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L.A.’s ultra-luxe real estate landscape is shifting in dramatic ways.

This fall, Drew Fenton, one of Hilton & Hyland’s marquee names, veteran real estate exec Nick Segal and Hilton & Hyland marketing chief Ed Leyson struck out on their own to launch a new Beverly Hills-based brokerage, Carolwood. Fenton tells THR that after the death this year of Hilton & Hyland co-founder Jeff Hyland, “It felt like a natural progression to put all that I had learned in my 15 years at Hilton & Hyland into my own firm.”

In recent weeks, Carolwood has lured more than 35 agents from Hilton & Hyland, including power sellers Linda May (winner of the Agent of Historic Architecture Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s 2022 L.A. Power Broker Awards), Brett Lawyer, Jonah Wilson, Susan Smith, the team of Jonathan Nash and Stephen Resnick, Justin Paul Huchel, Bjorn Farrugia, Michael Lamontagna and Gordon MacGeachy.

Renowned entertainment attorney Michael Adler has died.

The retired Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler Feldman & Clark partner died November 9 surrounded by his family at his Los Angeles home after a short illness. He was 73.

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Previously a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, UCLA Law School grad Adler joined then-Lichter Grossman & Nichols in 1997, five years after the firm first put up its shingle. With a client list that included Steven Soderbergh, Viola Davis, Kristin Scott Thomas, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Connie Nielsen, among many others, Adler was regarded as a straight shooter who was fiercely loyal to his patrons. With no irony,...

Amazon has announced that more than 40 presenters and former professionals will be part of its English Premier League lineup, with its coverage of the soccer competition kicking-off in December.

Amazon secured rights to show the Premier League in the UK last year, and will air 20 matches a season. Coverage will launch on December 3 with mid-week fixtures, before it shows 10 matches on December 26-27.

BBC presenter Gabby Logan will anchor the Sunset+Vine-produced action, alongside Eilidh Barbour — a BBC and Sky broadcaster — and Jim Rosenthal, a veteran who has covered the world’s biggest sporting events for major UK broadcasters.

Logan is already hosting weekly Amazon soccer show Back of the Net, but her presence on live coverage is still a coup for the Jeff Bezos-owned streamer. Logan is one of the BBC’s highest-profile presenters, taking home a salary of more than £290,000 and hosting shows including Sports Personality of the Year.

Tony Award and Emmy Award-winning Ryan's Hope legend Helen Gallagher is celebrating her 92nd birthday today.

Born in Brooklyn, Gallagher was raised in Scarsdale, New York for several years until the Wall Street crash which heralded the Great Depression, and her family moved to the Bronx. Her parents separated and she was raised with an aunt. She suffered from asthma.

Gallagher was known for decades as a Broadway performer. She appeared in "Make a Wish," "Hazel Flagg," "Portofino," "High Button Shoes," "Sweet Charity" (earning a 1967 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actress in a Musical), and "Cry for Us All."

In 1952, she won a Tony Award for her work in the revival of "Pal Joey." In 1971, she won her second Tony Award for her role in the revival of the musical "No, No, Nanette," which also starred Ruby Keeler and Patsy Kelly. Her song and dance number with Bobby Van from that show,...

The New York premiere of the new play, 20th Century Blues, from Susan Smith Blackburn Prize-winner and two-time Obie Award-winning playwright Susan Miller My Left Breast, directed by two-time Obie Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Emily Mann Having Our Say, Anna In The Tropics, just opened lat night, November 26, for a run through Sunday, January 28, and BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening festivities below...

Producer Lida Orzeck and Executive Producer Eva Price are pleased to announce The New York premiere of the new play, 20th Century Blues, from Susan Smith Blackburn Prize-winner and two-time Obie Award-winning playwright Susan Miller My Left Breast. Two-time Obie Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Emily Mann Having Our Say, Anna in the Tropics will direct the 10-week limited engagement beginning November 12 with performances through January 28 and an official opening night set for November 26. 20th Century Blues will play at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center 480 W. 42nd Street.

