EXCLUSIVE : Amazon Studios has begun setting the supporting cast for its Paul Feig -helmed action-comedy Grand Death Lotto , with Ayden Mayeri ( Somebody I Used to Know ), Seann William Scott ( Welcome to Flatch ), Dolly de Leon ( Triangle of Sadness ) and Donald Elise Watkins ( Project Artemis ) signing on for roles. John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu lead the ensemble of the pic now in production, as previously announced. The Amazon Original Movie is set in a very near future, in which a Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? You’ll need to kill the winner before sundown in order to legally claim their prize. New L.A. transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion-dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also … [Read more...] about ‘Grand Death Lotto’: Ayden Mayeri, Seann William Scott, Dolly De Leon & Donald Elise Watkins Join Amazon Action-Comedy
Amazon music included in prime
‘The Sticky’: Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos & Guillaume Cyr To Star; EP Jamie Lee Curtis To Guest Star In Amazon Series
Three-time Emmy winner Margo Martindale , Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr are set to star in The Sticky , Prime Video’s Canadian comedy series from Blumhouse Television, Jamie Lee Curtis ’ Comet Pictures, Jonathan Levine’s Megamix and Sphere Media. Newly minted Oscar winner Curtis will guest star in the series, inspired by the true story dubbed the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist,” which made headlines around the world in 2011 when 70% of the global maple syrup supply — about CAN$18 million worth — was stolen. The English-language series is starting production in Quebec for a 2024 premiere and will film in and around Montreal with Canadian directors Michael Dowse ( Goon, Stuber ) and Joyce Wong ( Wexford Plaza, Sort of ). The Sticky revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now … [Read more...] about ‘The Sticky’: Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos & Guillaume Cyr To Star; EP Jamie Lee Curtis To Guest Star In Amazon Series
‘Smash’ Musical Heading To Broadway With Steven Spielberg, Neil Meron & Robert Greenblatt Producing
Smash is finally heading to Broadway . In an announcement long awaited by fans of the 2012 NBC series, a stage musical adaptation is planned to arrive on Broadway during the 2024-25 season, with a lead producing team of Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg . A top flight creative team is attached, including director Susan Stroman, composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman , book writers Rick Elice and Bob Martin, and the TV series’ choreographer Joshua Bergasse. Spielberg, whose original idea led to the NBC series, said in a statement, “ Smash is near and dear to my heart, and it was always my hope that a musical inspired by the show would eventually come to the stage. We now have an incredible creative team, and I’m looking forward to completing the Smash journey which began with my producing partners over ten years ago.” In addition to new music, the stage version will include many of the Shaiman-Wittman songs from the TV series, including the … [Read more...] about ‘Smash’ Musical Heading To Broadway With Steven Spielberg, Neil Meron & Robert Greenblatt Producing
‘Mean Girls’ Review: Tina Fey Musical Makes Broadway Honor Roll
At least one of the characters in Broadway ’s Mean Girls would describe this musical adaptation of Tina Fey ’s 2004 not-for-teens-only film comedy as absolutely fetch. And fetch it is, whether that word ever happens or not. Vibrant, beautifully sung and visually splendid, this funny charmer – book by Fey, music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin – broadens the original Paramount movie – a bar-raiser for teen flicks – to full musical comedy scale without sacrificing any of the mordancy and compassion that made a superstar of Lindsay Lohan and a generational descriptor of the title. Directed and choreographed by The Book of Mormon ‘s Casey Nicholaw (and produced by, among others, Lorne Michaels , who surveyed this preview performance with the same inscrutable, puckered expression caught occasionally by the cameras of Saturday Night Live ) Mean Girls , at the August Wilson Theatre, stays true to the plot (and well-remembered jokes and catchphrases) … [Read more...] about ‘Mean Girls’ Review: Tina Fey Musical Makes Broadway Honor Roll
‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical From Paramount Finds Its Kevin G. In Mahi Alam; Connor Ratliff Also Set
EXCLUSIVE : Paramount Pictures ‘ new Mean Girls film, based on the Tony-nominated Broadway show and the classic film comedy that inspired it, has found its Kevin G. in up-and-comer Mahi Alam ( American Born Chinese ), with veteran comedic actor Connor Ratliff ( Search Party ) also coming on for a role. Alam’s character Kevin, portrayed in the original movie by Rajiv Surendra, is the Mathlete friend of protagonist Cady, who harbors a crush on her new friend Janis at North Shore High. Ratliff will play teacher Mr. Rapp. The pair join an ensemble that also includes Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Avantika, Christopher Briney, Ashley Park and Bebe Wood, as previously announced. The 2004 Mean Girls film, adapted by Fey from the Rosalind Wiseman book Queen Bees and Wannabes , follows high school new girl Cady (Lindsay Lohan) in her attempt to fit in with A-list girl clique, The … [Read more...] about ‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical From Paramount Finds Its Kevin G. In Mahi Alam; Connor Ratliff Also Set
Erik Lomis Dies: Veteran MGM Distribution Chief Was 64
