Berlanti Productions’ Erika Kennair to Head Malala Yousafzai’s Extracurricular Production Company (EXCLUSIVE)

XTR, the global nonfiction entertainment studio behind the Oscar-nominated documentary “Ascension,” has hired Abazar Khayami as head of studio. Khayami, who previously served as head of content at NTWRK, will oversee feature documentaries including development, production and execution and shepherd the dozens of films already in the company’s pipeline, the studio said Wednesday.“We are thrilled that Abazar has come on to lead XTR’s production studio during a moment of tremendous growth for the company,” said Kathryn Everett, XTR co-founder and head of film.

Luke Bryan enjoys a close and often hilarious relationship with his American Idol co-judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry.MORE: Luke Bryan's five children and their mothers – and the heartfelt story behind his family unitIn a new interview with Good Morning America, the country superstar opened up about his relationship with Katy in the run-up to her Las Vegas residency and how that extended to her fiancé Orlando Bloom.WATCH: Chayce Beckham wins American Idol 2021"Anything Katy does, she sends stuff to create more anxiety," he said to the amusement of GMA hosts Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, who could be heard laughing in the background."She's like 'Wow. Big stage, be ready','Wow, get ready for the dry air of Las Vegas', I'm like 'Katy!'" he joked.MORE: Katy Perry reveals wedding news after claims she secretly wed Orlando BloomHowever, he revealed that there was nothing but love between the two, perhaps veering on being closer than you'd expect when Orlando comes into the mix."Me and her, even as years have gone, we have an even more fun friendship and a great working relationship," he gushed about the Firework singer.A post shared by Good Morning America (@goodmorningamerica)Luke joked about Katy being "jealous" of his relationship with Orlando BloomHe then added: "She's really a little jealous because she believes Orlando kind of…might have a little man crush on me. "Because Orlando came to Nashville and I had all these outdoor activities planned for him.

Nadya Suleman, a.k.a. “Octomom,” celebrated her octuplets’ 13th birthday this week. The proud mom took her eight youngest children — Nariyah, Isaiah, Maliyah, Jeremiah, Noah, Josiah, Jonah, and Makai — to a bowling alley, and then to a park, in Laguna Niguel, California to celebrate them reaching the milestone birthday. Photos, which can be seen HERE, show Nadya and the octuplets gathered together and smiling while holding bowling balls at the first celebratory event. The eight kids are truly so grown up — it’s crazy that they are now teenagers!

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.

Miles Davis for a year in 1968, died today (February 9) of natural causes, close friend Danielle Maggio confirmed to Rolling Stone.Davis’ self-titled debut album arrived in 1973, which she then followed up the following year with ‘They Say I’m Different’. Her third and final studio album, ‘Nasty Gal’, was released in 1975.Though not commercially successful at their time of release, Davis’ music has gone on to be hugely influential in funk circles in the decades to follow.Born Betty Mabry, she appeared on the cover of Miles Davis’ 1968 album ‘Filles de Kilimanjaro’, and was the inspiration behind his song ‘Mademoiselle Mabry’.“RIP Betty Davis, the original (and only) nasty gal, famed for being one of music’s greatest muses, but more importantly, one of the funkiest to ever do it,” journalist and author Jeff Weiss wrote in tribute to Davis.“Her first 3 solo records are sleazy, soulful and raw.

Spotify streams of Little Simz‘ music have soared over 350 per cent following her appearance at this year’s BRIT Awards.The rapper, who released her last album, ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, back in September, won the award for Best New Artist at last night’s (February 8) ceremony at London’s The O2. She also performed a medley of her tracks ‘Introvert’ and ‘Woman’.Her massive night has since prompted a huge spike in Spotify streams in comparison to other BRITs winners including Adele, Silk Sonic, Ed Sheeran, Dave and Sam Fender.There was a 812 per cent increase in streams of ‘Introvert’ and a 594 per cent spike for ‘Woman’, equating to a 365 per cent jump overall.Elsewhere, Adele, who took home three BRITs last night (Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year), saw a 137 per cent increase in Spotify streams following the awards, while Dave’s streams went up by 217 per cent. Fender’s music saw a 79 per cent jump.“As ever, the BRITs showed the incredible breadth of talent being fostered here in the UK, across every genre of music,” Tom Connaughton, managing director of Spotify UK and Ireland, said in a statement (via Rolling Stone UK).

Families of the 22 who died in the Manchester Arena bombing have reacted with anger and dismay after a second act of vandalism at a memorial for their lost loved ones.

Former Manchester City and England striker Trevor Sinclair has compared Manchester United youngster James Garner with club icon David Beckham.