Justin Verlander and Kate Upton are getting the martial house ready to go ... because they just locked up a sweet Bev Hills mansion for $5.475 mil ... and it comes with its own private tennis court! The Detroit Tigers pitcher proposed to his supermodel girlfriend back in May -- and we're told the house hunt began shortly after.  Now, we've learned they pulled the trigger on a 5 bedroom, 6 bath East Coast country style home ... it's 5,000 square feet...

ThePlaywrights Horizons New York premiere production of Aubergine, a new play by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner Julia Cho Bfe at Playwrights, The Language Archive, The Piano Teacher, Durango, The Architecture of Loss, directed by Kate Whoriskey Fabulation, Inked Baby at Playwrights The Miracle Worker on Broadway Ruined Her Requiem, is the opening production of the theater company's 20162017 Season. The show is currently in previews, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...

The FIFA Women's World Cup is getting thorough coverage this summer, with the BBC broadcasting every game.

All 52 matches from Canada will be shown live across BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Red Button or online.

Jacqui Oatley will lead the coverage and will be joined in the studio by former England internationals Rachel Yankey and Rachel Brown-Finnis.

Joining Jonathan Pearce in the commentary box will be Fa International Player of the Year Sue Smith.

Match of the Day's Steve Bower and former Leeds United Ladies player Lucy Ward will be broadcasting from Canada.

Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater said: "This promises to be another exciting World Cup and we are delighted to be bringing audiences live coverage of every match.

"Our TV offering alongside the wealth of radio, online and digital content means the BBC will be at the heart of the action as the tournament unfolds.

"Just...

The Playwrights Horizons world premiere of Iowa, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz God's Ear, Somewhere Fun, music by Todd Almond Stage Kiss at Ph, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz, opened last night, April 13, 2015. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the big night below...

The 2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to Tena Stivicic for her play 3 Winters. Today, March 2, New York's Playwrights Horizons hosted a celebration of the winner and finalists of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, marking the 37th Anniversary of the international prize, which is based in Houston, New York and London. The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights.

Political thriller The Code took the major Awgie award as well as the trophy for best original miniseries at the Australian Writers. Guild awards on Friday night.

The six-hour series, which premieres on ABC on September 21, is written by Blake Ayshford, Shelley Birse and Justin Monjo and produced by Playmaker Media. The major Awgie recognises the best of the night's winners across stage, screen, new media and radio.

The feature film award went to Adelaide writer Matthew Cormack for his first debut feature 52 Tuesdays, the gender-bending drama hailed as .bold and structurally adventurous..

Winner of the best documentary prize was Sally McKenzie for A Woman.s Journey Into Sex.

Andrew Knight was rewarded for his script for Essential Media and Entertainment.s telemovie The Broken Shore, adapted from the Peter Temple novel. Writer/director Peter Duncan won best TV series script for Essential.s Rake.

Niki Aken and Felicity Packard...

Two new agents have joined Jeff Berg’s Resolution as the agency builds up following a number of departures in recent months. Talent agent Rachel Sheedy comes to Resolution after spending sixteen years repping actors in film, TV, and theater for Don Buchwald & Associates in New York. She’ll now work out of Resolution’s La office on Century Park East. Along with Sheedy, Jennifer Good recently joined the company’s TV lit department after departing The Alpern Group, where she repped writers and directors in TV and film with an emphasis on the international marketplace. She also did stints at Susan Smith […]...

Veteran talent agent Michael Greenwald, who had been at Don Buchwald & Associates for 18 years, departed the agency at the beginning of this week. “After many years as an agent at Dba, Michael Greenwald has now become a manager,” West Coast president Julia Buchwald said. “We wish him nothing but the best.” Greenwald, who served as VP Talent at Dba since joining in 1996, is said to be in discussions with management companies about joining. Based in Dba’s Los Angeles office, he is credited with helping develop the careers of Hilary Duff, Zach Quinto, Josh Duhamel, Rainn Wilson, Seth Green and Jim Caviezel. In one of his last bookings for the agency, Greenwald got Elvis Nolasco cast in ABC drama pilot American Crime. Greenwald, a 24-year industry veteran, started in Hollywood at Susan Smith & Associates and worked at Paradigm before moving to Dba. He began his career in New York working...

