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Exclusive: The Writers Guild of America East has a new class of Showrunner Academy graduates.

The 2024 class includes Radha Blank, Eleanor Burgess, Dominic Colón, Grainger David, Gerry de Leon, Kate Erickson, Gina Gionfriddo, Eliot Glazer, Eric Anthony Glover, Leah Gotcsik, Joseph Hampton, Christina Kallas, Nambi E. Kelley, Greg Lisi, Ted Malawer, Tim Mason, M Raven Metzner, Nathan Min, Adam Whitney Nichols, Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, Charlie Oh, Celeste Parr, Jacquelyn Reingold, Dan Perlman, Katie Rich, Zach Smilovitz, Lauren Ashley Smith, Iturri Sosa, Jim Strouse and Mfoniso Udofia.

The Wgae’s Showrunner Academy is a training program that is designed for upper-level writers to hone their skills “to become successful showrunners and leaders in today’s television industry.”

The Academy is also “specific to the unique landscape and needs of the East Coast” in the instruction that it provides.

The full list of graduates and their bios are below.

Radha Blank is a Director,...

Days of Our Lives spoilers for Tuesday, September 17, 2024, are here! In tomorrow’s episode, fans can expect Stefan Dimera (Brandon Barash) to hand over ammo to Paulina Price (Jackee Harry).

Coming Up On Days Of Our Lives

Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) shares a vague memory with Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu). Ej Dimera (Dan Feuerriegel) gets a suggestion from Gabi Hernandez-Dimera (Cherie Jimenez).

Plus, Connie Villiniski (Julie Dove) shares a bombshell with Melinda Trask (Tina Huang). Keep reading to find out what is coming up in the next episode of the Peacock soap opera.

Days Of Our Lives Spoilers – Melinda Trask’s Discovery

Dool spoilers for Tuesday, September 17 reveal that Connie will share huge news with Melinda. Right now, Melinda is still tied to the bed inside Li Shin’s (Remington Hoffman) old apartment.

Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu) nearly found Melinda, but the lead from Ava Vitali (Tamara Braun) was interrupted.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom movie will be returning to theatres in a special edition re-release featuring over 500 updated scenes.

The movie will have a limited release, with the first installment screening from Sep 20, 2024 to Oct 3, 2024, followed by the second installment from Nov 1, 2024 to Nov 14, 2024.

The special edition will include an alternate epilogue, enhancing the original narrative.

Director Mitsuo Fukuda expressed his satisfaction with the special edition, noting that the original January release had time constraints that prevented full realization of certain scenes.

“In the original version, which was released on January 26, there were some sections where, due to time constraints, we weren’t able to fully refine the cuts to our satisfaction. However, this time, we’ve updated those cuts and addressed various areas where there was some discomfort after the initial screening.,” Fukuda stated.

According to the director, this special edition of the movie can be called the complete version of Seed Freedom.

Local animated features led Japanese box office in the first half of 2024 as just two Hollywood titles broke the top 10.

Of the 20 highest-grossing films released so far this year, 15 were produced in Japan. Six out of the top 10 titles are anime features.

Dominating the first half of 2024 was Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram, the 27th annual entry in a series of films about a high school detective who has been shrunk to child-like proportions. The film has earned $94.4m (¥15.19bn) – a record for the long-running franchise. By comparison, 2023’s top-grossing film, animation The First Slam Dunk, took $98.6m (¥15.87bn) over...

Nyx UK presents eight chilling channel premieres in July, headed up on Tuesday July 16 at 9pm, with Uwe Boll’s controversial retro-slasher Seed (2007), a divisive portrait of a serial killer which delves into the macabre and grotesque, offering a grim exploration of vengeance and the human capacity for cruelty.

At first you’ll be afraid, you’ll be petrified! On Friday July 5, 9pm, Nyx UK also premieres Renaud Gauthier’s ‘goriously’ humorous Discopath (2013), in which a seemingly ordinary man turns his local Seventh Heaven nightclub into a splatter Disco Inferno.

Other primetime channel premieres include the captivating 1972 Italian giallo Amuck, Reeker 2, Dave Payne’s 2008 prequel to Reeker, Sonja O’Hara’s 2022 horror thriller Mid-century, Black Circle (2018), a stunning Mexican-Swedish horror thriller directed by Adrián García Bogliano. and the Venezuelan supernatural thriller, The House At The End Of Time (2013), directed by Alejandro Hidalgo, broadcast on Fri July 26, 9pm.

The channel also...

While we continue waiting to find out if Don Mancini’s “Chucky” gets renewed for a fourth season – at this time, it hasn’t been cancelled or renewed – Season 3 is headed to Blu-ray.

“Chucky” Season 3 slices onto Blu-ray on August 13, 2024.

The physical media release will include never-before-seen Deleted Scenes.

