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Posts tagged as “Shonda Rhimes”

Shonda Rhimes Renews with ABC Studios Through 2018

By goodblacknews on May 13, 2014
Shonda Rhimes Renews with ABC Studios
According to Variety.com, “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes has set a long-term extension of her overall deal with ABC Studios through May 2018.
Rhimes’ deal extension has been a long time in the works, given the amount of business she has in play at ABC and her status as an uber-showrunner.  “Grey’s Anatomy”, Rhimes’ initial breakout hit, remains a Thursday workhorse for the network as it heads into its 11th season.  “Grey’s” spinoff “Private Practice”, although not as highly-rated, lasted seven seasons in the ABC lineup.  “Scandal” blossomed into a bona fide hit for ABC this past season, and will kick off its fourth season this fall.
Next up for ABC under the Shondaland banner is the Viola Davis-starrer “How to Get Away with Murder.” The series was was created by “Grey’s Anatomy” vet Peter Nowalk and is executive produced by Rhimes and her longtime producing partner Betsy Beers.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
 

Viola Davis To Star in ABC Drama Pilot "How To Get Away With Murder" Produced By Shonda Rhimes

By goodblacknews on March 1, 2014

davisAccording to Deadline.com, Viola Davis (The Help, Doubt) has been cast as the lead of ABC‘s drama pilot How To Get Away With Murder, from ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes‘ (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) Shondaland. This marks the first series regular role in over a decade for the Oscar-nominated actress (her last was on CBS’ Century City).  In making her foray into television pilot season, Davis joins The Help co-star Octavia Spencer, who recently signed to star in the Fox drama pilot The Red Band Society.
Written by Peter Nowalk, How To Get Away With Murder is described as a sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller that centers on ambitious law students and their brilliant and mysterious criminal defense professor (Davis) who become entangled in a murder plot that could rock their entire university and change the course of their lives. Nowalk is executive producing alongside Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
This is the second consecutive drama pilot in which Rhimes has booked an A-list black actress for the lead, following Scandal and Kerry Washington. Though primarily a feature film actress now, in the past few years, Davis had recurring roles on Law & Order and The United States Of Tara. She recently wrapped production on the independent film Lila & Eve opposite Jennifer Lopez, which was produced by Davis’ JuVee Prods. company.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson; story contributed by Becky Schonbrun

Xerox’s Ursula Burns, Shonda Rhimes Among ‘Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women In Business

By goodblacknews on October 10, 2013

Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer
Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer

Fortune‘s list of the 50 most powerful women in business includes a few women of color, among them Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox at number 13; Rosalind Brewer, the CEO and president of Sam’s Club, a Wal-Mart company, at number 15; and Shonda Rhimes “Scandal” and Grey’s Anatomy” executive producer at number 50.
The list notes that Burns’ Xerox makes more than half of its $22 billion in revenue from business services other than copying. Madame Noire spoke with Burns, the first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, this summer before she received the Prism Award for Graphic Communications Management and Technology. “At all levels of leadership, we’re starting to see more and more women and African-American males. We’re just at the start. It’s evolutionary, not revolutionary,” she told us.
Brewer is head of a $56.4 billion company, one of three companies in the Wal-Mart behemoth. Not only is she driving up the numbers for Sam’s Club, which would be a Fortune 500 company on its own, she’s also a board member for Lockheed Martin, a company that also appears on this list of powerful women a couple of times. (Marillyn Hewson, the defense contractor’s CEO and president, is number four on the list.)
TV Powerhouse Shonda Rhimes
TV Powerhouse Shonda Rhimes

And of course we know who Shonda Rhimes is. One of the few women in the entertainment business to appear on the list, Rhimes is also among the youngest at 43 years old. (Marissa Mayer, 38, Yahoo’s CEO at number eight and Marianne Lake, JPMorgan’s 44-year-old CFO at number 49, are a couple of the others.) Not only are Rhimes’ shows – Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy — generating dollars for Disney’s ABC network, Fortune cites her impact on pop culture. In a related story, Rhimes says that the secret sauce for a show like Scandal is hard work. “You’re forced to innovate. There’s no resting on laurels,” she says.
Total aside, but when a fan asked whether Mellie will be given a love interest so that Fitz can see how he would react “to the table being turned,” Rhimes says, “Fitz is Mellie’s love interest.” Gah!
Number one on the list is IBM’s chairman, president and CEO Ginny Rometty who’s been leading the century-old computer company for two years.
article by Tonya Garcia via madamenoire.com

Obama Names ‘Scandal’ Creator Shonda Rhimes To Kennedy Center Board

By goodblacknews on September 26, 2013

The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts is about to get a taste of some Olivia Pope – kind of.  On the day of the Season 10 debut of Grey’s Anatomy, President Barack Obama today used some of his patronage power and appointed Shonda Rhimes, the creator/EP of the medical drama and Scandal, to the Center’s Board of Trustees. Obama also appointed the Carlyle Group’s CEO David Rubenstein Empire Global Ventures’ CEO Alexandra Stanton, Chicago art gallery owner Amalia Pera Mahoney, FI Investment Group CEO Frank Islam and Entravision Communications’ CEO Walter Ulloa to the Board Thursday as well. “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” said Obama in a statement when making the announcements.
Rhimes was a big supporter of Obama’s campaigns for President as both a donor and even worked in a phone bank with Private Practice actress Kate Walsh for the candidate. Season 10 of Grey’s Anatomy premieres tonight on ABC with Season 3 of the D.C. political drama Scandal set to launch on October 3rd.
article by Dominic Patten via deadline.com

