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Laughs blended with tears tonight at the Beverly Hilton as many in Hollywood remembered late MGM Theatrical Distribution Boss and big screen champion Erik Lomis who was lauded posthumously with the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation‘s Pioneer of the Year award. Lomis passed suddenly at 64 on March 22.

The 11x Oscar nominee remembered the late distribution boss on Wednesday night at the Will Rogers Pioneers Dinner, the two having worked together during the latter’s time at Weinstein Co. with The Master and at MGM with Licorice Pizza.

Sharon Rosen Leib I recently discovered my pioneer producer great-grandfather Sol M. Wurtzel’s obituary in the April 16, 1958 edition of Variety. In 1917, mogul William Fox sent Sol to oversee production at his Hollywood studio.

Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (WRMPPF) is honoring one of their biggest champs this year with a posthumous recognition: late MGM and United Artists Distribution Boss Erik Lomis. The honor will be recognized at the October 4 dinner at The Beverly Hilton.

George Michael came out to the world after he was arrested by an undercover policeman for engaging in a lewd act in a public bathroom.But, long before that scandalous outing occurred at Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, the late ’80s pop heartthrob revealed his sexuality to his Wham! mate Andrew Ridgeley. It was July 1983 — a year before the chart-topping duo first went No. 1 with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”They had just wrapped filming the video for their post-disco single “Club Tropicana” in Ibiza, Spain.“About six months before … I’d actually had something go on that made my attraction to men fairly clear,” Michael reveals in “Wham! The Documentary,” which premieres on Netflix July 5.

EXCLUSIVE: The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has created the Erik Lomis Leadership Award.

The legacy of MGM Domestic Distribution Chief Erik Lomis was remembered this morning at CinemaCon by his Paramount Domestic Distribution Boss Chris Aronson, who worked with the former at MGM years ago. Lomis died suddenly March 22, having just released MGM’s Creed III to record box office results; a win also for the studio’s streaming parent Amazon.

Mark Russell, the political satirist who delivered his wisecracks to the tunes of his piano on PBS specials for nearly 30 years, died today of prostate cancer at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 90.

George Michael's ex Kenny Goss has reflected on his relationship with the star and his 1998 arrest ahead of the new Channel 4 documentary George Michael: Outed. The 64-year-old - who dated George between 1996 and 2009 but remained friends until his tragic death from heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016 - told the Radio Times he was a 'troubled soul' in his later years. He also reflected on his infamous arrest in 1998 in Beverly Hills and the change it had on him.

The Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund is offering emergency aid to those who work in theatrical distribution and exhibition, as well as vendors in either sector, who were impacted or displaced by hurricanes Ian and Fiona in Florida and Puerto Rico.

Carson Burton Thanks to the Will Rogers Pioneer Assistance Fund, thousands of movie theater workers can sleep better at night. The PAF provides financial aid and support to individuals who work in theatrical exhibition and distribution, and vendors who are experiencing an illness, accident or injury. The Pioneer of the Year Dinner, the org’s annual fundraising event, will be returning to in-person festivities Sept. 21 in Beverly Hills this year, contributing a significant chunk of the fund’s donations. Each year, the event honors a person or people due to their work in Hollywood and philanthropy. This year, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the producers behind the James Bond franchise, are being honored.

Daniel Craig's final film.«Not at the moment,» Broccoli told ET when asked if the search was underway. «Right now, we're celebrating the 60th anniversary, which is a big event for us, and then we'll go into the beginning of next year, we’ll start talking about the trajectory of the films and how we're gonna do it and then we'll go around into the casting.»It's not an easy feat to find an actor who's both capable and willing to take on the «life-changing» role, Wilson noted.«He has to sign on for four or five films, so it takes a huge commitment. Not all the actors are ready and willing to do it,» he said. «Daniel, it took him a long time to figure out that he had come and do it.»Broccoli agreed, even quoting one-time Bond Pierce Brosnan, who once stated, «More people have walked on the moon than have played this character.»«When you think about it in those terms,» she said, «it’s quite daunting.»While daunting for an actor, Wilson told ET that the stars of the franchise have «been the key» to its success, as «every actor brings a new refreshment to the series.»While fans wait for more information on the next potential Bond, they can get their fill of the series with the new documentary, , which will debut on Prime Video Oct.

Three years since Elizabeth Banks was honored as Pioneer Of The Year in 2019, the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation returned Wednesday night with their Pioneer Of The Year dinner, this time honoring James Bond franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It was a welcome return for the industry charity which earned what co-chair Erik Lomis (with Heather Morgan) announced was a healthy haul of $1.5M dollars for the cause.

EXCLUSIVE: Details have been revealed about a new film project that is the first to receive endorsement from the family of early Hollywood icon Will Rogers.

James Bond franchise architects Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have been set to receive the 2022 Pioneer of the Year Award from the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. The honor will be bestowed September 21 during a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.

Tony Walton, one of the most prolific, honored and celebrated designers of sets and costumes on Broadway and in Hollywood, has died. He was 87.

The Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund has launched “Big Screens Big Hearts,” a fundraising campaign to benefit movie theater workers, more than 100,000 of whom have been affected by theater closures during the pandemic. More than half of the closures were family or community owned and operated theaters, and many may never reopen.

Film shoots are up and running again on Will Rogers State Beach, that slightly magical stretch of coastline between Santa Monica Canyon and the very private Bel-Air Bay Club, along the Pacific Coast Highway.

La La Land Oscar winners Damien Chazelle and Justin Hurwitz will join Jamie Lee Curtis to introduce their hit 2016 movie musical as part of the latest Lionsgate Live! A Night at the Movies event on Friday (May 1, 2020).

By Anthony D'Alessandro