“Chucky is back with a vengeance in Season Three of the hit series from franchise creator Don Mancini. This time, the infamous killer doll (voiced by Brad Dourif) has managed to find his way inside the White House as the new favorite toy of the president’s young son.

“With Chucky threatening to wreak havoc in America’s highest office, Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson) and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) travel to the nation’s capital and find a way inside the world’s most secure house to thwart Chucky again before it’s too late.”

“Chucky” Season 3 also brought...

For more than two decades, Iman (Misagh Zare) has functioned as a civil servant, doing work that his kids — who represent Iran’s younger generation — would be ashamed of. Better to keep them in the dark. At last, for his loyalty, Iman has been given a promotion, not to judge (the job he wants) but to inspector (a job no one wants). Inspectors are the goons who interrogate students his daughters’ age when they’re arrested for protesting, the ones who sign off on death sentences for alleged dissidents. Iman doesn’t just work for the Iranian regime; he is the regime.

With livid, thinking-person’s thriller “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” director Mohammad Rasoulof responds to his own imprisonment in 2022 by examining Iranian tensions within the context of a well-placed Tehran family. For most of this slow-boiling nearly-three-hour movie, the main character is not Iman but his submissive,...

After a perilous 28-day journey fleeing Iran and setting foot in Germany, Mohammad Rasoulof has finally made it to Cannes, safe for now and cautiously eager for the premiere of his fourth Cannes feature, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” announced by the festival a month ago as a late addition to the Competition.

The last images he takes away from his home — after just having two hours to make the monumental decision whether to be re-incarcerated for a harsh sentence that might still be extended, or to join the constellation of Iranian artists in potentially permanent exile — are the plants and flowers in his apartment, which he worried would have no caretaker. There was also a certain imposing mountain that he can view from his window. It’s there he can see the wall of Evin Prison, where he was last incarcerated in 2022 after speaking out against the government...

In the context of technological advancements, the threat posed by unrestrained artificial intelligence is a recurrent theme in sci-fi narratives. In recent years, the theme has become even more topical than ever, as every mainstream franchise has veered towards the AI antagonist trope, which runs the risk of the theme becoming clichéd through overuse. Fortunately, like the computation prowess of AI, there are numerous possible combination of narrative style to approach the theme, which can keep the idea fresh for quite a long time. Director Mitch Jenkins’ A Million Days is an experimental, taut sci-fi thriller that embraces the perennial conflict between humans and artificial intelligence in a unique, bold way that leaves viewers with much to speculate about.

Despite having budget limitations, A Million Days shows great ingenuity by overcoming that hindrance by presenting its subject matter through a closed-door drama featuring only four characters. Aside from the initial technological jargon,...

So you want to start watching Mobile Suit Gundam ? That’s very cool and if it were another franchise, I’d tell you to simply “Start at the beginning.” But the Gundam franchise is not quite like that. Sure, you can technically start at the beginning, but then you have to clarify just what beginning you want to start at. Is it the first series, something that later branches off into sequels, spinoffs and various other bits of the franchise? Or is it the first series in the timeline that most matches what you want from a Gundam anime? So to help you out a bit, I’m going to run through the available Gundam offerings on Crunchyroll in their respective timelines. That way, you’ll actually have a bit of information before you start and won’t drown in Yoshiyuki Tomino’s robot-fueled empire. Universal Century Mobile Suit Gundam...

What Even is 'Retro Anime'? Epic Anime Debates - Main Image

At Epicstream, our team regularly debate the big questions around anime fandom. This week, with the release of T.P Bon on Netflix, we decided to ask what makes a retro anime so retro.

Most of us conjure a specific image when considering a loaded phrase like retro anime. However, how much is retro to do with a particular show's style and how much is it to do with our own experiences of anime growing up?

Check out what our experts had to say and join the conversation in the comments!

Cathlyn: "Retro is About Art Styles"

When we talk about retro anime, two or three things come to mind: the anime's time of release, visual techniques, and genre tropes. After all, retro anime often reflects character archetypes and distinctive art styles prevalent during the time of their production.

Grendizer U , the new version of Go Nagai's classic giant robot series, has just released a new trailer packed with moments that will get any mecha fan's blood pumping. Set to the show's opening theme, "Kaishin no Ichigeki" by Glay, the new trailer features battles both on Earth and in space, as well as familiar sights like Mazinger Z rising from its launch pad: Related: Grendizer U Anime Reboot Unveils Four Updated Mechanical Designs Along with this new trailer come four new cast members, all playing staff members at the Photon Lab: Hayashi voiced by Shinya Takahashi (Kouki Mimura in Assassination Classroom ) Yamada voiced by Riho Sugiyama (Yoko Araki in Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture ) Saeki voiced by Hinonori Kondo (Clamp in Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin ) Oi voiced by Sora Tokui (Nico Yazawa in Love Live! School Idol Project ) Related: Grendizer U Anime Reboot Recruits New Cast and Crew,...

