This is a dark moment for frazzled members of the writing fraternity.
Picketers in Hollywood and New York fear a prolonged standoff gripping film and TV. Also troubling, their colleagues in digital media are patching together their résumés as Vice Media and BuzzFeed prepare for crash landings. Will others follow?
Even a digital zealot like Ben Smith sees the moment as “a humbling experience.” His new book, titled Traffic, vividly revisits the picaresque adventures of the “muckrakers, dweebs and wing nuts” who set out to revolutionize legacy journalism. Some became at once rich and unemployed.
The New York Times liked Smith’s book, even though he quit that paper to start yet another digital adventure called Semafor — its fate still to be determined.
Here’s the irony: While Smith and his social media colleagues are making lots of noise for their next adventures, their colleagues in film and TV are frozen in silence.
Picketers in Hollywood and New York fear a prolonged standoff gripping film and TV. Also troubling, their colleagues in digital media are patching together their résumés as Vice Media and BuzzFeed prepare for crash landings. Will others follow?
Even a digital zealot like Ben Smith sees the moment as “a humbling experience.” His new book, titled Traffic, vividly revisits the picaresque adventures of the “muckrakers, dweebs and wing nuts” who set out to revolutionize legacy journalism. Some became at once rich and unemployed.
The New York Times liked Smith’s book, even though he quit that paper to start yet another digital adventure called Semafor — its fate still to be determined.
Here’s the irony: While Smith and his social media colleagues are making lots of noise for their next adventures, their colleagues in film and TV are frozen in silence.
- 5/4/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Days after Cross Creek Pictures acquired a spec script about the life and career of conservative news mogul Matt Drudge, another Drudge biopic appears to be in the works.
Jeff Kwatinetz’s Prospect Park has acquired the rights to “The Drudge Revolution” from author and journalist Matthew Lysiak and intends to develop it into a feature film, according to CNN. Lysiak also wrote the script for the film based on his book about the Drudge Report founder.
Ben Hurwitz is overseeing the project.
Also Read:
Seth Meyers Rips Rudy Giuliani for Being Drunk on Election Night: ‘Wish I Could’ve Seen the Rest of That Deposition’ (Video)
The book “The Drudge Revolution” from 2020 has the full subtitle: “The Untold Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media.” It includes interviews with Drudge’s friends and former Drudge Report editor Joseph Curl,...
Jeff Kwatinetz’s Prospect Park has acquired the rights to “The Drudge Revolution” from author and journalist Matthew Lysiak and intends to develop it into a feature film, according to CNN. Lysiak also wrote the script for the film based on his book about the Drudge Report founder.
Ben Hurwitz is overseeing the project.
Also Read:
Seth Meyers Rips Rudy Giuliani for Being Drunk on Election Night: ‘Wish I Could’ve Seen the Rest of That Deposition’ (Video)
The book “The Drudge Revolution” from 2020 has the full subtitle: “The Untold Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media.” It includes interviews with Drudge’s friends and former Drudge Report editor Joseph Curl,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Digital media giant BuzzFeed has acquired fellow publisher HuffPost, as part of a larger advertising and content partnership between BuzzFeed and HuffPost’s parent company, Verizon Media. As part of the acquisition, Verizon Media has also purchased a minority stake in BuzzFeed.
The size of Verizon Media’s investment in BuzzFeed wasn't disclosed, though BuzzFeed purchased HuffPost in a stock deal, The Wall Street Journal reports. Notably, BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti was also the co-founder of HuffPost in 2005 alongside Arianna Huffington, Andrew Breitbart, and Kenneth Lerer. HuffPost was acquired by AOL for $315 million in 2011, and AOL was acquired by Verizon for $4.4 billion in 2015. Verizon Media, for its part, is the media division of the telecom giant, whose portfolio also includes Yahoo and Techcrunch.
The multi-faceted deal, BuzzFeed and Verizon Media say, will unlock new revenue opportunities in terms of content syndication across both properties. BuzzFeed and Verizon Media will also...
The size of Verizon Media’s investment in BuzzFeed wasn't disclosed, though BuzzFeed purchased HuffPost in a stock deal, The Wall Street Journal reports. Notably, BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti was also the co-founder of HuffPost in 2005 alongside Arianna Huffington, Andrew Breitbart, and Kenneth Lerer. HuffPost was acquired by AOL for $315 million in 2011, and AOL was acquired by Verizon for $4.4 billion in 2015. Verizon Media, for its part, is the media division of the telecom giant, whose portfolio also includes Yahoo and Techcrunch.
The multi-faceted deal, BuzzFeed and Verizon Media say, will unlock new revenue opportunities in terms of content syndication across both properties. BuzzFeed and Verizon Media will also...
