Pre-Grammy brunch gives sneak peek of ‘Amy’
Universal Music Group’s pre-Grammy brunch featured performances by its top-selling stars, Sam Smith and Iggy Azalea, and a sneak peek at the upcoming Amy Winehouse documentary.
The record company on Saturday debuted a close-to-complete trailer of “Amy,” which is due in theaters later this year. The minute-long video featured photos and video of the late singer as well as audio from an interview where she talked about becoming famous.
Universal Music UK CEO and Chairman David Joseph said the trailer would be released in a month or so, but he wanted to debut it ahead of the Grammys because the 2008 awards show marked history when Winehouse won five honors, including song and record of the year.
Winehouse died in 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning at age 27.
“About two years ago we decided to make a movie about her – her career and her life,” he said. “It’s a very complicated and tender movie. It tackles lots of things about family and media, fame, addiction, but most importantly, it captures the very heart of what she was about, which is an amazing person and a true musical genius.”
Facebook founder, wife donate $75M
Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, are donating $75 million to San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center in what officials say appears to be the largest single gift from a private donor to a county-run public hospital.
The facility, run by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, serves the city’s poorest residents. It also provides San Francisco’s only psychiatric emergency room and level-one trauma center, caring for airplane crash and gunshot wound victims, among others.
It is staffed by University of California, San Francisco clinical faculty and serves as a training ground for its medical students. Chan, who did her medical residency there, said in a statement that she knows “firsthand the vital health care and trauma services the hospital provides to anyone who lives, works or travels through San Francisco.”
Seth Rogen’s ‘Neighbors’ gets sequel
A bit of good news for Seth Rogen: His “Neighbors” is getting a sequel.
Universal Pictures announced Friday that it will release a follow-up to the hit 2014 comedy in May next year. The film will return Rogen and Rose Byrne, who played new parents forced to live next door to a fraternity led by Zac Efron.
“Neighbors,” which earned $268 million worldwide, was produced by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the duo also behind Sony Pictures’ “The Interview.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Jack Larson (TV: “Adventures of Superman”) is 87. Composer-conductor John Williams is 83. Actor Nick Nolte is 74. Comedian Robert Klein is 73. Actress Brooke Adams is 66. Actress Mary Steenburgen is 62. Rock singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 54. Actress Mary McCormack is 46. Actor Seth Green is 41. Actress-comedian Cecily Strong is 31.