After a controversial path full of gamers who were not so happy with the way that this game presented its protagonist, Eve, Stellar Blade is finally ready for release. Its director discusses how some IPs, like this one, simply lack realism, and this is a good thing.

In a recent interview, Kim Hyung-tae, director of Shift Up, talked about how players need to be able to immerse themselves in the virtual world of the game without thinking it is realistic. They need to enjoy the experience a bit more without so many questions.

This Game Aims to Provide Players With an Enjoyable and Stress-Free Experience Stellar Blade will be released on April 26 exclusively for PS5.

With a rocky beginning making a very controversial impact with the camera angle and the way its main protagonist is designed, Stellar Blade really generated a lot of fuzz. Eve, the main character always has the camera behind her,...

Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany in ‘Chucky’ season 3 (Photo by: Syfy)

Jennifer Tilly’s relationship with Chucky has lasted longer than most celebrity marriages. She was the Bride of Chucky in 1998. Thanks to 2004’s Seed of Chucky, Tilly has been playing herself in the series, too. And I’ve been talking to her since before Seed, and even moderated a Bride screening Q&a she attended.

So when I saw Tilly at the NBC Universal party for the Television Critics Association, Tilly saw my badge and said, “Oh, it’s Fred Topel, I have to talk to him.” Season three of Chucky left off with Tiffany (Tilly) in prison for the murders she committed in Jennifer Tilly’s body. Spoiler warning for past episodes of Chucky, and the twist of Fight Club if you’ve never seen that.

Chucky returns Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Syfy and USA.

Did you think anything...

Exclusive: Fresh off the Max debut of The Girls on the Bus, on which he serves as story editor, Tawal Panyacosit has signed with M88 for representation.

Created by Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, the political drama tells the story of four female journalists who follow the every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could take down not just the presidency, but our entire democracy, along the way. The first two episodes of the series, starring Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, and more, which is produced by Berlanti Productions, premiered on March 14.

Panyacosit’s other writing credits include showrunners Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre’s Vampire Academy for Peacock, and Life After First Failure for CW Seed, which is a series that he co-created, co-developed and co-executive produced. As a diehard genre geek with a penchant for anything magical, mystical, mythological, and/or musical,...

Image via Mutsumi Inomata Exhibition art print The official Twitter for illustrator Mutsumi Inomata, known for her illustration and character design works for Bandai Namco Entertainment's Tales of game series, reported that Inomata passed away on March 10. The private funeral service was held with family. "It was so sudden...," read the statement issued by Inomata's younger sister. "There are rough sketches she was still working on, and I'm sure she is drawing them in heaven. Surrounded by her favorite cats, she must be creating cute, strong-eyed characters one after another...I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have loved and supported Mutsumi Inomata, and I hope that you will continue to love her." Following her passing, The Tales game's official twitter account also issued the following statement: On the occasion of the passing of Mutsumi Inomata-sensei, we would like to express our deepest condolences...

The official website for Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom , the feature film sequel from the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise, has released a special collaboration visual with Dune: Part Two, which will open in Japan tomorrow, March 15. The visual newly drawn by the Gundam Seed franchise's character designer Hisashi Hirai depicts Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne in the same composition as the visual for Dune: Part Two featuring the protagonist, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), and his destined woman, Chani (Zendaya) ,with the sun in the background. The Seed title logo is also similar to that of Dune . And according to Mantan Web , Mobil Suit Gundam Seed Freedom 's cumulative total domestic revenue had surpassed 3.9 billion yen (26.37 million Usd) on 2.31 million admissions by March 12, in 46 days since its release in Japan on January 26. The film has already become the top-grossing film in the 45-year-olfd Gundam anime franchise. The previous top-grossing film...

Hotly anticipated after the juggernaut success of Final Fantasy VII in 1997, Final Fantasy VIII, the eighth iteration of the beloved franchise about crystals and cool summons fell into our eager hands only two years later. It was all here, epic Fmv sequences set to Nobuo Uematsu’s rousing score. A story about a school of young mercenaries, tied together by fading memories and the need for heroes against an evil sorceress. An enhanced but familiar battle system, adding in the wrinkle of resource management (drawing power from others to fill your reserves) to help keep the system fresh.

It even featured dual protagonists, for a while dividing our time between the loner mercenary trainee Squall Leonheart and the eager soldier Laguna Loire in a series of background-setting flashbacks. And yet, years later when the scores are tallied and our favorites lined up, Final Fantasy VIII is almost always an unruly stepchild.

