Specialty distributor Ariztical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to New Zealand-set wholesome gay love story ‘Mysterious Ways.’ Ariztical plans a multi-platform digital release in 2024.
Written and directed by New Zealand’s Paul Oremland, the film follows a media storm that threatens the marriage between a Vicar, portrayed by Richard Short (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) and his Samoan boyfriend, portrayed by Nick Afoa (“The Lion King”), after they announce their intentions to have a traditional wedding in the church.
The film also marks one of the first on-screen representations of what is known in the Samoan community as a fa’afafine. The character Billy is played by relative newcomer Joe Malu Folau. An integral part of Samoan culture, fa’afafine are assigned male identity at birth, but explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits in a way unique to Polynesia.
The film was produced in New Zealand by...
Written and directed by New Zealand’s Paul Oremland, the film follows a media storm that threatens the marriage between a Vicar, portrayed by Richard Short (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) and his Samoan boyfriend, portrayed by Nick Afoa (“The Lion King”), after they announce their intentions to have a traditional wedding in the church.
The film also marks one of the first on-screen representations of what is known in the Samoan community as a fa’afafine. The character Billy is played by relative newcomer Joe Malu Folau. An integral part of Samoan culture, fa’afafine are assigned male identity at birth, but explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits in a way unique to Polynesia.
The film was produced in New Zealand by...
- 11/15/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Lamont Dozier, who along with his songwriting and producing partners brothers Brian and Eddie Holland was a pioneer and driving force of Detroit’s beloved “Motown Sound” of the 1960s and 1970s, died Monday in Arizona. He was 81.
His death was announced on Instagram today by his son Lamont Dozier Jr. No cause or additional details were given, with Lamont Jr. writing only, “Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!”
The famous Holland-Dozier-Holland team was the force behind such iconic Motown hits as “Heatwave” by Martha and The Vandellas, numerous hits by The Supremes, including “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Baby Love,” scores of songs by The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers (“This Old Heart of Mine”) and Marvin Gaye (“Can I Get A Witness?”.
While Dozier and Brian Holland tended to focus on musical arrangement and production,...
His death was announced on Instagram today by his son Lamont Dozier Jr. No cause or additional details were given, with Lamont Jr. writing only, “Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!”
The famous Holland-Dozier-Holland team was the force behind such iconic Motown hits as “Heatwave” by Martha and The Vandellas, numerous hits by The Supremes, including “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Baby Love,” scores of songs by The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers (“This Old Heart of Mine”) and Marvin Gaye (“Can I Get A Witness?”.
While Dozier and Brian Holland tended to focus on musical arrangement and production,...
- 8/9/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lamont Dozier, the Motown songwriter and producer who helped craft hits for artists such as the Supremes, the Four Tops, and the Isley Brothers, has died. He was 81.
The news was confirmed by his son, Lamont Dozier Jr., who wrote on Instagram, “Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!” A cause of death has not yet been announced.
“My condolences to Lamont Dozier’s family,” Diana Ross wrote. “He will always be remembered through all the beautiful songs that he wrote for me and the Supremes, and so many other beautiful songs.
The news was confirmed by his son, Lamont Dozier Jr., who wrote on Instagram, “Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!” A cause of death has not yet been announced.
“My condolences to Lamont Dozier’s family,” Diana Ross wrote. “He will always be remembered through all the beautiful songs that he wrote for me and the Supremes, and so many other beautiful songs.
- 8/9/2022
- by Emily Zemler and Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
From 1964 to at least 1967, the Supremes helped define the sound of Motown and, by extension, the sound of mainstream American pop. The trio worked closely with the songwriter-producer team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland to perfect a musical blueprint; an ideal blend of hard and soft — drums like jackhammers, cymbals like sword fights, and harmonies like whipped cream. Diana Ross sang lead, of course, while Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard handled backup, pulling from a formidable, constantly shifting arsenal of “whoa-ohs,” “whoo-oohs,” “yeah-yeahs,” “baby-baby’s,” and “help,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
From a moving memoir written by one of pop’s greatest voices to a timely account of the life and times of a hip-hop genius, our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast went deep on many of the year’s best music books. Press play on the episodes below to listen now, or hear any episode and subscribe iTunes or Spotify.
Author Marcus J. Moore joins us to talk about his powerful book The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America, which intertwines two deeply related stories:...
Author Marcus J. Moore joins us to talk about his powerful book The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America, which intertwines two deeply related stories:...
- 12/30/2020
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
Georgia Dobbins Davis, an original member of the Marvelettes and the co-writer of their classic 1961 hit, “Please Mr. Postman,” died Friday, September 18th. She was 78. Dobbins’ daughter, Kimberly Ann Watts, confirmed her death to Rolling Stone, adding the cause was cardiac arrest.
In co-writing “Please Mr. Postman,” Dobbins played an integral role in the history of Motown and pop music. The track became Motown’s first Number One hit on the Billboard Hot 100. But by the time the Marvelettes recorded it in 1961, Dobbins left the group to look after her...
In co-writing “Please Mr. Postman,” Dobbins played an integral role in the history of Motown and pop music. The track became Motown’s first Number One hit on the Billboard Hot 100. But by the time the Marvelettes recorded it in 1961, Dobbins left the group to look after her...
- 9/23/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Chicago – Like the recent movie-to-stage-musical adaptations, “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein,” Chicago has become the proving ground before a Broadway premiere. The latest is almost a no-brainer, “The First Wives Club,” adapted from the 1996 film that starred Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton.
The big news is that the original song writing team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland) have reunited to write new music for the show, adding to their familiar hits “Stop in the Name of Love,” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” 22 new songs have been added to “The First Wives Club” stage musical, representing the first new output in years from the famous songwriting trio.
Seán Murphy Cullen, Mike McGowan and Gregg Edelman of the new musical, ‘First Wives Club’
Photo credit: First Wives Club The Musical
Portraying the threesome made famous in the film by Midler, Hawn and Keaton is Broadway baby Faith Prince,...
The big news is that the original song writing team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland) have reunited to write new music for the show, adding to their familiar hits “Stop in the Name of Love,” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” 22 new songs have been added to “The First Wives Club” stage musical, representing the first new output in years from the famous songwriting trio.
Seán Murphy Cullen, Mike McGowan and Gregg Edelman of the new musical, ‘First Wives Club’
Photo credit: First Wives Club The Musical
Portraying the threesome made famous in the film by Midler, Hawn and Keaton is Broadway baby Faith Prince,...
- 2/18/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Through the mirror of my mind / Time after time, I see reflections of you and me / Reflections of the way life used to be / Reflections of the love you took from me • “Reflections,” by Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Eddie Holland, recorded by Diana Ross and the Supremes, 1967, Motown Records
Like every other art form, comics – or more accurately, the creators of comics – reflect the times in which they live.
I started reading comics in the Silver Age, when superheroes were manufactured like products in factories, conveyed along conveyor belts of post-World War II American middle-class morality, which ensured that everything but the packaging was the same. Each hero kept their true nature hidden behind a pair of glasses, or a secretary’s typewriter, or a desk in a high school classroom. Each hero lived a lonely life, because to reveal their secret would only endanger their loved one. And...
Like every other art form, comics – or more accurately, the creators of comics – reflect the times in which they live.
I started reading comics in the Silver Age, when superheroes were manufactured like products in factories, conveyed along conveyor belts of post-World War II American middle-class morality, which ensured that everything but the packaging was the same. Each hero kept their true nature hidden behind a pair of glasses, or a secretary’s typewriter, or a desk in a high school classroom. Each hero lived a lonely life, because to reveal their secret would only endanger their loved one. And...
- 12/22/2014
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
A feature on First Wives Club musical's official blog details Broadway in Chicago's recent event to introduce the show at Chicago Playhouse. The evening featured a 'trio of musical legends' -- Eddie Holland pictured left, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland -- the Motown songwriting team behind the score for First Wives Club. Click Here to read the full report and check out photos from the event...
- 12/18/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
New York — The First Wives Club will convene in Chicago en route to Broadway in a new version penned by Designing Women writer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and directed by Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert). The show features a score of new songs and classics by the celebrated Motown team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. Based on the best-selling Olivia Goldsmith novel and the smash 1996 Paramount screen comedy that starred Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton, the musical centers on three middle-aged former college friends who reunite following a tragedy and
read more...
read more...
