Move over, Tupac hologram . It’s time for another late icon to be resurrected on stage. Digital Domain Media Group, the company responsible for bringing Tupac to “life” at Coachella this year, is teaming up with Core Media Group (which owns Elvis’ brand) to “jointly produce a series of ‘virtual’ Elvis likenesses for a range of entertainment projects,” according to Billboard. “His lifelong fans will be thrilled all over again, and new audiences will discover the electric experience of Elvis the performer,” says Jack Soden, president and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises. “The high level of quality entertainment that both Core Media Group and Digital Domain deliver gives us great confidence that these projects will help continue the growth of Elvis’ rich legacy all over the world.” A much cheaper version of Hologram Elvis actually appeared on American Idol in 2007, singing a duet with Celine Dion. Will you go see this one on tour?
Digital Domain Media Group is working on a ‘virtual’ Elvis for a series of film and TV projects. By Gil Kaufman Elvis Presley Photo: Getty Images We may not be getting those Left Eye, Michael Jackson or Notorious B.I.G. holograms we were hoping for anytime soon, but one of rock’s royal court will be digitally resurrected. Digital Domain Media Group, the company behind the earthshaking Tupac Shakur hologram that created a global sensation at this year’s Coachella festival announced this week that it is planning to create a virtual Elvis Presley. Working with the Core Media Group — which owns the rights to Elvis’ estate — Digital Domain said it is working on a series of “virtual” Elvis likenesses for a wide range of entertainment projects that could include everything from film and TV to “multi-platform productions throughout the world.” DDMG, the Oscar-winning folks behind the special effects in films such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” has already started on some of the Elvis virtual renderings and plans to announce plans for a full roll-out soon. “Elvis Presley is the king of rock and roll … you have to start with the king,” Ed Ulbrich, Chief Creative Officer at Digital Domain told MTV News when asked why the company’s next major project would focus on the first wave rock star. “We’re in the creative development stages now. Instead of a single application we’re looking to bring Elvis back across a host of platforms, including live concerts in venues.” Like the Tupac stunt, Ulbrich said the Elvis rendering would not be based on archival footage, but original, exclusive performances by the King using the company’s bleeding-edge technology. He was not at liberty to describe how that process is managed, but Ulbrich promised that like in “Button” and “TRON: Legacy,” it would involve the holy grail of the industry: creating a synthetic likeness of a human being that is just as believable as the real thing. The company is in the process of building the Elvis programming now and Ulbrich said there was no timetable on when we might see the first fruits of this new experiment because the Digital Domain team is determined to take as long as necessary to get it right. “We take this very seriously because we want to pay great respect to Elvis and his legacy,” he said. In a statement announcing the deal, Elvis Presley Enterprises President and CEO, Jack Soden said, “This is a new and exciting way to bring the magic and music of Elvis Presley to life. His lifelong fans will be thrilled all over again and new audiences will discover the electric experience of Elvis the performer.” While Ulbrich said he was not at liberty to discuss what other music legends may get the Tupac/Elvis treatment next, he acknowledged that is not to say that, “we’re not talking about other things or looking at other things.” For the time being, though, the focus is on Elvis. Now, as whether we’ll see young, hip-swiveling Elvis or the latter-period Las Vegas version, Ulbrich would only say, “you’ll have to [wait and] see.” Related Artists Elvis Presley Tupac
Sad news out of Manhattan: Amos Vogel, whose championing of foreign and independent film changed the direction of modern cinema over the last half-century, has passed away. He was 91. Vogel’s Cinema 16 events, introduced in 1947, battled censors and opened viewers’ eyes to the likes of Roman Polanski, Yasujirō Ozu, Robert Bresson, John Cassavetes and scores of other auteurs — in some cases before the word “auteur” meant anything. He also co-founded the New York Film Festival, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary as the city’s leading light of movie culture. Over at the Web site of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which as recently as last fall hosted Vogel to kick off a countdown to this year’s milestone NYFF, Eugene Hernandez offers a nice look back at the film firebrand’s life — including