Month: December 2019

Moviegoers have been offered rolling seats, 3D glasses and even rain and smells in recent years as theater chains seek to fill seats.Now comes an immersive experience that gets its U.S. launch in Los Angeles next week. It features laser projection and giant LED panels that line each side of the auditorium and fill a moviegoer’s peripheral vision.The panels extract colors from the screen and project them around the audience.”It gives you a feeling of being immersed in the film,” said Shelby Russell, senior vice president of marketing at AEG and the LA Live entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles.”It makes you more engaged in the film in a very immersive way so it sets the mood throughout the entire auditorium,” Russell told Reuters Television.The Immersive Cinema Experience (ICE), first launched in France two years ago by movie chain CGR Cinemas, will make its U.S. debut on Dec. 12 at a single venue in Los Angeles for adventure movie “Jumanji: The Next Level,” starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart.Moviegoers will be charged an additional $6 for the experience, which CGR Cinemas plans to expand to other theaters around the United States.It takes a swift three weeks to convert a feature film into an immersive experience, with action films working best.”The films on ICE must be the films that have action, color and movement,” said Jocelyn Bouyssy, managing director of CGR Cinemas. “It really needs movement of the camera – ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ‘Jumanji,’ films like that.”The technology is coming to the United States as movie theaters face increasing competition for audiences from streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+.”We do believe that providing unique experiences is a way to draw moviegoers to movie theaters, and ICE is a great example of that, and this is an experience you can’t get at home,” said Shelby.
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The highly anticipated final chapter in the Skywalker film saga will feature a significant role for Princess Leia, the beloved “Star Wars” character played by late actress Carrie Fisher.Writer and director J.J. Abrams said he had enough unused footage of Fisher from the filming of 2015 movie “The Force Awakens” to make Leia a key player in “The Rise of Skywalker,” the “Star Wars” film that debuts in theaters on Dec. 20.Fisher died in 2016 at age 60.”We couldn’t tell the story without Leia,” Abrams said in an interview on Wednesday. “She’s the mother of the villain of the piece. She’s in a sense the mother of the resistance, the rebellion, the leader, the general.””Her role is, I would say, integral,” he added. “This is not just a cosmetic thing where we’re sort of inserting Leia.””The Rise of Skywalker” is the ninth movie in the celebrated space franchise that debuted in 1977 and is now owned by Walt Disney Co.In recent films, Leia had risen to general leading the fight against the evil First Order in the galaxy far, far away. Her son is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the warrior who took over as ruler of the First Order at the end of 2017 film “The Last Jedi.”If Fisher had been alive, “there is no question we would have done, I’m sure, additional and other things,” Abrams said. “But the fact we had the material to do what we did is incredibly gratifying.”Daisy Ridley, who portrays resistance fighter Rey, recorded scenes for “Rise of Skywalker” in which her character interacted with the previously recorded images of Fisher.”I was basically reacting to footage I had seen of her, so it was quite emotional, very strange,” Ridley said. “But I do think you feel a real sense of love between Leia and Rey in this one, and Leia is a big part of the story.”Pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and maintenance worker Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) also have scenes that include dialogue with Leia, cast members said.Abrams said Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, who will appear for the third time as a lieutenant in the resistance forces, also will be seen on screen with her mother.Anthony Daniels, who plays the droid C-3PO, said the scenes with Fisher looked “totally believable, quite wonderful, quite respectful” in the final cut of the film, which was shown to some cast members this week.Isaac said he felt “a real melancholy” when he watched Fisher on screen in “Rise of Skywalker.””You see her right there, and she’s so vital and alive, and to think she’s not there anymore, and she won’t get to see how we say goodbye to Princess Leia,” he said. “It’s bittersweet.”
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One of the brightest signs of the holiday season has come to light. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was officially turned on Wednesday night, at an event featuring celebrities including Idina Menzel, Lea Michele and Ne-Yo among the performers.The tree, a Norway spruce that’s more than 60 years old, stands 77 feet (23.5 meters) tall and was lit up in colorful Christmas lights before 10 p.m. local time.It was on the property of Carol Schultz in the village of Florida, New York, and was cut down last month.The tree was decorated with miles of lights, with a huge Swarovski crystal star at the top.It stays in place until Jan. 17, when it will be taken down and donated to Habitat for Humanity to help build homes.There’s been a tree in Rockefeller Center since 1931. The holiday lighting has been broadcast since 1951.