"Red Tails" and "Scandal" Take Top Honors at 44th NAACP Image Awards

By goodblacknews on February 2, 2013


 
“Red Tails” was named top motion picture and “Scandal” top drama series at the 44th annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on Friday.  Denzel Washington (“Flight”) and Viola Davis (“Won’t Back Down”) won lead actor and actress honors, while Samuel Jackson and Kerry Washington of “Django Unchained” earned supporting nods.
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (whose Benh Zeitlin was named top director) and “Red Tails” tied for independent motion picture honors, while “The Intouchables” triumphed for top international feature.  Kerry Washington, previously announced as the President’s Award honoree, was also named top drama actress for “Scandal.”  Also winning acting awards in TV drama were LL Cool J (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), Omar Epps (“House”) and Loretta Devine (“Grey’s Anatomy”).

'Scandal' Hits New Series Highs, Dominates & Finishes #1 In Its Time Slot

By goodblacknews on January 11, 2013

Continuing to deliver its best-ever lead-in retention out of an original Grey’s Anatomy (90%), ABC’s Scandal dominated CBS’ Elementary in Adults 18-49 (+17%) to finish as the #1 program in Thursday’s 10pm hour for its 3rd straight original broadcast. Surging over its winter finale on 12/13/12 in Total Viewers (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%), Scandal delivered new series highs across the board, including viewers and all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). Furthermore, the ABC sophomore drama improved by double digits over an original Private Practice in the hour on the year ago night in viewers (+29%) and young adults (+22%).
item by Tambay A. Obenson via blogs.indiewire.com

Seven African Americans Make Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment Top 100

By goodblacknews on December 23, 2012

Shonda Rhimes (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

The Hollywood Reporter released its Women in Entertainment Power 100 and seven black women made the ranks this year. Oprah, naturally, was the top-ranking African American, at number 18, as the CEO of the OWN network.

Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks, was number 23, while Vanessa Morrison, president of Fox Animation Studios, came in at number 27. Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal, has always made a point to bring a diverse cast of characters to the TV screen and was number 47 on the list.

Shonda Rhimes Sets Up Sci-fi Thriller At ABC Based On Novel “Mila 2.0”

By goodblacknews on October 31, 2012

Shonda Rhimes and her producing partner Betsy Beers, have teamed up with David DiGilo for a sci-fi drama/thriller at ABC titled Mila 2.0, an adaptation of a yet-to-be-released novel by Debra Driza of the same name.  Mila 2.0 is the first book in a what will be a series of novels about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

It’s being described as a Bourne Identity–style trilogy with action, with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. DiGilio will pen the script and executive produce alongside Rhimes and Beers.

Rhimes also has I Hate L.A. Dudes, with Issa Rae, and The Mix with writer John Hoffman – both currently set up at ABC; and the FBI drama Under the Gun, with writer Peter Nowalk for NBC. All in addition to Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Private Practice, all on ABC already, although Private is in its final season.

article by Courtney via blogs.indiewire.com

Shonda Rhimes Sells Dramedy and Comedy Projects To ABC

By goodblacknews on October 1, 2012

shonda rhimes

Deadline.com reported today that “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” creator/Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes is expanding the reach of her Shondaland banner into half-hour comedy and hour-long dramedy at ABC.  Rhimes and her producing partner, Betsy Beers, have set up “I Hate L.A. Dudes,” written by “The Misadventures Of An Awkward Black Girl” creator and star Issa Rae and “The Mix,” by John Hoffman (“Igor”).  For more details, click here: Shonda Rhimes’ Sells Talk Show Dramedy & Comedy Project To ABC.

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

 

Shonda Rhimes Sells New FBI Drama Series "Under The Gun" to NBC

By goodblacknews on September 8, 2012

The prolific series creator/writer/showrunner Shonda Rhimes, in a pairing with Grey’s Anatomy writer Peter Nowalk, has sold an FBI drama titled Under The Gun, to NBC.
What’s it about?
Under the Gun revolves around Erin Kain, a woman who goes to work for the FBI as she struggles to make sense of a terrible event in her past that ruined her life and tore her family apart. While her young and fragile appearance doesn’t typically suggest that she’s best suited to work as a field agent, her dark past helps her get inside the head of criminals who were normal one day and cracked the next. 
Nowalk will write the script and executive produce along with Rhimes and her Shondaland producing partner Betsy Beers.
As THR notes, this new sale marks the first one of the 2012/2013 season for Rhimes who sold four new dramas – three to ABC and one to Fox – last season. One of them, the period drama Gilded Lilys, was ordered to pilot, but didn’t get picked up as a series.
Her last season freshman hit series Scandal (one of the 4) will make its season 2 debut in less than 3 weeks.
BY TAMBAY A. OBENSON via blogs.indiewire.com