Fox's new Fantastic Four movie has its superheros pretty much picked out, according to Deadline. As rumored, Michael B. Jordan will allegedly play Johnny Storm the Human Torch. Kate Mara is rumored to join him as Invisible Woman Sue Storm*, with Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic Reed Richards, and Jamie Bell as the Thing rounding out the cast. If you ask us, it would have made more sense and saved a lot of money to just hire a man made out of fire, an invisible woman, an elastic guy and some kind of rock creature but hey, what do we know? We're not casting directors. * The post originally misidentified Sue Storm as Sue Smith, which makes us no better than the animals.

Celebrating the top films from the past year, the 2014 Ee British Academy Film Awards took place in London, England tonight (February 16).

Snagging wins in the Best Supporting Actor/Actress categories were Barkhad Abdi ("Captain Phillips") and Jennifer Lawrence ("American Hustle"), respectively.

Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett and Chiwetel Ejiofor took home trophies for Best Actress and Best Actor. In addition, "We're the Millers" star Will Poulter was recognized in the Ee Rising star category.

The Best British Film went home to the cast and crew of "Gravity," while "12 Years a Slave" scored the prize for Best Film.

Check out the full list of 2014 BAFTA winners below!

Best Film

Winner 12 Years A Slave - Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen

American Hustle - Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon

Captain Phillips - Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca

Gravity - Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Philomena - Gabrielle Tana,...

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment proudly announces the home entertainment release of the heartwarming drama Saving Mr. Banks, arriving on Blu-ray + Digital Copy, DVD, Digital HD and On-Demand on March 18, 2014.

Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P.L. Travers' (Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the uncompromising Travers won't budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, the set Mary Poppins free.

Featuring...

Welcome, gorgeous people, to the biggest night in British Film. We’re here at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and we’ll be liveblogging as the night rolls on.

12 Years a Slave, Gravity, American Hustle, Captain Phillips and Philomena have the majority of nominations and are all competing for Best Picture. It is an undeniably strong year for British Film and we’re grateful for a spotlight as wide and as bright as this one to be shone this evening.

If you haven’t already checked out our BAFTA competition, do so now - the prizes are worth £700. Blimey.

We’ll be updating this liveblog minute by minute until my fingers fall off with the most recent update being shown at the top of the top so do keep refreshing.

Great to have you with us.

- – - – - -

We’re at the end of another BAFTA...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 18, 2014

Price: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray $36.99

Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Saving Mr. Banks tells the contentious history of one of the most jolly children’s musical movies.

Tom Hanks (Road to Perdition) stars as Walt Disney, who’s pulling out all the stops to fulfill a promise he made to his daughters: to adapt the book Mary Poppins into a movie. The problem is, the book’s author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson, Nanny McPhee Returns), isn’t too thrilled about a Hollywood version of her work, and she does everything she can to stop it.

Along the way, the two must learn about each other’s childhoods to find a way to meet in the middle.

Rated PG-13, Saving Mr. Banks also stars Colin Farrell (Horrible Bosses), Paul Giamatti (Barney’s Version), Bradley Whitford (The Cabin in the Woods), B.J. Novak (TV’s The Office) and...

Longtime talent agent Neil Bagg died Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He had been diagnosed with Als commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 2012, according to a statement from Don Buchwald & Associates where Bagg worked as an agent for 16 years representing actors in film, television and theatre. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1959, Bagg grew up with a love for the arts. At the age of 17, he hosted a popular talk show in South Africa, called Pulse. He moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA where he received his BA and later his Mfa. Setting his sights on acting, he was cast in the play, Viva Vittorio, at the Mark Taper Forum opposite Vittorio Gassman, following the production to Broadway. He then banded together with a small group of fellow actors who would pose as managers and submit each other on projects. He was so successful at...

Oscar 2014 predictions: From ‘Gravity’ to ‘The Great Gatsby’ (photo: George Clooney in ‘Gravity’) See previous post: "Oscar 2014 Predictions: From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘The Hunt.’" Among those listed are Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, David O. Russell, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Steve McQueen, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, James Gandolfini, Alfonso Cuarón, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Emma Thompson. Below is the follow up list to our last-minute Oscar 2014 predictions. All lists are in alphabetical order. The only categories that feature runners-up and long shots are the two screenplay categories. Curiously, several major movies and/or widely touted potential Oscar contenders have been completely shut out of our Oscar 2014 predictions (top five films). Among these are Zack Snyder-Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel; Lee Daniels-Forest Whitaker’s The Butler; Denis Villeneuve-...

