Los Angeles-Italia to Fete Oscar-Nominated Paolo Sorrentino, Massimo Cantini Parrini and Enrico Casarosa

Los Angeles County has more square feet of soundstages than New York and Georgia combined, and more is on the way, according to the latest report from FilmLA, the city and county film permit office.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItalian TV host Alessandro Cattelan will be among the three MCs of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, along with Italy’s Grammy-wining singer Laura Pausini and Lebanese/British pop star Mika. In addition to preparing for the biggest night for music in Europe, he recently made his debut on Netflix with one-man show “One Simple Question.” In the show, Cattelan embarks on a road trip in pursuit of a seemingly simple answer to a question from his daughter, Nina: “Daddy, how do you find happiness?” The quirky six-episode series, which dropped in 190 countries on March 18, sees the showman display his trademark deadpan humor as he searches for happiness through interviews and set-pieces with celebrity guests ranging from retired Italian soccer star Roberto Baggio, who is a practicing Buddhist, and Oscar-nominated director Paolo Sorrentino (“The Hand of God”), to a couple who are amateur porn stars and former Google X exec Mo Gawdat, author of a book titled “Solve for Happy.” Cattelan, who cut his teeth working for MTV and subsequently hosted the talent show “The X Factor” on Sky in Italy, talked to Variety about making the leap into the global streaming arena ahead of his gig for Eurovision, for which his main aspiration is “to make people laugh.” A dozen years ago I had an idea for a show where I would go on a road trip around the U.S.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentIn a move that will transform Italy’s relationship with Netflix, the Italian government has set a firm three-month time window between a movie’s theatrical release and when it can drop on a streaming platform.The announcement was made by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini during a Rome confab on the state of the country’s film industry held by the country’s motion picture association ANICA.The minister said he has signed a law that will extend the existing 90-day theatrical window for Italian films that had benefitted from government subsidies to now include all films, regardless of where they are produced or how they are financed.Due to its having a more flexible windowing policy than France, Italy in recent years has been an interesting testing ground for the theatrical releases of Netflix titles, largely because the Venice Film Festival is a frequent launching pad for the platform’s original films.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Rome Film Festival is under new management following a political shake-up that has led to the appointment of RAI Cinema executive Paola Malanga as the fest’s artistic director and Gian Luca Farinelli, who heads the Bologna film archives, as president.Malanga, who was appointed late on Tuesday, replaces Antonio Monda, the New York based journalist and film academic who during his seven-year stint at the helm of the event secured a steady stream of high-caliber guests such as Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton and Angelina Jolie, to mention a few names on the Rome red carpet at last year’s edition.Farinelli –– who has been appointed president of the Cinema Per Roma foundation that oversees the Rome fest –– takes the reins from Laura Delli Colli, a prominent film journo and critic who remains on the foundation’s board. The new Rome fest regime was prompted by the election last October of new Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri.The Eternal City extravaganza, which is the brainchild of former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni, has been undergoing management shake-ups due to Italy’s political spoils system ever since its launch in 2006 with Nicole Kidman on the red carpet and ambitions to rival Venice.While Delli Colli exited gracefully, Monda’s departure has been a bit more acrimonious.

Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson were involved in a physical altercation outside of a Los Angeles bar. On Thursday night, the 32-year-old actress and her on-and-off beau got into a brawl with others outside of the Sunset Marquis, according to video footage obtained by TMZ.

Oscar nomination for his role in Christmas film comedy, Elf.He made the comments ahead of this year’s Oscars ceremony and went on to say that he didn’t think comedy was represented enough in the nominations.The Love Actually director, who is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said at the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles: “I always get very antsy about the fact that Will Ferrell didn’t get nominated for Elf.”“Or that Peter Sellers didn’t get nominated for Inspector Clouseau.”He added: “But it’s the price you pay, as it were. Comedies tend to make a bit of money, and then you don’t get the prizes.”Curtis went on to say that had Ferrell been nominated, he would have voted for him but that he “wasn’t given the chance”.He said that comedy is overlooked as a genre, “particularly the actors”.He continued: “I think it’s a real issue that comedy isn’t respected as much…but I do try and push for comedy performances whenever I can.” The 2022 Oscars takes place this Sunday (March 27).

Preview in new tab“CODA,” the Oscar-nominated film about a singing teenage daughter in a deaf family, is being developed as a stage musical by the Los Angeles-based Deaf West Theatre.The project was announced Wednesday by the film’s producers, Vendôme Pictures and Pathé Films, ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards where “CODA” is in contention for best picture. Sian Heder’s “CODA,” which was acquired for $25 million by Apple TV+ after its Sundance Film Festival debut, was adapted from a 2014 French film.That 2014 film, “La Famille Bélier,” didn’t star deaf actors as the parents, but “CODA” has drawn widespread praise for its authenticity.

My Brilliant Friend is coming to an end at HBO. But not quite yet.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson caused a bit of a frenzy when they pulled into a drive-thru for some grub. It's probably why then zipped in and out of the fast food joint.The 41-year-old reality TV star and 28-year-old comedian pulled into an In-N-Out drive-thru on Thursday in Los Angeles after leaving an office, and their attempt to keep things on the down low proved futile.

Los Angeles Unified School District students and staff will be able to remove their masks indoors beginning Wednesday. The nation’s second-largest school district announced the news today after reaching agreements with its labor unions.

In “The Hand of God,” the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino conjures memories of his formative years in picturesque Naples. Capturing both the sun-dappled summer days he passed in the company of his larger-than-life family and the profound tragedy that set him on a path toward filmmaking, this partly autobiographical drama focuses on Fabio Schisa (Filippo Scotti), a teenager growing up in southern Italy during the 1980s.

Gallery: From SKINNING SQUIRRELS to BALLET DANCING. . . You'll never believe the skills these actors learned for their movies (BANG Showbiz)The Broadway composer - who is also known for his megahit 'Hamilton - explained how the Oscars became an "entry point" to his fascination with his career and how he feels he has now come "full circle" since falling in love with 'The Little Mermaid.

Fremantle Boosts Revenue By 25% For RTL Group

Bob Verini Of the five 2021 Academy Award nominees for best international film, Italy’s entry, “The Hand of God,” most directly combines two of cinema’s most treasured themes: intensely personal autobiography that is able to speak to a wider audience, and the art of filmmaking itself.Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino uses the character of 16-year-old Fabietto Schisa — played by newcomer Filippo Scotti — to examine the real-life experiences that led to his own growth as a man as well as his eventual birth as a filmmaker.Watching audiences connect so deeply with a character that is drawn so closely from his own experiences has hit Sorrentino deeply. “Now that it’s more than one year that I shot the movie, I have to say that it’s strange, because now I am sharing my pain with a big audience,” he shares.

Can you believe that Bradley Cooper already has nine Oscar nominations?!

Jessica Chastain hits the black carpet for the 2022 Oscars Nominees Luncheon held at Fairmont Century Plaza on Monday (March 7) in Los Angeles,