Industry Group for Los Angeles Theater Lovers Launches From RuCo Film and Television Exec Jay Marcus

ENHYPEN, NMIXX, BIBI and more.On June 4, KCON announced 10 of the artists that will be performing at the M Countdown Stage and KCON Stage of its upcoming Los Angeles event, set to take place from July 26 to 28 at the Crypto.com Arena, LA Convention Center and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza.Both stages will feature boybands P1Harmony, TWS and ZEROBASEONE, as well as girl group NMIXX. The M Countdown Stage will also include appearances by NME The Cover stars ENHYPEN, as well as soloists BIBI, Zico and SHINee‘s Taemin.Meanwhile, the KCON Stage will see additional performances by boyband A.C.E and SISTAR singer Hyolyn.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and EventsIt’s that time of year when the LGBTQ community and its allies celebrate Pride.Across the globe, June is chock full of rainbow flags, parades and celebrations of queer joy.In West Hollywood, Paris Hilton kicked things off with an appearance at Heart nightclub. The city’s official Pride festivities kicked off the following evening on May 31 with the first of the three-night Outloud Music festival with performances by Adam Lambert and Kesha.Make sure to keep checking back here throughout the month of June to see your favorite celebrities at Pride events.Kesha performs during the Outloud Music Festival at 2024 WeHo Pride. “This community has been my since I can remember,” the “Praying” hitmaker said.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Will Smith and Martin Lawrence arrived at the Los Angeles premiere of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” on Thursday night atop a double decker bus, where they were greeted by cheering fans lining Hollywood Boulevard. “It’s not just here,” Smith told Variety about the fans who continued to support him, even when his reputation faltered in the wake of the Oscars slap. “It’s all over the world.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events It’s two weeks after Elizabeth Debicki attended the Met Gala. She’s now in Los Angeles for Emmy campaigning for her work as Princess Diana on “The Crown.” I meet her Netflix’s FYC pop-up in Hollywood for quick chat before she takes part in a panel discussion with “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan. We grab a couple of seats in the “Ripley” room.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events In director Brad Peyton’s Netflix sci-fi action movie, “Atlas,” Jennifer Lopez stars as the titular character, a data analyst who must turn to AI to help save the Earth from an evil robot (Simu Liu). “I think this movie does a good job of showing how AI could go incredibly wrong, and this is how it could go really right,” Lopez told me at the film’s Los Angeles premiere. The multi-hyphenate has experienced the exploitative side of AI, with ads “selling skincare that I know nothing about” using manipulated photos of her face covered in “wrinkles.” “It’s really scary,” she said, adding, “Right away we had them stealing our faces.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports it has seen a very small uptick in Covid-19 cases.

Theo James is getting in a workout.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Cynthia Erivo may not be a green witch but that doesn’t mean she can’t relate to Elphaba, the sorcerer she plays in the upcoming “Wicked” movies. “As I stand here in front of you: Black, bald-headed, pierced, and queer, I can say I know a thing or two about being the other,” the Tony winner said Saturday night at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala, where she was presented with the Schrader Award by Jada Pinkett-Smith. “Elphaba’s story is… about how a colorful, powerful, magical woman—despite being disparaged, demonized, and discriminated against—becomes a hero.” “Wicked is a reclamation and a reimagining of the labels used against her.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Katie Kimmel says her parents – Jimmy Kimmel and his first wife, Gina – didn’t blink when she told them she wanted to be an artist. “There was no shock,” says Katie, a ceramist who is best known for her whimsical dog and cat sculptures. (Full disclosure: This reporter commissioned a vase of my pooches earlier this year.) “My dad is a really great artist.

EXCLUSIVE: Producer Michael Bayer has launched True Case Films, a new production company based in Los Angeles, focused solely on producing and financing stories based on true crime. The newly formed company has secured IP and is actively seeking additional packaged true crime projects to finance, produce and executive produce. Bayer will serve as the new company’s president.

Charlie Hunnam is enjoying a day out with producer Hilary Shor!

Charlie Hunnam is enjoying a day out with his mom.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Norman Lear not only knew about television, but the late TV icon was also an influential art collector along with his wife of 37 years, Lyn Davis Lear. And now, several pieces from the Lears’ art collection will hit the Christie’s auction block, including David Hockney’s 1967 “A Lawn Being Sprinkled.” When the “All in the Family” creator bought the work in 1978 for $64,000, it marked the highest price paid for a piece by the British artist. Christie’s estimates it will bring in $25-$35 million after debuting during the 20th Century Evening Sale in New York City on May 16.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In a big strategic market swing, The Mediapro Studio is creating new U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles to double down on U.S. and English-language production for the U.S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Tarsem Singh’s tale of forbidden romance “Dear Jassi” has been set as the opening title of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. The event, which runs June 27-30, will showcase seven feature films, a new industry section and a female-centric collection of South Asian short films.

Sony Pictures Television announced that the syndicated extension of Good Morning Football will launch on Fox Television Stations this September.

Jaleel White is now a married man!

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer New transmedia company Iconic Arts launched Tuesday with $3.1 million in financing at a $20 million pre-seed valuation. The entertainment studio boasts support from screenwriter Eric Roth, Grammy winning artist Will.i.am and exec vets of Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment and JP Morgan.

EXCLUSIVE: After successfully launching the Extraction film franchise at Netflix, director Sam Hargrave has his eyes set on another potential franchise with a piece of IP that is revving its engines to get out the gate. Sources tell Deadline that Skydance and Mattel Films have closed a deal with Hargrave to direct a live-action movie based on Matchbox, Mattel’s iconic real-world die-cast toy vehicle line. David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper are penning the script.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Roadmap Writers, a screenwriting education and training platform based in Los Angeles, is partnering with Hollywood producer Barry Josephson to identify short stories fit for film and television adaptation. The competition, open now and running through June 14, seeks commercial-leaning work and carries a cash prize of $7,000. The top three stories will be published on Roadmap Writers.