‘Creed II’ Breaks Records For Biggest Sports Drama Film Debut, Biggest Live-Action Thanksgiving Debut And More
Creed II is a knocking out the competition (and Creed) at the box office!
Debuting at No. 2 this weekend behind Ralph Breaks the Internet, the Steven Caple Jr.-directed film starring Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson made $35 million (Fri-Sun) and $55 million over the extended holiday weekend (Wed-Sun).
Not taking inflation into account, the film bested several records, including:
— The best live-action debut for a Thanksgiving weekend film release
— Best film debut in the Rocky franchise
— Biggest sports drama debut
— Biggest boxing film debut
All this probably means that a Creed III will be on tap for perhaps…2021?
In other box office news, Robin Hood, which co-stars Jamie Foxx, is a flop, making only $9.1 million in its first week against a whopping $100 million budget.
Full Domestic Box Office Top 10:
Source: Shadow & Act
WATCH: Trailer For ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ Starring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, And Regina King
Academy Award-winning writer/director Barry Jenkins’ first film since the Best Picture Oscar-winning Moonlight is If Beale Street Could Talk, his adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel – the first English-language feature film based on the work of the author, to whom the movie is dedicated.
Set in early-1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk is a timeless and moving love story of both a couple’s unbreakable bond and the African-American family’s empowering embrace, as told through the eyes of 19-year-old Tish Rivers (screen newcomer KiKi Layne). A daughter and wife-to-be, Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny (Stephan James). Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
Through the unique intimacy and power of cinema, If Beale Street Could Talk honors the author’s prescient words and imagery, charting the emotional currents navigated in an unforgiving and racially biased world as the filmmaker poetically crosses time frames to show how love and humanity endure.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Writer: Barry Jenkins
Producers: Megan Ellison, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner
Cast: KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Beach, Ed Skrein, Diego Luna, Dave Franco, Pedro Pascal
TV One’s Spin Off Channel, Cleo TV Reveals New Programming For Jan. 2019
(SILVER SPRING, MD) – November 20, 2018 – This January, TV One will launch CLEO TV, a new aspirational lifestyle and entertainment cable network targeting Millennial and Gen X women of color. Derived from the name Cleopatra, one of the most powerful, trendsetting, rule-breaking and iconic women in history, CLEO TV will offer quality content that defies negative and cultural stereotypes of today’s modern women. The network promises a unique and diverse lineup of short and long-form programming that reflects the multifaceted interests of this generation. With a bold, fearless and fresh take, CLEO TV gives multicultural young women a destination for content centered around travel, home design, relationships, finances, cooking, talk shows, movies, docu-series, sitcoms and much more.
As previously announced, CLEO TV will be broadly distributed on Comcast Xfinity beginning January 19, 2019. Additional affiliate distribution agreements will be announced in the coming months. CLEO TV launch advertisers include CURLS Beauty Brands.
“We’re at a pivotal moment in history where women are making a huge impact in our society and culture, especially women of color,” said Michelle Rice, TV One’s General Manager, who was responsible for shepherding the development of the new network. “CLEO TV will offer a diverse mix of lifestyle and entertainment content through the unique lens of Millennial and young Gen X women of color, an audience segment currently underserved. CLEO TV will leverage the comprehensive media platform of our parent company Urban One, Inc. which includes digital, television and radio divisions that will each play an integral role in bringing this new network to the marketplace. We appreciate the support of our inaugural launch partner Comcast, as well as as CURLS Beauty Brands for this tremendous opportunity to elevate new voices in our industry.”
CLEO TV’s original programming lineup for First Quarter 2019 includes two new series. NEW SOUL KITCHEN is the ultimate cooking show featuring culinary superstars Chef Jernard Wells and vegan chef Porsche Thomas delivering soul food recipes with a healthy twist. Harlem based Chef JJ Johnson, one of the culinary world’s most sought after stars, brings his delicious delights to CLEO TV with celebrity friends and influencers on JUST EATS WITH CHEF JJ. Launching in Second Quarter 2019 is the series LIVING BY DESIGN WITH JAKE AND JAZZ, hosted by brother/sister duo Jake and Jazz Smollett, who team up to transform the living, work and play spaces of millennial families. During each episode, Jake and Jazz will enter the home of a millennial, help them turn their design dreams into reality, then conclude with a delicious recipe curated by our hosts to celebrate their redesigned space. CLEO TV also has two travel series in development that are slated to launch in Third Quarter 2019 — a travel and culture guide for Black millennials and a series centered on adventure travel.