"Freedom," Japanese pop singer Takanori Ishikawa's new collaboration single with acclaimed J-pop composer/producer Tetsuya Komuro, finally released in Japan on January 24, 2024. This is the first time Nishikawa and Komuro have teamed up for a song produced by Komuro. The song is featured as the theme for Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom , the upcoming feature film sequel from the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise. All under the name T.M.Revolution, Nishikawa previously sang the theme song "Invoke," "Meteor," "Ignited," and "Vestige" for the original Mobile Suit Gundam Seed TV series from 2002-2003 and its direct sequel Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny from 2004 to 2005. He even voiced two characters in the series — Miguel Aiman in Seed and Heine Westenfluss in Seed Destiny . A new artist visual for Nishikawa was also released with the CD. Hisashi Hirai, the character designer for the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise and the new film,...

Flying Dog's official YouTube channel began streaming a three-minute music video for See-Saw's new song, "Sarigiwa no Romantics" ( Romantics at the time of departure ). The song is featured as the ending theme for Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom , the film sequel from the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise. The clips include plenty of footage from the two TV series, which leads to the film's story at the end. Related: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Anime Film Welcomes See-Saw Back for Ending Theme Related: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Film Releases Main Trailer See-Saw profile photo See-Saw is a Japanese music unit consisting of vocalist Chiaki Ishikawa and keyboardist Yuki Kajiura. "Sarigiwa no Romantic" is their first song in 19 years and the third song for the Gundam Seed franchise, following "Anna ni Issho Datta no ni" ( Mobile Suit Gundam Seed first ending theme) and "Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru...

The recent Nintendo Direct delivered plenty of surprise announcements. Nobody could have predicted a Super Mario RPG remake or a new Detective Pikachu game, but nothing surprised audiences more than the reveal of Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

To be frank, most gamers probably expected a Super Mario Odyssey sequel rather than another 2D Super Mario Bros. game, but, judging by the trailer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be a worthy addition to any Switch owner’s library. Plus, even though the video teased some of the game’s features and levels, it might have revealed so much more than that.

From Wonder Seeds to Elephant Luigis, here are some of the most notable secrets I spotted in Super Mario Bros. Wonder‘s trailer.

The Unique Wonder Seed Mechanics May Have Something to Do With Purple Coins

If the trailer was any indication, most of Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be...

Uwe Boll, it seems, is back.

The notorious German director of Rampage, Postal and Far Cry has wrapped production on his new film, First Shift, a New York cop drama set over an intense 12-hour shift of a veteran NYPD officer and his rookie partner. It is Boll’s first U.S. film in five years, since 2016’s Rampage: President Down.

Gino Anthony Pesi (Shades of Blue) plays the veteran cop, with Kristen Renton (Sons of Anarchy) as the rookie. First Shift shot on location in New York and is currently in postproduction at Tunnel Post in Los Angeles.

Unlike many of the films in his oeuvre, from Seed (2006) and Postal (2007) to the Rampage trilogy — movies that indulged in extreme, graphic onscreen bloodshed — First Shift, Boll says, will show his kinder, gentler side.

“It’s an action movie, and there’s a side plot involving the mob, but it’s...

In a recent interview with Variety, Indian director Don Palathara was asked about the inspiration for his latest feature “Family”, which marks a return to the themes and settings of “The Corpse” and “Seed”. “The Church was always the elephant in the room”, he explains about his family and growing up in a rural community, and how “Family” deals with the idea of feeling watched constantly, as well as being judged. The feature, which has its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam, seems like a natural progression for Palathara at the same time, with its aesthetic approach asking the viewer to pay attention to the smallest of details in the picture and the characters we see on the screen. It is a fascinating approach, very cinematic, highlighting the importance of the composition as it may give clues to a hidden truth.

Family is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam

In a small rural community,...

The Flaming Lips and 14-year-old singer-songwriter Nell soundtrack an expedition across a frozen tundra in the new video for their cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seed’s “The Weeping Song.”

Nell and the Lips’ rendition of “The Weeping Song” keeps the original’s ominous and moody vibe, but arguably leans into it even more. The tempo is slowed and Nell’s plaintive lead vocals drift in echoey layers over a steady acoustic guitar provided by Nev Cottee.

The video for the cover was shot in Nell’s hometown of Fernie,...

If you’re looking for a family-friendly alien invasion movie like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, you will not find it here. The new out of this world horror comedy, The Seed, is not kid-friendly, but it does feature an incredibly cute alien who has a devious plan for world domination. The Seed is produced by Shudder, Camelot Films and Hardman Pictures, in association with Lipsync Productions, Amp International, The Malta Film Commission and Ingenious Media. The film is written and directed by British filmmaker Sam Walker in his feature film debut.