- 11/19/2020
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
It’s impossible to separate American Dharma, the latest film from legendary documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, from the controversy surrounding its subject. Steve Bannon—former Trump campaign/administration advisor and guru of the so-dubbed “alt-right” movement with his former far-right propaganda news site Breitbart that he helped popularize alongside the late Andrew Breitbart—recently found himself “pulled from” the New Yorker festival of “ideas” when people fairly questioned the point of giving his “ideas” a platform. The broad strokes of his rhetoric are saving America’s economy and bringing about jobs through racist dog-whistle nationalism, disrupting the elite class of bureaucratic politicians, and even more unregulated trickledown economics—a policy a lot of Democratic and Republican elites already agree with him on (remember that “tax bill”?) despite the evidence that it is responsible for creating more wealth inequality than ever.
Which is why going into Errol Morris’ third installment of...
Which is why going into Errol Morris’ third installment of...
- 9/14/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Remember Acorn? Founded in 1970 as a grassroots advocacy group dedicated to supporting low and middle-income Americans in all manner of social issues, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was only dissolved in 2010, but it might as well have been a million years ago. Of course, that acronym hasn’t lost any of its flavor for the millions of people it helped to defend against the likes of predatory lending and unlivable wages, or for any of the right-wing media types who feverishly smeared and entrapped the consortium as part of their efforts to disenfranchise voters and discredit liberal causes.
If all of this feels like ancient history, that’s probably because it went down prior to the Age of Trump, when something like the Acorn scandal might barely crack the evening news. And yet, Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard’s convincing but unfocused documentary “Acorn and the Firestorm...
If all of this feels like ancient history, that’s probably because it went down prior to the Age of Trump, when something like the Acorn scandal might barely crack the evening news. And yet, Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard’s convincing but unfocused documentary “Acorn and the Firestorm...
- 4/5/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Update with video HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher had a true Hollywood ending tonight: The host proposed a sort of affirmative action for conservatives in entertainment to protect America from bitter industry wash-outs like Andrew Breitbart, Steve Bannon and Dana Loesch. Breitbart “called celebrities ‘elitist pestilence with their cocktail parties on the West Side,’ ” Maher said. “‘God, I f*cking hate them,’ he said. Which is funny because for years you know who I’d…...
- 3/24/2018
- Deadline TV
Steve Bannon, known as Stephen K. Bannon on his IMDb page, is reportedly making plans to return to his first love: Making movies. According to Page Six, Bannon has been taking meetings with “movie companies,” specifically with an eye toward making Westerns. Bannon’s rise to fame is as strange and ominous as Donald Trump’s; he landed at Breitbart news after producing a slew of right-wing political documentaries, causing Andrew Breitbart to call him the Leni Reifenstahl of the Tea Party movement. In a cruel twist of fate, he also earns ‘Seinfeld’ royalties.
Now, the architect of the alt-right movement is hoping to parlay his skills rallying white supremacists into Hollywood success once again. “The Western thing actually makes sense when you consider his strategy with Trump,” once source, told Page Six. “Maybe [Bannon] thinks there’s an untapped market for movies about John Wayne-style alpha males.”
Read More:...
Now, the architect of the alt-right movement is hoping to parlay his skills rallying white supremacists into Hollywood success once again. “The Western thing actually makes sense when you consider his strategy with Trump,” once source, told Page Six. “Maybe [Bannon] thinks there’s an untapped market for movies about John Wayne-style alpha males.”
Read More:...
- 9/15/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Steve Bannon has been called “a stone cold racist,” a “white supremacist,” and an “anti-Semite” by politicians and cable news personalities. However, in a recent Q&A, Bannon’s former Hollywood partner Jeff Kwatinetz slammed those reports and defended Bannon, who in the 1990s, long before becoming Donald Trump’s chief strategist, was a Hollywood investment banker who executive produced Sean Penn’s directorial debut “The Indian Runner,” and later invested in “Seinfeld.”
Read More: Actors Read Steve Bannon’s Shakespearean Screenplay About the 1992 La Riots — Watch
“As a liberal, I don’t judge people on their politics, I judge them on their character, and from what I knew then and what I know now, Steve has great character. He’s not a racist or anti-Semitic. Things like that are absurd,” Kwatinetz —who is the founder of The Firm, the talent management and TV production company Bannon was with in 2002 and 2003— told The Hollywood Reporter.
Read More: Actors Read Steve Bannon’s Shakespearean Screenplay About the 1992 La Riots — Watch
“As a liberal, I don’t judge people on their politics, I judge them on their character, and from what I knew then and what I know now, Steve has great character. He’s not a racist or anti-Semitic. Things like that are absurd,” Kwatinetz —who is the founder of The Firm, the talent management and TV production company Bannon was with in 2002 and 2003— told The Hollywood Reporter.
