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Hunter Biden was in the audience at a Saturday night screening and Q&a of “From Russia With Lev,” which was followed by a Q&a with executive producer Rachel Maddow, director Billy Corben and subjects Lev and Svetlana Parnas. The MSNBC documentary, airing on Sept. 20, features a surprising scene in which Biden and Parnas come face-to-face after Parnas admitted to creating false and damaging allegations against Biden on behalf of then-President Donald Trump. Though Biden did not speak publicly, he listened intently to the Q&a discussion and spoke privately with the participants after. The screening, which took place at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, was sponsored by American Cinematheque.

The Ukrainian-American businessman pinpointed Biden because his father, Joe Biden, was perceived by Trump as his biggest threat to re-election in 2020. Parnas worked with Rudy Giuliani and his actions led not only to his own imprisonment on several charges...

Griselda is hands down one of the best crime dramas streaming on Netflix. It was released on the streaming platform back in January 2024 and was an instant hit. It stars Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Sofia Vergara as one of the most notorious Colombian drug lords, Griselda Blanco, aka the Cocaine Godmother.

Over six episodes, viewers watch Griselda's journey from beginning to end as she rises from obscurity to become an infamous Colombian drug trader, creating one of the most profitable cartels in history. Starring alongside Vergara were Alberto Guerra, Vanessa Ferlito, Christian Tappan, Martin Rodriguez, Juliana Aidén Martinez, Alberto Ammann, and many others.

Vergara had not only starred in the series but also served as an executive producer. Griselda had been somewhat of a passion project of hers for a very long time. In a new interview with Variety, Vergara spoke about what led her to want to create a series about Griselda's life,...

Nonfiction films about conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Venezuela, as well as documentaries about politician Adam Kinzinger, Irish writer Edna O’Brien and disability rights activist Patrice Jetter will screen at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, event organizers announced on Wednesday.

TIFF’s Docs program will consist of 21 films, two-thirds of them world premieres and 16 of them available for distribution. “The lineup is like holding up a mirror to what’s going on in the world today, which includes a lot of different things,” TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers told TheWrap.

The opening night film will be Eddie Huang’s “Vice Is Broke,” in which the former Vice host details the rise and fall of that media organization.

Other films include “From Ground Zero,” an anthology consisting of 22 short films made over the past year by directors who live in Gaza; Anastasiia Bortuali’s “Temporary Shelter,” about Ukrainian refugees; Hind Meddeb’s “Sudan,...

Evan Wright, a writer and journalist whose 2004 book on the Iraq War, Generation Kill, was adapted into an HBO miniseries, died July 12 in Los Angeles by suicide, his family confirmed.

Born in Ohio, Wright earned a degree from Vassar College before entering journalism. In the mid-‘90s, Wright worked for Hustler, serving as entertainment editor and reviewer. He later wrote for Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, developing a knack for immersion journalism, spending long periods with people or a subculture to gather information.

Wright covered Neo-Nazis, organized crime figures, and others, but his best-known work came as a result of his military reporting. Embedded with the U.S. Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, his accounts of the war for Rolling Stone earned Wright a National Magazine Award for Reporting.

It also led to his book, Generation Kill, a chronicle of a small group of soldiers’ experience in the invasion. The...

Sofia Vergara is hardly the first person you would think of when deciding to cast the role of a real-life cartel boss (or “queenpin”). The actress who co-starred for 11 seasons as the feisty Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on “Modern Family” – a role that earned her four consecutive Emmy nominations – certainly had comedy chops to spare. But after watching the 2006 documentary “Cocaine Cowboys” and seeing a profile of Griselda Blanco, Vergara felt an odd kinship with the kidnapping, murdering drug lord who wreaked untold misery while bringing cocaine to Miami in the 1980s. “I wanted to do more acting and was looking for someone that I felt I could (portray) because I don’t have any acting training,” Vergara explains. “That’s how I found Griselda. Not that I would kill anyone, or sell drugs, of course. But like her, I am Colombian, I’m a woman, a mother, I’m an immigrant.

Most remember Griselda Blanco as the “Black Widow,” a ruthless Colombian drug lord whose network flooded Miami with cocaine, brought in $80 million a month nationally, and who’s been personally implicated in a rumored 200 murders. Michael Corleone Blanco, her youngest son raised at the height of her drug-trafficking empire, admits she was a rigid, stern woman he affectionately called cariñosa — an endearing term given to loved ones.

