Very sad news today out of Hollywood: Daniel Gerson, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter who co-wrote Monsters, Inc., passed away Saturday at home in Los Angeles. He was 49 years old. Best known for collaborating with Robert L. Baird on Disney-Pixar films, Gerson was also responsible for Monsters University and Big Hero 6, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the latter. But Monsters, Inc. was his biggest commercial success, earning $562 million around the world, along with four Academy Award nominations. Gerson’s family announced this sad news in a New York Times obituary. Other well-known films on the screenwriter’s resume include Chicken Little (2005), Cars (2006), Up (2009) and Inside Out (2015). Gerson grew up on the Upper West Side in New York City and attended Cornell University and New York University film school after that. He later started his career as a writer on such TV shows as the NBC sitcom Something So Right and Fox Family’s The New Addams Family. We send our condolences to his friends, family members and loved ones. He is survived by his wife, two children and parents and was working on Cars 3 when he passed away. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016
Bret Easton Ellis will not be adapting Fifty Shades of Grey for the big screen, despite the considerable, earlier talk of the screenwriter’s involvement. Ellis made it no secret at all that he wanted to write the Fifty Shades of Grey movie , even speculating on who should portray Ana and Christian . Ian Somerhalder was even lobbying him for the part of the latter, but now it looks like Ellis will be watching from the sidelines with the rest of us. “It’s a very major disappointment to announce that I’ve somehow been taken off the list of possible screenwriters for Fifty Shades of Grey ,” Ellis tweeted. “Thanks to the fans for the months of intense support. Your awesome enthusiasm and great suggestions were instructive and meaningful to me.” It’s unclear why Ellis is out of the running or how he knows this, but it’s rumored that Universal and Focus have their eyes on four different writers: Karen Croner (One True Thing) Dan Fogelman (Cars, Tangled) Veena Sud (TV’s The Killing) Kelly Marcel (TV’s Terra Nova) Again, no idea why those four are the reported finalists , but that’s the inside information at the moment as the Fifty Shades rumor mill turns. In other news, EL James compiled Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album , and Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis recently read from the book.
Show about gay men in New York has taken on ‘a life of its own,’ write/director/actor Goldman tells MTV News. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Adam Goldman appears on “The Outs” Photo: Adam Goldman is the writer, director and an actor on his own hit series, “The Outs.” If you are young, gay and Internet-savvy (as most young gay men are these days), then you have probably heard of his show since the first three episodes are already out. If you are not any of those things, you should still check out the show. Once the gay blogs (Out.com, Queerty, Towleroad, etc.) caught on to “The Outs,” the show took on “a life of its own,” according to Goldman, with viewers begging for more. The most interesting thing about the show, aside from its surprisingly high production value and its well-written dialogue, is that “The Outs” is an independently produced Web series that’s making a sizable impact on a generation of viewers who are watching more and more of their entertainment online. This six-episode dramatic Web series is funded entirely by successful Kickstarter campaigns and out-of-pocket expenses from the 26-year-old Bard College graduate and the creative team he assembled. “The Outs” tells the story of a couple of recent exes in New York and a good friend of theirs. The exes just so happen to be gay men. Goldman explained the void he aimed to fill when he created the show. “I asked people, ‘What’s your favorite TV show about gay people?’ Or ‘name me a TV show [exclusively] about gay people,’ ” Goldman recalled. “Nobody really has an answer, and I think that’s just sad.” Goldman noted that while TV has become more LGBT-friendly in the last few years, with a handful of excellent gay characters on “Modern Family,” “Glee,” “Smash,” “True Blood,” “American Horror Story” and more, none of these shows is centered around a gay story line. “I think that what we’ve seen from the moment we started the project is a desire for it, and there’s an audience for it,” Goldman shared. “We just want to prove that there’s space in media for stories like this. It’s a story about people who happen to be gay, and we’re super-proud and pleased to appeal to a gay audience.” As far as being on the edge of the online entertainment frontier, Goldman described his stance on the exciting position: “We’re just trying to stretch the definition of what a Web series can be, so we’re trying to shoot it as a TV show that happens to be online.” As HD camera technology continues to improve and the costs of the equipment drop, piecing together a quality show is not the impossible dream that it was only several years ago, though the process is not easy to fund alone. With the viewer base growing rapidly, Goldman and his team just surpassed their latest Kickstarter goal in just 48 hours. That puts the team ahead of its budget for the production of the show’s upcoming fourth episode. Now is the time to keep an eye on Goldman and independent producers like him who are leading the new “TV on the Internet” movement. And if you haven’t already, check out “The Outs” at www.theouts.tv .
