It’s been a busy week in the movie world.
Two highly regarded film critics announced that they’re stepping down or moving on to other things. A.O. “Tony” Scott, my favorite New York Times film reviewer, is joining the New York Times Book Review as their lead guy. No more daily movie reviews in the Times. This is very sad. Tony was the absolutely clearest Times reviewer who more often than not “got it.” I will miss, and I’ll bet filmmakers who counted on his intelligence will, too…Meantime, Alfonso Duralde of The Wrap is ankling his post to finish a book. He promises something “big” after that. Who knows? Maybe he’ll take Tony’s place at the Times next fall…
Wendell Pierce is just coming off an acclaimed run on Broadway as Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman.” He should win a Tony for his work. Tomorrow at the NAACP Image Awards, Pierce is up for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series, and Dramatic Special in the No Equal Entertainment production of “Don’t Hang Up.” In “Don’t Hang Up,” Pierce plays Chris Daniels, a man who receives a call that his daughter has been kidnapped. The kidnappers demand that he completes a series of different missions to get her back, including one crucial direction to not hang up the phone….
Last year, pr maven Ken Sunshine, whose firm is Sunshine Sachs et al, gave up representing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association when the Golden Globes became mired in scandal. Last week the Motion Picture Academy announced it had hired a “crisis” team for the Oscars in case anything like last year’s Will Smith slap might happen. It’s unlikely, but just in case it seems like Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis is on the game. They’re the right people to have in line. The Oscars are ready! But probably putting the nominees back in theater seats, and not at tables (as they were last year) will minimize the possibilities of people wandering about…
