Delfonics lead singer William 'Poogie' Hart dead at 77
William “Poogie” Hart, a founder of the Grammy-winning trio the Delfonics who helped write and sang a soft lead tenor on such classic “Sound of Philadelphia” ballads as “La-La (Means I Love You)” and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” has died at age 77.
Clooney honored by MoMA as actor, director and humanitarian
Clooney was honored Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, by co-stars and colleagues at the annual film benefit for the Museum of Modern Art, held virtually. MoMA’s annual film benefit raises funds to bring great works of film to the museum’s collection. Also giving virtual tributes Monday evening were actors Felicity Jones, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Chandler and Demian Bichir, who appear in “A Midnight Sky,” which Clooney stars in and directs. The benefit featured clips from some of Clooney’s many films: “Michael Clayton,” “Syriana,” "The Descendants,” “Gravity,” and “Good Night, and Good Luck,” among others. In earlier comments to The Associated Press, Clooney said “Good Night, and Good Luck” was probably his proudest professional accomplishment.
Tarantino has deal for 2 books on films, including 1 his own
The Oscar-winning director has a two-book deal with Harper, beginning with a novelization of “Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood” was released in 2019 and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor and Brad Pitt as his stunt double. “In the ‘70s movie novelizations were the first adult books I grew up reading," Tarantino said in a statement Tuesday. “I see myself writing film books and starting to write theater, so I’ll still be creative. I just think I’ve given all I have to give to movies.”_____AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
Japanese director known for single shots releases Zoom film
This undated photo provided by the @One Cut of the Dead Mission: Remote shows Shinichiro Ueda, director of One Cut of the Dead Mission: Remote, a YouTube spinoff of his 2017 award-winning film. A comedic horror film centered around teleworking, "One Cut of the Dead Mission: Remote” was released earlier this year and shared for free on YouTube. It features the same characters from his award-winning 2017 film “One Cut of the Dead,” which has one shot that was 37-minutes long. Ueda’s style incorporates slapstick comedy and focuses on visual, rather than explanatory verbal storytelling, an approach relatively rare in contemporary Japanese film. “It’s only after 200 or 300 bad films you will have that one great film,” he said.
TV's 'Warrior' latest proof that Bruce Lee still holds sway
(Cinemax via AP)PHOENIX – Even nearly 50 years after his death, Bruce Lee can still make ripples. Shannon Lee isn’t giving up on finding a new home for “Warrior,” which will eventually be available on HBO Max. “I think he’s really getting his due as a creative — someone who knows how to story-tell,” Shannon Lee said. “It’s just little things that the writers put in there to pay homage to Bruce Lee without being a caricature, which I think is the danger zone whenever you get to the subject of Bruce Lee,” Nguyen said. “He believed in celebrating people’s cultures and backgrounds and not holding it against them,” Shannon Lee said.
Grammy Museum to launch online streaming service
FILE - Barbara Streisand performs at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2011. The Grammy Museum is launching its own online streaming service featuring performances and interviews from A-list musicians, as well as material from the museums archive. The Grammy Museum is launching its own online streaming service featuring performances and interviews from A-list musicians, as well as material from the museums archive. Without the GRAMMY Museum, we wouldnt have gotten to experience or learn about so many important artists before us, FINNEAS said in a statement. We are proud to be part of this series.The Grammy Museum is a nonprofit organization through The Recording Academy, which annually produces the Grammy Awards.
Pitt, Sandler and 'The Irishman' celebrated at NBR Awards
Roger Deakins attends the National Board of Review Awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in New York. The quick succession of the ceremonies, which this year are especially compressed, can give the NBR Awards a discombobulating feeling of deja vu. “I got sober because of this guy,” said Pitt taking the stage. “We’ll see.”The awards belonged equally to Sandler, whose performance in Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Uncut Gems” has been one of the most celebrated of his career. Unlike some of the other winners, Bates hasn’t been a mainstay on the awards circuit.