New York, NY – July 15, 2013 – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today the special FRUITVALE STATION: The Story of Oscar Grant, a behind the scenes look at the making of the film, will premiere exclusively on BET Networks on Monday, July 15, 2013 from 7:30 – 8:00 P.M. ET/PT. The special will also re-air on CENTRIC on Friday, July 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The full-length film opened to limited release on July 12, 2013 to rave reviews and tremendous box office success, and tells the real-life story of Oscar Grant played by rising star Michael B. Jordan. Monday’s making-of special will trace the remarkable journey of this film from production to Sundance to Cannes and now in theaters across the country. TWC is proud to collaborate with BET who has championed this film from its very beginning starting with the Sundance Film Festival. BET recognized early on the importance of director Ryan Coogler’s feature debut film and the significance of Oscar Grant’s story. They have shown tremendous support for the film including – the BET Experience screening in late June, featuring the film and its star Michael B. Jordan at the BET Awards earlier this month, partnering with TWC on the film’s New York premiere on July 8th, and online features onBET.com.
article via deadline.com
Posts tagged as “BET”
Atlanta lived up to its reputation as the Hollywood of the South on Saturday with the advance screening of BET’s upcoming film Being Mary Jane. The movie, starring Gabrielle Union, debuts on the cable channel on July 2 at 10:30 pm. The hour-long production will serve as a teaser for the anticipated Being Mary Jane series scheduled to hit the screens in January 2014. It is just one of a handful of shows drawing attention to BET’s newfound shift towards original programming.
A protagonist who is far from perfect
Being Mary Jane, which was shot in Atlanta, revolves around the main protagonist Mary Jane Paul (played by Union), a successful talk show host, who on the surface has an enviable lifestyle. Still, her life is far from perfect.
“It’s in her [Mary Jane Paul’s] low moments where she most expresses her humanity,” said creator Mara Brock Akil in a Q&A with entertainment journalist Kelly L. Carter after the screening at the stylish W Hotel in Midtown Atlanta.
April marks Austism Awareness Month, and in support of the cause, Centric will premiere, Colored My Mind: The Diagnosis, a short documentary that tackles the impact of the disorder on families. Spearheaded by Attorney Shannon Nash and LaDonna Hughley, wife of comedian D.L. Hughley, the 30-minute documentary was inspired by the mission of their Los Angeles-based non-profit of the same name.
Nash and Hughley, alongside actress Tisha Campbell-Martin; Tammy McCrary, sister and manager of Chaka Khan, and administrator Donna Hunter, share their stories of raising children with the disorder. Each woman’s candid story is paired with dramatizations featuring noted actors Blair Underwood and Nicole Ari Parker.
One in 70 boys has autism, with African-Americans and Latinos being diagnosed later than Caucasians. Boys are also four times more likely to have autism than girls.
Director Nia T. Hill provides a captivating and emotional look into the often overlooked world of autism. The documentary addresses and uncovers the truths about why some Black and Brown children are not receiving the same medical diagnoses or are misdiagnosed. The narratives explore “sadness, strength, joy, and the ultimate hope that binds us all to fight for a better tomorrow.”
Colored My Mind: The Diagnosis premieres April 28, at 11A/10C only on Centric.
article by Justin D. Joseph via blogs.centrictv.com
Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios announced the lease of 75,000 square feet of production space in Culver City, Calif. on Thursday, which the company plans to use for its 35th and 36th television series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
These will be the studio’s third and fourth brand new scripted sitcoms in less than two years, and once again, Allen is going forward with the half-hour syndicated shows without pilots for either, THR reported.
They will be funded by his own company, with an initial guaranteed order of 104 episodes of each, or 208 episodes in total. Allen won’t reveal numbers, but THR puts the cost of production for the shows at roughly $350,000 to $400,000 each, which by major network standards is a bargain these days. That is a minimum investment of $72.8 million for the 208 episodes.
Regarding his cost-effective productions, Allen boasts he has never canceled a show. “The way I see it we’re the Walmart of television,” says Allen. “We make it very efficiently but we don’t cut costs on writers or actors.”
Allen, a stand-up comic who has built (and still wholly owns) a company with over $100 million in annual revenues, has already found financial success with his first two scripted shows, “The First Family” and “Mr. Box Office.” They joined the corporate line-up of 30 unscripted shows that Entertainment Studios has created and sold since 1993.
