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Posts published in “TV”

Choreographer Fatima Robinson Lands Dance Drama Project Based on her Life at NBC

By goodblacknews on December 11, 2015
Fatima Robinson
Fatima Robinson

NBC is calling on three principals from its production of “The Wiz Live!” for a new drama.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network picked up a script from the TV musical’s executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan that’s based on the life of its veteran choreographer, Fatima Robinson.
Inspired by Robinson’s life as a dancer-turned-choreographer, the untitled drama is set in Los Angeles with early plans to set it in the 1990s, as dance begins to dominate pop culture on the streets and clubs that gave birth to hip-hop.
The project is in the early stages of development, according to THR. A writer has yet to come aboard.
Zadan and Meron will executive produce alongside their Storyline Entertainment banner’s Mark Nicholson and Tasha Brown, with the latter duo set to produce. Robinson will executive produce and serve as choreographer.
The drama marks her third go-round with Zadan and Meron following their collaboration on the Academy Awards, which producers told THR inspired them to enlist her to help stage NBC’s “The Wiz Live!”
“We worked with her on the Oscars and knew she was special,” Zadan told THR last week when he singled out Robinson’s contributions to helping to make the live musical a critical success. “We hired Fatima Robinson, who is not a Broadway choreographer, to do authentic black dancing. She comes from hip-hop and a lot of her point of view on dance is very gritty and authentic and raw.”
Fatima was behind the telecast’s most-tweeted moment during the song, when Ne-Yo “hit the dab” during his  “Slide Some Oil to Me” performance. The moment drew 15,218 tweets per minute.
article via eurweb.com

Queen Latifah Lands Lead Role in Lee Daniels’ Fox Music Pilot

By goodblacknews on December 8, 2015
Queen Latifah Lee Daniels
Queen Latifah (ROBERT MAXWELL FOR VARIETY)

Queen Latifah has landed a lead role in Lee Daniels’ untitled music project at Fox, which was formerly titled “Star,” Variety has learned. Three more regulars — all relative newcomers — have also been cast.
The Untitled Lee Daniels Music Pilot goes into production this month in Atlanta, and while the potential series has only been ordered to pilot at this point, Queen Latifah’s star power, combined with Daniels’ “Empire” track record at Fox, makes the project a strong contender for the 2016-17 television season.
The pilot revolves around three young women, who form a girl group with hopes of making it big in the music industry. The project has been described in the vein of “Dreamgirls,” while incorporating the manufacturing of modern-day girl groups, showcasing the allure and heartache of the cut-throat music scene, and exploring cultural themes from a new perspective.
Queen Latifah will anchor the young cast, playing Carlotta, the owner of an Atlanta beauty salon who has an amazing voice and becomes a surrogate mother to the three girls in the group, even though she doesn’t approve of their musical dreams.
Following a nationwide casting call, actress and singers Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O’Grady have been cast as the leading girl group members.
Demorest (“Dallas,” “The Middle”), from Detroit, has landed the role of Star, the tough 18-year-old who spent her childhood in and out of foster homes after the death of her mother, and who will do anything to become the star she was named to be; Destiny (“Low Winter Sun”), also from Detroit, has been cast as Alexandra, the wealthy 20-year-old who grew up on New York’s Upper East Side, but who, for years, has tried to put her privileged world behind her, so she can make real, authentic music; and O’Grady (“The Messengers”), from Washington, DC, will play Simone, Star’s younger sister who dreams of the day Star will return to rescue her from the abusive foster home in which she was placed five years before.

Viola Davis Covers InStyle Magazine for January; Here are 5 New Reasons To Love Her

By goodblacknews on December 5, 2015

Viola Davis on InStyle
Viola Davis is having the best year ever. The Emmy Award-winning actress will bring in the New Year as the cover model for the January 2016 issue of InStyle Magazine.
We love Viola’s transparency during her interview. She says that she’s nothing like her cutthroat character Annalise Keating on How To Get Away With Murder. Instead she enjoys going to Target, wearing her natural hair and “going to space” with her gorgeous 5 year old daughter Genesis.
Here are five new things we didn’t know about Viola:
1. Off screen her wardrobe isn’t glamorous:  “If I were to compare my style to Annalise Keating, I would say that I have absolutely no style,” she says with a laugh “Annalise Keating is an Alexander McQueen kinda Max Mara girl. That’s not me. I have a five year old!”
2. She’s about to get married for the third time! When she first wed fellow and actor-producer Julius Tennon 13 years ago, Viola wore a simple skirt from Express. A few years later they exchanged vows again, and she wore a more traditional dress. For their latest upcoming vow renewal, Davis is wearing a custom dress by Carmen Marc Valvo. 

