Apple renews ‘The Morning Show’ for Season 3

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Apple TV+ announced it has renewed ‘The Morning Show’ for a third season.  The Morning Show stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon as anchors of the fictional ‘The Morning Show.’  Mark Duplass plays the show’s producer, Billy Crudup a network executive and the supporting cast includes Karen Pittman, Desean Terry, Nestor Carbonell and Greta Lee.

Apple also announced Charlotte Stoudt would take over as showrunner in Season 3. Stoudt begins a multi-year deal with Apple with The Morning Show. Said Stoudt: “The cast, led by the phenomenal Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, are truly to die for. Kerry, Mimi and Michael, and the teams at Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films, have created an irresistible world that is equally delicious and provocative.”  Kerry Ehrin developed the series and will remain a consultant in Season 3, with Witherspoon and Aniston also serving as executive producers.

Crudup won an Emmy in 2020 for his role in the first season. The Morning Show also earned Golden Globe nominations for its first two seasons. Aniston won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Season 1.

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‘Emily in Paris’ renewed for Seasons 3 and 4 at Netflix

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Netflix has confirmed the renewal of “Emily in Paris’ for two additional seasons (Seasons 3 and 4), which will take the series through its fourth season.

Emily in Paris is created by Darren Star (Sex and the City, Younger) and stars Lily Collins as Emily Cooper, a 20-something American who moves to Paris for work. The show follows Emily’s personal and professional life in her new city. Collins celebrated the news in a post on Instagram: “I can’t tell if Emily would love or hate this announcement outfit but she’d be screaming either way. Truly love you all, thanks so much for the incredible support. Seriously cannot wait for more. Merci Beaucoup!!”

Emily in Paris premiered on Netflix in October 2020 and returned for a second season in December. Season 2 debuted in the Global Netflix Top 10.  Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Bruno Gouery, Camille Razat and William Abadie also star.

‘Emily In Paris’ Renewed For Seasons 3 & 4 At Netflix

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Walt Disney’s ‘Encanto’ soundtrack hits No.1 on Billboard 200 chart

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The soundtrack to the Walt Disney animated musical film ‘Encanto’ has hit No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.  The soundtrack jumped from 7-1 in its sixth week on the list, and is the first soundtrack to hit No.1 in more than two years, since Disney’s Frozen II sat atop the list for one week in Dec. 14, 2019.  Encanto earned 72,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 6. Streaming activity of the set’s songs drove the majority of that unit sum.

The Encanto soundtrack, with songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was released on November 19, before the film arrived in U.S. theaters on November 24. The movie was released via the Disney+ streaming service a month later. Additionally, Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” becomes the first Disney Animation song to hit the top five on the Hot 100 since Frozen’s “Let It Go.”   You can take a listen to “We Dont Talk About Bruno” – here.

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Pink, Twenty-One Pilots, Metallica and more to headline BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival

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The BottleRock Napa Valley music festival is scheduled to take place May 27-29 at the Napa Valley Expo, with Pink, Twenty-One Pilots and Metallica among the headliners of the three-day event.  Pitbull, Mount Westmore, and Luke Combs are also among the featured acts.

Along with the musical actds scheduled to perform on five stages, BottleRock Napa Valley features a culinary stage with celebrity chefs as well as food and drinks from the finest area restaurants, wineries and craft breweries.  BottleRock will follow all local and state health and safety guidelines in place at the time of the festival and will communicate such requirements to ticket holders before the festival.

You can check out the full lineup on the event’s official website.

For ticket information, head here.

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Sidney Poitier documentary in the works for Apple, executive-produced by Oprah Winfrey

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A documentary about Sidney Poitier is in the works at Apple with Oprah Winfrey serving as executive producer.  The documentary is an Apple Original Films release from Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Network Entertainment.

Poitier, who died last Thursday at age 94 in Beverly Hills, was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor for 1963’s Lilies of the Field and opened the door for other minority performers through his work in such films as In the Heat of the Night, To Sir With Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?.

The documentary has been under wraps and in production with the participation of the Poitier family for more than a year, according to sources.  Filmmaker Reggie Hudlin is signed on to direct the upcoming feature. Hudlin directed The Black Godfather, the 2019 documentary about music executive Clarence Avant for Netflix, and Marshall, the 2017 Thurgood Marshall biopic starring Chadwick Boseman for Open Road.

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Watch the new trailer for the dramatic reimagining of Fresh Prince titled ‘Bel-Air’

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‘Bel-Air,’ Peacock’s dramatic reimagining of the Will Smith 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has dropped a new trailer. Bel-Air is a new series inspired by Morgan Cooper’s 2019 viral YouTube video. Cooper, who’s credited on Bel-Air as director/co-writer/executive producer, said of the series:  “With this dramatic reimagining, we wanted to create a show that stands on its own while honoring the spirit and innovation of the original series. Because Bel-Air is a drama, we’re able to really peel back the layers of these characters and themes in a way that you simply couldn’t do 30 years ago in the half-hour sitcom format. We’re able to go have tough conversations that challenge perspectives. At its core, Bel-Air is a celebration of the Black experience through the perspective of a family.”

Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are producing the new take on the show through their Westbrook Studios. The one-hour drama stars Jabari Banks as Will, who’s left Philadelphia for a second chance.  The cast also features Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz, and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.

Bel-Air will premiere on Feb. 13; the date coincides with Super Bowl LVI, coverage of which will be available starting at 1 p.m. ET on the Peacock platform, as well as by way of NBC and Telemundo.  For its Peacock premiere, Bel-Air will release the first 3 episodes. Moving forward, new episodes will be made available on a weekly basis.

Take a look at the trailer for Bel-Air – here.

The Fresh Prince Gets A Second Chance In Dramatic ‘Bel-Air’ Trailer

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SZA shares the music video for “I Hate U”

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SZA has dropped the video for her hit song “I Hate U.” The single had been released on Soundcloud via an anonymous account in August 2021, and then made its official debut on streaming services last month. “I Hate U” went on to become the most-streamed R&B track by a female artist on Apple Music after only a week on the platform.

LaKeith Stanfield stars in the video clip, which features a picturesque coastal landscape and has Stanfield arguing on the phone, then shown solemnly walking across the beach while he contemplates his relationship.

Check out the video for “I Hate U” – here.

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Pussycat Dolls say they found out about cancelled tour via Nicole Scherzinger’s social media post

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The cancellation of Pussycat Dolls’ upcoming tour came as quite a surprise to fellow group members Carmit Bachar and Jessica Sutta, who say they first learned of the cancellation via Nicole Scherzinger’s Instagram post.

On Friday, Scherzinger shared the news via a statement on her personal account: “Thank you to everyone who had tickets to see PCD — we are so appreciative of your support and loyalty!  With the ever evolving circumstances surrounding the pandemic, I understand the decision that the tour dates had to be cancelled. I have invested a huge amount of time, creative energy and my own finances into bringing this project back to life, and while I’m naturally incredibly saddened by this decision, I am also very proud of what we were able to achieve in the short amount of time we had together before COVID.  I can’t put into words the amount of love, admiration and gratitude I have for the other girls in the group, and the fans that have supported us. Stay safe and healthy – Love and blessings.”

However group members Bachar, Sutta, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt, say they were shocked to hear the news. Sutta and Bachar claimed that Scherzinger did not share with them the decision to end the tour prior to her public statement, saying: “We want to say how incredibly disappointed we are to learn of an announcement made on Instagram that the Pussycat Dolls reunion tour is canceled. As of now, there has been no official notification of that. Either way, it seems as though it’s the end of a chapter to an incredible, life altering experience filled with some awesome memories that we will forever be grateful for. To the fans, we love you. Trust us, this is not the outcome we had hoped for. We wanted it as much as you because we appreciate you all so much and it hurts our hearts you had to wait so long for an answer, but unfortunately it’s out of our control.”  They concluded:  “Thank you to all the fans that supported us unconditionally and love us to no end. We will always honor the essence of what the true definition of being a Pussycat Doll is. This tour may have come to an end but it is not the end of the Dolls story. We created a sisterhood that will live on…”

The Pussycat Dolls reunited in 2019; however due to the coronavirus pandemic, both the tour and new music were sidelined. In 2021, Scherzinger was also sued by the group’s founder, Robin Antin, for alleged breach of contract.

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Comedian and star of “Full House” Bob Saget dies at age 65

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Comedian Bob Saget has died at 65. The star of “Full House” was found dead at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando on Sunday. The circumstances around Saget’s death are still unclear, however authorities said “no signs of foul play or drug use” were found. A statement read: “Earlier today, deputies were called to the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes for a call about an unresponsive man in a hotel room. The man was identified as Robert Saget & pronounced deceased on scene. Detectives found no signs of foul play or drug use in this case.”

Saget has been touring the country, and had just done a show in Jacksonville the night before. He tweeted early Sunday morning: “Loved tonight’s show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience. Thanks again to @RealTimWilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I’m happily addicted again to this s**t.”

Saget was best known for his role in “Full House” and was also the longtime host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” from 1989 to 1997. Other roles included “Entourage”, the narrator on “How I Met Your Mother” and many more. Saget is survived by his wife, Kelly Rizzo, and three daughters — Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer — whom he shared with his ex-wife, Sherri Kramer.

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Keanu Reeves to star in ‘The Devil in the White City’ series for Hulu

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Keanu Reeves is set to star in an episodic adaptation of Erik Larson’s best-selling crime story, The Devil in the White City, marking his first major TV role.  The Devil in the White City tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, the serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who acquired the rights to the book in 2010, will produce the project for Hulu with his longtime collaborator Martin Scorsese.  When DiCaprio first acquired the rights to the book, it was thought he would star in a feature-length film directed by Scorsese. However, in 2019 DiCaprio and Scorsese struck a deal with Hulu to reimagine the project as a limited series. At the time, the deal was said to be one of the expensive acquisitions in Hulu’s history.

Todd Field (Little Children, In the Bedroom) will direct the first two episodes of the series. Field and Sam Shaw (Castle Rock) are also on board as producers of the project.

Keanu Reeves In Talks To Star In Hulu’s Series Adaptation Of ‘The Devil In The White City’ From Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Todd Field & Sam Shaw

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