We mustn’t dwell… no, not today, not on Rex Manning Day. Today marks the 30th anniversary of Rex Manning Day, the fictional day celebrated in the Allan Moyle disaffected teen comedy Empire Records. Rex Manning Day is celebrated to honor the memory and legacy of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who on April 8th was found dead in his Seattle mansion on Lake Washington Boulevard from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after dying on April 5, 1994.
Directed by Allan Moyle, Empire Records takes place over twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults, thanks to each other and the manager. Dripping with attitude, pining, and real-life drama, Empire Records taps into the struggles of a generation by exploring social pressure, the importance of found family, and the power of music as a healing tool. Written by Carol Heikkinen, Empire Records stars Anthony Lapaglia,...
Directed by Allan Moyle, Empire Records takes place over twenty-four hours in the lives of the young employees at Empire Records when they all grow up and become young adults, thanks to each other and the manager. Dripping with attitude, pining, and real-life drama, Empire Records taps into the struggles of a generation by exploring social pressure, the importance of found family, and the power of music as a healing tool. Written by Carol Heikkinen, Empire Records stars Anthony Lapaglia,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
"Empire Records" is a movie that not a ton of people saw, but many of us who came up in the late '90s/early aughts remember the 1995 film quite fondly. The movie was directed by Allan Moyle (who will always be my hero for giving us "Pump Up the Volume") from a screenplay by Carol Heikkinen. It centers on a day -- Rex Manning Day! -- in the life of a ragtag group of record store employees as they try to stop their shop, Empire Records, from becoming just another Music Town.
I worked at an independent music store in the early 2000s, one that was doomed to eventually be sold to a large chain. I have clear memories of all of us saying, "Damn the man. Save the Empire!" on more than one occasion. Sadly, there was no saving CD World and we were all soon out of...
I worked at an independent music store in the early 2000s, one that was doomed to eventually be sold to a large chain. I have clear memories of all of us saying, "Damn the man. Save the Empire!" on more than one occasion. Sadly, there was no saving CD World and we were all soon out of...
- 1/29/2023
- by Jamie Gerber
- Slash Film
Creative people can find inspiration from a wide variety of places. Stepping out of your comfort zone, nature, personal or physical obstacles, and the arts are just a few areas that could lead to your next great creation. But more often than not, you need not look further than the people and places around you to find your next story or characters. And that's exactly what screenwriter Carol Heikkinen did when she wrote the script for "Empire Records."
The cult classic teen movie about a group of young people that work at a record store was based on her days as an employee at the Tower Records in Phoenix, Arizona's Christown Mall. The first draft was written on spec over the course of a few weeks and was sold about a week after completion in a bidding war. But that version of the story was pretty different from the one that ended up onscreen.
The cult classic teen movie about a group of young people that work at a record store was based on her days as an employee at the Tower Records in Phoenix, Arizona's Christown Mall. The first draft was written on spec over the course of a few weeks and was sold about a week after completion in a bidding war. But that version of the story was pretty different from the one that ended up onscreen.
- 1/25/2023
- by Ben F. Silverio
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Columbia Pictures film Center Stage, which was released on May 12, 2000 and launched the feature careers of Zoe Saldana and Amanda Schull.
Center Stage, a follow-up series to the cult film, has now been put in development by Sony Pictures Television. It comes from Sweet/Vicious creator Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Laurence Mark, producer of the 2000 movie and its two sequels, and Temple Hill Entertainment.
Written by Robinson, who also executive produces and will direct the potential pilot, Center Stage is a series continuation of the original film set today within the highly competitive world of dance. It follows a new, inclusive class of dancers as they work to stay at the academy and clash against the traditional students and style the Aba is known for. Ballet has always been a conformist world, but with Cooper Nielson now at the helm of the Aba and the ABC,...
Center Stage, a follow-up series to the cult film, has now been put in development by Sony Pictures Television. It comes from Sweet/Vicious creator Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Laurence Mark, producer of the 2000 movie and its two sequels, and Temple Hill Entertainment.
Written by Robinson, who also executive produces and will direct the potential pilot, Center Stage is a series continuation of the original film set today within the highly competitive world of dance. It follows a new, inclusive class of dancers as they work to stay at the academy and clash against the traditional students and style the Aba is known for. Ballet has always been a conformist world, but with Cooper Nielson now at the helm of the Aba and the ABC,...
- 5/12/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The 1995 coming-of-age teen film Empire Records, might just be one of my favorite films of the 90s. I love that movie and it embodies so many things that I loved about that era. For those of you who are fans of the film as well, you might be interested in knowing that you might be able to celebrate Rex Manning Day on Broadway in the near future as the movie is being adapted into a Broadway musical.
You know what, it's not really that hard to imagine this story being adapted into a musical. It might actually work. It's being written by original Empire Records writer Carol Heikkinen and it's being produced by Bill Weiner. The music and lyrics will be written by Zoe Sarnak.
The original film, which was directed by Allan Moyle starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth.
You know what, it's not really that hard to imagine this story being adapted into a musical. It might actually work. It's being written by original Empire Records writer Carol Heikkinen and it's being produced by Bill Weiner. The music and lyrics will be written by Zoe Sarnak.
The original film, which was directed by Allan Moyle starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth.
- 4/9/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Empire Records, the 1995 music-stuffed cult film set in a record store has been acquired for stage adaptation and is being developed for Broadway by producer Bill Weiner, who’ll work with the film’s original writer Carol Heikkinen, with new music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, the 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant winner for her upcoming musical Afterwords.
A 2020 premiere is being targeted, to coincide with the film’s 25th anniversary.