“As a kid, you can’t really comprehend what is wrong, what is right, and what is the family business,” Blanco tells Rolling Stone.

Nothing gold can stay, and to make room for everything new at Hulu in November, we have to say goodbye to dozens of the series and movies on the platform. The streamer will make room for its upcoming Christmas library by losing some of its horror-themed titles throughout the month, including “Stephen King's It,” most of its “Saw” franchise, and “Shaun Of The Dead.” Other major titles leaving the platform include Emma Stone’s breakthrough comedy “Easy A,” the Nora Ephron classic “Sleeping in Seattle,” and more.

Check out The Streamable’s top picks for what to catch this month on Hulu before they’re gone!

30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Hulu in November 2023? “A Walk to Remember” | Friday, Nov. 3

Before “The Notebook,” “A Walk to Remember” was the go-to Nicholas Sparks coming-of-age schmaltz. Mandy Moore makes her film starring debut...

We’re seeing the first footage of Sofia Vergara as real-life drug queenpin Griselda Blanco in Netflix’s upcoming limited series, Griselda, which is set to premiere January 25, 2024.

Created by Eric Newman, Doug Miro, Ingrid Escajeda and Carlo Bernard, the six-episode series chronicles the life of Colombian-born Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. In 1970s-80s Miami, Blanco’s lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm helped her expertly navigate between business and family, leading her to become widely known as “the Godmother.”

Blanco burst onto the pop culture scene after her exploits were highlighted in the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys and its sequel two years later from Billy Corben. She was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the Lifetime biopic Cocaine Godmother in 2018.

Alberto Guerra (Dario Sepúlveda), Christian Tappan (Arturo Mesa), Martín Rodríguez (Rivi Ayala), Juliana Aidén Martinez (June Hawkins), Vanessa Ferlito (Carmen Gutiérrez) also star.

Hulu’s “God Forbid” and Netflix’s “Cocaine Cowboys” producers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman have set their sights on their next subject: one of the members of Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani’s former inner circle, Florida businessman Lev Parnas.

Corben and Spellman’s Miami-based production company Rakontur is currently in production on “From Russia With Lev,” following Parnas (interviewed for the first time in this project) who, per Rakontur, “shares his story about how he and Rudy Guiliani worked behind the scenes to damage the Biden presidential campaign, conspired with Russian officials to sabotage efforts in the Ukraine and many more alleged crimes.”

A frequent collaborator of Adam McKay’s Hyper Object, Rakontur does not yet have a platform attached to the Parnas doc, but is taking it out to market soon.

“Our genre is Florida fuckery, so we have a rolling Google Docs spreadsheet of extraordinary Miami characters,...

Miami, home to the two leading U.S. Hispanic networks — TelevisaUnivision and Telemundo — as well as a host of smaller television companies, studio outposts, recording artists and independent entertainment companies, has long been the cultural epicenter of both Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic population.

“It is not just the geographic location that makes Miami a hub: In so many ways, the city is also representative of the cultural diversity across Latin America and among all U.S. Hispanics,” says Karen Barroeta, executive VP, production and development, Telemundo Global Studios, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

“On top of its rich cultural diversity, Miami is a world-class city in which to make television, with the highest quality production studios and a skillful workforce including incredible talent, from production teams to writers and actors,” she says.

“Telemundo built roots in Miami because we believe in the growth and power of the Hispanic community...

It feels just like last month we were complimenting Hulu on its true crime offerings. Well, with its list of new releases for February 2023, Hulu is staying in the true crime lane. Suppose that’ll happen when you push back the release date of a series or two.

February sees the arrival of three notable true crime series on Hulu. Taiwan Crime Stories premieres on Feb. 1 and presents four true tales from Taiwan’s criminal “dark underbelly.” That will be followed by ABC News Studios’ Killing County on Feb. 3. That three-episode series ponders the question “what happens when police kill?” The most interesting true crime offering premieres on Feb. 9. That’s when Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence College shares its four-episode saga of Larry Ray and the young college students he victimized.

As far as non true crime offerings go, the third and final season of Hulu...