- 5/8/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
A conservative political activist and investigative journalist caused a stir Sunday night at the world premiere of Acorn and the Firestorm at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The documentary explores how the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (Acorn), a group of more than 400,000 left-leaning members, became a major player in the 2008 presidential election that resulted in Barack Obama's victory and was subsequently taken down by the strategic efforts of conservatives, including exposé videos from a then-budding media entity spearheaded by Andrew Breitbart. The group also was aided by conservative activists James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, who posed...
The documentary explores how the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (Acorn), a group of more than 400,000 left-leaning members, became a major player in the 2008 presidential election that resulted in Barack Obama's victory and was subsequently taken down by the strategic efforts of conservatives, including exposé videos from a then-budding media entity spearheaded by Andrew Breitbart. The group also was aided by conservative activists James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, who posed...
- 4/24/2017
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Acorn and the Firestorm charts the rise and fall of the controversial community organizing group — and oddly foreshadows our political present, says the film’s director.
The documentary, set to premiere Sunday at the Tribeca Film Festival, explores how the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (Acorn), a group of over 400,000 left-leaning members, became a major player in the 2008 presidential election that resulted in Barack Obama’s victory, and was subsequently taken down by the strategic efforts of conservatives, including exposé videos from a then-budding media entity spearheaded by Andrew Breitbart.
“One thing I could never have...
The documentary, set to premiere Sunday at the Tribeca Film Festival, explores how the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (Acorn), a group of over 400,000 left-leaning members, became a major player in the 2008 presidential election that resulted in Barack Obama’s victory, and was subsequently taken down by the strategic efforts of conservatives, including exposé videos from a then-budding media entity spearheaded by Andrew Breitbart.
“One thing I could never have...
- 4/17/2017
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BuzzFeed wants some answers from the FBI about deceased conservative media figure Andrew Breitbart — and it’s willing to sue to find out. BuzzFeed and journalist Jason Leopold have filed a complaint against the FBI, claiming that the bureau hasn’t done everything it can to answer their request for information on Breitbart. The complaint, filed Friday in federal court in California, says that Leopold filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI for “all records related to Andrew Breitbart” on Aug. 7, 2012, a few months after Breitbart died at age 43. Also Read: Dropped @ALT_uscis Twitter Lawsuit Signals Immigration.
- 4/8/2017
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Stephen K. Bannon’s ascension from Breitbart News executive to President-elect Donald Trump’s chief White House strategist and senior counselor shocked the world, in no small part because the alt-right figure has no background in government management. However, it’s not the first time Bannon has attempted to lead an industry outside of his professional experience. Bannon’s new role may be an ideal platform for propagandistic ambitions, but his career in independent film — first in distribution, then production — casts doubt on how much he believes in any of it.
Ten years ago, Bannon oversaw the distribution of independent films released by Wellspring Media, a company that supported a wide range of international cinema as well as gay-themed and other “transgressive” titles. Movies acquired and released under his tenure include the experimental Lgbt documentary “Tarnation” and “Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry,” a pro-Kerry documentary that opened during the 2004 election.
Ten years ago, Bannon oversaw the distribution of independent films released by Wellspring Media, a company that supported a wide range of international cinema as well as gay-themed and other “transgressive” titles. Movies acquired and released under his tenure include the experimental Lgbt documentary “Tarnation” and “Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry,” a pro-Kerry documentary that opened during the 2004 election.
- 11/21/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Breitbart News published, and then took down, a post bashing its former editor-at large, Ben Shapiro, who stepped down last night over the outlet’s handling of allegations that a Donald Trump campaign staffer assaulted reporter Michelle Fields. The now-deleted post, which was first reported by Gawker, was titled “Ben Shapiro Betrays Loyal Breitbart Readers In Pursuit of Fox News Contributorship.” The screed bashes Shapiro and Buzzfeed, the site that he spoke to regarding his decision to step down. “Former Breitbart News editor-at-large Ben Shapiro announced Sunday evening via left-wing Buzzfeed that he is abandoning Andrew Breitbart’s lifelong best friend,...
- 3/14/2016
- by Brian Flood
- The Wrap
When Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson took to the podium at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference Friday, he shared his thoughts about sexually transmitted diseases and how their spread can be stopped with the crowd. Phil Robertson on STDs Robertson was at Cpac to accept the Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award from […]
The post Phil Robertson Delivers Rant On Stds At Cpac appeared first on uInterview.
The post Phil Robertson Delivers Rant On Stds At Cpac appeared first on uInterview.