CLEO TV’S acquired, scripted digital series offerings include EVERYTHING I DID WRONG IN MY 20’S, which tracks the journey of 35-year-old Stephanie who’s in search of happiness and determined to learn from the mistakes of her past. THE UNWRITTEN RULES is a hilarious series based on the book “40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule” that chronicles young, opinionated Racey as she arrives at her new job only to discover she is the sole Black employee. Additional programs include popular web series that reflect the dynamic experiences of Black millennials, from adulthood drama to dating struggles.
“The best part about CLEO TV is that program formats will be both a mixture of old and new school, and viewers will find shows that have a modern twist,” said Robyn Green Arrington, TV One’s Vice President of Original Programming and Production. “CLEO TV will bring to the forefront short-form and acquired programs that have only been in the digital space, which will give them more broad exposure and attract a new generation of viewers to the network. It will provide lifestyle, empowerment and entertainment lineups that mothers and daughters can watch together.”
In addition to its original programs and acquired series, CLEO TV’s programming slate will include daily talk show SISTER CIRCLE LIVE and syndicated sitcoms that appeal to young women of color such as “Girlfriends” and “Eve.” CLEO TV will also feature some of TV One’s breakout original movies, such as BOBBI KRISTINA, JEAN OF THE JONESES and LOVE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: THE MIKI HOWARD STORY.
CLEO TV is fully owned by TV One, LLC, a brand of Urban One, Inc., and will join the roster of Urban One, Inc.’s brands including Radio One, TV One, Reach Media, iOne Digital, One Solution and R1 Digital.
For more information about CLEO TV and its upcoming programming, visit the network’s companion website at www.mycleo.tv. CLEO TV viewers can subscribe to our Youtube Channel for exclusive content and more. Join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@mycleotv) using the hashtag #CLEOTV.
Court Clears Way For Byron Allen’s Civil Rights Suits Against Charter, Comcast
A federal appeals court cleared the way for Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks to pursue civil rights suits against two of the nation’s biggest cable operators, Charter Communications and Comcast.
These lawsuits seek sizable damages — $20 billion against Comcast and $10 billion against Charter — for alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act.
The African-American executive said he tried for years to get the cable giants to carry his networks, which were available to millions of television viewers through rival distributors including Verizon, DirecTV, AT&T, DISH. Allen said he has been repeatedly rebuffed, and alleges race played a factor.
Charter attempted to have Entertainment Studios Network’s suit dismissed on First Amendment grounds, arguing that its choice of cable channels is a form of expression.
The Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit today supported the district court’s ruling, which found that the First Amendment doesn’t shield Charter from engaging in discriminatory conduct. The appeals court reached a similar decision in the suit against Comcast, sending both cases back to the trial court.
“These two decisions against Comcast and Charter are very significant, unprecedented, and historic,” said Allen in a statement lauding the decision. “The lack of true economic inclusion for African Americans will end with me, and these rulings show that I am unwavering in my commitment to achieving this long overdue goal.”
Charter and Comcast issued separate statements, expressing disappointment with the ruling.
“We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, and are reviewing the decision and considering our options,” Comcast said in a statement.
Charter issued a more pointed in its response, calling the allegations of racial animus a “desperate tactic.”
“This lawsuit is a desperate tactic that this programmer has used before with other distributors,” said Charter in a statement to Deadline. “We are disappointed with today’s decision and will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims.”
Entertainment Studios Networks — a constellation of eight channels, including Pets.TV, Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, Justice Central.TV and its recent, high-profile acquisition, The Weather Channel — filed suits in federal district court in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles-based media company alleged Charter’s former senior vice president of programming, Allan Singer, refused to meet with Entertainment Studios representatives. Singer rescheduled and postponed meetings and offered “disingenuous” explanations for refusing to carry it programming, according to court documents.
Singer said bandwidth limitations and operational demands precluded carriage of ENT’s cable networks, while reaching carriage agreements with “lesser-known, white-owned channels” such as the rural focused RFD-TV and the horror channel Chiller.
Court documents cite evidence of racial bias, including one instance in which Singer allegedly approached an African-American protest group outside Charter’s headquarters and told them “to get off welfare.” Charter CEO Tom Rutledge referred to Allen as “Boy” at an industry event, court documents allege.