The Seed stars Lucy Martin (Vikings) as Diedre, Sophie Vavasseur (Resident Evil: Apocapylse) as Heather, and Chelsea Edge (I Hate Suzie) as Charlotte, a group of friends who have bonded over their social media channels. They decide to go to Heather’s family home in the Mojave Desert for a girls’ getaway and to film the upcoming meteor...

A tentative “For Sale” sign is up at the CW, and Nexstar Media Group Inc. is leading the pack of potential buyers to acquire a majority stake in the broadcaster jointly owned by ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia.

Why is the nation’s largest TV station owner interested in the youngest-skewing linear broadcast network — and why now?

The simplest answer is that Nexstar, based in Irving, Texas, is the core affiliate group for “Riverdale” and “Walker” home CW in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C. So Nexstar’s pursuit of CW is a natural move for the company that owns some 199 TV stations.

But that’s far from the only reason Nexstar would want to own a significant portion of the broadcast network born in 2006 out of a mashup between the now-defunct WB and Upn. A deal with the co-owners of CW could help...

Exclusive: Adam Korson (SurrealEstate) has joined the cast of ABC’s upcoming comedy series Maggie. He will appear opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse, David Del Rio, Chris Elliott, Ray Ford and Leonardo Nam. The comedy, based on Tim Curcio’s short film, hails from Family Guy and Life in Pieces writer Maggie Mull, daughter of Clue actor Martin Mull, and Life in Pieces creator Justin Adler. 20th Television produces.

Written by Mull and Adler, Maggie follows a young woman trying to cope with life as a psychic. Maggie regularly sees the future of her friends, parents, clients and random strangers on the street, but when she suddenly sees a glimpse of her own future, Maggie is forced to start living in her own present.

Korson will recur as Daniel, a sweet and self-deprecating Crossfit dropout who charms Maggie with his witty and thoughtful demeanor. Daniel helps Maggie have fun in the present,...

ViacomCBS has signed a multiyear distribution agreement with Wow — Woman of Wrestling.

The exclusive media rights deal gives the women’s wrestling league distribution opportunities for the U.S. and abroad. Prior seasons of Wow will be available on CW Seed and Pluto TV platforms in December this year, while new episodes will launch in weekend syndication in the Fall of 2022. ViacomCBS’ distribution arm has already secured clearance in 160 markets.

Wow was founded in 2000 by David McLane, who was also behind the women’s wrestling promotion Glow which was the inspiration for a Netflix series. The organization ...

ViacomCBS has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with Wow – Woman of Wrestling.

The exclusive media rights deal gives the women’s wrestling league distribution opportunities for the U.S. and abroad. Prior seasons of Wow will be available on CW Seed and Pluto TV platforms in December this year, while new episodes will launch in weekend syndication in the Fall of 2022. ViacomCBS’ distribution arm has already secured clearance in 160 markets.

Wow was founded in 2000 by David McLane, who was also behind the women’s wrestling promotion Glow which was the inspiration for a Netflix series. The organization ...

The expanding Antalya Film Forum dedicated to fostering a new generation of Turkish directors seems poised to really have the goods this year for buyers and festival programmers who would like to know what’s coming down the pike.

The Antalya Film Festival’s industry section – which will run online Oct. 6-8 — features a fresh batch of projects spanning a wide range of often innovative genres mostly germinated from rookie producer-director teams that provides a sharp snapshot “of what’s to come,” vows the Forum’s new co-chief Müge Özen.

Özen, who is a young but experienced producer of standout titles from Turkey such as recent Istanbul hip-hop scene drama “When I’m Done Dying,” which was a Forum project in 2017, has now taken the section’s reins with Pınar Evrenosoğlu.

She points out that “the selection is very different from previous years” since seven out of the eight feature projects...

Exclusive: SurrealEstate‘s Adam Korson has signed with Link Entertainment for talent management.

Korson can currently be seen in the series regular role of Father Phil Orley on the new Syfy drama series SurrealEstate from Blue Ice Pictures. He can also be seen as the lead in the Peter “Drago” Tiemann-directed indie creature feature The Stairs.

Korson, perhaps is best known for his role as Harry Dacosta in Seed, which aired for two seasons on the CW. He also appeared recently in a recurring role on Teachers and in Jordan Peele’s revival of The Twilight Zone. His other previous credits include guest-starring roles on Lucifer and Longmire.

Korson continues to be repped by Buchwald and attorney Don Steel.

Refresh for updates… After the death of Olympia Dukakis was announced on Saturday, social media reactions from former collaborators and Hollywood admirers began pouring in.

“So, so sad to hear of #OlympiaDukakis’s passing,” tweeted actor Paul Reiser, who had “the great joy of playing her son” in two films, Paul Seed’s Strange Relations (2001) and Raymond De Felitta’s dramedy The Thing About My Folks (2005).