Extremely devastating news: MGM and United Artists Releasing distribution boss Erik Lomis died suddenly Wednesday at his home in Santa Monica, we have learned from sources. No details were provided in regards to his death. He was 64. Lomis was a towering figure behind many filmmakers’ hits including those from Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam McKay, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Coogler, David O. Russell, Lee Daniels and Tom Hooper to name a few, and most recently Michael B. Jordan with Creed III . In the wake of Amazon’s purchase of MGM, Lomis, who made the jump, becoming an entrusted consigliere to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke as the streamer looks to capitalize on more big-screen hits. Lomis gave Amazon a big taste of the box office with its first theatrical hit Creed III, which opened to more than $100 million worldwide and is currently grossing to $225M-plus at the global box office. It was Lomis’ bold decision to move Creed III out of … [Read more...] about Erik Lomis Dies: Veteran MGM Distribution Chief Was 64
Tony Award Nominations: ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘SpongeBob’ And ‘Harry Potter’ Lead New Crop; ‘Angels,’ ‘Carousel’ Top Revivals
This morning’s Tony Award nominations favored the familiar, with Mean Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants leading the field with 12 nods apiece. The American debut of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child paced new plays with 10 nominations, and the revival of Angels in America had a strong showing with 11 nominations, most in Tony history for a play. (See the full list below.) Other shows posting impressive tallies included The Band’s Visit , with 11 nominations going to the original musical based on a 2007 Israeli film. An acclaimed revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel also scored 11 nominations, including one for Renée Fleming, who is better known for her career as one of the opera world’s most venerable stars. Lincoln Center’s posh reboot of My Fair Lady garnered 10 nominations, and the Denzel Washington-starring revival of Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh received eight. Frozen , the latest Disney adaptation to head to Broadway , joining The … [Read more...] about Tony Award Nominations: ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘SpongeBob’ And ‘Harry Potter’ Lead New Crop; ‘Angels,’ ‘Carousel’ Top Revivals
‘Only Murders In The Building’: Jeremy Shamos, Linda Emond & Wesley Taylor To Recur In Season 3
EXCLUSIVE: Hulu ’s Only Murders in the Building has added Jeremy Shamos , Linda Emond and Wesley Taylor to its Season 3 cast in recurring roles. The trio joins series stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, as well as Season 3 additions Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Jesse Williams and Ashley Park. Details regarding their roles are being kept under wraps. The comedic murder-mystery series follows three strangers (Martin, Short and Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. In Seasons 1 and 2, the trio helped solve two murders inside the Arconia, their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building. Season 3 will step outside the comforts of home as they follow the latest murder , that of Ben Glenroy (Rudd), the lead actor in Oliver Putnam’s ( Short ) Broadway play who falls dead onstage just as the curtain flew up signaling the show to begin. Just seconds prior to that, Ben had a peculiar interaction … [Read more...] about ‘Only Murders In The Building’: Jeremy Shamos, Linda Emond & Wesley Taylor To Recur In Season 3
‘The Prom’ Review: Broadway Comedy Razzle-Dazzles Small Town Bigotry
Your prom probably didn’t have a glorious gaggle of Broadway troupers and their trunk loads of self-regard and narcissism gumming things up for your rite of passage – more’s the pity – but in some ways I’d guess Broadway’s musical The Prom isn’t so unlike the one you lived through way back when. The build-up was more fun than the event, right? Inspired by an actual event – and the inspired is apt – The Prom is the latest razzle-dazzle show-biz love fest from director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, who applied the same glitz and show-biz glitter to Mean Girls, Aladdin and, more to the point here, Something Rotten! , that great mash-up of the Bard and Broadway. Comparisons won’t do The Prom much good – Something Rotten it isn’t, but it tries. The Prom begins with a first-act of laughs and a demolition of the type of delicious Broadway monsters who can drop Carrie the Musical jokes with the timed precision of a Fosse broken doll walk. The premise … [Read more...] about ‘The Prom’ Review: Broadway Comedy Razzle-Dazzles Small Town Bigotry
‘Glee’ Alumna Amber Riley Signs With ColorCreative For Management
EXCLUSIVE: SAG Award-winning and Grammy-nominated actor and singer Amber Riley has signed with ColorCreative for representation. Known for her breakout role as Mercedes Jones on Fox’s musical comedy series Glee , Riley most recently starred in the Lifetime movie Single Black Female and won Season 8 of The Masked Singer. Riley made her West End debut in 2016 as Effie White in Dreamgirls for which she received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Evening Standard Theater Award for Best Musical Performance. In 2020, Riley released her debut EP Riley and is currently recording a second EP with Grammy-winning producer Harmony Samuels . Born and raised in Compton, Riley most recently became the first celebrity to win both Dancing With the Stars and The Masked Singer . “Amber Riley brings a powerhouse talent to the table with her incredible voice and just as strong acting skills,” said Raj Raghavan, Head of Talent at … [Read more...] about ‘Glee’ Alumna Amber Riley Signs With ColorCreative For Management