Cate Blanchett has another lead actress trophy to add to her collection for her riveting performance in Woody Allen.s Blue Jasmine.

Blanchett took the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) International award for best actress in a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon local time. Aacta president Geoffrey Rush handed the gong to Cate in the shindig at the Sunset Marquis.

Blanchett has won a host of North American critics. awards including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto for Blue Jasmine and has been nominated for a BAFTA award.

We.ll know next Friday if she.s in the running for an Academy Award. She won the Oscar for best supporting actress in The Aviator in 2005. She would be the first Aussie actress in history to win two Oscars.

Gravity was named best film and BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuarón took the trophy...

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the nominations for the British Academy Film Awards and Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" led the pack with 11 nominations including Best Film, British Film (who knew "Gravity" was a British movie?), Director for Cuaron, Screenplay for Cuaron and his son Jonas, and Actress for Sandra Bullock.

The biggest snub in my humble opinion was "Dallas Buyers Club" which appeared nowhere on the nominations list. Apparently, the British Academy did not deem Matthew McConaughey or Jared Leto award-worthy!

The BAFTA Awards will take place on Feb. 16 at the Royal Opera house in London. Will "Gravity" emerge as the victorious movie that night? And by the way, "Gravity" was my No. 1 favorite film of 2013!

Here's the complete list of BAFTA nominations:

Best Film

12 Years A Slave Anthony Katagas,Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen

American Hustle Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison,...

Early this morning saw the announcement of the nominations for the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards for 2013. For the most part, they look like all of the other guild nominations we’ve seen over the past month or so (including all five director nominees who were just nominated for the DGA’s top award), but there are a few interesting differences to take note of.

First off, Philomena has a much stronger presence here, but given that it is a British film, it’s hardly surprising. You may also notice a lot of love for Behind the Candelabra, a film that was only shown on TV in the States, making it ineligible for theatrical awards.

However, aside from that, just about all the major players are here. Gravity leads the pack with 11 nominations, including Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. 12 Years a...

It’s already an amazing awards show season, and the 2014 BAFTA Awards just released their own list of worthy contenders.

Not surprisingly, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock's “Gravity” is at the front of the pack with a whopping 11 nods including Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Director, and Best Original Music.

Following close behind, “American Hustle” and “12 Years A Slave” each have 10 chances at glory, and “Captain Phillips” will compete in nine categories.

Meanwhile, Michael Douglas and Matt Damon's flamboyant flick “Behind the Candelabra” is tied with Tom Hanks’ “Saving Mr. Banks,” each receiving five mentions.

And of course, everyone has been talking about the previously announced hopefuls for the fan-voted Ee Rising Star Award- Dane DeHaan, George McKay, Will Poulter, Lea Seydoux, and Lupita Nyong’o.

The Ee British Academy Film Awards is slated to go live from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London on Sunday,...

It’s already an amazing awards show season, and the 2014 BAFTA Awards just released their own list of worthy contenders.

Not surprisingly, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock's “Gravity” is at the front of the pack with a whopping 11 nods including Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Director, and Best Original Music.

Following close behind, “American Hustle” and “12 Years A Slave” each have 10 chances at glory, and “Captain Phillips” will compete in nine categories.

Meanwhile, Michael Douglas and Matt Damon's flamboyant flick “Behind the Candelabra” is tied with Tom Hanks’ “Saving Mr. Banks,” each receiving five mentions.

And of course, everyone has been talking about the previously announced hopefuls for the fan-voted Ee Rising Star Award- Dane DeHaan, George McKay, Will Poulter, Lea Seydoux, and Lupita Nyong’o.

The Ee British Academy Film Awards is slated to go live from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London on Sunday,...

Awards season is here, whether you’re ready or not. On Jan. 7, the nominees were announced in London for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards — and all our favorite stars are nominated.

