, while<br />

“Dead Man Working” offers<br />

a scathing look at the banking<br />

industry.<br />

CINEMERIT AWARD<br />

The fest is paying tribute<br />

to actress Ellen Burstyn<br />

this year with its Cine-<br />

Merit Award. In addition<br />

to the premiere of Todd<br />

Solondz’s “Wiener-Dog,” in<br />

which she stars, Munich is<br />

screening a selection of her<br />

works, including “The Last<br />

Picture Show,” “The Exorcist<br />

— Director’s Cut,” and<br />

“Alice Doesn’t Live Here<br />

Anymore.”<br />

Munich is honoring<br />

Kurdish filmmaker Bahman<br />

Ghobadi and German<br />

helmer Christian Petzold.<br />

As part of the Retrospective,<br />

the fest will screen all<br />

of Ghobadi’s works, including<br />

his latest films, “A Flag<br />

Without a Country,” which<br />

examines the current plight<br />

of the Kurdish people, and<br />

“Life on the Border,” a documentary<br />

directed by refugee<br />

children and that the<br />

filmmaker produced. The<br />

event will also present all<br />

of Petzold’s works as well,<br />

including his recent festival<br />

circuit hits “Barbara” and<br />

“Phoenix.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

93

ART FILM FEST<br />

Reclusive Roden<br />

Steps Out for Laurels<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

94<br />

New Fest Setting One<br />

Tokaj Over the Lıne<br />

Shift from spa town to Slovakian city venue<br />

brings world cinema to young film fans<br />

By WILL TIZARD<br />

Slovakia’s Art Film<br />

Fest, with a 23-year<br />

history as a flagship<br />

of the post-Velvet Revolution<br />

cultural world, is in an<br />

expansive mood these days.<br />

It’s settling comfortably<br />

into the quickly transforming<br />

city of Kosice, a former<br />

industrial center near the<br />

fragrant Tokaj vineyards<br />

that border Hungary, where<br />

it will unspool June 17-25.<br />

Operating since 1993, the<br />

year of Slovakia’s split from<br />

Czechoslovakia, the fest<br />

built its rep for rebellious<br />

programming in its previous<br />

home, Trencianske Teplice,<br />

a more placid setting<br />

in the mountainous western<br />

end of the White Carpathains<br />

range. But the festival<br />

has packed up for the<br />

southeast, banking on a<br />

number of newly kitted-out<br />

screening spaces and a<br />

crowd of thousands of university<br />

students who will<br />

ensure Art Film maintains<br />

its youthful spirit.<br />

As the event’s new general<br />

manger Rudolf Biermann<br />

puts it, the “wonderful<br />

venues” of Kosice,<br />

which have concentrated<br />

Tipsheet<br />

What: Art Film Fest<br />

When: June 17-25<br />

Where: Kosice, Slovakia<br />

web: artfilmfest.sk<br />

Domestic Drama<br />

Cannes entry “Sieranevada,” from<br />

Romanian director Cristi Puiu, is<br />

among the films on tap at the Art<br />

Film Fest.<br />

the attractions into a hub<br />

of converted factory spaces,<br />

multi-use bars, cinemas<br />

and art venues, fit perfectly<br />

into its new focus. “A festival<br />

should be fun, accessible<br />

and people should have<br />

freedom of movement.”<br />

The fest’s founding role<br />

was to keep Slovak film<br />

alive during the challenging<br />

years of the transition<br />

to liberal democracy when<br />

Slovakia witnessed the closure<br />

of Koliba Film Studios,<br />

which had formed the<br />

heart of production.<br />

Now, after expanding<br />

more than 25-fold in attendance,<br />

having hosted everyone<br />

from Peter Greenaway<br />

for its first edition to<br />

Roman Polanski, Isabelle<br />

Huppert and Emir Kusturica<br />

in later years, Art Film is<br />

focused on honoring exceptional<br />

performances via its<br />

Actor’s Mission award and<br />

outstanding professionalism<br />

for filmmakers of any<br />

age with its Golden Camera<br />

honor.<br />

Meanwhile, Art Film programmers<br />

have scheduled<br />

a survey of global indie<br />

cinema.<br />

Among its new additions,<br />

the Be2Can Starter<br />

section will screen picks<br />

from the Berlin, Venice<br />

and Cannes fests while<br />

the Variety Art Film Choice<br />

is programmed by critics<br />

with a background in European<br />

cinema.<br />

There’s no shortage of star<br />

wattage at fests in Central<br />

and Eastern Europe<br />

these days, with Hollywood<br />

A-listers flown in regularly<br />

to increasingly rustic locations.<br />

But Art Film Fest<br />

prefers to focus on actors’<br />

actors, as it has since<br />

launching the Actor’s Mission<br />

honor in 1995.<br />

This year’s honoree,<br />

Czech film and stage veteran<br />

Karel Roden, is a<br />

Czech Lion-winning performer<br />

at Prague’s National<br />

Theater who has also<br />

branched out in to international<br />

thrillers including<br />

Robert De Niro starrer<br />

“15 Minutes” in 2001. His<br />

recent role as the raging<br />

Czechoslovak avant-garde<br />

photographer Jan Saudek<br />

in “The Photograph” is particularly<br />

apt for the Kosice<br />

fest’s focus on “films concerning<br />

art and artists.”<br />

Roden’s portrayal of<br />

the hard-living Bohemian<br />

lensman was a sensation<br />

among critics and audiences<br />

in the region, but<br />

only the most recent character<br />

role for an actor<br />

whose range spans Russian<br />

mafia figures to Grigori<br />

Rasputin in “Hellboy.”<br />

He’s played Viktor in midnight<br />

movie “Frankenstein’s<br />

Army” and the studied<br />

intellectual hero of the<br />

Czech adaptation of HBO<br />

series “In Therapy.”<br />

Famously press-shy<br />

Roden usually refuses such<br />

fest honors, but after three<br />

years of wooing by Art<br />

Film, aided by Rudolf Biermann,<br />

producer of Roden’s<br />

upcoming historic thriller<br />

“Masaryk,” the deal was<br />

sealed. — Will Tizard<br />

Karel<br />

Roden<br />

RODEN: VACLAV SALEK/CTK/AP

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS AND FEST<br />

EVENTS MAKE ALLURING COMBO<br />

Resurgent industrial city offers creature comforts to<br />

complement Art Film Festival’s numerous screenings<br />

By WILL TIZARD<br />

with a classic plum<br />

brandy but clubby Maraton’s<br />

the place for tender<br />

beef and dumplings.<br />

the same night as the<br />

big Slovakia-U.K. match<br />

June 20.<br />

DALDRY: CAMILLA MORANDI/SHUTTERSTOCK; KOSICE: ISIFA IMAGE SERVICE SRO/SHUTTERSTOCK; PARKER: MATT BARON/BEI/SHUTTERSTOCK; OUTINEN: LEHTIKUVA OY/SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

SLOVAKS DISCOVERING<br />

BRIT HONOREE DALDRY<br />

Director’s 16-year film, TV, and stage work<br />

recognized with Golden Camera prize<br />

By WILL TIZARD<br />

The immersive worlds<br />

created by British<br />

helmer and producer<br />

Stephen Daldry are<br />

feted at Kosice this year,<br />

where he will receive the<br />

Golden Camera prize for<br />

work of outstanding quality<br />

and professionalism<br />

behind the camera. Since<br />

the trophy was launched in<br />

2001, the roster of honorees<br />

has included such unconventional<br />

filmmakers as<br />

Ulrich Seidl, Andrzej Wajda,<br />

and Slovak auteur Juraj<br />

Jakubisko.<br />

Daldry’s international<br />

reputation and work with<br />

top stars make him a major<br />

score for Art Film Fest, says<br />

artistic director Peter Nagel.<br />

Daldry’s three Oscar<br />

nominations [“Billy Elliot,”<br />

“The Hours,” and “The<br />

Reader”] are “clear evidence<br />

of his exceptional<br />

talent,” Nagel adds. In a<br />

recent stage production,<br />

Daldry cast refugees from<br />

the French “Jungle” camp in<br />

Calais to play themselves.<br />

Nagel notes that exposing<br />

Introduced to a Nation<br />

Many Slovaks are unfamiliar with<br />

Stephen Daldry’s work, but the<br />

Art Film Festival Golden Camera<br />

prize will provide a showcase.<br />

Slovak auds to the filmmaker’s<br />

work fits in with<br />

the educational mission<br />

of Art Film Fest.<br />

“I think it will be very<br />

good showcase,” Nagel<br />

says. He adds that Daldry’s<br />

work is unknown<br />

to some residents of the<br />

small nation. But a growing<br />

number of Slovaks<br />

are now well-versed in<br />

Daldry’s dramatic productions,<br />

spanning five<br />

features plus TV work<br />

over a 16-year career.<br />

Daldry inspires<br />

emerging filmmakers<br />

with his gift for drawing<br />

out moving performances,<br />

says Art Film’s<br />

Fest’s Peter Nagel, adding<br />

that his frequent focus<br />

on strong female characters<br />

is also of interest to<br />

Slovak audiences.<br />

EXPLORE THE CITY<br />

A two-hour train trip<br />

from Budapest and an<br />

overnight ride from<br />

Prague, Kosice is the<br />

biggest city in eastern<br />

Slovakia, near Hungary’s<br />

border. Once a<br />

smoke-belching, Soviet-built<br />

ironworks center,<br />

it rapidly declined after<br />

the Velvet Revolution.<br />

But the city of 240,000<br />

is reboundingwith new<br />

public spaces and converted<br />

old ones, including<br />

the hopping Tabacka,<br />

once a humming cigarette<br />

factory and now<br />

a restaurant and music<br />

venue. Most fest sights<br />

are concentrated in the<br />

historic center or easily<br />

reached by tram.<br />

SAVOR A MEAL<br />

The historic, high-ceilinged<br />

Cafe Slavia is a<br />

surprisingly affordable<br />

brush with old European<br />

elegance, while Carpano,<br />

one of Kosice’s most venerated<br />

old-school dining<br />

rooms, serves Mitteleuropa<br />

classics and<br />

Camelot excels in “Westworld”-style<br />

medieval<br />

kitsch. Villa Regia is the<br />

rustic, Slovak home-style<br />

place to ply a producer<br />

RAISE A GLASS<br />

The quaint, atmospheric<br />

Cuba Libre Rum & Cigar<br />

House revives the old fraternal<br />

East Bloc relations<br />

with Fidel Castro, while<br />

Casablanca serves the<br />

small vintage cafe needs<br />

for an indie production<br />

meeting. For evening<br />

drinks there’s Jazz Club,<br />

a fave meeting point<br />

in the historic city center.<br />

It delivers just what<br />

the name suggests, amid<br />

modish decor retrofitted<br />

into an arched, coffeehouse<br />

space.<br />

CATCH A SPECIAL<br />

SCREENING<br />

Kosice’s Amphitheater,<br />

once declared a Unesco<br />

Heritage site and capable<br />

of hosting 6,000 spectators<br />

(if half sit on the<br />

grass, as is common), is<br />

the place to catch classics<br />

in the open air, beer<br />

in hand, on a balmy<br />

June evening. A mustsee<br />

is the doc “Ronaldo,”<br />

on the Portuguese soccer<br />

god Cristiano Ronaldo<br />

SALUTE THE HONOREES<br />

Alan Parker, who will<br />

host a master class<br />

June 24, will receive the<br />

Golden Camera the following<br />

day, as will Stephen<br />

Daldry, who gets<br />

the prize June 18 and<br />

will conduct a master<br />

class that day — an<br />

event bound to fill fast.<br />

Serbian thriller actor<br />

Lazar Ristovski (“Casino<br />

Royale,” “November<br />

Man”) will take home<br />

the Actor’s Mission prize<br />

June 22, an honor he<br />

shares with Czech counterpart<br />

Karel Roden.<br />

POLL THE JURORS<br />

Prizes at Art Film Fest<br />

are mulled this year by a<br />

panel comprising: Finnish<br />

actress Kati Outinen,<br />

known for her subtle<br />

roles in Aki Kaurismaki’s<br />

films; Venezuelan<br />

helmer-scribe Lorenzo<br />

Vigas; Slovak actress Vica<br />

Kerekes; screenwriter<br />

and dramatist Petr<br />

Kolecko; and Variety<br />

executive editor Steven<br />

Gaydos.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

95

SMART. INSIGHTFUL. PASSIONATE.<br />

...JUST LIKE ALANO MILLER AND DEWANDA WISE, MARRIED ACTORS AND PRODUCING PARTNERS<br />

Meet Variety readers Alano Miller<br />

and DeWanda Wise.<br />

Alano stars as Cato in the WGN period drama<br />

“Underground” and can be seen on the CW’s<br />

“Jane the Virgin.” DeWanda is currently in<br />

production on the Fox event series “Shots Fired”<br />

that will air this fall. She is also coming off her<br />

leading role in the hit Sundance movie “How To<br />

Tell You’re a Douchebag,” a romantic comedy she<br />

and Alano executive produced together.<br />

Married. In love. A hot couple on the rise<br />

in Hollywood.<br />

Whether on set or off, DeWanda and Alano<br />

stay on top of the latest happenings in<br />

entertainment with Variety.<br />

“<br />

Whether it’s being the first to know about up and coming<br />

film or TV projects, getting personal through an artist’s<br />

feature, or recognizing companies that are helping the<br />

industry look to the future, Variety keeps us on the pulse.”<br />

—Alano Miller and DeWanda Wise<br />

FOLLOW ALANO<br />

FOLLOW DEWANDA<br />

FOLLOW VARIETY<br />

/ ALANOMILLER<br />

/ DEWANDAWISE<br />

/ VARIETY

DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE<br />

Spectacular beachfront home in Malibu<br />

features a 180-degree view of the water<br />

and custom details throughout.<br />

Previewing Luxury Residential Real Estate<br />

If the listings in the Variety Summer<br />

Real Estate Guide are any indication,<br />

prestigious dream homes are<br />

flourishing across the country, from<br />

the forests of Mt. Hood in Oregon to<br />

the streets of TriBeCa in New York<br />

City. Douglas Elliman Los Angeles<br />

showcases one Malibu home with<br />

stunning architecture on the beach,<br />

and also highlights its agents and<br />

global network. Sotheby’s International<br />

Realty presents six properties in<br />

California and New York, with each<br />

home offering classic elegance and<br />

modern amenities alike. Berkshire<br />

Hathaway HomeServices California<br />

Properties touts a pair of lavishly<br />

appointed architectural masterpieces<br />

in the Pacific Palisades and Hidden<br />

Hills. Elsewhere, Joyce Rey and Stacy<br />

Gottula of Beverly Hills’ Coldwell<br />

Banker Previews International reveal<br />

why they are one of the most prolific<br />

real estate teams in Los Angeles, while<br />

Village Properties Realtors offers a<br />

Santa Ynez estate with brilliant design<br />

features and 116 acres of secluded<br />

open space. Discover those homes,<br />

and much more, in this guide to the<br />

county’s top real estate gems.<br />

variety.com/real-estate June 14, 2016<br />

97

Set the Scene<br />

for a Life Serene<br />

Old world architecture meets contemporary design at 443 Greenwich.<br />

Classic proportions create soaring light-filled spaces that accentuate<br />

the finest finishes in this grand Tribeca home.<br />

OCCUPANCY SUMMER 2016<br />

212 877 4433

Sponsor: SGN 443 GREENWICH STREET FEE OWNER LLC, c/o Metro Loft Management LLC,5 Hanover Square, 3rd Floor, New York, New York 10004. THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS ARE IN AN OFFERING PLAN AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR. FILE NO. CD140063. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

Special Advertising Section<br />

Ultimate TriBeCa, Unrivaled Privacy<br />

443 GREENWICH NEW YORK CITY<br />

Tracking the movement of privacy-seeking celebrities to New<br />

York City’s top desirable and classic neighborhoods, one of the<br />

most creative and daring new luxury residential projects is 443<br />

Greenwich, a new condominium set inside a historic Gilded Age<br />

landmark in the heart of TriBeCa. Unlike the standard fare of<br />

new glass-walled towers uptown, this prime New York location<br />

offers timeless architecture in a private enclave attracting A-list<br />

property buyers from the worlds of entertainment, sports,<br />

finance and tech.<br />

Acclaimed for its landmark architecture, extraordinary<br />

finishes, a wealth of inspiring space and ultimate privacy in<br />

the perfect TriBeCa location, 443 Greenwich is a category<br />

unto itself. The developer MetroLoft is offering extraordinary,<br />

spacious homes up to six bedrooms, merging the spirit and<br />

physical forms of the 19th and 21st centuries into a unique,<br />

singular presence.<br />

Led by Nathan Berman, MetroLoft’s visionary team has<br />

transformed this TriBeCa landmark while retaining significant<br />

architectural elements, such as the impossible-to-replace, 16-inch<br />

square Carolina Yellow Pine beams. Reflecting the loft building’s<br />

rugged authenticity, the acclaimed design firm CetraRuddy<br />

has remastered Charles Haight’s original architecture, fusing<br />

100 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Special Advertising Section<br />

