EXCLUSIVE : Good Deed Entertainment has acquired North American and UK rights to the indie drama Midday Black Midnight Blue , starring 2x Emmy winner Merritt Wever ( Godless ), slating it for a day-and-date release in June. The first feature from writer-directors Samantha Soule and Daniel Talbott, also starring Chris Stack (AMC’s Interview with the Vampire ) and Soule ( Godless ), follows Ian (Stack) as he grapples with his shifting memories of Liv (Soule), a woman he once loved. For Ian, it’s a chance run-in with Liv’s sister (Wever) that sparks a journey in which he has a chance to reconnect to the light and fight his way back to life. The film, which world premiered at last year’s Seattle Film Festival, is produced by Soule, Talbott and Stack, as well as Lovell Holder and Addie Johnson Talbott. Exec producers are Timothy Farrell, Conner Marx and Will Pullen. GDE’s EVP of Acquisitions Erik Donley negotiated Midday Black ‘s deal for the company, with … [Read more...] about Merritt Wever-Led ‘Midday Black Midnight Blue’ Acquired By Good Deed; Coral Peña, Nicole Byer Board ‘Thelma’; More – Film Briefs
How nicole brown simpson died
Millie Bobby Brown Novel ‘Nineteen Steps’ Coming From William Morrow This Fall
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown will have her first novel published by William Morrow , an imprint of HarperCollins , this fall, the publishing house announced today. Titled Nineteen Steps , the novel is described by the publisher as an “epic story of love, loss, and secrets” that tells the story of 18-year-old Nellie Morris, who lives with her family in Bethnal Green during the Second World War. After Nellie’s chance encounter with an American airman stationed nearby, a terrible incident occurs during an air raid with catastrophic consequences. Nineteen Steps will be published on September 12. “Inspired by my Nanny Ruth, this book is very personal and close to my heart,” Brown said in a statement. “I grew up listening to stories about her time living through the war. I’m honored to keep her story alive.” Brown’s grandmother survived the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster, an incident responsible for the largest single loss of civilian life in the UK … [Read more...] about Millie Bobby Brown Novel ‘Nineteen Steps’ Coming From William Morrow This Fall
Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book’ & Lord Miller’s ‘Western’ Pilots Not Moving Forward At Amazon Freevee; Both Being Shopped
EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Freevee will not be moving forward with two of its half-hour scripted pilots, Western and Open Book. Both are currently being shopped elsewhere. Western is a period comedy developed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller ’s Sony TV-based Lord Miller . Pen15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle had been tapped to lead the series. Written by Michelle Morgan, Western is set in the 1800s. It follows Polly (Konkle), a young high-society woman from Philadelphia who travels out west on a desperate quest for a husband only to discover that she has been catfished by a teenage boy. Now stranded in 1866 Montana, Polly, along with the town’s other inhabitants, must find their place in this ever-changing new world, confronting and defying all expectations society has of them along the way. RELATED: 2023 Amazon Freevee Pilots & Series Orders Although her good breeding and opulent clothing make her stand out like a sore thumb in this dustbowl of … [Read more...] about Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book’ & Lord Miller’s ‘Western’ Pilots Not Moving Forward At Amazon Freevee; Both Being Shopped
‘The Simpsons’ Credited For Predicting Fate Of Florida Principal Who Was Forced Out By Parents Angered By Michelangelo’s ‘David’
Once again, The Simpsons are being credited for predicting a future dumpster fire. Case in point: a 1990 episode of the animated Fox comedy depicted an angry mob of people protesting the planned exhibition of Michelangelo’s David in Springfield. “It’s fifth,” a woman tells Marge. “It graphically portrays parts of the human body, which practical as they may be, are evil.” Flash forward to this week, when a Florida charter school principal says she was forced to resign after some parents complained about their sixth grade students seeing a picture of David in class. It all unfolded at Tallahassee Classical, which bases its curriculum on the conservative and Christian Hillsdale College in Michigan. According to The Washington Post , the charter schools that rely on Hillsdale’s curriculum are supposed to teach Renaissance art to sixth graders, which includes the statue of David. But Barney Bishop III, the chair of the school board, told reporters that parents — two, to … [Read more...] about ‘The Simpsons’ Credited For Predicting Fate Of Florida Principal Who Was Forced Out By Parents Angered By Michelangelo’s ‘David’
Outlawz Rapper Hussein Fatal — Dies In Car Crash … Rapped with 2Pac on ‘Hit ‘Em Up’
Hussein Fatal , one of the members of rap group The Outlawz -- a group founded by Tupac -- died in a car accident this weekend ... the group confirms. Details surrounding Fatal's death are unclear at this point -- but the group posted a message on social media saying, "Rest in Paradise our brother Hussein Fatal. He passed away in a car accident. Pray for his family & kids at this time!" Fatal performed on a bunch of songs with Tupac -- but most famously rapped the second verse on "Hit 'Em Up" ... the one that starts, "Get out the way, yo, get out the way, yo. Biggie Smalls just got dropped." Fellow Outlawz member Napoleon went to Facebook to remember his friend ... writing, "He was my old group member and friend for over 20 years and he will be missed." R.I.P. … [Read more...] about Outlawz Rapper Hussein Fatal — Dies In Car Crash … Rapped with 2Pac on ‘Hit ‘Em Up’
MMA Fighter Jordan Parsons Dies After Hit and Run Incident
