Janine Sherman Barrois remembers being one of the only Black people in the writers’ room — or on set — when she began in television more than 20 years ago. At the time, she was grateful to get a seat at the table, given how few opportunities there were for Black women in Hollywood. Fast-forward
ITV Studios Finland and French production and distribution group Oble have partnered up on “Helsinki Crimes,” a new Finnish crime drama which will debut at Goteburg TV Drama Vision. “Helsinki Crimes” is an eight-part crime series based on Matti Yrjänä Joensuu’s bestselling novels. Set in contemporary Helsinki in the height of summer, the series revolves
Perhaps the most welcome thing about David Letterman’s Tuesday night return to “Late Night” — the NBC franchise he launched as host 40 years ago — was how perfectly low-key it was. Interviewed by the current “Late Night” host Seth Meyers to mark the anniversary, Letterman was fondly nostalgic about his time as a nightly
Whoop Goldberg’s “The View” co-hosts Joy Behar, Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin remained silent on the Wednesday, Feb. 2, episode of the ABC daytime talk show regarding Goldberg’s two-week suspension. ABC News president Kim Godwin announced in the evening of Tuesday, Feb., 1 that Goldberg would be suspended from “The View” following Goldberg’s remarks that
SkyShowtime, the joint streaming venture between Comcast and ViacomCBS, has received full regulatory approval. It will launch in Europe later this year. SkyShowtime’s CEO Monty Sarhan, who was put in charge of the project last month, will lead the roll-out. Sarhan is a veteran of both Comcast and ViacomCBS. He previously spent more than a
British singer-songwriter George Ezra, best known for hit singles “Shotgun,” “Paradise” and “Budapest,” will star in feature documentary “End to End.” The documentary is from producers Richard Yee (“An Idiot Abroad”), Catherine Miller and Fiona Neilson (“Oasis:Supersonic”) and is directed by Adam Scarborough and Christy Tattershall. Protagonist Pictures is handling worldwide sales and will introduce
“The Sound of Philadelphia,” a documentary on the 1970s “Philly Soul” sound and its masterminds Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, is coming from Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, and Imagine Documentaries, in partnership with Jigsaw Productions, the companies announced on Wednesday. The lushly orchestrated but soulful sound — exemplified by songs like “Love
Well, well, well … Jake Gyllenhaal seems to have found a scarf after all, and he’s flaunting it!!! To be fair, he’s getting paid to do that. Brace yourself Taylor Swift devotees, but yes … the actor’s rocking a tan-ish/blue colored scarf on the set of “The Interpreter” in Spain. Interesting fashion, because you gotta
New York fans can thank James Dolan for never landing LeBron James … so says Knicks legend Charles Oakley, who claims the King’s main reason for not signing in the Big Apple was the controversial owner. Oakley recalled a conversation he had with Bron during the 2014 season in his new book, ‘The Last Enforcer,’
A wave of zombies is about to descend on the still-frothy world of NFT hype. For its long-running flagship drama “The Walking Dead,” AMC Networks is taking a big swing at the ongoing mania for nonfungible tokens — with a multiyear NFT strategy aimed at keeping the undead franchise alive long after the show leaves
SPOILER ALERT: This piece contains spoilers for the first three episodes in Season 1 of “Pam and Tommy” which premiered on Hulu Feb. 2. If you think the needle drops in the Hulu original series “Pam & Tommy” — based on the real-life torrid tale of “Baywatch” babe Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy
Producer and financier Anton (“Greenland,” “The Night House”) has hired Leslie Chen as senior VP, international distribution and sales and has elevated consultant Louis Balsan to executive VP, international distribution and acquisitions. They will be part of Anton’s German office and will report into Paris-based Cécile Gaget, president of international production and distribution. Chen and
Paraguayan filmmaker Paz Encina’s “Eami” – being sold by MPM Premium – has won the top Tiger Award and a €40,000 cash prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), the festival announced Wednesday. The 51st edition of the Dutch event, forced online due to the Omicron wave, will wrap on Sunday. The jury, made
“John Wick” fans may not have seen the last of Halle Berry’s ex-assassin Sofia, although they certainly won’t be seeing her when “John Wick: Chapter 4” arrives in theaters on May 24, 2023. Berry confirmed in an interview with IGN this week that she is not appearing in the next “John Wick” movie. The Oscar
Will this be the weekend that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is dethroned at the box office once and for all? Paramount’s go-for-broke action comedy “Jackass Forever” and director Roland Emmerich’s disaster epic “Moonfall” certainly hope that’s the case. After an excruciatingly slow January at the movies, one that let “Spider-Man” tower over the competition for
