‘Leverage’: Production Underway On IMDb TV Series Reboot In Louisiana

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese streaming video platform iQiyi has announced plans to raise $285 million from a private placing of shares, part of which will be taken up by parent company Baidu.The move comes in the same week that the NASDAQ-listed company said it was suspending its weekend live broadcasts of English Premier League football (soccer) due to the sport’s public displays of solidarity with Ukraine.iQiyi is understood to have informed the Premier League that it would be removing the coverage following the league’s announcement that a “moment of reflection and solidarity” would be held before matches at the weekend. Several teams also displayed armbands in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Big Bang member T.O.P expressed his desire overhaul the K-pop system of training and creating idols and artists.In a new interview with Prestige Hong Kong, the South Korean musician spoke about the “harsh” K-pop system, observing how the current training regime affects younger K-pop idols and their mental well-being.“I, myself, am fortunate that I only spent less than a year as a trainee before I debuted – a relatively short time – but after, I saw all the trainees, the boys and girls, they’re under a very harsh system,” T.O.P said.“They’re told what to do and trained just like robots,” the rapper added. “They might get popular, they might get bigger, but in their heart and in ways we can’t see, they’re being isolated, and feel lonely inside.”To address this, T.O.P expressed his desire to change the system and establish a new type of K-pop record company.

Kanye West has shared a new animated video for his ‘DONDA’ track ‘Hurricane’ – check it out below.The track from the 2021 album features The Weeknd and Lil Baby, and is nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the GRAMMYs.The new video sees a number of animated prisoners escaping from a prison island, before an avatar of Kanye rises up from the sea to baptise them and gives a speech, before they all rise into the sky.It follows the controversial music video for Kanye’s track ‘Eazy’, which was shared earlier this month and featured a claymation version of SNL comedian Pete Davidson – who is currently dating West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian – being kidnapped and buried alive.Check out the ‘Hurricane’ video below.Ahead of the release of the ‘Hurricane’ visual, Kanye appears to have addressed the backlash he faced over the music video for ‘Eazy’.“Everyone lived happily ever after, except Skete you know who – JK he’s fine,” a series of title cards read at the end of the video. The track itself also includes the lyric: “God saved me from that crash / Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass”.In his latest Instagram post, the rapper appears to have responded to the criticism he faced for the visuals.

Luba Mushtuk is taking a well-deserved holiday after an intense season of dancing. The Strictly Come Dancing star didn't have a celebrity partner during the 2021 series but took part in all the group dances, and also participated in the nationwide tour alongside some of her colleagues.MORE: Lorraine Kelly enjoys relaxing holiday retreat with Strictly star Luba MushtukNow, the 32-year-old is relaxing in a sunny destination and couldn't help but show off the stunning scenery on her Instagram.WATCH: Luba talks joining Strictly alongside Johannes and GrazianoTaking to her profile, Luba shared two incredible images showing her posing on top of some rocks by the beach.

Liz Hurley has shared her love and support to her former fiancé Shane Warne's daughter Summer after the star passed away on Friday 5 March at the age of 52.The Australian cricket legend died of a suspected heart attack before being found unresponsive in his room at the luxury Samujana Villa resort in Koh Samui, Thailand.Taking to her instagram feed, Summer, 20, shared a series of intimate snaps and videos of herself with Shane before opening up on her heartbreak following the loss of her father. In one black and white snap, Summer can be seen sitting next to her dad as the pair smile for the camera, another shows her as a young child as she lays fast asleep next to her dad, while several videos show Shane acting silly for her in front of the camera.

Father John Misty has shared a brand new song from his forthcoming album ‘Chloë and The Next 20th Century’ – listen to ‘Goodbye Mr. Blue’ below.‘Chloë and The Next 20th Century’, Tillman’s fifth studio album under the Father John Misty moniker, is set to arrive on April 8 via Sub Pop and Bella Union.The album, which follows 2018’s ‘God’s Favorite Customer’, has so far been previewed with the tracks ‘Q4’ and ‘Funny Girl’.Check out ‘Goodbye Mr.