classic proportions and silhouettes with contemporary textures,<br />

craftsmanship, and luxury finishes. The design includes<br />

exclusive kitchens fabricated by Christopher Peacock, handselected<br />

marble and schist, acid-etched glass, 8-inch-wide oak<br />

plank floors, and accents of antiqued bronze and polished<br />

stainless steel.<br />

As reported by Interior Design magazine, the team “set<br />

out to impress buyers who appreciate architectural subtlety<br />

— and can pay for it — with a design that is equally heritage<br />

compatible and just as sophisticated.” Now hailed as TriBeCa’s<br />

“most private address,” 443 Greenwich affords drive-in/drive-out<br />

underground parking and drop-off with valet services and a<br />

second lobby with access to private elevators opening directly<br />

into residents’ homes. At ground level, the full-service, 24-hour<br />

lobby with white-glove building staff presents a magnificent,<br />

sculptural design with views of an extraordinary 4,000-squarefoot<br />

landscaped interior garden designed by the renowned<br />

HMWhite.<br />

On the rooftop, 443 Greenwich provides residents a lush,<br />

5,000-square-foot deck with trellises, outdoor showers, and wet<br />

bar. Other amenities include a fitness center by The Wright Fit<br />

with children’s playroom, a hamam with men’s and women’s<br />

locker rooms, and a 75-foot lap pool with travertine marble<br />

walls. There are private storage rooms and a large, temperaturecontrolled<br />

wine cellar.<br />

The property is marketed exclusively by Cantor-Pecorella.<br />

Remaining residences range from $7 million to $27.5 million,<br />

with a remarkable 9,000-squarefoot penthouse offered for<br />

$55 million. These full-service condominiums have two to six<br />

bedrooms, and up to 6.5 baths. With its authentic, red-brick loft<br />

architecture and the secluded refuge within, 443 Greenwich<br />

is a veritable oasis removed from the bustle of urban life yet<br />

only steps away from New York’s best restaurants and nightlife.<br />

“We’re creating an environment that is genuine TriBeCa yet<br />

also paparazziproof,” says MetroLoft’s Berman. “We started with<br />

centuries of Manhattan history and offer the most compelling<br />

modern design and the highest degree of privacy within a quiet,<br />

protective layout.”<br />

Not surprisingly, this TriBeCa landmark-designated<br />

property—an exciting, private, and desirable new enclave—<br />

is called home by several of Hollywood’s leading film actors as<br />

well as internationally renowned sports figures and high-tech<br />

moguls. Exclusive and one-of-a-kind. For more information visit<br />

443Greenwich.com.<br />

variety.com/real-estate June 14, 2016<br />

101

Special Advertising Section<br />

Luxury Real Estate: New York City and California<br />

SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY<br />

sothebyshomes.com<br />

Malibu, CA<br />

Majestic Beachfront<br />

$24.995m<br />

4 Bedrooms<br />

5 Baths<br />

New York, NY<br />

515 West 23rd Street, PH<br />

$15.995m<br />

3 Bedrooms<br />

3.5 Baths<br />

New York, NY<br />

737 Park Avenue, Apt 9/10G<br />

$11.75m<br />

3 Bedrooms<br />

4.5 Baths<br />

If you are looking for a great<br />

beach property and some of<br />

the most breathtaking views<br />

in the entire world, look no<br />

further. This home features<br />

include 2 huge master<br />

bedrooms with beautiful<br />

baths, wet saunas, and<br />

closets. Unobstructed views<br />

of whitewater, with no poles,<br />

and no Pacific Coast Highway<br />

noise. Other features include<br />

velvet, suede, and mirrored<br />

walls, Venetian plaster,<br />

crystal chandeliers, a stateof-the-art<br />

gym, projection<br />

theater, your own private<br />

beach and much more.<br />

$24,995,000<br />

WEB 0355634<br />

COLETTE PELISSIER<br />

310.570.7950<br />

BRENTWOOD BROKERAGE<br />

This dramatic penthouse<br />

duplex aerie features<br />

phenomenal views and<br />

abundant sunlight in every<br />

room. Boasting coveted<br />

Southern/Western skyline<br />

outlooks and a spectacular<br />

contemporary interior, the<br />

residence is a marvelous<br />

example of a trophy New<br />

York City penthouse.<br />

Noteworthy details include<br />

a 40-foot glass great room<br />

surrounded by a large<br />

wrap terrace. This dramatic<br />

space is ideal for grand<br />

entertaining and glamorous<br />

living. At the touch of a<br />

button, two retractable,<br />

floor-to-ceiling walls open<br />

and slide away, allowing the<br />

ultimate in indoor/outdoor<br />

living. $15,995,000<br />

WEB 00110784<br />

SERENA BOARDMAN<br />

212.606.7611<br />

EAST SIDE MANHATTAN<br />

BROKERAGE<br />

Perfectly situated on the<br />

corner of Park Avenue and<br />

71st Street, 737 Park Avenue<br />

is the ultimate Pre-War<br />

condominium. Built in 1940,<br />

this sensational building has<br />

gone through a complete<br />

transformation, retaining its<br />

classical Pre-War feel while<br />

seamlessly incorporating<br />

the state-of-the-art luxuries<br />

desired for modern living.<br />

With every residence<br />

thoughtfully redesigned,<br />

these homes exude the<br />

perfect combination for<br />

contemporary, elegant<br />

living and sophisticated<br />

entertaining.<br />

$11,750,000<br />

WEB 00110447<br />

ALLISON B. KOFFMAN<br />

212.606.7688<br />

JULIETTE R. JANSSENS<br />

212.606.7670<br />

JACQUELINE ROHRBACH<br />

212.606.7646<br />

EAST SIDE MANHATTAN<br />

BROKERAGE<br />

Montecito, CA<br />

1250 Pepper Lane<br />

$5.995m<br />

4 Bedrooms<br />

4 Baths<br />

Beverly Hills, CA<br />

2640 Hutton Drive<br />

$3.295m<br />

3 Bedrooms<br />

3 Baths<br />

Los Angeles, CA<br />

577 North Greencraig Road<br />

$2.795m<br />

4 Bedrooms<br />

4 Baths<br />

Private and tranquil are<br />

perfect adjectives to describe<br />

1250 Pepper Lane. Tucked<br />

on two separate one acre<br />

parcels at the end of a lane,<br />

this contemporary custom<br />

designed single level home<br />

with pool has two master<br />

suites and a separate guest<br />

house with own entrance. A<br />

detached auxiliary building<br />

which could be used as an<br />

office/pool room or yoga<br />

room is an additional bonus.<br />

Truly a sanctuary. The<br />

adjoining one acre parcel<br />

offering fruit trees and<br />

meandering pathways next<br />

to the San Ysidro Creek is<br />

included in sale but offers<br />

will be considered to sell<br />

separately. $5,995,000<br />

WEB 0113997<br />

MAUREEN MCDERMUT<br />

805.570.5545<br />

MONTECITO COAST VILLAGE<br />

ROAD BROKERAGE<br />

Simplicity and timeless<br />

elegance are offered in every<br />

detail of this home. A new<br />

pool, spa and landscaped<br />

yard provide a peaceful<br />

setting with two outdoor<br />

fire pits in a completely<br />

gated property. The interior<br />

spaces are open to the light<br />

and flow to the outdoors<br />

through the floor-to-ceiling<br />

Italian “fleetwood” doors and<br />

windows that allow nature to<br />

become the art, along with<br />

the whimsical paint on the<br />

walls by Adam Shultz. Other<br />

features include a Italian<br />

Fettucci kitchen, reclaimed<br />

hardwood large plank floors,<br />

in/out new surround sound<br />

and security system with<br />

camera monitor.<br />

$3,295,000<br />

WEB 0027432<br />

GRACE CARELLI 310.968.3499<br />

BEVERLY HILLS BROKERAGE<br />

This house was designed<br />

by award-winning architect<br />

Lee Miller, AIA, whose work<br />

was featured in 1976 in the<br />

seminal exhibition “Los<br />

Angeles 12” at the Pacific<br />

Design Center. This stylish<br />

1960s “Mad Men”-era home,<br />

designed by the architect for<br />

himself and his family, has<br />

been slightly remodeled with<br />

today’s modern amenities,<br />

including remodeled baths<br />

and floor-to-ceiling sliding<br />

glass Fleetwood doors,<br />

allowing for a sun-drenched<br />

home while maintaining the<br />

essence of its historic and<br />

architectural integrity.<br />

$2,795,000<br />

WEB 0343888<br />

ROBERT RADCLIFFE<br />

310.255.5454<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES<br />

BROKERAGE<br />

102 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

LUXURY PROPERTIES<br />

COAST TO COAST<br />

THOUSAND OAKS, CA<br />

Sandstone<br />

web: 0355626 | $32,000,000<br />

Brentwood Brokerage<br />

Simon Beardmore 310.892.6454<br />

MALIBU, CA<br />

La Costa Beach Stunner<br />

web: 1290321 | $15,950,000<br />

Malibu - Cross Creek Brokerage<br />

Mary David 310.433.8862<br />

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY<br />

151 East 58th Street, Apt 47A<br />

web: 00110758 | $14,250,000<br />

East Side Manhattan Brokerage<br />

Robin L. Rothman 212.606.7751<br />

TOPANGA, CA<br />

21275 Colina Drive<br />

web: 0308666 | $8,000,000<br />

Sunset Strip Brokerage<br />

Marc Noah 310.968.9212<br />

BRENTWOOD, CA<br />

1851 Mandeville Canyon Road<br />

web: 0308592 | $7,185,000<br />

Sunset Strip Brokerage<br />

Sharona Alperin 310.888.3708<br />

BEVERLY HILLS PO, CA<br />

9308ReadcrestDrive.com<br />

web: 0027312 | $6,500,000<br />

Beverly Hills Brokerage<br />

Heidi Lake 310.430.1316<br />

LOS FELIZ, CA<br />

2656 Aberdeen Avenue<br />

web: 0286642 | $6,545,000<br />

Los Feliz Brokerage<br />

K. Valissarakos 323.252.9451, C. Clark 323.304.5276<br />

WILLIAMSBURG, NY<br />

257 Berry Street<br />

web: 00110795 | $5,250,000<br />

East Side Manhattan Brokerage<br />

R. Golubock 212.606.7704, J. L. Banks 212.606.7781<br />

TRIBECA, NY<br />

9 Murray Street, PH-12SW<br />

web: 0138064 | $4,500,000<br />

Downtown Manhattan Brokerage<br />

J. V. Stein 212.431.2427, J. Lanza 212.810.4960<br />

SOHO, NY<br />

255 Hudson Street, PHE<br />

web: 0138442 | $3,500,000<br />

Downtown Manhattan Brokerage<br />

Lisa Verdi 212.431.2423<br />

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY<br />

250 West 82nd Street, Apt 52<br />

web: 0138340 | $3,500,000<br />

Downtown Manhattan Brokerage<br />

Debra Pinto 212.810.4975<br />

RIVIERA, CA<br />

Mediterranean View Home<br />

web: 0632478 | $3,398,000<br />

Montecito - Upper Village Road Brokerage<br />

Wilson Quarre 805.680.9747<br />

CHELSEA, NY<br />

121 West 20th Street, Apt 2C<br />

web: 00110616 | $2,995,000<br />

East Side Manhattan Brokerage<br />

A. Borland 212.606.7628, M. J. Perceval 212.606.7790<br />

BEVERLY HILLS PO, CA<br />

Double Size Corner Lot<br />

web: 0343923 | $2,850,000<br />

Pacific Palisades Brokerage<br />

Paula Ross Jones 310.880.9750<br />

WEST VILLAGE, NY<br />

2 Grove Street, Apt 2EF<br />

web: 0138493 | $2,495,000<br />

Downtown Manhattan Brokerage<br />

Leslie Lalehzar 212.810.4970<br />

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY<br />

50 West 9th Street, Apt 3B<br />

web: 0138650 | $1,750,000<br />

Downtown Manhattan Brokerage<br />

Marla J. Woodford 212.810.4962<br />

Beverly Hills | Cape Cod | Greenwich | Hamptons | Houston | Los Angeles | Montecito | Monterey Peninsula<br />

New York City | Palm Beach | Pasadena | San Francisco Bay Area | Santa Barbara | Santa Fe | Santa Ynez<br />

Sonoma - Napa Wine Country | Ventura<br />

sothebyshomes.com<br />

Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used<br />

with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty,<br />

Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.<br />

Visit onlywithus.com to discover the<br />

benefits available through us alone.

Special Advertising Section<br />

Superior Service with Two Decades of Expertise<br />

SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY<br />

sothebyshomes.com<br />

One of the most successful and respected realtors in Los<br />

Angeles, Marc Noah is known by his clients and colleagues alike<br />

for his professionalism, integrity and dedication to delivering a<br />

superior level of customer service.<br />

Those valuable assets, combined with his can-do attitude and<br />

buoyant personality, have all played a role in his being awarded<br />

top producer status at the prestigious brokerage firm Sotheby’s<br />

International Realty.<br />

Going on two decades, Marc’s involvement in the purchase<br />

and sale of distinctive property in Los Angeles has allowed him to<br />

acquire strong negotiating and marketing skills. He is especially<br />

knowledgeable in the crucial area of real estate financing.<br />

A Los Angeles native, Marc possesses unsurpassed familiarity<br />

with the local real estate market and is able to offer in-depth<br />

understanding and analysis of the city’s communities and<br />

neighborhoods.<br />

His appreciation of diverse architecture and types of residential<br />

opportunities, as well as a passion for helping people realize their<br />

dreams of owning a home or income property, have all contributed<br />

to his love of the real estate business and his success serving the<br />

most discerning clientele.<br />

Private and gated major Beverly Hills Italian Villa. This home<br />

features 6 bedrooms and 6 full and 5 half baths, infinity pool<br />

with city views. Details and craftsmanship must be seen to fully<br />

appreciate. The master bedroom features a fireplace with dual<br />

baths and closets; there are 4 additional bedrooms upstairs. Six-car<br />

garage and outdoor kitchen. An entertainer's dream. Currently on<br />

the market in Beverly Hills. Price upon request. (Left: Top photo)<br />

This secluded Spanish Hacienda is located just north of the<br />

Sunset Strip in the heart of LA’s finest luxury living. This 3-level,<br />

4-bedroom, 5-bath masterpiece offers an open floor-plan spread<br />

across 2 lots on the prestigious Queens Way. The resort-like<br />

outdoor recreational area is complete with pool, grass shower, and<br />

an outdoor kitchen with Viking stovetop and hood. Currently on<br />

the market in Los Angeles for $5,555,000. (Left: Middle photo)<br />

Topanga Canyon compound located in the prestigious Post<br />

Office Track with direct access to the state park. A rare head-on<br />

ocean view with approx. over 9 acres (3 parcels) that exceeds<br />

all expectations. Main residence features gourmet kitchen, dual<br />

masters and designer baths. Additional buildings include two<br />

separate guest houses, horse stables and tack room. The grounds<br />

include a riding arena, newly redone pool, great for entertaining<br />

and beautiful native gardens. Country living yet close to the city,<br />

tranquil, private and serene. $8,000,000 (Right: Full page)<br />

Contact Marc Noah at 310.968.9212, MarcNoah.com or<br />

Marc.Noah@sothebyshomes.com.<br />

SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY<br />

Top to bottom, left to right. Beverly Hills, price<br />

available upon request. Los Angeles, $5,555,000.<br />

803 Alpine Street, sold off market for $10,300,000.<br />

703 N. Palm sold off market $9,350,000.<br />

104 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

21275 COLINA DRIVE<br />

The Frank Lloyd Estate | Topanga<br />

$8,000,000<br />

9.5± Acres | 6 Bedrooms | 7 Bathrooms<br />

presented by…<br />

MARC NOAH<br />

310.968.9212<br />

marcnoah.com | marc.noah@sothebyshomes.com<br />

Sunset Strip Brokerage | 9255 Sunset Blvd., Mezz., Los Angeles, CA 90069<br />

Marc Noah CalBre#: 01269495. Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered)<br />

service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s<br />

International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.

Special Advertising Section<br />

Showcase Real Estate on an International Stage<br />

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CALIFORNIA PROPERTIES<br />

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has big plans to expand<br />

internationally, starting in 2017.<br />

As part of its first phase of expansion, the real estate network<br />

launched a powerful new property-search platform on its<br />

popular www.BerkshireHathawayHS.com website. In<br />

addition, a listing-syndication program now broadcasts<br />

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network listings to 70 real<br />

estate websites worldwide.<br />

The platform, developed in conjunction with Aliso Viejo,<br />

CA-based Real Estate Digital, offers the industry’s most complete<br />

search experience for global shoppers of U.S. real estate.<br />

With two mouse clicks, consumers may choose to translate the<br />

website in any of 10 languages besides English, including Chinese,<br />

French (European and Canadian), German, Italian, Japanese,<br />

Portuguese (Brazilian and European) and Spanish (European<br />

and Latin American). The site also seamlessly converts currency<br />

and measurements.<br />

Consumers may then search for homes in any U.S. city or state<br />

serviced by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchisees. What<br />

they find, they can’t get on any other single site: full Multiple<br />

Listing Service data containing all listings in their search area.<br />

By registering on www.BerkshireHathawayHS.com,<br />

consumers also gain proprietary “Inside Access” features<br />

including the latest pending and sold information, market<br />

reports and property-price history.<br />

“Until now, global shoppers of U.S. real estate saw only a<br />

portion of homes for sale in their searches of states, cities and<br />

postal ZIP codes,” explained Gino Blefari, CEO of Berkshire<br />

Hathaway HomeServices. “When you register and search for U.S.<br />

real estate on our website, you see every property for sale in your<br />

search area, and then you can filter and sort those searches as<br />

you would on other sites. It’s a much more effective way to begin<br />

searches of homes in America.”<br />

To complement the home-search platform, Berkshire Hathaway<br />

HomeServices California Properties also broadcasts its listings via<br />

key partnerships with such platforms as LuxuryRealEstate.com,<br />

Juwai, Realtor.com International, Mansion Global, The Wall Street<br />

Journal and Proxio.<br />

Most of the residential listings priced at $200,000 (USD) and<br />

above are now displayed on 70 real estate websites serving<br />

consumers in 37 countries on five continents.<br />

www.bhhscalifornia.com.<br />

106 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

$31,500,000 | 30822BroadBeach.com, Malibu | 4BD/4BA<br />

Elisabeth Halsted | 310.820.9340<br />

$19,500,000 | Oceanfront Estate, Santa Barbara | 6BD/5½BA<br />

Ken Switzer | 805.680.4622<br />

$6,995,000 | 123 S Woodburn Dr, Brentwood | 6BD/4½BA<br />

Ellen McCormick | 310.230.3707<br />

$6,829,000 | 10267 Century Woods Dr, Century City | 4BD/6BA<br />

Barbara Marcus | 310.466.5676<br />

$6,795,000 | 807 Napoli Dr, Pacific Palisades | 5BD/6BA<br />

Barbara Marcus | 310.466.5676<br />

$5,995,000 or $25K/mo | 1271 Rimmer Ave, Pac Pal | 5BD/6BA<br />

Ellen McCormick | 310.230.3707<br />

$4,995,000 | 336ViaDeLaPaz.com, Pac Pal | 5BD/4½BA<br />

Elisabeth Halsted | 310.820.9340<br />

$4,250,000 | 232 E Los Olivos St, Santa Barbara | 5BD/4½BA<br />

Errol Jahnke | 805.259.6969<br />

$3,495,000 | 629 Radcliffe Ave, Pac Pal | 3BD/3½BA<br />

Jody Fine/Monica Antola | 310.230.3770/310.230.3755<br />

$3,475,000 | 595 Freehaven Dr, Montecito | 7BD/6BA<br />

Ken Switzer | 805.680.4622<br />

$2,500,000 | 2628 Larmar Rd, Hollywood Hills | 6BD/4BA<br />

Alessandra Castrogiovanni | 310.529.2929<br />

$2,247,000 | 3040 Arrowhead Dr, Hlywd Hlls | 5BD/4BA<br />

Terry & Rose | 323.854.4607<br />

©2016 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources<br />

and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Sellers will entertain and respond to all offers within this range. CalBRE 01317331

Special Advertising Section<br />

Architectural Masterpieces<br />

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CALIFORNIA PROPERTIES LOS ANGELES, CA<br />

