EXCLUSIVE : Bodyguard and Line Of Duty star Keeley Hawes has been set to headline and executive produce Crossfire , a major BBC One miniseries about a hotel shooting from the producer behind The Salisbury Poisonings . Deadline understands that Fremantle-backed Dancing Ledge Productions will team with Hawes’ Buddy Club Productions to produce the three-part series, written by Apple Tree Yard author Louise Doughty in her first original project for television. Crossfire is set in a luxurious resort in the Canary Islands and centers on Jo (Hawes), who is enjoying a dream vacation with her family and friends. Sunbathing on her balcony, the tranquility is thrown into turmoil when shots ring out across the complex from gunmen wreaking revenge. A story of survival and resilience, sources said Crossfire is a nail-biting thriller with an emotional, intimate, and relatable core. With the unsuspecting and vulnerable holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to …
Prince’s ‘Welcome 2 America’: Funkier, Sexier, Superflyier Than Most of His Latter-Day Music
Towards the end of his life, Prince was creating so much music that he appeared to lose sight of his vision. Although his records contained glimmers of brilliance, he had started entombing potentially glorious sing-along choruses, jaw-dropping guitar solos, and clever lyrics in overwrought R&B and heavy-handed garage rock. (Check the sparkly impotence of 1999’s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic .) And unlike the stunning concerts he performed until his death, his albums felt sinful (and not in a Dirty Mind kind of way) since the music was often so generic that it barely echoed the raw talent that originally consecrated the title of His Royal Badness. But as the posthumous releases culled from his fabled vault have recently proven, what the Artist deemed worthy of release rarely represented his capabilities. The latest discovery, Welcome 2 America — a full album of fun, funky pop and R&B from 2010 — proves just how unreliable his instincts were since he inexplicably shelved …
Hear Previously Unreleased Prince Song ‘Born 2 Die’
“Born 2 Die,” the second single off Prince ’s upcoming posthumous album Welcome 2 America , premiered Thursday. It follows the album’s title track, released earlier this year. On the sultry tune, Prince is joined by bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and vocalists Shelby J., Liv Warfield and Elisa Fiorillo. The singer’s longtime music director Morris Hayes added the final production to the song. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Prince (@prince) “Born 2 Die” was originally recorded “during a flurry of studio activity” in the spring of 2010 during President Obama’s first term. Prince was reflecting on the issues affecting the black community and the role he hoped to play, according to a release. The song was shelved until now. “We got to ‘Born 2 Die,’ and Prince said, ‘I’ll tell you how that came about,'” Hayes said in a statement. “He had been watching videos of his friend Dr. Cornel West …
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‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Spinoff Almost Happened, Creator Phil Rosenthal Says – ATX TV Festival
An Everybody Loves Raymond spinoff was almost a reality, according to creator Phil Rosenthal who spoke at a panel at the ATX Television Festival Friday on The New American TV Family. When asked by fellow panelist Nahnatchka Khan ( Fresh Off the Boat ) if a spinoff had ever been ordered, Rosenthal said, the idea first came about when Amy’s (Monica Horan, Rosenthal’s wife) family was introduced on the show. “From that first table reading where we met them, I went from the table reading to the phone to call Les Moonves at CBS,” he said, adding, “I said, ‘I’ve got a spinoff.” He explained, “And then after the show was over some of the writers and I thought this was an obvious idea. Very simply, the brother [Robert, played by Brad Garrett] now moves to Pennsylvania and he gets a job as the gym teacher, now living with [Amy’s] family under the condition that he has Chris Elliot [Peter, on the show] as his assistant.” Rosenthal quipped, “Sounds good, right?” …
The Music Keeping Team USA Pumped
Whether you’re stepping out the door for an early-morning run or shooting around before a pickup game, even the most casual athlete knows how much the soundtrack in your head can shape your performance. Imagine you’re representing your country in a once-every-four-years (or five) event, and the stakes are raised just a bit. We caught up with eight of Team USA’s top medal hopefuls — some winners already! — to find out what’s on their pre-competition playlists. If they keep racking up gold in Tokyo, we just may have Lil Wayne, Cher, and “New Jersey club music” to thank. Caeleb Dressel Swimming Team captain; American record holder in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle; four-time Olympic gold medalist, including 4×100 meter freestyle relay and 100 meter freestyle at the 2021 games so far. Age: 24 Song he’s listening to right before he swims in Tokyo: “‘I’m Shipping Up to Boston’ by the Dropkick Murphys. I just watched The Departed and I love that movie.” …
Former ‘Bachelor’ Colton Underwood Comes Out as Gay
ABC 8:21 AM PT -- Chris Harrison says he's very proud of Colton. He adds ... "Happy to see you stand up and openly live your truth. You have my love and support my friend." Colton Underwood -- former star of "The Bachelor" is opening up about his sexuality ... telling the world he's gay. Colton opened up to Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" saying ... "I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time ... and I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know." Underwood added, "I got into a place for me in my personal life that was dark and bad and I can list a bunch of different things but they'd all be excuses ... I would have rather died than say I'm gay and I think that was sort of my wake-up call." Colton said it was so bad he thought of taking his life ... "There was a moment in L.A. where I woke up and I didn't think …
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Colton Underwood’s ‘Bachelor’ Runners-Up, Hannah & Tayshia Voice Support
TMZ/Getty Composite There are no hard feelings coming from the 2 women who came up just short of receiving the final rose from Colton Underwood ... they're both fully in his corner. As 'Bachelor' fans will recall ... Hannah Godwin and Tayshia Adams finished as co-runners-up in Colton's season, and both are voicing support for the former target of their affections now that he's come out as gay. Hannah tells TMZ ... "I support Colton for having the courage to finally be able to live his life authentically. Nobody should have to hide from who they really are." She adds ... "I’ll always wish Colton the very best and hoping he has found his peace." A rep for Tayshia tells us she's very happy that Colton's "able to now live his life openly and without fear of being his true self," adding ... "There is absolutely no ill will -- only support for Colton, his willingness to share his truth, and the additional representation for the LGBTQ community." Colton …
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Colton Underwood’s Coming Out Sparks Discussions of Gay ‘Bachelor’ Show
TMZ.com Colton Underwood 's coming out story is not only going to be covered in a new reality show ... it may inspire a major change in the reality show that made him famous. 'Bachelor' production sources tell TMZ ... Colton's been getting a lot of support not just from former cast members and Chris Harrison , but also from many producers of the popular dating series. We're told a number of producers were moved by Colton's revelation, and they've informally talked over the last few days amongst themselves about a gay 'Bachelor' season. ABC Our sources say the bigwigs on the show haven't weighed in and there has been no formal discussion, but creative ideas for TV shows typically begin with shop talk among producers and other staff, and that's happening now. We have no idea whether Colton would be interested, but we do know this ... there's a lot of love for him in the production offices of the show. We're told many people on staff cheered Colton …
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‘Whelm’ Getting 35MM Roadshow Treatment; Gravitas Kicks It In ‘Hood River’; Freestyle Acquires ‘The Forever Room’ – Film Briefs
Whelm , the Great Depression-era indie written and directed by Skyler Lawson and shot on Kodak 16mm, is setting its rollout that will include a 35mm roadshow screenings that begins next month in Beverly Hills. The news comes as Gravitas Ventures came aboard to acquired North American digital rights to the pic, which is set in the Midwest at the height of the Great Depression and follows estranged brothers (Ronan Colfer and Dylan Grunn) as they become tangled in a rivalry between a legendary bank robber and an eccentric young criminal, finding they are a part of a larger historic scheme. Lawson’s Endrow Pictures has theatrical rights to the pic, which will screen it in 35mm format at select theaters beginning with the Fine Arts Theatre Beverly Hills from August 13-21. Lawson is executive producer via Endrow, Lawson, Ed Herrera and Noelle Hubbell are producers, with Herrera also the cinematographer. Lawson also co-composed the score with Underoath’s Chris Dudley. …
Canceled LEGO Batman Sequel from Rick & Morty Team Sounds Wild, So Why Didn’t It Happen?
Flying in with a lot of heart and humor, The LEGO Batman Movie , itself a spin-off of The Lego Movie , was one of the highlight films of the past decade. Many who viewed the project felt that it understood who the character of Batman is. Notable aspects were the sound design, which included "pew pew" sounds every time a gun went off, the voice cast, and the humor. A sequel was planned, but unfortunately, will probably never see the light of day. Director Chris McKay cited a rights issue as a reason for the cancellation. Rights to the Lego Movie franchise now belong to Universal, instead of Warner Bros. Worse for fans is that McKay spoke about specifics regarding the sequel's plot, which sound like a promising idea. Screenwriting duties would have been undertaken by Dan Harmon and head writer for the Loki television series Michael Waldron, both of whom write Rick & Morty for Adult Swim. When The Lego Batman Movie came out, it was under the Warner Bros. banner of …