Julianne Moore – OnMedea

Hawk Koch was named President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences today.

Like his aggressive name suggests, this is a bold choice from an extremely bold organization.

To have the balls to choose the old media film producer son of an old media Hollywood mogul is the kind of cutting edge change necessary to keep AMPAS relevant.

I have a feeling this is going to be one of the greatest years in the history of the Academy.

Here’s what we can expect:

There will be a double-digit increase in cocktail parties under Mr. Koch’s reign.

The words “digital transition” and “Netflix” will be officially banned from Academy headquarters.

$100 million will be raised for the AMPAS Museum (from various cocktail parties and galas to honor other old media executives) which will be a great gathering place for old media types to have cocktails and watch newly-restored prints of “Citizen Kane.”

Don Rickles (because Henny Youngman is dead) will be approached to host the Oscars. “Hey, he’s still funny! And the 18-49s love him!”

… and on and on.

Very exciting stuff.

Glad to see the giant vacuum bubble that was put in place over Beverly Hills in order to keep fresh ideas out is still secure.

Jill Kennedy – OnMedea

P.S. – Now I can see why my boss, Khan Manka, Jr., has such a problem with the organization.

At the upcoming Super Bowl in Miami, 22 players are absolutely necessary to play the game. Apparently, 22 producers are absolutely necessary to make “Hesher” – an independent film premiering at the Sundance Film Festival (and just picked up for distribution by Newmarket) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman.

There’s a fixed joke in Hollywood that you can’t throw a rock without hitting a screenwriter. It seems, for those of us inclined to throw rocks, you can’t throw a rock at Sundance without hitting an independent film producer.

What happens if, by some chance, “Hesher” gets nominated for an Academy Award next year. Only three producers are allowed on the ballot and actually receive the award. What happens to the other 19 and what is the process for weeding it down to three? Wouldn’t that be a great reality show?

And “Hesher” is not an isolated case. It appears to be a trend.

Here are three films that were at the Sundance Film Festival and the number of Producers that were necessary to produce them.

Hesher (22 Producers – including “Executive” and “Co”-Producers)

Lucy Cooper
Matthew Weaver
Scott Prisand
Natalie Portman
Spencer Susser
Johnny Lin
Win Sheridan
Jonathan Weisgal
Wayne Chang
Aleen Keshishian
Annette Savitch
Scot Armstrong
Ravi Nandan
Aaron Dowing
Rob Ortiz
Scott Kluge
Jeff Davis
Jay Rifkin
Ari Ackerman
Jay Franks
Happy Walters
Gina Kirkpatrick

The Kids Are All Right (starring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo – 13 Producers)

Gary Gilbert
Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
Celine Rattray
Jordan Horowitz
Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Steven Saxton
Ron Stein
Christy Cashman
Anne O’Shea
Riva Marker
Andrew Sawyer
Neil Katz
J. Todd Harris

The Romantics (starring Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel – 11 Producers)

Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Jennifer Todd
Suzanne Todd
Michael Benaroya
Taylor Kephart
Galt Niederhoffer
Katie Holmes
Riva Marker
Celine Rattray
Pamela Hirsch
Ron Stein

Look, I’m sure all these people played a vital role in their respective films’ journey to the screen… or not (only those on the production really know what’s going on here). But a Producer credit used to be highly-coveted and very difficult to get – in most cases after years of paying dues and working up the cinematic ladder.

Today, it seems, the credit is handed out like film festival swag. Now, when I meet someone who says they are a producer on an independent film, I am inclined to say “Oh, really, what, did you deliver the food?”

Jill Kennedy – OnMedea

Tag: Julianne Moore

“Hesher” Has 22 Producers