Lena Waithe Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: The Oscar nominated What’s Love Got to Do With It actress has boarded Netflix’s fantasy film Damsel, which also stars Millie Bobby Brown.

Cynthia Erivo made a big statement on the red carpet at the 2022 Grammy Awards on Sunday (April 3) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

lost ground in the never-ending battle for equality (and in fighting our own battles, as well). There were some strides, as “CODA,” a female-directed-and-written film took Best Picture and Jane Campion snagged Best Director (the third woman in 94 years) for “The Power of the Dog,” but the talk of every after-party on Sunday night wasn’t celebrating those achievements; instead, every conversation was about the two famous men and the one famous woman at the center of the storm.But Hollywood’s return to the party swirl had plenty of glitz and glamour as the week unfolded – and lots of love, too, overriding that violent interlude seen around the world.

Ramin Setoodeh Executive EditorIf Will Smith was feeling any remorse about slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night, he didn’t show it. The 53-year-old best actor winner, who took home the trophy for his performance in “King Richard,” arrived at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party just after midnight with a large entourage and immediately hit the dance floor.As the DJ played a medley of Smith’s biggest ’90s hits, the actor sang along to “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami” as he shimmied in the middle of a mosh pit of his fans at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, swinging his gold statue in the air.Will Smith is at the #VanityFairOscarParty dancing with his Oscar to ‘Gettin Jiggy With It.’ pic.twitter.com/PvKrRICQEN— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) March 28, 2022“It’s all about love,” Smith told Variety, when asked how he was doing.Just hours prior, Smith overshadowed the 94th Academy Awards when he stormed the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Halle Berry has a tall teenager on her hands! On Wednesday, the “Bruised” actress shared a rare photograph of her daughter in honour of her 14th birthday.

EXCLUSIVE: Hillman Grad Productions has named the 22 creatives selected for its second annual Mentorship Lab, geared toward uplifting marginalized creatives in film and television, which launches in Los Angeles on March 18, and will wrap up with a showcase event in October.

Angelique Jackson Hillman Grad, the multi-platform entertainment company founded by actor, producer and Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe, has promoted veteran executive Rishi Rajani to CEO.In his new role, Rajani will oversee all divisions across Hillman Grad, guide the company’s overall strategic and creative direction, and develop new business partnerships. Waithe will retain her position as founder and chair.Since joining the company in 2018 as president of film and television, Rajani has played a key role in furthering Hillman Grad’s mission to “create art that redefines the status quo by amplifying and celebrating the stories and voices of diverse, historically marginalized communities across all industries.” “Rishi Rajani has worked tirelessly to help make Hillman Grad what it is today,” stated Waithe, announcing the promotion.

Pixar, and their allies” obtained by Variety, employees of the animation studio allege that Disney corporate executives have demanded cuts from “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection … regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.”The stunning claim is part of a wider reaction to the company-wide memo sent to Disney  employees by CEO Bob Chapek on Monday regarding its response to the recently passed legislation in Florida known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In the memo, Chapek states that the “biggest impact” the company can make “in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce.” According to the Pixar letter, that claim is at odds with employees’ experience of trying to content with same-sex affection approved by Disney executives.“We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were,” the letter states.

Wilson Chapman editorFilm Independent has announced the presenters for the 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards.Kirsten Stewart (“Spencer”) will serve as the Spirit Awards honorary chair this year, in addition to being a presenter. Past honorary chairs for the Spirit Awards have included Shaka King, Lena Waithe, Ava DuVernay, Jessica Chastain and Ang Lee.Along with Stewart, Dianna Agron (“Shiva Baby”), Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Jennifer Beals (“The Book of Boba Fett”), Rosario Dawson (“Dopesick”), Daveed Diggs (“Snowpiercer”), Jay Duplass (“The Chair”), Mark Duplass (“Language Lessons”), Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Fresh”), Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”), Bridget Everett (“Somebody Somewhere”), Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick… Boom”), Regina Hall, (“Nine Perfect Strangers”), Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”), Marlee Matlin (“CODA”), Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Sam Richardson (“The Afterparty”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”), Sebastian Stan (“Pam and Tommy”), Sydney Sweeney (“Euphoria”), Taika Waititi (“Our Flag Means Death”), Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) and Chloé Zhao (“Eternals”) have been announced as presenters for this years show.