1690 San Remo Drive, Pacific Palisades This home is one of<br />

the most extraordinary estates ever built on the Westside. An<br />

architectural triumph by architects Ferguson/Shamamian and<br />

designer Michael Smith, the estate is poised on just less than one<br />

and a half acres of gated private grounds atop a ridge overlooking<br />

the city and the Pacific Ocean. Highlight features include large<br />

paned steel windows and doors, beautiful mahogany floors,<br />

five fireplaces, elaborate woodworking accents, furniture-grade<br />

cabinetry, and exquisite fixtures and hardware throughout. Outside<br />

await terraces, expansive grounds and breathtaking views. The<br />

estate is well proportioned with 7 bedrooms and 10 ½ bathrooms.<br />

Awe inspiring at every turn! Offered at $42,000,000.<br />

For further information, please contact David Offer,<br />

310.820.9341, doffer@davidoffer.com,<br />

GatedPalisadesRivieraEstate.com.<br />

25220 Walker Road, Hidden Hills Completed in 2009 after<br />

three years of construction, this French Normandy masterpiece<br />

spans approx. 21,000 square feet* of spectacular living space,<br />

including two guesthouses, and an additional 4,700-square-foot*<br />

(10-car) garage.<br />

Superior amenities throughout include a full home theater,<br />

game room, wine room and cellar, two-story gym, spa, gourmet<br />

kitchen with two islands, family room, two custom offices, staff<br />

quarters, and more. The deluxe master suite includes two baths,<br />

gorgeous custom closets, steam shower, fireplace, and beautiful<br />

views. Other features include a showcase glass elevator, dual<br />

floating staircases, volume ceilings, and huge picture windows<br />

with sweeping pastoral views.<br />

The expansive grounds include a sparkling pool, spa, two BBQ<br />

centers, two covered patios, and a newer, approx. 4,000-squarefoot*<br />

guesthouse/barn with separate driveway that is ready for an<br />

interior build-out and sited below the main pad. Nestled at the end<br />

of a quiet cul-de-sac, in the prime Ashley Ridge section of Hidden<br />

Hills, this home has it all. Offered at $16,500,000.<br />

For further information, please contact Marc & Rory Shevin,<br />

818.251.2456 or 818.251.2476, marcshevin@gmail.com or<br />

info@theshevins.com.<br />

*per assessor<br />

108 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

$12,000,000 | 915 Amalfi Dr, Pacific Palisades | 7BD/6½BA<br />

Randy Freeman | 310.230.3719<br />

$8,795,000 | 1010 Pamela Dr, Beverly Hills | 3BD/4BA | ½+ Acre<br />

Aitan Segal | 310.739.1561<br />

$6,995,000 | 545 Amalfi Dr, Pacific Palisades | 6BD/6½BA<br />

Alexandra Pfeifer | 310.230.3776<br />

$5,595,000 | 528 Marguerita Ave, Santa Monica | 5BD/3BA<br />

Emil Alexander Schneeman | 310.230.3731<br />

$5,395,000 | 515 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades | 6BD/7½BA<br />

Alexandra Pfeifer | 310.230.3776<br />

$5,295,000 | 603 25th St, Santa Monica | 5BD/6BA<br />

Emil Alexander Schneeman | 310.230.3731<br />

$4,995,000 | 3772 Pacific Coast Highway, Ventura | 3BD/4BA<br />

Ebner/Easter | 805.453.7071<br />

$3,200,000 | 3946 Fredonia Dr, Hollywood Hills | 4BD/4½BA<br />

Laura Kellam | 310.748.5344<br />

$2,750,000 | 794 27th St, Manhattan Beach | 5BD/3½BA<br />

N. Getzels/N. Flores | 818.535.5337/818.384.9439<br />

$2,595,000 | 2031 Kendra Ct, Hollywood Hills | 4BD/4BA<br />

Tim Swan | 310.991.3559<br />

$1,250,000 | 4435 Tyrone Ave, Sherman Oaks | 4BD/3BA<br />

Cindy Wexler | 818.416.4889<br />

©2016 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources<br />

and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Sellers will entertain and respond to all offers within this range. CalBRE 01317331

Special Advertising Section<br />

Global Vision. Local Expertise.<br />

DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE LOS ANGELES, CA<br />

DOUGLAS ELLIMAN LOS ANGELES<br />

Clockwise from top left: Elliman’s<br />

West Coast Headquarters in Beverly<br />

Hills; top performers in 2015,<br />

Michelle Oliver, Juliette Hohnen,<br />

Connie Blankenship, Matt Altman,<br />

Tracy Tutor Maltas, Jim Crane,<br />

Josh Altman; a Frank Lloyd Wright,<br />

Jr. sold by Hohnen in Brentwood;<br />

The Wealth Report 2016, jointly<br />

published by Douglas Elliman<br />

and Knight Frank Residential.<br />

Opposite page:<br />

Key properties in Elliman’s<br />

portfolio: John Lautner’s Stevens<br />

Residence in Malibu Colony; the<br />

1926 Sowden House by Lloyd<br />

Wright; Pierre Koenig’s Case Study<br />

House (CSH #21) for Michael La<br />

Fetra; and the Schnabel House in<br />

Brentwood by Frank Gehry.<br />

In a city known for attracting iconoclasts, including the<br />

founders of the Entertainment Industry, we live amid leaders of<br />

global influence and renown. A lucky few actually live within the<br />

works of such innovators – homes designed by revered architects<br />

including Eames, Gehry, Lautner, Neutra, Wright, Koenig and Kappe<br />

to name a few. Marketing such exceptional properties calls for<br />

exceptional capabilities. In Los Angeles, real estate firm Douglas<br />

Elliman has raised the bar on brokerage performance to sell the<br />

Southland’s finest homes.<br />

Located at the former William Morris Agency’s El Camino<br />

address, Elliman’s Beverly Hills flagship houses agents of another<br />

kind. Most of the firm’s 80 agents are real estate legacies with deep<br />

market knowledge and longtime relationships. Michelle Oliver,<br />

whose great-uncle is renowned architectural photographer Julius<br />

Shulman, will tell you many sales are transacted without even a<br />

formal listing (a specialty of the firm’s Sports and Entertainment<br />

division). Others, namely the Altman brothers, are known for both<br />

reality stardom and the serious credentials of having sold over<br />

$2 billion in property.<br />

Elliman takes its talented team to the next level with strategic<br />

partnerships and market insight tools. “Our relationships aren’t just<br />

local,” comments Tracy Tutor Maltas. “We regularly speak with<br />

colleagues abroad who are in direct contact with would-be buyers.”<br />

Tutor Maltas refers to Elliman’s global alliance with Knight Frank<br />

Residential, a worldwide network of 489 offices that gives Beverly<br />

Hills agents access to active buyers in 58 countries. That midcentury<br />

modern, city-view home in the hills may be a perfect fit for their<br />

associate’s client in London or Singapore or Mumbai. Deal done.<br />

The combined power of Douglas Elliman and Knight Frank<br />

further provides unrivalled access to real time data – insight that<br />

not only pinpoints an optimal list-price, but that connects the firm<br />

to active, registered buyers searching for homes based on granular<br />

criteria such as neighborhood, size and price.<br />

Today, such access is imperative, especially when marketing<br />

listings such as the Doheny’s 1,800-acre Las Varas Coastal Ranch<br />

or historic homes built by Lautner or Gehry. These properties<br />

are totemic in nature and, like the recently auctioned paintings<br />

of Modigliani and Picasso, call for expert handling and<br />

international exposure.<br />

It is this combination of global vision and local expertise that<br />

makes Douglas Elliman unique in the Los Angeles market, and<br />

why the firm sold over $22 billion in property last year alone.<br />

110 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

JOHN LAUTNER<br />

STEVENS RESIDENCE<br />

TRACYTUTORMALTAS.ELLIMAN.COM<br />

FRANK GEHRY<br />

SCHNABEL HOUSE<br />

TRACYTUTORMALTAS.ELLIMAN.COM<br />

LLOYD WRIGHT<br />

JOHN SOWDEN HOUSE<br />

TROYGREGORY.ELLIMAN.COM<br />

Exceptional Properties.<br />

Exceptional Capabilities.<br />

PIERRE KOENIG<br />

LAFETRA HOUSE<br />

TRACYTUTORMALTAS.ELLIMAN.COM<br />

ELLIMAN.COM/CALIFORNIA<br />

©2016 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

Special Advertising Section<br />

An Architectural Gem in Santa Ynez<br />

VILLAGE PROPERTIES REALTORS SANTA YNEZ, CA<br />

High in the hills above the Santa Ynez Valley sits the<br />

spectacular estate known as Son Sereno, an architecturally<br />

important, sophisticated contemporary residence situated on<br />

about 116 secluded acres.<br />

Inspired by the legendary country homes of Tuscany and<br />

designed by an award-winning NY/LA architectural firm,<br />

Richard Meier & Partners, Son Sereno is a stunning and yet<br />

totally livable and comfortable home. In the foothills about<br />

a half-mile up from the floor of the valley, this gracious<br />

residence is situated amid a grove of Italian olive trees and<br />

integrated with the landscape with the distinctive use of<br />

local materials. Filled with natural light, the estate provides<br />

astounding views of the surrounding hills and valley.<br />

The home has six bedrooms, including two spacious<br />

master bedrooms with dual walk-in closets and an adjacent<br />

private sitting room with a fireplace. There is also a two-room<br />

guest suite, a spacious guest bedroom with bath, and, in a<br />

connected wing of the house, two additional bedrooms with<br />

en suite baths.<br />

The chef’s kitchen opens onto a comfortable family room, while<br />

the flowing living and dining rooms provide options for more<br />

formal entertaining. In addition, there is a spacious office, a library<br />

gallery and an exercise room.<br />

You can enjoy tranquil sunsets on the large outdoor veranda<br />

looking out over the Mediterranean-inspired landscape. The solarheated<br />

pool is on a lower level with its own shaded trellis.<br />

Totally separate from the main house is a horse facility<br />

that includes an eight-stall, center-aisle equestrian barn, as well as<br />

a hay and equipment barn, a workshop, arena, track, and irrigated<br />

pastures, plus a separate employee residence.<br />

In addition, there is an adjacent approximately 102-acre parcel<br />

available for purchase. This includes its own manager’s home,<br />

numerous riding and hiking trails, and a half-acre landscaped<br />

swimming lake.<br />

112 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

CONTEMPORARY TUSCAN ESTATE<br />

Two hours from Los Angeles<br />

OFFERED AT $8,995,000<br />

Photo by Dave Salgado<br />

CAREY KENDALL<br />

805.689.6262 | carey@clkre.com<br />

villagesite.com | CalBRE 00753349

Special Advertising Section<br />

Realizing Zaha Hadid’s Vision on the High Line<br />

520 WEST 28TH MANHATTAN, NY<br />

520 West 28th is Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid’s<br />

first contribution to the New York skyline, located directly on the<br />

High Line in the heart of West Chelsea’s thriving arts district.<br />

Influenced by parallel practices that surround architecture,<br />

such as art, urbanism, and design, Hadid designed a property<br />

whose lines speak to natural form and contemporary function.<br />

The design engages with the urban fabric while concepts of<br />

fluid spatial flow create a dynamic new living environment. The<br />

building represents Hadid’s complete vision for modern living,<br />

and exemplifies her sculptural design style with the distinctive<br />

chevron pattern that embraces interlacing layers of curved glass<br />

and stainless steel.<br />

The 11-story boutique condominium includes 39 residences. The<br />

unique two- to five-bedroom homes feature interiors that seamlessly<br />

integrate the sculptural nature of the building’s exterior, creating<br />

one monumental piece of art. The carefully curated materials and<br />

craftsman construction techniques are essential in executing<br />

Hadid’s iconic design. Floor-to-ceiling curved windows eliminate<br />

right-angle corners and frame interesting views of the skyline<br />

and High Line, while outdoor spaces are thoughtfully integrated<br />

through setback terraces and expansive balconies.<br />

520 West 28th is also home to the first private IMAX theater<br />

in New York City, as well as a 75-foot sky-lit saline-system pool<br />

and adjoining private spa suite, fitness center, entertainment<br />

lounge and High Line terrace. The building also offers innovative<br />

automated robotic parking and storage.<br />

With its compelling design and prominent location, 520 West<br />

28th offers residents an unprecedented opportunity: to live within<br />

a true work or art, and the only New York building designed by<br />

one of the world’s most celebrated architects.<br />

114 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

39 ORIGINAL RESIDENCES DESIGNED BY PRITZKER PRIZE-WINNING,<br />

WORLD RENOWNED ARCHITECT AND ARTIST, ZAHA HADID<br />

DIRECTLY ON THE HIGH LINE IN WEST CHELSEA, NEW YORK CITY<br />

PRICED FROM $4,895,000 TO $50 MILLION<br />

OCCUPANCY ANTICIPATED FOR EARLY 2017<br />

SALES GALLERY NOW OPEN<br />

+1 212 502 5528 520W28.COM<br />

Art rendering by Hayes Davidson<br />

EXCLUSIVE MARKETING & SALES AGENTS: RELATED SALES LLC & CORCORAN SUNSHINE MARKETING GROUP<br />

Equal Housing Opportunity. THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS ARE IN AN OFFERING PLAN AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR. FILE NO.<br />

CD14-0111. Sponsor: 28th Highline Associates, L.L.C., c/o The Related Companies, L.P., 60 Columbus Circle, New York, New York<br />

10023. Property Address: 520 West 28th Street, New York, New York 10001. Sponsor reserves the right to make changes<br />

in accordance with the terms of the Offering Plan. All images are artist’s renderings.

Special Advertising Section<br />

Prestige Homes, From Malibu to Beverly Hills<br />

NOURMAND & ASSOCIATES LOS ANGELES<br />

Rochelle Atlas Maize has sold some of<br />

the city’s most prestigious properties,<br />

ranging from luxury mansions in Beverly<br />

Hills to beachfront properties in Malibu.<br />

Her knowledge of local trends and luxury<br />

inventory, paired with her professionalism<br />

and unrelenting work ethic, has allowed her<br />

to quickly become one of the top-ranking<br />

agents in the country.<br />

An expert in luxury real estate, Rochelle<br />

is viewed as an honest and passionate<br />

professional with an unwavering desire to<br />

make her clients’ real estate dreams come<br />

true. Today, she serves as the Executive<br />

Director of the Luxury Estates division at<br />

Nourmand & Associates. Over the last 12<br />

months, she has sold over $200 million,<br />

prompting The Wall Street Journal to<br />

recognize her as one of the top brokers in<br />

the country.<br />

Newport Beach, CA<br />

Stunning Beach Lookout<br />

A once in a lifetime<br />

opportunity to own this<br />

trophy property on arguably<br />

the best oceanfront street<br />

on the Newport Peninsula.<br />

Breathtaking 180-degree,<br />

unobstructed beach and<br />

whitewater views of Catalina<br />

Island, rolling sand dunes<br />

and stunning sunsets. No<br />

detail was overlooked with<br />

this 5-bedroom, 5.5-bath,<br />

Santa Barbara-inspired<br />

villa offering 4,200 square<br />

feet of luxury living space<br />

with a grand master. Two<br />

$9.995m<br />

5 Bedrooms<br />

5.5 Baths<br />

outdoor entertaining areas, a<br />

rooftop deck and a spacious<br />

ocean front patio provide<br />

the ultimate beach house.<br />

So-Cal’s best surfing in your<br />

front yard, and the ability<br />

to walk to the best of what<br />

Newport Beach has to offer...<br />

it doesn’t get any better.<br />

$9,995,000<br />

2156EASTOCEANFRONT.COM<br />

$6.295m<br />

3 Bedrooms<br />

4.5 Baths<br />

Brentwood, CA<br />

Ranch Masterpiece<br />

This fabulous contemporary<br />

ranch masterpiece was<br />

redone by architects<br />

Nicholas/Budd, with no<br />

expense spared. The<br />

front door opens to the<br />

elegant entry that also<br />

serves as an art gallery<br />

space. Stunning doors and<br />

windows throughout, with<br />

light streaming in from<br />

the incredible park-like<br />

backyard. The gourmet<br />

kitchen and chic family<br />

room open to the outdoors,<br />

as do most of the rooms<br />

$7.899m<br />

5 Bedrooms<br />

4 Baths<br />

in the home.The master<br />

suite, which features his/<br />

her’s baths and closets, is<br />

its own luxurious retreat.<br />

Outside await majestic trees,<br />

expansive manicured lawns,<br />

a pool, jacuzzi, vegetable<br />

garden and a sports area<br />

for the whole family.<br />

$7,899,000<br />

13107BOCADECANON.COM<br />

$1.14m<br />

2 Bedrooms<br />

2.5+ Baths<br />

Malibu, CA<br />

Elegant Spanish Retreat<br />

Beverly Hills, CA<br />

Expansive City Views<br />

Set in the heart of<br />

Ramirez Canyon is this<br />

magnificently detailed<br />

Malibu retreat. This<br />

classic Spanish home<br />

features 3 bedrooms and<br />

4.5 bathrooms, office,<br />

family room, kitchen with<br />

imported, hand-painted<br />

tiles, and cantera stone<br />

fireplaces throughout.<br />

An entertainer’s dream,<br />

the home is set against<br />

perfectly landscaped<br />

grounds on about 1 acre,<br />

complete with pool and<br />

spa. Property also includes<br />

an additional 2 acres of<br />

adjoining park-like grounds,<br />

completing this exquisite<br />

Malibu compound.<br />

Truly one of California’s<br />

exceptional properties.<br />

$6,295,000<br />

6162RAMIREZCANYON.COM<br />

This expansive,<br />

2,100-square-feet frontfacing<br />

Beverly Hills condo<br />

features an open floor plan,<br />

floor-to-ceiling windows<br />

and views of Century City,<br />

the Hollywood Hills and<br />

Downtown Los Angeles<br />

from the master. This<br />

extremely rare, single-level<br />

2 bedroom and 2.5 bath unit<br />

has no steps, making access<br />

a breeze. It also features<br />

light and bright living<br />

spaces throughout.<br />

The grand master bedroom<br />

suite offers a walk-in closet<br />

and direct views to of<br />

Downtown L.A. The location<br />

is also ideal: Beverly Hills<br />

shops, restaurants and<br />

houses of worship are all<br />

within walking distance.<br />

Come experince the best<br />

view property in Beverly<br />

Hills! $1,140,000<br />

BEVERLYHILLSVIEWCONDO.<br />

COM<br />

116 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

2156 EAST<br />

OCEANFRONT<br />

NEWPORT BEACH | $9,995,000<br />

ROCHELLE ATLAS MAIZE<br />

rochelle@rochellemaize.com<br />

310.968.8828 | BRE#:01365331<br />

LAURA ROCHE<br />

lroche@villarealestate.com<br />

949.836.4751 | BRE#:01355925<br />

MISSY POLSON<br />

mpolson@me.com<br />

310.717.9474 | BRE#:01987507<br />

SHANA SPITZER<br />

sspitzer@villarealestate.com<br />

949.338.1070 | BRE#:01888755

Special Advertising Section<br />

Playa Vista Debuts Two New<br />

Neighborhoods and Urban Parks<br />

PLAYA VISTA LOS ANGELES, CA<br />

Playa Vista, the connected urban community on the Westside<br />

of Los Angeles, recently debuted a variety of new urban parks<br />

as well as two of its newest home collections at Mason and Cleo<br />

by Brookfield Residential. These new neighborhoods near The<br />

Resort and Runway are among the final new residences ever<br />

available at Playa Vista.<br />

“We have responded to market demand with neighborhoods<br />

that emphasize smart spaces, style and flexibility,” said Alison<br />

Girard, Playa Vista’s director of marketing for developer<br />

Brookfield Residential.<br />

Mason features thoughtful designs with up to 2,658 square<br />

feet. Priced from the mid $1,000,000s, these beachy brownstone<br />

flats provide private decks, flex spaces and modern details.<br />

Cleo’s striking attached residences present up to 2,674 square<br />

feet and are priced from the high $1,000,000s.<br />

One design offers a three-bay garage – a coveted feature<br />

in this community.<br />

These new home neighborhoods afford a convenient location<br />

next to The Lawn, one of the community’s newest parks, and are<br />

tucked back by the iconic Westchester Bluffs.<br />

In addition to attached residences, Playa Vista also presents<br />

detached new home collections at Everly and Marlowe by<br />

Brookfield Residential. “Detached yet connected to surrounding<br />

amenities, their contemporary, vertical design includes private<br />

outdoor space and room options suited to the Westside lifestyle,”<br />

said Girard.<br />

Everly is a collection of three-story luxury detached<br />

residences boasting up to 2,449 square feet, three to five<br />

bedrooms, three-and-one-half to four baths and two-car<br />

private garages plus one guest space. Prices start in the<br />

low $2,000,000s.<br />

Marlowe features sophisticated three-story luxury<br />

detached residences offering up to 3,341 square feet, four to<br />

five bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and two-car private<br />

garages plus one guest space – all from the mid $2,000,000s.<br />

Other new home options include luxury apartments for<br />

lease at Runway North & South and Villas at Playa Vista.<br />

“The Campus at Playa Vista has attracted titans such as<br />

Google, Yahoo, YouTube Space LA and Facebook, along with<br />

creative powerhouses 72andSunny and USC’s Institute of<br />

Creative Technologies,” said Girard. “Playa Vista has become<br />

the Westside address of choice, both for these companies and<br />

for their employees as well as for entertainment professionals<br />

seeking easier commutes and new homes with tech spaces<br />

and home office options.”<br />

All new home collections are also walkable to Runway,<br />

the Westside’s newest social and retail epicenter, with Whole<br />

Foods Market as well as Cinemark Playa Vista and XD theaters,<br />

SOL Cocina, Varnish Lab, N’ice Cream, Starbucks, Urban Plates<br />

and Hopdoddy restaurants and more.<br />

118 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Seeand BE SCENE<br />

Go Ahead, Have It All. Come home to an oasis of relaxed luxury in the heart of<br />

Silicon Beach. Walk or bike to shopping and dining at Runway or lounge by the pool at<br />

The Resort, all just steps from your front door. This is Playa Vista.<br />

New Luxury Home Collections from the Mid $1 Millions<br />

Sophisticated Apartment Homes Now Leasing<br />

PlayaVista.com<br />

PLANS, PRICING, SQUARE FOOTAGE, PRODUCTS, AMENITIES AND COMMUNITY/NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. MODEL DOES NOT REFLECT RACIAL PREFERENCE. HOMES SHOWN DO NOT REFLECT<br />

ACTUAL HOMESITES FOR SALE. © 2016 PLAYA VISTA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CALBRE #00991326.

