Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “ABC”

Regina Taylor Cast as Co-Lead in ‘Time After Time’ ABC Pilot

By goodblacknews on March 8, 2016
Regina Taylor 2 ABC
Regina Taylor (images via deadline.com)

article by Nellie Andreeva via deadline.com

I’ll Fly Away lead actress Regina Taylor is set for a key co-starring role opposite Freddie Stroma, Josh Bowman and Genesis Rodriguez in Kevin Williamson’s ABC pilot Time After Time.
Using the 1979 novel by Karl Alexander and movie as a starting point, Time After Time will chronicle the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells (Stroma).
Taylor will play trusted Wells’ ally Vanessa Anders, the billionaire businesswoman who owns and protects the Time Machine in 2016 New York City. Confident and strong, she has a warm welcoming smile, but make no mistake, she’s also a respected, sometimes feared CEO.
Williamson wrote Time After Time and is executive producing. Marcos Siega is directing. Warner Bros. TV is the studio.
Taylor recently co-starred on the USA limited series Dig and previously was a regular on the CBS military drama The Unit.
To read more, go to: http://deadline.com/2016/03/time-after-time-regina-taylor-cast-abc-pilot-1201716636/

"Shark Tank" on ABC Teams up with Value Partnerships to Seek Entrepreneurs of Color

By goodblacknews on March 7, 2016

“Shark Tank” on ABC (photo via black enterprise.com)

article by Carolyn M. Brown via blackenterprise.com
Now in its 7th season, ABC’s Shark Tank has empowered entrepreneurs to strike deals worth over $70 million.
Since the beginning, black entrepreneurs have shined. Mr. Tod’s Pie Factory struck a deal with Barbara Corcoran and Daymond John on episode 1 with a near $1M valuation.
In Season 7, entrepreneurs like Sarah Ribner of Piper Wai, and Ben Young and Gregory Coleman of Nexercise, continue to inspire on Friday nights.  Nexercise’s $18.7M valuation is the largest to date on Shark Tank.
Joshua DuBois and Brandon Andrews of Values Partnerships are working to ensure the voices pitching on ABC’s Shark Tank reflect the diversity of audiences watching. With the support of producer Mark Burnett, Values Partnerships – a Washington, D.C., based firm engaging faith-based and diverse communities worldwide – leads a nationwide casting tour focused on bringing more diverse ideas and voices to the show, and supporting entrepreneurship nationwide.
“ABC’s Shark Tank and its producer Mark Burnett are committed to supporting entrepreneurs from every community in the nation. The power of seeing someone who looks like you successfully pitch a business on the show cannot be understated,” says DuBois.
In 2015, Values Partnerships held 11 casting events in 6 cities. Several entrepreneurs, including Sprëtz  and Piper Wai pitched at Values Partnerships events and were selected for Season 7 of Shark Tank. The 2016 tour kicks off this week in Miami (March 4).
Events are planned in other cities, including Austin, Texas; NYC; Washington, D.C; Detroit, Michigan; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; and San Francisco/Oakland.

FEATURE: Director, Producer and Emmy Award-Winning Actress Regina King Has So Many Stories to Tell

By goodblacknews on March 6, 2016
Regina King (Credit: Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times)

article by Wesley Morris via nytimes.com

LOS ANGELES — Regina King’s house has a cozy seat at the foot of a hill in a section of the Los Feliz neighborhood here. The house isn’t far from the street but fosters an aura of secluded serenity anyway: A grapefruit tree guards the property. Off the rear patio is a small room with a vintage Pac-Man console and a signed LP of Prince’s “Controversy” on the wall.
On a sunny January morning, Ms. King sat in the kitchen calmly as the finishing touches were being done on her hair and makeup. She was hours from a trip to the Critics’ Choice Awards. Getting dressed would happen later. In the meantime, she wore a black one-piece unitard that unzipped in the front.
It’s easy to imagine this scene playing out regularly in her kitchen. After 30 years in the business, starting as a teenage actor on the NBC sitcom “227” and continuing with a series of notable but supporting film roles, Ms. King has made her mix of hard candor and intense warmth an asset for dramatic television. In 2015, five years after she published a short but action-packed plaint in The Huffington Post criticizing the lack of inclusion at the 2010 Emmys, she won her first Emmy for her work as Aliyah Shadeed, the Muslim-American sister of a murder suspect on John’s Ridley’s ABC anthology series, “American Crime.”