a statement by Vogel devotee Martin Scorsese: “If you’re looking for the origins of film culture in America, look no further than Amos Vogel. Between Cinema 16 (which he ran with his beloved wife Marcia and which opened our eyes to Maya Deren, Stan Brakhage, Bruce Conner, Kenneth Anger, Cassavetes’ Shadows, and hundreds of other visionary films and filmmakers), The New York Film Festival (which he co-founded with Richard Roud), and his book Film As a Subversive Art , Amos opened the doors to every possibility in film viewing, film exhibition, film curating, film appreciation. He was also unfailingly generous, encouraging and supportive of so many young filmmakers, including me when I was just starting to make my first pictures. No doubt about it – the man was a giant.” Vogel, who turned 91 a week ago today, passed away surrounded by family in the Greenwich Village apartment he shared with his late wife Marcia, who died in 2009. Paul Cronin’s 2004 documentary about Vogel, Film as a Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema 16 , is viewable in its entirety below. R.I.P. [ FSLC ; Photo of Amos Vogel: The Sticking Place ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The theatrical specialty release space has a new contender joining the fray. Chicago-based entertainment company MPI Media Group is launching a new theatrical distribution label with an initial slate of seven titles and have tapped veteran execs to spearhead operations. MPI’s EVP Greg Newman will oversee the newly dubbed MPI Pictures, which will be led by former Wellspring co-chief and producer Marie Therese Guirgis who will serve as Head of Theatrical Distribution. Guirgis and Newman will attend the upcoming Cannes Film Market to acquire more titles for release under its label. Also joining the team to oversee the initial MPI lineup are distribution executive Emily Woodburne (formerly of BEV Pictures) and marketing exec Dan Goldberg (formerly of Wellspring and IFC Films). MPI Pictures will specialize in foreign-language art house fare as well as “high end genre and American independent films,” according to MPI. “”The audience for commercial foreign-language and independent films remains a flourishing niche in the marketplace,” commented Newman on launching MPI Pictures in a statement. “With the launch of our theatrical division we have the ability not only to release completed feature films that we acquire but also to release our own original productions. The commercial appeal of all our films reaches across all distribution platforms from theaters to Video On Demand, digital, DVD and beyond.” MPI Pictures’ current roster of seven films include Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s ( Gunner Palace ) SXSW ’11 mixed martial arts doc Fightville , currently in release; Brian Crano’s story of two friends starring Jason Ritter, Bag of Hammers ; Mathieu Demy’s directorial feature debut Americano starring Salma Hayek and Chiara Mastoianni; Guillaume Canet’s drama Little White Lies with Francois Cluzet and Marion Cotillard; Catherine Deneuve and Romain Duris starrer The Big Picture by Eric Lartigau; Victoria Mahoney’s Berlin ’11 debut feature Yelling to The Sky starring Zoe Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe; and crime drama The Heineken Kidnapping by Dutch director Maarten Treurniet. MPI Media Group is a producer, distributor and licensor of films, home entertainment, historical footage and more. Founded in 1976, Chicago-based MPI Media Group remains one of the largest independent entertainment companies producing and distributing narratives and documentaries.
Very Excited Schoolgirls Outside Hotel Where They Believe Justin Bieber To Be , originally uploaded by infomatique . I was walking along the Quays today when I was approached by two girls who asked what newspaper I worked for and if I could arrange for them to meet “Justin”. I had no idea what they were talking about until a very attractive slightly older German girl explained to me that the girls were trying to track down an young American pop star who was on tour, she thought that it was very sweet and amusing. The hotel owned by U2 can be seen in the background. — here is some information from Wikipedia — Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer-songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun who happened to come across Bieber’s videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid. His debut single, “One Time”, released worldwide in 2009, peaked in the top ten in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut release, My World, followed on November 17, 2009, and was eventually certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Related Blogs Tags: justin bieber , international markets , canadian pop , atlanta georgia , media group The Streets Of Dublin – Documenting Ongoing Expression And Depression