Special Advertising Section<br />

Spectacular Homes in the Heart of the Action<br />

THE FAIRCREST LOS ANGELES, CA<br />

It’s time to discover a home that’s front row to everything<br />

you want. Experience The Faircrest by Emerald Homes, a new<br />

collection of spacious single-family residences centrally located<br />

in the heart of Los Angeles. With three gorgeous model homes to<br />

tour, you don’t want to miss your chance to explore the amenities,<br />

style and prime location of this new neighborhood. Visit The<br />

Faircrest today to find your new luxury home close to it all.<br />

Priced from the low $1.4 millions, The Faircrest offers new<br />

homes with up to approximately 2,894 square feet of living<br />

space, featuring up to five grand bedrooms, up to three lavish<br />

bathrooms, a large two-car garage, covered outdoor living space,<br />

spectacular appointments and architectural styles from Spanish<br />

Colonial and Spanish Revival to Monterey.<br />

The expansive new residences at The Faircrest introduce<br />

modern finishes and new features in innovative open floor plans.<br />

Here, you can relax in the spacious great room, which connects<br />

the dining space and kitchen, or celebrate with neighbors and<br />

friends at the indoor/outdoor living spaces with covered patio.<br />

The gourmet kitchen is ideal for entertaining, complete<br />

with premium stainless steel appliances, including a 48” sixburner<br />

gas range with griddle, 30” electric wall oven, built-in<br />

microwave, energy-efficient dishwasher and 48” hood, as well as<br />

a convenient kitchen island, stunning granite slab countertops<br />

with backsplash and exquisite raised-panel maple cabinetry.<br />

Equally impressive, the opulent master suite features an<br />

enticing soaking tub, classic countertops, beautiful vanity and<br />

sophisticated Moen® fixtures. You’ll also appreciate a warming<br />

Heatilator® gas fireplace, eco-friendly tankless water heater,<br />

recessed can lighting and ceramic tile flooring at the entry and<br />

in the kitchen, baths and laundry room.<br />

In the heart of Los Angeles, The Faircrest is the quintessential<br />

center-of-everything gem. Surrounded by Faircrest Heights, a<br />

historic Carthay Circle-era neighborhood, residents will find<br />

themselves in a phenomenally convenient and flourishing<br />

environment. From healthy restaurants, artisan shops and LA<br />

culture to transportation, entertainment, celebrated attractions<br />

and the city’s finest, everything is simply moments from home.<br />

The Faircrest is located at 5953 Spelthorne Lane, Los Angeles,<br />

CA 90034. The sales office is open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00<br />

pm. For more information on The Faircrest, please visit<br />

www.EmeraldHomes.com/TheFaircrest or call<br />

310.362.6991.<br />

Emerald Homes has established a tradition of excellence<br />

by developing innovative home designs and crafting luxury<br />

homes with meticulous attention to detail for over a decade.<br />

Our philosophy is to incorporate features and amenities into our<br />

homes that complement each individual customer’s preferences,<br />

personality and lifestyle, creating highly livable homes by<br />

combining luxury and function. Built with quality materials by<br />

an experienced team of builders, each home is designed and<br />

constructed with the latest in building technology and design—<br />

blending your ideas, luxury features and attention to detail to<br />

craft your unique dream home. Emerald Homes is an Equal<br />

Housing Opportunity builder.<br />

120 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

LIVE<br />

FRONT<br />

ROW<br />

New luxury homes front row to everything you want.<br />

Amenities, style and a prime location set the scene in the heart of LA.<br />

NEW SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES<br />

IN THE HEART OF LOS ANGELES<br />

From the Low $1.4 Millions<br />

Up to 2,894 Square Feet<br />

Up to 5 Bedrooms & 3 Bathrooms<br />

Pico Blvd.<br />

Hi Point St.<br />

Sawy<br />

er St.<br />

S. Hayworth Ave.<br />

La Cienega Blvd.<br />

Spelthorne Ln.<br />

Fairfa<br />

f x Ave.<br />

N<br />

EmeraldHomes.com/TheFaircrest Sales Office Open Daily 10am to 6pm<br />

5953 Spelthorne Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90034 | 310.362.6991<br />

Santa<br />

Monica<br />

Venice Blvd.<br />

Downtown LA<br />

MAP NOT TO SCALE<br />

Photos are representational only. All square footage is approximate. Prices subject to change without notice or obligation. D.R. Horton VEN, Inc. dba Emerald Homes – CalBRE license #1253251; Contractor’s license #765023. © D.R. Horton 2016.

Special Advertising Section<br />

Destination Homes in Historic Asheville<br />

CIĔL PROPERTY ASHEVILLE, NC<br />

In recent years, Asheville has been named as National<br />

Geographic Adventure’s “Best Adventure Town,” The HuffPost<br />

Green’s “Top Undiscovered City for Local Food,” and as American<br />

Style’s list of Top 25 Art Destinations. Set in the midst of the Blue<br />

Ridge Mountains, the downtown area is calm and filled with local<br />

boutiques, chic restaurants, art galleries, local craft breweries, and<br />

activities for all ages. The city has been the backdrop for many<br />

feature films historically listed such as “The Swan” (featuring Grace<br />

Kelly in 1956), “Nell,” “Patch Adams,” “28 Days,” “The Hunger Games,”<br />

“Dirty Dancing,” and its remake, which is currently<br />

under production.<br />

The area continuously hosts major film and television shoots.<br />

Cultural life in the area includes theater, opera, symphony, fine<br />

arts, and live music. The surrounding community is filled with<br />

outdoor activities for the nature enthusiast, cyclist, paddle boarder,<br />

trail blazer, fisherman, rock climber, and beyond. Folk artists<br />

and craftsmen have inhabited the region for hundreds of years,<br />

enriching the region as well as the history of art in the United<br />

States. Asheville is filled with communities focusing on holistic<br />

lifestyles, with much attention paid to yoga, natural therapy,<br />

meditation, and medicinal spas. One can quickly find their own<br />

niche in Asheville, thus affording its new destination residence<br />

status for your second home or primary residence.<br />

Asheville was made world famous for The Biltmore Estate and its<br />

world recognized Art Deco architecture. The clean mountain air and<br />

the landscape of the area led George Vanderbilt to the mountains<br />

of North Carolina to begin building the estate in 1889, marking the<br />

origins of outstanding architecture and design throughout the<br />

city. The estate put Asheville on the international map as a thermal<br />

spring spa destination for stress relief and other wellness benefits.<br />

Today, many homes are recognized with national and<br />

international awards, carrying the legacy of great building standards<br />

within Asheville. The Privé, built by AIBL Invest LLC at Ciĕl, on Elk<br />

Mountain Scenic Highway, recently won an Award of Merit in the<br />

National Golden Nugget Awards for 2016 and has been shortlisted as<br />

a finalist in the upcoming Golden Nugget Awards Ceremony in San<br />

Francisco. The home is currently for sale and listed by Scott Mills and<br />

William Coin of Beverly Hanks & Associates for $2,895,000. It boasts<br />

modern architecture and is certified as a NC Green Built Home.<br />

Ciĕl presents 25 prestigious estate sites offering direct access to<br />

the city and the airport whilst providing seclusion and privacy in<br />

a neighborhood of persons interested in living in environmentally<br />

conscious homes. Ciĕl believes in maintaining the mountain’s natural<br />

integrity without compromising an elegant lifestyle.<br />

You can find more information about The Privé by visiting<br />

beverly-hanks.com/communities/ciel.<br />

122 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

The Privé<br />

feel the earth. touch the sky.<br />

www.ciel-property.com<br />

This exquisitely placed modern home on the South facing slope of Elk Mountain Scenic Highway has<br />

<br />

prestigious seclusion whilst maintaining it’s the integrity of the natural landscape. Features include a<br />

<br />

bathrooms,a home cinema room, large terraces, laundry and wet bars on two levels with views throughout.

Special Advertising Section<br />

California Properties of Distinction<br />

COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE, CA<br />

908 Hartford Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Exquisite<br />

contemporary Mediterranean-style home tucked behind the Beverly<br />

Hills Hotel. It is 9,142 square feet on a large 35,532-square-foot lot,<br />

perched above the street behind an impressive double-gated circular<br />

motor court. Grand double-height entry with voluminous and<br />

perfectly scaled public rooms designed for entertaining and stylish<br />

living in a very exclusive setting. Formal living, dining, and family<br />

rooms, plus an oversized open kitchen looking out to the beautiful<br />

grounds and pool. Fabulous master quarters with large custom<br />

closets, baths, and fireplace. Three additional suites upstairs. Private<br />

and luxurious wine and cigar lounge on lower level. Separate staff<br />

quarters with two bedrooms downstairs. World-class and timeless<br />

design fitting of the most exclusive location in Beverly Hills.<br />

Offered at $19,995,000.<br />

For further information, please contact Ginger Glass,<br />

at 310.927.9307 or email ginger@gingerglass.com.<br />

1988 East Valley Road, Montecito, CA 93108 This home<br />

is a classic and coveted Spanish-style estate with red-tiled roofs,<br />

bougainvillea-covered arches, flagstone walkways, and wrought-iron<br />

detail. This Ketzel and Goodman design is an outstanding blend of<br />

tradition and innovation. The main house is rich with elegant features<br />

including three spacious bedroom suites, three full and two half baths,<br />

four fireplaces, beautiful walnut and old-style tile floors, high-beamed<br />

ceilings, and a fantastic gourmet kitchen with an octagonal breakfast<br />

room. Flagstone walkways through the colorful gardens connect to<br />

the accessory cottage and its living room, kitchenette, two bedrooms,<br />

laundry, and bath. The cottage also features covered parking, two<br />

patios, and a sport court. Offered at $5,695,000.<br />

For further information, please contact Barbara Koutnik &<br />

Kathleen Marvin at 805.565.8811 or email BCKoutnik@aol.com.<br />

124 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Coldwell Banker Previews International ®<br />

HOLMBY HILLS, CALIFORNIA<br />

301 N Carolwood Drive - The finest estate<br />

in the world.<br />

10 bedrooms, 20 baths, $150,000,000<br />

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA<br />

Exquisite Contemp Mediter. Apx. 9,142 sq ft on<br />

lrg 35,532 sq ft lot. Behind The Beverly Hills Hotel.<br />

Impressive double gated circular motor court.<br />

6 bedrooms, 6 baths, $19,995,000<br />

NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA<br />

Oakville appellation estate with valley views. Main<br />

house, guest house, caretakers cottage, pool,<br />

tennis court, bocce, Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard.<br />

5 bedrooms, 7 baths, $18,000,000<br />

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA<br />

Amazing Development Opportunity, Almost an<br />

ACRE FLAT with STUNNING views on Most<br />

Desirable Street in Pacific Palisades Riviera<br />

$17,995,000<br />

Represented by: Ginger Glass<br />

T. 310.927.9307 | Ginger@GingerGlass.com<br />

Represented by: Ginger Glass<br />

T. 310.927.9307 | Ginger@GingerGlass.com<br />

Represented by: Laurie Turner<br />

T. 626.483.5269 | LaurieTurner@coldwellbanker.com<br />

Represented by: Joyce Rey & Stephen Apelian<br />

T. 323.804.3400 | Stephen@StephenApelian.com<br />

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA<br />

Stunning contemporary w/head on city/ocean views.<br />

Dramatic views from all rooms, master and 4 beds en<br />

suite, movie room & infinity pool. Very private.<br />

4 bedrooms, 5 baths, $12,950,000<br />

BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA<br />

Stunning Contemp w/head-on downtown views &<br />

views of the Stone Canyon Reservoir from almost every<br />

room & bdrm in house. Apx 5,235sf. Apx 9,362sf lot.<br />

5 bedrooms, 6 baths, $9,495,000<br />

LAKE ARROWHEAD, CALIFORNIA<br />

160 Cedar Ridge Dr | Spectacular French Chateau<br />

estate: Main house, private apartment with separate<br />

entrance, and guest house nestled on 2.73 acres<br />

9 bedrooms, 11+ baths, $4,925,000<br />

CHEVIOT HILLS, CALIFORNIA<br />

Beautiful Cape Cod style oasis in Cheviot Hills.<br />

This secluded compound is set on a 12,695 sq. ft.<br />

lot with multiple landscaped areas and amenities.<br />

7 bedrooms, 8 baths, $4,195,000<br />

Represented by: Valerie Fitzgerald<br />

T. 310.285.7515 | valerie@valeriefitzgerald.com<br />

Represented by: Ginger Glass<br />

T. 310.927.9307 | Ginger@GingerGlass.com<br />

Represented by: Jane Angel & Shirley Walters<br />

T. 310.292.2290 | jangel@coldwellbanker.com<br />

Represented by: Danny Mahelka<br />

T. 213.359.4097 | danny@lasold.net<br />

MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA<br />

Stunning Montecito Shores Oceanfront<br />

condominium conveniently located on the ground<br />

floor in a premier private location.<br />

2 bedrooms, 2+ baths, $3,950,000<br />

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA<br />

Vintage 1925 Spanish Colonial Revival Estate with<br />

stunning ocean views in our Santa Barbara Riviera.<br />

4 bedrooms, 4 baths, $3,595,000<br />

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA<br />

Exquisite Los Feliz Spanish Colonial w/ City Views.<br />

Serene & private estate on a hilltop. Close to Los<br />

Feliz Village | www.4342Cedarhurst.com<br />

4 bedrooms, 4 baths, $3,450,000<br />

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA<br />

Prime Location, 3bd up / 2bd down duplex<br />

exquisitely done inside and out. www.<br />

StunningSpauldingDuplex.com<br />

5 bedrooms, 5 baths, $2,699,000<br />

Represented by: Barbara Koutnik<br />

T. 805.565.8811 | bkoutnik@coldwellbanker.com<br />

Represented by: Barbara Koutnik<br />

T. 805.565.8811 | bkoutnik@coldwellbanker.com<br />

Represented by: Cesar Sanchez<br />

T. 323.356.6618 | cesar.realestate@ymail.com<br />

Represented by: Jade Mills & Joyce Rey<br />

T. 310.285.7508 | Stacy@StacyGottula.com<br />

SUNSET STRIP, CALIFORNIA<br />

REDUCED! Exciting blend of contemporary finishes<br />

w/soaring ceilings & open floorplan make this 1 of<br />

the finest architectural homes in this price range<br />

4 bedrooms, 4+ baths, $1,995,000<br />

BRENTWOOD, CALIFORNIA<br />

11500 San Vicente #415 | Beautiful single level<br />

unit in the prestigious “Brentwood,” a full-service<br />

building with a great floor plan for entertaining!<br />

2 bedrooms, 2+ baths, $1,750,000<br />

GUALALA, CALIFORNIA<br />

“Whale Lodge” Private luxury compound. Located on<br />

the south Mendocino coast near Anchor Bay. Huge<br />

deck off every area of the house. Ocean view abound<br />

$1,695,000<br />

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA<br />

Close to all-just off Sunset in the only 24HR gated<br />

enclave in BH on LaCollina. Majestic ItalianVilla<br />

Estate. 6850sqft. 14-car pkg. www.1120Villa.com<br />

5 bedrooms, 7 baths, $21,800/month<br />

Represented by: Andrew Yalcin & Neal Baddin<br />

T. 310.871.3833 | andrewyalcin@coldwellbanker.com<br />

Represented by: Linda Semon<br />

T. 310.351.3995 | linda@lindasemon.com<br />

Represented by: Matt McCormick<br />

T. 650.772.1924 | MattMcCormickEstates@gmail.com<br />

Represented by: Tania Ferris<br />

T. 310.713.8234 | taniaferris68@aol.com<br />

Africa North America Central America South America Asia Australia Caribbean Europe Middle East<br />

coldwellbankerpreviews.com<br />

©2016 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker® and the Coldwell Banker<br />

Logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International® and the Coldwell Banker Previews International Logo, are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the condition or features of property<br />

provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals.

