The Academy has named Raj Kapoor to return as executive producer and showrunner for the 97th Oscars, CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang announced Monday Katy Mullan will be back as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton returns as director. It’s Kapoor and Mullan’s second time as executive producers and Hamilton’s fifth time directing the […]

Bassist Phil Lesh, whose dense, inventive playing powered the Grateful Dead and, following the 1995 death of guitarist Jerry Garcia, many of the San Francisco band’s touring reincarnations, died Friday. He was 84. The news was posted on his official Instagram page with the message “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, […]

Film and TV writer-producer Alan Sacks, who had an eclectic career that included co-creating the popular 1970s series “Welcome Back, Kotter” and working on projects set in the 1980s L.A. punk scene, died of complications from lymphoma on Tuesday in New York. He was 81. Sacks was born in Brooklyn and started his career in […]

Lynda Obst, who had producing credits on high-profile films including “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Flashdance” and “Adventures in Babysitting,” died Tuesday in Los Angeles. She was 74. “I was immensely proud of her. She was a trailblazer for women in the industry at a time when it was very difficult for women to have prominent roles. […]

Dig out the fishnets and lace up the Docs: The Cruel World Festival is set to return to Pasadena on May 17, featuring headliners Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and New Order. Goldenvoice’s one-day event will again take place at Brookside at the Rose Bowl. Also on the bill of new wave icons, post-punk, […]

Vice President Kamala Harris wasn’t able to attend Thursday night’s Al Smith benefit dinner in New York, sending a video instead, while Donald Trump attended in person. Named after the first Catholic presidential candidate, the benefit dinner, hosted this year by Jim Gaffigan, is a longtime stop on the campaign circuit where candidates typically roast […]

Sherry Coben, a writer-producer who created the Emmy-winning 1980s sitcom “Kate & Allie,” died Oct. 16 of cancer in New Milford, N.J. She was 71. Coben started out in the art department at Philadelphia’s KYW-TV, working on graphics, sets, illustration and animation for local programming and “The Mike Douglas Show.” After moving to New York […]

SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Season 3 of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” now streaming on Netflix. “The Lincoln Lawyer” amps up the action for the third season of the popular Netflix show, culminating in two dramatic episodes that might leave viewers in shock. Defense attorney Mickey Haller, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, also finds time to […]

Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards ceremony, has been sold to Jebs Hollywood Entertainment, led by Elie Samaha. The acquisition of the 3,400 seat theater was announced Tuesday by real estate brokers Avison Young, which represent the buyer. Jebs is led by Samaha, a longtime producer who has invested heavily in Hollywood […]

Richard “Dick” Block, the former president of Kaiser Broadcasting who went on to found Block Communications and teach at USC, died Sept. 30. He was 97. As president of Kaiser Broadcasting, he built independent TV stations in top markets including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. As executive VP of the […]

A post-metal band plays at a screening of a vintage Viking saga. Björk shows up to check out the latest films by Pedro Almodovar and Athina Rachel Tsingari. Filmmakers relax in warm mineral-laden waters at the ocean’s edge. Industry members are invited to the President of Iceland’s house to chat about the state of the […]

In a lengthy “New Rules” segment on Friday on “Real Time With Bill Maher,” the talkshow host laid into Chappell Roan, addressing an open letter to the singer and her political statements. “New rule to mark the Oct. 7 anniversary: We must launch a campaign to educate young Americans about the Middle East,” he began […]

Audiences are apparently ready for a different kind of clown as “Terrifier 3” is scaring off the second week of “Joker: Folie a Deux” at the weekend box office. Gorefest “Terrifier 3” is took in $8.2 million on Friday, including a meaty $2.4 million in Thursday previews, heading for a weekend that could be upwards […]