3. She and her daughter are actually astronauts:  “We go into space. We explore different planets,” Davis says of the game Genesis is most currently fond of. “This ship is in danger. We almost died at one point. We lost oxygen.”
4. She knows how to turn down and relax:  “I am addicted to spas,” she says. “If we go to a hotel, we’ll be the only people in that spa for hours. We’ll start at 5 in the morning sometimes.”
5. She’s empowered by her natural beauty: “What’s released me most from the fear of aging is self-awareness,” she says. “I’ve never determined my value based on my looks or anything physical. I’ve been through a lot in life, and what has gotten me through is strength of character and faith.”
article by Zon D’Amour via hellobeautiful.com

Oprah Winfrey Will Release Memoir, "The Life You Want", in 2017 Under Her Own Imprint

By goodblacknews on December 4, 2015

Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is expanding her empire to include the launch of her own book imprint, with her own planned memoir set as its first fruit.
Flatiron Books announced Thursday that Winfrey’s The Life You Want is scheduled for January 2017 and will “reveal never-before told stories” that show how “anyone can put their life on a new trajectory.”
Winfrey’s as-yet-untitled imprint is expected to churn out several nonfiction works a year.
Winfrey said in a statement issued through Flatiron that she hopes her story “inspires other people to live the highest, fullest expression of themselves.”
In a recent speaking tour of Australia, Winfrey also talked about the son she had when she was 14, who died. She told attendees at her event at the Rod Laver arena that she was ashamed of the pregnancy, which was premature.

“I did an interview with a reporter before I came to Australia and she said you should name the baby son who died,” Winfrey stated.

“So I have named him. I had a little boy named Canaan,” Winfrey said. “I did have a son. And I named him Canaan because Canaan means new land, new life.”

What I Know for Sure, a collection of her O Magazine columns, was published by Flatiron in 2014.
article via blackamericaweb.com

"The Wiz Live" Ratings Strong: NBC Musical Draws 11.5 Million Viewers

By goodblacknews on December 4, 2015
The Wiz Live! NBC
COURTESY OF NBC

It’s Also the Most-Tweeted Live Special Program on Record

Two years after NBC stunned the industry with huge ratings for its live presentation of “The Sound of Music,” the network was back at it Thursday night with “The Wiz Live,” which drew impressive numbers of its own. The event also set a Nielsen Twitter record as most social live special program in the more than four years of tracking such numbers.
Despite facing a highly-rated NFL game on CBS, last night’s live musical, whose all-star cast included Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Amber Riley, Uzo Aduba, Stephanie Mills and David Alan Grier, averaged a 3.4 rating/11 share in adults 18-49 and about 11.5 million viewers overall from 8 to 10:45 p.m.,  according to preliminary Nielsen estimates. The only NBC entertainment series to fare better this fall is “The Voice,” whose season premiere averaged a 3.5/11 in 18-49 and 12.37 million.
According to Nielsen, roughly 269,400 people send 1.6 million tweets about “The Wiz Live!” on Thursday night and 6.4 million people saw those tweets a total of 128.9 million times. Last night’s production more than tripled the number of tweets for either “Sound of Music” (449,536) or “Peter Pan” (474,735).
Last night during the 8-11 p.m. EST window, global digital marketing technology company Amobee Brand Intelligence said “The Wiz Live!” attracted 1.374 million tweets during its three-hour telecast window — more than four times the number generated last year during the live telecast of “Peter Pan Live” (360,000). Roughly 30% of the sentiment was positive, 58% neutral and 13% negative — meaning the Twitter sentiment was 133% more positive than negative around the broadcast. Shanice Williams, the 19-year-old actress playing Dorothy, scored especially well, with only 2% of the sentiment surrounding her performance considered negative.
As expected, “The Wiz Live!” fared especially well in markets with large African-American populations. While the overall household average in Nielsen’s 56 metered markets was 7.9, the top scores came in Richmond (16.1), Norfolk (15.0), Baltimore (14.8), Washington, D.C. (13.2) and Atlanta (13.2). Joining D.C. and Atlanta as top-10 markets soaring above the national average were Philadelphia (10.3), New York (10.2) and Chicago (10.0).
article by Rick Kissell via Variety.com

"The Wiz Live!" Airs Tonight on NBC, to be 1st Live TV Program to Provide Vocal Description for Sight-Impaired

By goodblacknews on December 3, 2015

"The Wiz Live" on NBC, December 3 at 8pm EST/PST
“The Wiz Live!” on NBC, December 3 at 8pm EST/PST (photo courtesy NBC)

NEW YORK — When “The Wiz Live!” airs on NBC this Thursday, it will come alive for the blind with a voiced description of the broadcast’s sights and action integrated into its soundtrack.
NBC parent Comcast says this will be the first live entertainment program in U.S. history to be accessible in this way to those who are blind. The vocal description is a narration track interspersed between existing pauses in dialogue that describes the show’s visual elements such as facial expressions, settings, costumes and stage direction.
This enhanced broadcast of “The Wiz Live!” will be a pilot program available on local NBC stations where SAP (Second Audio Program) feeds are available. The service will be provided by Descriptive Video Works, which has provided more than 1,000 hours of live description for certain news and sports events.
“The Wiz Live!” premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. EST, with stars including Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, David Alan Grier, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Uzo Aduba and Common, as well as Shanice Williams as the young heroine, Dorothy.
article via accessatlanta.com