- 6/30/2014
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The box jellyfish is one of the world.s deadliest creatures. With tentacles up to three metres long and venom that attacks the skin, the heart and the nervous system, swimmers that are unlucky enough to be stung often never make it back to the shore. Drowned after going into shock, or dead of heart failure.
With experience as a former teenage backpacker in the area, Mooneys Insurance Brokers managing director David Mansley was well aware of the dangers faced by those brave . or stupid . enough to venture into the water along the Northern Queensland coastline during stinging season, which was why alarm bells rang when the production team behind shark thriller The Reef planned to do just that.
.There.s no way they could have shot where they were proposing to shoot,. he says.
Thankfully, co-producer Tiare Tomaszewski had contacted the insurance broker in the very early stages of...
With experience as a former teenage backpacker in the area, Mooneys Insurance Brokers managing director David Mansley was well aware of the dangers faced by those brave . or stupid . enough to venture into the water along the Northern Queensland coastline during stinging season, which was why alarm bells rang when the production team behind shark thriller The Reef planned to do just that.
.There.s no way they could have shot where they were proposing to shoot,. he says.
Thankfully, co-producer Tiare Tomaszewski had contacted the insurance broker in the very early stages of...
- 3/20/2012
- by Amanda Diaz
- IF.com.au
We’ve just received information that the world premiere of the brand new Michael Jackson biopic, is set to take place right in here in London. To celebrate, we’ve been given this brand new clip from the movie which is introduced by legendary music Producer and friend to the Jackson family, David Gest.
Following the announcement, we get to see a new clip from the movie entitled He Went to a New Level which I’ve placed in the video embedded below. When you see the clip you just scratch the surface of the impact that he made on the world. I was astonished at some of the clips seeing just a few of the people he met.
I’ve also placed the press release that we have been sent with full details on the World Premiere which is set to take place on November 2nd 2011 at the Empire Leicester Square.
Following the announcement, we get to see a new clip from the movie entitled He Went to a New Level which I’ve placed in the video embedded below. When you see the clip you just scratch the surface of the impact that he made on the world. I was astonished at some of the clips seeing just a few of the people he met.
I’ve also placed the press release that we have been sent with full details on the World Premiere which is set to take place on November 2nd 2011 at the Empire Leicester Square.
- 10/5/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The First Wives Club - A New Musical has extend its run by an additional week due to popular demand. The Broadway-bound musical features a book by Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes and a score by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. Directed by Francesca Zambello with choreography by Lisa Stevens and music direction by Ron Melrose, The First Wives Club will now run through Aug. 30.
- 7/30/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
The First Wives Club - A New Musical will extend its run by an additional week due to popular demand. The Broadway-bound musical features a book by Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes and a score by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. Directed by Francesca Zambello with choreography by Lisa Stevens and music direction by Ron Melrose, The First Wives Club will now run through Aug. 30.
- 7/29/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
The legendary songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland will receive the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award on Thursday, June 18 at a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. This is a busy and celebratory year for Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland, as they have reunited for the first and only time to write the score for the Broadway-bound musical, The First Wives Club-A New Musical, which will be presented at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego July 17 through August 23, 2009, with an official opening on July 31.
- 6/17/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
An all-star cast of Ana Gasteyer (Wicked, "Saturday Night Live"), Carolee Carmello (Mamma, Mia!, Parade), Tony? Award-winner Adriane Lenox (Doubt, Caroline, Or Change), Brad Oscar (The Producers, Jekyll & Hyde), Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King, Ragtime), John Dossett (The Constant Wife, Gypsy), Sam Harris (The Producers, The Life) and Sara Chase (Godspell at Paper Mill Playhouse) will star in a reading of the eagerly anticipated Broadway-bound musical First Wives Club this Monday, February 2 in New York City. First Wives Club will have its premiere at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego July 15 through August 23, 2009. The cast for the fully staged production will be announced soon. First Wives Club marks the once-in-a-lifetime reunion of the famous Motown songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland), who created such monumental hits as "Where Did Our Love Go?," "Baby Love" and "Stop! In The Name of Love" for The Supremes...
- 1/27/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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