Mark Wahlberg revealed on KFC Radio this week (via Esquire) that he tried and failed to pitch to Warner Bros. a sequel to Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winner “The Departed.” Wahlberg earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actor thanks to his role in “The Departed,” which grossed $291 million worldwide and won four Academy Awards (including best picture and best director). Scorsese’s cast included Wahlberg opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon.

“I went into a meeting with [screenwriter] Bill Monahan at Warner Bros. to pitch the sequel to ‘The Departed,'” Wahlberg said. “And let’s just say the pitch didn’t go very well. He really didn’t have anything fleshed out, but he’s the kind of guy you just trust to go and write something. And so when we were working on the script for ‘Cocaine Cowboys’ and ‘American Desperado’ said, ‘Bill, just go write. They like...

Netflix released a first look photo (above) of Sofia Vergara as real-life drug queenpin Griselda Blanco from the upcoming limited series, Griselda. The streamer also revealed 10 newly added cast members including Vanessa Ferlito and Juliana Aidén Martinez.

The six-episode series chronicles the life of Colombian-born Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the “Black Widow”.

A full list of the cast and the characters they’ll play can be found below.

Alberto Guerra (Narcos: Mexico) as “Dario”

Vanessa Ferlito as “Isabel”

Alberto Ammann (Narcos) as “Alberto Bravo”

Christian Tappan (The Great Heist) as “Arturo”

Diego Trujillo (Metastasis) as “German Panesso”

Paulina Davila (Luis Miguel) as “Carmen”

Gabriel Sloyer (Narcos) as “Diaz...

Sofia Vergara is set to portray notorious drug queenpin Griselda Blanco in a new Netflix limited series.

The six-episode series Griselda chronicles the real-life of Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the “Black Widow”.

The series comes from Empire and Justified writer Ingrid Escajeda, who is showrunner, writer, and executive producer as well as Eric Newman, Doug Miro, Andrés Baiz, and Carlo Bernard— the creative team behind Narcos – but it is unrelated to Netflix’s drug thriller franchise.

Vergara will also serve as executive producer of the project with Luis Balaguer for Latin World Entertainment. Colombian native Baiz will direct all episodes.

“Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless but ingenious tactics allowed her to rule...

Fifteen years after the release of his cult-classic film, Cocaine Cowboys, director Billy Corben is returning to Miami’s cocaine wars with a new docuseries. For Corben, this subject matter comes naturally: a lifelong Miamian, he grew up seeing the headlines and hearing the tales from local reporters. Where his previous work looked broadly at the […]

The post ‘Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami’ Director Billy Corben on Revisiting the Drug Trafficking World in a Netflix Docuseries [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

You’ve undoubtedly seen countless documentaries on outrageous drug cases. But have you seen any that span two decades? “Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami” is about to change that. The follow-up to director Billy Corben’s “Cocaine Cowboys” centers on two unlikely drug kingpins Augusto “Willy” Falcon and Salvador “Sal” Magluta thriving during Miami’s drug war and the rise of cocaine usage.

Read More: ‘Clickbait’ Teaser: Zoe Kazan & Betty Gabriel Investigate A Disappearance That Has Gone Viral

The docuseries is executive produced by Corben, Alfred Spellman (“Raw Deal: A Question of Consent“), Adam Bardach (“Living With Lew“), David Cypkin (“Screwball“), Marie Therese Guirgis (“On Her Shoulders“).

Continue reading ‘Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings Of Miami’ Trailer: New Doc Series Revisits Miami’s Drug War at The Playlist.

Netflix dealt the trailer for Billy Corben’s “Cocaine Cowboys” docuseries on Wednesday, and we’re hooked.

“Let the games begin,” as one of Augusto “Willy” Falcon’s defense counsel, Bobby Wells, appropriately puts it in the preview video.

“Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami” will tell the story of South Florida traffickers indicted in one of the largest drug cases in U.S. history. The show will debut on Netflix on Aug. 4, 15 years after Corben’s original “Cocaine Cowboys” film opened in 2006. Corben released the first sequel to the film, “Cocaine Cowboys 2,” in 2008 and a second, “Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded,” in 2014.

Below is Netflix’s description for the “Kings of Miami” docuseries.

