Freestyle Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

AJ Tracey has officially released ‘Seoul’, a track he first debuted during a freestyle for New York rap show On The Radar.The London rapper went viral last month when he stopped by On The Radar to visit host Gabe P, and the freestyle that ensued – produced by MDS X Larry – caught the attention of fans, many of whom urged Tracey to release it in full.“I told bro, ‘Let it go’ and I meant it/ I don’t care if this car gets dented/ I paid full price and this star ain’t rented,” Tracey raps on the song’s chorus.

EXCLUSIVE: Dear Producer has set Liz Cardenas (7 Days), Megan Gilbride (Tower), Sabrina Schmidt Gordon (To the End) and Avril Z. Speaks (Jinn) as the recipients of its inaugural Dear Producer Award, recognizing excellence in independent producing.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to a pair of coming-of-age dramas: writer-director Alana Waksman’s debut feature We Burn Like This, and writer-director Anna Matz’s first feature, Love You Anyway. The digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group plans to release both titles across internet and satellite platforms on June 28.

EXCLUSIVE: Dallas Roberts (Big Sky), Arden Myrin (Orange Is the New Black) and Harvey Guillén (Reacher) have signed on to star in the comedy Road Dogs, from Bustled Knuckle Productions and Residue Remains Productions, which goes into production in Minnesota this summer.

Brandy has delivered a rapid-fire freestyle over the Fergie-sampling beat for Jack Harlow‘s hit ‘First Class’, a fortnight after joking that she would “murk [Harlow] in rap”.Earlier this month, Harlow appeared on New York radio station Hot 97 and, during an on-air game, wasn’t able to identify Brandy’s 1998 track ‘Angel In Disguise’ (from her hit second album, ‘Never Say Never’). That’s despite hosts Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez and Peter Rosenberg giving him hints, one of which led to Harlow revealing he didn’t know Brandy and Ray J were siblings.After the footage went viral, Brandy tweeted that she would “murk this dude in rap at 43 on his own beats then sing [his] ass to sleep”.

EXCLUSIVE: James DuMont (The Righteous Gemstones), Christopher James Baker (Ozark), Manny Galan (City on a Hill), Juvian Marquez (Power Book II: Ghost) and Anirudh Pisharody (9-1-1) will round out the cast of the thriller Unit 234, from director Andy Tennant, which is currently in production in the Cayman Islands. The quintet will star alongside previously announced cast members including Isabelle Fuhrman, Don Johnson and Jack Huston.

EXCLUSIVE: LeToya Luckett (Greenleaf), Romeo Miller (Honey) and Keith David (Greenleaf) have signed on to star in the film A Miracle Before Christmas, from writer-director LazRael Lison (#Unknown).

EXCLUSIVE: Miki Ishikawa (The Falcon And The Winter Soldier), Sierra McCormick (American Horror Stories) and Nick Sagar (The Princess Switch) have signed on to star in the indie horror-drama, I Don’t Want to Drink Your Blood Anymore, from writer-director Andrew Sullivan (Bokeh).

EXCLUSIVE: Concord Originals has partnered with Outfest Fusion to launch a one-of-a-kind short film financing and IP licensing initiative, in support of up-and-coming LGBTQIA+ filmmakers of color.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Walter Hill was honored with a Tribute Ceremony in France on Tuesday evening, which marked the opening night of the International Thriller Film Festival – Reims Polar.

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max has acquired streaming rights to the family film Brie‘s Bake Off Challenge, from writer-director Emily Aguilar, for release today.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has a new trailer for Alaskan Nets, a sports documentary executive produced by Chris Pratt and his production company Invisible Productions that Good Deed Entertainment is releasing on digital and VOD on April 8.

Just in time for SXSW, Byron Allen’s Digital Freestyle Releasing has promoted Bill Vergos to Head of Digital Film Distribution. He had been VP Operations & Sales since 2015.

