The TradeVine – Entertainment Trade Article Highlights – May 1st, 2020

Welcome to the TradeVine whose purpose is to encourage the entertainment industry to read their trades: Variety, Backstage, Hollywood Reporter, etc. Enjoy learning about your industry.

Each Friday, The TradeVine seeks out a few of the informative trade articles you may have missed. Please visit the trade, itself, for the entire article.


Backstage – The 1 Piece of Advice Every Actor Must Hear, By Tom Burke

When I sit in on castings, I watch actors come in one after the other, after the other, all trying to be what they think they’re supposed to be. I watch amazing, talented actors push away or hide the things that make them unique and special. It just kills me.

And then in walks an actor, no excuses, no apologies, just a raw confidence in who they are and what special attributes they’re bringing to the table, and everyone in the room exhales a sigh of relief. Finally.
Someone who is real. Someone not trying to be what they think they’re supposed to be or trying to be what they want to be or trying to be something someone has told them they should be. A real person owning everything about themselves: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It’s usually those “ugly” parts or aspects of our personalities we don’t think are good enough, that might be thought of as negative, that aren’t as bold and bright as we think an actor is supposed to be, that separates us from every other actor at that audition. Aspects that color us as full, layered, real human beings, the things that directors seek out and look for in an actor. Read Entire Article Here


The Hollywood Reporter – Charlie Parker’s Story to Be Told in Graphic Novel ‘Chasin’ the Bird’ , By Graeme McMillan

The influential jazz musician’s Californian experience, which lasted from 1945 through 1947 and helped create some of his greatest music, will be the subject of a new book from Z2 Comics.

This year marks a century since Charlie Parker Jr., one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, was born. To mark the centenary, Z2 Comics — the publisher behind the upcoming graphic novel Grateful Dead: Origins — is teaming with jazz scholar and cartoonist Dave Chisholm to tell the real-life story of Parker’s time in Los Angeles in a new graphic novel, Chasin’ the Bird: Charlie Parker in California.

Named for his 1947 standard, the book will begin with the arrival of Parker, affectionately known as “Bird,” and Dizzy Gillespie in L.A. in late 1945, with the two bringing the sound of East Coast jazz — which is to say, bebop, the jazz genre Parker was integral in the creation of — to a residency in Billy Berg’s iconic Hollywood jazz club. It was the beginning of a two-year stay in California for Parker, which combined personal hardships and professional highpoint, including both being committed to a mental hospital for six months and recording some of his most groundbreaking work, including “Ornithology” and “Relaxin’ at Camarillo,” the latter a reference to his hospital stay. Read Entire Article Here


Variety – Oscars Will Consider Films That Didn’t Play in Theaters as Part of New Academy Rules, By Marc Malkin

During a meeting on Tuesday, the board of governors approved a temporary hold on the requirement that a film needs a seven-day theatrical run in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County to qualify for the Oscars.

Instead, films will be allowed to be released digitally without playing in theaters. However, that doesn’t mean any movie premiering on a streaming service is eligible for Oscar gold. To be considered, the streamed film must have already had a planned theatrical release. The film must also be made available on the Academy Screening Room member-only streaming site within 60 days of the film’s streaming or VOD release.

“The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater,” Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement. “Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules. The Academy supports our members and colleagues during this time of uncertainty. We recognize the importance of their work being seen and also celebrated, especially now, when audiences appreciate movies more than ever.” Read Entire Article Here


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