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The L.A. Times has announced that Current, the paper's Sunday (for now) commentary and ideas section, will have a guest editor every quarter to bring a little outside intellectual heft to the mix. The paper has chosen to debut with that master of ideas: producer Brian Grazer. "By handing over the one section of the newspaper devoted to wide-ranging commentary and community voices to an outside luminary from time to time, The Times seeks to provide readers with even more varied and compelling content, as well as a revealing insight into the sensibilities and interests of those chosen for the program," says the press release. Opinion Editor Andrés Martinez adds his spin: "We asked Brian Grazer to kick off the program because we wanted to tap into his creative vision. Brian’s an ideal choice because his interests are notoriously wide-ranging, and often unconventional. His career is powered by an endless curiosity, and we thought it would be fun to hitch a ride along the way."
Remember, Current reports to Publisher David Hiller, who has shown himself to be notoriously enamored of Hollywood. Press release after the jump.
to Inaugurate Guest Editor Program
LOS ANGELES, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Times announced today the launch of a quarterly guest editor program for Current, the Sunday edition commentary section. Brian Grazer, Oscar(R) and Emmy(R)-winning writer-producer, has been chosen to oversee the debut and future guest editors will be similarly intriguing personalities from the worlds of politics, business, culture, entertainment and sports.
By handing over the one section of the newspaper devoted to wide-ranging commentary and community voices to an outside luminary from time to time, The Times seeks to provide readers with even more varied and compelling content, as well as a revealing insight into the sensibilities and interests of those chosen for the program.
What would one of Hollywood 's most innovative producers do with the paper if he could be editor for a day? That is the question Grazer will answer in the March 25th Current. And that's the question The Times will be posing to an eclectic mix of personalities over time: what would you do if you could edit the paper for a day?
As guest editor, Grazer's responsibilities include choosing topics and assigning them to writers.
"We asked Brian Grazer to kick off the program because we wanted to tap into his creative vision," said Andres Martinez, editorial page editor of the Los Angeles Times. "Brian's an ideal choice because his interests are notoriously wide-ranging, and often unconventional. His career is powered by an endless curiosity, and we thought it would be fun to hitch a ride along the way."
"When the Los Angeles Times invited me to guest edit the Sunday Current section, I had to say yes," said Grazer. "There's nothing that excites me more than learning new things and then sharing what I've learned with others. It's what I do as a filmmaker, and it's what I've tried to do for The Times. One big interest of mine is the impact of technological and cultural change, and my hope is that by asking a really interesting group of writers and artists to focus on this subject, readers will gain a better understanding of the world we live in."
Grazer runs Imagine Entertainment with his longtime partner Ron Howard, and is a painter and avid surfer. His films and TV shows have been nominated for a total of 42 Oscars and 80 Emmys. As both a writer and producer, he has been personally nominated for three Academy Awards, and in 2002 he won the Best Picture Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. His other feature film credits include The Da Vinci Code, The Inside Man; Cinderella Man; Apollo 13; 8 Mile; Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas; The Nutty Professor; Liar, Liar; Flightplan; Backdraft; Kindergarten Cop and Splash. His television credits include 24, Friday Night Lights, Shark, Arrested Development, Felicity, and Sports Night.
Grazer is currently in post-production on the drama American Gangster, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington. He is also in pre-production on adaptations of Peter Morgan's critically acclaimed play Frost / Nixon and Dan Brown's best-selling novel Angels & Demons, as well as a biopic about the legendary "Godfather of Soul," James Brown.