Special Advertising Section<br />

An Island Estate Surrounded<br />

by Rugged Beauty<br />

BLAKELY ISLAND, SAN JUAN ISLANDS PUGET SOUND, WA<br />

This verdant waterfront haven features manicured gardens<br />

and grounds and pristine, old growth acreage. There are three<br />

resident pods of killer whales in the San Juan Islands. From the<br />

living room’s picture windows, watch Orcas as they hunt, frolic<br />

and sometimes breach in the waters of Peavine Pass. Although<br />

set in one of the Northwest’s least developed regions, Blakely<br />

Island is conveniently accessible by private jet; within five minutes<br />

of landing at the nearby private airport, one can be home enjoying<br />

the natural surroundings. Offered at $18,500,000<br />

Among the estate’s notable attributes are:<br />

• 29 +/- acres comprised of 17 tax parcels.<br />

• 4,421’, no-bank to high-bank, water frontage.<br />

• Two deep-moorage, covered boathouses: up to a 110’ yacht.<br />

• Stunning, Northwest contemporary, main residence.<br />

• Separate ‘hill house’ luxury master-suite.<br />

• Duplex guest suites.<br />

• Caretaker’s cottage.<br />

• Three-bay garage and shop.<br />

BlakelyEstate.com<br />

126 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Once in a lifetime.....<br />

...an opportunity arises to possess a truly special, one-of-a-kind property.<br />

Situated within the scenic San Juan Islands archipelago just north of Seattle, this approximately<br />

29-acre, gated estate provides supreme privacy and a sophisticated retreat on the wooded shores of<br />

Puget Sound. Although the property feels like a private island, a private access road connects it to<br />

Blakely Island-proper, its marina and airport.<br />

For complete brochure package and DVD:<br />

Chris Karsteter, Managing Broker | (206) 794-1465 | karsteter@coldwellbanker.com<br />

BlakelyEstate.com

Special Advertising Section<br />

The Secret to L.A.’s Most Coveted Addresses<br />

JOYCE REY AND STACY GOTTULA TEAM, COLDWELL BANKER PREVIEWS INTERNATIONAL BEVERLY HILLS, CA<br />

Where are the hidden gems of Beverly Hills?<br />

What’s driving luxury sales on the Westside? One<br />

of the most influential real estate teams today,<br />

Joyce Rey and Stacy Gottula, wants to share their<br />

insider knowledge on L.A.’s elite neighborhoods.<br />

“It’s a seller’s market all over the Westside<br />

right now,” said Rey. “Sales volume has increased<br />

tremendously over the last year in the $5 million+<br />

category. One of the hottest neighborhoods is<br />

the Trousdale section of Beverly Hills, where the<br />

Mid-Century architecture and city-to-ocean views<br />

are such sought-after commodities. Demand is also<br />

robust for new construction — particularly among<br />

international buyers.”<br />

Rey should know. Her team recently set a<br />

record for the highest sale ever in the Beverly<br />

Hills “Flats” — a newly built Georgian listed at<br />

$24,995,000. Envisioned by local builders who<br />

commissioned an interior designer to style<br />

the entire 18,000-square-foot space, the home<br />

represents a budding trend in Beverly Hills:<br />

new residences that are not just staged, but<br />

elaborately designed with art and furnishings.<br />

“The trend continues to drive the upper<br />

end of the luxury market,” said Gottula. “Ultra<br />

affluent buyers value their time. They not only<br />

want a home that is completely custom, but also<br />

completely ready to move in — right down to the<br />

art on the walls. More and more buyers, especially<br />

international buyers, are demanding it. They love<br />

the idea of being able to move right in, needing<br />

nothing more than a toothbrush.”<br />

Both Rey and Gottula continue to set records<br />

and manage high profile real estate transactions<br />

for the city’s rich and famous. This year, they<br />

were named to Variety’s Showbiz Real Estate<br />

Elite. Haute Living also honored Rey among its<br />

“100 Most Influential People.” Headquartered in<br />

Beverly Hills, Rey and Gottula have consistently<br />

been ranked among Coldwell Banker’s top 10<br />

teams internationally.<br />

Still dreaming of a Westside lifestyle? Joyce Rey<br />

or Stacy Gottula are your guides to luxury living.<br />

They can be reached at Joyce@JoyceRey.com or<br />

Stacy@StacyGottula.com, or call 310.285.7529.<br />

www.JoyceRey.com. www.StacyGottula.com.<br />

SPECTACULAR BEVERLY HILLS<br />

CELEBRITY TENNIS COURT COMPOUND<br />

JOYCE REY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR<br />

(310) 285-7529 | Joyce@JoyceRey.com<br />

JoyceRey.com<br />

STACY GOTTULA LUXURY SPECIALIST<br />

(323) 610-7191 | Stacy@StacyGottula.com<br />

StacyGottula.com<br />

©2016 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker®, Previews® and Coldwell Banker Previews International are registered trademarks licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned And Operated<br />

By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to<br />

independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals. Coldwell Banker®, the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International® and the Coldwell Banker Previews® International Logo, are<br />

registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. CalBre: 00465013 & 01372678<br />

128 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Special Advertising Section<br />

Gated Estate in Pasadena<br />

1199 CHATEAU ROAD PASADENA, CA<br />

If these walls could talk! You would hear<br />

fascinating stories of Prohibition Era soirees in<br />

the downstairs “speakeasy,” glamorous garden<br />

parties on the South Lawn, and a legendary annual<br />

Christmas party where over a thousand directors,<br />

producers, casting agents and celebrities, including<br />

Dean Martin, Burt Lancaster, and Lawrence Welk,<br />

came to kick off the holiday season.<br />

This impressive French-inspired gated estate<br />

was the former home of one of the first female talent<br />

agents in Hollywood. Coralie, Jr (her stage name<br />

for over 80 years) was the goddaughter of Cecil B.<br />

DeMille, and her father was the head of wardrobe at<br />

Paramount Pictures. Coralie was put under contract<br />

as an actress at MGM by the time she was eight<br />

years old. She attended the Hollywood Professional<br />

School and her classmates were Elizabeth Taylor,<br />

Debbie Reynolds and Angela Lansbury. She was<br />

an outstanding dancer and was used as a practice<br />

partner by Fred Astaire when Ginger Rogers was<br />

sick. During WW II, she performed in USO shows as<br />

a teenager. In her 20s she retired from acting and<br />

became a talent agent for the next 60 years.<br />

Sitting on a hilltop with sweeping views of<br />

downtown LA, the “Chateau” is awaiting its next<br />

proud owner to enjoy, preserve and share in its<br />

beauty and history. The estate was designed by<br />

respected Pasadena architects Marston & Maybury<br />

and built in 1930 by Will Taylor, best known as the<br />

original contractor for the Rose Bowl. The home<br />

was constructed concurrently with the famed<br />

architectural masterpiece St. Andrews Church<br />

in Old Town Pasadena. It is filled with timeless<br />

architectural details and built with Old World<br />

craftsmanship unparalleled in today’s construction.<br />

Over 2.5 acres of vast lawns, flagstone terraces,<br />

spacious gardens and a stone BBQ house provide<br />

the perfect setting for entertaining on a grand scale.<br />

For more information, contact Sabrina Wu at<br />

626.688.0100 or Carol Majors at 626.399.9665<br />

or visit www.1199Chateau.com.<br />

CAROL MAJORS COLDWELL BANKER<br />

This estate features classic architectural<br />

beauty (above) and ornate interior details,<br />

such as a grand custom staircase (below).<br />

1199 Chateau Road - Pasadena, CA / 8 Beds / 8 Baths / $7,600,000 www.1199Chateau.com<br />

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variety.com/real-estate June 14, 2016<br />

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Special Advertising Section<br />

Experience Upscale Country Living in Ojai<br />

NORA DAVIS & THE DAVIS GROUP OJAI, CA<br />

The picturesque Ojai Valley has inspired writers,<br />

photographers, artists and filmmakers throughout<br />

the years. Nestled at the foot of the Topa Topa<br />

Mountains, Ojai is just a short drive from the beach<br />

and Santa Barbara and about 90 minutes from<br />

Burbank. But don’t let the proximity of city life fool<br />

you: Residents choose homes in Ojai to secure a<br />

secluded, full-time or weekend retreat that allows<br />

for relaxed country living tucked blissfully away<br />

from the bustling cities that make up most of<br />

Southern California.<br />

The quaint village of Ojai offers plenty of arts<br />

and culture, outdoor activities, community events<br />

and boutique shopping right at home.<br />

Whether your ideal weekend includes visiting a<br />

local farmers market, playing on a championship golf<br />

course, visiting art galleries, indulging in a luxurious<br />

spa day, hiking, horseback riding or enjoying a finedining<br />

experience, you can enjoy all of this and<br />

much, much more without ever leaving the valley.<br />

Nora Davis is a life-long resident and has<br />

been a real estate agent in Ojai for more than 25<br />

years. She specializes in ranches, luxury estates,<br />

vacation homes, horse property and land, but she<br />

is happy to help people buy or sell properties of all<br />

types and in all price ranges.<br />

To learn more about Ojai or to begin your<br />

search for the perfect country home or weekend<br />

getaway, visit www.OjaiValleyEstates.com or<br />

call Nora at 805.207.6177 today.<br />

NORA DAVIS &<br />

THE DAVIS GROUP<br />

Ojai touts both natural<br />

beauty and modern<br />

amenities including<br />

boutiques, galleries<br />

and fine dining.<br />

The Ojai Valley... A Way of Life.<br />

Escape from the city and spend your weekends at a bucolic country retreat minutes from the beach,<br />

Los Padres National Forest, and the locally owned shops and cafes in the quaint village of Ojai.<br />

$3,995,0000<br />

12147 OLD WALNUT ROAD<br />

20+ Acre Upper Ojai<br />

Montecito-Style Estate<br />

www.12147oldwalnutroad.com<br />

OPEN HOUSE<br />

Saturday, June 18<br />

1:00 - 4:00PM<br />

$1,890,0000<br />

2800 MARICOPA HIGHWAY<br />

Secluded Villa with<br />

Guest House on 10+ Acre<br />

Avocado Ranch<br />

www.2800MaricopaHighway.com<br />

3359 REEVES ROAD<br />

40+ Acre East End<br />

Retreat with Farmhouse<br />

and Four Guest Houses<br />

10901 CREEK ROAD<br />

Luxury, 12-Acre Horse<br />

Ranch with Top-Ranked<br />

Equestrian Facilities<br />

www.3359ReevesRoad.com<br />

www.10901CreekRoad.com<br />

$5,297,000<br />

,<br />

$3,999,000<br />

, 0<br />

NORA DAVIS - OJAI REAL ESTATE AGENT | 805.207.6177 | NORA@OJAIVALLEYESTATES.COM<br />

130 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Contemporary Oceanfront Masterpiece<br />

31921 COAST HWY LAGUNA BEACH, CA<br />

Special Advertising Section<br />

Once in a lifetime opportunity to own a<br />

privately gated modern jewel of the Pacific!<br />

Amenities include an infinity pool and spa,<br />

commercial-grade elevator, private beach area,<br />

sand-front cabana, and a grassy lawn rarely<br />

available in coastal living today.<br />

Architecturally pleasing, with sleek<br />

contemporary lines, gorgeous design elements<br />

and unparalleled craftsmanship, this residence<br />

is beautifully appointed with stone and wood<br />

flooring, stunning wood cabinetry, a dramatic glass<br />

staircase, stone-lined baths, and walls of glass that<br />

seamlessly bring the ocean and outdoors in.<br />

A formal clerestory floor-to-ceiling glass<br />

entry provides a stunning entrance to this over<br />

8,000-square-foot property. As with any luxury<br />

resort, each floor is accessed via a commercial<br />

elevator. An open-concept great room is anchored<br />

by a dual-island kitchen perfect for culinary<br />

wizardry. Nearby, a large wine room provides<br />

storage for over 700 bottles.<br />

Additional spaces include an elegant living<br />

room with entertainer’s bar, two luxurious master<br />

retreats, executive office with handsome builtins,<br />

and media room. The expansive terraces and<br />

windows showcase the astonishing coastline and<br />

Catalina Island views from nearly every room of<br />

this exemplary residence and provide an aweinspiring<br />

backdrop for entertaining complete with<br />

the sound of the crashing waves.<br />

This rare masterpiece home in Laguna Beach<br />

is offered at $19,998,000. To schedule a private<br />

showing, please contact The Geronsins at<br />

714.602.3557. For more information and<br />

to view additional photos of the property,<br />

visit www.31921coasthwy.com.<br />

COAST HWY<br />

Gourmet island kitchen<br />

opens to expansive dining<br />

terrace (above); sand-front<br />

cabana and lawn just steps<br />

to the Pacific (below).<br />

31921 COAST HWY, LAGUNA BEACH<br />

GERONSINS<br />

(714) 602-3557<br />

www.TheGeronsins.com Info@TheGeronsins.com<br />

©2016 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties is a member of the<br />

franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. Genelle CalBRE# 01312643, Carole CalBRE# 00604118,<br />

George CalBRE# 01435284, Broker CalBRE# 01986798<br />

variety.com/real-estate June 14, 2016<br />

131

Special Advertising Section<br />

Exquisite One Of A Kind Dream Home<br />

4.8 ACRES ON SALMON RIVER<br />

Combining simplicity and sophistication<br />

in equal measure, this unique custom built home<br />

features exposed polished-steel beams with 33'<br />

ceilings, glass-smooth concrete floor with a fabulous<br />

open floor plan for entertaining on the waterfront.<br />

This fabulous property was originally featured in<br />

Oregon Home Magazine showcasing its embrace of<br />

all the modern conveniences and yet nestled on 4.8<br />

acres offering opportunity to feel enveloped in nature.<br />

The idyllic location provides both year round<br />

living as well as resort like adventures within a<br />

short distance. The local area is rich in history and<br />

adventure convenient to Majestic Mt. Hood with<br />

three neighboring ski areas.<br />

Exploring the neighborhood you will find a<br />

short distance away, the Historic Timberline Lodge<br />

offering a unique community for walking, hiking<br />

and rock climbing trails that lead the traveler<br />

through Mt. Hood National Forest for unsurpassed<br />

views of the Milky Way.<br />

The pristine glacier fed Salmon River runs right<br />

through the grounds offering opportunity for<br />

kayaking, fly fishing just steps from the deck.<br />

The heavily wooded mountain rises above the<br />

opposite side of the river. The clean-lined,<br />

modernistic architecture and pristine setting<br />

blend harmoniously on the shoulder of Mt. Hood.<br />

~<br />

Dream Kitchen<br />

Spacious Chef’s kitchen features top of the line<br />

appliances, quartz countertops and abundant<br />

workspace and cabinets.<br />

Fabulous flow throughout for indoor/outdoor<br />

entertaining, everything from intimate parties<br />

to large gatherings.<br />

~<br />

Guest House/Studio over 2,000+ sq. ft.<br />

Spacious Featuring Large living room, dining<br />

area and galley kitchen, 2 bedrooms, full bath<br />

Plus Studio/Workshop and 2- car garage.<br />

Once in a lifetime opportunity to own this<br />

magnificent and unique property.<br />

Just 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon<br />

(Portland International Airport).<br />

~<br />

To schedule an appointment<br />

(971) 400-6669<br />

susan@OrDreamHome.com<br />

To view Virtual Tour:<br />

www.OrDreamHome.com<br />

For Sale By Owner<br />

$1,470,000<br />

132 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

Special Advertising Section<br />

Maybe it is a tropical paradise where you can<br />

be a million miles away from civilization — yet only<br />

a few minutes to the airport and a world-class arts<br />

and cultural center.<br />

What if golf, surfing, kite-boarding, shopping and<br />

restaurants could be practically at your front door?<br />

Such a Shangri-La does, in fact, exist. It is in Waiehu<br />

Valley on the island of Maui in Hawai’i.<br />

Maui continually proves its title as “The Best<br />

Island in the World.” If you think you have it all,<br />

this property will have you thinking again. For the<br />

first time since 1850, the most private and unique<br />

property on Maui is being offered for sale.<br />

This paradise consists of more than 50 pristine<br />

tropical acres with its own mountain top residential<br />

building site. Two magnificent streams with<br />

hundreds of millions of gallons a day of the freshest<br />

mountain water traverse the property 24/7/365.<br />

You would have your own private lake stocked<br />

with fish; hiking and horse trails - all surrounded<br />

by thousands of acres of conservation and forest<br />

reserve lands. If absolute privacy and meditative<br />

solitude are what you seek, seek no more.<br />

Imagine Your Own Shangri-La<br />

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and vision it takes to realize one’s aspirations.<br />

In 2016, she’s embarking on a mission to fulfill her<br />

legacy as one of the leading Realtors® on Maui.”<br />

— Wailea-Makena Magazine<br />

Fulfilling The Dream<br />

Danielle Travis, born, raised and 3rd generation Realtor® on Maui, has extensive<br />

knowledge of Maui’s hottest markets. Her unique experience as a professional polo<br />

player has allowed her to create connections with people all over the world, giving<br />

her a VARIETY of insight to her client’s needs. Call her today for more information<br />

about this property and any real estate questions you may have.<br />

Danielle Leigh Travis, Realtor® | RS-76016 | 808.280.1123<br />

DLTravishawaii@gmail.com | www. DanielleTravishawaii.com<br />

161 Wailea Ike Place Suite B-106 Wailea, Hi 96753<br />

variety.com/real-estate June 14, 2016<br />

133

Special Advertising Section<br />

Bird Street Hideaway<br />

1523 5/8 N. DOHENY DRIVE LOS ANGELES, CA<br />

Wonderful surprises await in this beautifully<br />

maintained, move-in-ready 4 bedroom, 3 bath<br />

contemporary home tucked into a semi-private<br />

enclave on prestigious Doheny Drive.<br />

Enjoy the indoor-outdoor flow from the living<br />

and dining rooms, which open onto a spacious deck<br />

with ample room to entertain while taking in the<br />

city lights. The sexy master bedroom opens to a<br />

very private pool and spa for a romantic backdrop.<br />

Elsewhere, a professional salon comes complete<br />

with hydraulic stylist chair, shampoo bowl and<br />

custom dispensary.<br />

Top of the line fixtures and finishes abound. The<br />

home is light and bright with a comfortable, inviting<br />

feel. Outside, mature landscaping completes a<br />

serene and tranquil setting.<br />

This property is a prime choice for celebrity<br />

clientele, especially considering the neighbors<br />

within a quarter mile: Leonardo DiCaprio,<br />

Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry and Diana Ross,<br />

just to name a few. It also happens to be an<br />

incredible value at $2,295,000, making it a<br />

real must-see property.<br />

See for yourself why this Bird Street hideaway<br />

is your perfect next home in one of Los Angeles'<br />

most coveted neighborhoods. For additional<br />

property details please contact Verna Helbling<br />

at 310.849.2485 or VernaH@bhhscal.com<br />

or Tim Perry at 323.397.6948 or<br />

TimNP@aol.com.<br />

Located in the Sunset Strip,<br />

minutes from Soho House,<br />

Beverly Hills, shops and<br />

restaurants.<br />

$7,250,000 | 10464 Sunset Boulevard, Bel Air | 6BD/6½BA<br />

Larry Young/Steve Frankel | 310.777.2879/310.777.6200<br />

$2,795,000 | 3778 Sheridge Drive, Sherman Oaks | 4BD/5BA<br />

Monty Iceman | 310.399.8748<br />

$2,699,000 | 9390 Lloydcrest Drive, Beverly Hills | 3BD/4BA<br />

St. James + Canter | 310.291.1029<br />

$1,795,000 | 16352 Royal Hills Drive, Encino | 4BD/5BA<br />

Jackie Murguia | 818.522.1807<br />

©2016 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained<br />

from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Sellers will entertain and respond to all offers within this range. CalBRE 01317331<br />

134 June 14, 2016 variety.com/real-estate

ISSUE DATE<br />

September<br />

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AD CLOSE August 24<br />

MATERIALS DUE August 31<br />

BONUS DISTRIBUTION<br />

• Limos to the Primetime<br />

Emmy Awards 9/18<br />

Photo: Listing from Konstantine Valissarakos and<br />

Richard Yohon of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.<br />

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List Your Luxury Property in Variety's Fall Real Estate Guide

17-20 OCTOBER 2016 // CANNES FRANCE<br />

THE WORLD’S ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT MARKET<br />

MIPCOM.COM<br />

MIPCOM© & MIPJunior© are registered trademarks of Reed MIDEM – All rights reserved