“Plaintiffs suggest that these incidents are illustrative of Charter’s institutional racism,” the Appeals Court writes, in summarizing the case’s history. “Noting also that the cable operator had historically refused to carry African American-owned channels and, prior to its merger with Time Warner Cable, had a board of directors composed only of white men.”
Entertainment Studios ascribed similar discriminatory motives on the part of Comcast, which offered carriage deals to such networks as Inspirational Network, Fit TV, Outdoor Channel and Baby First Americas while informing Allen it had no bandwidth or storage capacity for his networks.
The National Association of African American-Owned Media also is a party to the suits.
Source: Deadline
WATCH: Snoop Doggy Dogg Gets His Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Snoop Dogg has been immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after what is certainly a long overdue coronation. The hip-hop legend has found ways to stay relevant throughout the decades and remains a highly respected figure. Snoop made sure to share his moment with some of his best friends and collaborators in Dr. Dre and Warren G as well as his mentor Quincy Jones.
Check out the clip above.
WATCH: Mark Viera On Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks On TruTV Featuring ‘My Wife In An FBI Agent’
Never underestimate your spouse’s ability to investigate every detail of your life. Featuring the comedy stand up from comedian Mark Viera.
WATCH: Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks Featuring Shatara Curry In ‘Black Women Are The Forbidden Fruit’
Comedian Shatara Curry recalls an office romance with a white man in this funny rendition of her comedy routine from The Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks featured on TRuTV.
Cardi B, Chance The Rapper, TI, Will Judge Hip-Hop Competition ‘Rhythm + Flow’ Produced By John Legend For Netflix
Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella- Cardi B and Chance the Rapper
Netflix isn’t shying away from marquee names for its first music competition. The streamer has landed Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and T.I. for Rhythm + Flow, a 10-part hip-hop talent search that is set to debut in 2019.
The project has an impressive musical pedigree, also hailing from John Legend and his Get Lifted Film Co.
Cardi B, hip-hop’s current reigning queen, is no stranger to reality television. The 26-year-old performer rose to fame on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: New York. Chance the Rapper has also been expanding his portfolio beyond just recording, starring in the 2018 horror-comedy Slice and hosting an episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. (For his part, T.I. is also something of a reality fixture, having appeared in a variety of vehicles across the Viacom portfolio on MTV, VH1 and BET since 2009.)
The reality push at Netflix has been a significant one, with hits such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but it has thus-far skirted shiny-floor shows like the ones that have dominated traditional TV for the better part of the last decade. That seems to be changing: In addition to Rhythm + Flow, the streamer also has a big culinary competition on deck with The Final Table.
Rhythm + Flow comes to Netflix from executive producers Legend, Jeff Gaspin, Jesse Collins, Nikki Boella, Jeff Pollack, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius. The series intends to find and foster undiscovered hip-hop talent in multiple cities. Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and T.I. will serve as the three main judges, though additional artists and industry personalities will be announced in the run-up to the premiere.
Rhythm + Flow is being produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, Get Lifted Film Co. and Gaspin Media. The three main judges also will receive exec producer credits.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Robin Givens, Essence Atkins To Lead Ensemble Cast Of New OWN Drama Series From Will Packer
BENNY BOOM TO DIRECT PILOT FOR OWN’S NEW FAMILY SAGA “AMBITIONS”
Robin Givens (“Riverdale,” “The Fix,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Essence Atkins (“Marlon,” “Half and Half”), Brian White (“Ray Donovan,” “Scandal”), Kendrick Cross (“Acrimony,”) Brely Evans (“Being Mary Jane”) and Erica Page (“Ozark,” “Bad Dad Rehab”) Cast as Series Regulars
Award-Winning Writer/EP Kevin Arkadie Named Showrunner
Los Angeles – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today the start of production in Atlanta of the new multigenerational family saga “Ambitions,” produced by Will Packer Media in association with Lionsgate and Lionsgate-owned distributor Debmar-Mercury, and starring Robin Givens (“Riverdale,” “The Fix,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Essence Atkins (“Marlon,” “Half and Half”), Brian White (“Ray Donovan,” “Scandal”), Kendrick Cross (“Acrimony,” “Tales from the Hood 2”), Brely Evans (“Turnt,” “Being Mary Jane”) and Erica Page (“Ozark,” “Bad Dad Rehab”). Multiple award-winning writer/EP Kevin Arkadie (“The Quad,” “New York Undercover”) has joined as showrunner. Created by executive producer/writer Jamey Giddens (“The Rich and The Ruthless”) from an original idea by Packer, “Ambitions” will debut on OWN in 2019, with the pilot episode directed by Benny Boom (“All Eyez on Me,” “Black Lightning”).