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The Soul of the South Network, targeting African-American viewers, announced Thursday it will launch in 30 markets on May 27 after closing an initial round of funding for $10 million raised from the state of Arkansas and private investors, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The new network will be distributed initially by over-the-air stations and on digital channels on the broadcast spectrum but also plans to air on cable and expects its stations to qualify under FCC must-carry rules (which mandate nearby cable systems must carry it) because it is local and offers unique news programming.
“Our distribution footprint covers at least 70 percent of all African-American households in the south and in Chicago and Philadelphia, which we call sister regions,” says Doug McHenry, the Hollywood-based producer of films including “New Jack City” and “House Party” and TV shows including “Malcolm & Eddie,” who is the new network’s president of entertainment.
By the end of this summer, Soul of the South expects to be in 50-60 markets with a high concentration of African-Americans, reaching 30-40 million households.
At launch over Memorial Day weekend, the network will not have any original programming outside of an active news presence in its local markets. McHenry says execs are in active negotiations with three Hollywood studios about licensing appropriate programming, including past situation comedies, dramas, documentaries and movies.
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This Black History Month, NewsOne takes a look back at the top African-American moments from 2000 to 2012. Some will make you happy while others will undoubtedly make you angry and/or sad. Either way, here’s to the last 12 years of our living history. Enjoy!
Moment: Bob Johnson Becomes First African-American Billionaire
Bob Johnson, founder and former chairman and executive chief officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), is noted as the first African-American billionaire. Johnson built the BET network and brand with ex-wife, Shelia Johnson, and then later took the company public.
After buying back all of the publicly traded stock, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for $3 billion. The move landed Johnson in “Forbes” magazine as the first Black American to be listed as one of the world’s top earners.
Another of Johnson’s many business achievements is becoming the first principal owner of a North American major-league sports franchise. The Charlotte Bobcats and its WNBA counterpart, the Sting, were owned primarily by Johnson’s investment group, which included former NBA superstar Michael Jordan. Johnson continues to make waves in the business world with his RLJ Companies brand and media investments.
article by D.L. Chandler via newsone.com
‘Second Generation Wayans’
Tuesday night BET premiered two new scripted series, the Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart, Boris Kodjoe, Nick Cannon, Robin Thicke, Duane Martin and J.B. Smoove, and Second Generation Wayans featuring Damien Dante Wayans, Craig Wayans, and Tatyana Ali.
The two news shows beat out all the competition.
According to the Hollywood Reporter the new shows topped “all of cable and rivaling most broadcast efforts during the 10 p.m. hour.”
The Real Husbands of Hollywood, a comedic spoof of the Real Housewives franchise, pulled in 4.1 million viewers during its 10:00 p.m. premiere. When combined with its 11:00 p.m. encore, the premiere episode attracted 6.5 million total viewers.
Second Generation Wayans debuted at 10:30 p.m., pulling in 3.4 million total viewers. When combined with its 11:30 p.m. encore, the premiere episode attracted 4.7 million total viewers. In total, BET’s entire Tuesday night scripted block drew over 11 million total viewers.
According to a press release from BET, Real Husbands of Hollywood and Second Generation Wayans “are now this season’s top 2 sitcom premiere telecasts on cable (not just on BET).”
Tuesday night the Real Husbands of Hollywood hashtag #RHOH was the number one trending topic worldwide on Twitter.
article by Chris Witherspoon via thegrio.com
Kelly Rowland is back flexing her acting skills with a new role in an original BET pilot “What Would Dylan Do.”
Executive produced by Warren Hutcherson (‘The Bernie Mac Show,” “Men Of A Certain Age”) and Julian Breece (of the web series “Buppies”), the show will feature the singer as an “L.A.-based struggling relationship blogger” named Dylan, who lives with the girls while attempting to get her life together.
Also set to star in the show is Brandon Scott of “Grey’s Anatomy,” as Dylan’s ex-fiancée.
If the show is picked up, it will join BET’s fall line-up with “The Game,” Gabrielle Union’s “Being Middle of Nowhere,” and Larenz Tate’s “Gun Hill.”
BET founder and chairman of the RLJ companies, Robert Johnson, is developing a faith-friendly channel on YouTube. ALRIGHT TV will produce entertainment, comedy, reality, self-help, music, talk programs and hopes to provide inspirational content to viewers of all ages.