News

On a drizzly Thursday morning, the WGA strike picketers were out in force – several hundred strong – at Gates 2, 3 and 4 of the Warner Brothers Studios lot in Burbank. They were fortified by tubs of coffee, boxes of doughnuts and muffins, cases of water and Gatorade and enough bags of potato chips to sustain a small army. People showed up to hand out tacos, because heck, anytime is a good time for a taco. These writers may not be well-paid, but they’d at least be well-fed and hydrated.

The water falling from the sky didn’t phase any of them, nor did the prospect of what’s being predicted will be a protracted walkout. As this was merely Day 3, the mood was upbeat and energetic, the signs clever and on point. They strode with purpose and chanted, “You want pages? Give us better wages!”.

Some of my favorite pickets:

“My Wedding...

Exclusive: 2022 finalists for the Latinx List, showcasing top works by up-and-coming Latinx screenwriters, have been unveiled by The Latin Tracking Board, Nalip, the Untitled Latinx Project, and The Black List.

The batch of selected scripts consists of five original pilots and six original features. Among the finalists are Daniel F. Pérez (2096) and Makana Lani (Contingent), who have received WGA-minimum script deals from Netflix, through the Latinx List’s partnership with the streamer announced last summer.

“By providing this opportunity, the Latinx List is kicking the door wide open for emerging writers, and I’m humbled to be selected among such talented creatives,” said Lani. “As a queer, underrepresented writer, I’m thrilled to be writing a script for Netflix–a company that’s truly following through on their mission of championing diverse voices.”

“I’m thrilled that 2096 is part of this year’s Latinx List, and so excited to develop with Netflix!

Nikki Glaser has been tapped to host the inaugural “MTV Movie & TV Awards: Unscripted,” airing May 17.

The first-of-its-kind award show will celebrate all things reality television and follow the “MTV Movie & TV Awards,” hosted by Leslie Jones, on May 16.

Glaser, who hosted SiriusXM’s “You Up With Nikki Glaser” and starred in her own Netflix special “Bangin’,” is known for her raunchy, no holds barred style of comedy. In March 2021, she started “The Nikki Glaser Podcast.”

Also in today’s TV news roundup:

Dates

“Schmigadoon!,” the six-episode musical comedy series from Lorne Michaels, will premiere on July 16. A parody of Golden Age musicals, “Schmigadoon!” follows romantic partners on a backpacking trip designed to reignite their relationship, when they stumble across a magical town living in a 1940s musical. Played by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key, the couple realizes they can’t leave until they find “true love.” The first season also stars Alan Cumming,...

NBCUniversal has selected the directed the 2020-2021 classes for the Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program. The scripted directing initiatives aim to increase representation of female and ethnically diverse male and non-binary directors, respectively, by creating a pipeline into scripted television. The announcement was made by Janine Jones-Clark as Executive Vice President, Inclusion – Talent & Content, NBCUniversal Film, Television and Streaming.

Both initiatives remain unique within the industry in that they are the only network programs to guarantee that participating directors will helm an episode of primetime television by the conclusion of the program. Program directors shadow on up to two episodes of their assigned NBC scripted series before receiving an in-season assignment to helm an episode of the same series.

Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program will become building blocks for a cross-functional directors initiative under the Global Talent Development & Inclusion team that will service the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group,...

Latino audiences have the highest moviegoing rate in the Us, but make up only a 5.2% share of all film roles, and The Black List — the annual survey of Hollywood executives’ favorite unproduced screenplays — wants to do something about that.

The Black List has partnered with The Latin Tracking Board, Mijente, Nalip, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Remezcla, and UnidosUS to launch The Latinx List, a curated list of promising screenplays written by Latinx writers that explore the Latinx experience.

The Latinx List will include the same caliber of screenwriting that The Black List has become known for, telling the kinds of stories that all participating organizations would like to see onscreen.

“The last two years have cast many of the consequences of a movie industry that doesn’t look like the country or the world into sharp relief,” said Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List. “The scripts on the Latinx...

Exclusive: The Black List is expanding its scope of inclusion and representation in Hollywood with The Latinx List. The inaugural list, a roster of promising screenplays written by Latinx writers, will include literary adaptations, stories based on true events, the immigrant experience, and other narratives encompassing the Latinx experience.

The Latinx List is a collaboration of Franklin Leonard’s The Black List, The Latin Tracking Board, Mijente, Nalip, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Remezcla and UnidosUS. It will be officially unveiled at the 2019 Nalip Summit, which kicks off today in Los Angeles.

The newly launched Latinx List includes the stories The Black List and all aforementioned organizations would like to see onscreen. The stories about the Latinx community for the Latinx community continue to give shine to vital stories that promote the need for authentic representation in film that not only entertains but puts the lens on cultures. In turn, the...

The Tribeca Film Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have announced the three Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund 2019 grantees, awarding them a total of $150,000.

The creators behind “Asia A,” “Bolichicos,” and “Wiring Utopia” have been chosen as the new grant winners.

“The 2019 slate of Tfi Sloan grantee teams represents our most international year yet,” said Tfi executive director Amy Hobby. “Each project deeply impacted the jury with fresh points of view, sense of timeliness, accessibility to wide audiences, and of course, their incorporation of compelling science, economics, and technology.”

From filmmaker Andrew Reid, “Asia A” portrays a college basketball player who suffers from a spinal cord injury, and must either accept his life as a paraplegic or hold out hope for a recovery. Venezuelan writer-director Juan Avella and Mexican producer Diego Nájera created “Bolichicos,” a film inspired by the true story of a 20-year-old in Venezuela who carries out a million-dollar currency exchange scam.