Gravity is leading this year’s race with 11 BAFTA nominations, followed by American Hustle that 12 Years a Slave both landing 10 each. Read the full list below, and then tune in to the BAFTAs on Feb. 16.

BAFTA Film Award Nominations — Full List

Best Film

12 Years A Slave Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen

American Hustle Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon

Captain Phillips Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca

Gravity Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Philomena Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward

Outstanding British Film

Gravity Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman, Jonás Cuarón

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom Justin Chadwick, Anant Singh, David M. Thompson, William Nicholson

Philomena Stephen Frears,...

The nominations for this year’s Ee British Academy Film Awards were announced today (January 8) by actors Helen McCrory and Luke Evans.

Gravity led the way with 11 nominations. 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle were each nominated in ten categories. Captain Phillips has nine nominations, while Behind the Candelabra and Saving Mr. Banks were nominated five times.

Philomena, Rush and The Wolf of Wall Street have four nominations. Blue Jasmine, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska have each been nominated three times. The Act of Killing, The Butler and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug have two nominations apiece.

Gravity is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Director for Alfonso Cuarón, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Sound and Special Visual Effects. Sandra Bullock is nominated for Leading Actress.

12 Years a Slave is nominated for Best Film, Director for Steve McQueen, Adapted Screenplay,...

The nominations for this year's BAFTAs were revealed today, and present the first awards list in which Gravity has taken the lead. 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle have also done well and this year there's a particularly strong British section.

Those nominations in full:-

Best Film

12 Years A Slave, Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen

American Hustle, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon

Captain Phillips, Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca

Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Philomena, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward

Outstanding British Film

Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman, Jonás Cuarón

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, Justin Chadwick, Anant Singh, David M. Thompson, William Nicholson

Philomena, Stephen Frears, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward, Jeff Pope

Rush, Ron Howard, Andrew Eaton, Peter Morgan

Saving Mr. Banks, John Lee Hancock, Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer, Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith

The Selfish Giant,...

BAFTA Awards 2014: ‘American Hustle,’ ‘Gravity,’ and ’12 Years a Slave’ tops (photo: BAFTA 2014 nominees Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence in ‘American Hustle’) Nominations for the 2014 BAFTA Awards were announced a little while ago. As usual, British Academy of Film and Television Arts have placed their focus on Big English-Language Productions — i.e., Hollywood and Anglo-Hollywood fare. (I mean, Gravity, Rush, and Saving Mr. Banks are considered "British" productions here.) Small British films and non-Hollywood productions have been — once again as usual — all but ignored. The 2014 BAFTA winners will be announced on February 16. Best Film: 12 Years A Slave Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen; American Hustle Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon; Captain Phillips Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca; Gravity Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman; Philomena Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward. Best British Film: Gravity Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman, Jonás Cuarón; Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom Justin Chadwick,...

This morning in London the nominations for the 2014 BAFTA awards were announced. Gravity leads the way with 11 nods closely followed by 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle with 10 apiece. Also performing well are Captain Phillips with 9, Saving Mr. Banks and Behind the Candelabra each get 5 and Rush, The Wolf of Wall Street and Philomena come in with 4 each.

The 67th annual awards ceremony will take place on Sunday the 16th of February at the Covent Garden Opera House, hosted once again by Stephen Fry and we’ll be on hand to live blog the results as they come in on the night.

The one award whose nominations we know already is the Ee Rising Star Award – you can find out more about the five nominees here.

Here is the full list of nominations, see you all on the 16th?

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Best Film 12 Years A Slave Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner,...

Updated With Analysis: Gravity leads the pack with 11 nominations; 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle follow closely with 10.

Captain Phillips has nine nominations. Behind the Candelabra and Saving Mr. Banks have five each.

Philomena, Rush and The Wolf of Wall Street have four nominations. Blue Jasmine, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska have each been nominated three times. The Act of Killing, The Butler and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug have two nominations apiece.

Full list of nominees below.

The nominations didn’t offer any huge surprises, but there are some notable developments.

