Keeping 7 month old busy

Instagram / @obj Odell Beckham Jr. is making sure the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree -- the NFL superstar is already teaching his 3-month-old son how to hold a football ... and channeling "Remember the Titans" in the process!! The Super Bowl champ shared the adorable father-son moment on Monday ... placing a toy football on Zydn's right forearm and armpit to ensure it doesn't leave his grasp. "You drop a ball, you run a mile," the 29-year-old said. Of course, Beckham is doing his best Herman Boone impression -- who can forget Denzel Washington 's iconic speech in the 2000 flick?? But, Odell knows what it takes to be great -- at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, he played receiver, quarterback, running back and corner ... and was also a beast in basketball, soccer and track & field (just like his mom). OBJ went on to play for the LSU Tigers and was drafted by the NY Giants in 2014 ... where he recorded one of the … [Read more...] about Odell Beckham Jr. Teaches 3-Month-Old Son Football Lessons, Don’t Drop The Ball!

Getty New York Yankees star Nestor Cortes has shut down his Twitter page and is issuing a mea culpa ... after some of his old tweets containing racial slurs were exposed this weekend. While the Yanks were playing the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, more than a dozen old tweets from Cortes' account resurfaced ... showing the pitcher using the n-word several times in posts between 2012 and 2013. Cortes was 17 or 18 years old when he wrote the tweets. One of the tweets seemed to be lyrics from French Montana 's song, "Ain't Worried About Nothin." The now-27-year-old baseball player apologized vehemently for it all on Monday ... and deactivated his account. "It's unacceptable," Cortes told the New York Post prior to the Yankees' game against the Orioles on Monday. "I could have managed myself better and said stuff differently." He added, "Those aren't the messages I want to send out. I deleted my Twitter to clean stuff up. Hopefully, I can … [Read more...] about Yankees Star Nestor Cortes Apologizes For Old Tweets Containing Racial Slurs

L.A. Law not moving forward at ABC was one of the surprises of this pilot season. ABC boss Craig Erwich told Deadline that “unfortunately the pilot just did not come together as we had hoped it would.” ABC Upfront 2022: Deadline’s Complete Coverage The reboot, which was headlined by Blair Underwood, reprising his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins, had a high bar to hit with big expectations. The original series’ Corbin Bernsen also reprised his role as Arnie Becker in the pilot alongside Hari Nef, Toks Olagundoye, Ian Duff, John Harlan Kim and Juliana Harkavey, and Kacey Rohl. The pilot was written by Marc Guggenheim and Ubah Mohamed and directed by Anthony Hemingway. It followed the law firm of McKenzie Brackman — now named Becker Rollins — as it reinvented itself as a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases. Underwood, Guggenheim and Mohamed executive produced alongside Hemingway via Anthony Hemingway … [Read more...] about ABC Boss On ‘L.A. Law’ Not Moving Forward, Staying In Business With Comedian Jo Koy & Eyeing Pilots For Midseason

BREAKING : Skydance has raised $700 million in new financing. This includes $200 million in equity from a group of investors, and a $500 million line of credit from J.P. Morgan Chase. Principal David Ellison formed the venture in 2010, when he began co-financing event films at Paramount while slowly growing his own divisions. Since then, Skydance has been a partner in many of that studio’s biggest franchises, including the Star Trek and Mission: Impossible films, World War Z, Jack Reacher and Terminator Genisys . I’ve been hearing that Ellison was reshaping his company, including moving the emphasis away from co-financing and more toward funding projects generated internally by Skydance’s film, TV, gaming, virtual reality and international divisions. And not exclusively at Paramount. Sony Pictures just stepped up to co-finance Skydance’s Mars mission film Life, which Daniel Espinosa will direct with Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson. Ellison did … [Read more...] about David Ellison’s Skydance Raises $700 Million In Funding For Film, TV Slates

EXCLUSIVE : Layoffs are underway at Netflix today. About 150 positions out of the streamer’s workforce of 11,000 are being eliminated amid a slowdown in the company’s revenue growth. They are largely based in the U.S., with a significant portion in creative, across both film and TV, sources said. A number of those laid off are in the executive ranks, including in original content, I hear, with a couple of director-level original series execs rumored to be leaving. There is also rampant rumor that the indie film division will suffer heavy casualties but sources internally say that is not the case. “As we explained on earnings, our slowing revenue growth means we are also having to slow our cost growth as a company. So sadly, we are letting around 150 employees go today, mostly US-based,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “These changes are primarily driven by business needs rather than individual performance, which makes them especially tough as … [Read more...] about Netflix Hit By Layoffs; About 150 Mostly U.S.-Based Employees Affected

