Academy Reinforces Commitment to Inclusion Amid Departure Of Black Executives: Report

Coronation Street's Jane Danson has shared a loved-up snap of her with her husband as he returns to soap land in Emmerdale next week.The 44 year old shared a sweet birthday post to her husband, Robert Beck, on the day it was confirmed he is heading to Emmerdale. Jane shared a beautiful summer snap of her and her husband for the special occasion.The actress who plays Leanne Battersby in Corrie captioned the post with: "Happy birthday, my love @robertbeck529. "And congratulations on your @emmerdale return - I owe Emmerdale a lot -24 years of us - I love you, darling." Jane's co-stars were quick to send their well wishes to Robert, 53, including her on-screen sister Georgia Taylor who plays Toyah Battersby.

Sophia Scorziello editor Janet Yang has been re-elected as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her second-term re-election was made by the Academy’s board of governors who additionally elected a number of officer positions for 2023-2024. Yang is an Emmy-winning producer with credits on projects including “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs.

Kelly Clarkson kicked off her Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino's Bakkt Theater over the weekend with a message to her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, and a warning to her fans. After first covering Gayle's «ABCDEFU» in March on, the 41-year-old singer performed the cover again with her telling lyric change. In a clip captured on TikTok, the musician and talk show host sang, «F**k you and your dad and the fact that you got half, and my broken heart, turn that s**t into art.

Kelly Clarkson called out her ex Brandon Blackstock in a brand new cover over the weekend.

Tina Fey reportedly has a shot at taking over “Saturday Night Live” for Lorne Michaels.

Emily Blackwell has revealed that she doesn't think meeting boyfriend Jordan Alexander was down to fate. Instead, she believes it was the work of close friend Ollie Locke.The Made In Chelsea star has had her fair share of romantic highs and lows, including an on-screen break-up with cheating ex Harvey Armstrong. But now, she is firmly in a love bubble with boyfriend of almost one year Jordan, who she has recently moved in with.

Within minutes of being welcomed into the gorgeous home of Made In Chelsea star Emily Blackwell and her boyfriend Jordan Alexander, it’s impossible not to compare them to a pair of love-struck teenagers! Longing stares, hand-holding and reassuring shoulder rubs – it’s clear we’re in the presence of a young, but very real, love. The couple, who’ve mixed in the same posh Surrey friendship circles for some years now, transitioned from casual acquaintances to official couple status last August. Now, as they approach their first anniversary, Emily, 27, and recruitment company managing director Jordan, 32, are settled in their rather plush split-level Fulham apartment, boasting two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a wonderful entertaining space.

Noel Gallagher has claimed that Adele’s songs are “shit” and compared the singer to Cilla Black.The High Flying Birds and former Oasis musician took aim at the multi-Grammy-winning vocalist in a new interview and said that regarding her discography, he finds the “whole thing offensive”.The comments arose on a recent appearance on a podcast hosted by Matt Morgan when Gallagher was asked if he was a fan of Adele’s catalogue of chart-topping hits.“Fuck off, fucking hell. Name one?” he responded (via The Mirror). “They’re fucking shit.

