The powerful combination of composer Justin Hurwitz and film director Damien Chazelle was once again triumphant at Tuesday’s (Jan. 10) 2023 Golden Globes, where Hurwitz took home best original score for Chazelle’s Babylon.

This is hardly the duo’s first success story: Hurwitz is now four-for-four at the Globes working on Chazelle films exclusively, previously winning best original score and best original song (“City of Stars”) for La La Land in 2017 and best original score for First Man in 2019. Read More

The prequel series beat out the final seasons of Better Call Saul and Ozark, Netflix’s The Crown (a two-time past winner) and Apple TV+’s Severance for the award at the 2023 Golden Globes on Tuesday. House of the Dragon‘s win for its first season is also the first series win for the HBO franchise at the Golden Globes. Despite five nominations for best drama (and four Emmy wins), Game of Thrones ended its run on HBO without a series trophy at the awards. Read More

The Matthew Kennedy (Inheritance) script will see Beckinsale play top level CIA agent Avery Graves who is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want. Read More

Ken Kleinberg was recently quoted in Robert Marich’s Los Angeles Business Journal article “Streaming Services Are Upending Hollywood’s Business Culture.” The article discusses how streaming services have affected the landscape of Hollywood in recent years. Ken offered his insight on the topic.

“It’s dawning on a lot of people in the business that you can’t replace the avalanche of cash that is generated by a global box office smash…So there has to be a new way to share in the ‘upside’ of movies and, so far, what has happened is much of that upside has gone to streamers who are taking the risk with some very expensive projects. It hasn’t settled down yet, and I think we’ll see different paradigms emerge.”

The full article can be found below (subscription required).
Streaming Services Are Upending Hollywood’s Business Culture

Firm partner Jill Smith was recently profiled in the cover story of the 2021 edition of Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine, entitled “The Big Picture.” Introducing Jill as “the hip, sardonic attorney making deals for Lego, Rube Goldberg and Godzilla,” the feature spotlights Jill’s extensive career in entertainment law and her perspective on COVID-19’s impact on the industry.

“You have to be able to think about things in an expansive way,” Jill says of her approach towards dealmaking. “You certainly have to think about your client’s needs. But my goal is always to make a deal, not kill a deal, and that means thinking about what does the other side want to get out of a deal? What are they trying to do?”

To read the full feature, click here. 

The firm is pleased to announce that Jill Smith was included on Thomson Reuters’ exclusive list of 2021 Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers. Christine Cuddy, Candace Carlo, and Jill Smith were also all recognized as 2021 Southern California Top 50 Women Super Lawyers.

Each year, “Super Lawyers” recognizes the top lawyers in Southern California via a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research and peer evaluation. The Southern California lawyers who receive the highest point totals during this selection process are further recognized in Southern California Super Lawyers Top Lists.

The full lists can be found below.
Top 100: 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers
Top 50: 2021 Women Southern California Super Lawyers

The firm is pleased to announce that Ken Kleinberg, Bob Lange, Candace Carlo, Christine Cuddy, Jill Smith and Marko Kuo were recognized as 2021 “Super Lawyers” by Thomson Reuters. All six were named in the Entertainment & Sports category, with Ken Kleinberg additionally recognized in the Intellectual Property category.

“Super Lawyers” is a prominent rating service of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas that honors outstanding attorneys who attain a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations, resulting in a comprehensive list of the top 5% of attorneys in each state.

Ken Kleinberg and Jill Smith were recently selected for inclusion in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report for 2020. The annual list honors the top dealmakers and strategists in the entertainment industry. Ken was recognized for his work with J.K. Rowling and LEGO, and Jill for her work with actors, directors, writers, independent producers, production companies, and outfits that own sought-after intellectual property.

To view the full list, click here.

Candace Carlo has been selected for inclusion in the 2020 list of “Top Women Lawyers” by California’s most prestigious legal publication the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. The annual supplement honors high-achieving women attorneys in California, and recognized Candace for her representation of well-known clients including composer Hans Zimmer and director Brenda Chapman.

To see Candace’s full profile, click here (subscription required).

Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo has been recognized as a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers® for 2021, achieving rankings in the practice areas of Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures & Television and Entertainment Law – Music. 

Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field and review of additional information provided by law firms as a part of the formal submission process.