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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

EXCLUSIVE: The Black List and Women in Film said Monday that they have set the participants for their 2023 Episodic Lab, with seven television pilots from eight writers selected. Now in its seventh year, the lab focuses on preparing women writers and writers of underrepresented genders for careers in writing for TV. More than 40 scribes have participated since its launch in 2016, with the organizations saying half currently have jobs in the industry. This year’s list features Bev Chukwu, Deanna Esposito, Eudie Pak, Laura Malatos & Helen Sun, Katherine Ruppe, Lorin Williams and Thea Rodgers. The lab, supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Shivhans Pictures, meets twice a week in March for sessions that include masterclasses, pitch workshops and lectures from guest mentors. This year’s mentors list includes Monica Beletsky ( Parenthood ), Jane Becker ( Ted Lasso ), Glen Mazzara ( The Dark Tower ), Sono Patel ( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ) … [Read more...] about The Black List And Women In Film Set 2023 Episodic Lab Writers

EXCLUSIVE : Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American VOD rights to the documentary Grandpa Was An Emperor from director Constance Marks , whose last feature, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey , won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. The new film, which premiered to rave reviews at the DOC NYC Festival in 2021, is set for theatrical engagement in Los Angeles from April 7-13 at Laemmles Town Center in Encino, with evening showings on the 7th and 8th to be followed by Q&As with Marks, as well as her fellow producers and talent. It’s set for release on digital on May 30. Exec produced by 2x Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo , Grandpa Was An Emperor follows Yeshi Kassa, great-granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, as she embarks on a personal quest to discover what happened to her closest relatives during the coup of 1974. While Yeshi and her older sister were thousands of miles away in a British boarding school, her … [Read more...] about ‘Grandpa Was An Emperor’ Documentary Exec Produced By Cynthia Erivo Sets Freestyle Release

Xavier López Rodríguez, known as “Chabelo,” died at the age of 88. “This is a very sad morning, Xavier Lopez Chabelo, father, brother and husband has left us suddenly due to abdominal complications,” read a message on his official Twitter feed. López was best known for hosting the long-running children’s Sunday variety show En Familia con Chabelo . The Televisa show made its debut in 1967 and ran for 48 years, ending its run in 2015. Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who shares a last name with the television host but has no relation, took to social media to express his condolences. “Hugs to family and friends for the death of Xavier López “Chabelo.” How can I forget that my eldest son woke up early to see him over 40 years ago,” he tweeted . Chabelo hosted the children’s show dressed as a kid wearing suspenders with a singular voice that was often imitated by his fans. According to IMDB, the comedian got his first acting credit in the comedy … [Read more...] about Xavier López ‘Chabelo’ Dies: Mexican Comedian & Children’s TV Host Was 88