Released in 1995 by New Regency, Empire Records starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, directed by Allan Moyle. Though not particularly a critical or commercial hit at the time, the movie was later described by BuzzFeed as “the film of a generation” and “the teen-movie equivalent of the mid-‘90s alt-rock zeitgeist… a film that managed, however oddly, to capture the ineffable feeling of being a quasi-alienated teenager in a very specific time.
A 2020 premiere is being targeted, to coincide with the film’s 25th anniversary.
Released in 1995 by New Regency, Empire Records starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, directed by Allan Moyle. Though not particularly a critical or commercial hit at the time, the movie was later described by BuzzFeed as “the film of a generation” and “the teen-movie equivalent of the mid-‘90s alt-rock zeitgeist… a film that managed, however oddly, to capture the ineffable feeling of being a quasi-alienated teenager in a very specific time.
- 4/6/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Just in time for Rex Manning Day on Sunday, producer Bill Weiner announced plans to develop a stage musical based on the 1995 film “Empire Records.” Did you think we would all just fade away?
Original screenwriter Carol Heikkinen (“Center Stage”) will write the stage adaptation, with new music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, the 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant winner for her upcoming musical “Afterwords.” Other members of the creative team will be announced at a later date.
Director Allan Moyle’s teen comedy, which starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, has developed a cult following over the years for its depiction of mid-’90s alt-rock fandom.
Also Read: '90s Flashback: 'Empire Records' Ethan Embry on Rex Manning Day and Playing Lily Tomlin's Son in New Netflix Series
The film was set at Empire Records, last of the independent small-town record stores, as its tight-knit teenage employees gear up for a promotional event for washed-up music star Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield).
Hearing that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Cochrane) places a big bet with a chunk of the store’s money, hoping to get a big return and save the store. When the plan fails, Empire Records falls into serious trouble, and the teens must find a way to fend off the encroaching Music Town overlords.
“The movie was really about a family that formed among these minimum-wage record clerks,” Heikkinen said in a statement. “There’s a lot of nostalgia now for those old record stores where you could go and talk to people who loved the same music you loved, and discover new bands. We hope the musical will capture the memory of what it was like to be young in a time before iTunes and Spotify — music is such an important part of the youth experience, and it’s what brings these characters together.”
Also Read: Broadway's Revival Fever: Do Old Shows Still Play in #MeToo Era? (Guest Blog)
Sarnak added, “I first saw ‘Empire Records’ when my older sister brought it home on VHS…. Over the years, I watched it again and again because that cast — those characters — were my idea of the coolest misfits. Teenagers who loved music as much as I did, and still do.”
Weiner, who jump-started New Regency’s theatrical stage business and served as the studio’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel for 23 years, said: “I am beyond thrilled to bring this iconic film to the Broadway stage.”
Read original story ‘Empire Records’ to Become Broadway-Bound Musical – Just in Time for Rex Manning Day At TheWrap...
Original screenwriter Carol Heikkinen (“Center Stage”) will write the stage adaptation, with new music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak, the 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant winner for her upcoming musical “Afterwords.” Other members of the creative team will be announced at a later date.
Director Allan Moyle’s teen comedy, which starred Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Anthony Lapaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth, has developed a cult following over the years for its depiction of mid-’90s alt-rock fandom.
Also Read: '90s Flashback: 'Empire Records' Ethan Embry on Rex Manning Day and Playing Lily Tomlin's Son in New Netflix Series
The film was set at Empire Records, last of the independent small-town record stores, as its tight-knit teenage employees gear up for a promotional event for washed-up music star Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield).
Hearing that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Cochrane) places a big bet with a chunk of the store’s money, hoping to get a big return and save the store. When the plan fails, Empire Records falls into serious trouble, and the teens must find a way to fend off the encroaching Music Town overlords.
“The movie was really about a family that formed among these minimum-wage record clerks,” Heikkinen said in a statement. “There’s a lot of nostalgia now for those old record stores where you could go and talk to people who loved the same music you loved, and discover new bands. We hope the musical will capture the memory of what it was like to be young in a time before iTunes and Spotify — music is such an important part of the youth experience, and it’s what brings these characters together.”
Also Read: Broadway's Revival Fever: Do Old Shows Still Play in #MeToo Era? (Guest Blog)
Sarnak added, “I first saw ‘Empire Records’ when my older sister brought it home on VHS…. Over the years, I watched it again and again because that cast — those characters — were my idea of the coolest misfits. Teenagers who loved music as much as I did, and still do.”
Weiner, who jump-started New Regency’s theatrical stage business and served as the studio’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel for 23 years, said: “I am beyond thrilled to bring this iconic film to the Broadway stage.”
Read original story ‘Empire Records’ to Become Broadway-Bound Musical – Just in Time for Rex Manning Day At TheWrap...
- 4/6/2018
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Cue the '90s Flashbacks! The Casts of "Empire Records" and "Can't Hardly Wait" Reunited This Weekend
Ethan Embry had a very busy weekend. The actor took part in not one, but two different reunions in Los Angeles, celebrating a pair of '90s films that we still can't get enough of! First up: "Empire Records." Buzzfeed hosted a 20th anniversary screening of the flick on Friday evening, with a Q&A with the cast following the film. While Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger and Rex Manning himself, Maxwell Caulfield, were Mia, Embry was joined by Robin Tunney, Johnny Whitworth, Coyote Shivers, director Allan Moyle and screenwriter Carol Heikkinen. We gotta hand it to them, this cast still looks amazing two decades later. Aj is dreamy as ever! During the panel, Tunney revealed that it was her idea to have her character shave her head. "Allan came to me and he’s like, ‘I think the studio wants to fire you ‘cause they think you’re kind of too cute to be depressed,...
- 8/17/2015
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
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