Alleged to be the chief U.S. distributors for two of Colombia’s biggest cartels, Cuban exiles Falcon and Salvador “Sal” Magluta were accused of smuggling over 75 tons of cocaine into the U.S. in the 1980s. The...

Netflix has released a new trailer for Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami, director Billy Corben’s docuseries follow-up to his acclaimed 2006 documentary, Cocaine Cowboys.

Where Cocaine Cowboys took a broad look at the rise of cocaine trafficking and the Miami drug wars during the Seventies and Eighties, The Kings of Miami focuses specifically on two men who were alleged to be the chief U.S. distributors for two of Colombia’s biggest cartels: Augusto “Willy” Falcon and Salvador “Sal” Magluta. Known together as “Los Muchachos,” Willy and Sal were...

“30 for 30: The U” director Billy Corben has set a new installment in his “Cocaine Cowboys” documentary saga, this one a docuseries at Netflix, the streaming service said Wednesday.

“Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami” will tell the story of South Florida traffickers indicted in one of the largest drug cases in U.S. history. The show will debut on Netflix on Aug. 4, 15 years after Corben’s original “Cocaine Cowboys” film debuted in 2006. Corben released the first sequel to the film, “Cocaine Cowboys 2,” in 2008 and a second, “Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded,” in 2014.

Here’s Netflix’s description for the “Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami” docuseries: “Alleged to be the chief U.S. distributors for two of Colombia’s biggest cartels, Cuban exiles Augusto ‘Willy’ Falcon and Salvador ‘Sal’ Magluta were accused of smuggling over 75 tons of cocaine into the U.S. in the 1980s. The high school friends built a...

The director of Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies, Pearl Jam’s Jeremy and many more reflects on his career and some of the movies that made him.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Arlington Road (1999)

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Firewall (2006)

The Orphanage (2007)

Nostalgia (2018)

Avatar (2009)

Titanic (1997)

Chef (2014)

The Laundromat (2019)

Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)

Demonlover (2003)

Under The Sand (2000)

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Under The Skin (2013)

The Great Beauty (2013)

Slap Shot (1977)

Network (1976)

Straw Dogs (1971)

The Pawnbroker (1964)

Star Wars (1977)

The Exorcist (1973)

Jaws (1975)

The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)

All The President’s Men (1976)

Liquid Sky (1982)

The Brother From Another Planet (1984)

City Of Hope (1991)

Stop Making Sense (1984)

Snowpiercer (2013)

The Flintstones (1994)

Matinee (1993)

Batman (1989)

Transformers (2007)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Heaven Can Wait (1978)

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

Psycho (1960)

Psycho (1998)

Mandy (2018)

Phantom Thread (2017)

Magnolia (1999)

Boogie Nights (1997)

The Master (2012)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

The Mustang (2019)

Inherent Vice (2014)

The New World (2005)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

The Last Word (2017)

Cocaine Cowboys (2006)

The Burglar (1957)

What Lies Beneath...

Tzi Ma has starred in a multitude of TV series and movies including huge franchises like Rush Hour, and more recently, Lulu Wang’s critically acclaimed The Farewell. He will also be featured in Disney’s forthcoming live-action adaptation of Mulan and in The CW’s reboot of Kung Fu. The Hong Kong-born actor has a very storied career working alongside icons on stage and screen. From the 1978 cult film Cocaine Cowboys with Jack Palance and Andy Warhol to appearing in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi pic Arrival to stirring up laughs on HBO’s Veep, Ma has unbelievable range. But over the years, he has garnered the reputation of being Hollywood’s go-to Asian father figure — and often times his character is navigating a relationship with his daughter. Even in his role for Alan Yang’s Netflix film Tigertail (debuting on the streaming platform April 10), he plays a father who...

Miami — In a coup for both parties, The Mediapro Studio has forged an alliance with Wild Sheep Content, the new and fast-growing Los Angeles-based content production company of Erik Barmack, the former Netflix executive who spearheaded the U.S. streaming giant’s game-changing drive into original non English-language productions around the globe – which is now a centerpiece of the U.S. streaming giant’s business model.

