ABC announced today that they were picking up drama How to Get Away with Murder and comedy Black-ish for full season orders.
How to Get Away with Murder created and executive produced by Pete Nowalk and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, has been the standout this fall. The series delivered a whopping 14 million viewers and a 3.8 rating among adults 18-49 in its debut. It has been breaking DVR records and, with a monster time-shifting viewing lift, it ranks as the biggest 10 PM drama debut in two years in Adults 18-49.The season will have 15 total episodes. The show stars Viola Davis as a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university who, with her students, becomes entwined in a murder plot.
The Anthony Anderson comedy Black-ish, debuted strong with 10.8 million viewers. The comedy centers on an upper-middle-class African-American family. The series was able to hold on to most of the Modern Family viewers. The show held the highest Modern Family viewers for a regular comedy debut in the post-Modern Family slot. The season will include 22 total episodes total.
It has still been undecided about ABC’s other freshman series that have already debuted, Manhattan Love Story and Selfie, whose ratings have been pretty low.
There was some big news today that sparked many people’s interests and has been trending all day. That is the announcement that Showtime is reviving the cult favorite, Twin Peaks, from David Lynch and Mark Frost. They announced on Monday that it will air as a nine-episode limited series for a 2016 premiere. Lynch and Frost will write all episodes, with Lynch directing. Production is expected to begin in 2015. It has not been stated whether any original cast members will appear.
“What more can I say — Twin Peaks with David Lynch and Mark Frost on Showtime in 2016!” said David Nevins, president of Showtime Networks. “To quote Agent Cooper, ‘I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.’ ”
Lynch and Frost added in a joint statement: “The mysterious and special world of Twin Peaks is pulling us back. We’re very excited. May the forest be with you.”
Lynch and Frost both teased on Friday the possible revival of the show on Twitter.
Twin Peaks became a phenomenon when it premiered in April 1990, with the two-hour premiere drawing in 34.6 million viewers. It aired on ABC and followed a police investigation of the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer. It was one of the top-rated programs of 1990, earning a renewal before it ended its run on June 10, 1991.
Twin Peaks has continued to maintain a following in popular culture despite its short run. Kyle MacLachlan, Madchen Amick, Michael Ontkean, Dana Ashbrook, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Beymer, Warren Frost and Peggy Lipton were among the stars in the original series.
We chatted with Chicago Music Library’s Executive Vice President, Marrsha Sill.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Marrsha Sill of Chicago Music Library from our Hollywood Production Center location…
Marrsha Sill is the Executive Vice President at Chicago Music Library. Marrsha Sill began her music library career as an Account Executive at APM Music, where she spent many years becoming an expert at promoting and growing APM’s business in the areas of film, television and advertising. Then became Vice President of Film and TV Music at Megatrax and Opus 1 music Library. Marrsha is now a proud member of the “Chicago Music Library” team where she retains her outstanding industry-wide reputation for “representing the artists.”
Marrsha, how did Chicago Music Library (CML) come about?
The Chicago Music Library was the dream child of Robert J. Walsh (veteran film composer and creator of the Hollywood Film Music Library) and James E. Moore (Venture Capitalist and Entrepreneur). On a flight back from Chicago to LA, both decided that there was a future for a new boutique online music catalog with unique, pristine content. They then were very fortunate to find the multi-talented Nicholas Castelli (VP – Operations), Marrsha Sill (Executive VP), Jason Jamison (Sales Manager), and Renee Dawes (Creative Manager). And POW! a diverse and talented team was born!
How is Chicago Music Library making its mark in the entertainment industry?
Look, we know music is everywhere so we must separate ourselves by being known as a reliable resource and service – focusing on providing the best content efficiently and affordably, no email goes unanswered. If we have what you’re looking for you will get it ASAP, usually within the hour, and if not we can create it on spec, and done with a smile.
Who is your typical client and how are most of their licenses used?