- 3/2/2015
- by Chelsea Regan
- Uinterview
Fourteen months after he sparked a major controversy for making remarks widely perceived as anti-gay, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson has been named the recipient of a free-speech award from Citizens United, an organization routinely disparaged by Hollywood liberals. Robertson will receive the "Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award" at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, which is better known as Cpac and is one of the biggest annual events for prominent movers and shakers on the right. Read More 'Duck Dynasty' Family Musical Taking Flight in Las Vegas Sourcing the Bible, Robertson said in a
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- 2/17/2015
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Friends of Abe, a private group of politically conservative entertainment-industry workers, said Sunday it has been granted tax-exempt status after battling with the IRS for three years. The group, known among insiders as Foa, said the IRS has designated it a 501(c)(3) and backdated the status beginning in February 2011, when Foa first formed as a legal entity. Foa as a fellowship, though, has existed for nearly 10 years, loosely formed by actors Gary Sinise, Kelsey Grammer and Jon Voight, along with the late Andrew Breitbart, writer-producer Lionel Chetwynd and others. Friends of Abe is a reference
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- 3/17/2014
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 19, 2013
Price: DVD $29.95
Studio: Music Box
Brandon Darby (l.) working with Common Ground Collective, as seen in Informant.
The 2012 documentary Informant presents a portrait of Brandon Darby, a left-wing activist turned FBI informant and then Tea Party conservative whose actions led to the arrest of two protesters at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
In 2005, Texas-born Brandon Darby became an overnight hero when he traveled to Katrina-devastated New Orleans and braved toxic floodwaters to rescue a friend stranded in the Ninth Ward. Soon after, he became a co-founder and spokesperson for Common Ground, a successful grassroots relief organization. But over the next few years, he began hiding a shocking secret. After two young protestors, David McKay and Bradley Crowder, were arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention, Darby revealed he had been instrumental in the indictment as an FBI informant. Today, having renounced his Left-wing past, Darby is a...
Price: DVD $29.95
Studio: Music Box
Brandon Darby (l.) working with Common Ground Collective, as seen in Informant.
The 2012 documentary Informant presents a portrait of Brandon Darby, a left-wing activist turned FBI informant and then Tea Party conservative whose actions led to the arrest of two protesters at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
In 2005, Texas-born Brandon Darby became an overnight hero when he traveled to Katrina-devastated New Orleans and braved toxic floodwaters to rescue a friend stranded in the Ninth Ward. Soon after, he became a co-founder and spokesperson for Common Ground, a successful grassroots relief organization. But over the next few years, he began hiding a shocking secret. After two young protestors, David McKay and Bradley Crowder, were arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention, Darby revealed he had been instrumental in the indictment as an FBI informant. Today, having renounced his Left-wing past, Darby is a...
- 10/14/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Director: Jamie Meltzer It’s good to be reminded every now and then that if the truth exists, you’ll probably never know for sure if you’ve found it. Take the story of Brandon Darby, the once-upon-a-time Austin anarchist activist turned FBI informant and Andrew Breitbart-endorsed Tea Party darling. Depending on who you ask, he’s either a […]...
- 9/13/2013
- by Linc Leifeste
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
When the late malevolent rightwing carny Andrew Breitbart provides your sole positive character reference out of nearly a dozen people speaking about you—some of whom were once your best friends—you might want to re-think your existence. In director Jamie Meltzer's mesmerizing documentary Informant, Brandon Darby—a onetime lefty activist darling turned FBI informant and rightwing spokesman—is slowly filleted by former associates. None, however, are more damning than his own documented actions, or the original interviews he gives Meltzer; he's tense, combative, defensive, and unconvincing as he argues on his own behalf. As is true with many fallen heroes, Darby's strength and Achilles heel were (are) one and the same. A handsome, magnetic alpha male, he's ...
- 9/11/2013
- Village Voice
It’s a “surreal experience” to have a movie with sky-high fan scores, yet a 0% fresh score on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, says Andrew Marcus, the director of the documentary Hating Breitbart – about the late right-wing lightning rod Andrew Breitbart. With no critic giving the film a positive review, but a 96% positive user-reviewed experience, Marcus has found himself with the dubious honor of possibly having the biggest discrepancy between user and critical reviews in the site’s history.
Marcus wanted to make a film about Breitbart when he was on the ground covering the Tea Party protests that were...
Marcus wanted to make a film about Breitbart when he was on the ground covering the Tea Party protests that were...
- 6/13/2013
- by Erin Strecker
- EW - Inside Movies
Let’s say that you and your friends get accused of being racist. And let’s say there’s nothing in your heart that fits that accusation. You know you’re a celebrator of freedom, a passionate American who wishes all people could enjoy the best that this country has to offer. You’re white, incidentally. Still, you’re accused, and your reputation is tarnished, so you elect to fight back. How to go about it? If you’re the late Andrew Breitbart, champion of the Tea Party’s virtue against the likes of Janeane Garofalo, the answer is clear: Point out as often as you can that, no, it’s actually black people who are the racists. You don’t put it in those words, of course. No. You yell at the media—&l...
