Blink49 Studios Bolsters Business Affairs Team With Senior Hires (EXCLUSIVE)

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “Four Samosas,” a romantic comedy set in the Little India neighborhood of Los Angeles. The film premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. IFC will release “Four Samosas” in theaters and on demand on Dec. 2, 2022.  Ravi Kapoor directs and Venk Potula (“Veep”) leads an ensemble cast that includes Sonal Shah, Sharmita Bhattacharya, Nirvan Patnaik, Karan Soni, Summer Bishil, and Meera Simhan. The film centers on wanna-be South Asian American rapper, Vinny (Potula), who along with three friends — all of them first-time thieves — plans to rob a grocery store owned by his ex-girlfriend’s father, in order to steal her wedding diamonds and disrupt her pending engagement. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have been making a lot of noise this off-season. The Lakers started off the summer in hot pursuit of all-star point guard and 1x NBA champion Kyrie Irving as well as giving LeBron James a two-year contract extension. But how do you go from attempting to bring in Kyrie Irving to trading for Patrick Beverley? Beverley is a good player for what he brings to a team.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media DDA is making a series of key hires and promotions. Ryan Langrehr recently joined the entertainment communications company as U.S. head of awards, based out of Los Angeles. He joins from Block-Korenbrot Public Relations and will work alongside DDA partner Dana Archer and awards strategist MJ Peckos, who formed an exclusive partnership with DDA in 2021 and collaborated on a slate of films in the international and documentary category. These included Spain’s “The Good Boss” and Germany’s “I’m Your Man,” both of which were shortlisted for international feature Oscars.  The DDA L.A. awards offering is a complement to the company’s existing U.K. awards business, which it says will offer studios and filmmakers a “cohesive strategy across both sides of the Atlantic.” The U.K. offering is led by Sam Ross in his newly upped role of director of awards, and his team works closely with DDA partner Neil Bhatt. In recent years, the DDA U.K. awards team has handled AMPAS and BAFTA campaigns and delivered successful campaigns for features, documentaries, animated movies and shorts. Sam has been instrumental in successful campaigns across Academy Award and BAFTA-winning films including NEON’s “Parasite” and BFI’s “After Love.” Additionally, the 2022 BAFTAs also saw nominations for “Happening,” “The Hand of God” and “A Quiet Place: Part II.” Their 2021 haul included BAFTA nominations for “Babyteeth,” “Dear Comrades,” “Mogul Mowgli,” “County Lines” and “The Present.”  

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor With halftime shows featuring the Weeknd, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, and this year’s all-star combo of Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, the National Football League has tightened up its game in the entertainment space over the past few years, and that will definitely continue into the new season, judging by a new teaser video featuring Lil Wayne, Saweetie, Pusha T, Young Dylan and more — and even a cameo from the Seattle Seahawks’  DK Metcalf, playing piano on a hip-hop anthem that should be familiar. Also featured in the spots are TikTok/ YouTube star Frankie LaPenna, Buffalo Bills “Mafia” superfan Pinto Ron, pro boxer Ryan Garcia, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James and the New Orleans Saints’ Cam Jordan.

A royal addition! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle expanded their family by adding another pup to the mix — a senior rescue beagle named Mamma Mia.

BreAnna Bell Cleopatra Coleman is the latest cast member to join FX’s “The Sterling Affairs.” The Australian-born actress, who quickly rose to fame starring alongside Will Forte as Erica in Fox’s comedy “The Last Man on Earth,” will portray Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling’s mistress V. Stiviano in the forthcoming limited series. Written by Gina Welch and based on the ESPN 30 for 30 Podcast of the same name reported and hosted by Ramona Shelburne, “The Sterling Affairs” is a retelling of the true events that transpired in the rise and fall of the Clippers legacy. With behind the scenes stories, the series follows Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers’ quest to bring a championship to one of the historically worst franchises in all of sports during the impending downfall of the team’s owner, Donald Sterling, whose notoriously racist behavior is brought to light amid the power struggle between his wife of 60+ years, Shelly Sterling, and his mistress, V. Stiviano.

EXCLUSIVE: Oren Uziel, the co-screenwriter of Paramount’s spring hit The Lost City, is giving 20th Century Studios’ Clue movie a big reworking.

queen. After Plaza was photographed looking perfect in an in New York City last week—amid a heatwave, no less—the actor attended a Los Angeles screening of her upcoming film Spin Me Round in the most elegant updo we've ever laid eyes on. This gorgeous style differs from Plaza's usual look, which is essentially another modern take on the effortless, Renaissance-inspired . Her new look still highlights her signature side bangs and face-framing S-curls.

EXCLUSIVE: Blockchain tech company GoldenArk via its subsidiary GoldenArk Media, and independent film start-up Cherry Blossom Studios enter into $10M partnership deal.

Inanna Sarkis Scripted Podcast Series ‘Zaya’ Lands Deal At Realm Podcast Network (EXCLUSIVE) The Realm Podcast Network has picked up Zaya, a scripted podcast penned and directed by actress Inanna Sarkis. Sarkis also stars in the pod, which tells the story of a Middle Eastern student living in Brooklyn who finds her world shattered when her older brother is violently kidnapped before her eyes. In her quest to bring him home, she discovers there was much more to him than she ever knew. The 6-episode series also stars Suki Waterhouse, Hayley Law, Evan Ross, Samer Salem, Jacob Batalon, Matthew Noszka, Lamorne Morris, Melvyn Gregg, and Dylan Arnold. In a statement, Realm’s Vice President, Mary Assadullahi, said: “Inanna is such a talent. We are thrilled to partner with her for her podcast debut and can’t wait to share it with listeners—this one will have you on the edge of your seat!” The pod will air weekly from Aug 15 on all platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. UTA helped broker the deal.

Friends, which she co-starred in from 1994 to 2004, saying the show’s white creators had “no business” writing stories about people of colour.Speaking to The Daily Beast, Kudrow was asked how she felt about the show’s lack of POC representation.“Well, I feel like it was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college. And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know,” she said.“They [creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane] have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of colour.

The Daily Beast, the 59-year-old actress said the show’s creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, had “no business” telling stories about people of color given their own backgrounds.“Well, I feel like it was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college,” Kudrow reasoned. “And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know.

Zack Sharf Lisa Kudrow made headlines in May 2020 when she acknowledged that “Friends” had a serious lack of diversity during its 10 season run on NBC. The actor said that if the show ever returned to TV then “it would not be an all-white cast.” In a new interview with The Daily Beast, however, Kudrow somewhat stood by the original sitcom’s lack of diversity, or least made sense of it.

Angelique Jackson MACRO Film Studios and Confluential Films has announced the start of production on the new film “Young. Wild. Free.”Directed by Thembi Banks (“Insecure,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls”), the movie stars Sanaa Lathan, Algee Smith, Sierra Capri and Mike Epps.