A game changing former Netflix vice-president of International Originals, Barmack’s philosophy was that “international shows can come from anywhere and be seen everywhere,” as he said at MipCancun. At Netflix, he proved that with shows like “La Casa de Papel” Part 3 and “Elite” from Spain, Denmark’s “The Rain,” Germany’s “Dark” and “Sacred Games” from India.

That philosophy remains at Wild Sheep whose first development slate includes a French-language version of the Stephen King novel, “The Plant,” produced with France’s Edouard...

There’s another new streaming service making its way into the market. Magnolia Pictures announced Thursday that it has launched Magnolia Selects, an indie streaming platform boasting Magnolia’s library of independent films.

Magnolia has also launched three subscription-based movie channels that will air via Dish in the U.S. The channels, called “Warriors & Gangsters,” “Dox” and “Monsters & Nightmares,” are genre specific to action, documentaries and horror, respectively, and will provide a curated selection of movies within those genres.

Magnolia Selects launches at a price of $4.99 per month, and each standalone chanell will cost $2.99 per month via Dish’s On Demand Subscriptions and the Dish Anywhere app.

Also Read: IFC Films Launches Subscription VOD Streaming Service

“With Magnolia Selects’ latest expansion on Dish, our films have the ability to reach new audiences on more platforms than ever before,” Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said in a statement. “We’re excited to...

“There is a misconception about inspiration: that you’re inspired earlier and then run out of steam as you get older,” says Jeremy Ivey, who turned 41 in August and will release his first album as a solo artist on Friday. “I don’t feel that way at all. I feel like I’ve been learning how to write a song.”

Many of them, in fact. While his debut LP The Dream and the Dreamer — a nine-song collection of adventurous folk-rock — arrives this week, Ivey has a second album already recorded,...

In mid-2018, Margo Price played a triumphant, sold-out three-night stand at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, proving her power as a capable headliner. She’s gone on to even bigger stages in 2019, opening several shows on Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour in July and August. But on Saturday night, she found herself in the comparatively intimate setting of the Shoals Community Theater — with a capacity of around 700 seats — in downtown Florence, Alabama, as part of the 11th annual Billy Reid Shindig.

With a brief set that leaned heavily on...

Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter’s Rep Sheet rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact rebecca.sun@thr.com.

Docs in the Box?

Documentary filmmaker Billy Corben and his Miami-based production company, Rakontur, have signed with Black Box Management. Corben's documentaries tend to be set in the world of sports, Miami or both, including the ESPN 30 for 30 episodes "Broke," "The U" and its follow-up; Cocaine Cowboys; Dawg Fight; Screwball; and Magic City Hustle. He is now directing a doc about pro wrestling icon "Macho Man" Randy Savage for A&e....

Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter’s Rep Sheet rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact rebecca.sun@thr.com.

Docs in the Box?

Documentary filmmaker Billy Corben and his Miami-based production company, Rakontur, have signed with Black Box Management. Corben's documentaries tend to be set in the world of sports, Miami or both, including the ESPN 30 for 30 episodes "Broke," "The U" and its follow-up; Cocaine Cowboys; Dawg Fight; Screwball; and Magic City Hustle. He is now directing a doc about pro wrestling icon "Macho Man" Randy Savage for A&e....

A&E Network is partnering with WWE Studios to produce five original two-hour documentaries under the award-winning “Biography” banner showcasing some of the most iconic WWE Superstars of all time, including “Macho Man” Randy Savage®, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Booker T®, Stone Cold Steve Austin® and Shawn Michaels®. Through these in-depth films helmed by some of the industry’s top directors and storytellers, “Biography” continues its focus on meaningful events and personalities as well as their impact on our culture. Through new and archival interviews and never-before-seen footage, each feature length film will give fans an in-depth look at the early lives, rise to fame and careers of some of the most influential stars in WWE history.

“We are thrilled for the tremendous opportunity to partner with WWE Studios to produce these special films that honor some of the most impactful personalities who have left a lasting imprint on pop culture,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant,...

Wrestling legends “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Booker T, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels will be profiled in five two-hour documentaries under A&E Network’s Biography banner as part of a deal with WWE Studios.

The iconic WWE superstars will be profiled with new and archival interviews and never-before-seen footage, each providing an in-depth look at the early lives, rise to fame, and wrestling careers of some of the most influential stars in WWE history.

