Role Call: Tina Turner Is Still Viva La Money With New BMG Deal

The NAACP and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) have announced their multiyear collaborative project titled, the “Reimagine Coalition,” which focuses on dismantling the industrywide lack of diversity in entertainment and media. Per a press release provided to The Root, the Reimagine Coalition aims to achieve three things:

• Ensuring visibility of projects from artists of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds;
• Increasing diverse representation in the industry;
• Building pathways to inclusion for young artists and journalists of color.

They plan to achieve this by funding scholarships, grants, internships and fellowships for young Black people interested in the industry. The HFPA has also committed to creating jobs and employment opportunities for people of color, working specifically with the Nigerian film industry and African diaspora cinema as well as working with the NAACP to restore, preserve and digitize Black films, as well as “historically significant NAACP footage throughout the course of the organization’s 112-year history.”

The mind that brought us Girls Trip, Night School, The Photograph, Think Like a Man Too, Straight Outta Compton and Stomp the Yard, has been tapped to host the 2022 Oscars. This is Will Packer’s first time producing the Oscars, which will air live on ABC on March 27, 2022, according to The Academy’s official website. Last year’s Oscar viewings were down by 51 percent according to Variety, so Packer’s arrival to the Oscar’s stage will hopefully bring the broadcast’s views back up to pre-pandemic numbers.

“Will is a powerhouse producer who has enjoyed success across all movie genres. He’s already bringing boundless energy and a focus on innovation to this year’s Oscars, to entertain the widest spectrum of fans. Many wonderful surprises ahead!” said Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.

Emmy award-winning writer and creator Lena Waithe has just landed a multi-project deal with Amazon’s Audible—and the first story has already been greenlit.

The scripted comedy project, created in collaboration with Rishi Rajani, follows the story of Emmy nominated actress/comedian, Kym Whitley as she navigates motherhood—single motherhood—and Hollywood. Kym is the first original project that has been given the greenlight under this new collaboration. Hillman Grad Production’s deal with Audible follows the heels of other high-profile celebrity signings with Audible, including Queen Latifah, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Kenya Harris.

“Lena is a supremely gifted storyteller with a proven ability to capture the human experience in all its complexity through her work,” said Zola Mashariki, head of Audible Studios, in a press release. “Along with her company, Hillman Grad Productions, she elevates diverse voices and creates art that challenges convention.”

Shaka King’s first professional directing gig was for an FX shoot, and now years later, he has inked a first-look deal with the production’s new television branch, I’d Watch That. The Judas and the Black Messiah director and his partner, Brandon Harris, will help form TV series under this new deal. King has writing and directing credits for HBO, Hulu and TBS, but has typically only participated with a few episodes, so the new deal with FX Productions will most likely give the Oscar-nominated writer/director a new creative platform.

“My first professional directing gig was shooting a pilot presentation for FX, and I’ve been trying to get back in the fold ever since,” said King. “Our tastes, quite simply, align. I’m so excited to see what Brandon, myself, and the folks over there are able to cook up.”

Blair Underwood will be reprising his role as Jonathan Rollins in the newly ordered pilot of L.A. Law. The sequel has been in the works since December 2020 and has been moving slowly over the past 10 months. The pilot was written and executive produced by lawyer Marc Guggenheim and Ubdah Mohammed per Deadline.

The sequel will focus on a “new generation of lawyers” who all work under Rollins, and if the pilot goes to series, viewers can hope to see other original cast members making a reprisal of their roles. The original L.A. Law ran for eight seasons and won a total of 15 Emmys. In 2002, the franchise had a reunion movie, so the chances of the show going to series are increasingly good.

“We are working with brilliant, brilliant people and I think we’re going to get it to the world,” Jesse Bochco, son of L.A. Law creator Steven Bochco and current producer of the sequel, said.

RuPaul is continuing to solidify his place in the Hollywood space.

Deadline reports that the Emmy-winning host has landed a first-look scripted deal with Sony Pictures Television. Under this new agreement, RuPaul will “focus on telling queer, character-driven stories, centered around his signature brand of positivity, empowerment, humor, and music. The company will develop drama, comedy, and animated projects across all platforms.”

“Not only I am thrilled and honored to join the Sony Pictures Television family, but I’m also extremely grateful for the opportunity to tell unique stories that push the conversation forward,” RuPaul said.

Prior to this deal, RuPaul made history as the record-holding Black creative with the most Emmys ever—with a whopping 11 wins.

Renegade Dance creator and TikTok Star Jalaiah Harmon will be the center of an upcoming series on the new media platform, TOGETHXR.

Per a press release sent to The Root, I Am Jalaiah will follow the 16-year-old creative in the aftermath of how her life changed following the viral sensation and will “highlight the constant struggles Black creators go through to gain the attention and credit for their work compared to their peers.” The series will be housed on YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat stories and is being produced by TOGETHXR, a new media and commerce company founded by professional athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Sue Bird. Created specifically for Gen Z and young Millennial women, “TOGETHXR is where culture, activism, lifestyle, sports and badassery converge.”

I Am Jalaiah premieres Wednesday, Oct. 13.