Music Industry Moves: Def Jam Launches in India; Henry Mancini Estate Partners With Primary Wave

Kristin Chenoweth has nothing but love and support for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as they take on their roles in !“I feel great about both choices,” the actress, who played Glinda in in the original Broadway production, told ET’s Lauren Zima during the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards red carpet. “I have known Grande since she was 10, so Ariana, I am very very proud of you. She knows," Chenoweth assured. «We talk every day and it’s an honor and a pleasure to pass the wand and the crown to you.”  Grande, who will play Glinda in the Jon M. Chu-directed adaptation, is already getting some helpful tips from her predecessor.

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A BTS concert in Seoul this weekend will hit a milestone, with tickets for Saturday’s theatrical event in the U.S. priced at what may be a record $35 and the show poised to become the highest grossing worldwide event-cinema release ever.

Mayor Eric Garcetti’s path to becoming the next U.S. ambassador to India hit a potential snag today when a senior senator said he wants Garcetti’s confirmation vote delayed pending an investigation into whether the mayor knew about and ignored sexual harassment and assault allegations made against his former senior advisor.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Super Cassettes Industries, operating under the label T-Series, has revealed plans for a 100-film slate across various Indian languages.The company was founded by the late Gulshan Kumar in 1983 as a music business. He soon grew it into India’s biggest music label.

Alia Bhatt is taking on a big new role.

  Additionally, , written and directed by Fran Kranz and starring Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton, was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Here is the full list of the night's big winners, who are marked in Janicza Bravo,   Maggie Gyllenhaal,  Lauren Hadaway,  Mike Mills,  Ninja Thyberg, Nikole Beckwith,  Janicza Bravo, Jeremy O. Harris,  Maggie Gyllenhaal,  Mike Mills Todd Stephens, Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.,  Matt Fifer; Story by Sheldon D.

BEST FEATURE (Award is given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)“A Chiara” (Jonas Carpignano, Paolo Carpignano, Jon Coplon, Ryan Zacarias)“C’mon C’mon” (Chelsea Barnard, Andrea Longacre-White, Lila Yacoub) “The Lost Daughter” (Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler)“The Novice” (Ryan Hawkins, Kari Hollend, Steven Sims, Zack Zucker)“Zola” (Kara Baker, Dave Franco, Elizabeth Haggard, David Hinojosa, Vince Jolivette, Christine Vachon, Gia Walsh)BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)“7 Days” (Director: Roshan Sethi; Producers: Liz Cardenas, Mel Eslyn)“Holler” (Director: Nicole Riegel; Producers: Adam Cobb, Rachel Gould, Katie Mcneill, Jamie Patricof, Christy Spitzer Thornton)“Queen of Glory” (Director: Nana Mensah; Producers: Baff Akoto, Anya Migdal, Kelley Robins Hicks, Jamund Washington)“Test Pattern” (Director/Producer: Shatara Michelle Ford; Producers: Pin-Chun Liu, Yu-Hao Su)“Wild Indian” (Director/Producer: Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.; Producers: Thomas Mahoney, Eric Tavitian)JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Award given to the writer, director and producer of the best feature made for under $500,000.

Sony Pictures Television is expanding its unscripted footprint in a big way. The TV studio has signed an agreement to acquire independent nonfiction production company Industrial Media whose portfolio includes such series as American idol, 90 Day Fiancé, Indian Matchmaking, Selena+Chef and So You Think You Can Dance. Upon closing, Sony Pictures will acquire a majority controlling interest in Industrial Media based on a purchase price which values the company at $350M. Sony’s stake is believed to be close to 100%, valuing the deal at more than $300M. (The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.)

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSony Pictures Television sealed a deal to acquire Industrial Media, a major nonfiction TV production company whose portfolio includes “90 Day Fiancé,” “So You Think You Can Dance” and “American Idol.”The deal values Industrial Media at $350 million. Upon closing, Sony Pictures will acquire a majority controlling interest in Industrial Media but the studio declined to reveal its ownership percentage.Industrial Media’s production shingles include 19 Entertainment, B17 Entertainment, House of NonFiction, Sharp Entertainment, the Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), This Machine Filmworks, This Radicle Act and Trilogy Films.The company companies produce more than 100 programs distributed worldwide in genres including documentary, music competition and reality categories.

Naman Ramachandran Indian acting powerhouses Vidya Balan (“Kahaani”) and Shefali Shah (“Delhi Crime”) headline film “Jalsa,” which will bow on Amazon Prime Video.The film is a tale of conflict narrated through the life of a celebrated journalist and her cook. The cast also includes Manav Kaul (“The Fame Game”), Rohini Hattangadi (“Gandhi”), Iqbal Khan (“Crackdown”), Vidhatri Bandi (“Shiddat”), Srikant Mohan Yadav (“Inside Edge”), Shafeen Patel and Surya Kasibhatla.“Jalsa” is directed by Suresh Triveni who previously worked with Balan on the critically acclaimed “Tumhari Sulu” (2017).

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe upcoming “Dark Winds” series at AMC has cast Deanna Allison in a series regular role, Variety has confirmed.The series is based on the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman. It follows Navajo police officer Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) as he investigates the murder of a young Navajo woman and begins to uncover ominous, dark forces at work in a 1970’s ‘reservation’ world. Season 1 will consist of six episodes.

Love Is Blind's second season has proved to be just as engrossing as the first series, after the unique dating show returned to Netflix earlier this month.The finale of the show drops on Friday 25 February and the couple on everyone's lips are Deepti and Shake – with speculation rife among fans as to whether they are together. Deepti Vempati, a 31 year old data analyst and 33 year old vet Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee had an interesting journey together this series.

Facebook Reels, which launched on Instagram as a competitor of TikTok, has expanded to 150 countries as a feature on Facebook.

Warner Music India has announced a partnership with Indian pop star Armaan Malik which will see the major and the musician sign artists via his Always Music Global label. That venture will also release some of Malik’s own music, specifically his Hindi non-film music.The two companies say the partnership will seek to further their “shared vision to fuel the burgeoning music scene of India” and to “release, market and position Hindi pop music across the world”.Says Malik: “I’m humbled and honoured to embark on a new chapter of my career with this unique collaboration between my label Always Music Global and Warner Music India.

Anil Kapoor Thriller Lands At Netflix

Queen of the Universe is coming back to Paramount+!

The 22nd edition of the Mumbai Film Festival, due to be held March 12 – 22, is moving online in the face of enduring challenges first brought about by the pandemic.

Sharareh Drury administratorMosaic has signed multi-hyphenate actor, director, and writer Sujata Day for representation in all areas.Day’s directorial debut “Definition Please” was recently acquired by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY and is currently streaming on Netflix. The indie film earned multiple awards on its festival circuit including the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at San Francisco CAAM Fest, Best Feature Film at Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, and Outstanding Directorial Debut Award at the South Asian Film Festival of America.