“Ambitions” is a multigenerational family saga centered around one woman who, having recently relocated and intent on revitalizing her marriage, finds herself going head to head with some of the most powerful and deceitful players in the city.
Robin Givens stars as ‘Stephanie Carlisle,’ the wife of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster (Brian White), whose true loyalty is to her own family’s prestigious law firm, where she is the latest in a long line of distinguished lawyers. Stephanie desperately wants to be in charge of the Carlisle family law firm and quietly fumes about her father Stephen’s condescending assertion that she’s simply not ready yet. Givens is represented by PANTHEON.
Essence Atkins plays the role of ‘Amara,’ a lawyer in U.S. Attorney’s Office who has newly arrived in Atlanta with her husband, Titus (Kendrick Cross). Originally from Texas, she is quickly gaining attention from the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a diligent prosecutor but disappoints her supervisor by turning down the offer to run point on a major local case. Atkins is represented by Buchwald and Kathy McComb Management.
Brian White has been cast as ‘Evan Lancaster,’ the Mayor of Atlanta, who is married to attorney Stephanie Carlisle (Robin Givens). Evan’s political ambitions seem to cloud his judgement as he is willing to do anything to get to the next level in his career. White is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency, Zero Gravity Management and attorney Eric Feig.
Kendrick Cross stars as ‘Titus,’ an attorney who recently moved with his wife Amara (Essence Atkins) to Atlanta. Titus has been hired as in-house counsel for a big pharma company run by Hunter Purifoy, who is fighting a class action suit brought by the powerful Carlisle family. Cross is represented by Houghton Talent.
Brely Evans plays the role of ‘Rondell,’ Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster’s (Brian White) sister, who runs a not-quite-profitable restaurant called Thelma’s Place. Evans is represented by J Pervis Talent.
Erica Page plays the role of ‘Bella,’ a fashion designer in Atlanta who designs all of Stephanie Carlisle’s (Robin Givens) dresses for her. Page is represented by Houghton Talent.
Kevin Arkadie is the co-creator of the series “New York Undercover.” Last season, he Co-Executive Produced season two of “The Quad.” Previously, he was a Producer on “Chicago Hope”; Supervising Producer on “NYPD Blue”; Co-Executive Producer on “The Shield”; and Executive Producer on “Soul Food: The Series” and “Rescue 77.” Arkadie scripted the Emmy®-winning miniseries “The Temptations” and is the recipient of the Golden Globe® Award, Writers Guild Award, Image Award and the Christopher Award as well as a nominee for multiple Emmy® and Humanitas Prizes. He is the Writer/Producer/Director of the documentary “FESPACO.” He began his writing career on the much-acclaimed series “I’ll Fly Away” as a story editor.
Jamey Giddens is an award-winning writer, producer, entertainment journalist, publicist, and podcast personality. He is the co-owner of the wildly popular soap opera-themed website DaytimeConfidential.com. Giddens co-wrote the first season of Urban Movie Channel’s breakout summer hit dramedy “The Rich and The Ruthless.” Giddens worked for 10 years as a communications specialist for the Centers For Disease Control and Protection (CDC), helping to create social media messages alerting the public to such major health events as the H1N1, Zika Virus and Ebola outbreaks.
Situated in Atlanta, the award-winning writing staff includes Jamey Giddens (“The Rich and The Ruthless”), Susan Dansby (“As The World Turns,” “The Young and The Restless”), Michele Val Jean (“General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful”), Trey Anthony (“da Kink in my Hair,” “How Black Mothers Say I Love You”) and Jazmen Darnell Brown (“The Citizen,” “Saints & Sinners”).
“Ambitions” is produced for OWN by Will Packer Media in association with Lionsgate and its producer-distributor Debmar-Mercury. Will Packer is executive producer. Kevin Arkadie is executive producer/showrunner. Writer Jamey Giddens and Will Packer Media’s Sheila Ducksworth also serve as executive producers. Benny Boom directs the pilot episode.
James Cameron’s New Film ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL Debuts New Trailer!
From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
ALITA: BATTLE ANGELwill openin theaters everywhere on February 14, 2019in 3D & IMAX!