“Such a radiant, powerful and supremely talented woman. I feel blessed to have known her,” Reiser added. “Rip ‘Ma.’ I will always smile at the thought of you and sweet Louis together.”

Actress, singer and TV personality Cher, who starred with Dukakis in the romantic comedy Moonstruck, also chimed in with memories from set. “Even Though Her part was That Of a Suffering Wife, We [laughed] all the time…I Talked To Her 3Wks Ago,” she tweeted. “Rip Dear One.”

Oscar winner Viola Davis, who...

Seed&Spark announced Thursday that it is ending its proprietary subscription streaming service later this month as it shifts its distribution focus to new impact-driven initiatives. Seed&Spark’s library will next be heading to IndieFlix in a pair of moves executives say will strengthen both companies in a media landscape increasingly driven by corporate heavyweights. The Seed&Spark titles will join a 4,300-strong IndieFlix library that includes everything from “Sid and Nancy” to festival-favorite shorts and “Bonanza.”

Seed&Spark’s streaming platform allowed filmmakers to submit their work directly; accepted projects enjoyed a 50-50 revenue split. About 100 creators, representing about 200 titles, opted to have their titles transferred to IndieFlix. Similarly, IndieFlix allows filmmakers to submit their work directly to the platform for consideration. They’re paid based on a model that pools subscription revenue and pays filmmakers on a minutes-watched rate.

“With the Seed&Spark library, my goal is to...

Fox has picked up Canadian legal drama “Diggstown” from Entertainment One.

Created by Floyd Kane, and starring Vinessa Antoine, the series from Canadian public broadcaster CBC follows Marcie Diggs (Antoine), a star corporate lawyer who reconsiders her priorities and moves to work in a legal-aid office after her aunt commits suicide following the pressures of a malicious prosecution. Among a new group of ragtag lawyers, Marcie is driven by one thing: to never again allow innocent lives to be destroyed by the justice system.

Fox has swooped for seasons 1 and 2 of the drama. The acquisition marks the latest Canadian pick-up by a U.S. broadcaster — a trend that has grown in popularity in the last year as the Covid-19 crisis has stunted production Stateside but has had less of an impact north of the border.

The cast includes Natasha Henstridge (“Species”), C. David Johnson (“Street Legal”), Stacey Farber (“Grace and...

Days after the CW premiered a batch of new episodes and officially kicked off its 2021 season, its streaming app has launched on Vizio SmartCast.

Vizio is the No. 2 manufacturer in the growing U.S. smart TV sector, with about 20% of the market. Its SmartCast platform reaches about 14 million viewers.

The CW app last week rocketed to the top of the app download charts as viewers looked to get current with new episodes of shows like Riverdale and All American. The ad-supported app, which was an early entrant in the streaming business, is free and does not require a subscription or a pay-tv login. Full seasons of Batwoman, Nancy Drew and DC’s Stargirl are also available on the app. Sister app CW Seed also offers a selection of library titles, including Schitt’s Creek, 90210 and Nikita.

“We want to provide fans of The CW’s programming a choice of how...

Opting for a pandemic-proof fall lineup of mostly scripted acquisitions and alternative fare, the CW will launch its 2020-21 season starting next week. That makes for a compact regular season, a late spring “midseason”, a summer featuring a record number of scripted originals and a likely stable 2021-22 schedule with virtually all established CW series returning, led by hits like The Flash and Riverdale, joined by 3-4 new series.

“Right now, we’re probably going to stay the status quo down the line with everything we have because a) they’re working and b) I’d rather have a known quantity on the air than an unknown quantity,” the CW Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz said about the network’s current plans for next season in a fluid situation because of the pandemic.

The CW announced last fall that Supergirl and Black Lightning will end this season. That may be it for series departures,...

In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix unveiled a trailer for “History of Swear Words,” and Fox released a trailer for “Call Me Kat.”

First Looks

Netflix unveiled a trailer for its upcoming series, “History of Swear Words,” set for release on Jan. 5. The six-episode series, hosted by Nicolas Cage, explores the origins, pop culture-usage and cultural impact of curse words through interviews with guests Joel Kim Booster, DeRay Davis, Open Mike Eagle, Nikki Glaser, Patti Harrison, London Hughes, Jim Jefferies, Zainab Johnson, Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn and Isiah Whitlock Jr. It is produced by Funny Or Die and B17 Entertainment, an Industrial Media company. Watch the trailer below.

Lifetime released a trailer for its new documentary, “Whitney Houston & Bobbi Kristina: Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” set to air on Feb. 6. The two-hour movie zooms into the parallel lives of Houston and her daughter, who grapple...