Lionsgate will be the key tenant with naming rights to a major new studio project in Newark, New Jersey being built being by Robert Halmi and Fehmi Zeko’s Great Point Studios . The $125 million+ project on 12 acres follows a collaboration by the partners on recently opened Lionsgate Studios in Yonkers as demand for production space continues to explode. It will be first purpose-built studio in the state specifically constructed for TV and film production and is expected to start operations in late 2004. “This is a great opportunity to scale our East Coast studio footprint [and] support our robust film and television production,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. The studio had 14 new TV shows picked up to series last year and 16 series renewed, and made 21 feature films last year, underscoring its need for more space — an issue across the industry. This studio will rise in Newark’s South Ward at the former Seth Boyden Housing site close to the Newark Airport, the … [Read more...] about Lionsgate, Great Point Partner For Major New Jersey Studio Complex

President Donald Trump tweeted a response to the ongoing protests to his call for firing the national anthem kneelers: Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017 Despite Trump’s attempt to paint a picture of triumph on the issue, celebrities were showing solidarity with NFL players, as derision, anger, and some conservative support keeps building in reaction to the tweets by President Trump decrying national anthem kneeling and other social justice protests. A roundup of reactions: I’m starting to regret naming my son “Donald Trump, Jr.” It seemed okay 11 years ago. — Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) September 24, 2017 As a football fan, I am proud of the NFL players today. Nothing is more American than the right to peacefully protest. — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 24, 2017 … [Read more...] about Trump Responds To Protests; Conan O’Brien, Ellen DeGeneres Among Celebrities Supporting NFL Players

EXCLUSIVE : Brad Anderson , the multi-hyphenate behind the iconic Christian Bale thriller The Machinist , has signed with Paradigm for representation. Anderson is a writer, director and producer whose 2004 breakout feature told the story of industrial worker Trevor Reznik (Bale), who began to doubt his own sanity after going without sleep for a year. He recently directed an episode of HBO Max’s acclaimed DC series Peacemaker , and two installments (including the pilot) of Netflix’s chart-topping thriller Clickbait , most recently wrapping production on the horror-thriller Blood , starring Michelle Monaghan and Skeet Ulrich. That upcoming film follows Jess (Monaghan), whose son Owen (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) is hit with a mysterious infection after being bitten by a dog at the old farmhouse the family has just moved back into. Anderson has also directed features including the thriller Fractured , starring Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe and Stephen Tobolowsky, … [Read more...] about Paradigm Signs ‘The Machinist’ And ‘Clickbait’ Filmmaker Brad Anderson

Jeffrey Katzenberg has donated $600,000 to an independent committee backing Karen Bass for Los Angeles mayor , as polls show the California congresswoman facing a tight race against billionaire developer Rick Caruso . The contribution was made earlier this month to Communities United for Bass for Mayor 2022. Katzenberg was among the initial donors to the committee, with a $250,000 contribution to help get the committee started in early March. Other contributions have come from J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath, who each gave $125,000, as well as other industry figures including Barry Meyer and Jennifer Garner. The committee also is backed by the SEIU. The Los Angeles Times first reported Katzenberg’s recent donation. Katzenberg was among the people who helped convince Bass to run last summer, the candidate told Vanity Fair. At the time, there was concern among a number of Los Angeles Democrats that the field needed a star candidate — and Bass fit the bill. … [Read more...] about Los Angeles Mayor’s Race: Jeffrey Katzenberg Donates $600,000 To Pro-Karen Bass Committee As Primary Nears

Viacom ’s Bob Bakish has one of the toughest jobs in media today as the company board officially took the word “acting” off the CEO title he picked up last month when he became the third person to have the gig in the past four months. The decision follows Sumner and Shari Redstone ’s announcement this morning that they want to scuttle the plan they’d proposed to merge Viacom with CBS — likely putting its CEO Les Moonves in charge of a combined company. Viacom says that it has “discontinued the exploration of a potential combination with CBS.” “While there is much work to do, I firmly believe that Viacom has a bright future, and that confidence is underpinned by senior management’s commitment to innovation and a more coordinated, global approach to managing our brands,” Shari Redstone says following Bakish’s title change. Board Chairman Tom May says the CEO “has impressed the Board of Directors with the decisive steps he has taken. He has moved quickly to deliver upon the … [Read more...] about Viacom Names Bob Bakish Permanent CEO As He Tries To Chart A Future Without CBS