Our typical client is a studio music exec/creative and/or an independent music supervisor, independent filmmaker, or online content creator, who use “Trusted Sources” such as CML to acquire the music that they need for their production. Some clients score their entire production with library music, or a variation of custom and library music. And some peeps use us for everything the composer does not do (needle drops).
Any notable movies or shows?
Well, over the years we’ve had hundreds of placements, however, some recent feature films would be The Butler, Runner Runner and Paranormal Activity 5. Further, we’ve had several placements on TV such as, ABC’s Revenge and Warner Brothers’ Shameless, and several placements in Sony’s shows Justified and Community, to name a few.
Your company was founded in 2011. What key changes have you seen the industry take since then?
Wow, well since 2011 we just like all industries have felt the economic changes, everything from decreased budgets to music sources giving away music for free. Most notably would be the increased requests for indie bands by music creatives and, subsequently, the demand for independent music libraries such as CML to carry this content. In essence we are becoming the new record industry!
What’s in the future for Chicago Music Library?
The Chicago Music Library is constantly growing and innovating – offering it’s diverse catalogs at moderate industry rates in many unique ways; constantly featuring new catalog expansion, and the best possible service to our clients in the Film, Television, Advertising, and Online world. Most importantly, we feel it is our duty to educate others and take the lead in moving the industry forward. We are constantly on social media engaging with others and have actually just launched our Face the Music Blog Series (#FTMBS) on our website, where we will offer unique industry insights and news.
The Chicago Music Library team would like to extend a neighborly offer to all HPC tenants, which includes 25% off all annual and per project blankets!
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to interview with us, Marrsha!
Damon Wayans Jr. is now a regular on New Girl. Wayans starred in the pilot episode as Coach on New Girl, but left after that. He made his return to the show this year, during season 3, and he’s been given “regular cast member” status for season 4 since then.
Damon Wayans Jr. made his first appearance on New Girl in 2011 for the pilot episode, but had to exit the show after it was picked up by Fox because of a second season renewal of his prior commitment, ABC’s Happy Endings. The show ended after season 3 in 2013, and Wayans made his return to New Girl just in time for season 3 in 2013. Fox added him for a 6-episode arc, but was soon after signed on as a special guest star for the remainder of the season. His title as a regular on the cast comes as no surprise as he starred in 17 consecutive episodes in season 3.
Wayans plays Coach, the basketball playing roommate who Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel, replaced in the loft. The other loft mates are Nick and Schmidt, played by Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield. Damon Wayans Jr. has been highly sought after for numerous pilots during the recent pilot season, turning down projects this time for New Girl.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Bryan Grant of Bryan Grant Studios from our Hollywood Production Center location…
Bryan Grant is the founder and Executive Creative Director of Bryan Grant Studios. BGS is globally recognized for their work in broadcast, theatrical and digital Motion Graphics, Branding & 3D Animation. With over 20 years’ experience they’ve had the fortune of working with clients across the country including leading networks, studios, agencies, celebrities, & producers like David Copperfield, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Universal Pictures, HBO, Nike, JWT, DDBO, Lexus & T-Mobile to name just a few. The full list can be found at bryangrantstudios.com. The studio’s work can be screened HERE.
Tell us a little about yourself, Bryan?
I went to Seaholm High school in Birmingham, MI & Columbia College in Chicago, IL. I studied film production and had the fortune of working with some incredible DP’s and film directors. In high school I was asked to teach the television production class, which was wild because a lot of my friends were my “students”. I later taught an animation course in college to help pay for my schooling. Most notably, I’ll never turn down some incredible BBQ.
How did you get started in the entertainment industry?
It’s funny. I started at 14 when I opened my own video production company in Birmingham, MI. We became the #1 video production company for weddings & bar mitzvah one year later. I feel blessed to have always known what I wanted to do at a very early age. Many years later after moving to Los Angeles my first client through BGS was Disney where we helped them animate one of their largest entertainment properties at the time.
Do you enjoy what you do?
I love what I do! I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. I especially love what happens when we combine the latest technology in VFX & 3D with our creative vision to help produce one-of-a-kind creative for our clients.
Who would you say is your biggest client that you were you like, “whoa!”
I would say David Copperfield. He was an idol of mine growing up. In fact I would tape all of his television specials every year and watch them a million times over. So when he approached me later in my adult life it was totally surreal and an amazing experience. I was tasked to brand his new production company Red Safe. The branding premiered in Variety magazine 2 months later and we couldn’t be happier.
Where do you see the future for BGS?
It’s important for me to promote the company’s core values, which are integrity, loyalty and accountability. Our client’s value that along with our strong creative output. I see BGS growing into one of the most influential design and animation studio in Los Angeles within 2 years. Staying humble, innovative and inspiring will get us there.
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to sit down with us, Bryan!
NBC will be bringing back an old favorite, ‘Heroes’, with ‘Heroes Reborn’ in 2015.
Have you missed NBC’s Heroes since it ended in 2010? The superhero drama starring Hayden Panettiere kick started the superhero genre in television back in 2006, and it will now be making a reappearance. Original Heroes fans will be happy to hear that NBC has decided to bring back the show for a 13-episode event series to air in 2015. The new show will be titled Heroes Reborn and will be a stand-alone story. The characters have still not been announced, but fans should look forward to this because the original series creator Tim Kring will be leading this project as well.
Heroes was cancelled four years ago, but it was a huge hit at the time with its first season premiering to an average of 14.5 million viewers. With declining ratings, broadcast networks are turning to past series and brands to grab the attention of the old fan base. While Heroes was one of the first in the television superhero genre, there has since been, and continue to be, many others. Depending on which shows get renewed or greenlit by the 2015 season, Heroes Reborn could be looking at competition with The CW’s Arrow and its new spin-off Flash, Fox’s Batman prequel Gotham and ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Covenant House California hosted the All-Star Mixology Competition last week in Los Angeles. Edwin Cruz of The Spare Room in Hollywood was crowned the winner.
Los Angeles – With the popularity of cooking contests and specialty chefs going head to head in cook-offs on television, it is no surprise that the men behind the bars wanted to compete as well. Last week Covenant House California hosted an All-Star Mixology Contest in Culver City where mixologists competed to make the best drinks. Some contestants were cocktail makes at L.A. bars such as ShoreBar, Eveleigh and The Spare Room, while others were liquor brand ambassadors. Contestants competed in three rounds that increased in difficulty until only the final three contestants were left for the final round. In this round, the three mixologists were given a secret ingredient, pears, and asked to make a drink. Edwin Cruz of The Spare Room in Hollywood blew the judges away and was named the winner.
The judge panel for the event included Georgia Hardstark and Alie Ward, co-hosts of the Cooking Channel’s Tripping Out with Georgia and Alie and co-contributors to the channel’s Unique Sweets. Other judges included A-list stylist and interior designer Estee Stanley, Paramount Pictures vice president Liza Pano, and publisher and executive editor of The Tasting Panel magazineMeridithMay. The event was held in Unici Casa in Culver City.
Covenant House California operates centers in Los Angeles and Oakland, which provide housing, health benefits, education and employment help to homeless youth. Last year, Covenant House California helped over 5,000 children that are homeless due to various circumstances. The benefit event was co-sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter and ABC-7.
CBS, NBC and ABC will start their fall TV premieres this week, joining FOX that started last week and the CW that will start next week.
This week is kicking off with the majority of networks premiering their new television shows alongside their beloved returners. While Fox had its premiere week last week, the rest of the networks are just catching up. This week CBS, NBC and ABC joined in to round off the big 4 networks for fall television in 2013. The CW network will soon be joining in as well with their premieres starting on October 3rd and continuing into the next week.
