80 years in cat years

Christopher Columbus High Carlos Boozer 's son, Cameron , is off to a great start when it comes to following his NBA father's footsteps ... 'cause the Florida hoops star just won the Gatorade Player of the Year!! ... as a sophomore!!! The sports drink giant broke the news on Wednesday ... saying the 6'9", 215-pound forward is the recipient of the most prestigious high school hoops honors in the nation -- and he's the first from Christopher Columbus H.S. Miami Heat star Kevin Love -- who won the award in 2007 -- surprised Cameron with his trophy in front of his teammates and coaches at the Florida school gym. FYI, Cameron thought he was getting sized for his Class 7A state championship ring ... so he was in complete shock when the former NBA champ rolled through. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. "I couldn't find a sample ring, but I could find some new hardware -- the 2023 Gatorade National Boys Player of the Year," … [Read more...] about Carlos Boozer’s Son, Cameron, Wins Gatorade Player of the Year Award

Turner Classic Movies is devoting the entire month of April to celebrating the 100th anniversary of its landlord, Warner Bros ., with hundreds of films from every decade of the studio, plus a variety of interstitials, documentaries, shorts and Looney Tunes cartoons, as well as interviews with stars and directors focusing on the cinematic achievements of the storied movie factory. Viewers got a taste of the anniversary doings with a tribute reel of highlights of the first 100 years of WB on this year’s Oscar show . But that reel was nearly as much about the studio’s own homegrown output as it was about some classics it acquired ownership to through various transactions with the likes of MGM, New Line Cinema and others. Thus Oscar viewers saw such MGM movies as The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Ben-Hur and 2001: A Space Odyssey, along with NL behemoths like the Lord of the Rings and Austin Powers franchises stirred in the same pot as actual Warners “product” as … [Read more...] about Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary Kicks Into High Gear With All April TCM Movie Programming Devoted To The Studio

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate Home Entertainment EVP Jed Grossman is set to retire this month after a nearly 30-year run at the studio. Grossman is highly regarded in his field, having served on a leadership team that has grown Lionsgate’s home entertainment operations into a billion-dollar annual revenue business. He helped shape the growth and evolution of Lionsgate’s home entertainment business from packaged media to today’s multifaceted physical and digital environment. “Jed has been a driving force in our home entertainment business for 30 years,” said Ron Schwartz, President of Global Licensing & Distribution, Motion Picture Group. “His strong relationships, deep understanding of the marketplace and focus on the consumer has been instrumental in our growth in both the packaged media and digital worlds. We thank him for his many contributions to Lionsgate. He is a valued partner, a respected executive and a good friend who reflects our business at its best, and he will be … [Read more...] about Lionsgate Home Entertainment EVP Jed Grossman To Retire After Nearly Three Decades

EXCLUSIVE : Anonymous Content has hired longtime literary agent and former UTA partner Bec Smith as a partner and manager in their Los Angeles-based lit team. We revealed Smith’s impending exit from UTA last month. The respected veteran has amassed a client roster including directors and writers such as Coline Abert, Levan Akin, Jane Anderson, Benedict Andrews, Emily Atef, Anthony Chen, Eva Husson, Ellen Kuras, Katrin Gebbe, Sebastian Junger, Julia Leigh, Phillip Noyce, Joshua Oppenheimer, Jennifer Peedom, Maria Schrader, Tali Shalom-Ezer, Dawn Shadforth, Kirsten Sheridan, Goran Stolevski, Warwick Thornton and Max Werner. The 16-year UTA veteran had been a partner in the Motion Picture Literary department but also worked closely with the UTA Independent Film Group. She worked on the packaging of projects including I Feel Pretty, Mary Magdalene, Brigsby Bear, The Circle, Diary of a Teenage Girl, Margin Call, The Spectacular Now, The Skeleton Twins, In a World, … [Read more...] about Longtime UTA Agent Bec Smith Joins Anonymous Content

After the launch of its first original content in 2022, Disney+ France is expanding, revealing a slate of new productions Wednesday at the Series Mania festival in Lille. The announcement was made by Pauline Dauvin, Disney’s VP Programming, Original Productions and Acquisitions. The projects include a mix of film and TV productions. The first is a new original series titled Les enfants sont roism (The Children Are Kings) , adapted from Delphine Le Vigan’s novel of the same name. The series is currently in pre-production and is expected to shoot later this year. Two original French films are also set to debut on the streamer this year. The first, Une Zone à Défendre , is billed as a “moving and intense melodrama” and stars Lyna Khoudri ( The French Dispatch ) and François Civil ( The Stronghold ). The pic is currently scheduled for a summer release. The second feature is Antigang: La Relève , an action film starring Alban Lenoir, Jean Reno and Sofia Essaïdi. … [Read more...] about Disney+ France Announces Slate Of Projects At Series Mania