OMPOSING ALLEGRO<br />

How Dominic Lewis wrote the score for<br />

Jodie Foster’s ‘Money Monster’ in three weeks p.138<br />

DYNAMIC THEORY<br />

Strange cinematography math:<br />

2K can be greater than 4K p.139<br />

Light-Field Camera<br />

Opens Possibilities<br />

The experimental Lytro could upend the way cinematographers<br />

work. That may not be all bad. Story by DAVID HEURING<br />

CINEMATOGRAPHERS WHO ATTENDED<br />

NAB in Las Vegas this past April were<br />

intrigued by a new device that could not<br />

only revolutionize camera technology, but<br />

could change jobs in their profession —<br />

and possibly eliminate some.<br />

The object of their attention: the Lytro<br />

Cinema professional light-field camera, on<br />

display as prototype, large and unwieldy<br />

enough to remind DPs of the days when<br />

cameras and their operators were encased<br />

in refrigerator-sized sound blimps. But proponents<br />

insist the Lytro has the potential<br />

to change cinematography as we know it.<br />

The Lytro captures a holographic digital<br />

model of a scene 300 times per second<br />

via its “plenoptic” sensor, which sees objects<br />

from multiple points of view. In contrast<br />

with a conventional camera, which captures<br />

pictures by recording light intensity,<br />

Lytro also captures information about the<br />

light field emanating from a scene, recording<br />

the direction of the light rays.<br />

It produces vast amounts of data, allowing<br />

the generation of thousands of synthetic<br />

points of view. With the resulting<br />

information, filmmakers can manipulate<br />

a range of image characteristics, including<br />

Getting Ahead<br />

The Lytro<br />

can perform<br />

functions<br />

that are now<br />

handled mainly<br />

in postproduction.<br />

frame rate, aperture, focal length, and focus<br />

— simplifying what can be a lengthy, laborious<br />

process.<br />

For example, Lytro’s ability to measure<br />

the depth of every object in a scene gives<br />

filmmakers the ability to simply delete anything<br />

beyond a certain distance from the<br />

camera, letting them do green-screen work<br />

without green screens. Another bonus:<br />

Lytro can gather enough data to produce<br />

left- and right-eye views for 3D.<br />

The photographic concepts behind Lytro<br />

have been around for more than a century,<br />

but advancements in optics, sensor technology,<br />

and processing power renewed interest<br />

a decade ago. Stanford alum Ren Ng<br />

founded the company, simply called Lytro,<br />

to commercialize these concepts.<br />

DP David Stump, chair of the camera<br />

subdivision of the Technology Committee<br />

of the American Society of Cinematographers,<br />

helped make the demo film that<br />

screened at NAB. Like many, he’s optimistic<br />

about the device’s potential to become a<br />

standard filmmaking tool.<br />

Others are more cautious, and there →<br />

TOP BILLING EXPOSURE CONTENDERS FOCUS ARTISANS REVIEWS<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

137

ARTISANS<br />

Star Camera<br />

The Lytro<br />

display at<br />

April’s NAB<br />

confab drew<br />

a crowd.<br />

‘Money Monster’<br />

Gets a Speedy Score<br />

Composer Dominic Lewis joined director<br />

Jodie Foster’s fourth feature, “Money<br />

Monster,” late in the game. Henry Jackman,<br />

the film’s music producer, recommended<br />

him to Foster in April, and Lewis accepted the<br />

challenge to complete the score for the May<br />

release in three and a half weeks. By MARJ GALAS<br />

← is some concern about the effect on<br />

employment prospects for camera crews,<br />

despite assurances from many quarters<br />

that the device cannot simply operate<br />

itself; it requires a cinematographer’s<br />

trained eye and sensibility.<br />

“The technology of light-field capture<br />

is pretty universally misunderstood,”<br />

Stump says. “Many people think it’s about<br />

the ability to refocus the image in post,<br />

and that’s one nifty capability, but [the<br />

Lytro] yields much more knowledge about<br />

the world in front of the camera. To me,<br />

the value comes in knowing where pixels<br />

are in space relative to the camera. You’re<br />

deriving accurate scene geometry from a<br />

single lens capture.”<br />

Camera Guild president Steven Poster,<br />

who is also vice-chair of the ASC Technology<br />

Committee, says that while the camera’s<br />

potential is “tremendous,” it’s applicability<br />

is limited to situations that call<br />

for very specific visual effects. Even with a<br />

smaller camera, and “even if the data-handling<br />

challenges are overcome — and<br />

those are big ifs — filmmakers aren’t<br />

going to want to leave artistic decisions to<br />

post-production.”<br />

In other words, the creative process will<br />

still take place mostly during filming. “In<br />

most cases, decisions about framing, focus,<br />

and other image traits are best done in the<br />

moment, in concert with the actors and<br />

other artists on the set,” says Poster. “Filmmaking<br />

is a live, collaborative event; it’s not<br />

just craft. Operating and focus-pulling are<br />

both considered arts.”<br />

Cinematographer Christopher Chomyn,<br />

too, sees promise and peril in the new technology.<br />

“There are some big hurdles ahead,”<br />

he says. “There’s the matter of the physics,<br />

the size of the individual photo sites, and<br />

their light sensitivity, for example. It’s not<br />

a slam dunk. But technology progresses so<br />

quickly. And what it does is incredible.”<br />

Recalling his last film, Chomyn sees the<br />

upside of the Lytro. “We had a big car stunt,<br />

with a huge green screen set up on a street<br />

corner, and all the complications and costs<br />

in time and manpower that go with that,”<br />

he says. “This technology is potentially<br />

much more efficient.”<br />

He also brings up the issue of control,<br />

which cinematographers have been vigilant<br />

about throughout the digital evolution.<br />

“There are already so many hands trying<br />

to stir the pot,” he says. “With so much<br />

additional malleability in the image, it’s<br />

imperative that the cinematographer be<br />

involved through post, ensuring a consistent<br />

and coherent film that remains true to<br />

its concept and design.”<br />

Stump agrees that the camera needs<br />

considerable development, but insists<br />

that the new utilities will be worth it. “It’s<br />

another example of our increasing human<br />

ability to learn,” says Stump. “And if there’s<br />

anything the last 15 years have proven, it’s<br />

that cinematographers know how to learn<br />

and adapt.”<br />

“Don’t fear it,” he adds. “It’s not here<br />

to replace anything. It’s here to enhance<br />

everything we do. Like other advancements,<br />

it requires a creative mind, a visual<br />

storyteller who understands communicating<br />

with images. So I say, ‘Embrace it.’ ”<br />

Talking Points<br />

• The Lytro captures a holographic model of a scene<br />

300 times per second.<br />

• The technology enables in-camera green-screen<br />

and 3D functionality, as well as letting filmmakers<br />

manipulate frame rate, aperture, focal length, and<br />

focus.<br />

• Some worry that the camera’s capabilities will<br />

eliminate jobs.<br />

How they did it: Foster knew<br />

the kind of music she wanted<br />

for the film, Lewis says —<br />

something electronic, not<br />

“big Hollywood” sounds . After<br />

spending a weekend experimenting,<br />

he arranged a spotting<br />

session with Foster. Her reaction<br />

to the segments guided<br />

his choice s . Sounds related to<br />

money handling — the clinking<br />

of poker chips in a casino, the<br />

opening bell on Wall Street<br />

— were incorporated into the<br />

score. Lewis manipulated these<br />

recordings and saved them in<br />

a library.<br />

Character studies: The<br />

score also includes traditional<br />

orchestration to help the<br />

Strings<br />

Attached<br />

George<br />

Clooney’s<br />

Lee Gates<br />

got specific<br />

musical cues.<br />

audience identify with key<br />

characters. For example, string<br />

sections align with Lee Gates<br />

(played by George Clooney),<br />

a charming and cordial man<br />

who has lost everything .<br />

“The strings capture Lee’s<br />

human quality and add to his<br />

believability,” says Lewis. “He’s<br />

someone you really feel for.”<br />

Short but sweet: While Lewis<br />

allows that creating a feature<br />

film score in less than a month<br />

is not ideal, he found the collaborative<br />

process with Foster<br />

to be exciting and efficient .<br />

“I wanted it to be the best it<br />

could be,” he says. “No one is<br />

going to care about the short<br />

time you have to do the work.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

138<br />

Incentives Panama<br />

It’s not just hats. Think Spanish colonial architecture,<br />

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iconic canal, which is being expanded in one of this<br />

century’s most ambitious engineering projects.<br />

That’s what Panama offers producers — as well as<br />

a 15% rebate on qualified spending.<br />

Recent<br />

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Hands of<br />

Stone<br />

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Escobar:<br />

Paradise Los<br />

(2014)<br />

Fast & Fu i<br />

(2009)<br />

Quantum<br />

Solace<br />

(2008)<br />

$3m<br />

Minimum spend for foreign<br />

production companies<br />

15%<br />

Rebate on qualified spending<br />

PANAMA: SHUTTERSTOCK<br />

INFORMATION COURTESY OF EP FINANCIAL<br />

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AND FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY

Versatile<br />

Camera<br />

DP Eve Cohen<br />

shot “Be<br />

Somebody”<br />

with a Canon<br />

C300 Mark II.<br />

Film Math: When<br />

Is 2K Greater<br />

Than 4K?<br />

Understanding the trade-off between the formats<br />

is key to unlocking the potential of cameras<br />

By VALENTINA VALENTINI<br />

@tiniv<br />

A CINEMATOGRAPHER with all the money<br />

in the world and three months to shoot a<br />

movie would have a gear list that’s fully<br />

organized and checked off. But if all you<br />

have is 12 days on a microbudget, you have<br />

to fight for the camera and technology that<br />

will work for the picture.<br />

Such was the conundrum faced by DP<br />

Eve Cohen before production began on “Be<br />

Somebody,” a tale of young love and discovery<br />

between two opposites played by Sarah<br />

Jeffery and YouTube star Matthew Espinosa,<br />

which debuted June 10. Producers<br />

How to<br />

Choose<br />

Each format<br />

has its<br />

strengths.<br />

2k<br />

• More dynamic<br />

range<br />

• Better recording<br />

capability<br />

4k<br />

• Higher<br />

resolution<br />

• Better for VFX<br />

were pushing Cohen to shoot in 4K because<br />

they had been told the format’s higher resolution<br />

yielded a better image. “But that’s<br />

not necessarily true,” says Cohen. “It definitely<br />

wasn’t true in our case.”<br />

Cohen had reasons for choosing lowerres<br />

2K technology, and they weren’t based<br />

just on budget constraints. She argued<br />

that when finishing the picture in postproduction,<br />

2K would provide more dynamic<br />

range — a measure of the ratio between<br />

the highest and lowest light intensities —<br />

and better recording capability.<br />

The producers ended up using Canon’s<br />

handheld C300 Mark II camera, which is<br />

able to adjust to the format that’s right<br />

for the project. Director Josh Caldwell,<br />

also a Canon aficionado, backed Cohen’s<br />

decision to shoot in 2K over 4K and was<br />

instrumental as they negotiated with the<br />

producing team.<br />

There were also trade-offs in terms of<br />

recording time, Cohen says. “You can record<br />

4K internally to the cameras,” but that<br />

allows less time per media card, and “we<br />

needed more storage space.”<br />

Cohen says she generally prefers 2K for<br />

work that doesn’t require VFX. “I think the<br />

2K 12-bit renders a better-quality image<br />

than the 4K 10-bit,” she notes.<br />

The decision paid dividends near the<br />

end of the fast-paced shooting schedule —<br />

84 pages in less than two weeks — when<br />

Cohen had to ask Caldwell to shoot a scene<br />

on his own. It was a middle-of-the-night<br />

shoot, and they still had a small exterior<br />

they needed to capture.<br />

Cohen knew the director was an experienced<br />

handheld camera operator, and<br />

would be able to film the scene the way<br />

he wanted. “But I was a bit worried about<br />

it being exposed properly,” she says. “As a<br />

night exterior, it was quite hard to light<br />

without a full crew.” Still, she felt that with<br />

the 2K camera being more forgiving in<br />

lower light, she’d have enough wiggle room<br />

to adjust the image later on if needed.<br />

Indeed, post-production came to the rescue.<br />

“We had quite a bit of grading to do,”<br />

Cohen allows, “but it was easier to correct<br />

because we had enough dynamic range.”<br />

I favor dynamic range over resolution<br />

for most projects that don’t have any<br />

VFX or specialty shots.”<br />

Eve Cohen<br />

Productions<br />

TITLE/DISTRIB PRODUCTION DIR. CAST<br />

Girl Trip<br />

Universal Pictures<br />

It Part 1<br />

Warner Bros.<br />

Santa Clarita Diet<br />

(series, Netflix)<br />

This Is Us<br />

(series, NBC)<br />

Universal Pictures,<br />

Will Packer Prods.<br />

New Line Cinema,<br />

Vertigo Entertainment<br />

Netflix, Kapital<br />

Entertainment<br />

20th Century<br />

Fox Television<br />

Malcolm D. Lee<br />

Andrés Muschietti<br />

Victor Fresco<br />

John Requa,<br />

Glenn Ficarra<br />

Queen Latifah,<br />

Jada Pinkett Smith<br />

Bill Skarsgård,<br />

Jaeden Lieberher<br />

Drew Barrymore,<br />

Timothy Olyphant<br />

Mandy Moore,<br />

Milo Ventimiglia<br />

SHOOT<br />

START<br />

LOCATION<br />

6/30 New Orleans<br />

6/27 Toronto<br />

6/13<br />

Santa Clarita,<br />

Calif.<br />

7/27 Los Angeles<br />

Bookings<br />

Movies Have Designs<br />

on Carter, Tillman<br />

Innovative Artists has<br />

booked costume<br />

designers Ruth Carter<br />

(“Roots”) on Ryan Coogler’s<br />

“Black Panther,” Kimberly Tillman<br />

(“Battle Creek”) on Netflix movie<br />

“Sandy,” and Monique<br />

Prudhomme (“Bates Motel”) on<br />

Stephen Chbosky’s “Wonder.”<br />

The agency has placed editors<br />

Mark Hartzell (“Agent Carter”) on<br />

Cinemax’s “Outcast” series, Amy<br />

Duddleston (“Dexter”) on ABC’s<br />

“Conviction,” and DP Alex<br />

Nepomniaschy (“Blue Bloods”)<br />

on CBS’ “Doubt.” It has signed<br />

line producer Adam Brightman<br />

(“Quantico”) and editor David<br />

Helfand (“The Mindy Project”).<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

139<br />

DATA PROVIDED BY VARIETY INSIGHT. FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF FILMS IN PRODUCTION, VISIT VARIETYINSIGHT.COM