Dallas Buyers Club was shut out of the BAFTA nominations, which might have been expected for Matthew McConaughey for lead actor and Jared Leto for supporting. Idris Elba missed out on a mention for his role as Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom; as did James McAvoy for the low-budget Filth or Robert Redford for All Is Lost. [link...

WGA Awards 2014 nominations: Woody Allen, ‘American Hustle’ in; ’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’ ineligible (photo: Cate Blanchett and Woody Allen on the ‘Blue Jasmine’ set) The Writers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2014 WGA Awards. The lists — adapted and original screenplay, documentary screenplay — mostly feature the expected titles, in addition to a handful of surprises chiefly because several of this year’s top contenders for screenplay awards have failed to meet the WGA’s strict eligibility rules. Among the out-of-contention screenplays for the 2014 WGA Awards were John Ridley’s 12 Years a Slave, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope’s Philomena, Asghar Farhadi’s The Past, Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix’s Blue Is the Warmest Color, William Nicholson’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Peter Morgan’s Rush, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12, and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station. The winners of the...

Disney.s movie about Walt Disney.s struggles to bring Australian author P. L. Travers. novel Mary Poppins to the screen has earned a decent but not dazzling $US37.8 million after 10 days in wide release in the Us.

One reason why Saving Mr Banks has not opened with bigger numbers in the Us or the UK (where it has raked in just $US4.5 million after its third weekend), is pretty clear: millions of people are downloading it.

According to TorrentFreak, the Disney-financed production, which stars Tom Hanks as Disney and Emma Thompson as Travers, was the most downloaded movie globally on BitTorrent sites last week, ahead of Rush, Gravity, Don Jon and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Other factors may include the sheer weight of competition in the Us and media commentators who have accused the filmmakers of misrepresenting Travers and .Disney-fying. the story.

Directed by The Blind Side...

Update: Terence Winter's screenplay for "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Saving Mr. Banks" by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith and Destin Cretton's award-winning script for "Short Term" 12 are now all available online here via Blue Cat.Earlier: All of the award season screenplays are now available online. In the glut of promotional material sent out to Academy members at this time of year, clearly many films are adapted from real books, including Marcus Luttrell's "Lone Survivor," Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief," Solomon Northup's "12 Years a Slave," Martin Sexsmith's "Philomena" and Will Haygood's "The Butler." Also arriving on voters stoops so far are screenplays for the Coen brothers' original "Inside Llewyn Davis," Tracy Letts' adaptation of his play "August: Osage County," John Ridley's "12 Years a Slave" and Danny Strong's "The Butler."In the Screenplay categories for the Oscars, every year a number of...

Stars: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman | Written by Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith | Directed by John Lee Hancock

Based on the pedigree of Saving Mr. Banks all signs point to a possible fluff piece. Disney is making a movie about Disney? Surely it will be a hyperbolic celebration of past Disney glory, especially when it is coming from John Lee Hancock – the same director that gave us overly sentimental movies like The Rookie and The Blind Side.

Fortunately it is not an idealistic glorification of a modest past. Saving Mr. Banks does much more than document the making of the American classic Mary Poppins. It is a dissection into the way art can be used to work through and process our personal demons. That dissection may over simplify matters at times, but it is still willing to go to...

As 2013 comes to a close, Digital Spy begins its look back at the cinematic year with a countdown of the best movies of the last 12 months (as chosen by the DS movies editorial team). In compiling this list we've attempted to best represent the broad range of films that've passed through cinemas over the last year. There will be blockbusters, awards-bait dramas, independent features, a hot-button documentary and even a French arthouse movie.

Honourable mentions should go to a handful of films that we couldn't find room for in the top 20. High octane car dramas Rush and Fast & Furious 6; impressive indies Filth, Kill Your Darlings, Upstream Colour and A Hijacking; and a trio of excellent documentaries in Side by Side, The Act of Killing and The Crash Reel.

Read on to see our countdown from 20-11, and make sure to check back tomorrow (December 22) for the top 10.

20. Prisoners

We...