Soon after Netflix’s Strong Black Lead launched in 2018, fans began pitching the marketing team’s social channels on the kind of acquisitions they’d like to see on the service. As viewers gravitated to films like the “Friday” trilogy, “Love and Basketball” and “Love Jones,” the Strong Black Team also noticed a specific recurring hunger for the Black-led sitcoms that ran on broadcast TV — mostly The WB and Upn — in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“Every time we would post about a new show or anything else that we were talking about in the zeitgeist, we would get people asking about ‘Girlfriends,’ wanting to watch ‘Sister, Sister,’ wanting to watch ‘Moesha,'” says Jasmyn Lawson, who until recently was manager of Strong Black Lead, overseeing its editorial output. (She’s now a part of Netflix’s comedy programming team.)

Some episodes of those shows were already available on...

It’s been over seven years since the stars of The CW’s 90210 said good-bye to West Beverly Hills High and the gang is getting back together for a digital reunion special.

Cast members of the show, which was a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210, including Annalynne McCord, Michael Steger, Shenae Grimes, Matt Lanter, Tristan “Mack” Wilds, Trevor Donovan, Jessica Stroup and Jessica Lowndes will appear in Et Presents… 9021Omg! The Cast Tells All.

The show will be available to stream on The CW Seed, the youth-skewing network’s streaming service from Wednesday November 25.

The special will be hosted by Matt Cohen, who played Jeremy in the teen soap. It will dish on the on-set drama, guest stars and the ending.

90210, which first aired in September 2008 and ran for five seasons, is currently available to stream for free on The CW Seed.

Produced by CBS Television Studios, the...

New Poster & Trailer for Girl: "In Girl, A young woman (Bella Thorne) returns to her small hometown to exact revenge on her abusive father, only to discover someone murdered him the day before. As the girl searches for answers, she soon finds herself prey to a sinister sheriff (Mickey Rourke) and uncovers a family legacy more disturbing than she’d imagined."

Written and Directed by Chad Faust

Starring Bella Thorne, Chad Faust & Mickey Rourke

In Select Theaters November 20, Available on VOD November 24

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Skeletons In My Closet: "Follow horror filmmaker Crystal Pastis, the director that brought you the viral film Vanilla Cake, as she brings nightmares to life in the new horror fiction podcast Skeletons in my Closet.

Skeletons In My Closet, reveals the stories that are too terrifying to make it to the late night slumber parties or the crackling glow of the campfire.

These original stories, written and read by the creator herself,...

Audiences can’t help but root for the underdog, and that’s exactly what writer-director-actor Radha Blank’s black-and-white directorial debut “The Forty-Year-Old Version” gives them. The film posits that there are no age restrictions to career advancement, and it’s a defensible assertion: Famed artists ranging from Claude Monet to Leonard Cohen didn’t experience breakout success until they were in their 30s and 40s. That’s Blank’s narrative, onscreen and off.

“It doesn’t matter how much you put into something, no matter how old you are, because you should always expect the possibility that your effort will be undervalued,” she said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “But you can’t really take that personally. It’s just the way it is.”

In the film, which won the directing prize at the world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Blank stars as a fictionalized version of...

The “Schitt’s” sweep keeps on coming, with the fan-favorite comedy now airing pretty much everywhere, following the cult comedy’s Emmys domination this past weekend.

“Schitt’s Creek” will launch into national syndication across U.S. broadcast markets starting on Sept. 28, Variety has learned. Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury owns the domestic broadcast rights to the series.

The syndication deal was first announced last fall, but the timing of the syndicated launch could not be more fitting, given “Schitt’s Creek’s” performance at the Primetime Emmy Awards, winning all of the top comedy awards and making history as the first series — comedy or drama — to win all categories in its field, including outstanding comedy. The show also broke the record for the most wins for a comedy show in one given year.

“What begins as a fish-out-of-water story quickly develops into a nuanced love letter to family, delivered with warmth, humanity and perfect comedic timing.

There’s never been a better time to binge “Schitt’s Creek.”

Fresh off of the show’s historic night at the Emmy Awards, the final season is not only heading to Netflix, but the whole series will air on Comedy Central as well.

Comedy Central will air all six seasons of “Schitt’s Creek” beginning Oct. 2, in a hardly surprising move given that fellow ViacomCBS property Pop TV aired the series in the U.S. The show’s Comedy Central schedule is pretty intense, as the cabler has scheduled five episodes per week every Friday.

Netflix, which already carries the first five seasons, will stream the final season starting Oct. 7.

The sixth season of Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek” ended in April of this year. Creator Daniel Levy stars in the show alongside his father Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy. Its plot centers around an affluent family forced to...

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have teamed once again for the annual Nfmla Film Festival InFocus: Latinx & Hispanic Cinema Festival — but this time it’s virtual. The fest is set for September 25-26 which aligns with Hispanic Heritage Month which kicks off September 15 and continues through October 15.

