News

Casting director and producer Don Phillips, who helped launch the careers of such actors as Sean Penn, Matthew McConaughey and Mary Steenburgen, passed away on Thanksgiving Day from natural causes. He would have turned 81 on Dec. 21. Phillips received his first break when he landed an entry-level job in the casting department of filmmaker [… […]

A former Philadelphia police commissioner predicted today that mass robbery crews would spread out across the country, given their success in a recent spate of California attacks on retailers. Charles Ramsey, the ex-Philadelphia commissioner, said there’s “no question” that the trend will occur elsewhere. “This is something now that I really unfortunately think is going [… […]

The unexpected death today of songwriter Stephen Sondheim at his Connecticut home will no doubt catch many by surprise, given his relatively robust persona, even at age 91. But while his passing may shock, there is no doubt about the huge contributions he made to the American songbook during his groundbreaking 70-year career as a [… […]

Famed anime director Hayao Miyazaki revealed he is coming out of retirement once again to make a feature length animated film. In an interview with the New York Times, Miyazaki didn’t give much detail about the film, but mentioned its based on Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 book How Do You Live? The story follows a teenage [… […]

Stephen Sondheim, one of the giants of Broadway songwriting, died early Friday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. He was 91. Attorney F. Richard Pappas, announced the death, which he described as sudden. Sondheim celebrated Thanksgiving with friends just a day ago, Pappas said. Sondheim’s catalog includes such works as “Company” (1970), “Follies” (1971), “A [… […]