- 5/17/2013
- Village Voice
On Monday, Nov. 26, Greg Gutfeld -- former magazine editor and conservative blogger, current host of Fox News' weeknight roundtable "RedEye W/Greg Gutfeld" and co-host of Fnc's weekday roundtable "The Five" -- brought his new book to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Before a book signing, he gave a lecture (video below, in which he tries, occasionally successfully, to repress his sense of humor in respect to the surroundings). But before all of that, Gutfeld sat down with Zap2it.
His book is called "The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph Over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage," and the description reads, in part, "Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals use the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance.
Before a book signing, he gave a lecture (video below, in which he tries, occasionally successfully, to repress his sense of humor in respect to the surroundings). But before all of that, Gutfeld sat down with Zap2it.
His book is called "The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph Over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage," and the description reads, in part, "Greg Gutfeld hates artificial tolerance. At the root of every single major political conflict is the annoying coddling Americans must endure of these harebrained liberal hypocrisies. In fact, most of the time liberals use the mantle of tolerance as a guise for their pathetic intolerance.
- 11/30/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Released in selected theaters on Oct. 19, Rocky Mountain Pictures' documentary "Hating Breitbart" has earned a bit more than $81,000, well below the company's previous documentary release, Dinesh D'Souza's political "2016: Obama's America," which has made almost $33.5 million since coming out in July.
But "Hating Breitbart" is not so much a political documentary -- although there's plenty of political content in it -- as a glimpse into the future of new media, as reflected in the tumultuous last few years in the life of online entrepreneur and provocateur Andrew Breitbart, who died in March, a month after his 43rd birthday.
Breitbart's father-in-law, actor and game-show panelist Orson Bean, and his wife, actress Alley Mills, headed to a theater in Burbank on opening weekend to see the film.
But, says Bean, "My wife and I were so moved by seeing Andrew again so much, that I don't know what my reaction is to the film.
But "Hating Breitbart" is not so much a political documentary -- although there's plenty of political content in it -- as a glimpse into the future of new media, as reflected in the tumultuous last few years in the life of online entrepreneur and provocateur Andrew Breitbart, who died in March, a month after his 43rd birthday.
Breitbart's father-in-law, actor and game-show panelist Orson Bean, and his wife, actress Alley Mills, headed to a theater in Burbank on opening weekend to see the film.
But, says Bean, "My wife and I were so moved by seeing Andrew again so much, that I don't know what my reaction is to the film.
- 11/6/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Jeffrey Katzenberg is president's top donor and has persuaded much of Hollywood to back him a second time
As head of Disney's film division, Jeffrey Katzenberg scored a box office smash in 1992 with Aladdin, the tale of a plucky underdog who triumphs with the help of a genie in a magic lamp. The animated film swept awards and enchanted audiences.
Twenty years later Katzenberg, now head of DreamWorks Animation, hopes to score again although his hero, Barack Obama, is less of an underdog and the blockbuster drama is better known as the Us presidential election.
The 61-year-old studio mogul has delivered millions of dollars and much celebrity power for the president's bid for a second term, conjuring energy from what had been a deflated constituency. If Obama wins it will to some extent be thanks to his Hollywood genie.
"Katzenberg recognised early that without the support of the entertainment industry's millionaires and billionaires,...
As head of Disney's film division, Jeffrey Katzenberg scored a box office smash in 1992 with Aladdin, the tale of a plucky underdog who triumphs with the help of a genie in a magic lamp. The animated film swept awards and enchanted audiences.
Twenty years later Katzenberg, now head of DreamWorks Animation, hopes to score again although his hero, Barack Obama, is less of an underdog and the blockbuster drama is better known as the Us presidential election.
The 61-year-old studio mogul has delivered millions of dollars and much celebrity power for the president's bid for a second term, conjuring energy from what had been a deflated constituency. If Obama wins it will to some extent be thanks to his Hollywood genie.
"Katzenberg recognised early that without the support of the entertainment industry's millionaires and billionaires,...
