Alicia Malone

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Alicia Malone
Canberra, Australia
Occupations
  • Television host
  • author
EmployerWarner Bros. Discovery (2018–present)

Alicia Maree Malone (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian author and television host for Turner Classic Movies.[2][3]

Biography

Early life

Alicia Malone was born in

Canberra, Australia. When she was three years old, she watched The NeverEnding Story (1984) in a movie theater with her mother and sisters. During the film, the character Atreyu tries to save his beloved horse Artax, which made her very emotional. She remembered, "I started crying and yelling ... I made so much noise my mum had to take me out of the theater."[4]

While studying at Canberra Girls Grammar School, she started a film club, intending to convince her classmates to appreciate classic cinema. After graduating, she chose not to attend a university but instead moved to Sydney, intending to work in television. There, she applied and won a half scholarship to study television at a technical college.[5][6] Meanwhile, she worked at a Video Ezy video rental store, where she was hired on the spot, and advised unsuspecting customers which films they should rent.[7][8] After an acquaintance suggested her, she began working at the Channel Seven television station, which was broadcasting the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics at the time, as a teleprompter operator. She subsequently worked a variety of jobs in the control room.[9]

After six years, she responded to a job opening and was hired as a producer and editor for the Movie Network.[8] She hosted film-related television programs, including Movie Juice and Premiere. Through the help of a friend and supporter Renee Brack, Malone also hosted live red carpet events.[8]

Career

In 2010, Malone moved to Los Angeles, California on an O visa, allowing her to only work in television.[10] One night, after channel-surfing on cable television, she wrote down a particular goal in mind to become a host for Turner Classic Movies. She practiced auditioning by recording the introductions made by Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz, writing out the scripts, and practice reading those scripts in front of a camera.[11] In 2014, she co-hosted the web series Profiles with Malone and Mantz, alongside Scott Mantz for AfterBuzz TV. There, Keven Undergaro, co-founder of Afterbuzz TV, held a private seminar with Malone, where she mentioned her dream goal. Undergaro knew the network's head of talent, and Malone later edited a video reel of herself discussing classic films. At the time, Turner Classic Movies was partnering with The Criterion Collection on FilmStruck, a film streaming service,[12] and in 2015, she was hired to host video introductions for FilmStruck.[4] She also hosted The FilmStruck Podcast interviewing filmmakers and artists whose films were featured on the service.[13]

That same year, on December 20, she gave her first TEDx Talk titled #GirlsInFilm at TEDxSanJuanIsland. In this talk, she discussed the under representation of females in the Hollywood film industry.[14] On July 6, 2017, she gave her second seminar at TEDxBend titled Female Directors in Hollywood & Impact of Movies Made From 1 Perspective. There, she recounted the history of female film directors in Hollywood, and how women can empower other women so that more than one type of story can be told.[15]

Meanwhile, while reading the book Movie-Made America by Robert Sklar, Malone came across the fact that there were more women working during the early years of American cinema than there are now. Interested, she thoroughly researched the topic and interviewed prominent figures about the historical involvement and under representation of females in the film industry.[9] In 2017, she published her first book Backwards and in Heels. She followed up with her second book The Female Gaze in response to readers who asked how can they support women filmmakers in the industry.[16] She also hosted the Fandango web series Indie Movie Guide on YouTube.[17] In 2019, she began hosting the video series Reel Destinations for Focus Features, exploring the actual locations of their films.[18]

In 2017, Malone auditioned for a Turner Classic Movies hosting role; in 2018, she was hired as a full-time host.[11][19] She made her first official hosting appearance on 4 March 2018.[20] She has stated that before filming her introductions, she watches all the films, does research in order to understand the background behind the films, and know how to expertly read a teleprompter.[11] As of 2024, she hosts the afternoon lineup on Sundays and the primetime lineup on Tuesdays, and is the host of the TCM Imports programming block on late Sunday nights.[21][22]

In 2020, after relocating to Maine, Malone became a member on the board of directors for the Strand Theatre, a historic movie theatre in Rockland.[23]

Personal life

Malone lives in Maine, having relocated there from Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Books

  • Malone, Alicia (2017). Backwards and in Heels: The Past, Present And Future Of Women Working In Film.
  • Malone, Alicia (2018). The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women. Coral Gables, Florida: Mango Publishing.
  • Malone, Alicia (2022). Girls on Film: Lessons From a Life of Watching Women in Movies. Coral Gables, Florida: Mango Publishing.

References

  1. ^ @TCM (4 September 2022). "Wishing our very own Alicia Malone a happy birthday on her special day! 🥂" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Bobbin, Jay (29 July 2021). "TCM's Alicia Malone is ready for another 'Summer Under the Stars'". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  3. ^ Byrnes, Chad (16 December 2019). "Alicia Malone: The Classic Movies Maven Teaching Us New Things About Old Films". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019.
  4. ^ a b Brunner, Jeryl (17 December 2017). "How To Turn Your Favorite Hobby Into The Career You Love". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  5. ^ Malone 2022, p. 101.
  6. ^ a b Hessler, Alissa (2021). "A film journalist's Covid move inspires a new chapter and a place to call home". Urban Exodus. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. ^ Malone 2022, pp. 101–102.
  8. ^ a b c "Diversity in Film Criticism: Part 1 — April Wolfe and Alicia Malone". MovieJawn. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b Princi, Lorenzo (6 September 2017). "Hugging Celebrities with Alicia Malone". Caffeine and Concrete (Interview). Vol. 27. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  10. ^ Malone 2022, p. 129.
  11. ^ a b c Thomas, Nick (3 April 2018). "Tinseltown Talks: TCM goes Down Under for new host Alicia Malone". The Spectrum. Gannett. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  12. ^ FilmStruck (3 November 2016). FilmStruck Intro: Host Alicia Malone. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Facebook.
  13. Broadway World (Interview). Archived
    from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  14. ^ Malone, Alicia (20 December 2015). "GirlsInFilm". TEDx Talks. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Malone, Alicia (6 July 2017). "Female Directors in Hollywood & Impact of Movies Made From One Perspective". TEDx Talks. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ a b Scutts, Joanna (20 November 2018). "FilmStruck's Alicia Malone Mourns the Service and Celebrates The Female Gaze". Vulture. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Fandango's Indie Movie Guide". Fandango. Retrieved 12 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ "Alicia Malone Is Going Places". Focus Features (Interview). 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  19. ^ Gardner, Chris (2 March 2018). "Alicia Malone, Dave Karger Join TCM as Full-Time Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  20. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (9 April 2019). "TCM at 25: Ben Mankiewicz on How to Make the Perfect Introduction". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  21. ^ "About—Alicia Malone". AliciaMalone.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  22. ^ "Alicia Malone". Turner Classic Movies. Warner Bros. Discovery. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Theatre Staff & Board". Strand Theatre. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  24. ^ Alley-Young, Gordon (5 February 2020). "Backwards and in Heels: The Past, Present and Future of Women Working in Film by Alicia Malone (review)". Journal of Film and Video. 72 (1): 92–94 – via Project MUSE.
  25. ^ "Girls on Film". Mango Publishing. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

External links