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FILM REVIEW<br />

BY OWEN GLEIBERMAN<br />

Finding<br />

Dory<br />

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane<br />

Voices: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks,<br />

Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson<br />

Dory,” the<br />

ingeniously pleasing<br />

sequel to “Finding<br />

“Finding<br />

Nemo,” opens with a<br />

scene that merges our<br />

affection for a beloved character with a<br />

bit of a jolt. We see Dory, the friendly blue<br />

tang fish from the first film, back when<br />

she was a big-eyed toddler with a babyish<br />

gurgle, getting trained by her parents,<br />

Charlie (Eugene Levy) and Jenny (Diane<br />

Keaton), to tell a stranger (any stranger),<br />

“I suffer from short-term memory loss.”<br />

The thing is, poor Dory really does; she<br />

can’t even remember the phrase! It’s no<br />

wonder her parents are aghast with anxiety.<br />

In a flash, a character with a singular<br />

and beguilingly funny trait — the inability<br />

to remember almost anything for more<br />

than 10 seconds — comes at us in a whole<br />

new way. She’s no longer a daffy amnesiac.<br />

She’s a child fish with a serious disability.<br />

Have the creators of “Finding Dory”<br />

gone all politically soft and sensitive on<br />

us in response, perhaps, to the memorychallenged<br />

community? Hardly. They’ve<br />

done something better: devised a way<br />

to take an already perfect character and<br />

deepen her in an exquisite way. Dory<br />

soon drifts away from her parents, and<br />

not just because she doesn’t know how to<br />

get back to them. She can’t even remember<br />

she has parents. As surely as the death<br />

of Bambi’s mother, this primal set-up rips<br />

a small emotional hole in the audience,<br />

one that we’re desperate to see filled.<br />

“Finding Dory” then leaps forward to<br />

one year after the first film, when Dory<br />

is an innocent grown-up with no idea of<br />

what she’s looking for. To figure that out,<br />

she must learn to stop forgetting. →<br />

TOP BILLING EXPOSURE CONTENDERS FOCUS ARTISANS REVIEWS<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

Illustration by DANIEL SHAFFER<br />

141

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

142<br />

Hanging<br />

Around<br />

Ed O’Neill<br />

voices the<br />

octopus<br />

Hank in<br />

Disney/<br />

Pixar sequel<br />

“Finding<br />

Dory.”<br />

← Co-directors Andrew Stanton and<br />

Angus MacLane have made a beautiful,<br />

rambunctious, and fully felt sequel — a<br />

movie totally worth its salt water. It’s a<br />

film that spills over with laughs (most<br />

of them good, a few of them shticky)<br />

and tears (all of them earned), supporting<br />

characters who are meant to slay us<br />

(and mostly do) with their irascible sharp<br />

tongues, and dizzyingly extended flights<br />

of physical comedy. The images never<br />

stop dazzling us with their awesome, tactile<br />

sheen — their oceanic incandescence.<br />

(Who needs 3D glasses? Even if you happen<br />

to see “Finding Dory” in 2D, just about<br />

every shot in it pops out at you with<br />

beauty.) In a summer of tepid and disappointing<br />

sequels, audiences from around<br />

the world will be grateful to encounter<br />

a sequel to a film as beloved as “Finding<br />

Nemo” that more than lives up to the first<br />

movie’s casually magical charms.<br />

At this point, the Pixar films fall into<br />

a few distinct tiers of ambition and<br />

achievement. There’s the visionary top<br />

drawer: the timeless works of peerlessly<br />

witty, mind-opening artistry (all three<br />

“Toy Story” films, “The Incredibles,” “Inside<br />

Swimming Near the Top<br />

Pixar’s first fish tale, “Finding Nemo,” debuted 13<br />

years ago, and has the second-highest worldwide<br />

box office of the animation studio’s films.<br />

$1.06b<br />

Toy Story 3 (2010)<br />

$937m<br />

Finding Nemo (2003)<br />

Out”). There are the whimsically clever<br />

concoctions that may not, in the end, do<br />

more than entertain you, but they do it<br />

splendidly (“Cars,” “Monsters, Inc.” and<br />

its sequel, to name a few). There are the<br />

rare overly busy duds (“Cars 2,” “A Bug’s<br />

Life”). “Finding Nemo” may be in a category<br />

all its own. To this critic, it has never<br />

been quite in the top drawer — it lacks<br />

that full-on audacity of imagination. Yet<br />

it has so much zest, soul, and heart-of-theocean<br />

visual poetry that it’s still a movie<br />

you can cherish as a classic. It’s basically a<br />

sentimental odyssey: Can Marlin (Albert<br />

Brooks), the grumpy beleaguered pop,<br />

with the help of the winsomely forgetful<br />

Dory, locate his missing son? And that<br />

raises a challenge for the sequel. How can<br />

it be the same, but be truly be different?<br />

In “Finding Dory,” our heroine, sparked<br />

by a split-second brain flash, remembers<br />

— before she forgets again — that she<br />

has parents, and that momentary dislocation<br />

is enough to tell her that she’s<br />

lost, and to retrigger the feeling that her<br />

family is out there. So she decides to find<br />

them, with Brooks’ Marlin — and Nemo<br />

(Hayden Rolence) — in tow. If the movie<br />

were just one more extended underwater<br />

search, it might have played like glorified<br />

leftovers. And Dory, for a while, does seem<br />

an unlikely candidate to be a sidekick<br />

suddenly placed center stage. Her epic<br />

personality tic threatens to become<br />

annoying. But Stanton and MacLane,<br />

working from a script by Stanton, execute<br />

a minor marvel: Dory’s memory starts<br />

firing — not in a false, un-Dory way, but<br />

one jaggedly subliminal mind shard at a<br />

time, like a series of acid flashbacks.<br />

She’s still a fish who can really only<br />

see what’s right in front of her, and<br />

that, as before, is the beauty of Ellen<br />

DeGeneres’ vocal performance — her<br />

high-spirited myopic exuberance. Yet<br />

CREDITS: A<br />

Walter Disney<br />

Studios release of<br />

a Pixar Animation<br />

Studios, Walt<br />

Disney Pictures<br />

production.<br />

Produced by<br />

Lindsey Collins.<br />

Executive<br />

producer,<br />

John Lasseter.<br />

Associate<br />

producer, Bob<br />

Roath.<br />

Directed by<br />

Andrew Stanton,<br />

Angus MacLane.<br />

Screenplay,<br />

Stanton. story,<br />

Stanton, Victoria<br />

Strouse, Bob<br />

Peterson; camera<br />

(3D color,<br />

widescreen),<br />

Jeremy Lasky,<br />

Ian Megibben;<br />

editor, Axel<br />

Geddes; music,<br />

Thomas Newman;<br />

production<br />

designer,<br />

Steve Pilcher;<br />

art director,<br />

Don Shank;<br />

visual effects<br />

supervisor,<br />

Chris Chapman;<br />

casting, Natalie<br />

Lyon, Kevin Reher.<br />

Reviewed at<br />

Dolby 88, New<br />

York, June 7, 2016.<br />

MPAA Rating:<br />

PG. Running time:<br />

103 MIN.<br />

CAST: Ellen<br />

DeGeneres, Albert<br />

Brooks, Ed O’Neill,<br />

Kaitlin Olson,<br />

Diane Keaton,<br />

Eugene Levy,<br />

Hayden Rolence,<br />

Ty Burrell, Idris<br />

Elba, Dominic<br />

West, Sigourney<br />

Weaver<br />

each new drop of memory triggers something<br />

in Dory, not so much a change in<br />

identity as a gain in dimension.<br />

Under the sea, 13 year later, proves to<br />

be an even more ravishing place than<br />

it was in “Finding Nemo.” The swaying<br />

stalks of kelp are as majestic as the trees<br />

in “The Lord of the Rings.” An irradiated<br />

octopus looms like a nightmare Cyclops,<br />

and a big old grouchy hairy oyster who<br />

speaks in vaudeville rim-shot jokes isn’t<br />

all that funny, but check out his ginormous<br />

pearl! The gliding schools of fish<br />

and pulsating coral reefs glow like creatures<br />

out of a psychedelic rainbow fairyland<br />

— which, of course, is just what the<br />

bottom of the ocean is.<br />

“Finding Dory,” like “Finding Nemo”<br />

before it, invites you to dive in with<br />

your eyes, which is why these movies<br />

are submersive daydreams for children.<br />

But it’s when the picture arrives at the<br />

Marine Life Institute, a theme-park conservatory<br />

ruled over with hilarious goddess-like<br />

force by the recorded voice of<br />

Sigourney Weaver on the loudspeaker,<br />

that the movie takes off as a swim-foryour-life<br />

slapstick adventure. Stanton and<br />

MacLane use the ocean as a mystical setting,<br />

but they use the Marine Life Institute<br />

the way Stanton used the spaceship<br />

in “WALL-E”: as a fantastical playground.<br />

In a laboratory, Dory meets Hank (Ed<br />

O’Neill), a scaly-slimy curmudgeon of<br />

an octopus who is also a chameleon (he<br />

blends into everything from a tiled wall<br />

to a “Hang in There, Baby!” kitty poster).<br />

Hank, for all his quick-change artistry, is<br />

a casualty of captivity — he just wants<br />

to curl up in a boxy aquarium somewhere.<br />

But bonding and redemption<br />

ensue, as does a voyage to the park’s ominous<br />

inner sanctum, a place where fish<br />

are placed into species containers and<br />

shipped off to deepest, darkest Cleveland,<br />

where they will live forever as joyless<br />

specimens. In a Touch Pool, children’s<br />

hands come down on the fish like<br />

bombs. The fight against the crushing of<br />

the spirit is built into the Pixar aesthetic,<br />

and it’s part of what animates Dory. She’s<br />

looking to rejoin her parents, but she’s<br />

also looking to rescue and liberate them.<br />

At a certain point, it will probably<br />

strike you that the title of “Finding Dory”<br />

seems like a misnomer, since the story<br />

is all about Dory trying to find Charlie<br />

and Jenny. But, of course, it’s really about<br />

Dory discovering who she is after she<br />

gains the ballast of having a little bit of<br />

memory. But only a little bit. Dory’s glory<br />

is that her amnesia makes her totally<br />

responsive to life. She’s living in a pure<br />

existential state, unencumbered by the<br />

past, and that’s why she gets things done.<br />

Her way of solving problems becomes a<br />

credo (“What would Dory do?”), and it’s<br />

almost poetically funny when she herself<br />

adopts the credo. The movie, in the end,<br />

is about finding Dory. It’s about how the<br />

past, for her, isn’t really so past. It’s just<br />

the ability to remember life as we’re living<br />

it, one moment at a time.

