‘Paranormal Activity’ Producer Steven Schneider Sets Horror Projects With Slash, Malkier Studios (EXCLUSIVE)

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Los Angeles-based Syrian director and producer Sam Kadi, who helmed the doc “Little Gandhi” about the life and death of young Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar and produced the Oscar-shortlisted animation film “Lamya’s Poem,” has signed for representation with management company Bohemia Group. Kadi’s first feature was the 2012 indie immigrant drama “The Citizen,” starring Egyptian actor Khaled Nabawy as a Lebanese immigrant who wins a green card through the U.S. lottery system and arrives in New York to claim his documents on Sept. 10, 2001. The drama, also starring Cary Elwes, then follows the protagonist’s hellish 10-year path to citizenship in post-9/11 America, including his detainment by homeland security and his deportation trial.

EXCLUSIVE: Shondrella Avery, who starred in Napoleon Dynamite, is developing a slew of unscripted projects after striking a first-look deal with Bling Empire producer Jeff Jenkins Productions.

Holly Jones LaLiga Studios, created by Banijay Iberia and Spain’s LaLiga soccer league, is expanding its management team as it has created a new doc co-production, “The Power of Our Fútbol.” Paz Pérez Sanz, Marta Ruiz and Anabel López Antolín are set to join the company as art director, director of new projects, and director of production respectively.  Sanz comes on board after four years at Real Madrid TV, having created assets for multiple TV companies including Movistar Plus+, Cuatro, Telecinco and Canal+ and worked on campaigns for Disney, AXN, Discovery Max, Turner (TNT and Boing), Comedy Central, MTV and Ondas.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The Academy of Country Music has announced some of the musicians, producers, engineers, venues and touring industry execs winners who will be celebrated at the 16th ACM Honors ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Aug. 23. The show serves as a music-industry-centric adjunct to the ACM Awards telecast that is globally webcast in the spring. The announcement of these winners precedes by a day the reveal of the big names that will receive special awards during the August program, along with forthcoming news of the show’s host and ticketing information. Jay Joyce, the producer for Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde and many other artists, was named producer of the year for a sixth time. Justin Niebank has an even longer-running streak — he’ll be awarded as audio engineer for a ninth time.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent High-flying Madrid-based Caballo Films, behind Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts” and “Riot Police” and Borja Soler’s “The Route,” has put into development a fiction series adaptation of Mabel Lozano’s prized same-titled non-fiction work. Shaping up as a deep drill-down into the growth of prostitution in Spain into large-scale organized crime, “El Proxeneta” packs a powerful talent package of creator-writers Isabel Peña, co-writer of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “As Bestas” and “Riot Police,” and Eduardo Villanueva, a co-scribe on “Riot Police” and producer on “Stockholm.”  Pilar Palomero, a Spanish Academy Goya best picture winner for “Schoolgirls,” will direct the series, her first TV work beyond one episode of “Venga Juan.”

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has revealed a multi-year series partnership with Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta. Mehta’s hard hitting crime drama series “Scoop,” his maiden venture for Netflix, bowed earlier this month and was a major success for the service. Inspired by crime reporter Jigna Vora’s book “Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison” and starring Karishma Tanna as crime reporter Jagruti Pathak, the series is set up as the first season of a franchise.  Taking this successful collaboration forward, Mehra will create multiple series for Netflix over the next few years.

Ethan Shanfeld “There is some kinky-ass shit in this house,” says Destiny in the fourth episode of HBO’s “The Idol,” apparently assuming the role of this series’ viewers. “This shit is weird, scary shit.” As the Weeknd’s Tedros tightens his grip on Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn — both metaphorically and literally, with his hands around her waist in the studio — her managers, played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Hank Azaria, plot to save their troubled client from the predatory nightclub mogul. At the beginning of the episode, Destiny (Randolph) and Chaim (Azaria) run through Tedros’ rap sheet, which is full of violence and abuse charges. Oh, and his real name is Mauricio Costello Jackson.

Naman Ramachandran The return of long-running Australian soap “Neighbours” will see a new family, the Varga-Murphys, featuring mums, Remi (Naomi Rukavina) and Cara (Sara West) and teenage sons, JJ (Riley Bryant) and Dex (Marley Williams), moving to the iconic Ramsay Street. West said: “Cara has a bold, impassioned love for her family and I love that her intentions have, so far, always been good. I hope having the Varga-Murphys on telly will help better reflect the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community that I’m proud to be a part of and I can’t wait to share the family with you.” Rukavina added: “As a stalwart of Australian drama television, the show is on the front foot of showcasing diverse and real representations of Australian families, not in a tokenistic way.”