A taxi driver was taken to hospital with a head injury after he was attacked in a back street in Cheetham Hill on Tuesday evening.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorHollywood is about to stampede into Middle Earth. An array of movie, merchandising, gaming and live event rights to “Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” and other titles from author J.R.R. Tolkien are coming up for auction now that the Saul Zaentz Co.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorLifetime’s newest reality show, “Leave It To Geege,” sees Geege Taylor, a single mom and breast cancer survivor, on a mission to help other people on their journey of raising an autistic child.The show debuted on Lifetime in January and from Feb. 10 will be transitioning from linear to digital, starting with a two-episode drop followed by weekly episodes rolling out on mylifetime.com, the Lifetime app and VOD.Taylor, whose 19-year-old son Pootie was diagnosed with autism as a young child, says she had first wanted to open her doors to TV cameras over seven years ago.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSteve Yockey, the creator and co-showrunner of HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” has developed a new dark comedy series that has gotten a script to series order at Fox.The single-camera project is titled “Cindy Snow.” The series follows the title character, who is the most popular local meteorologist in Savannah, GA. But behind the cameras, she’s — not nice. When a freak head injury at work triggers surreal glimpses of the future, Cindy’s life quickly unspools.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs the Prince estate moves forward after years of confusion following the singer’s 2016 death, the six heirs are divided into two camps: the three siblings who sold their interests to Primary Wave, and the three who have retained their holdings.With the value of the estate recently determined at $156.4 million, the two parties are now establishing a structure for how to work together. In a ruling on Tuesday, a Minnesota judge decided against Primary Wave’s proposal to create a single holding company.

Find out what happened to Louis Tomlinson – Just Jared Jr Someone majorly dissed Meghan Markle – Celebitchy Did you see who is joining the Barbie film!? – Popsugar Find out the coolest Uncharted stunt that Tom Holland performed – Just Jared Jr

Brooke Shields goes topless in Jordache’s Spring 2022 campaign.

Margot Robbie. Robbie will play Barbie and Gosling will play Ken, but it is not yet known which role Ferrera will play.Gerwig wrote the screenplay, along with her partner Noah Baumbach, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. This will be Gerwig’s third feature film following her debut, “Lady Bird,” and her adaptation of “Little Women,” both of which scored Best Picture nominations at the Oscars.Executive producers are Josey McNamara for LuckyChap Entertainment.

Bobby Brown has not one, but two new projects coming to A&E. The R&B icon is at the center of the two-part documentary,, and unscripted series, .According to the network, the new documentary will give fans a personal look at the musician’s “journey to superstardom and the fallout from his personal struggles with sobriety and the tragic deaths of his two children and first wife, Whitney Houston.”In addition to Brown, the documentary features new interviews with friends, family as well as Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Keith Sweat, Babyface, New Edition’s Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe and Johnny Gill. “Good or bad, I give you raw and authentic me being me,” the singer says in the trailer.

Quentin Tarantino's wife, Daniella, is pregnant with their second child together. A rep for the director confirmed the happy news to ET on Wednesday.The 58-year-old director and his 38-year-old wife — who's a singer and model, and the daughter of Israeli singer-songwriter Tzvika Pick — are already parents to their 1-year-old son, Leo, whom they welcomed in February 2020.

Kim Kardashian knows that her younger sister Khloé Kardashian is a great ambassador for SKIMS, and Khloé knows that supporting her sister’s brand is another way to showcase her love. Therefore, the 37-year-old reality tv personality took to social media to show her curves in a skin-tight brown bodysuit from the shapewear line.The former Keeping Up with the Kardashians star didn’t layer the outfit and opted for a sleek look.

El Gordo y la Flaca. “He had a great time, and he wants to do it more.

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WUSA9 reports, Antionne ‘Bugzie The Don’ Brodnax pled guilty in October to four counts including unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.According to court documents seen by the Washington Post, Brodnax admitted to law enforcement officers that he was present inside the Capitol on January 6, but purely to take photos and videos for a music video he was already in Washington, D.C. to shoot.He was then arrested on March 11 after authorities were alerted to the artwork for his album ‘The Capital’, which sees him sat on a truck in front of the Capitol building as the riots unfolded.As reported on Twitter by WUSA9‘s Jordan Fischer this week (February 7), the DOJ wants Brodnax to serve 21 months behind bars, owing to his previous criminal history and because he was on probation at the time of the January 6 riots.DOJ, asking for 21 months for Antionne "Bugzie the Don" Brodnax, says the sentence is warranted by his extensive criminal history.