Rebecca Black’s upcoming 2023 concerts are taking place on a Friday.The pop singer is slated to perform at Vancouver’s Fortune Sound Club on Thursday, July 20 and Portland, OR’s Hawthorne Theatre on Saturday, July 22 as part of her ongoing ‘Let Her Burn Tour.’And if you wanna “get down” with Black and special guest Devon Again, it isn’t too late to scoop up last-minute tickets to see them on their brief Pacific Northwest run.Prices start at $97 USD before fees on Vivid Seats for the Vancouver gig.Her Portland show is much cheaper — $18 tickets will get you in the door at the Hawthorne Theatre.At both shows, expect to hear cuts from Black’s 2023 album “Let Her Burn.”According to Black, her goal is to “push boundaries and live outside of what someone would think pop would be.”If you want to see exactly what that means, you can pick up tickets for both shows here.All prices are subject to fluctuation.In February, Black released her debut album.NME hailed the record, claiming Black “redefined herself to be a budding pop distributor for the foreseen future.”For our money, there’s quite a bit to like here.Black shows off her range over ten polished pop songs — this is no joke.If you want to listen for yourself, you can find “Let It Burn” here.For a closer look at what to expect, here’s what Black played at a recent show courtesy of Set List FM:01.) “Crumbs”02.) “What Am I Gonna Do with You”03.) “Misery Loves Company”04.) “Read My Mind”05.) “Destroy Me”06.) “Sick to My Stomach”07.) “Personal”08.) “A Thousand Miles” (Vanessa Carlton cover)09.) “Worth It for the Feeling”10.) “Doe Eyed”11.) “Better in My Memory”12.) “NGL”13.) “Erase You”14.) “Cry Hard Enough”15.) “Look at You”16.) “Performer”Encore:17.) “Friday” (Remix)18.)

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has recalled the time that his bandmate Tony Iommi was nearly “sacrificed” onstage by a “lunatic”.Speaking to Reader’s Digest, Butler reflected on growing up in a strict Catholic home, the band’s “satanic” imagery and how that resulted in several weird experiences for the metal pioneers.“My dad wasn’t very pleased when he saw the inverted cross on the sleeve of our first album. But, generally, nobody in the UK or Europe cared that much about our Satanic imagery,” Butler shared.He went on to explain: “In the US, though, people would threaten us and turn up at our gigs with crosses and bibles. In Nashville, someone jumped on stage and went for Tony with a knife.

departure of EVP Shawn Finnie, the fourth Black executive to exit the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a year, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang sent a letter to members on Friday affirming their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, saying there is “still much more work to do.”“We have heard from some of you who have asked about our Academy DEAI programs as these efforts across our film community and other industries have been called into question,” the letter began. “In addition, a number of Black executives in Hollywood have exited their roles, including within the Academy, and we recognize the concern this creates.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent a letter to its members on Friday evening, addressing the recent departure of multiple Black executives from its organization over the past few weeks. Signed by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang, the statement, obtained by Variety, includes an affirmation of the organization’s commitment to its diversity and inclusion programs, as well as efforts to “expanding” their promotion. “We have heard from some of you who have asked about our Academy DEAI programs as these efforts across our film community and other industries have been called into question,” the letter begins. “A number of Black executives in Hollywood have exited their roles, including within the Academy, and we recognize the concern this creates. Given all of this, we want to reiterate, in the strongest possible terms, the Academy’s commitment to not only continuing, but expanding our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within our organization and the film industry at large.”

according to Variety, who first reported his resignation, he was specifically praised for his work by Rosie Perez.Finnie’s exit comes just over 2 weeks after that of the film academy’s executive vice president of impact and inclusion, Jeanell English, who quit after just one year in the job. Finnie and English are just 2 of the Black Hollywood executives who have stepped down or have been laid off the last month.The others would be Vernā Myers, who exited Netflix, Latondra Newton who departed the Walt Disney Company and Karen Horne, who was laid off by Warner Bros.

Watch video of the press conference here.They were referring to a wave of sudden exits of executives that kicked off June 20 when Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president Latondra Newton, left, according to Disney to pursue “other endeavors.” Then on June 28 Netflix announced that Vernā Myers, head of inclusion strategy, will leave the role in September after five years in the job in order to focus attention on her consulting company, The Vernā Myers Company.The next day, Warner Bros. Discovery laid off SVP of diversity, equity and inclusion Karen Horne, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s EVP of Impact and Inclusion Jeanell English stepped down.

