• Actor Anton Yelchin died in a freak accident at age 27, but a new documentary seeks to put the focus back on the actor's life. Love, Antosha, which is seeking theatrical distribution, premiered Monday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, to tears and applause. His parents, Viktor Yelchin and Irina Korina, the driving force behind the documentary, were there as well. Dozens of stars -- including Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence and Yelchin's Star Trek co-stars Chris Pine and John Cho -- pay tribute to him in the documentary. The actor died in 2016 when his car rolled down his driveway, pinning him. Director Garret Price said he wanted to tell an inspirational story and not one that dwells in tragedy. The film uses home videos, archival footage and personal letters to tell Yelchin's story and reveals the little-known fact that he had cystic fibrosis. Price used Yelchin's letters, read by Nicholas Cage, as a framing device to tell a coming-of-age story through his eyes. "The challenge of a story like this is it ultimately ends in tragedy, but I didn't want to make a tragic story," Price said. "I wanted to make an inspiring story."
• The state of Tennessee is planning to invest $1 million in an upcoming Ken Burns documentary on country music. At a budget hearing, Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell said the famed documentarian's project includes eight two-hour sessions slotted to air this fall on PBS. It will also be made available in other formats. Ezell said Monday that the second payment of the $1 million total committed by the state is included in the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development's upcoming budget proposal. Ezell called it an excellent deal for the state. Ezell said Burns will travel with state officials for a promotional tour with musical artists in March. Ezell said 40 million viewers are expected in the first showing of the series, which will include filming in Bristol, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.
• John Malkovich is returning to the London stage as a powerful Hollywood producer accused of sexual misconduct, in a play with strong echoes of the Harvey Weinstein saga. Producers announced Tuesday that Malkovich will star in the world premiere of David Mamet's Bitter Wheat, which recounts the fall from grace of a "depraved Hollywood mogul." Malkovich told the BBC that the play "started as reaction to all the news that came out, in particular about Harvey Weinstein" but that the central character is "not particularly Harvey Weinstein." Scores of women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. He denies allegations of nonconsensual sex. The play will run at London's Garrick Theatre from June 7 to Sept. 14.
A Section on 01/30/2019