- 10/29/2012
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
Moviegoers in Arlington, Va., who attended a Friday night showing of Hating Breitbart saw not only a documentary about conservative rabble rouser Andrew Breitbart but also witnessed one of the people appearing in the movie create a disturbance in the theater -- leading to his removal. Story: Andrew Breitbart Documentary Loses Bid For PG-13 Rating Ryan Clayton, a liberal activist who has contributed to the Huffington Post and has been a guest on Media Matters Radio as well as on the Fox News Channel, is seen in a couple of scenes in Hating Breitbart, and he’s seen in the trailer
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- 10/22/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The folks behind a documentary about deceased conservative rebel Andrew Breitbart have lost a battle with the MPAA to get their film rated PG13, so it will open in limited release Friday with an R rating because of foul language. The movie, Hating Breitbart, was to open a week earlier, but writer-director Andrew Marcus was unpleased with the R rating it received because of several utterances of the F word. He delayed the opening for seven days, took out most of the offending words -- leaving in the ones spoken by Breitbart – and resubmitted the movie to the
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- 10/19/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The release of a documentary about deceased new-media provocateur Andrew Breitbart that was to open Friday has been delayed one week because of a rift between the filmmakers and the MPAA, which has rated the film R due to obscene language. The movie, called Hating Breitbart, is largely about the subject's battles against the mainstream media over the way it allegedly unfairly maligns the Tea Party movement. Clips of Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Bill Maher, Janeane Garofalo and others who call conservatives "teabaggers," "racists" and other disparaging terms are used throughout the film. Story: Mark
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- 10/9/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Watch clips from the documentary Hating Breitbart on Andrew Breitbart. The Rocky Mountain Pictures release opens on October 12th, under the direction of Andrew Marcus. Various names included besides Bleitbart are Matthew Vadum, Stephen K. Bannon, Orson Bean, Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow among others. Having followed Andrew Breitbart since the birth of the Tea Party movement in 2009, the filmmakers got behind the scenes access to Andrew Breitbart and the many media controversies in which he was a key player...
- 10/8/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch clips from the documentary Hating Breitbart on Andrew Breitbart. The Rocky Mountain Pictures release opens on October 12th, under the direction of Andrew Marcus. Various names included besides Bleitbart are Matthew Vadum, Stephen K. Bannon, Orson Bean, Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow among others. Having followed Andrew Breitbart since the birth of the Tea Party movement in 2009, the filmmakers got behind the scenes access to Andrew Breitbart and the many media controversies in which he was a key player...
- 10/8/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "The Avengers" What's It About? Iron Man. Thor. Captain America. Black Widow. Hawkeye. Nick Fury. And the Hulk. Do the math. See It Because: Since you've apparently been in a cave for the last six months, the best way for you to get re-acclimated to human civilization is to watch the biggest movie of the year. (Also Available on Amazon Instant Video | Netflix) Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "Bond 50" What's It About? All the James Bond movies are collected in one Blu-ray box set for the first time, with over 100 hours of bonus features. See It Because: Gee, I wonder why.... New on DVD & Blu-ray "Barricade" What's It About? Will from "Will & Grace" stars in a horror film produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. See It or Skip It: You took a wrong turn, "Avengers" is up north. (Also Available on Netflix | Redbox) "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,...
- 9/25/2012
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out
Directed by Marina Zenovich
USA, 2012
It is probably necessary that Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out exists. Once director Marina Zenovich established herself as the definitive documentarian of the famed director’s sexual assault case with 2008′s fine film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, an account of Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland in 2009 and subsequent court battle was inevitable. In fact, as Zenovich points out in Odd Man Out‘s narration, the popularity of Wanted and Desired made her responsible in some degree for the arrest, so this was a film which she had to make. However, it’s more difficult to make this chapter of the story compelling.
The major problem is that there is no counterweight to the issue that in 1977, the 43-year-old Polanski drugged and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl, and subsequently admitted as much in court. Wanted and Desired created that counterweight by providing exhaustive proof that,...
Directed by Marina Zenovich
USA, 2012
It is probably necessary that Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out exists. Once director Marina Zenovich established herself as the definitive documentarian of the famed director’s sexual assault case with 2008′s fine film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, an account of Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland in 2009 and subsequent court battle was inevitable. In fact, as Zenovich points out in Odd Man Out‘s narration, the popularity of Wanted and Desired made her responsible in some degree for the arrest, so this was a film which she had to make. However, it’s more difficult to make this chapter of the story compelling.
The major problem is that there is no counterweight to the issue that in 1977, the 43-year-old Polanski drugged and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl, and subsequently admitted as much in court. Wanted and Desired created that counterweight by providing exhaustive proof that,...
- 9/25/2012
- by Mark Young
- SoundOnSight
Tampa, Fla. -- Another documentary is drawing controversy at the Republican National Convention -- the filmmakers of Occupy Unmasked, starring the late Andrew Breitbart, say they've received dozens of threats of physical violence in advance of Thursday's screening of the critical look at the Occupy Wall Street movement. Some of the messages target Brandon Darby and Lee Stranahan, two former leftists who appear in the film, according to a spokesperson for Citizens United Prods, the company behind the film. Photos: 20 Biggest Political Players in Hollywood “We’ll be legitimately raping Brandon Darby and Lee Stranahan for the next several days while they
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- 8/29/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In one of the better pairings of material and distributor I’ve seen in quite a long time, THR informs us that Drafthouse Films will be releasing Quentin Dupieux‘s Rubber follow-up, Wrong. It’s fair to assume that anyone with enough excitement doesn’t actually know what they should expect here; the trailer is confounding, and our Sundance review doesn’t make it sound any less esoteric. (Basically, it’s about someone trying to find their dog.) All the more reason to pay attention, if you ask me.