What shows should you be looking forward to? If you’ve been up with TV thus far, you’ll understand just how exciting it is for CBS’ How I Met Your Mother to be back for its final season after the Mother was revealed to viewers during last season’s finale. Zooey Deschanel has made her way into everyone’s hearts as the “adorkable” girl in New Girl, and with the new budding romance with Nick, everyone will be tuning in to see if these lovebirds can make it. Other returners garnering buzz are The Big Bang Theory, Nashville and Parks and Recreation.
We know we’re ready to try a new show, and with that we can’t wait for the CW’s The Originals to air. The show is a spin-off of the hit show Vampire Diaries, and is a continuation of the lives of the original vampire family. The Originals is set to premiere Thursday, October 3.
The Toy Story characters are back for ABC’s 30-minute special of Toy Story of Terror in October.
ABC revealed last week that they will be airing Disney-Pixar’s first special-for-television, Toy Story of Terror! on October 16. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will be back in their roles of Woody and Buzz on the half-hour special of a spooky adventure just in time for Halloween. The spooky new tale of our favorite characters from the Toy Story movies will also be joined by the rest of the gang, including Jessie, Combat Carl, Mr. Pricklepants, Mr. Potato Head, Rex and Trixie.
The toys go on a fun road trip that soon takes a turn for the worst when they get detoured to a roadside motel. Once one of the toys goes missing, a series of mysterious events ensue and they must work together to avoid the same terrible fate in the Toy Story of Terror!
While Pixar has not denied a fourth installment of the Toy Story franchise, the talks of another movie is still a rumor. One confirmed Pixar movie is Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo that is set to release in 2015. Ellen DeGeneres will be returning for the voice of Dory.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will be one of ABC’s new freshman series that is a spin-off of their current hit,Once Upon a Time.
Fall television is nearing and it is full of great original series. A common trend for networks, however, has been to create spin-offs from previous and current hit series. This trend has been a result of various freshman series that never get a large following, costing the networks thousands of dollars. A spin-off guarantees an already established fan base that will hopefully love the new show as much as they do the original. Here are a few to expect this fall:
ABC premiered Once Upon a Time in 2011 and it is ready to go for its third season later this year, and now to accompany it is Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The new show takes place in the same magical world as its predecessor, but it will instead be based on the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
NBC will be premiering Chicago PD, which is a spin-off of Chicago Fire that premiered last year and was a modest hit. This new show is rumored to include the Chicago Police Department as it airs mid-season.
The CW is joining in this new trend as well, with their current wildly popular vampire drama The Vampire Diaries being the parent of a new show this fall, The Originals. The CW’s Arrow is also bringing in a new spin-off that will be based on DC Comic’s Flash. Supernatural will be joining this group as well as writers plant a spin-off in its ninth and final season.
ABC presents Sneak Peek Night at The Americana at Brand.
One of the largest television networks, ABC will be hosting an event at The Americana at Brand. On Saturday, August 3rd, ABC will present Sneak Peek Night, which will include free outdoor screenings of three brand new ABC comedies before their premiere dates this fall. The event starts at 7:00PM on The Green and the screenings include new series Back in the Game, The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife. The event is free and open to the public, and the screenings are scheduled to start at 8:00PM.
Back in the Game’s series premiere is September 25th and will continue to air throughout the fall on Wednesdays at 8:30PM. This show is a sitcom that follows a former All-Star softball player whose promising professional sports career comes to an end when she has a son, loses her college scholarship and dumps her loser husband.
The Goldberg’s will first premiere on television on September 24th and will be a Tuesday night show that airs at 9:00PM weekly. The show is a comedy that is set in the 1980s and follows The Goldberg family as they try to survive in a decade filled with bright colors, no computers and over-sized sweaters.
Trophy Wife is scheduled to air on Tuesday nights at 9:30PM after The Goldberg’s and will make its first debut on September 24th. The sitcom will revolve around a reformed party girl who marries a guy she meets at a karaoke bar and who must now learn to deal with his two ex-wives and their children.
