SPIKE LEE, TERENCE BLANCHARD SET FOR HONOR: The Society of Composers and Lyricists will give its Spirit of Collaboration Award to six-time Grammy winning and Oscar-nominated composer Terence Blanchard and Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer Spike Lee this year. The pair have partnered on 15 films and three TV projects, including Jungle Fever, Malcom X and last year’s BlacKkKlansman. The SCL Awards will be held virtually March 2nd.
INDIE FILM ON THE SKIDS? The first-ever Producers Sustainability Survey from Dear Producer has found that producers see the entire industry as a “crap shoot” in terms of their chances of finding commercial success. “That may have been true 20 or 30 years ago, but it is not reflective of the industry today. The reality is that producers rarely make a living wage. We work for years to bring movies to life — which may or may not happen — without compensation, and in fact, we are often spending upwards of $5000 of our own money to even get a project started,” Rebecca Green, founder and editor in chief of Dear Producer, explains. According to The Hollywood Reporter, last year, around 42 percent of those surveyed reported an income of $50,000 or less.
NEVE CAMPBELL JOINS LINCOLN LAWYER: Neve Campbell has signed on for a leading role in The Lincoln Lawyer, which will air on Netflix. She joins Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who will star as Mickey Haller, who runs his law business out of his car. She plays Maggie, his first ex-wife. David E. Kelley is producing and co-writing.
A+E LOVES SENIORS: While older viewers often get short shrift at networks, but A+E is embracing its TV viewers 55 and older. The owner of A&E, History and Lifetime says it will work with advertisers on a total audience basis. The “somewhat of a radical position to take, but it’s one rooted in a dialogue,” ad sales president Peter Olsen said. “We believe it’s a good thing for the industry.”