NME were interviewing Tom Grennan at the BRIT Awards last night, when Celebrity Juice host Keith Lemon interrupted to deliver a rap and suggest a collab. Watch our full video interview with the pair above.The singer-songwriter was in attendance at the London ceremony last night where he was nominated for Song Of The Year for ‘Little Bit Of Love’, as well as Best Rock/Alternative Act.While discussing the success of the single, we were met with Leigh Francis, aka Keith Lemon, who told us a little bit about their friendship.“Well he’s been on Celebrity Juice and at first we didn’t know each other.

contacting influential people in Texas’ political circles as part of his “true consideration” for a gubernatorial run.The True Detective star stated in November that he would not run for Texas governor, however, despite being the leading candidate in a round of polls at the time.In a new interview with Fox News Digital published today (February 9), McConaughey spoke about his disillusionment with “blue or red flag pole” discourse, promoting a bipartisan approach.The actor attributed a “loss of values” within “people on both sides of the aisle” to intense rivalry between Democrats and Republicans in the US, arguing that “their whole identities almost sometimes seems to be based on the invalidation of the other, instead of the validation of their own vision.”“Now I know, and I think we all know that, in the long run, that’s not the way forward,” he added.In his statement posted back in November, McConaughey didn’t rule out a potential political run in the future. “As a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas, it never occurred to me that I would one day be considered for political leadership,” he said.“It’s a humbling and inspiring path to ponder.

Kanye «Ye» West's marriage and now split from Kim Kardashian has dominated much of the last decade of his life, the 40-year-old reality star and their family together do not feature predominantly in Kanye's new Netflix documentary trilogy, . ET's Lauren Zima spoke with the film's directors, Clarence «Coodie» Simmons and Chike Ozah about why the makeup mogul was mostly omitted from the footage surrounding the 44-year-old rapper's life. «I say if you wanna know more about the Kardashians, you can watch them on whatever network that is, but I feel like this family through my lens, through my perspective of being with Kanye, of all of us helping to get him where he is through fam or through, you know, it was a village of people that got him there, and I wasn't around with Kim Kardashian and the family,» Coodie, who has known Kanye for decades, explained to ET. Coodie was friends with Kanye at a young age and began recording footage with the «Praise God» emcee back in 1998. The first two installments of the trilogy take place ahead of the release of Kanye's hit 2004 album,, while the third follows him in his later years.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Debris” has been canceled after one season at NBC, Variety has learned.The news comes shortly after the first season finale, which aired on May 24. In the series, when wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft scatters across the Western Hemisphere, it soon becomes apparent the pieces are messing with the laws of physics, changing lives in ways we can’t comprehend.

Erika Kennair, former SVP of development at Berlanti Productions, has moved to Malala Yousafzai’s production company Extracurricular as President of Production. This marks Extracurricular’s first hire since the company signed an original programming deal with Apple TV+ in March. In her new role, Kennair will work closely with Malala to oversee development and production to deliver a wide range of stories that connect, inspire and unite global audiences.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“WandaVision” head writer Jac Schaeffer has signed a three-year overall deal TV deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Television.Under the deal, Schaeffer will develop projects for both Marvel Studios and 20th Television. Projects for Marvel Studios will go to Disney Plus, while projects for 20th TV will be developed for all platforms.Schaeffer created “WandaVision” for television and also served as head writer and executive producer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeter Murrieta has signed a first-look deal with Universal Television, Variety has learned exclusively.Under the deal, Murrieta will develop original content for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. He was previously an executive producer on “Mr.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIn a competitive situation, Blumhouse Television and Maniac Productions have secured the rights to the BBC Radio 4 podcast “The Battersea Poltergeist.”The two companies will now work to develop a scripted series, with the podcast serving as the basis for the first season. In addition, they will develop an unscripted companion series titled “Blumhouse’s Ghost Story.” Blumhouse TV and Maniac have also secured the life rights of Shirley Hitchings, who was the subject of the longest documented poltergeist haunting in history.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAngela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance’s Bassett Vance Productions is teaming with MTV Entertainment Studios and writer Nathan Alan Davis on a limited series about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Variety has learned exclusively.News of the series comes just before the 100 year anniversary of the massacre, which left hundreds of Black people dead and entire homes and businesses destroyed.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCliff “Method Man” Smith and his manager, Shauna Garr, have teamed to form the production company Six AM, An Entertainment Co., Variety has learned exclusively.Six AM will aim to produce a diverse range of content for untold points of view for audiences of all ages. The company will specialize in projects distributed via streaming, social media platforms ,and other relevant technologies alongside traditional television and theatrical releases.Their first project, “How High 3,” recently sold to Universal 1440 with the goal of reuniting Method Man and Redman, who starred in the first film.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRebecca Ferguson will star in a series adaptation of Hugh Howey’s “Wool,” which has been ordered to series at Apple.“Wool” is a set in a ruined and toxic future where a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“The Wheel of Time” series at Amazon has been renewed for Season 2 just as production is ending on Season 1, Variety has learned.Based on the Robert Jordan novel series, “The Wheel of Time” was first ordered at Amazon back in 2018. Set in a world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers.