city Columbia: Last News

Zack Sharf Ernie Hudson said during a recent interview on “The Howard Stern Show” (via IndieWire) that “Ghostbusters” studio Columbia Pictures “selectively pushed [him] aside” during the making and marketing of the 1984 supernatural comedy classic. Hudson starred in the film opposite Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd as fellow ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore, but he was not featured on the film’s theatrical poster. “The studio wasn’t [inclusive], and the studio continued not to be,” Hudson said. “So it made it very, very difficult because I was a part of it but then I very selectively was pushed aside… The original script, Winston was in the very beginning of the movie. By the time we got ready to shoot the movie, Winston came in halfway through the movie. All those things… It definitely felt deliberate.”

Katie Reul editor Chris Chesser, the producer known for his work on the sports comedy “Major League,” has died. He was 74. Chesser died suddenly Feb. 2 while at his Los Angeles home, brothers Alan and Steve Chesser announced Tuesday. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed. In 1974, the producer took his first steps into the entertainment industry as an executive in international sales at Columbia Pictures. Two years later, Chesser became general manager of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Between 1980 and 1983, Chesser helmed two production companies: he served as vice president of production at Marble Arch Productions and functioned as head of production for Filmways, until the company was acquired by Orion Pictures.

Chris Chesser, the independent film and documentary producer whose credits include the hit Charlie Sheen 1989 comedy Major League, died suddenly at his home in Los Angeles on February 2. He was 74.

Former ABC News Chief James Goldston has joined Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media to head up a new division focused on scripted and non-scripted features and series inspired by true stories. Goldston will serve as President of the new group. 

Alicia Silverstone candidly spoke out about her rise to fame and admitted it was an uncomfortable experience.  The 46-year-old actress confessed that after the 1995 hit movie "Clueless" debuted she wasn’t prepared to skyrocket to stardom. "When ‘Clueless’ came out, it really shifted.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Former ABC News president James Goldston is joining Candle Media, founded and led by ex-Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, to head a new division focused on TV shows and movies based on true stories. Goldston will serve as president of the new division, which will produce scripted and nonscripted features and series “inspired by true stories,” according to Candle. Goldston spent 18 years at ABC News, including seven years as president, before exiting in 2021. overseeing all aspects of America’s number one news division, including #1 rated “Good Morning America” and “World News with David Muir.” He also led ABC News into the streaming era with a series of successful podcast and documentary projects for Hulu and Disney+, including “The Dropout,” produced by Rebecca Jarvis and her team, which became a successful podcast, documentary and Emmy-award winning scripted series for Hulu, and John’s Ridley’s “Let it Fall,” a duPont-Columbia Award-winning documentary on the LA riots. His teams have won five Edward R. Murrow Awards for Overall Excellence, and numerous other prestigious honors in journalism, including a Peabody, duPont-Columbia, and Emmy awards.

The Chicks are set to return to the global stage with their 37-date World Tour, produced by Live Nation.

Stella Stevens, the actress best known for her roles in The Nutty Professor and The Poseidon Adventure and starring opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls!, died today in Los Angeles after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 84.

APPOINTMENTSTalent management company YMU has appointed NBCUniversal’s Linda Yaccarino to the role of Group Chair. “I knew instantly I had found that person when I met Linda”, says CEO Mary Bekhait.

A new version of the 1970s buddy cop series Starsky & Hutch is in the works at Fox, with a female twist.

Depeche Mode have added more North American shows to their 2023 ‘Memento Mori’ world tour – tickets will be available here.The synth-pop duo – comprising Dave Gahan and Martin Gore – are due to hit the road in the US and Canada next month following the release of their 15th album, ‘Memento Mori’, which is out on March 17 via Columbia/Mute.Today (February 16), Depeche Mode announced a second North American leg that takes in 29 new dates between late September and mid-December, 2023.Extra gigs will take place in locations such as Mexico City, Austin, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Orlando, Brooklyn, Nashville, Philadelphia and Toronto. The run is set to conclude with a pair of LA gigs at the city’s Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena.Tickets for the newly-confirmed concerts go on general sale at 10am local time next Friday (February 24) – you’ll be able to purchase yours here.

