California’s Film Tax Credit Aims to Punish Projects That Don’t Hit Diversity Goals

Zach Braff channeled his grief into art. The filmmaker spoke with ET ahead of the premiere of his new film, , and shared how his late family and relationship with his ex-girlfriend Florence Pugh inspired the star-studded drama.«It's been about four years of a lot of loss,» Braff told ET's Rachel Smith, musing on the deaths of his sister, father, and close friend, Nick Cordero during the COVID lockdown in California.

Studio executive Sherry Lansing, TriStar’s Dr. Jennifer Turner, Hallmark Media’s Wonya Lucas, Apple’s Rita Cooper Lee, and the documentary A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting will be among this year’s honorees of The African American Film Critics Association at the association’s 6th Annual AAFCA Special Achievement Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 8 at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey.

Is a new feud brewing? Bad Bunny seemingly threw shade at Kendall Jenner‘s ex-boyfriend Devin Booker after sparking romance rumors with the model earlier this year.

Victoria and David Beckham spans more than two decades and has produced four kids. But when they first met, she was a Spice Girl named Victoria Adams in the early stages of fame and he was a Manchester United soccer star who was rising in the ranks to later become one of the greatest midfielders in the sport. This Valentine's Day, the couple decided to celebrate their epic love story with several precious throwback photos from the early days of their romance.

build their life in California away from the royal fold, it’s been reported that Meghan is set to imminently revive her "passion project."The  cites a document filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, seen by the daily newspaper. It reportedly indicates that a prospective relaunched version of the website could encompass articles and interviews on “food, cooking, recipes, travel, relationships, fashion, style, interior design, lifestyle, the arts, culture, design, conscious living, health and wellness.” The Duchess of Sussex could be planning on relaunching her former lifestyle blog The  adds that the duchess has been given official preliminary approval for the site, which would also reportedly offer “commentary in the field of personal relationships,” and could be set to go live as soon as next week.

Biopics, especially those that err on the side of mainstream and are helmed by a major studio, can and do go wrong. From bad casting to lacking scripts, to directorial faux-pas and even sensational stories that muddle the truth, the world has had its fair share of flawed glimpses into the lives of history’s most compelling people.

There can be no doubt why Searchlight Pictures was excited to bring Flamin’ Hot, the true life story of the man known as the ‘godfather of hispanic marketing’, to the screen. Premiering today at SXSW, the life story of Richard Montanez — a high school dropout from a struggling Latino family who worked as a janitor in a Southern California Frito-Lay factory for 10 years — is, at its heart, really a Rocky-style inspirational tale perfect for the Hollywood treatment. He eventually realized the American dream and rose to one the highest ranks of the company,

Ladies supporting ladies. The 16th annual Women In Film Oscars party gathered some of the fiercest females in Hollywood to celebrate awards season on Friday, March 10.

A hammer blow to the UK’s hugely successful high-end TV (HETV) tax credit could be struck in next week’s budget and a prominent politician has written to the Chancellor urging him to reconsider.

Antonio Colak has urged Rangers to keep the head in the Easter Road cauldron on Wednesday and ensure the only “chaos” is in Hibs’ defence.

The California Film Commission has allocated more than $81 million to 24 film projects that have been selected for the latest round of the state’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program.

Michael Jackson biopic from Lionsgate and filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, will star the late pop icon’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in its title role.“Michael” “is on track to generate more in-state spending than any other film in the tax credit program’s 14-year history. In a Monday release, the commission stated that “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “Michael” and an untitled live-action project from Disney are three big-budget projects that will generate an estimated $265 million in qualified spending and $433 million in total spending in California. (Here, “qualified” spending is defined as wages paid to below-the-line workers and payments to in-state vendors; all other spending is not incentivized under the program.)“Our tax credit program continues to welcome a diverse range of projects, from big-budget films to small independent projects, and everything in between,” California Film Commission Executive Director Colleen Bell said in a statement.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer “Michael,” the Lionsgate biopic about Michael Jackson, will receive more than $21 million in California tax credits, the state’s film commission announced Monday. The California Film Commission announced the latest round of credit allocations, totaling $81.7 million for 24 projects. The commission stated that “Michael” will generate $120 million in “qualified” in-state spending, which is more than any other project in the 14-year history of the tax credit program. The project was announced in January, with Jackson’s nephew Jaafar in the lead role. John Branca and John McClain, the executors of the Jackson estate, are producing with Graham King.

We guess the Bravo fans got Lala Kent and James Kennedy’s memo about taunting Tom Sandoval during his band’s concert on Friday night!

Californians in 44 counties who owes taxes to the federal or state government are getting good news: the deadline for filing returns as been pushed to October.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Georgia lawmakers will take a close look at all of the state’s tax incentives — including its TV and film production program — with an eye toward reforming the ones that don’t work. Gov. Brian Kemp joined Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns on Thursday to announce that a “thorough review” of tax credits will take place after the current legislative session. The announcement specifically included the $1.3 billion film credit, the state’s largest tax incentive, which has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support. Jones, who was elected in November, campaigned eliminating the state income tax, which would require either eliminating tax credits entirely or turning them into cash grants. Other lawmakers have also sought to reduce income taxes for all taxpayers by eliminating business tax credits.

that spot-on! Listen to Fallon in the clip at the top and decide for yourself.DeBose had the internet in a craze days after her performance of the girl-power rap at the BAFTAs on Feb. 19 that was a combination of a tweaked “Sister Are Doing It for Themselves” and “We Are Family.”A sampling: ” Dame Emma, I’m so fond.

EXCLUSIVE: Jesse Garcia (Flamin’ Hot) will star opposite Eva Longoria and George Lopez in the Disney+ film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

EXCLUSIVE: 2x Emmy nominee Matt Walsh (Veep) has signed on to star alongside Alejandro De Hoyos (The Man from Toronto), Chelsea Rendon (Vida), Francisco Ramos (Gentefied), John Kaler (The Wrong Guy) and Jason Konopisos-Alvarez (Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) in the action-comedy The Unexpecteds from writer-director Alejandro Montoya Marín.

When We Were Young festival have added a second date for the 2023 edition.An additional date of October 22 has been confirmed, following on from the already announced October 21 date. Green Day and Blink-182 headline the festival that’s held in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.Also on the 2023 line-up is Good Charlotte, The Offspring, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Rise Against, Thrice, 5 Seconds of Summer, Yellowcard, and many more.