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Ashim Ahluwalia, known as a director of edgy films such as John & Jane and Miss Lovely that have premiered at Toronto and Cannes film festivals, is not an obvious choice to direct a young adult drama series for Netflix . But when local production house Bodhitree Multimedia approached him with a proposal for a Hindi remake of Spanish show Elite , he jumped at the chance. “I’ve always been interested in making something on teenagers, especially wealthy urban teenagers, because that’s a world that I know,” says Ahluwalia, who grew up in the tony neighborhoods of south Mumbai. “I went to a school that was very different to the school in Elite , or in this series, but had the same elements of class conflict. So while I’d never thought about doing a series before, I thought this would be an interesting project to do.” Created by Carlos Montero and Dario Madrona, Elite follows three scholarship kids from a modest socioeconomic background who get placed in an … [Read more...] about Ashim Ahluwalia On Portraying The Extremes Of India’s Wealth Gap In Netflix Young Adult Drama ‘Class’

UPDATE 10:58 AM PT -- Brittany Furlan tells us she made the TikTok as a joke, and deleted it because she felt it was going to be twisted. She says she's been faced with a barrage of attacks online from people expressing how much they wanted Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee to get back together -- and wanted to make a joke about it -- hoping it would make people laugh. Before she posted she showed it to Tommy who thought it was funny. UPDATE She also wanted to clarify that she is not annoyed with Pamela. Brittany has had a ton of family and friends reach out her to see if she is ok because they felt the documentary made it very clear that Pam is still very much in love with Tommy. She wishes it was a little less of a love letter to her husband, but gets that Pam is entitled to feel how she feels and she understands. Tommy Lee's wife apparently doesn't think Pamela Anderson gives a damn about her, despite what Pam's said publicly, suggesting Pam doesn't care … [Read more...] about Tommy Lee’s Wife Brittany Furlan Makes Pamela Anderson Joke on TikTok

As talks are about to resume Monday on the final elements that many hope will lead to a new deal for the Writers Guild Of America, we wanted to lend some perspective and give voice to the TV and feature writers whose fortunes will be tied directly to the deal their union makes. This is the first in a quick succession of five questions we asked a panel of 10 writers. Here are their responses, and hopefully other writers will be moved to comment about the issues that worry them most as their work is monetized in this fast-changing digital age. (Note: Writer #2 didn’t reply to this question.) Related: WGA: Why Gains, Lessons From 2008′s Strike Will Keep Hollywood From Another War DEADLINE: How has your ability to make a living improved or deteriorated since the WGA strike and why? WRITER #1: Directly, I lost at least one job so, for me, that is a loss of over $1 million. I was fortunate to survive the strike without the terrible ramifications that hit … [Read more...] about Writers Rail As Talks Resume – First Question In A Deadline Survey

There was a moment last November when Channel 4 ’s senior executives breathed a sigh of relief. Sat at the top table of Channel 4’s 40th birthday party, Chief Executive Alex Mahon was flanked by her friend Elisabeth Murdoch and doyens of UK broadcasting, including BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Carolyn McCall, ITV’s Chief Executive. They were raising a glass to a British success story in a rare public display of unity. On the same table was Thérèse Coffey, a senior government minister who had survived three prime ministers in the space of little more than three months. Her presence at the V&A Museum event bemused others, who believed the government only had hostile intentions for Channel 4 after sanctioning a sale of the broadcaster against its wishes. Things soon got weirder. Coffey turned to Mahon and asked if she could raise a glass to Channel 4. She then proceeded to surprise the room full of TV luminaries by serenading her hosts with a rendition of happy … [Read more...] about Channel 4: Inside The Doomed Sale Of A Crown Jewel Of British Television

The closure of Israeli public broadcaster Kan by Benjamin Netanyahu ’s new government has been delayed indefinitely, according to a spokesman for the Communications Minister. The Israeli TV community will be breathing a cautious sigh of relief, for now, after the representative for Shlomo Karhi told local press that the plan has been delayed “until further notice” in order for the government to focus on passing legal reform. A public broadcasting blueprint was initially set to be delivered by Karhi next week. He had sparked outrage when he told the country’s non-public-service Channel 12 TV station “there is no place for public broadcasting in Israel ” last month, while arguing that the TV market should be opened up fully to competition. Lobbying has been taking place behind the scenes since from local TV unions and producer groups. Deadline understands organizations being lobbied to oppose the closure included the U.S. Democratic Party. Israel has three public … [Read more...] about Israeli Public Broadcaster Closure Postponed “Until Further Notice,” Says Benjamin Netanyahu Government