“We are thrilled for the tremendous opportunity to partner with WWE Studios to produce these special films that honor some of the most impactful personalities who have left a lasting imprint on pop culture,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Evp and head of programming, A&E Network.

Susan Levison, Svp and head of WWE Studios, said the organization was happy to partner “with award-winning directors Billy Corben, Joe Lavine and George Roy...

A&E Network and WWE Studios are teaming up to produce five original two-hour documentaries about wrestlers under the “Biography” banner. The docs will dive into the lives and careers of former WWE Superstars “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Booker T, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.

Through new and archival interviews and never-before-seen footage, each feature-length film will give fans an in-depth look at the early lives, rises to fame, and careers of some of the most influential stars in professional wrestling history.

Macho Man’s, Piper’s and Booker T’s docs are currently in production. Directors and descriptions for each of those Spring 2020 docs are below.

We’ll get more info on the “Stone Cold” and Michaels’ “Biography” episodes at a later date. Fans will have to wait for 2021 for those two.

Also Read: WWE's Seth Rollins on How The Stomp Came Back and the...

Derek Jeter could go from baseball star ... to movie star ... because a Very famous director says the "sh*tshow" Jeter's created with the Miami Marlins would make for a great Hollywood flick!!! We got Billy Corben (the guy behind the 2006 hit "Cocaine Cowboys") in New York promoting his new documentary, "Screwball" -- which is all about Alex Rodriguez and the Biogenesis steroid scandal.  And, since his new flick is getting solid reviews on Rotten Tomatoes...

In baseball and comedy, the term “screwball” has roughly the same meaning — something that breaks in a wildly unexpected direction. Or a series of them, in the case of director Billy Corben’s new documentary Screwball, which shines a light on the comedy of errors that led to the 2013 Biogenesis scandal, arguably the biggest in Major League Baseball history. Named for the Miami-area clinic where an unlicensed doctor dispensed performance-enhancing drugs to a variety of athletes, the affair blew up after a whistleblower walked off with boxes of medical records...

"Cuckoo-crazy!" Wow this looks totally nuts. Greenwich Entertainment has debuted an official trailer for a documentary titled Screwball, which is not associated with the other baseball documentaries with similar titles including Fastball and Knuckleball. This Screwball doc is about Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and his steroid scandal. Filmmaker Billy Corben dives deep in this true-crime dramedy investigating the Mlb's infamous doping scandal involving a nefarious clinician from Florida and his most famous client: Alex Rodriguez. It's described as "a madcap Floridian crime comedy in the vein of Elmore Leonard or the Coen Brothers" that "raises serious questions about the ethics of professional sports. Powerful interests would be happy to let this story slip from memory, but Screwball makes it unforgettable." Sounds good, looks nuts. Casting kids for the reenactments is hilarious, but this whole thing looks so crazy. Here's the new official trailer for Billy Corben's documentary Screwball, direct...

For her debut appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Margo Price took a star turn with her song “Cocaine Cowboys,” stretching out the All American Made track into a seven-minute jam and taking a seat behind a second drum kit for an extended musical outro.

The country-funk track, a staple of Price’s live shows, pokes fun at the faux cowboys of the East Nashville scene who are preoccupied more with partying than performing. “They’re riding the rails right before the show,” Price sings in the lyrics, co-written with her husband Jeremy Ivey,...

In today’s film news roundup, “Screwball” is getting a domestic release in the spring, Brian Goldsmith re-ups at Lionsgate, horror novel “Snowblind” is in the works as a film, and “Room 13” has been cast.

Acquisition

Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to baseball doping documentary “Screwball” and plans a theatrical release to coincide with the start of the Major League Baseball season in April.

The film, directed by Billy Corben (“Cocaine Cowboys”), centers on the Alex Rodriguez/Biogenesis doping scandal, which broke in 2013 when several Mlb players were accused of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs such as human growth hormone from the now-defunct rejuvenation clinic Biogenesis of America.

“Screwball” premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and recently played at DocNYC. Corben and Alfred Spellman produced under their Rakontur banner.

“Billy Corben’s wildly entertaining doc is his latest look at a perverse pursuit of the American Dream,...