In case the first trailer for Robert Eggers’ 10th century viking epic “The Northman” didn’t make it clear enough, Alexander Skarsgard has undergone one serious transformation to play a prince seeking revenge for the murder of his father. Skarsgard is known for his muscular physique, but he’s taken things to a new level with his
Beck, Duran Duran, Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and A Tribe Called Quest are making their first appearances as potential inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in nominations for the class of 2022 that were announced Wednesday morning. These seven join 10 more artists who have been previously nominated in
Tanya Easterman has been named chief executive officer of Jumpline Group. Jumpline is a full-service event, experiential and partnerships agency. It also operates Behind The Line, which focuses on developing and producing original content for studios, networks, and brands. Easterman joins Jumpline Group having spent more than a decade in the entertainment industry working for
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired “Coma,” the latest film by celebrated French director Bertrand Bonello (“Saint Laurent”). “Coma” will have its world premiere premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in the Encounters section. Weaving genre, animation and live action, the stylish movie boasts an exciting cast including Louise Labeque (“Zombi Child”) and Julia
Italian actress Monica Vitti, best known internationally for starring in Michelangelo Antonioni’s breakthrough cinematic trilogy “L’Avventura,” “La Notte” and “L’Eclisse,” as well as in the director’s “Red Desert,” has died. She was 90. The news of her death was tweeted by former Rome mayor and film critic Walter Veltroni on Wednesday. Roberto Russo, il suo
The British Film Institute (BFI) will fund wellbeing facilitators on all projects that it backs, the organization confirmed today. First introduced onto BFI productions in 2021, wellbeing facilitators are becoming increasingly popular in the industry as it seeks to tackle issues such as harassment and bullying. Although they are distinct from counsellors and therapists, wellbeing
Netflix and Finnish broadcaster YLE are set to co-produce “Dance Brothers,” a young adult dance drama series which marks Endemol Shine Finland’s first scripted commission. “Dance Brothers” is a 10-part Finnish language series created and produced by Max Malka, Endemol Shine Finland’s head of scripted. Filming is set to kick off in the Spring in
Veteran producer and reality TV judge Simon Cowell suffered a bike accident last week and was hospitalized, claim multiple U.K. media reports that emerged on Tuesday night. The “America’s Got Talent” judge had the accident near his London home last Thursday, was hospitalized and then released, the reports claim. “Simon was on the e-bike with
Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has added to its European Film Market slate “Love Thing,” starring top German actor Elyas M’Barek, whose credits include “The Collini Case.” Also on the slate is “Soul of a Beast,” which debuts its trailer below. Despite the virtual nature of the EFM, the company has taken additional office
Helsinki-based helmer-writer Aino Suni makes her feature debut with “Heartbeast,” a queer love story with a dark twist about a Finnish teen whose mother moves her to France. It world premieres in Nordic competition at this year’s Göteborg Festival. What inspired the story? Suni: The documentary “Never Again” I made about Finnish rapper Mercedes Bentso
Stockholm-based production house Hobab whose buzzy Cannes Directors’ Fortnight “Clara Sola” was snapped by New-York-based Oscilloscope Laboratories, is ramping up its ambitions, with female-led projects. “Our vision is to combine arthouse sensitivity with mainstream appeal, and to help talents – both Nordic and international – grow with care,” said Nima Yousefi, producer and joint owner with
Sony Group’s pictures division achieved net profits of $1.3 billion in the three months to December 2021, boosted by a return to theatrical releasing and the blockbuster performance of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in particular. The pictures division’s $1.31 billion figure, reported Wednesday in a regulatory filing, compares with profits of $288 million in the
France TV Distribution has boarded “Sugar and Stars” (“À la belle étoile”), an inspirational drama based on the true story of an underdog who became a famed pastry chef. The film marks the feature debut of Sébastien Tulard, who has directed several shorts and worked as assistant director on hit French comedies such as Tarek
Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from “The View” for two weeks after facing wide criticism for her remarks that the Holocaust was “not about race.” Goldberg’s suspension was announced in a statement released by ABC News public relations on Tuesday night. “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and
In answer to the question of whether it’s possible to separate the art from the artist, “MJ” performs a slick, crotch-grabbing sidestep. Packed with nearly 40 hits from Michael Jackson’s irresistible catalogue, the Broadway production from director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is not so much a biomusical as a high-shine and surface-skimming rehabilitation tour for