Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Announces 2nd Annual Mentorship Lab For Marginalized Creatives

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime is expanding its cast for The Chi, with the addition of Nia Jervier (Dear White People) and Carolyn Michelle Smith (House of Cards) who will take on recurring roles for the series’ upcoming fifth season.

Zoë Kravitz has reflected on the cancellation of the television series High Fidelity, calling it “a big mistake”.Kravitz starred in the romantic comedy as Rob, a music and pop culture-loving record store owner. Set in Brooklyn, the series followed her as she grappled with her failed past relationships.A reinterpretation of the 2000 film, which was adapted from the 1995 novel by Nick Hornby, the show was originally picked up in 2018 and developed for Disney+. The series then moved to Hulu a year later in April 2019 after Disney gained control of the streaming platform.Speaking to Elle, Kravitz opened up about the show’s cancellation in 2020 after just one season, a show that she also executive produced and co-wrote.Kravitz said: “They didn’t realise what that show was and what it could do.“The amount of letters, DMs, people on the street, and women that look like us — like, that love for the show, it meant something to people.

Better Things,” its original comedy series created by, executive produced by and starring Pamela Adlon.Adlon stars as Sam, a working actress raising three daughters in Los Angeles attempting to navigate her life and find fulfillment. Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood and Olivia Edward portray Sam’s daughter, who are each struggling to come of age, while Celia Imrie portrays Sam’s mother, who deals with increasingly difficult mental and physical health issues. Adlon heavily based the series on her own experiences as an actor raising three daughters.The trailer for the new season sees Sam working on a new movie, giving a presentation to an elementary school class and arguing with her daughters.

Halle Berry, 55, made history at the 2002 Academy Awards for her role in the drama film Monster’s Ball. She became the first woman of color to win the Best Actress award — an accomplishment that sadly hasn’t been repeated at the ceremony since. “I do feel completely heartbroken that there’s no other woman standing next to me in 20 years,” Halle said on ABC News and Hulu’s Screen Queens Rising special, streaming now. “I thought, like everybody else, that night meant a lot of things would change,” she added.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentHere, Variety talks with Fernando León de Aranoa, director of the Javier Bardem-starring “The Good Boss” (“El Buen Patron”), Spain’s Oscar entry, which is a big box office hit on home turf and has scored more Spanish Academy Goya nominations than any other film in history.What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for the best international feature Oscar?I feel a mix of joy and responsibility. It means following the steps of some of the greatest Spanish filmmakers who have done it before, being among a group of brilliant directors from all over the world and having the opportunity of showing “The Good Boss” to a wider audience.What’s been the most challenging aspect of your campaign thus far?To make our film visible amidst the strong contenders.

Has any Broadway production in recent (or even not so recent) memory arrived with as much emotional baggage – or carried it as lightly – as the visually and sonically ravishing MJ? The Michael Jackson musical, as unlikely as such a prospect might have seemed a year ago, now appears poised to take Manhattan with the same hurricane force that the real Jackson funneled when he moonwalked into television history on Motown 25.

Angelique Jackson The Creative Collective NYC (TheCCnyc) has announced its third annual Creative Class, honoring groundbreaking Black thought leaders and entrepreneurs.Founded by Imani Ellis, the Creative Collective NYC is a community dedicated to curating brave spaces for creatives of color. The collective’s marquee event is CultureCon, a conference celebrating the impact diverse voices have on culture, but each year, TheCCnyc salutes a list of notables from across a variety of disciplines, in the categories of tech (dubbed the “Digital Vanguards”), fashion and beauty (“The Trendsetters”), health and wellness (“The Healers”), entertainment and arts (“The Culture Shifters”) and social good (“The Visionaries”).

Frank Rizzo Passions were never in short supply in Lynn Nottage’s 2003 play “Intimate Apparel,” where loneliness, longing and hope hover in every scene. In the latest, long-in-the-making collaboration between Lincoln Center Theater and the Metropolitan Opera, those passions fly free, revealing the operatic heart of “Intimate Apparel” in a new opera adaptation of this story of a 35-year-old Black seamstress aching for love in 1905 New York.The tight construction of the play, with its spare two-hander scenes and focus on the lives of ordinary and overlooked people, makes it a natural as a stripped-down chamber opera.

Holy cow, this may be the most direct repudiation Britney Spears has launched at her sister!

Emma Roberts treated herself to a holiday following her breakup with Garrett Hedlund!

EXCLUSIVE: Production has wrapped on under-the-radar sci-fi-comedy Relax, I’m From The Future, starring Jumanji and Flight Of The Concords actor Rhys Darby and Possessor and Twenties star Gabrielle Graham.

Angelique Jackson Applications are now open for Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions’ second annual mentorship lab, which provides opportunities for BIPOC creatives in TV and film.The development and production company founded by Waithe and Rishi Rajani is again presenting the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, an eight-month tuition-free program focused on helping marginalized storytellers connect, grow and accelerate their entertainment careers.In its second year, the lab will be spearheaded by program director Lacy Wright and program advisor Justin Riley, who will handle day-to-day operations under the direction of Hillman Grad CEO Waithe, president of TV and film Rajani and chief operating officer Ericka Pittman. “Since the inception of Hillman Grad, it has been our ultimate goal to break down barriers to entry into Hollywood for new and diverse artists, while also ensuring they are paid for their art,” the Hillman Grad executive team stated.“The program was built around the idea of an informational coffee meeting,” they continued.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAudible has been in the audio-content biz for more than 20 years. Now, amid the recent podcast explosion, the Amazon-owned premium audio storytelling platform is aggressively investing in original and exclusive content — including a burgeoning slate from high-profile Hollywood talent.On the latest episode of Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast — it’s a meta podcast about podcasts! — Rachel Ghiazza, EVP, and head of U.S.

After having their wedding postponed four times in six years, Brad Garrett and IsaBeall Quella have finally said, “I do.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterTrailblazing host and producer B. Scott has signed with WME in all areas, Variety has learned exclusively.Last March, the longtime media personality became the first out, trans non-binary personality in the history of BET. They anchor and executive produce an after-show companion to the network original “Twenties,” created by Lena Waithe.B.

Lourdes Leon shared a comfortable and casual, makeup-less selfie to her Instagram Story on Thursday January 20. The 25-year-old model, fresh off of modeling for the Savage X Fenty Valentine’s Day campaign, posted a mirror photo, where she rocked an oversized purple sweatshirt, and comfy-looking pair of sweatpants. Lourdes — who often goes by Lola — looked super relaxed, as she took the photo of herself with her hair tied back in a ponytail.

Comedian, game show host and three-time Emmy winner Louie Anderson has died at the age of 68.

Britney Spears' fiery public feud with sister Jamie Lynn Spears continues. Spears 40, took to Instagram Wednesday to repost a statement she deleted quickly after posting Tuesday.

Britney Spears has hit out at her sister Jamie Lynn in a scathing rant on Instagram.The Toxic Singer, 40, said she should have "slapped" her sister and mum Lynne "across their faces". Singer Britney has been locked in a bitter feud with her 30 year old sister since the end of her conservatorship, as Britney unfollowed her sister on social media. Britney's latest post saw her claim her younger sister had an easier childhood.