Blair Underwood to Star in ABC Drama Pilot

By goodblacknews on March 6, 2016

Blair Underwood (Photo by MattBaron/BEI/BEI/Shutterstock)
Blair Underwood (Photo by MattBaron/BEI/BEI/Shutterstock)

article by Nellie Andreeva via deadline.com
Blair Underwood is set as the male lead in ABC’s untitled Meaghan Oppenheimer drama pilot, executive produced by Reese Witherspoon. Written by Oppenheimer, the project follows the personal and professional life of Gemma, a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas, which begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces, triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets.
Underwood will play James, Gemma’s boss and sometime-lover. Gemma’s law professor and mentor for years, who instilled in her a sense of cutthroat ambition, he is the one person unafraid to belittle her.
Underwood’s last turn starring in a television series was on NBC’s quickly-canceled remake of “Ironside.”  His availability put Underwood in high demand this pilot season with multiple offers.  He most recently worked with ABC and ABC Studios on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where he had a recurring role. Underwood will next be seen in a guest stint on CBS’ The Good Wife.
To read more, go to: http://deadline.com/2016/03/blair-underwood-cast-abc-drama-pilot-reese-witherspoon-1201714769/

ABC Renews 'Scandal,' 'How to Get Away With Murder', 'Black-ish' and More for 2016/2017 Season

By goodblacknews on March 3, 2016
Scandal
Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope in “Scandal” (photo via blogs.indiewire.com)

article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow And Act

New ABC president Channing Dungey, who replaces exiting Paul Lee (making her the first African American to not only head ABC, but a major TV network) is already making her presence felt a mere 2 weeks into the job, announcing today the early renewals of a handful of ABC series.
Of note, “Scandal” will return for a 6th season (recall the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, said that she knows exactly how and when it will end, adding that it would be a 6 or 7 season series, at most. So can we assume that “Scandal” is near its end, now that it’s been renewed for a 6th season?); Also “How to Get Away With Murder” has been renewed for a 3rd season; and “Black-ish” will get a 3rd season.
Also renewed are: “Agents of SHIELD,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Modern Family,” “Quantico,” “The Goldbergs,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Shark Tank,” and “The Bachelor.”
No announcement on the fate of John Ridley‘s critically-acclaimed anthology series “American Crime,” unfortunately. Although it’s still early, so I wouldn’t count it out yet.
Ridley is working on another series for the network. In December, ABC gave an early pilot order to a new crime drama from Ridley titled “Presence,” with the 2016/2017 season eyed for a premiere – assuming it goes to series eventually.
To read more, go to: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/abc-renews-scandal-how-to-get-away-with-murder-black-ish-and-more-for-2016-2017-season-20160303

"Alias" Actress Merrin Dungey Joins ABC Pilot "Conviction"

By goodblacknews on February 29, 2016
merrin dungey conviction pilot
“Alias” actress Merrin Dungey (Photo Credit: Peter Brooker/REX SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Laura Prudom via Variety.com

“Alias” actress Merrin Dungey has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot “Conviction.”  The pilot centers around a young attorney (Hayley Atwell), the brilliant but ne’er-do-well daughter of a former U.S. president, who is blackmailed into taking a job as the head of Los Angeles’ newly created Conviction Integrity Unit.
She, along with her team of lawyers, investigators and forensic experts, work together to examine cases where there’s credible suspicion that the wrong person may have been convicted of a crime.
Dungey will play Maxine, the lead investigator for the Conviction Integrity Unit. Maxine is a former NYPD detective from a cop family who is described as being tough and no-nonsense. She’ll find her previously unfailing loyalty to the badge tested as she delves into her former colleagues’ cases.
Dungey will next be seen in HBO’s limited series “Big Little Lies,” starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, and has recently appeared on ABC drama “Once Upon a Time” and Fox comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” She’s the sister of newly promoted ABC entertainment president Channing Dungey, who replaced outgoing ABC topper Paul Lee earlier this month.
 