FILM REVIEW<br />

BY ANDREW BARKER<br />

Lights Out<br />

Director: David F. Sandberg<br />

Starring: Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman,<br />

Alexander DiPersia, Maria Bello<br />

David F. Sandberg’s no-budget,<br />

near-wordless 2013<br />

short film “Lights Out” features<br />

a premise so simple<br />

it’s essentially a cinematic<br />

haiku. A woman is alone in her apartment,<br />

and when the lights turn off, an<br />

eerie female figure appears; when they<br />

come back on, the figure disappears. But<br />

Sandberg’s three-minute execution of<br />

this simple premise was clever enough —<br />

and virally popular enough — to secure<br />

the inexperienced Swedish filmmaker<br />

the support of horrormeister James Wan.<br />

Now armed with studio backing, his feature-length<br />

expansion of that short never<br />

strays too far from its source, essentially<br />

repeating the same jump scare over and<br />

over again for most of its muscular 80<br />

minute running time. What’s most shocking<br />

is how well it still works.<br />

Very obviously a first feature, “Lights<br />

Out” is full of camp, and its underlying<br />

mythology is confused and often ridiculous.<br />

But there’s an invigorating leanness<br />

to the filmmaking — and a giddy, almost<br />

innocent energy — with Sandberg shooting<br />

for nothing more than inventive,<br />

relentless jolts. The movie should win<br />

over a sizable fan base as the director<br />

continues on to bigger things.<br />

“Lights Out” opens with a bigger-budget<br />

re-creation of the original short, featuring<br />

the same actress — Sandberg’s<br />

wife, Lotta Losten — and the same<br />

female figure in the darkness. This time,<br />

it’s set in a gloomy textile factory, and<br />

ends with the factory’s owner, Paul (Billy<br />

Burke), lying mangled on the floor.<br />

We spend the rest of the film with<br />

Paul’s survivors: his rebellious twentysomething<br />

stepdaughter, Rebecca (Teresa<br />

Palmer); his jittery grade-school son, Martin<br />

(Gabriel Bateman); and his mentally<br />

ill widow, Sophie (Maria Bello). In a clever<br />

reversal of creepy-kid clichés, it’s mother<br />

figure Sophie who talks to an imaginary<br />

friend who’s lurking in the darkness<br />

around her home. Martin is so terrified of<br />

his mom’s behavior, not to mention the<br />

scraping sounds that echo through the<br />

halls at night, that he hasn’t been sleeping,<br />

and a concerned school nurse calls in<br />

his stepsister, Rebecca.<br />

Rebecca recently fled her gloomy<br />

home for a goth bachelorette apartment,<br />

where she keeps her sweet, not-so-bright<br />

boyfriend, Bret (Alexander DiPersia), at<br />

arm’s length. When Martin tells her the<br />

reasons for his sleeplessness, she remembers<br />

her similar experiences in the house,<br />

and invites him to stay with her.<br />

Sandberg doesn’t drag out the setup —<br />

there is only the most perfunctory skepticism<br />

that what seems to be happening is<br />

actually happening, and Rebecca begins<br />

to uncover the mystery behind her mother’s<br />

imaginary friend quite quickly. But<br />

the central relationships work, primarily<br />

because this core of characters are generally<br />

decent people (which is not to say<br />

they don’t make some conveniently illogical<br />

decisions; this is a haunted-house<br />

horror movie, after all).<br />

Sandberg and scripter Eric Heisserer<br />

get to work right away imagining increasingly<br />

clever, practical-effects applications<br />

of the pic’s primal conflict: how to stay<br />

out of the darkness. Rebecca and Martin<br />

— and poor tagalong Bret — decide<br />

to stage an intervention of sorts on their<br />

mother, camping out in her labyrinthine,<br />

heavily curtained mansion for the night.<br />

With his camera active but never obtrusive,<br />

cinematographer Marc Spicer uncovers<br />

wonderfully varied degrees of light<br />

and shade in this setting, drawing dread<br />

out of not just pitch-black closets and<br />

flickering lightbulbs, but also tiny little<br />

darkened corners, awnings, and justslightly<br />

insufficient flashlight beams.<br />

Palmer is aces in the lead role, tackling<br />

the part neither as scream queen nor<br />

steely warrior, treating it with neither<br />

undue seriousness nor tongue-in-cheek<br />

smarm. Bello’s matriarch is convincingly<br />

haggard and distracted, retaining sympathy<br />

even as she plunges her children into<br />

one deadly dilemma after another. Most<br />

amusing of all, DiPersia nails his good-natured<br />

doofus role, especially a lengthy<br />

escape sequence that drew simultaneous<br />

gasps, howls of laughter, and applause<br />

from an early screening audience. It’s a<br />

testament to Sandberg’s directorial sensibilities<br />

that he seems to value all three<br />

reactions equally.<br />

Fear Factor<br />

Gabriel Bateman and Teresa Palmer play part<br />

of a family haunted by a spectral figure.<br />

CAST: A Warner Bros•<br />

Pictures release of<br />

a New Line Cinema<br />

presentation in<br />

association with<br />

RatPac-Dune<br />

Entertainment of a<br />

Grey Matter/Atomic<br />

Monster production.<br />

Produced by James<br />

Wan, Lawrence<br />

Grey, Eric Heisserer.<br />

Executive producers,<br />

Walter Hamada, Dave<br />

Neustadter, Richard<br />

Brener, Steven<br />

Mnuchin, Michael<br />

Clear, Jack Murray,<br />

Ben Everard.<br />

Directed by David<br />

F• Sandberg.<br />

Screenplay, Eric<br />

Heisserer, based<br />

on the short film by<br />

Sandberg. Camera<br />

(color), Marc Spicer;<br />

editors, Kirk Morri,<br />

Michel Aller; music,<br />

Benjamin Wallfisch;<br />

production designer,<br />

Jennifer Spence;<br />

costume designer,<br />

Kristin M• Burke; art<br />

director, Shannon<br />

Kemp; sound,<br />

Robert Janiger;<br />

supervising sound<br />

editor, Bill R• Dean;<br />

re-recording mixers,<br />

Anna Behlmer, Mark<br />

Patterson; visual<br />

effects, Aaron Sims<br />

Co• Reviewed at<br />

Los Angeles Film<br />

Festival, June 8,<br />

2016. MPAA rating:<br />

PG-13. Running time:<br />

80 MIN.<br />

CAST: Teresa Palmer,<br />

Gabriel Bateman,<br />

Alexander DiPersia,<br />

Maria Bello, Billy<br />

Burke, Alicia Vela-<br />

Bailey, Lotta Losten<br />

Reviews in Brief<br />

FILM<br />

The Music of<br />

Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma<br />

and the Silk Road<br />

Ensemble<br />

The fabled Oscar-winning<br />

documentary “From Mao to<br />

Mozart: Isaac Stern in China”<br />

(1979), which followed Stern<br />

as he taught the children of<br />

China to play, and love, Western<br />

classical music, captured a<br />

new kind of synergy between<br />

the West and the East. In “The<br />

Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma<br />

and the Silk Road Ensemble,” a<br />

documentary directed by Morgan<br />

Neville (“20 Feet From<br />

Stardom”), musicians from all<br />

over the world join the legendary<br />

cellist to form a virtuoso<br />

ragtag band, and they create<br />

a joyful noise, a percolating<br />

life force, that’s equal parts<br />

klezmer and Bollywood, with<br />

maybe a hint of disco. The<br />

instrumentalists, who hail from<br />

Spain, Syria, Japan, Iran, and<br />

other nations, are so at home<br />

with global musical fusion that<br />

they might almost have been<br />

among the Chinese teenagers<br />

taught by Isaac Stern —<br />

and, in fact, one of them, Wu<br />

Man, was. (We see her in a clip<br />

with Stern from 1979.) Wu is<br />

the world master of the pipa,<br />

a short-necked wooden lute.<br />

She’s a traditionalist, devoted<br />

to an instrument of painstaking<br />

demand that stretches<br />

back to the third century. But<br />

she is also a free-form sound<br />

machine who performs like<br />

Jimmy Page unplugged. “The<br />

Music of Strangers” is an<br />

aural celebration that’s about<br />

using the past to break free of<br />

boundaries. OWEN GLEIBERMAN<br />

Director: Morgan Neville With: Yo-Yo Ma,<br />

Wu Man, Kinan Azmeh, Kayhan Kalhor<br />

FILM<br />

Te3n<br />

For years, the spirit of Bollywood<br />

has poured itself into<br />

the nooks and crannies of<br />

American pop culture — you<br />

can see it in everything from<br />

“Moulin Rouge!” to the tabla<br />

beat of the Nick Jr. girl-power<br />

genie cartoon “Shimmer and<br />

Shine.” Once in a while, the<br />

genuine article — a Bollywood<br />

movie — gets a wide release<br />

in the U.S., and when that happens,<br />

it offers a rare opportunity<br />

for some serious cultural<br />

comingling. In “Te3n”<br />

(pronounced “teen”; it’s Hindi<br />

for the number three — which<br />

refers to the trio of lead characters),<br />

the Bollywood industry<br />

is unleashing a very different<br />

sort of movie in America<br />

— different in that it’s actually<br />

much closer to what we<br />

watch everyday. The fascination<br />

of the film is that although<br />

it’s a gritty procedural thriller<br />

about a kidnapping and child<br />

murder, with themes of loss,<br />

violence, justice, and revenge,<br />

it’s much quieter around the<br />

edges than its American counterpart<br />

would be. This is an<br />

underworld drama in which<br />

the excitement of solving<br />

crime rarely overshadows the<br />

disturbance that crime causes.<br />

“Te3n” may be too quiet to<br />

succeed here; it’s both pokier<br />

and longer than it needs<br />

to be. Yet if you stick with it,<br />

you’ll know what it feels like<br />

to watch an extended episode<br />

of “Law & Order: Kolkata”<br />

in which the powers of law<br />

enforcement generate all the<br />

more intrigue for not totally<br />

knowing what they’re doing.<br />

OWEN GLEIBERMAN<br />

Director: Ribhu Dasgupta Cast: Amitabh<br />

Bachban, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan,<br />

Sabyasachi Chakraborty<br />

FILM / LOS ANGELES<br />

Tracktown<br />

In “Tracktown,” real-life distance<br />

runner Alexi Pappas<br />

plays aspiring Olympic athlete<br />

Plumb Marigold, who bombards<br />

us with quotations pilfered<br />

from inspirational posters,<br />

popular movies, and the<br />

pages of Bartlett’s, padding<br />

the film’s gratuitous voiceover<br />

with platitudes by everyone<br />

from Mary Lou Retton<br />

to Albus Dumbledore. Plumb<br />

shows undeniable skill on the<br />

track, but is severely stunted<br />

in most other respects, especially<br />

all things emotional or<br />

intellectual. She takes 90 minutes<br />

to arrive at her first original<br />

thought in a film that is<br />

itself almost entirely recycled<br />

from other indies, mostly of<br />

the early-aughts Fox Searchlight<br />

variety. PETER DEBRUGE<br />

Directors: Jeremy Teicher, Alexi Pappas Cast:<br />

Alexi Pappas, Chase Offerle, Andy Buckley,<br />

Rachel Dratch, Rebecca Friday, Matt Miner,<br />

Sasha Spencer Atwood, Kristina Haddad<br />

• Go to Variety.com/reviews<br />

for full reviews and<br />

upcoming releases.<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

143

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

144<br />

FILM REVIEW<br />

BY ANDREW BARKER<br />

London<br />

Town<br />

Director: Derrick Borte<br />

Starring: Daniel Huttlestone, Dougray Scott,<br />

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Natascha McElhone<br />

In an era where CBGB can be<br />

reborn as a themed restaurant<br />

at Newark airport, and Iggy Pop’s<br />

musical accounts of heroin dependency<br />

can soundtrack cruise ship<br />

commercials, it’s not such a leap to imagine<br />

the music of the Clash and the squalor<br />

of punk squats in pre-Thatcherite London<br />

serving as the backdrop for a sweetly<br />

lighthearted teenage coming-of-age tale.<br />

But that doesn’t make it any less strange.<br />

Such is the gauntlet thrown down by<br />

Derrick Borte’s “London Town,” which follows<br />

a bright-eyed 15-year-old named<br />

Shay (Daniel Huttlestone) as he struggles<br />

to deal with some tough times in the summer<br />

of 1978, finding solace in the music,<br />

and the person, of Clash frontman Joe<br />

Strummer (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). To be<br />

sure, the film has qualities to recommend<br />

it: Meyers’ portrayal of the punk godhead<br />

is studied and exacting, Borte incorporates<br />

impressively specific visual cues<br />

from actual footage of the era in staging<br />

the live music scenes, and Huttlestone’s<br />

guileless earnestness in the lead role goes<br />

a long way toward finessing some of the<br />

story’s more sentimental confections.<br />

Yet the combination of a cuddly narrative<br />

with one of the grittiest scenes<br />

in rock and roll history ultimately goes<br />

together like cotton candy and Schlitz,<br />

and the people most likely to seek the<br />

film out — Clash fans lured by the ample<br />

music — are likely to be its toughest critics.<br />

Picked up by IFC Films on the eve<br />

of its L.A. Film Festival premiere, “London<br />

Town” has a pleasant sheen and a<br />

deep bench of notable producers, but it’s<br />

hardly a can’t-fail proposition.<br />

Clad in bright sweater-vests and bell<br />

Clashing<br />

Themes<br />

Jonathan<br />

Rhys<br />

Meyers<br />

plays Joe<br />

Strummer.<br />

CREDITS: An<br />

IFC Films release<br />

of a Dutch Tilt<br />

Film production<br />

in association<br />

with Killer Films<br />

and Culmination<br />

Prods. Produced<br />

by Sofia<br />

Sondervan,<br />

Christine Vachon,<br />

Tom Butterfield.<br />

Executive<br />

producers,<br />

Alastair<br />

Burlingham,<br />

Charlie Dombek,<br />

Lee Vandermolen,<br />

Angel Chen,<br />

Dennis Mykytyn,<br />

Luke Daniels, Jeff<br />

Rice, Matthew<br />

Lamothe, Phil<br />

Hunt, Compton<br />

Ross, Aross N•<br />

Berman, Alex<br />

Cutler, Steve<br />

Knox, Matthew<br />

Brown, Scott<br />

Lochmus.<br />

Directed by<br />

Derrick Borte,<br />

Screenplay,<br />

Matthew Brown,<br />

based on the<br />

screenplay<br />

“Untitled Joe<br />

Strummer<br />

Project” by Sonya<br />

Goldea, Kirsten<br />

Sheridan. Camera<br />

(color), Hubert<br />

Taczanowski;<br />

editor, Brian<br />

Ufberg;<br />

music, Bryan<br />

Senti; music<br />

supervisors,<br />

Iain Cooke, Pru<br />

Miller; production<br />

designer, Laura<br />

Ellis Cricks;<br />

costume<br />

designer, Angela<br />

Billows; art<br />

director, Thalia<br />

Ecclestone;<br />

sound, Christian<br />

Bourne;<br />

supervising<br />

sound editor/<br />

re-recording<br />

mixer, Michael<br />

Perricone;<br />

assistant<br />

director, Marcia<br />

Gay; casting,<br />

Celestia Fox.<br />

Reviewed at<br />

Los Angeles<br />

Film Festival<br />

(competing), June<br />

6, 2016. Running<br />

time: 92 MIN.<br />

CAST: Daniel<br />

Huttlestone,<br />

Dougray Scott,<br />

Jonathan Rhys<br />

Meyers, Natascha<br />

McElhone, Nell<br />

Williams, Anya<br />

McKenna-Bruce,<br />

Tom Hughes<br />

bottoms, Shay is the bullied runt of his<br />

nowhere London suburb, taking care of<br />

his little sister (Anya McKenna-Bruce)<br />

while his Scottish dad (Dougray Scott)<br />

runs a piano shop by day and drives<br />

a taxi by night. Shay’s mom, Sandrine<br />

(Natascha McElhone), recently abandoned<br />

the family, alighting to London to<br />

live in the world’s most urbane punk flophouse,<br />

and Shay is struggling with his<br />

new responsibilities. On a train ride into<br />

the city one day, he meets a tart-tongued,<br />

cute scenester named Vivienne (Nell Williams),<br />

who takes him on a little tour of<br />

the city and plays him the Clash on her<br />

headphones. Instantly enamored of both<br />

the band and the girl, Shay spends his<br />

savings on a copy of the band’s self-titled<br />

debut, as well as a ticket to meet her in a<br />

few weeks at a Clash concert.<br />

Before Shay can make the show, his<br />

father is injured in a piano-moving accident<br />

and left near-comatose, and Shay<br />

is abruptly thrust into the role of paterfamilias.<br />

Over the next few weeks, he<br />

tries to stay one step ahead of suspicious<br />

neighbors and bill collectors; raises<br />

money driving his dad’s taxi, dressed as a<br />

woman to disguise his age; tracks down<br />

his flighty mom, who’s attempting to<br />

launch her own music career; and forges<br />

a relationship with Vivienne.<br />

Oh, and along the way, he keeps running<br />

into Joe Strummer, who shows up<br />

to dole out helpful advice when Shay<br />

most needs it, like a less magical-realist<br />

Humphrey Bogart in “Play It Again, Sam.”<br />

The film, written by Matthew Brown<br />

from an earlier version by Sonya Goldea<br />

and Kirsten Sheridan, never goes too<br />

far turning Strummer into the father-figure<br />

mentor that a sappier script might<br />

make him (he still gets to be a drunken<br />

punk). But it’s an inorganic way to thread<br />

Shay’s journey in with the band’s story<br />

(or rather, Strummer’s story, as his three<br />

bandmates have scarcely any lines).<br />

Faithfully portraying the original<br />

punk scenes on film is tricky. Unlike the<br />

more shamelessly nostalgic older baby<br />

boomers, who tended to cast every single<br />

concert, acid test, and happening they<br />

stumbled upon in the late ’60s as a society-shaking<br />

revelation, punks always<br />

had a healthy mistrust of idolatry and<br />

self-congratulation. From the Sex Pistols’<br />

“No future” refrain to the Clash’s own<br />

early mantra, “No Elvis, Beatles, or the<br />

Rolling Stones,” the genre’s overarching<br />

ethos makes any straight-ahead, triumphant<br />

biopic of its key figures inherently<br />

suspect, so Borte deserves credit for at<br />

least trying a different tack.<br />

One can’t help but notice, though, the<br />

pulled punches — from the fleeting halfglimpse<br />

of drugs to the lack of palpable<br />

danger, even when gangs of National<br />

Front skinheads start crashing the scene.<br />

The story of the Clash is a fascinating<br />

one, and spotlighting a kid inspired by,<br />

but not a part of, the punk milieu has<br />

plenty of potential. But “London Town”<br />

just never burns brightly enough.<br />

TV REVIEW<br />

BY MAUREEN RYAN<br />

Animal<br />

Kingdom<br />

Series: TNT, Tues. June 14, 9 p.m.<br />

Showrunner: Jonathan Lisco<br />

Starring: Ellen Barkin, Scott Speedman,<br />

Shawn Hatosy<br />

It makes a certain kind of sense<br />

that the crime drama “Animal<br />

Kingdom,” based on a 2010 Australian<br />

film of the same name,<br />

ends up being as deceptive as<br />

the family at its heart. At first, the TNT<br />

show looks as though it may be a promising<br />

showcase for Ellen Barkin, who stars<br />

as the matriarch of a beachside clan that<br />

lives well, thanks to its penchant for cleverly<br />

executed heists.<br />

But in the course of the drama’s first<br />

three episodes, it becomes apparent that,<br />

despite its characters’ shady pasts and<br />

dicey decisions, the show is fairly predictable<br />

and even conventional. Its characters<br />

never really do anything all that surprising:<br />

It’s no shock that a family united<br />

by heists would end up breaking all sorts<br />

of other laws, and anytime anyone on<br />

screen utters the sentence, “There are no<br />

secrets in this family,” that’s the cue for a<br />

scene or two of duplicitous behavior.<br />

Though the cast is packed with solid<br />

actors clearly eager to play morally shady<br />

characters, the writing lacks the depth<br />

and texture that would make the Cody<br />

family’s crime sprees, troubled relationships,<br />

and simmering arguments worth<br />

following. There’s little context and history<br />

behind the “shocking” actions that<br />

are meant to signal that the show is willing<br />

to go to dark places, and this makes<br />

it difficult to care about what occurs or<br />

about the ramifications of those acts.<br />

It’s a tribute to Barkin that she almost<br />

makes Janine “Smurf” Cody work as<br />

a character. Smurf controls the purse<br />

strings — and the emotions — of the<br />

Cody gang. She’s constantly preparing<br />

food for her four sons, who, as “Animal<br />

Kingdom” begins, are feeling restive on<br />

their short leashes. But she keeps them<br />

deprived in other ways; there’s a slightly<br />

incestuous vibe to how she interacts with<br />

all the young men in her orbit, whether<br />

or not they’re tied to her by blood. And<br />

there’s a calculated strategy behind the<br />

way she disciplines her boys by either<br />

withholding her attention or lavishing<br />

them with her creepy love, and Barkin is<br />

charismatic enough to inject those scenes<br />

with ambiguity.<br />

The actress gives the character a<br />

queenly walk and a tough, steely vibe,<br />

but, despite Barkin’s formidable abili-

WAR: ERIN BAIANO<br />

Den of<br />

Thieves<br />

Ellen Barkin<br />

and Finn<br />

Cole star<br />

in TNT’s<br />

“Animal<br />

Kingdom.”<br />

CREDITS: Filmed<br />

in California<br />

by John Wells<br />

Prods• and<br />

Warner Horizon<br />

Television for<br />

TNT. Executive<br />

producers,<br />

John Wells,<br />

Jonathan Lisco,<br />

Etan Frankel,<br />

Christopher<br />

Chulack, Liz<br />

Watts, Andrew<br />

Stearn, David<br />

Michod; director,<br />

Wells; writer,<br />

Lisco; camera,<br />

Danny Moder;<br />

production<br />

designer, Nina<br />

Ruscio; editor,<br />

Jeffrey M• Werner;<br />

music, Alex and<br />

Sam; costume<br />

designer, Lyn<br />

Elizabeth Paolo;<br />

casting, John<br />

Frank Levey,<br />

Melanie Burgess.<br />

60 MIN.<br />

CAST: Ellen<br />

Barkin, Scott<br />

Speedman,<br />

Shawn Hatosy,<br />

Jake Weary, Ben<br />

Robson, Finn Cole,<br />

Daniella Alonso,<br />

Molly Gordon<br />

ties, Smurf never quite becomes the loveto-hate-her<br />

character she needs to be, in<br />

part because some of the worst things<br />

she does make it easy to write her off as<br />

a garden-variety sociopath. The viewer<br />

doesn’t have to like Smurf for the show<br />

to work, but her more odious actions are<br />

not counterbalanced by the kind of shading<br />

that would make her power plays<br />

worth watching over the long term.<br />

Scott Speedman acquits himself<br />

well as Barry “Baz” Blackwell, an adopted<br />

son who is saddled with two underdeveloped<br />

romantic relationships. He<br />

tries to keep the family peace, which is<br />

no easy task. Shawn Hatosy is impressive<br />

as Andrew “Pope” Cody, whose unsettling<br />

intensity hints at deeper psychological<br />

problems, but Pope’s character doesn’t<br />

really go anywhere.<br />

The focus in the early episodes is<br />

on Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole), Smurf’s<br />

estranged grandson, who is reunited with<br />

the clan early in the pilot. Cole is a likable<br />

enough actor, but Joshua proves to<br />

be a somewhat bland and underwhelming<br />

entry point into the Codys’ world.<br />

The Codys may be bold risk-takers,<br />

but the territory this show explores —<br />

aggression, rule-breaking, and criminal<br />

conspiracies within a dysfunctional family<br />

— has been thoroughly mined by<br />

decades of films and TV shows. Like the<br />

recent cable dramas “Vinyl” and “Feed the<br />

Beast,” this TNT series just doesn’t have<br />

many fresh things to say about crime,<br />

unconventional clans, and the limits of<br />

traditionally defined masculinity.<br />

“Animal Kingdom” wants to jolt the<br />

viewer with bursts of intensity, but in<br />

the end, it feels like a relic from cable<br />

TV’s semi-recent past. It’s certainly more<br />

challenging than TNT’s last few batches<br />

of procedurals, but it’s unlikely to be a<br />

game-changer.<br />

THEATER REVIEW /<br />

OFF BROADWAY<br />

BY MARILYN STASIO<br />

War<br />

Theater: Claire Tow / Lincoln Center;<br />

112 seats; $30 top<br />

Playwright: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins<br />

Starring: Charlayne Woodard, Michele Shay,<br />

Chris Myers, Rachel Nicks<br />

Coming after “Gloria” and<br />

his 2014 Obie-winning “An<br />

Octoroon” — both brimming<br />

with ideas — playwright<br />

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new<br />

work, “War,” is a bit of a buzzkill. The<br />

play has something potentially interesting<br />

to say about language as a means<br />

of defining our common humanity and<br />

asserting our individual identity. But in<br />

its current over-thought, overwrought,<br />

and overwritten state, the idea is stalled<br />

in the format of a strained domestic<br />

drama about an unremarkable and yet<br />

unbearable family.<br />

How could a lovely person like<br />

Roberta (Charlayne Woodard) have such<br />

awful children? Having suffered a debilitating<br />

stroke, Roberta lies intubated and<br />

comatose in a hospital bed. But her lifeforce<br />

— the animated spirit played by<br />

the very personable Woodard — is very<br />

much alive and searching for the words<br />

(and the identity) she’s lost.<br />

Roberta was at the zoo with her German<br />

half-sister, Elfriede (Michele Shay,<br />

the soul of goodness), standing in front of<br />

the gorilla cages when she had her stroke.<br />

This goes to explain the simian shapes<br />

(and animalistic hooting and grunting)<br />

on the stage, where a nice balance of<br />

realism and surrealism is achieved by<br />

Mimi Lien (sets) and Matt Frey (lighting).<br />

Aside from Roberta — played by<br />

Woodard with a guileless, unworldly air<br />

— the other characters are all realistically<br />

drawn and performed under director<br />

Lileana Blain-Cruz’s eagle-eyed direction.<br />

Roberta’s selfish son, Tate, gets no<br />

love from Chris Myers (“An Octoroon”).<br />

Daughter Joanne (Rachel Nicks, injecting<br />

a bit of heart into this chilly character) is<br />

more sympathetic, if not likable. At least<br />

she has the self-knowledge to note that,<br />

“I can’t even tell sometimes if I know<br />

what a family without fighting even<br />

looks like.”<br />

In secondary roles, Lance Coadie<br />

Williams doubles as a kind nurse and<br />

a remarkably realistic alpha gorilla.<br />

Elfriede’s hot-headed son, Tobias, is such<br />

a brute he nearly confounds the actor<br />

who plays him, Austin Durant. But the<br />

playwright has given Tobias a hard-hitting<br />

soliloquy about the terrible pressure<br />

of caring for a sick parent, and Durant<br />

delivers it with unnerving emotion.<br />

Although he loses sight of the subject<br />

in the heat of the domestic drama,<br />

Jacobs-Jenkins seemed to have been onto<br />

something about language — how it<br />

defines us, elevates us, makes us special<br />

— and how the loss of language robs us<br />

of our humanity and our very identity.<br />

CREDITS: A Lincoln<br />

Center Theater<br />

presentation of a<br />

Steinberg New Works<br />

Program production<br />

of a play in two<br />

acts, commissioned<br />

by Yale Repertory<br />

Company, by<br />

Branden Jacobs-<br />

Jenkins. Directed<br />

by Lileana Blain-<br />

Cruz. Sets, Mimi Lien;<br />

costumes, Montana<br />

Blanco; lighting, Matt<br />

Frey; sound, Bray<br />

Poor; production<br />

stage manager,<br />

Paul Smithyman.<br />

Opened June 6,<br />

2016. Reviewed June<br />

4. Running time: 2<br />

HOURS, 30 MIN.<br />

CAST: Charlayne<br />

Woodard, Michele<br />

Shay, Chris Myers,<br />

Rachel Nicks, Austin<br />

Durant, Reggie<br />

Gowland, Lance<br />

Coadie Williams<br />

A Loss For<br />

Words<br />

Charlayne<br />

Woodward<br />

(left) stars<br />

in “War.”<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

145

By TIM GRAY<br />

FIN C T<br />

MY FIRST TIME IN VARIETY<br />

Sheila Nevins<br />

“You’d ask a simple question about a person’s<br />

American dream, and suddenly you were in the middle<br />

of their life. It was a blueprint for all I’m still doing.”<br />

When you started out in<br />

the industry, what was<br />

your goal?<br />

To make a living. It was<br />

the ’60s, I was a woman,<br />

and I wanted to work<br />

behind the camera, but<br />

no one wanted to hire a<br />

woman director. I guess<br />

things haven’t changed<br />

that much.<br />

What was your first job?<br />

Teaching English on camera<br />

at [the U.S. Information<br />

Agency]. There were<br />

conversations called<br />

“Adventures in English,”<br />

which were sent all over<br />

the world to help people<br />

learn the language.<br />

I played Jean, the secretary<br />

to a professor, Mr.<br />

Richards. We would discuss<br />

three words a day.<br />

He and I would have<br />

these inane, Beckett-like<br />

conversations about the<br />

three words. That’s what<br />

I did for two years. Don<br />

Mischer was the director.<br />

Then he got a job at<br />

PBS’ “The Great American<br />

Dream Machine,” and I<br />

followed. That’s when my<br />

real career began.<br />

What were your duties?<br />

I started as researcher<br />

and rose to associate producer,<br />

then producer.<br />

What did you learn?<br />

Everything. At PBS, there<br />

was freedom. You could<br />

be brash. And there was a<br />

continuity in storytelling;<br />

you didn’t interrupt for a<br />

commercial, so you had<br />

to fill every moment.<br />

What did you do as<br />

a “Dream Machine”<br />

producer?<br />

There was no money for<br />

interstitials. I thought,<br />

“What if I go out on the<br />

street and ask people<br />

their dreams?” Maybe I<br />

could cut that into segments.<br />

Al [Permutter, the<br />

executive producer] said<br />

“Who could shoot it?”<br />

And I said, “The Maysles!”<br />

I didn’t even know them.<br />

He said, “They’ll never<br />

work for this money,”<br />

because it was public television.<br />

I called them and<br />

they said, “Sure, for public<br />

television, we’ll work<br />

for minimum.” We went<br />

to beauty parlors, barber<br />

shops, bookstores.<br />

We didn’t have permits;<br />

we just did it. You’d ask a<br />

simple question about a<br />

person’s American dream,<br />

and when they answered,<br />

suddenly you were in the<br />

middle of their life. It was<br />

a blueprint for all I’m still<br />

doing.<br />

What was “Perpetual<br />

People Puzzle”?<br />

“Great American Dream<br />

Machine” was a big success<br />

— they tried to<br />

translate that into commercial<br />

TV.... I think it<br />

lasted only one episode.<br />

Was it harder for a woman?<br />

Much harder. You had to<br />

give up your life in many<br />

ways. You had to work all<br />

the time. You had to stay<br />

late and prove that you<br />

were the same as any guy.<br />

Salaries were low. And in<br />

the middle of it all, you<br />

try to be mother, to be a<br />

wife, not get too fat. I was<br />

cute, skinny, tall, so it was<br />

assumed I had no brains.<br />

You’re always fighting<br />

some battle. First there’s<br />

sexism, then ageism. I’m<br />

still working very hard.<br />

It never is easy. Maybe<br />

life isn’t easy. As someone<br />

said to me, we’re all<br />

on a boat called “life,” and<br />

there’s a slow leak.<br />

Any advice?<br />

Yes, get a life jacket!<br />

JUNE 14, 2016 VARIETY.COM<br />

146<br />

As president of documentary films at HBO, Sheila Nevins is a major force in<br />

the nonfiction world, shepherding work that has earned 31 Peabodys, 21 Oscars,<br />

and 59 Emmys. This month, “Suited” and “How to Let Go of the World” join her<br />

roster of works at the premium cabler. Nevins was first mentioned in Variety on<br />

June 21, 1972, as a producer of ABC’s nonfiction “Perpetual People Puzzle.” It was an<br />

unsuccessful attempt to translate PBS’ 1971-72 variety show “The Great American<br />

Dream Machine,” on which she also worked, to commercial TV. “Dream Machine”<br />

consisted of comic/thoughtful bits, with no host and no narration. Aside from<br />

giving Nevins a start, it introduced TV viewers to Albert Brooks, Linda Lavin, Studs<br />

Terkel, and Andy Rooney, among others.<br />

• Visit VarietyUltimate.com for every issue of Variety from 1906 to the present. Educational and research institutions, please call (323) 617-9555.<br />

ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL HOEWELER; PHOTO REFERENCE: JIMI CELESTE/AP

WINNER<br />

AFI<br />

TELEVISION PROGRAM<br />

OF THE YEAR<br />

WINNER<br />

PEABODY<br />

AWARD<br />

WINNER<br />

CRITIC’S CHOICE AWARD<br />

BEST COMEDY<br />

WINNER<br />

BEST COMEDY<br />

ROTTEN TOMATOES<br />

100%<br />

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION<br />

“IT FEELS LIKE<br />

THE FUTURE. ”<br />

“ THE YEAR’S<br />

BEST COMEDY. ”<br />

“A GEM OF<br />

DEEP HILARITY.<br />

ONE OF THE BEST<br />

SHOWS OF 2015.”<br />

AZIZ ANSARI

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