Video Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Peter White Television EditorMegan Suri, who starred in Fresh Off The Boat, has joined Netflix comedy Never Have I Ever.Suri joins the series, which stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, as Aneesa, a new Indian student at Sherman Oaks High, whose confidence and radiance will pose an immediate threat to Ramakrishnan’s Devi.She previously starred in ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat, playing Preity Zinta’s daughter in what was planned as the backdoor pilot for The Magic Motor Inn.

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorFormer champion Ken Jennings will be the first of several guest hosts on Jeopardy! when it resumes production at the end of the month. It will be the first episodes shot on the game show since longtime host Alex Trebek died earlier this month after a long fight against pancreatic cancer at age 80.Jennings earlier this year claimed the title of Jeopardy!’s “Greatest of All Time” in a series of primetime matches.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorJoe Rohde, a 40-year veteran of Walt Disney Imagineering, will retire on January 4 after a career designing a range of popular attractions at the company’s parks and resorts.Rohde confirmed the news in a lengthy Instagram post. (Read it below.) After turning 65 in September, Rohde said he decided “this strange quiet time seems like a great opportunity to slip away without too much disruption.”Disney’s theme parks have had a tumultuous 2020 due to COVID-19.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorStocks in U.S. movie theater circuits AMC and Cinemark staged rallies today after more positive COVID-19 vaccine news as well as a new financial lifeline for Cineworld.The UK-based Cineworld, parent of Regal Cinemas, said it secured a $450 million credit facility and an overall infusion of $750 million.

David Robb Labor EditorCraig Miller will receive the WGA West’s 2020 Animation Writers Caucus Animation Writing Award in recognition of his distinguished career and contributions to the animation field.

Peter White Television EditorFormer ESPN star Jemele Hill is moving into scripted television and has teamed with Gabrielle Union to develop a half-hour comedy series about Black women with financial independence.New Money, which is based on a story from Hill and The Undefeated journalist Kelley Carter, who run Lodge Freeway Media, is in development at Showtime.The series is produced by Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions and Sony Pictures TV, where Union’s firm is under a first look deal.Being

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorYoung Rock, the upcoming NBC series inspired by the life of Dwayne Johnson, has started in on production in Queensland, Australia, Universal Television said Monday. The division of Universal Studio Group is producing the series, which will chronicle Johnson’s formative years.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerEXCLUSIVE: Sam Pollard has been tapped to direct The League, a documentary centered on the tumultuous journey of Negro league baseball.

Dino-Ray Ramos editorEXCLUSIVE: Sundance Institute has named the talented group of filmmakers that have been selected for the third class of Momentum Fellows.The full-year program is a new collaboration with NBCUniversal that gives customized creative and professional support for mid-career writers and directors from underrepresented communities who are poised to take the next step in their careers in fiction and documentary filmmaking.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorToday we learned why Bad Bunny missed Sunday night’s planned performance at the American Music Awards. The reggaeton star’s rep said today that he has tested positive for Covid-19.The Puerto Rican rapper, whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, had been scheduled to perform “Dákiti” — the international hit single he recorded with Jhay Cortez — during the trophy show but canceled without offering an explanation.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorNeil Patrick Harris will be joining in on the fun with Lionsgate’s Nicolas Cage action satire The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The Emmy and Tony winning actor will star alongside Cage, who plays himself, as well as already announced cast Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish and Sharon Horgan.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterABC’s telecast of the annual American Music Awards on Sunday with Taraji P. Henson as host was the latest awards show that implemented socially distanced and COVID-friendly production parameters to deliver live performances.

Peter White Television EditorDee Harris-Lawrence, who is co-showrunner of CBS legal drama All Rise, is staying in the Warner Bros. family after striking an overall deal with the studio.Harris-Lawrence, who is also showrunner of OWN’s David Makes Man, has closed an exclusive multi-year deal with the company – first studio overall pact.She came on board All Rise, which is produced by Warner Bros.

Peter White Television EditorEXCLUSIVE: Sam Palmer is a former electrician who moved into the LA super-mansion built by Aaron and Candy Spelling after he became engaged to Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone.His life, and work as a home staffing expert, is now set to be the subject of a docuseries being developed by Renowned Films, the producers behind Bravo’s Backyard Envy and BET’s Copwatch America, and Critical Content.Palmer runs Staffing Properties, a concierge service designed to find

Peter White Television EditorRavi Ahuja, who is president of business operations and chief financial officer at Walt Disney Television, is stepping down.Ahuja, who was formerly CFO of Fox Networks Group, took the position after Disney’s acquisition of Fox.“I regrettably am writing to you today to share that Ravi Ahuja has decided to leave the Company to seek out a new adventure.  This is a big loss for me personally and our Company, but I wish Ravi nothing but the best.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmErnest Cline’s Ready Player Two sequel novel launches November 24 in the U.S. and UK.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorEXCLUSIVE: Hulu has struck an eight-figure deal for U.S.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos are right now announcing that Netflix will boost its presence in the state by expanding its ABQ Studios and committing to an additional $1 billion in production spending.The Studio expansion will add 300 acres to the company’s existing studios, located in Albuquerque’s Mesa Del Sol area.

Pete Hammond Awards Columnist/Chief Film CriticGeorge Clooney has a unique distinction when it comes to Oscar history.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterCinemas in England have been given the green light to re-open next week when a four-week country-wide lockdown comes to an end on December 2.Culture secretary Olive Dowden confirmed on Twitter that indoor performances will be allowed to resume with numbers capped at 1,000 and 50% venue capacity (whichever is lower), but this will be restricted in certain areas of the country.England is re-entering a tiered lockdown system, similar to what it employed before

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticDespite what you may have read, The Right Girl is not a musical about Harvey Weinstein.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorThe H Collective (Brightburn) is teaming with Breaking Bad exec producer and Rain Man producer Mark Johnson on coming-of-age film The Vineyard, which will be directed by Mark Steven Johnson (Love Guaranteed) from Tory Kamen’s script.“Foodie drama” The Vineyard will follow an American teenager whose life is uprooted when she unexpectedly moves to Italy to live with a grandfather she never knew existed. Pic is due to get underway in Italy in

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorUniversal’s domestic release of Simon King’s directorial The 355 is jumping from its MLK 2021 weekend release to MLK weekend Jan. 14, 2022.While Universal has committed a number of fresh wide releases during the pandemic to exhibition during Q4, i.e.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorLine Of Duty, the BBC’s widely acclaimed police drama, has wrapped filming on Season 6 after an 82-day shoot and a five-month enforced hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.Creator Jed Mercurio tweeted that the World Productions show had wrapped on Monday evening.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorSubscription streaming outlet AMC+ has launched on Roku, expanding its distribution reach to the No. 1 U.S.