DKC , the public relations, digital communications and content production agency, has officially moved into its new West Coast headquarters in Century City. The firm, which specializes in music, TV, film, talent, consumer brands, culture, sports/esports, technology, social media, influencer and event production, spent the past 10 years in its offices in West Hollywood. The new offices, located on the ground floor at 1801 Century Park East, feature open-concept workspaces and multiple high-design meeting rooms. There is also a product showroom, viewing lounge, barista bar, 30-foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a landscaped outdoor terrace. The 6,021-square-foot space was built and designed from the ground up with input from the DKC teams. The L.A. team is led by executive director Wendy Zaas, with her group including EVP Ivy Mollenkamp heading the entertainment division focused on film, TV, music and production; EVP Taryn Owens overseeing the consumer brand … [Read more...] about PR Firm DKC Opens Doors On New L.A. Headquarters

EXCLUSIVE : The story of the murder of six Black girls in the Washington, D.C. area in the 1970s is to be turned into a podcast and scripted series. Jay Ellis , who starred in Top Gun: Maverick and HBO’s Insecure , is behind both projects. The podcast series, Freeway Phantom , will launch May 17. It comes from Ellis’ Black Bar Mitzvah, Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts and is hosted by public radio veteran Celeste Headlee. It will tell the story of how Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard and Diane Williams were murdered between 1971-1972 and discarded alongside D.C. highways. The killer taunted police with a chilling note claiming responsibility, and terrorized victims’ families with calls to their homes. Five decades later, their killer has never been brought to justice. Freeway Phantom will share the stories of the six victims and explore new evidence that could crack the cold cases wide open. Headlee has … [Read more...] about Jay Ellis Sets True-Crime Podcast ‘Freeway Phantom’ & Plans Scripted Series

EXCLUSIVE : Lion Forge Animation, the company behind the Oscar-winning Hair Love , has been rebranded as Lion Forge Entertainment as it is expanding its slate to include live-action in addition to animation. It has named veteran family entertainment executive Stephanie Sperber its President and chief Content Officer. Sperber is joining Lion Forge after recently leaving Imagine , where she was president of Imagine Kids+Family, a division she helped launch. She will report to CEO David Steward II, who founded Lion Forge Animation in 2019, and COO Edward Hamati. “Stephanie’s unparalleled experience, creative instincts, industry relationships, business acumen and work ethos will be a driving force for Lion Forge and pave the way for us to enter exciting new frontiers,” Steward said. “The Lion Forge brand has stood for diversity and representation in animation for the past four years, and I’m thrilled to take that brand and that mission into the live action series and feature … [Read more...] about Stephanie Sperber Named President & CCO Of Lion Forge As Animation Company Expands Into Live-Action

EXCLUSIVE: Around 25 layoffs are incoming in the BBC Children’s & Education department, while BBC Studios Kids & Family team has seen a similar number depart since December. The decisions have been made independently of each other, we understand, and a voluntary redundancy process will now commence within Children’s & Education. Staff were informed yesterday afternoon by email. BBC Children’s hits include the likes of Hey Duggee, Oliver Twist adaptation Dodger (pictured) and Blue Peter . Following an 18-month review that has just concluded, the circa-25 layoffs will be within the presentation sub-division, which promotes kids content via links and resources, and the educational production sub-division, which will see a senior leader restructure. BBC Children’s & Education, which is based in Salford and runs channels CBBC and CBeebies along with online content and educational resources, is preparing to take the older-skewing CBBC channel online … [Read more...] about Layoffs To Come In BBC Kids Departments

Paramount+ is well ahead of its target to greenlight 150 non-U.S. originals by 2025 but international boss Marco Nobili wishes the streamer could have rolled out quicker. Addressing Series Mania this afternoon, Nobili said “if I could have accelerated our rollout then I would have” when questioned on how he would have done things differently over the past two years. “But you have to balance these things out,” he countered. “Sometimes staggering a launch proves to be the right recipe. If you show audiences the window you can get straight out the gate but could compromise on show quality.” Nobili added: “We could maybe have done an even faster rollout but looking back it was a challenge and we are proud of how it has worked out.” Paramount+ is now live in dozens of territories around the world and is well ahead of its target to greenlight 150 originals by 2025, Nobili revealed. He said half of streaming’s forecasted 8% growth over the next five years will come from … [Read more...] about Paramount+ International Rollout Could Have Been Speedier But Marco Nobili “Proud”