Saving Mr. Banks

Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith

Directed by John Lee Hancock

USA, 2013

“They said only God could make a tree,” Walt Disney says proudly as he strolls down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Disneyland theme park, late in Saving Mr. Banks. Walt, as he prefers to be known, gladhands all the park guests who recognize him from his years of hosting the Disneyland TV series as well as from being the man in charge of many of the heroes and villains of 20th-century America’s collective childhood. He’s in the park this day, showing off his facsimile creation of the ultimate small town to the rigid and distant British author P.L. Travers. So, yes, it was once said that only God was capable of creating life, but at Disneyland, even the next-best thing appears to be satisfactory enough to qualify as a deity.

By Melissa Howland

Originally reviewed: November 13, 2013

Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks shine in Disney’s new feature film Saving Mr. Banks, a heartwarming tale about the making of the Mary Poppins film.

When Walt Disney and his daughters discovered the book “Mary Poppins” by P. L. Travers, they fell in love. Disney then made a promise to them, that took him 20 years to keep. He would bring Mary Poppins to life. What he didn’t expect was a stubborn writer with no intention of handing over her beloved nanny. When finally convinced to discuss the film, Disney and his team pull out all the stops to impress Travers enough to sign off on the film. What they didn’t bargain for was uncovering some of her ghosts from the past, or where the story of Mary Poppins actually came from.

Saving Mr. Banks is a magical tale filled with heart.

Two-time Academy Award®–winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen. This past month Wamg attended the Saving Mr. Banks press conference where Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Jason Schwartzman, Bj Novak, Bradley Whitford, director John Lee Hancock, writer Kelly Marcel and producer Alison Owen discussed making the film, Nanny McFee, and scarring grandchildren with Winnie the Pooh.

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine.

The International Press Academy has announced its nominations for the 18th annual Satellite Awards and Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity," David O. Russell's "American Hustle," and Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" led the pack.

Winners will be announced on March 9, 2014 at a ceremony in Los Angeles. Here's the complete nominations:

Motion Pictures

Actress in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams American Hustle (Sony)

Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)

Sandra Bullock Gravity (Warner Bros.)

Judi Dench Philomena (The Weinstein Company)

Adèle Exarchopoulos Blue Is the Warmest Color (Sundance)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Enough Said (Fox Searchlight)

Meryl Streep August: Osage County (The Weinstein Company)

Emma Thompson Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)

Actor in a Motion Picture

Christian Bale American Hustle (Sony)

Bruce Dern Nebraska (Paramount)

Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight)

Tom Hanks Captain Phillips (Sony)

Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features...

The decision by the AFI/Aacta to maintain seven awards for non-Australian films while combining the best TV comedy and best light entertainment series into one category has been challenged by several producers.

They question why money and resources are being poured into the Aacta International Awards in Los Angeles when the AFI/Aacta is struggling financially due to lack of sponsorship and screen industry support.

Other producers defend the International Awards as a way for the organisation to build the brand and strive to make the awards more valuable to private and government sponsors

AFI/Aacta CEO Damian Trewhella tells If it is simplistic and wrong to believe that ditching the international categories would free up more money for the Australian awards. He says the international awards subsidise the Oz awards.

Producer Anthony Buckley decries .the absurd pomposity of seven international awards. while financial constraints forced the organisation to...

The Us opening of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug last weekend failed to match that of the first film. But that.s not likely to worry Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. executives because the sequel outperformed the original in its first international markets.

Meanwhile Saving Mr Banks had a reasonably strong opening on limited screens in the Us after a disappointing first couple of weeks in the UK.

Smaug is projected to earn $US73,6 million in its opening weekend in the Us, 13% below The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey's $84.6 million debut. The Hollywood Reporter noted the sequel faced strong competition in holdovers Frozen and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, while a storm on the East Coast affected ticker sales.

WB reported the action fantasy raked in $135.5 million in 49 markets, outpacing the original in territories such as Germany, France and Brazil and parts of Asia. .Despite a slower start, Smaug...

Sugartime: Hancock Syrupy Recount Gets the Disney Dress Up

There’s a fascinating story lurking somewhere in John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks, but it’s relegated to the shadows, perhaps evident only in fleeting moments of Emma Thompson’s attention worthy performance of Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers, one of those delightfully bitter caustic types that people shudder to socialize with yet love enjoying on cinema screens. Not unlike the adolescent triteness with which racial issues are depicted in his 2009 film The Blind Side (showered with such an overabundance of awards and praise that its reception would make a great parody years from now), Hancock successfully Disneyfies Travers,’ a feat that surely would have her rolling in her grave. The very conflict that buoys Hancock’s film about the creative struggle between Walt Disney and Travers to bring Poppins to the silver screen can only reiterate its own agenda,...