Billy Corben -- the acclaimed director behind "Cocaine Cowboys" and "The U" -- is about to debut his new film about Alex Rodriguez ... and warns the Mlb star he ain't gonna like it.  The movie is called "Screwball" -- a no-holds-barred look at Alex's role in the Biogenesis scandal, when several players were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.  A-Rod was banned for the entire 2014 season after an Mlb investigation.  Corben tells TMZ Sports he's spent...

The real-life misadventures of central figures in the 2013 Major League Baseball doping scandal play like outrageous twists and turns in the seriocomic crime fiction of Carl Hiassen or Elmore Leonard throughout “Screwball,” an impudently entertaining documentary that suggests what might result if the Monty Python troupe were given carte blanche to produce an investigative report for “60 Minutes.”

It comes to us from Billy Corben, a filmmaker whose previous chronicles of illicit activity and entrepreneurial drug traders in and around Miami might now be viewed as warm-up pitches for his latest effort. This time on the mound, he throws heat and scores impressively with help from a lineup that includes baseball All-Stars, mob-connected lowlifes, tanning and bodybuilding enthusiasts, free-spending Mlb investigators, and an unlicensed anti-aging expert whose lack of bona fide medical credentials scarcely hindered his ability to provide, one way or the other, performance-enhancing drugs for his clients. The latter shady character,...

The documentary work of Billy Corben could be best be described like a story your colorful uncle tells you as a kid that’s just too weird to be true. Later you come to find out through multiple witnesses that he wasn’t lying–maybe just embellishing a few of the details. Corben and his Miami-based production company Rakontur don’t have to look far for great stories, choosing to highlight eccentric characters in Cocaine Cowboys, Square Grouper, The U, Dawg Fight, and their latest documentary, Screwball.

The film slices the Major League Baseball doping scandal through the lens of the colorful “Doctor” Tony Bosch, a self-proclaimed growth hacker who found himself as a human growth hormone concierge to those that seek out an edge. His clients include Miami bodybuilders, cops, and athletes in every level from high school to professional. The Mlb scandal essentially blows up when the organization...

Oh to be a fly on the wall of the pitch meeting for Billy Corben’s upcoming documentary “Screwball.” How do you pitch a hard-hitting expose tackling the recent Ped controversy surrounding superstar Alex Rodriguez and his relationship with the infamous Biogenesis featuring re-enactments starring little kids? It sounds batshit crazy. But I guess when you’re the director behind docs like “Cocaine Cowboys,” “The U,” and the underrated “Dawg Fight,” you just get that sort of green light.

Continue reading ‘Screwball’ Clip: Tiff World Premiere Doc Uses Child Actors To Recreate The Recent Mlb Steroid Scandal at The Playlist.

This year’s 59th edition of the Newport Folk Festival provided another continuous three-day dose of first-rate music, thanks to an inspired and unpredictable lineup. Featuring a list of unannounced artists that included everyone from pop-leaning breakout stars Maggie Rogers and Leon Bridges to beloved legends Mavis Staples and John Prine, the festival was brimming with constant surprise collaboration and companionship, culminating in Mumford & Sons’ unannounced headlining set on Saturday evening. Between the youthful musings of Phoebe Bridgers, the veteran wisdom of Toots & the Maytals, the gospel-r&B revivalism of...

The key ingredients for any great music fest include a stellar and eclectic lineup and a scenic venue, and the 2018 edition of Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, checked both those boxes. Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, where the views at sunset are worth a ticket price alone, Waterfront Park hosted the largest crowd in the festival’s 16-year year history, as fans assembled to see headliners Chris Stapleton, Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse. Rolling Stone was on-site, putting together this list of the 15 best things we witnessed over the weekend.

In Lifetime’s Cocaine Godmother, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the drug queenpin Griselda Blanco, one of the original “Cocaine Cowboys” who pioneered the drug trade between Colombia and the Us in the 1970s and ’80s. Blanco wasn’t exactly a stellar role model for good, but as the Academy Award-winning actress told moderator Pete Hammond at Contenders, she “relished” playing the layered character of Blanco.

“This character is the polar opposite of what I believe in morally and how I would want to live one’s life,” said Zeta-Jones. “There’s something fascinating about her when you think of her as a woman in that workplace.”

She goes on to say that she was amazed by how Blanco sustained her career at her peak. “I just loved playing her,” she said.