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In these uneasy times, as we move along to a new decade, the Pantone Color Institute has reached back in time to calming, confident Classic Blue as its color of the year for 2020.The color is an anchor offering stability, constancy and connection, said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the global purveyors of color consulting, trendspotting and analysis.”It’s a reassuring presence,” she told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday’s reveal.Akin to maritime blue – not indigo and brighter than navy – Classic Blue evokes a feeling of vast expanse, Pressman said of the shade also known as Pantone 19-4052.Pressman and her team scoured the worlds of art, fashion and home decor, along with commercial, graphic and industrial design, to come up with the pick, as they have since Cerulean became the inaugural color of the year for the milestone 2000.But Classic Blue isn’t just about nostalgia, she said. Creators around the globe are putting out modern takes for runways, mobile phones, kitchen appliances and the paint of pricey, forward-looking cars and motorcycles.At Wednesday’s launch event, Pressman insisted the color was in no way a nod to the hue associated with the Democratic Party, though she knew the question would surface.”This was not a political move for us. This is global. We do not look at color through a political lens. We look at our life through a colorful lens,she told the AP.Pantone chose Living Coral for 2019 and Ultra Violet the year before that.Whether as throwback or harbinger of things to come, Classic Blue harkens back to when things "seemed simpler, seemed more comfortable, but at the same time not suggesting that it be done in a way that it was then,'' Pressman said.Cerulean, which heralded the new millennium, is the color of the daytime sky, while Classic Blue is the sky at dusk as the new decade commences. "It has depth to it, but it's a color of anticipation because we're looking ahead,'' Pressman said. "The day is over. We're looking forward to the evening. What's going to come?’'"Classic Blue is a vibrant yet non-aggressive and easily relatable color, she said. It's also among nature's anthocyanin pigments possessing antioxidant and other health-fostering benefits.Think blueberries."Many of us feel stressed, completely overloaded,'' Pressman said. "We live these 24/7 lifestyles. We're anxious. There's so much uncertainty and unrest, no matter where you are. With that we've seen this whole increased focus on wellness and self-care.’'The timeless color is also gender neutral and seasonless, mixing well with other shades throughout the spectrum yet making a strong statement on its own. It also works well in a range of textures."It's a color that can take on different appearances through different applications, finishes and textures,'' Pressman said, lending itself to everything from lustrous sheens to sparkly sequins.The anointed blue also plays into the sustainability movement."We have all this focus on buy less, buy good, so people aren't throwing things into a landfill,'' Pressman said.You read about buying things to last and this is a timeless blue shade. It’s always there and you’re comfortable with it, like blue jeans.’’For offices, it offers an air of security, she said. For kitchens, it’s a top accent color in appliances and walls. Classic Blue is a mainstay color in stemware, dishes and other tabletop staples as a trusted expression of elegance, she said.”Everybody’s comfortable with blue,” Pressman said. “We know it. We like it.” 
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The resistance is rising.”Rise of the Resistance,” the highly anticipated Star Wars-based ride at Walt Disney World is debuting Thursday, three months after a land opened at the theme park resort based on the galaxy far, far away.The ride’s story-line follows a band of rebels fighting the First Order and its leader Kylo Ren on the remote planet Batuu. The rebels are trying to reunite with General Leia Organa, but they are chased by storm troopers.”Rise of the Resistance” includes a simulator that recreates a crash landing, and trackless ride vehicles that move passengers in all directions.Actors from the most recent Star Wars movies filmed scenes for the ride. The actors include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega and Oscar Issac. Many of the ride scenes were filmed during production of the films, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”An almost identical Star Wars-based land opened earlier this year at Disneyland in California, and the “Rise of the Resistance” ride opens there next month.  
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Placido Domingo has sought to blame the allegations of sexual harassment against him on cultural differences between countries, adding that there are places nowadays where “one can’t say anything to a woman.”In an interview published Wednesday in Spanish leading daily El Pais, the Madrid-born tenor said “here (in Spain) it’s not like that but in other places, and specifically in those groups from where the accusations come, it is.”The Associated Press reported earlier this year allegations in the United States by more than 20 women of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. Some claimed that rejecting his advances hurt their musical careers.Domingo, 78, denies the allegations.While most of his U.S. dates were canceled in the wake of the reports and an investigation is under way at the Los Angeles Opera, European venues have supported Domingo and he has been greeted with ovations.FILE – Placido Domingo poses for selfies at the Festspielhaus opera house after he performed “Luisa Miller” by Giuseppe Verdi in Salzburg, Austria, Aug. 25, 2019.Some opera managers, notably at the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna State Opera, countered the reports by saying that the opera star had always behaved well in their venues.Domingo told El Pais he believed harassment “should be punished in every moment and in all periods” but felt rules and standards had changed.”What I meant, as a Spaniard, is that the use of the compliment, for example ‘what a nice suit you have, how well you look,’ that was something you could say 30 years ago, even two years ago.”Domingo initially responded to the allegations, saying they were “in many ways, simply incorrect” and that at the time he believed his “interactions and relationships were always welcomed and consensual.”Domingo told El Pais that he wanted to continue singing and did not rule out performing again in the U.S.”If the opportunity arises, of course,” he said. “There are some offers. Not everywhere is (like) the Los Angeles or the Metropolitan (in New York).”No ‘reprisals’ plannedHe ruled out taking legal action in the matter.”You know it’s useless. Against a media outlet you have everything to lose, and as regards the accusers, I don’t intend taking reprisals against anybody.”As I have said, I have not been accused of any crime and I don’t intend taking a case against anybody,” said Domingo.Domingo has given several interviews recently in Europe.”The accusations they make against me make no sense,” he said. “What I want is to stop talking about all of this.”
