Billy Porter To Star In, Co-Write James Baldwin Biopic For Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group Motion Pictures

Monica Barbaro has flown in the skies with Tom Cruise‘s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Now she’ll sing alongside Timothée Chalamet‘s Bob Dylan.

While CEOs often make cameos on the upfront stage in a bid to bolster the pitch to ad buyers, Byron Allen went a step beyond Wednesday by serving as emcee for his company’s lunchtime presentation.

Alec Baldwin is "grateful" for the support he's received in Montana after he returned to filming on the set of "Rust." "We filmed SUPERCELL in Billings," he captioned a photo of himself from the set. "Now outside of Bozeman to complete RUST. Montana is stunning.

Byron Allen’s African American-focused multiplatform media outlet, theGrio, will honor CBS News’ Gayle King with the Journalist Icon Award for her career achievements and service to the country in a star-studded event in Washington, DC. immediately following the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner on April 29.The event, which will take place at The Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture, will be hosted by comedian Roy Wood Jr.

Angelique Jackson Snoop Dogg’s story is one step closer to the big screen as director Allen Hughes confirmed the Universal biopic about the rapper is set to begin production imminently. “That’s next. We’re starting this summer. I’m so excited,” Hughes told Variety on Tuesday night at the premiere of his upcoming FX docuseries “Dear Mama,” which chronicles the lives of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur. Hughes — an Emmy and Peabody award nominee whose filmography includes “Menace II Society,” “Dead Presidents,” “The Book of Eli” and “The Defiant Ones” — will direct the yet-to-be-titled Snoop Dogg biopic. Announced in November, the Universal movie is the first film produced by Death Row Pictures, following Snoop’s acquisition of Death Row Records in 2022.

Billy Porter has signed up to co-write and star in a James Baldwin biopic and recently addressed criticism of people doubting his talent.

Kyle Abrams is engaged! The season 2 alum took to Instagram on Monday to share video of his romantic proposal to girlfriend Tania Deleanos.In the clip, a suit-clad Kyle popped the question in a room covered in candles and rose petals as Tania, dressed in a black gown, excitedly accepted his proposal.It looks like Kyle didn't use his mother's engagement ring this time as he credited Plum Diamonds for the massive sparkler he gave his future bride.A post shared by KYLE ABRAMS (@kyleabrams10)Kyle initially proposed to Shaina Hurley on season 2 of using his mother's engagement ring. Despite clearly having reservations about his religious preferences, Shaina accepted the proposal only to split from Kyle on their trip to Mexico.Later in the show's reunion, Kyle confessed to having feelings for co-starDeepti Vempati, whom he connected with in the pods.

Princell Hair has been named president of Allen Media Broadcasting, the broadcast television station division consisting of 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 television markets nationwide. 

purchased by Allen in 2022 for $11 million and immediately rebranded as theGrio Television Network. Prior to the Black News Channel, Hair was senior vice president and general manager for NBC Sports Boston, where he strengthened relationships with the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, the Major League Soccer franchise The New England Revolution, and the WNBA franchise The Connecticut Sun.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Princell Hair has been tapped as president of Allen Media Broadcasting, the broadcast television station division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group. In his new role, he will oversee Allen Media’s 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-Fox network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 television markets nationwide. Hair has also been named to an executive vice president role at parent company Allen Media Group. Most recently, Hair served for two years as president of Black News Channel, which was purchased by Allen in 2022 and rebranded as TheGrio Television Network. Previously, Hair was senior vice president and general manager for NBC Sports Boston, and prior to that role, Hair was senior vice president, news and talent for NBC Sports Group, where he served as lead negotiator for all talent contracts, including the NBC Sports Network, NBC Broadcast Network, The Golf Channel, eight regional sports networks, the Olympics, Premier League and NASCAR.

It's been almost ten months since Dame Deborah James passed away after a lengthy five-year-battle with bowel cancer. Tonight, the BBC will air a new documentary on the late journalist who spent her final years campaigning to raise awareness about her tragic illness which she was diagnosed with in December 2016.

Alec Baldwin has called for a lawsuit filed by the parents and sister of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins to be dismissed.In court documents filed earlier this week, the actor claimed Olga Solovey, Anatolii Androsovych, and Svetlana Zemko filed the suit to “obtain compensation” following Ms Hutchins’ death in October 2021, according to NBC.“The loss of a daughter and sister is undoubtedly painful in any circumstance,” the court document reportedly read.“Yet Plaintiffs – who had been distanced from Halyna physically, financially, and emotionally for years before her death – have no viable cause of action against Defendants.

Carla Renata A veteran of stage and screen, Tony winner Jane Krakowski returns to “Schmigadoon!” In the second season of Apple TV+’s musical series, Krakowski plays Bobbie, a trial lawyer who sings and dances while roller-skating blindfolded, holding sparklers in her hands and doing splits and flipping around on a trapeze bar. “We tried to pick things I mostly already knew how to do, except trapeze. So, I was allowed to go to trapeze school for like a week and grab five lessons before we filmed,” Krakowski told Variety on the red carpet at Thursday’s FYC event in Los Angeles.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Comcast, the conglomerate behind NBCUniversal and the Sky European TV giant, is to invest $200 million in Bodhi Tree Systems, a company headed by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, a former head of Disney in India. The move was approved by the Competition Commission of India on Wednesday. The funds will be directed to buying a small minority stake in Indian media group Viacom18. The move is part of a complicated series of transactions that bind Viacom18 ever closer to Reliance Industries, the petroleum to telecoms conglomerate controlled by Mukesh Ambani which is now upending Indian media with its Jio cellular, broadband internet and streaming companies.

Civil Rights activist and author James Baldwin is recognized as one of the great minds of American literature. And this couldn’t be more apparent than with the desire to explore his life and legacy on the big screen as Billy Porter (“Pose“) is behind an upcoming biopic that will chronicle Baldwin’s life in a feature film adaptation.

Billy Porter has got his next role lined up, and the “Pose” star will be stepping into some big shoes after signing on to play legendary gay Black writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

Billy Porter has booked a very exciting new role!

I am Not Your Negro.”“We at Allen Media Group Motion Pictures are extremely passionate about sharing James Baldwin’s phenomenal story with the world,” said Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group Byron Allen. “Billy Porter and Dan McCabe’s talent and commitment to amplifying James Baldwin’s legacy and contributions are invaluable and unmatched for this unique and epic story.”“As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time.’ I am because James was,” said Billy Porter.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Billy Porter is preparing to portray the author and civil rights activist James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic. He will also co-write the untitled movie with Dan McCabe, which will be adapted from the 1994 book “James Baldwin: A Biography” by David Leeming. An emeritus professor of English at the University of Connecticut, Leeming was well versed in Baldwin as his friend of 25 years as well as his assistant. Porter says it has been a career-long dream to tell the story of Baldwin on film. Born in Harlem in 1924, Baldwin was a Black gay writer whose influential works include “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Notes of a Native Son” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.” In addition to writing, Baldwin fought for racial justice in the U.S. civil rights movement. In Leeming’s book, he’s described as a “complex, troubled, driven, and brilliant man” who has a “gift for compassion and love.”

Shantel VanSanten is getting divorced. The “One Tree Hill: alum’s husband, actor Victor Webster, filed for divorce earlier this year, ET confirms.