2016 Black Reel Awards Announced; Creed Leads with 5 Wins

The Black Reel Awards annually honor African-Americans in feature, independent, and television film.  The awards also take notice of the work in film by people of color throughout the African Diaspora.  The awards were launched in 2000, and this is the 16th year the awards will be handed out.  The Black Reel Awards are now given out by the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF).

The Black Reel Awards are comprised of more than 80 voters across the country.  The voters annually select and spotlight films and performances featuring African-Americans, as well as people of color throughout the African Diaspora.  The 16th Annual Black Reel Awards were held on Thursday, February 18, 2016.

16th Annual Black Reel Award Winners:

FILM

Outstanding Film
Creed
Sylvester Stallone, Irwin Winkler, David Winkler, Robert Chartoff, William Chartoff, Kevin King-Templeton, Producers

Outstanding Actor
Michael B. Jordan | Creed

Outstanding Actress
Teyonah Parris | Chi-Raq

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Idris Elba | Beasts of No Nation

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Tessa Thompson | Creed

Outstanding Director
Ryan Coogler | Creed

Outstanding Screenplay
Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington | Creed

Outstanding Documentary
What Happened, Miss Simone | Liz Garbus

Outstanding Ensemble
Straight Outta Compton | Victoria Thomas and Cindy Tolan

Outstanding Foreign-Language Film
Girlhood | Céline Sciamma (France)

Outstanding Score
Joseph Trapanese | Straight Outta Compton

Outstanding Original Song
“See You Again” | Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth (Furious 7)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male
Abraham Attah | Beasts of No Nation

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
Kiersey Clemons | Dope

Outstanding Voice Performance
Rihanna | Home

INDEPENDENT

Outstanding Independent Film
Tangerine | Sean Baker

Outstanding Independent Documentary
Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Blues | Carol Bash

Outstanding Independent Short
Addiction | Danny Dzhurayev

TELEVISION

Outstanding TV Documentary or Special
The Wiz Live! | Kenny Leon

Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series
Bessie | Ron Schmidt, Producer

Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
David Oyelowo | Nightingale

Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Dana Owens (Queen Latifah) | Bessie

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
Bokeem Woodbine | Fargo

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Regina King | American Crime

Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Limited Series
Dee Rees | Bessie

Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie or Limited Series
John Ridley | American Crime

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2016 / 88th Academy Awards Nominations; Complete All-White List

The Academy Awards is an American film accolade.  It is best known as the “Oscars,” and is an annual awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements primarily in the American film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette that is officially called the “Academy Award of Merit,” but has become commonly known by its nickname, the “Oscar.”   The awards were first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  The Academy Awards are overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The 88th Oscars nominations were announced on Thursday, January 14, 2016 from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2015 will be presented on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center.  The ceremony will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and will be hosted by Chris Rock.

2016 / 88th Academy Award nominations:

Best Picture
The Big Short - Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers

Bridge of Spies - Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

Brooklyn - Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

Mad Max: Fury Road - Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers

The Martian - Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers

The Revenant - Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers

Room - Ed Guiney, Producer

Spotlight - Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers

Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Directing
The Big Short, Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Film Editing
The Big Short - Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road - Margaret Sixel
The Revenant - Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight - Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Foreign Language Film
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)
Mustang (France)
Son of Saul (Hungary)
Theeb (Jordan)
A War (Denmark)

Original Score
Bridge of Spies - Thomas Newman
Carol - Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight - Ennio Morricone
Sicario - Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - John Williams

Production Design
Bridge of Spies
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich

The Danish Girl
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish

Mad Max: Fury Road
Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson

The Martian
Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak

The Revenant
Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy

Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett

Mad Max: Fury Road
Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams

The Martian
Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner

The Revenant
Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer

Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short - Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn - Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Carol - Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
The Martian - Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Room - Screenplay by Emma Donoghue

Original Screenplay
Bridge of Spies - Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Ex Machina - Written by Alex Garland
Inside Out - Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight - Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton - Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff

Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa - Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran

Boy and the World - Alê Abreu

Inside Out - Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera

Shaun the Sheep Movie - Mark Burton and Richard Starzak

When Marnie Was There - Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura

Cinematography
Carol - Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight - Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road - John Seale
The Revenant - Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario - Roger Deakins

Costume Design
Carol - Sandy Powell
Cinderella - Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl - Paco Delgado
Mad Max: Fury Road - Jenny Beavan
The Revenant - Jacqueline West