Filmmaking titans Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson will convene with Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav today for an “emergency call” concerning the future of Turner Classic Movies following a recently announced set of layoffs at the beloved pay-TV network, according to a report from Deadline’s sister site Indiewire.

Khloé Kardashian was honored that Kim Kardashian took the time to set her up on a date with Michele Morrone.

Ben Croll Sex, drugs and rock’n’roll were but three of the shared subjects animating the Annecy Animation Showcase, presented as part of the Marché du Film at last month’s Cannes Film Festival. Marking its fifth edition, this year’s work-in-progress spotlight imparted a decidedly adult flavor, with a preponderance of showcased titles tackling outré material for mature crowds. “On the market side, adult-skewing projects are no longer a trend,” says Annecy chief Mickaël Marin. “The form is now well-established. Of course, global platforms have opened new doors and widened the field of possibilities, so we encourage financiers and broadcasters if not to take risks, then to at least explore new avenues beyond traditional family animation.”

Carol Vorderman has told her fans to 'be warned' before they flooded her with compliments over her natural look. The former Countdown star is often putting on glamourous appearances on social media and on TV when she appears on the likes of This Morning.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Peacock and AEG have entered into a mutliyear agreement that will see major parts of LA Live in downtown Los Angeles renamed after the NBCUniversal streaming service. Starting July 11, the Microsoft Theater will be known as the Peacock Theater, while the Xbox Plaza outside will be renamed Peacock Place. The deal, which was brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, also makes Peacock the exclusive streaming partner of LA Live. “Like Peacock, L.A. Live is at the epicenter of premium original entertainment, exhilarating sports, one-of-a-kind experiences and extreme fandom,” said Kelly Campbell, president of Peacock and direct-to-consumer for NBCUniversal. “Through Peacock Theater and Peacock Place, we’ll have the opportunity to bring all the elements of our brand to life with the millions of fans who visit L.A. Live each year, while partnering with the incredible team at AEG to further cement Peacock as the ultimate destination for audiences.”

Naman Ramachandran Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri was presented with the Annecy International Film Festival’s lifetime accreditation Golden Ticket on Wednesday. In a surprise appearance, two-time Oscar nominee and Grammy-winning global superstar Pharrell Williams presented Meledandri with the festival’s honor. Meledandri is the creative producer behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the Despicable Me, Minions, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets franchises, and the upcoming action comedy, “Migration.” Williams, a longtime creative partner with Illumination, earned his first Academy Award nomination for his blockbuster song “Happy” from the studio’s “Despicable Me 2.”

The Prince of Wales has praised homeless charity Centrepoint’s new “stepping stone” housing development which aims to provide affordable rental flats for young people. William officially opened Reuben House, a block of 33 studio properties in south-east London, where rents are set at a third of a resident’s income, and hailed the initiative as “amazing”.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British actors Julia Ormond (“Ladies in Black”) and Lydia Page (“Blue Jean”) are set to soon appear in psychological horror movie “Home Education” directed by Italy’s Andrea Niada. Set in the scenic Sila plateau in Italy’s Southern Calabria region, “Home Education” revolves around a family that are followers of an esoteric cult and live in a secluded house deep in the woods. Warner Bros Entertainment Italia, Italy’s Indiana Production and BlackBox Multimedia are producing with support from the Calabria Film Commission. Germany’s SquareOne Productions is handling international sales. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film in Italian theaters.

Programs from Elliot Page’s production company and the team behind comedy Letterkenny are among Paramount+’s latest Canadian slate.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming Australian series “NCIS: Sydney” has found its leads and main cast. The series, which is currently in production, will follow “the brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) as they are grafted into a multi-national taskforce to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.” That team will be led by NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey, played by Olivia Swann (“Legends of Tomorrow,” “The River Wild”), and her AFP counterpart Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey, played by Todd Lasance (“Without Remorse,” “Spartacus: War of the Damned”).

EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw has revealed that Jay Brown is set to find friendship with an "unlikely person" in upcoming scenes. Lola Pearce, played by Danielle Harold, died last month after battling terminal brain cancer - leaving her husband, Jay, played by Jamie Borthwick, and young daughter, Lexi, heartbroken. Viewers of the BBC One soap had been dreading the episode for weeks, which came after hairdresser and mother of one, Lola, was diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer last year.

Jordan Roth is making a splash on the red carpet at the 2023 Tony Awards.