EXCLUSIVE: Chaz Bono (American Horror Story) and Bonnie Aarons (The Nun) have signed on to star alongside Randy Couture, Reid Miller, Mike Manning, Kathleen Kenny and Cathy Marks in the action-horror pic The Bell Keeper, from director Colton Tran (Snow Falls).

EXCLUSIVE: Tony Amendola (Stargate SG-1) will topline Rough Magic: Exit Shakespeare, a new film from veteran TV director Andy Wolk (The Practice) and Silver Spring Road Films that has recently wrapped production.

EXCLUSIVE: Police officer turned video game writer and technical director Morley Nelson (MIB: Alien Crisis, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct) is currently in production in Minnesota on Uncontained, a horror-thriller that he is directing from his original screenplay.

EXCLUSIVE: Indican Pictures has acquired One Moment, a family comedy starring the late Danny Aiello, with plans to release it in theaters in May and on VOD in July.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to the narrative documentary Acting: The First Six Lessons, written by and starring Beau Bridges and his daughter Emily Bridges. The digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios plans to release the drama across VOD platforms on March 8.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to the narrative documentary Acting: The First Six Lessons, written by and starring Beau Bridges and his daughter Emily Bridges, as well as to the Batman-themed feature documentary Batman and Me, from director Michael Wayne. The digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios plans to release both titles across VOD platforms on March 8.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to Double Play, the latest feature from award-winning filmmaker Ernest Dickerson (DMZ, Juice). The digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios will release the film, based on Curaçaoan author Frank Martinus Arion’s internationally acclaimed Dutch-language novel Dubbelspel, on digital and VOD platforms on February 22.

EXCLUSIVE: WWE star Natalie Eva Marie is set to star alongside Randy Couture, Neal McDonough, former WWE tag team champion Oleg Prudius, Bai Lin and former UFC Lightweight champion Rashad Evans in Phoenix Rises, an action-thriller from Tadross Media Group, Bulldog Brothers Entertainment and director Daniel Zirilli that has entered production in Miami.

Talented freestyle rapper Harry Mack stops by “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Tuesday to show off his incredible rapping skills.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has the first trailer and teaser scene from Patrick Longstreth’s documentary Iron Family, which is set to make its world premiere at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: Indie production company Thornbyrd Films has launched production on Healed, a psychological thriller starring Guinevere Turner (American Psycho), Shantell Yasmine Abeydeera (The Influencer), Emily Goss (Snapshots), Benjamin Barrett (The Politician) and Todd Lowe (True Blood), which has been awarded the coveted ReFrame Stamp from the Sundance Institute and Women in Film for gender-balanced hiring.

EXCLUSIVE: Rebecca Eskreis has signed on to direct ClearMind, a thriller about the dark side of Virtual Reality therapy and the slippery slope of using simulated life to avenge the real.

The death of Young Dolph last month shook the world of hip-hop, and prompted many rappers to share heartfelt tributes to the Memphis icon. On Wednesday, Kevin Gates paid homage to Dolph with a freestyle over the instrumental to Dolph's 2021 single "Talking to My Scale." The track is classic Gates: fierce bars with an accountant's meticulousness documenting the drug trade, his life of luxury, mental health struggles, and sexual conquests.

EXCLUSIVE: Noble Story Co. has secured the rights to New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews’ The Heart Mender, with plans to develop it for film.

EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired U.S.

Dancing With the Stars' finale on November 22, beating out and Jenna Johnson, who were the favorites to win. It was a historic night all around. Shumpert made history as the first to win the show, and and Johnson were the competition's first same-sex pairing. So what tipped the scales in Shumpert's favor? His incredible freestyle dance, which he performed to hit song “Lose Control.” Guest judge Julianne Hough called it her favorite DWTS freestyle ever.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has your first look at Six Days to Die, the second film in a sci-fi western trilogy series by Matt Campagna, which he wrote, directed, shot and edited.