"American Crime" Creator John Ridley Gets Greenlight on ABC Drama Pilot "Presence"

By goodblacknews on December 3, 2015
John Ridley Presence pilot
Writer/Director/Executive Producer John Ridley (Photo by Terence Patrick)

As pilot season kicks off, ABC is looking to stay in business with “American Crime” creator and Oscar winner John Ridley, giving his detective drama project “Presence” a formal pilot order.
In contention for the 2016-17 television season, “Presence” has been hot at ABC since the get-go, as the drama was the first pilot script order at the network this development season.  “Presence” follows Presence Foster, a former Army veteran who finds herself navigating a widely divergent and highly colorful cross section of L.A., as she unintentionally begins a career as an unlicensed private investigator.
Hailing from ABC Studios, Ridley wrote the pilot script and will direct and executive produce through his International Famous Players Radio Picture Corporation with his fellow “American Crime” executive producer Michael McDonald, who will executive produce “Presence” by way of his ABC-based Stearns Castle banner.

SEE MORE: John Ridley Options Memoir ‘No Place Safe’ for ABC Studios

Aside from “Presence” and “American Crime,” which debuts its second season on January 6, Ridley and McDonald have another drama set up in the early stages with ABC Studios — the duo optioned the rights to Kim Reid’s novel “No Place Safe: A Family Memoir” for a limited series.
Ridley also has a top-secret Marvel project in the works at ABC Studios, where he is under a producing deal.
article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com

Anthony Anderson Inks Multi-Year Deal to Continue as Host of the NAACP Image Awards

By goodblacknews on December 1, 2015

022214-fashion-beauty-naacp-image-awards-red-carpet-3-anthony-anderson.jpg
“Blackish” star and NAACP Image Awards Host Anthony Anderson

The NAACP and TV One announced today that Anthony Anderson has signed a multi-year deal to continue as host for the 47th and 48th NAACP Image Awards.  The 47th NAACP Image Awards will be nationally telecast live on TV One on Friday, February 5, 2016 as a two-hour special from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The live telecast will also include a one-hour live pre-show from the star-studded red carpet.
“I look forward to the NAACP Image Awards each year! The NAACP Image Awards always delivers an epic evening with the best of the best across film, TV, music, and literature,” said Anderson.  “It is a privilege and honor to be asked back to host for the next two years – there is no doubt that this year’s show is going to be magnificent.  I may even have a few surprises up my sleeves!”
Anthony Anderson currently executive produces and stars alongside Tracee Ellis Ross and Laurence Fishburne on the hit ABC series “Black-ish,” for which he won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. He has also earned Emmy and People’s Choice Award nominations for his role in the series. Anderson can next be seen in “Barbershop 3: The Next Cut.”
As previously announced, Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin have signed a three-year deal to continue as executive producers for the NAACP Image Awards. 
For all information and latest news, visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at http://www.naacpimageawards.net.
article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow and Act

John Legend's Scripted Drama "Underground" Releases First-Look Trailer (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on November 24, 2015

https://youtu.be/BPsEaX_OQUA
WGN America just released a chilling first-look teaser for Underground, the upcoming original scripted series scheduled to debut early next year.  The drama takes center stage as plantation slaves band together in the fight of their lives for their families, their future … and most importantly, their freedom.

Hailing from Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios, Underground  was filmed in Baton Rouge, LA. John Legend and his production company are in charge of the score and soundtrack for Underground.

Legend most recently won an Oscar alongside rapper Common for Best Original Song “Glory” from Selma.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Jussie Smollett, Christopher Meloni, Aldis Hodge, Adina Porter, Alano Miller, and Mykelti Williamson round out the cast for the series.
UG_posters2_grid (002) - with logos
article via thegrio.com

Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard to Host Fox Holiday Special Featuring Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx and John Legend

By goodblacknews on November 23, 2015
Empire Season 2 premiere
COURTESY OF CHUCK HODES/FOX

Fox’s “Empire” may be headed on its midseason break after a couple of more episodes, but the network hopes to keep its Wednesday timeslot warm by slotting a holiday music and variety special hosted by the show’s Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard.
The network announced Monday that “Taraji and Terrence’s White Hot Holidays,” featuring a special duet by Henson and Howard and modern performances of classic holiday songs, has been set for Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 9. Among the entertainment superstars scheduled as guests and musical performers are Mary J. Blige, John Legend and Jamie Foxx.
“Empire” is broadcast television’s No. 1 series this fall in adults 18-49, averaging a 6.8` rating in the demo and 16.7 million viewers overall in Nielsen’s “live plus-3” estimates. The show is scheduled to exit the airwaves after its Dec. 2 midseason finale, and won’t return until March 30.
“White Hot Holidays” is produced by Casey Patterson Entertainment, Don Mischer Productions, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and Vincent Cirrincione.
article by Rick Kissell via Variety.com