Selome Hailu Though it was at one point reported that the most recent draft of Lionsgate’s “Borderlands” movie had been co-written by Craig Mazin, that involvement doesn’t seem to be true. Questions about the “Chernobyl” and “The Last of Us” writer’s attachment began to rise on Sunday, when World of Reel reported that “Borderlands” was in “post-production hell” and that Mazin had removed his name from the project, opting instead to use the pseudonym “Joe Crombie.” While the Writers Guild of America’s website does list Joe Crombie as a co-writer alongside director Eli Roth, Mazin is now publicly denying that the pen name is his. “I am not a credited writer on the film, so I cannot claim any kind of authorship of ‘Borderlands,’ much less ‘co-writing,'” he said in a statement to Variety. “I did see the report about the pseudonym, which is false. I did not use a pseudonym. If the name in question is indeed a pseudonym, all I can say is… it’s not mine.”

Kelly Clarkson‘s kids started to wonder what love really was after her divorce from Brandon Blackstock.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large November or January? The Television Academy and Fox have been locked in a debate over when to air this year’s 75th annual Emmy Awards in the likely event that they’ll have to postpone the ceremony. The Academy would like to shift the show to November (something it also did in 2001), while Fox appears set on a January airdate. When the Television Academy announces this year’s Emmy Awards nominations on Wednesday, they’ll downplay — but still reference — show’s September 18 airdate. Nonetheless, almost everyone involved inside both the network and org know that it’s extremely unlikely that date will hold much longer.

Electronic Arts has announced a new single-player Black Panther game from a team composed of developers who have worked on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Halo Infinite, God of War and more.The game is in the hands of Cliffhanger Games, a new triple-A development studio based in Seattle, Washington, and the studio is collaborating with Marvel Games.The aim of the currently untitled game is “to build an expansive and reactive world that empowers players to experience what it is like to take on the mantle of Wakanda’s protector, the Black Panther.” Additionally, the announcement coincides with the 57th anniversary of the character’s comic debut this month.Marvel Games and EA’s latest studio Cliffhanger Games are proud to announce a new, original, third-person, single-player Black Panther title in development! Read more now: https://t.co/kBS0MTsFbH pic.twitter.com/7aQEdYo7Qg— Marvel Games (@MarvelGames) July 10, 2023Studio lead Kevin Stephens – who came from Middle-earth developer Monolith Productions – expressed his excitement for the reveal in a press release and shed a little light on what comic book fans will look forward to in the final game. “We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game,” he said.“Wakanda is a rich Super Hero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do,” continued Stephens.“It’s an incredibly rare opportunity to build a new team around the values of diversity, collaboration, and empowerment.

There is a raw, dangerous yet distinctly unapologetic demeanor to the grainy archival footage in the documentary film The Stroll, now streaming on HBO, where transgender sex workers bravely walk the streets of New York City and solicit potential customers cruising by in their cars. Winner of the Special Jury Award – Clarity of Vision at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, The Stroll is the story of director Kristen Lovell’s experience living on the streets in the ‘90s and making money as a sex worker in the Meatpacking District of lower Manhattan. 

BST Hyde Park, BLACKPINK have made history as the first K-Pop band to headline a major UK festival. Check out footage of the show, as well as the full setlist below.Taking to the stage this weekend, the girl group performed an electrifying 17-song set to their sold-out crowd of 65,000 fans, and made history as the first Korean pop group to headline a major UK festival.Introducing themselves to their London audience, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa kicked off their milestone set with ‘Pink Venom’, ‘How You Like That’, ‘Pretty Savage’ and ‘Kick It’, before breaking into a rendition of their first-ever single ‘Whistle’ — which first launched them to fame in 2016.The four-piece also brought the energy to their 90-minute-long set, blasting through back-to-back choreography and outfit changes. During the show, Rosé declared: “​​We’re absolutely honoured to perform here at Hyde Park… It’s a dream come true!”Other fan favourites played at the gig included ‘Tally’ and ‘Typa Girl’, as well as a “solo” part of the show where each member took the limelight and performed an individual rendition of one of their favourite tracks.