EXCLUSIVE:  Amazon Studios, Hillman Grad Productions, and Good Trouble Studios are partnering for the feature-length documentary Gifted & Black for Prime Video, Deadline has learned.

Sarah Jessica Parker, in partnership with independent publisher Zando, will launch her own imprint that will see the publishing of four to six books over a three-year span.

Leading job site Indeed, Emmy winner Lena Waithe (Master of None, Twenties) and her company Hillman Grad Productions have today named Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Shanrica Evans, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood and Urvashi Pathania as the 10 filmmakers selected for the second edition of their Rising Voices program.

Wilson Chapman editorLena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed have announced the 10 filmmakers selected for season two of Rising Voices, their initiative to support the work of filmmakers of color.Established last February, the program provides resources for BIPOC filmmakers across the United States to create a short film that will premiere at the Tribeca Festival, planned for June 8-19 in New York City.“Indeed’s Rising Voices not only levels the playing field for BIPOC creators in Hollywood by creating opportunities for individuals to be seen, heard and represented, but also empowers the next generation of storytellers, providing access to funding, on-site skill, career development and mentorship,” Waithe said in a statement. “Our continued mission at Hillman Grad Productions is to ensure that program mentees are truly set up for success as they continue to grow within their individual careers.” The ten selected filmmaker teams for the 2022 edition of Rising Voices are Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Shanrica Evans, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood and Urvashi Pathania.The finalists were selected from 900 applicants based on their submitted screenplays.

EXCLUSIVE: Emerging U.S. production company Marginal MediaWorks has attached Squid Game actor Anupam Tripathi to star in its upcoming scripted audio series Scammers.

Mary J. Blige, fresh off her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, will hit the stage to perform at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards, which airs live Saturday, February 26 on BET.

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.

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.

Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani’s development and production company Hillman Grad Productions has announced the return of its mentorship lab which offers support and opportunities to marginalized creatives.

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.

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.

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

There’s an all-new preview for Disney+’s upcoming series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” and it gives us our best look at some of the show’s queer characters yet.

John Legend's newest project brings him into the book business.Legend, Tony Award-winning producer Mike Jackson and Emmy Award-winner Ty Stiklorius are partnering with the publisher Zando for a new imprint, Get Lifted Books, an extension of the production company Get Lifted Film.Zando, an independent company founded last year by former Crown publisher Molly Stern, also has formed imprints with actor-producer Lena Waithe and “Gone Girl” novelist Gillian Flynn.“Get Lifted Film Co.

Leading job site Indeed announced today that it is extending its partnership with Emmy winner Lena Waithe (Master of None, Twenties) and her company Hillman Grad productions to further invest in BIPOC filmmakers via the Rising Voices initiative. Heading into the second cycle of the program established in February, it will triple its original investment, pouring $3 million into another filmmaker residency program, as part of its commitment to bolstering underrepresented talent and their stories.

When talking about the greatest sports documentaries of all time, there’s no denying 1994’s “Hoop Dreams” would rank very highly. Honestly, many would consider Steve James’ basketball film one of the best docs, period.

Lena Waithe has signed a big exclusive overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. The studio landed the producer, actor and Emmy-winning writer and her Hillman Grad Productions in a very competitive situation.

BET has renewed Tyler Perry’s Sistas for a fourth season.

Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington are honoring the iconic Rita Moreno!

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterVariety has a first look at “Twenties After-Show With B. Scott,” a new companion series attached to BET’s original series “Twenties” from Lena Waithe.Announced in March, the show elevates media personality B.

Halle Berry is wishing her son a happy birthday.

NEW YORK -- “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn is a familiar name on bestseller lists, but her personal reading tastes run to books most haven't heard about.“I start every conversation about books with 'What's the weirdest things you've read this year? What's the book that you read and later thought, what the hell was that? What an interesting, quirkly little book,'" she told The Associated Press during a recent Zoom interview.Flynn will now be using her judgment in a more official role.

Zando, the independent publisher with a stated mission to collaborate with influential creators, authors, platforms, and institutions to acquire and publish titles under their own imprints, has named Lena Waithe and Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn as its first founding publishing partners.