It’s a little unfortunate that the film won’t be coming before the year’s end — Drafthouse are eyeing 2013 — though a secure spot is better than nothing at all.
A few other acquisitions have been announced in the past couple of days, so it’s best to break those down in a quick fashion. First, it’s been announced that...
It’s a little unfortunate that the film won’t be coming before the year’s end — Drafthouse are eyeing 2013 — though a secure spot is better than nothing at all.
A few other acquisitions have been announced in the past couple of days, so it’s best to break those down in a quick fashion. First, it’s been announced that...
- 8/8/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
In February, billionaire sports and media mogul Mark Cuban was seen hugging Barack Obama at a $30,000-a-plate fundraiser for the president's re-election bid. On Monday, Cuban announced that one of his companies, Magnet Releasing, will distribute a film that heavily questions Obama, Democrats and the Occupy Wall Street movement the president has praised. Photos: 11 Children's Movies With Political Agendas? You Betcha, Say Conservatives The film, dubbed Occupy Unmasked, is one of a few documentaries that Andrew Breitbart was involved with prior to his death five months ago. The film, from Citizens United Productions, producer David
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- 8/6/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Magnet Releasing is diving into the pre-election political mix with an all-rights deal to distribute “Occupy Unmasked,” the latest documentary from Citizens United Productions that features the late conservative firebrand Andrew Breitbart. To maximize potential exposure for the politically contentious film, Magnet plans a day-and-date theatrical and VOD release in late September, just six weeks before the presidential election. Citizens United has already had a tremendous impact on the national campaign: its controversial 2008 documentary “Hillary: The Movie” led to a Supreme Court decision that rolled back restrictions on large donations. “Occupy Unmasked” writer-director Stephen K. Bannon has also made the politically charged films “Battle for America,” “Fire From the Heartland” and “Generation Zero” for the company. In “Unmasked,” Breitbart and colleagues Brandon Darby, David Horowitz, Pam...
- 8/6/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Meghan McCain is certain the reason many people in the Republican Party lack respect for her is that she is a moderate Republican. "I'm a proud moderate Republican, but moderate in the current Republican party is a dirty word," she told Al Sharpton today, asserting that this was a "scary time" politically for her, and she could not "understand the popularity of Michelle Malkin and Andrew Breitbart."...
- 5/24/2012
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Andrew Breitbart died of heart failure stemming from coronary disease, this according to the L.A. County coroner's office. A spokesman for the coroner's office says there were minute traces of alcohol in his system, but has ruled no foul play and closed the case. The conservative blogger -- who founded the popular news site Breitbart.com -- died March 2 at UCLA medical center after collapsing near his Brentwood home. He is survived by his wife and four children.
- 4/21/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Conservative firebrand Andrew Breitbart, who died March 1 at the age of 43, was killed by heart failure and hardening of the arteries, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office said Friday. Also read: Watch Andrew Breitbart's Final TV Appearance (Video) The Los Angeles County Coroner has determined that Breitbart, who built a name as a right-wing internet muckraker and helped force the resignation of New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, died a "natural" death, and had no illicit or prescription drugs in his system. Breitbart did have a blood-alcohol level of .04 percent at...
- 4/21/2012
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Andrew Breitbart died of natural causes with no signs of illicit or prescription drugs in his body and his blood alcohol level at .04 percent -- a negligible amount and the result, no doubt, of him enjoying some wine at a bar near his home about an hour before his unexpected death. According to a Los Angeles coroner’s statement, first obtained Friday by Breitbart.com, the conservative new-media maven and highly sought-after television pundit died of heart failure on March 2 at age 43. Photos: 10 Entertainers Republicans and Democrats Love to Hate The coroner’s statement was based on
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- 4/21/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the wake of Andrew Breitbart’s sudden death March 1, the future of his conservative media empire is up in the air. Breitbart News Network anointed Stephen Bannon to be the new CEO, editor and chairman on Monday, charged with shepherding the company without its charismatic founder. In a twist of fate, the company consolidated its websites under the Breitbart banner three days before the passionate politico died. Breitbart's "Bigs" – BigHollywood, BigGoverment, BigJournalism and others – are now subsites on Breitbart.com. The sites initially relied heavily on aggregating content from...