‘At a dinner table and on a film set she lifted us all with wisdom and wit,’ Hanks says of late filmmaker. By Jocelyn Vena Nora Ephron Photo: Nora Ephron ‘s impact on the world of film — particularly romantic comedies, thanks to her memorable scripts for big-screen classics “When Harry Met Sally …” and “Sleepless in Seattle” — was felt in the wake of the news that the screenwriter, journalist and director passed away on Tuesday at the age of 71 from pneumonia. Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, who both appeared in “Sleepless in Seattle” (Hanks also later appeared in Ephron’s “You’ve Got Mail”), recalled the times they spent with her when the cameras weren’t rolling. “Nora Ephron was a journalist/artist who knew what was important to know; how things really worked, what was worthwhile, who was fascinating and why,” Hanks and Wilson said in a statement to E! News . “At a dinner table and on a film set she lifted us all with wisdom and wit, mixed with love for us and love for life. Rita and I are so very sad to lose our friend who brought so much joy to all who were lucky enough to know her.” Comedian and 2012 Academy Awards host Billy Crystal recalled the joy of appearing in “When Harry Met Sally …” in his remembrance of the multi-hyphenate talent. “I am very sad to learn of Nora’s passing,” he said in a statement. “She was a brilliant writer and humorist. Being her Harry to Meg’s Sally will always have a special place in my heart. I was very lucky to get to say her words.” Carrie Fisher, who appeared alongside Crystal in the iconic film, said in a statement to the Boston Globe , “In a world where we’re told that you can’t have it all, Nora consistently proved that adage wrong. A writer, director, wife, mother, chef, wit — there didn’t seem to be anything she couldn’t do. And not just do it, but excel at it, revolutionize it, set the bar for every other screenwriter, novelist, director. She was inspiring, intimidating and insightful. She was so, so alive. It makes no sense to me that she isn’t anymore. My heart goes out to her family and the many others who treasured her.” The outpouring of love for Ephron hardly ended there. Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep , who starred in two Ephron classics, “Heartburn” and 2009’s “Julie & Julia,” noted that her interests and intellect touched on all subject matters. “Nora just looked at every situation and cocked her head and thought, ‘Hmmmm, how can I make this more fun?’ ” Streep said. “You could call on her for anything: doctors, restaurants, recipes, speeches or just a few jokes, and we all did it, constantly. She was an expert in all the departments of living well.” Nicole Kidman, who starred in Ephron’s quirky big-screen take on the classic 1960s sitcom “Bewitched,” noted that it was a “joy to be around” the writer. “She was so smart, warm and funny. I am so grateful that she was my friend and we had the opportunity to work together. My thoughts and love are with her family at this time. I will never forget the dinners, games and laughter we all shared,” Kidman said. Leave your condolences for Nora Ephron’s family and friends in the comments below Related Videos Nora Ephron: Dead At 71 Related Photos Nora Ephron: A Rom-Com Legacy
Hollywood.TV is your source for all the latest celebrity news, gossip and videos of your favorite stars! bit.ly – Click to Subscribe! Facebook.com – Become a Fan! Twitter.com – Follow Us! Woody Allen and his family were spotted leaving Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills and several fans and paparazzi greeted the famous director. Woddy took his time to greet fans as he quickly was rushing to get into his car. Woody’s family also played the role of mini-bodyguards ushering the famous director to his car. Hollywood.TV is the global leader in capturing celebrity breaking news as it happens. We cover all the major Hollywood events including The Golden Globes, The Oscars, The Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Grammy’s, The Emmy’s and the American Music Awards, as well as all the red carpet movie premiers in Los Angeles and New York. HTV is on the streets 24/7, at all the industry events and invited by the stars to cover their every move in Hollywood, New York and Miami. Hollywood.TV is currently the third most viewed reporter channel on www.youtube.com YouTube with almost 400 million views, and our footage is seen worldwide! Tune in daily for all the latest Hollywood news on www.hollywood.tv and http like us on Facebook!
Leandro Penna is set to marry Katie Price. The voluptuous UK model, who only recently got divorced from Alex Reid , after getting divorced by Peter Andre not long before that, showed off her huge, sparkly, pink, heart-shaped diamond engagement ring this week. Last night, she tweeted: “Wooo hooo so excited.” Woo. Katie’s spokesman confirmed the engagement , telling The Sun: “It’s true, they are engaged. Leandro proposed to Katie while they were away skiing recently and she said yes. They told her children but intended to keep it secret for a while.” “They are both very happy. No wedding arrangements have been made and they are both relaxed about that for the time being.” Katie Price and Leandro Penna, a model from Argentina, first met at Elton John’s Oscars party last year. The mother of three has certainly been through a roller coaster in the romance department. Let’s hope the third time’s the charm? [Photo: WENN.com]
Mel Gibson appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno last night and surprisingly, he willingly brought up his most recent secretly recorded meltdown. He joked about it repeatedly, no less. The now-infamous Mel Gibson rant , in which he RAGED at Joe Eszterhas (and was taped in his own home, unwittingly, by Eszterhas’ son), was over the top, he conceded. Still, Mel believes his privacy was violated and his actions were “justified.” Why? Mel Gibson on The Tonight Show Eszterhas’ script for The Maccabees was non-existent, then awful, Mel said, proceeding to slam the screenwriter for selling him out hardcore in a nine-page letter released online – before he leaked the audiotape. “If he put half as much time and effort and creativity and imagination into a screenplay, which he was supposed to write, as he did into that letter, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Gibson said of Joe Eszterhas . As for the rant itself, Leno asked, “So what were you doing, just swearing at the guy?” “Yeah, pretty much,” Mel deadpanned, before adding self-deprecatingly, “Maybe you don’t know this about me, but I’ve got a little bit of a temper.”
Screenwriter David H. Steinberg’s credits include two American Pie sequels, National Lampoon’s Barely Legal , the 2002 Devon Sawa vehicle Slackers , and, yes, Puss in Boots … which makes him an expert on adapting for the screen, of course! “…Ultimately I was underwhelmed. The movie simply failed to capture the emotion of the book… (No one in the movie ever looks hungry!)” [ Yahoo ]