Benedict Cumberbatch is to lead and EP Netflix ’s Eric , playing a puppeteer whose son goes missing in 1980s Manhattan. Netflix has set cast on the Abi Morgan -penned show from Chernobyl producer Sister and the likes of Gaby Hoffman, McKinley Belcher II, Dan Fogler and Phoebe Nicholls will star opposite Cumberbatch. Cast is rounded out by Clarke Peters, Ivan Morris Howe, David Denman, Bamar Kane, Adepero Odyue, Alexis Molnar and Roberta Colindrez. The six-parter follows Vincent Anderson (Cumberbatch), a grief-stricken puppeteer on a leading TV show whose young boy goes missing and who finds solace through his friendship with Eric, the monster that lives under his son’s bed. The Split scribe Morgan’s Little Chick is producing with Sister and Morgan EPing alongside Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke and Lucy Forbes. “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980’s New York, and the good bad and ugly world of Vincent,” said Morgan. “The chance … [Read more...] about Benedict Cumberbatch To Lead & EP Netflix’s ‘Eric’ From Abi Morgan & Sister

Sony Pictures Classics has taken North American on Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version which won the Audience Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) at this year’s Sundance. Keshavarz is the first filmmaker to have two films win the Sundance Audience Award in the Dramatic Competition category. This is the second title that SPC has snapped out of Sundance, Deadline first telling you about their acquisition of A Little Prayer, which they took global rights on. Logline: Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret … [Read more...] about Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Sundance Winner ‘The Persian Version’

Leave it to a sitcom vet like Melissa Rauch to remind the industry that everything old can be new again. After persuading Warner Bros. TV to dust off the Night Court IP and revive it for NBC, multi-cams are suddenly hot again, with every broadcast network — and even a few streamers like Netflix (home to new hit That ’90s Show , which just got renewed ) are putting studio audience comedies in development. While no one is straight-up abandoning single-cams — the success of CBS’ Ghosts and ABC’s Abbott Elementary have certainly made sure of that — there’s no beating the cost-effectiveness of one of TV’s most tried and true genres. “Everybody had a hunch they should probably be doing more of them,” says one high-powered comedy agent. “Night Court is a good sign there is an appetite for that. Everything I’m hearing out of CBS, for example, is that they have pretty hard caps they are trying to hit on these multi-camera shows. The Conners is an exception because … [Read more...] about Thanks, ‘Night Court’! How Multi-Cams Are Having A Moment … Again

Hulk Hogan has a message for his fans ... "Don't believe everything you hear!" Days after WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle provided a bleak health assessment of Hulk's current condition, saying he was in such rough shape he had no feeling in his legs and couldn't walk without a cane, TMZ Sports obtained a video which appears to show differently. The clip, shot by Hulk's longtime friend and sports agent, Darren Prince , was shot Thursday night and shows 69-year-old Hogan very much walking without a cane, doing his best Ric Flair strut. "Hulk Hogan here, the greatest of all time, a little stiff, a little sore, but woooooo!" before executing a walk that'd make Ric proud! Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Of course, Angle, on the latest episode of his podcast, said he spoke with Hogan last month during the taping of WWE Raw's 30th Anniversary show and the WWE legend told him he “had the nerves cut from his lower body" during back … [Read more...] about Hulk Hogan Says Kurt Angle’s Wrong About Health, Walks On Video To Prove It

Boris Johnson has revealed his weirdly specific new hobby: mastering the form of a cow. The former UK Prime Minister has told TalkTV , the Rupert Murdoch-backed British television channel, that he spends his days drawing cattle after resigning in scandal last year. In his first major TV interview since leaving office, Johnson sat down with his friend and colleague Nadine Dorries , the former UK Culture Secretary. “At the moment I’ve got a project, which is to master the form of the cow,” he told Friday Night with Nadine in an exchange that bordered on bizarre. Johnson continued: “Cows are actually far more difficult to draw than you think. How many toes on the front does a cow have? It’s two, and they’ve got a little thing on the heel. And what do you call that bit of the cow? I think it’s called the withers. What do you call the back of the knee of the cow? The hock. “They repay a lot of study. So, I’m filling a book now with cow. Pictures of parts of cows, … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson Says He Spends His Days Drawing Cows After Scandal Forced Him From Office