- 3/22/2012
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Breitbart News Network announced Monday the group of executives who will run the company in the absence of founder Andrew Breitbart, who died unexpectedly this month at age 43. Laurence Solov, one of Breitbart's closest friends and the company's legal counsel has been elevated to president and CEO, positions that Breitbart had held. Solov, a Stanford University and UCLA Law School alumna, has served on the company's board of directors since its inception. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2012 "Our goal in 2012 is to continue Andrew's project, 'The Vetting,' which examines the president, his rivals and the mainstream
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- 3/19/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a sadly ironic move, Breitbart.com satellite site Big Journalism, which recently (and tragically) lost founder Andrew Breitbart, has decided to exact revenge for a tough interview by attacking CNN's Soledad O'Brien on the basis of tweets that she sent the day Professor Derrick Bell died. More poetically, in trying to impugn O'Brien's journalistic integrity, they made the most basic of embarrassing mistakes, misspelling the name of Breitbart.com Editor-in-chief Joel Pollak, referencing a "Joel Pollack."...
- 3/9/2012
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
During an exclusive recorded interview with The Hollywood Reporter four weeks before his March 1 death, Andrew Breitbart alleged a plot between MSNBC and Media Matters for America — perhaps even in coordination with the White House – to paint detractors of PresidentObama as bigots. The conservative firebrand suggested the strategy included pressuring advertisers (Rush Limbaugh's recent trouble keeping sponsors seems to fit the bill) and silencing conservatives (he cited Pat Buchanan, who has since been fired after 10 years as an MSNBC contributor). Essential to the strategy, Breitbart said, was hiring the Rev. Al Sharpton as a full-time host at MSNBC. Video: Andrew Breitbart
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- 3/8/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The video the late Andrew Breitbart promised of President Obama was delivered in snippets this morning-- first by Buzzfeed, then by Breitbart's Big sites-- but on tonight's Hannity, editor-in-chief of Breitbart.com Joel Pollak and contributor Ben Shapiro released the full tape-- one held by Professor Charles Ogletree but released in a presentation after the 2008 election, where the professor is clearly heard saying he hid it during the election.
- 3/8/2012
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Andrew Breitbart, the crusading conservative Internet publisher who passed away Thursday at the age of 43, spewed and inspired some of the most inflamed political vitriol. Even after his death, his enemies struggled to say a kind word. So it shouldn’t be surprising that an upcoming documentary about him is titled, Hating Breitbart. Slated for release sometime this year, the doc presents the provocateur as a martyr for the right-wing cause who is constantly attacked for standing up for what he believes is right. In colorful — and in one instance, explicit — language, Breitbart rants about the mainstream media’s efforts...
- 3/7/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
He died March 1, but we haven’t heard the last from Andrew Breitbart, because the conservative rabble-rouser is set to star in two documentary movies, both of which are in post-production and will no doubt get some measure of theatrical distribution. He’ll also make his acting debut in the second episode of Courage: New Hampshire, a show that streams online where he plays a pre-Revolutionary War sheriff. It’s the films, though, that will garner the most attention, because in them he’ll be playing his most compelling role: himself -- an unapologetic and unorthodox crusader for right-wing causes who
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- 3/7/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Steve Bridges, known for his dead-ringer and oftentimes hysterical impressions of presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and others, has died at age 48, his Web site announced Monday. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths In a coincidence sure to titillate conspiracy theorists, Bridges also was an acquaintance of Andrew Breitbart’s, and he performed as Bush at an event Breitbart helped organize two years ago that attracted 1,800 conservatives working in the film and TV industries. Breitbart died last week at age 43 and initial reports suggested the cause was natural, though an autopsy has been performed and toxicology
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- 3/6/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After Ann Coulter appeared on Sean Hannity's program to discuss the legacy of Andrew Breitbart and the way the left responded to his death, Hannity invited liberal commentator Julie Roginsky to discuss boycotts and what he considered was a left-wing desire to silence dissenting voices. Roginsky disagreed by defending Coulter in the most backhanded ways possible, threatening to quote Coulter verbatim in a way that would result in federal communications fines.
- 3/3/2012
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Tonight Sean Hannity railed against liberals who have been writing negative things about the late Andrew Breitbart while many are still grieving. Hannity specifically called out Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi, who titled his Breitbart piece "Death of a Douche" and ended it with "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Taibbi argued the language he used in his piece was a reflection of how Breitbart chose to go after Ted Kennedy right after his death, but Hannity was having none of it.
- 3/3/2012
- by Josh Feldman
- Mediaite - TV
"Andrew Breitbart was the shoulder to cry on, the coach who inspired, the leader who was fearless," according to Patricia Heaton, who penned a memoriam to the controversial journalist who passed away shortly after midnight Thursday. Heaton, the star of ABC's The Middle and formerly of Everybody Loves Raymond, is perhaps the highest-profile of Hollywood's known conservatives to write of her association with Breitbart in any depth since his death at age 43. "He did everything with such aplomb, with such joie de vivre, with such a jolly chutzpah that can only come from someone who is both
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- 3/3/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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