Even so, Zeta-Jones recognizes that Blanco was a woman with no redeemable qualities. She said she had no sympathy for her,...

Cocaine Godmother, the Lifetime pic starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as the drug queenpin Griselda Blanco, has scored a January 20 premiere date. The cable net also dispensed the first trailer for the film; watch it above. Lifetime today also dated its telepics Faith Under Fire (January 27) and The Simone Biles Story (February 3). Directed by Guillermo Navarro, Cocaine Godmother is based on the life of Miami drug lord Blanco, one the original "Cocaine Cowboys" who pioneered…...

Say hello to my little acquisition. Stone Village Television has picked up TV and film rights to Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami and plans to create a limited series from it. Author Roben Farzad will executive produce with Stone Village’s Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell. The nonfiction book is set at Coconut Grove's Mutiny at Sailboat Bay, a hot Miami hotel and club in late-1970s and early ’80s, and tells the story of the…...

Catherine Zeta-Jones hit the Croisette today to talk up her Lifetime original movie, Cocaine Godmother. The film is directed by Guillermo Navarro and is based on the life of Miami drug lord Griselda Blanco (Zeta-Jones), one of the original "Cocaine Cowboys" who pioneered the drug trade between Colombia and the U.S. in the 70s and 80s. The goal for Zeta-Jones was “not to homogenize her or find a sympathetic quality, because I don't think she had one. I applaud Lifetime…...

Catherine Zeta-Jones has glammed up for roles in Chicago and Feud, but the actress underwent a make-under for her latest part.

People has your first look at Zeta-Jones as Miami drug lord Griselda Blanco in Lifetime’s Cocaine Godmother.

The 47-year-old actress sports a number of different looks for the TV movie, including a retro blond wig and bandanas over her locks.

Related Video: Catherine Zeta-Jones Reveals What Kirk Douglas Really Thought of Joan Crawford

Cocaine Godmother is based on the life of Blanco, one the original “Cocaine Cowboys” who pioneered the drug trade between Colombia and the United States in the 1970s and ’80s.

There's a great moment in the new History channel miniseries, America's War on Drugs, when a former DEA agent named Celerino Castillo explains why America's crusade to purge drugs from the world is doomed to fail: "America is more addicted to drug money than they are addicted to drugs."

After risking his life going undercover in the 1980s, Castillo had been disillusioned – quite a few different times – to discover that the CIA couldn't care less about stemming the flow of cocaine from Latin America. In fact, the agency ignored the Contras' drug smuggling.

Lifetime is rounding out the cast for original movie Cocaine Godmother starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. Directed by Guillermo Navarro, Cocaine Godmother is based on the life of Miami drug lord Griselda Blanco (Zeta-Jones), one the original "Cocaine Cowboys" who pioneered the drug trade between Colombia and the U.S. in the 70s and 80s. The film will go into production this year and premiere in 2018 on Lifetime. Joining the cast are Jenny Pellicer (The Bridge) as Carolina…...

While I (regrettably) know how Season 2 of Narcos ends, I don’t know exactly how we get there. I’m only through the second episode, as I’m trying to savor every moment. Plus, I’m a slow reader. Anyway, this is just a long build up to some exciting news: Narcos has been renewed. Netflix announced today that the drug-fueled drama about the Colombian cocaine cartels of the 1980s and 1990s will be back for two more seasons. It’ll be interesting to see how they do this considering the way Season 2 ends, but I’m confident that returning EPs José Padilha and Eric Newman will figure out a way. The streaming service released a promo video for the new season, scheduled for a 2017 release, with the tag line “The Blow Must Go On.” This is posted below. On a related note, if you’re interested in learning more...

Jennifer Lopez is set to take on what could be the most demanding role of her career for HBO Films' new project about "The Cocaine Godmother," Griselda Blanco.

"I've been fascinated by the life of this corrupt and complicated woman for many years," Lopez said in a statement. "Complicated," though, barely begins to describe Blanco. Below, a quick primer on the famous drug lord.

1. Blanco was the quintessential rags-to-riches kingpin

Blanco grew up in the slums of Cartagena, Colombia, though she considered Medellín her hometown – she moved there with her mother at the age of 3. She was born in...