MMA fighter Jordan Parsons has died ... days after he was struck by a Range Rover in a hit and run incident in Florida. He was 25. "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of a dear member of the Bellator family, Jordan Parsons," Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said in a statement. Parsons was 11-2 as an MMA fighter -- and was a part of the famed Blackzilians training group with stars like Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Rashad Evans. "Jordan was an exceptional athlete and a rising star in the sport. But more importantly, he was an exceptional young man," Coker added. "Jordan was hard-working, dedicated, intelligent, and a pleasure to be around. He represented all the reasons we love this sport. It is a terribly tragic loss and our thought and prayers go out to his family, friends and teammates." Parsons was struck by the car while crossing a street early Sunday morning. Officials believe Parsons may have been wearing headphones and was unable … [Read more...] about MMA Fighter Jordan Parsons Dies After Hit and Run Incident
Orlando Slingshot Ride To Donate $100K To Fund 1 Year After Teen Died on Ride
Tyre Sampson was only 14 when he fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride, and now the company behind the attraction is making a donation in his honor. Trevor Arnold, a ttorney for the Orlando Slingshot, put out a statement Friday, which marks the one-year anniversary of Sampson's death ... saying we "will be establishing a $100,000 donation by contributing $20,000 over five years to the "Tyre ‘Big Tick’ Sampson Foundation," which was set up by Tyre's mom to support school athletic programs in his memory. Getty He continued, "We know this donation is a very small gesture compared to the unexplainable tragic loss of Tyre one year ago today. But, it is our hope that this contribution will bring some comfort to Tyre’s family and serve as a positive reminder of Tyre for those student-athletes it supports." Getty As we reported ... 14-year-old Tyre died last year after falling from the 430-foot-high Orlando amusement … [Read more...] about Orlando Slingshot Ride To Donate $100K To Fund 1 Year After Teen Died on Ride
French Film & TV Stars Get Behind Petition Decrying Macron Pension Reforms; King Charles State Visit Postponed Due To Unrest
More than 300 leading figures from the French film and TV world have gotten behind a petition decrying controversial pension reforms spearheaded by the government of President Emmanuel Macron . French stars Juliette Binoche , Audrey Fleurot, Camille Cottin , Swann Arlaud, Jeanne Balibar, Bérenice Béjo, Laure Calamy, Camille Cottin, Pierre Deladonchamps and Noémie Merlant; directors Michel Hazanavicius , Alice Diop , Kim Chapiron, Maimouna Doucouré, Robert Guédiguian and Alain Guiraudie, as well as producer Saïd Ben Saïd were among the signatories. “It is high time to make our voices heard, because cinema, theater, culture, even if they sometimes offer dreams and a means of escape, above all speak of our world,” read an open letter to Macron accompanying the petition. The petition was launched under the banner of the Cinema Entertainment Collective on the Liberation newspaper website on Thursday afternoon, as a national strike brought public services to a … [Read more...] about French Film & TV Stars Get Behind Petition Decrying Macron Pension Reforms; King Charles State Visit Postponed Due To Unrest
Oscar-Winning Filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin On Love Stories – Their Own, And They One They Tell In ‘Wild Life’ – CPH:DOX
World class climber Jimmy Chin met his future wife, filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi , over a mountain – of footage. He had been working for a number of years on the documentary that would become Meru , the story of an attempt by Chin and his fellow alpinists and friends Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk to become the first to summit the perilous Shark’s Fin peak in the Himalayas. Perhaps because he was so close to the subject matter, the film wasn’t quite cohering. “I had submitted it to a few film festivals and got turned down,” Chin explained during an Artists & Auteurs conversation at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. He told moderator Thom Powers, TIFF’s documentary programmer and host of the Pure Nonfiction podcast, that while struggling over the film he crossed paths with Vasarhelyi at a conference. “I knew that she had quite an accomplished career as a filmmaker,” Chin said. “So, I asked her to screen what I had cut so far. She didn’t call me back for three months, but it … [Read more...] about Oscar-Winning Filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin On Love Stories – Their Own, And They One They Tell In ‘Wild Life’ – CPH:DOX
‘The Young And The Restless’ at 50: Star Lauralee Bell Reflects On Her Dad’s Legacy, And The Future Of The CBS Soap
On Sunday, The Young and the Restless will officially celebrate 50 years on CBS. For star Lauralee Bell , it’s more than just a celebration; it’s a tribute to the work of her dad William J. Bell , who created the No. 1 daytime drama with his wife, Lee, in 1973. It’s also a heady reminder that Bell — along with her brother Bradley, who’s the head writer on The Bold and the Beautiful — is one of daytime’s most important stewards. “We’re representing dad in such big way,” said Bell of her father, who died in 2005. Her mom passed in 2020. “I was getting ready to do an interview the other day and out of nowhere this huge, overwhelming feeling came over me. I wondered, did dad ever consider that he wouldn’t be here at one point and did it make him feel a little bit better knowing that Brad and I were all in? Did he ever have a moment where he was like, ‘it’s gonna be okay because my kids got me?'” Here, Bell — who has played Christine “Cricket” Blair on the soap since … [Read more...] about ‘The Young And The Restless’ at 50: Star Lauralee Bell Reflects On Her Dad’s Legacy, And The Future Of The CBS Soap