Actor and Activist Kendrick Sampson Launches BLD PWR Productions (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: The multi-platform content production, finance and distribution company Roundtable Entertainment has entered into a strategic partnership with Slated, through which the online film packaging, financing and distribution marketplace will supply a curated selection of independent films to be produced via Roundtable. 

Deadline), which reads: “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1.30am today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday.“In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw.”A private family ceremony is scheduled to be held at a later date.Lansbury is known for starring in whodunit series Murder, She Wrote, where she played writer and detective Jessica Fletcher across 12 seasons.

UPDATED, 12:15 PM: Actor James Lastovic and his roommate Nevin Dizdari, have been found safe in Hawaii. Dizdari’s sister posted on Instagram the two had gotten lost on a hike, but “had made it back to their car and were on their back to the resort.”

Actor James Lastovic, known for his roles on Days Of Our Lives and Insatiable, among other credits, has been reported missing in Hawaii.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Legendary Entertainment executive Vasco Xu is joining forces with Hong Kong business exec Brian Cheng and Chinese venture capitalist Sun Ge to launch a Los Angeles and Beijing-based international production venture, Conqueror Entertainment. Cheng and Sun will both serve as Co-Founders, with Xu as Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, overseeing corporate affairs, creative development, production, marketing, distribution and franchise management. Cheng is a member of one of Hong Kong’s biggest business families, while Sun is the founder Chinese VC company Grains Valley. Xu said the company will develop and produce feature films and series, both in English and Chinese, for the international and domestic Chinese market.

Demi Lovato surprised her fans with an unexpected surprise. After three years of no performances, Ashlee Simson made her way back to the stage and was a secret guest at Lovato’s “Holy Fvck” tour.Demi Lovato celebrates her 30th birthday with Paris Jackson and Ashley Benson in Los AngelesDemi Lovato has fans concerned after revealing she is sick and no longer wants to tourLovato teased a special guest before the show, tweeting, “LA! I’ve got a surprise for you tonight!.” She was performing at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles as a part of her “Holy Fvck” tour. “Please give it up for Ashlee Simpson,” Lovato said as an introduction, with Simpson running onstage to perform “La la,” one of her biggest hits, and a song fitting for Lovato’s current emo-punk era.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Frost, who recently left his post as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, has set up a production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment, and has signed a first-look TV production deal with the indie studio. Under the pact, Frost is executive producing the high-profile new series from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, starring Rhea Seehorn, which just landed at Apple TV+ with a big, two-season straight-to-series order.

Thania Garcia Demi Lovato’s “Holy Fvck” tour stop in Los Angeles last night came with a nostalgic and unexpected surprise performance from Ashlee Simpson, who has been largely absent from the music world since the late 2000s. Lovato was on stage finishing a performance of her own pop track, “La La Land,” before the notes began to transition into Simpson’s 2004 hit “La La,” from her debut record “Autobiography.” “Please give it up for Ashlee Simpson,” Lovato said to the screeching audience, welcoming Simpson on stage for the duet. Simpson appeared in high spirits, sporting a black and silver look to match Lovato’s, and singing every word of the flirty alt-pop song with a punch.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Superprod studio has acquired The Co-Production Company, the NY-based firm launched last year by former DreamWorks executive Doug Schwalbe for financing and distribution of international productions.

Ashlee Simpson surprised the crowd during Demi Lovato’s Los Angeles Holy Fvck tour stop on Wednesday. The “Pieces of Me” singer joined Lovato for a performance of her hit 2004 single, “Lala.”  “Please give it up for Ashlee Simpson,” Lovato told the crowd before Simpson ran on stage.Keeping up with the punk rock theme of the evening, 37-year-old Simpson rocked black pants and a cropped black jacket with silver accents.

EXCLUSIVE: Husslup, a venture-backed mobile app focused on connecting creatives to each other and to the companies that need to staff them, has launched a bimonthly series of table reads designed to promote scripts from emerging writers.

Jessica Simpson’s latest style launch was a family affair! Over the weekend, the 42-year-old designer had her family by her side as she celebrated the release of her Jessica Simpson fall collection at Nordstrom in Los Angeles.  Simpson was joined by her husband, Eric Johnson, and their children, Maxwell, 10, Ace, 9, and Birdie, 3.

Seeing quadruple! Jessica Simpson‘s family — including husband Eric Johnson and their three children — were by her side to celebrate the launch of her new fall fashion collection.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Headed by ex-HBO exec James Costos, Los Angeles and Madrid-based Secuoya Studios and Colombia’s Caracol Television have closed a framework deal to jointly develop, produce and finance scripted series over the next year.  The agreement seals an alliance between two of Latin America’s powerhouses, with large international ambitions. Amazon’s Prime Video and now Mediawan have boarded Secuoya Studios’ flagship series “Zorro,” starring “Elite’s” Miguel Bernardeau and Renata Notni, directed by “Money Heist’s” Javier Quintas. Producer of iconic longer-format series, Caracol TV’s “La Reina del Flow” Season 1 sold to over 100 countries; “El Rey; Vicente Fernandez” Season 1 bowed on Netflix Sept. 12 , shooting to No. 3 in global non-English charts. 

Jessica Simpson has the support of her family on her big day!

Michaela Zee editor Internet personality Rickey Thompson has signed with WME for representation. The agency will represent Thompson in all areas, working to further develop Thompson’s businesses across brand partnerships, film, television and digital media. Thompson has amassed nearly 11 millions followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter, as well as hosts his Spotify-exclusive podcast “We Said What We Said.” Known for his comedic monologues on social media, the multi-hyphenate rose to prominence on Vine, boasting 2.5 million followers before the app shut down in 2016. Thompson was featured on Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood impact list in 2020, a group that was feted alongside the 2021 and 2022 classes at a mega-celebration held last month in Los Angeles.

The Black List has finalized the names of the six writers that will be part of their 2022 Feature Lab and will partake in a hybrid workshop that will include virtual sessions culminating in an in-person weekend intensive in Los Angeles.

The ratings are in for the first installment of Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football.”The streamer’s first live football game – the matchup between Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers — averaged 13 million viewers, per Nielsen. Based on Amazon’s own measurement metrics and Nielsen Media research, Prime Video reported that “Thursday Night Football” averaged 15.3 million viewers for the Sept.