Documentary Feature
Amy- Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
Cartel Land - Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
The Look of Silence - Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
What Happened, Miss Simone? - Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom - Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor

Documentary Short Subject
Body Team 12 - David Darg and Bryn Mooser
Chau, Bbeyond the Lines - Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah - Adam Benzine
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness - Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Last Day of Freedom - Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road - Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared - Love Larson and Eva von Bahr

The Revenant - Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini

Original Song
“Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey
Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio

“Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction
Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty

“Simple Song #3” from Youth
Music and Lyric by David Lang

“Til It Happens To You” from The Hunting Ground
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga

“Writing’s On The Wall” from Spectre
Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

Animated Short Film
Bear Story - Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Prologue - Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
Sanjay’s Super Team - Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
We Can’t Live without Cosmos - Konstantin Bronzit
World of Tomorrow - Don Hertzfeldt

Live Action Short Film
Ave Maria - Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
Day One - Henry Hughes
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut) - Patrick Vollrath
Shok - Jamie Donoughue
Stutterer - Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage

Sound Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road - Mark Mangini and David White
The Martian - Oliver Tarney
The Revenant - Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
Sicario - Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Matthew Wood and David Acord

Sound Mixing
Bridge of Spies - Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
Mad Max: Fury Road - Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
The Martian - Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
The Revenant - Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

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Image Comics Announces New Chapter of "Sons of the Devil"

SONS OF THE DEVIL TACKLES A NEW CHAPTER

New York Times bestselling writer Brian Buccellato (Detective Comics, The Flash) and artist Toni Infante will launch a new story arc in their ongoing psychological horror SONS OF THE DEVIL this March.

Previously in SONS OF THE DEVIL, average guy Travis discovered he had family ties to a deadly cult.

In SONS OF THE DEVIL #6, the second arc begins with Travis looking to reconnect with his biological family while his father, David, continues to assemble the pieces for his devil’s sacrifice.

SONS OF THE DEVIL #6 (Diamond code: JAN160553) hits shelves Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, February 29th, 2016.


ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

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Luke Perry is Archie's Dad in Live Action "Archie" TV Series, "Riverdale"

After casting Cole Sprouse (The Sweet Life of Zack and Cody) as Jughead Jones and Lili Reinhart (Surviving Jack) as Betty Cooper in The CW’s pilot episode of the live-action “Riverdale” TV series, comes the news that the next member of the iconic Archie series is here! Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210) has been cast as the father of Archie Andrews.

In the exclusive announcement, Deadline described Luke Perry's Fred Andrews as "easygoing" and the owner of a construction firm who is hoping his son, who worked for him all summer, will someday take over the family business.

Perry, whose series credits also include Oz, John From Cincinnati and Body Of Proof, is repped by TalentWorks and Himber Entertainment.

Expect additional “Riverdale” casting news in the coming weeks.

The one-hour drama will be written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and produced by Warner Brothers Studios and Berlanti Productions and has been described as a subversive take on the classic Archie mythos. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, Jon Goldwater, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa serve as executive producers.

The live-action series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. The show will focus on the eternal love triangle of Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and rich socialite Veronica Lodge, and will include the entire cast of characters from the comic books—including Archie’s rival, Reggie Mantle, and his slacker best friend, Jughead Jones.

Popular gay character Kevin Keller will also play a pivotal role. In addition to the core cast, “Riverdale” will introduce other characters from Archie Comics’ expansive library, including Josie and the Pussycats.

For more information about “Riverdale”, visit the official Archie Comics website.

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"Baywatch" Movie Begins Shooting

PARAMOUNT PICTURES ANNOUNCES START OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON “BAYWATCH”

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Paramount Pictures today announced that principal photography has commenced on “BAYWATCH,” starring Dwayne Johnson (“Central Intelligence,” “Fast & Furious” franchise) and Zac Efron (“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”). Production will take place in Miami and Savannah.

The film will be released on May 19, 2017.

Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses,” “Identity Thief”) is directing the film from a screenplay most recently written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift and Barry Schwartz. Beau Flynn (“HERCULES”), Ivan Reitman (“GHOSTBUSTERS,”), and Michael Berk, Doug Schwartz & Greg Bonann, creators of the iconic “Baywatch” television series, are producing. The executive producers are Michele Berk, Louise Rosner ("THE BIG SHORT"), Tom Pollock, and Ali Bell. Eli Roth is a co-producer.

“BAYWATCH” follows devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) as he butts heads with a brash new recruit (Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.

