ACORN TV
Programming from several countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, and UK. AMC Networks chief Josh Sapan told The Hollywood Reporter that Acorn TV has "among the lowest churn" among major services owing to its focus as well as viewers' "dedication and affinity" for its content.

It may be difficult to describe Angelyne to the uninitiated. Urban legend made flesh? Semi-divine fertility goddess? Personification of the color pink? A rare form of humanoid cryptid? Savvy entrepreneur goosing the entire system of L.A. fame? She may be all of these things and more. For many years, Angelyne was one of L.A.'s favorite mysteries.
In 1984, the first Angelyne billboard went up on Sunset Boulevard, featuring a photo of her posing in a cartoonishly seductive manner. The billboard wasn't advertising an upcoming movie, it wasn't for a record, it wasn't for a TV show, it wasn't even a request for auditions for those things. It was advertising Angelyne. She was selling herself to a market that wanted fame. What was she famous for? It turns out, she was to become famous for ... being Angelyne. Angelyne presaged media-alone figures like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton by 20 years, carrying out her self-advertising and self-branding exercises in a way that whiffed distantly of a media prank.
Hollywood was hungry for celebrity, so why not construct yourself as a celebrity who is famous merely for being famous? If Angelyne was pranking the Hollywood system, she never let the façade slip, driving around town in a pink Cadillac, posing for pictures, signing autographs, and being bubbly and flirty with her fans. Her high-pitched voice and trademark "Ooo!" were either genuine enthusiasm or a component of a very elaborate, 24-hour-a-day act. One could point to Angelyne as one of the very first people to sell themselves as a brand, now a common practice among Instagram influencers. For years, Angelyne's true identity was a mystery. No one knew where she came from, her age, or her real name (her driver's License bore the unlikely surname "L'Lyne").
It wasn't until an expose in The Hollywood Reporter in August of 2017 that her true background would be revealed (Her real name is Ronia Tamar Goldberg, and she was born in Poland in 1950). By 2017, though, Angelyne's legend had been cemented, and the actual truth about her as a human being almost seemed like a footnote. Angelyne has run for mayor a few times, was the subject of a bizarre 1995 documentary film, and has released three albums.
She still drives around L.A. in her Cadillac — if you see Angelyne in the wild, it's considered good luck — and she runs her own fan club and online store. And now there's a TV series about Angelyne headed to Peacock. (courtesy Witney Seibold)...

"The Santa Clause," a family comedy released by Disney in 1994, starred Tim Allen near the height of his popularity, back when he was on "Home Improvement" and one year before he first voiced Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story.” Disney is now pressing ahead with a "Santa Clause" limited sequel series for Disney+, in lieu of making a fourth movie. Variety reports that "Harold & Kumar" alum Kal Penn has now joined the show's cast, with Allen already onboard and Elizabeth Mitchell reprising her role as Scott Calvin's second wife-turned Mrs. Claus, Carol Newman, from "The Santa Clause 2 & 3."...

Netflix asked a federal court on Thursday to block a Texas prosecutor from pursuing child pornography charges against the streaming service for distributing the 2020 French film “Cuties.” Lucas Babin, the elected district attorney in Tyler County, Texas, indicted Netflix in September 2020, alleging that the film violates a state law against the “lewd exhibition” of children. The film portrays a children’s dance troupe, and sparked controversy in the U.S. after its release due to its suggestive choreography. Netflix has sought to have the case thrown out, arguing that the statute violates the First Amendment. A hearing was initially set on that motion for Thursday. But in a procedural move on the eve of the hearing, Babin dropped the original indictment and brought four new indictments under a different statute, alleging that the film violates the Texas state law against child pornography. Babin is the son of U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, and is also a former model and actor who portrayed Spider, the shirtless rocker in the 2003 film “School of Rock” starring Jack Black...

Producers of Ukrainian animated film “Gulliver Returns” will use earnings from further sales on the film to support their country’s defense against Russia. Oleg Khodachuk, producer of the film through the company Gulliver Films, said: “‘Gulliver Returns’ is based on [Ukrainian President] Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s idea and his ideal: that Jonathan Swift’s classic character Gulliver is not a giant in size, but a giant in heart and courage. And in the context of the current invasion of Ukraine by Russia, its story of the small country of Liliput being threatened by the invasion of the imposing Blefuscu army, takes on a new resonance.” The film has already sold to Germany (Telepool), U.K. (Signature), U.S. (123 Go Films), Canada (TVA Films), Latin America (Imagem), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Italy (102 Distribution), West Asia and North Africa (Phars Films), Australia/NZ (Rialto Distribution), Taiwan (AV Jet), Vietnam (Viettel), Hungary (ADS), and more...

Almost two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s film industry expresses solidarity with the Ukrainian film community. On Monday evening, Rome’s Cinema Troisi hosted a free screening in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival of Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasynovych’s “Reflection”. The Rome event, introduced by Venice Biennale president Roberto Cicutto, is being followed by other screenings of “Reflection,” organized by the fest in Italy. One such event on Wednesday in Milan will be presented by Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera.
On Tuesday, Switzerland’s Visions du Réel docs fest announced that the selection of its upcoming edition in April will comprise four works directed and/or produced in Ukraine.
kraine will also be in the spotlight at the Stockholm Film Festival, which will host film screenings, director visits and masterclasses highlighting the country’s cinematic output in November.
The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, which is in the Czech Republic where more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have been taken in since the invasion, is now also supporting Ukraine with a special presentation of Ukrainian-born exiled Russian documentarian Vitaly Mansky’s “Putin’s Witnesses.”
The Berlin Film Festival, which ran last month, featured two Ukrainian films: the doc “Terykony” by Taras Tomenko which portrays the tough lives of kids in the so-called ‘gray zone’ on the front line of Russian-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine, and Maryna Er Gorbach’s drama “Klondike,” set against the background of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine which interweaves the personal and political history of the struggles...

Netflix unveiled its 2022 slate of 25 French Originals, as well as projects including the second and third instalments of its action movie “Lost Bullet,” and “En Place,” a comedy series created by Jean-Pascal Zadi (“Tout simplement Noir”) and Francois Uzan. The company said it will invest more than €200 million ($220 million) in 2022 in France. Of these 25 titles, around 10 are series, and eight are films...

Chloe x Halle are championing emerging filmmakers through Neutrogena Studios’ First Frame Program, which released two short films — “En Avant” and “If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin” — on Thursday. Both films, produced in partnership with the nonprofit Ghetto Film School, address the First Frame Program’s mission of spotlighting experiences surrounding skin health and what it means to embrace your skin. Chloe and Halle Bailey, who are also Neutrogena brand ambassadors, helped curate the program and mentored the filmmakers as they developed their shorts. The R&b duo underlined the importance of amplifying work from young, Black creatives — and shared their joys of working with “En Avant” writer/director Sarah Jean Williams and “If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin” writer/director Kyra Peters....