Duke Bootee, producer and co-writer of Grandmaster Flash’s ‘The Message’, has died

A broad entertainment industry coalition Friday begged Senate leadership to push ahead with Federal aid for pandemic insurance since it’s near impossible to get back to work without it, especially for independent film.

The Haunting of Alma Fielding, Kate Summerscale’s Baillie Gifford Prize-shortlisted novel, is to be adapted for television by New Pictures with writer Charlotte Stoudt (Fosse/Verdon) and director Minkie Spiro (The Plot Against America, Fosse/Verdon). Stoudt and Spiro are currently working together on an eight-part psychological thriller, Pieces of Her: an adaptation of the New York Times bestseller for Netflix, starring Toni Collette.

Nicki Minaj‘s father has sadly and suddenly died.

Nicki Minaj‘s dad Robert Maraj has tragically died after he was struck in a hit-and-run. HollywoodLife confirmed the sad news with Nassau County Police in New York, after he was hit by a car around 6pm on February 12. The 64-year-old was walking between Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue when he was hit by a car that then fled the scene. He was transported to hospital in critical condition, and sadly passed away over the weekend.

New York Magazine writer Jonathan Chait says Hollywood’s treatment of conservative actress Gina Carano is reminiscent of the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s.

The New York Times’ documentary Framing Britney Spears introduced viewers to Felicia Culotta, a woman who served as Britney Spears’ assistant and has known her for decades. She played a pivotal role in the early days of the “Womanizer” singer’s career — and now, she has chosen to speak out about the pop star’s conservatorship battle.

New York Times documentary chronicling Spears's conservatorship, Asghari , “I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half, and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves.

Joe Allen, whose self-named restaurant on W. 46th Street in Manhattan’s theater district has been a sort of commissary-slash-clubhouse for Broadway folks – and that fans who love them – since opening in 1965, died Sunday at an assisted living facility  in Hampton, N.H. He was 87.

Natalie Oganesyan editorDuke Bootee, whose 1982 hit “The Message” changed the tone of hip-hop, died on Jan. 13 of heart failure at his home in Savannah, Ga., the New York Times confirmed.

Fran Lebowitz!” I later squealed to my colleagues. “Who’s Fran Lebowitz?” they asked.

Mitchell Krauss, a Middle East correspondent for CBS News who was wounded in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, died on January 27 at Northern Dutchess Hospital in New York, near his home in Rhinebeck. He was 90 and died from kidney failure.

South Korean actress and model Song Yoo-jung died on Saturday, January 23. She was 26.

Italian film producer Alberto Grimaldi, whose credits include The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Gangs of New York, has died. He was 95.

EXCLUSIVE: Tony Tackaberry, the long-serving chief executive of Cash Cab and Sexy Beasts producer Lion US, is stepping down to launch a new venture in the coming months.

Ellise Shafer administratorAlberto Grimaldi, a film producer whose credits include the Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York,” has died. He was 95.Grimaldi’s son, Maurizio Grimaldi, confirmed his death to Variety, adding that his father died of natural causes.Born in Naples, Italy on March 28, 1925, Grimaldi originally studied law before starting his own production company, Produzioni Europee Associati, or P.E.A., in 1961.

NEW YORK -- Screenwriter Walter Bernstein, among the last survivors of Hollywood’s anti-Communist blacklist whose Oscar-nominated script for “The Front” drew upon his years of being unable to work under his own name, died Saturday.

NEW YORK -- Gregory Sierra, who had memorable roles in the 1970s sitcoms “Barney Miller" and “Sanford and Son," has died after battling cancer. He was 83.Sierra's widow, Helene, said Saturday in a phone interview with The Associated Press that the actor died on Jan.

NEW YORK -- Bob Avian, a Tony Award-winning choreographer who had a role in some of the most beloved and influential shows on Broadway, including “Dreamgirls,” “A Chorus Line,” “Follies” and “Miss Saigon,” has died.

Anthony Rhulen, the founder/CEO of FilmEngine Entertainment, passed away January 15 at age 51.

Phil Spector, the controversial music producer who was convicted of murder, died on Saturday, January 16. He was 81.