All ties between Stockport Council and Russian-owned energy firm Gazprom should be cut, according to one councillor in the borough.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Several more CBS series from CBS TV Studios have been assigned tentative dates for return to production.Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series ordersNCIS: New Orleans is eying a Sept. 23 start for its seventh season, The Unicorn is looking to start filming Season 2 Oct.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVOn the 65th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder, ABC has given official green light to Women of the Movement, a six-episode limited series focusing on Mamie Till Mobley, who devoted her life to seeking justice for her son Emmett Till following his brutal killing in the Jim Crow South. The series, from writer Marissa Jo Cerar and a producing team that includes Jay-Z, Will Smith and Aaron Kaplan, is set to premiere in 2021.Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard, Shots Fired) is set to direct the first episode of the series, created by Cerar and inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVTom Ascheim, President of Warner Bros.’ recently formed Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics division, is realigning its executive ranks at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.Warner Bros.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Amazon has put in development Highfire, a TV series based on the adult thriller novel by bestselling Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer, with Nicolas Cage voicing the lead character and executive producing.Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series ordersThe book, described as True Detective by way of Pete’s Dragon, is being adapted for television by Davey Holmes, creator/executive producer of Epix’s Get Shorty TV series, based on the movie.The genre-bending, live-action Highfire is a gritty crime-thriller with doses of magical realism.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Martin Lawrence and Snoop Dogg are teaming up to star in Game, a political drama set in Washington, D.C. The duo co-wrote the story for the project, which reunites Bad Boys star Lawrence with the feature franchise’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVResident Evil is officially headed to television. Netflix has given an eight-episode order to a drama series inspired by Capcom’s hugely popular Resident Evil survival horror game franchise.Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series ordersWritten by Supernatural executive producer/co-showrunner Andrew Dabb and produced by Constantin Film, which is behind the Resident Evil movies, the series will feature a brand new story across two timelines.In the first timeline, fourteen-year-old sisters Jade and Billie Wesker are moved to New Raccoon City.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVCurtis “50 Cent” Jackson is behind Twenty Four Seven, a drama starring T.I. Inspired by Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First “Hip-Hop Cop.”Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series ordersCBS All Access is final negotiations for the project, which will be produced by CBS TV Studios and Lionsgate TV where Jackson is based under his mega lead with Lionsgate-owned Starz.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Mary McCormack has been tapped as a lead opposite Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig in Heels, Starz’s eight-episode hourlong drama set in the outrageous world of independent professional wrestling.Written by Michael Waldron, with Mike O’Malley as showrunner, Heels is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals, Jack Spade (Amell) and Ace Spade (Ludwig), war over their late father’s legacy.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVNBCUniversal is going all in for Joe Exotic (working title), UCP’s limited series starring and executive produced by Kate McKinnon, which has received a joint straight-to-series order by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming divisions.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Canadian singer/actress Jordan Alexander has been cast as one of the leads in  HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot.Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series ordersStart of production on the 10-episode series — from Joshua Safran, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros TV and CBS Television Studios — was delayed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Filming is expected to get underway this fall when COVID conditions permit.Like the original series, the new iteration of Gossip Girl, written by Safran, is based on the book by Cecily von Ziegesar.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVArrowverse architect Greg Berlanti is ushering in a new group of superheroes at the CW.The network has put in development The Powerpuff Girls, a live-action series based on the original Cartoon Network animated series created by Craig McCracken. The project, featuring adult versions of the three kindergarten-aged girls from the classic animated series, hails from Diablo Cody (Juno, United States of Tara), Heather Regnier (Veronica Mars), Warner Bros.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVIt’s been a little more than a year since Netflix gave an 11-episode series order to The Sandman, based on Neil Gaiman’s DC comic. The epic drama, from Warner Bros TV, was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down Hollywood production in mid-March.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: A staffer from The Bold and the Beautiful production company Bell-Phillip Television tested positive for COVID-19 three and a half weeks ago, sources told Deadline. As a precaution, the studio moved up the show’s dark week for that month and added a second dark week, I hear.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVAn episode of Southern Charm is undergoing tweaking as part of a review of four old episodes of the popular Bravo reality series, which chronicles the personal and professional lives of socialites in Charleston, South Carolina.According to sources, the four library episodes were temporarily removed from the Bravo app and digital platform as well as from VOD about a week ago as part of regular content sweeps for potential sensitive material. The four episodes were flagged and temporarily pulled for further examination.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment is opening a writers room for its Untitled Country Music Dynasty drama from writer/exec producer Melissa London Hilfers with an eye toward potential straight-to-series order for the 2021-22 season. The decision on the project, exec produced by Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady and leading country music manager Jason Owen, is part of a recalibration of the network’s approach to development.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVUPDATED, 7:15 AM: Disney+ has set an October premiere date for National Geographic Channel’s The Right Stuff. The period drama, starring Patrick J.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVCameras started tolling today as planned on the last two episodes of the CW’s Supernatural in Vancouver.Series producer Warner Bros. TV made a deal with the local unions that paved the way for production to begin.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Production resumed today on the second season of For All Mankind, the Apple TV+ space race alt-history drama from Ron Moore.The series, one of four original series to launch Apple TV+ last November, is produced by Sony Pictures TV. It had two episodes left to shoot from its Season 2 order when production shut down industrywide in mid-March.I hear filming on the remaining two episodes started today on the Sony lot in Culver City.Indie studio Sony Pictures TV has been at the forefront of efforts to safely return scripted series to production.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVABC’s flagship comedy series The Conners is back in production on its upcoming third season. I hear production started today, with the first taping slated for later this week.