‘Mixed-Ish’ Showrunner Karin Gist Inks New Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV, Starts Production Company

There’s a hot new star on the horizon. Local producer 25-year-old Gift Selaelo Morukhuladi, known to his fans as Mvzzle, is no stranger to the music industry. As producer to a number of top artists like DJ Zinhle and Donald, Mvzzle already has hits under his belt, including last years ‘Umlilo’ with Dj Zinhle and Rethabile. Now, Mvzzle has announced that he has signed a global deal with Warner Music South Africa which will see him take his career to the next level.

By Denise Petski

Earlier this month, a contingent of journalists gathered inside Manhattan's Harman Store to hear tracks from Jamaican reggae superstar Chronixx's much-anticipated sophomore album, Dela Splash. Due in late spring on Chronixx's Soul Circle Music, Dela Splash follows the Grammy nominated Chronology, which debuted at No. 1 on the Reggae Albums chart in July 2017 and was followed by numerous high-profile performances for Chronixx and his band, Zincfence Redemption.

When singer-songwriter Alma-Sofia Miettinen was 16, she placed fifth in a 2013 season of the Finnish show Idols. She returned to school afterward, putting her musical ambitions on hold. A year later, though, one of the show’s judges, rapper Sini Sabotage, asked to tour and write together. Miettinen was all in, and officially started her career as ALMA.

Walt Disney Studios has made made two significant promotions to bolster its film group, following the exit of 20th Century Studios vice chairman Emma Watts in January.

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Steve Asbell has been named president of production at 20th Century Studios, taking over for Emma Watts, who departed the post last month. Asbell has served as executive vp production at the studio formerly known as 20th Century Fox since 2012, and has been with the studio since 2002.

By Anthony D'Alessandro

Last night, HAIM kicked off their five-stop deli tour at Sarge's in New York City. Crammed into the decades-old Murray Hill pillar amid heaps of pastrami and bowls of matzoh ball soup, the sister act delivered a four-song acoustic set that brought together some of their older hits ("The Wire" and "Want You Back") and some newer cuts ("Summer Girl" and new single "The Steps.")

HAIM belted out a cover of Britney Spears’ “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman” during a performance at Sarge’s Delicatessen in New York Tuesday.

The major studios have made their first big move in the 2020 cycle of labor negotiations with Hollywood unions. Now, the industry is waiting to see how that opening bid plays with the two unions that could be hot zones of volatility later this year: the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA.

By Denise Petski

By Nellie Andreeva, Denise Petski

By Nellie Andreeva

“Dexter” and “Nurse Jackie” producer Clyde Phillips has signed an overall deal with Showtime and CBS Television Studios.

Twitter has reached a settlement with activist investor Elliott Management that includes tech investor Silver Lake taking a $1 billion stake in the social media giant and co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey remaining at the helm, at least for now. Twitter also inked a cooperation agreement with Elliott Management that will see Silver Lake’s investment, together with cash on hand, fund a $2 billion share repurchase program.

The Directors Guild of America’s board of directors unanimously approved a new three-year agreement reached several days earlier with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers, the DGA announced Saturday. The new pact features what the union described as "a nearly 50 percent increase in residuals" for work on streaming video platforms such as Netflix and Disney+, as well as healthy compensation gains that effectively equal or exceed three percent per year.

Nathaniel Halpern, the creator of the upcoming Amazon series “Tales From the Loop,” has signed an overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios.

By Denise Petski

By Bruce Haring