To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/conviction-merrin-dungey-abc-pilot-1201718659/
 

Candi Carter Promoted to Executive Producer of ABC's "The View" as it Heads into 20th Season

By goodblacknews on February 23, 2016
Candi Carter The View
“The View” Executive Producer Candi Carter (Photo COURTESY OF ABC)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

According to Variety.com, ABC has renewed “The View” for its 20th season, which will start in the fall of 2016,  and is naming Candi Carter as the show’s executive producer effective immediately.  Carter has served as the interim showrunner on “The View” since September, working with consultant Hilary Estey McLoughlin and co-executive producer Brian Teta, to help reboot the talk show, which has struggled since creator Barbara Walters retired in May 2013.  Carter is the first African-American executive producer in the show’s history.

It’s been an up-and-down period for “The View,” which saw viewership decline in season 18 after Rosie O’Donnell rejoined then departed the Hot Topics seat last February, and Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace left over the summer. But the numbers have slightly improved this season to date. “The View” is ranked first in viewers (2.97 million) for the second consecutive week, and it has beat CBS’ “The Talk” in the key demographic for four of the last six weeks.
In season 19, “The View” has tried to regain heat with its panel of Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Candace Cameron-Bure, Paula Faris, Michelle Collins and Raven-Symone. The show has increased its political debates during Hot Topics and landed interviews with presidential hopefuls such as Bernie Sanders, Carly Fiorina and Martin O’Malley.
Carter spent 15 years as a supervising producer at “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and has produced for BET. “It’s an honor to be part of the extraordinary legacy built by Barbara Walters, the exceptional, funny and smart women at the table led by Whoopi Goldberg and a terrific team behind the scenes,” Carter said.  “Every day is a thrill.”
To read original article by Ramin Setoodeh, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-view-renewed-for-season-20-with-first-female-executive-producer-exclusive-1201712878/
 

Joe Morton Promoted to Series Regular on "Scandal"

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2016
Joe Morton (photo via blackamericaweb.com)
article by EURweb via blackamericaweb.com
Papa Pope is boosting his presence on “Scandal.”
The Shonda Rhimes drama has promoted Joe Morton from recurring to series regular, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Morton stars as Rowan (aka Eli Pope), the former head of black-ops group B613. He was revealed in the season two finale as Olivia Pope’s (Kerry Washington) father. The Broadway alum and former Tony nominee has had a recurring guest role since season two and won an Emmy in 2014 for the role.
The series briefly lost Morton last year after he booked a series regular role in TNT drama Proof and had a guest spot on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. He returned to Scandal after Proof was canceled following its freshman run.
Morton becomes Scandal’s newest series regular and joins Portia de Rossi (Elizabeth North) who was promoted at the end of season four; and Cornelius Smith Jr., who guest starred last season as Marcus Walker and was brought in to be the show’s newest gladiator at Pope & Associates.
Morton recently won an NAACP Image Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role on “Scandal.”

Channing Dungey Makes TV History, Becomes 1st African-American Network President

By goodblacknews on February 17, 2016

Channing Dungey
New ABC President Channing Dungey (photo via eurweb.com)

article via eurweb.com
Television history and black history has crossed paths today.
Channing Dungey, executive VP of drama at ABC, was today named entertainment president of ABC, replacing Paul Lee, who was removed after a reported power struggle with Disney/ABC Television President Ben Sherwood, according to reports.
Dungey is now the first African-American woman to lead a major broadcast network. The ABC veteran, known by industry insiders as the Shonda Rhimes’ whisperer, will now report directly to Sherwood.
“Channing is a gifted leader and a proven magnet for top creative talent, with an impressive record of developing compelling, breakthrough programming that resonates with viewers,” said Sherwood. “We thank Paul for his many accomplishments at ABC and his devotion to the ABC brand, and we wish him continued success in the future.”
Dungey, a UCLA grad who’s been with the network since 2009 (and Disney since 2004), is credited with developing many of ABC’s successful dramas, including “Scandal,” “Quantico,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” and “American Crime,” according to Variety.
Said Dungey, “I’m thrilled and humbled that Ben has entrusted me with this tremendous opportunity. And I am truly grateful to Paul for being a valued mentor and friend. I’ve had the great honor of working alongside the talented team at ABC for many years and look forward to starting this exciting new chapter with them.”
Dungey began her career as a development assistant at 20th Century Fox-based Davis Entertainment, and did stints at other companies including Steamroller Productions and Warner Bros.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2016/02/apollonia-calls-vanitys-death-the-end-of-an-era-for-me/#Ff0TQ4cW3ec6B2x4.99

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