 
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Sweden’s prison board says U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky won’t be able to perform in the Swedish prison where he was held until convicted of assault in a June street brawl in Stockholm.Citing logistical and security issues, Vilhelm Grevik of Sweden’s Prison and Probation Service told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet on Wednesday that the prison board won’t be able to organize a concert in the Kronoberg prison.In August, A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was convicted of assault. The rapper and his two bodyguards were given “conditional sentences,” meaning they won’t serve prison time unless they commit a similar offense in the future.Mayers, who wanted to entertain inmates at the Kronoberg prison, is due to perform Dec. 11 at Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe arena.
 
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The rock band The Who announced Tuesday night it will play its first Cincinnati area concert since 11 fans died 40 years ago in a pre-show stampede.The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band will play April 23 at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena, across the Ohio River 7 miles south of the Dec. 3, 1979, concert site, where another two dozen people were injured Dec. 3, 1979, amid confusion and lack of preparation for thousands of fans lined up for hours for first-come seats.The announcement came after WCPO-TV in Cincinnati aired a Tuesday night documentary featuring interviews with lead singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, the remaining original members of the British band that emerged in the 1960s featuring songs of youthful rebellion such as “My Generation” and its “Summertime Blues” cover.Both have said they’ve been haunted by the tragedy. Townshend recently told The Associated Press he was looking forward to discussing it in Cincinnati.“Now we can have a conversation about it when we go back,” Townshend said.“We will meet people and we’ll be there. We’ll be there. That’s what’s important,” he said. “I’m so glad that we’ve got this opportunity to go back.” The band is adding the concert to its “Moving On!” tour 2020 dates.The Who said it will donate a portion of proceeds from the Cincinnati area concert to a memorial scholarship fund benefiting students in the Cincinnati suburb of Finneytown. Daltrey visited a Finneytown High School memorial site in 2018 and the band has for years supported the scholarship effort there. Three of the 11 killed, including two 15-year-old girls who were the youngest victims, had attended Finneytown High.The band didn’t know about the tragedy until the concert was ending. Longtime manager Bill Curbishley had made the decision to have the show go on, warning Cincinnati authorities that they wouldn’t be able to control the crowd if the concert was called off.“Despite everything, I still feel inadequate,” he told WCPO. “I don’t know about the guys, but for me, I left a little bit of my soul in Cincinnati.”
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Martin Scorsese’s sprawling crime epic “The Irishman” has been named best picture by the National Board of Review.The awards, announced Tuesday by the National Board of Review, handed Netflix its second major honor in Hollywood’s quickening awards season. On Monday evening, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” won best feature at the IFP Gotham Awards, which honor independent film. Both movies are widely expected to eventually reap numerous nominations at the Oscars, with either potentially landing Netflix its first best-picture win.“The Irishman” also took best adapted screenplay, for Steven Zaillian’s script, and an icon award for Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.The board, as it typically does, otherwise spread its awards around to help fill its annual gala with stars. Quentin Tarantino took best director for “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” Best actress went to Renee Zellweger for her performance as Judy Garland in “Judy.” Adam Sandler won best actor for Josh and Benny Safdie’s upcoming New York thriller “Uncut Gems.”Brad Pitt, widely seen as the Oscar front-runner for his co-leading performance in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” won best supporting actor. The National Board of Review also threw its support behind Clint Eastwood’s upcoming docudrama on the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing, “Richard Jewell,” giving it best supporting actress for Kathy Bates and breakthrough performance for Paul Walter Hauser.The picks by the National Board of Review, a long-running organization comprised of academics and film professionals, have in recent years seldom lined up with eventual Academy Awards winners. But its best-feature choice last year, “Green Book,” went on to triumph at the Oscars.Other awards included: best ensemble to Rian Johnson’s whodunit “Knives Out”; best screenplay to “Uncut Gems”; best documentary to “Maiden,” about a historic all-woman sailing crew; best foreign language film to Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite”; best animated film to “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”; best directorial debut to Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim”); and Roger Deakins (“1917”) for outstanding achievement in cinematography.The board additionally bestowed its freedom of expression award on both the Death Row drama “Just Mercy” and the Syrian war documentary “For Sama.”The awards will be handed out in a ceremony in New York on January 8, hosted by Willie Geist.
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Cicely Tyson, Seth MacFarlane and Walt Disney Co. chief executive Bob Iger will be joining the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame.Geraldine Laybourne, who helped create the Nickelodeon channel and co-founded Oxygen Media, and veteran TV director Jay Sandrich also were announced Tuesday as inductees. Sandrich’s credits include “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls.”Tyson won three Emmy Awards over her nearly seven-decade acting career, including two trophies for 1974’s “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and one for 1994’s “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.”MacFarlane, a writer, director, producer and performer, is a five-time Emmy winner for his animated series “Family Guy.”Iger became CEO of Disney in 2005, and during his tenure the company acquired Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox and launched the new Disney Plus streaming service.Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the academy that organizes the Emmy Awards, said the five individuals’ “remarkable contributions” continue to shape the TV industry.Lucille Ball, Walter Cronkite, Bob Hope, Shonda Rhimes and Ron Howard are among the nearly 150 people who have been inducted in the Hall of Fame since its start in 1984. The newest group will be honored at a Jan. 28 ceremony.
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