With Seed&Spark as the platform, this year’s program includes two shorts programs and a presentation of Varda Bar-Kar’s documentary Fandango at the Wall which is executive produced by Quincy Jones and Carlos Santana. The docu was recently acquired by HBO.

The fest will also feature emerging filmmakers from the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Spain, Chile, and the Dominican Republic including the world premieres of Alberto Belli’s After Life Vacation, Kate Romero’s Chronology, and Alyssa Toledo’s Lift Off.

“This year’s slate contains a lot of powerful common...

Mollywood‘1956, Central Travancore’ is directed by Don Palathara while ‘Biriyaani’ is from filmmaker Sajin Baabu.Tnm StaffStill from '1956, Central Travancore'Two critically acclaimed Malayalam films from young directors have been selected to be shown at the 42nd edition of the Moscow International Film Festival. Don Palathara’s third film 1956, Madhyathiruvithamkoor (1956, Central Travancore) will have its world premiere at the festival while Sajin Baabu’s Biriyaani, which has already been featured at several international film festivals and has won awards too, will also be shown. Don, known for his critically acclaimed films as Savam (Corpse) and Vithu (Seed), posted a note on Facebook congratulating the entire cast and crew of the film. “Moscow is one of the oldest festivals in the world with an accreditation from Fiapf (Federation of Film Producers Associations). The festival was supposed to happen in April, but got postponed to October due to the pandemic. And, there...

Schitt's Creek may be over, but two of its stars are reuniting for new TV projects.

Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy, who played Mutt and Twyla, respectively on the Pop/CBC comedy, are among a wave of castings for Syfy drama The Surrealtor.

They have been set as series regulars alongside Adam Korson, Maurice Dean Wint, Savannah Basley, and Tennille Read.

From Blue Ice Pictures, the 10-episode series starts production on September 15 in Newfoundland, Canada.

George Olson developed the series for television and serves as showrunner and executive producer.

Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron, Armand Leo and Danishka Esterhazy also serve as executive producers.

The series follows realtor Nick Roman and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away.

Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create...

Tim Rozon is set to play The Surrealtor in a new Syfy series that will reunite him with both Schitt’s Creek scene partner Sarah Levy and Wynonna Earp newcomer Savannah Basley.

Set to start filming on Sept. 15 in Newfoundland, Canada, the Syfy/Blue Ice Pictures co-production follows realtor Nick Roman (played by Rozon) and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure and closings, even as they struggle with demons (Peacemaker,...

Schitt’s Creek alums Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy, along with Adam Korson (Seed), Maurice Dean Wint (The Kid Detective), Savannah Basley (Wynonna Earp) and Tennille Read (Workin’ Moms) are set as series regulars in The Surrealtor, Syfy’s upcoming drama series from Blue Ice Pictures. The 10-episode series begins production September 15 in Newfoundland, Canada.

Developed for television by George Olson, The Surrealtor follows realtor Nick Roman (Rozon) and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure—and closings — even as they struggle with demons of their own.

Rozon’s Roman is the owner of The Roman Agency, his eponymous real estate firm specializing in “metaphysically engaged” properties. He has gained a whispered reputation as someone who could...

It was a very short run for British comedy game show Taskmaster. Just days after its premiere, The CW has pulled the show from its schedule after one airing.

Supernatural reruns will take over Taskmaster‘s 9 pm Sunday timeslot for the next few weeks. Other options for Taskmaster, including a run on CW Seed, are being explored, sources said.

Taskmaster premiered on Sunday with back-to-back episodes, which averaged a 0.1 adults 18-49 and drew 432,000 and 224,000, respectively. It was among several alternative acquisitions made by The CW to its summer lineup.

Taskmaster is an International Emmy and triple BAFTA nominated comedy game show starring comedian and actor Greg Davies in the title role of the all-powerful Taskmaster, who issues simple comedic and bizarre tasks to five regular contestants – usually comedians – with Alex Horne (the show creator) acting as the Taskmaster’s assistant. The tasks – usually performed in isolation, but occasionally in teams...

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla) showcases and champions emerging filmmakers and diverse storytellers from around the world. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the programming has been moved to virtual platforms. This includes the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival, now powered by Seed&Spark. This edition will include short and feature film programs, Q&a’s, panels and selections from our InFocus initiative which combats the lack of diversity in media.

On June 5th, the Festival will be hosting three panels:

Nfmla and Pipelines Panel – Studio, Network and Commercial OpportunitiesPanel + Q&a | Diversifying Your Talent PoolNFMLA Panel | Breaking Into Episodic TV Writing

On June 7th, the InFocus will be Asian Cinema with a pair of shorts programs featuring work by talented Asian and Asian-American directors, including three world premieres. Each screening will be followed by live Q&a’s via Zoom. Moderators include Emily V Gordon (co-writer of The Big Sick) and...