Walt Disney, the studio not the epoymous founder or Tom Hanks, has released several featurettes spotlighting Saving Mr. Banks, which opens today.

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 13, 2013, limited; December 20, 2013, wide

Running Time: 120 min

Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker and Colin Farrell

Director: John Lee Hancock

Producers: Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer

Executive Producers: Paul Trijbits, Christine Langan, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum

Written by: Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith

Two-time Academy Award®–winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen.

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins, he made them a promise—one...

Earlier this week the Golden Globe Awards unveiled their choices for this year’s running, and today (December 13) the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts followed suit.

Marking the second year in a row a David O Russell flick made it into the running, “American Hustle” was nominated for the International Award for Best Film.

But competition will be fierce, as the Christian Bale/Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper project will have to beat “12 Years a Slave,” “Captain Phillips,” “Gravity,” and “Rush.”

“American Hustle” is also in the running for Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

The Aacta International Awards will be held on January 10th, 2014 in Los Angeles.

The nominees are:

Aacta International Award For Best Film

12 Years A Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Gravity

Rush

Aacta International Award For Best Direction

12 Years A Slave Steve McQueen

American Hustle...

Chicago – The world of creation, and the imagination behind it, gets an honorable and elegantly performed treatment in the fascinating “Saving Mr. Banks.” What seems like a “making of” film about the legendary “Mary Poppins,” becomes much more rich in symbolism and consideration.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The story of the meeting between “Mary Poppins” author P.L. Travers and Walt Disney – played with precise grandfatherly charm by Tom Hanks – is really a tale of how individuals have to overcome their circumstances, yet are haunted by them still. In Travers case, it is a harsh childhood on the vast plains of Australia, and in Disney’s formative years it is the scratch-for-survival lower middle class at the dawn of the 20th Century Midwest. Both situations informed their creative souls, tempered by the realities of their own ambitions and the ambitions of the world that absorbed their creativity. The film celebrates it all in a based-on-truth fantasy about denial,...

Today I have a big one for you, Terence Winter's screenplay for Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, all 137 pages of it. Along with that Disney has released Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith's screenplay for Saving Mr. Banks, effectively bringing the number of 2014 Oscar contending screenplays available for download in this very spot to 34. I'm still waiting to hear back on screenplays for Captain Phillips, American Hustle and Inside Llewyn Davis, but I think you have enough reading material for right now. It's almost become too many to mention, but the list of screenplays available below includes Gravity, 42, The Great Gatsby, Prisoners, Nebraska, All is Lost, Frozen, The Way, Way Back, Philomena, August: Osage County, Dallas Buyers Club, The Place Beyond the Pines, Enough Said, 12 Years a Slave, The Bling Ring, The Spectacular Now, Spring Breakers, Before Midnight, The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Kill Your Darlings,...

Golden Globes 2014 predictions (image: Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale in ‘American Hustle’ movie poster) They may be ridiculed, derided, and dismissed, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes ceremony remains the second most important awards-season event — in terms of international public awareness — trailing only the Academy Awards. The nominations for the 2014 Golden Globes ("2013 Golden Globes," if you want to be technical about it) will be announced by Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, and Aziz Ansari (very, very early) on Thursday morning, December 12, 2013. Who will be the nominees? Which movies and performances will Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members want to check out after they hear the names and/or titles of this year’s nominees? Well, below are our 2014 Golden Globes predictions. Like the Academy Awards, Hollywood guilds, and most critics’ groups, quality is an important element in the HFPA members’ selections; but then again,...

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some unsettling images Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Annie Rose Buckley, and Paul Giamatti Written By: Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith Directed By: John Lee Hancock Where is the line between commercial entertainment and artistic integrity? Funnily enough, the making of Saving […]

Read Review: Saving Mr. Banks on Filmonic.