People about her life, career and upcoming documentary, “Kim Novak: Hollywood’s Golden Age Rebel,” she described how she felt the immense “pressure to be seen and not heard” when it came to her love affair with the multifaceted entertainer during Hollywood’s Golden Age.“I told them a lot of revealing things,” Novak said about her doc. “I was very open.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Philippines-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-producer Eyedress has signed with RCA Records and dropped a new, Valentine’s Day-themed single, “Flowers & Chocolate,” the label announced today (Feb. 13). The song’s accompanying music video, directed by Eddie Huang (author of “Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir” and director/writer of the upcoming film “Tuna Melt,” starring SZA and Chloe Cherry), finds Eyedress cruising around Los Angeles in a red convertible filled with flowers as he rushes home to impress his partner. Eyedress has moved between a multitude of musical styles since his 2019 breakthrough single “Jealous,” which has been certified platinum by the RIAA. Last year, he made his Coachella debut and released his “Full Time Lover” album, which featured the Neptunes’ Chad Hugo and got a remix from Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine on the song “House of Cards.”

CNN and PBS took home two prizes apiece, headlining Monday’s duPont-Columbia Awards handed out by Columbia Journalism School.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate is in final negotiations to acquire worldwide rights to Imaginary — a new Blumhouse thriller to be directed by Jeff Wadlow (The Curse of Bridge Hollow). 

EXCLUSIVE: CAA has signed actress Chloë Grace Moretz for representation.

Skylar Astin is the latest Hollywood star to have his home burglarized.The Pitch Perfect star, 35, was away from home when he got an alert on his phone on Wednesday, January 25, about something suspicious going on at his house and asked a friend to check it out.When the friend got there, he found the place in disarray and called police. Burglary: Skylar Astin, 35, was the victim of a recent burglary.

Sofia Vergara joined forces with a bevy of her famous friends over the weekend when she attended the 25th anniversary for beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills.The 50-year-old bombshell — who recently enjoyed a soccer match in Saudi Arabia — celebrated with other A-list ladies like Heidi Klum, 49; Sharon Stone, 64; Jessica Alba, 41; Priyanka Chopra, 40; Alessandra Ambrosio, 41; Rita Wilson, 66; and Maria Menounos, 44.The star-studded soirée was thrown by the founder and CEO of Anastasia Beverly Hills, 'Eyebrow Queen' Anastasia Soare, 66.  Epic assemblage: Sofia Vergara, 50, joined forces with her famous friends over the weekend at the 25th anniversary for beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills. She was surrounded by A-list ladies Priyanka Chopra, 40, Heidi Klum, 49, Jessica Alba, 41, and Rita Wilson, 66Posting a collection of pictures from the event, Vergara wrote in the caption: 'We love you @anastasiasoare happy anniversary!!!' Sofia smoldered in a black long-sleeved leotard and sheer tights. The Columbia-born beauty's full lips popped with a sexy matte color while her eyes were dark and sultry.The Modern Family star took a pair of epic selfies.Vergara's first picture saw her surrounded by the stunning faces of Priyanka Chopra, Heidi Klum, Jessica Alba and Rita Wilson. Her second picture included her close friend Klum, supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio and television personality Maria Menounos.

It looks as though Shakira has taken a jab at her ex-partner Gerard Piqué in the wake of him going Instagram official with his girlfriend Clara Chia. 'Women don't cry anymore, women dance merengue,' the Columbia native, 45, captioned an Instagram post on Thursday, January 26, alongside a video of herself shaking her curves to one of her hit songs.The former soccer star's decision to go public with his new romance on social media comes in the wake of Shakira taking a swipe at Clara in her new diss track, which has since topped Spotify's Global Charts. The celebrity couple split in June 20222 after a 12-year romance, which came amid cheating allegations.

EXCLUSIVE: The Gotham Film & Media Institute has unveiled the winners of its fourth annual Focus Features & JetBlue Student Short Film Showcase. The five filmmakers chosen are Saleem Gondal (Post Term, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema), Yingtong Li (The Silent Whistle, Emerson College), Taylor Mannsman (Obscura, University of Texas at Austin), Shannon M. Sutherland (They Flew Like Blackbirds, Florida State University) and Cheryl Wong (Stigma, Style, NYU). 

Sofia Vergara confessed to having a bad case of jet lag after she made the nearly 8300 mile flight from Los Angeles to Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.Eventually, after getting situated in her plush accommodations, which included rest and a meal or two, the actress took part in some sight-seeing across the region.Despite her busy schedule, she also got to take in a friendly football (soccer) match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and an all-star team composed of Al Nassr and Al Hilal players, that included all-time greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.Scroll down to video  Middle East trip: Sofia Vergara, 50, traveled to Saudi Arabia this week and got to take in a friendly football (soccer) match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and an all-star team composed of Al Nassr and Al Hilal players in RiyadhVergara, 50, took to her Instagram page and posted a series of snaps taken during and after the match.'Game night PSG,Al Nassr,' she wrote in the caption, alongside a cover photo showing the former Modern Family star posing from her stadium suite in a bold yellow jacket that she matched with a white top and blue jeans.