Joining Johnson and Efron are Alexandra Daddario (“True Detective”), Priyanka Chopra (“Quantico”), Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach (“UNTITLED WOODY ALLEN PROJECT”), Ilfenesh Hadera (“CHI-RAQ”), and Hannibal Buress (“DADDY’S HOME”).


About Paramount Pictures Corporation:
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper Cast for Live Action "Archie" Series, "Riverdale"

Following up on the news that The CW officially picked up the pilot episode for the live-action “Riverdale” TV series comes word that two of the most beloved characters in comics have been cast: Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper.

Former Disney Channel star Cole Sprouse (The Sweet Life of Zack and Cody) will play Jughead Jones in the pilot, with Lili Reinhart (Surviving Jack) playing Betty Cooper.

In the exclusive announcement, Deadline described Reinhart’s Betty as “sweet, studious, eager-to-please and wholesome, with a huge crush on her longtime best friend, Archie.”

Sprouse’s Jughead is described as “a heartthrob with a philosophical bent and former best friend of Archie Andrews.”

Expect more “Riverdale” casting news in the coming weeks.

The one-hour drama will be written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and produced by Warner Brothers Studios and Berlanti Productions and has been described as a subversive take on the classic Archie mythos. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, Jon Goldwater, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa serve as executive producers.

The live-action series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. The show will focus on the eternal love triangle of Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and rich socialite Veronica Lodge, and will include the entire cast of characters from the comic books—including Archie’s rival, Reggie Mantle, and his slacker best friend, Jughead Jones.

Popular gay character Kevin Keller will also play a pivotal role. In addition to the core cast, “Riverdale” will introduce other characters from Archie Comics’ expansive library, including Josie and the Pussycats.

For more information about "Riverdale", visit the official Archie Comics website.

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The Complete Death Note Anime on Blu-ray March 1st, 2016

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES FIRST EVER BLU-RAY HOME MEDIA RELEASE OF DEATH NOTE ANIME SERIES

Supernatural Crime Thriller Debuts On Blu-ray Uncut In A Special Limited “Omega” Edition That Includes Both DEATH NOTE Anime Feature Films, And Also As A Standard Edition Release

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces a new release of one of the anime genre’s greatest series with the debut of DEATH NOTE COMPLETE SERIES on Blu-ray on March 1st, 2016.

The edgy supernatural crime thriller is based in the groundbreaking DEATH NOTE manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (and published by VIZ Media; rated ‘T’ for Teens). VIZ Media’s DEATH NOTE Blu-ray home media releases will be available as a Standard Edition and also as an “Omega” Limited Edition, a definitive collection containing the complete 37-episode series along with 2 DEATH NOTE anime feature films. The Standard Edition and Omega Limited Edition each contain three hours of additional bonus content including interviews with the DEATH NOTE manga creators and behind-the-scenes footage of the English and Japanese voice cast.

In DEATH NOTE, Light Yagami is a genius high school student who is about to learn about life through a book of death. When a bored shinigami, a god of death, named Ryuk drops a black notebook called a Death Note, Light receives power over life and death with the stroke of a pen. Determined to use this dark gift for the best, Light sets out to rid the world of evil - namely the people he believes to be evil. Should anyone own such power? The consequences of Light's actions will set the world ablaze.

DEATH NOTE: THE OMEGA EDITION Blu-ray LimIted Edition · Rated TV-14 · MSRP: $69.99 U.S. / $81.99 CAN

DEATH NOTE, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's suspenseful tale of power, corruption and morality, returns for the first time on Blu-ray! This limited edition 6-disc collector's set includes the complete 37-episode series with five language options along with two feature films (available in three languages) and hours of additional extras! This definitive set also comes with a 64-page booklet, which features the original manga pilot story that inspired the series packaged inside an exclusive chipboard box. Three hours of additional extra content includes interviews with the Japanese creators, behind-the-scenes footage of the English and Japanese voice cast, production art, audio commentary and much more!

DEATH NOTE Blu-ray Standard Edition · Rated TV-14 · MSRP: $54.97 U.S. / $63.99 CAN

Standard Edition release features the complete series on 5 discs, with episodes presented in crisp 1080p resolution with 16:9 video aspect ratio. Episodes are available in 5 languages (Japanese, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French 2.0 audio and subtitle selections). Also catch three hours of bonus content, including interviews with the Japanese creators, behind-the-scenes footage with the English and Japanese voice casts, production art, audio commentary and much more!

For additional information on DEATH NOTE or other anime and manga titles distributed by VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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