Mattel Television Studios has tapped three new executives for key roles: Sidney Clifton as head of creative for animation, Cory Bennett Lewis as head of production, and Amy Suh as head of creative for live action, scripted and unscripted.
The trio of execs will report directly to Mattel Television Studios chief Michelle Mendelovitz.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sidney, Cory and Amy to Mattel,” Mendelovitz said. “Their breadth of experience working with top-tier talent across multiple genres and proven expertise creating series for global audiences make them perfectly suited for Mattel Television Studios’ next phase of growth. As we together build a home for best-in-class creators, taking Mattel’s iconic IP to make innovative, inspiring, and entertaining television series that reflect the diverse and inclusive world we live in for our muti-generational fans, I look forward to the amazing work this exceptionally talented, female-led studio will do.”
Clifton most recently...
The trio of execs will report directly to Mattel Television Studios chief Michelle Mendelovitz.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sidney, Cory and Amy to Mattel,” Mendelovitz said. “Their breadth of experience working with top-tier talent across multiple genres and proven expertise creating series for global audiences make them perfectly suited for Mattel Television Studios’ next phase of growth. As we together build a home for best-in-class creators, taking Mattel’s iconic IP to make innovative, inspiring, and entertaining television series that reflect the diverse and inclusive world we live in for our muti-generational fans, I look forward to the amazing work this exceptionally talented, female-led studio will do.”
Clifton most recently...
- 4/24/2024
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Comedian Tom Segura has identified the most promising vehicle yet to showcase his acting chops, as Deadline understands that he’s in talks for multiple roles in Dirty Rotten Bastard, a show biz-centric indie from Ed Helms & Mike Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Company.
Helmed by Ryan McNeely and Josh Martin, aka The Director Brothers, the film tells the insane true story of an aspiring filmmaker who is kidnapped by deranged lounge singer Tony Clifton. Initially drawn to document Clifton’s world, he is thrust into a chaotic journey of sex, celebrity, and comedy, blurring the lines between observer and participant, and testing his sanity.
Segura will play legendary avant-garde comedian Andy Kaufman’s larger-than-life comedic persona Clifton, as well as the performer’s friend and longtime collaborator Bob Zmuda.
Zmuda was known to switch off with Kaufman in portraying Clifton, a foul-mouthed lounge singer out of Las Vegas,...
Helmed by Ryan McNeely and Josh Martin, aka The Director Brothers, the film tells the insane true story of an aspiring filmmaker who is kidnapped by deranged lounge singer Tony Clifton. Initially drawn to document Clifton’s world, he is thrust into a chaotic journey of sex, celebrity, and comedy, blurring the lines between observer and participant, and testing his sanity.
Segura will play legendary avant-garde comedian Andy Kaufman’s larger-than-life comedic persona Clifton, as well as the performer’s friend and longtime collaborator Bob Zmuda.
Zmuda was known to switch off with Kaufman in portraying Clifton, a foul-mouthed lounge singer out of Las Vegas,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
This Saturday at 8:00 Pm on OWN, get ready for an emotional and insightful episode of “Love & Marriage: DC” with Season 3 Episode 9 titled “Books, Beards and Breakthroughs.” In this installment, viewers are in for a rollercoaster of emotions as Ashley’s book signing prompts her to reconnect with her mother after months of silence.
As Ashley grapples with her feelings and motivations, Joi, Clifton, and Carmen embark on a mission to scout a location for Clifton’s beard launch. However, tensions rise as Joi reveals that she has reconciled with Ashley, adding a layer of complexity to their relationships.
With themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and personal growth at its core, “Books, Beards and Breakthroughs” promises to be a poignant and thought-provoking episode of “Love & Marriage: DC.” Don’t miss out on the drama and heartfelt moments as it unfolds this Saturday evening at 8:00 Pm on OWN.
Release...
As Ashley grapples with her feelings and motivations, Joi, Clifton, and Carmen embark on a mission to scout a location for Clifton’s beard launch. However, tensions rise as Joi reveals that she has reconciled with Ashley, adding a layer of complexity to their relationships.
With themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and personal growth at its core, “Books, Beards and Breakthroughs” promises to be a poignant and thought-provoking episode of “Love & Marriage: DC.” Don’t miss out on the drama and heartfelt moments as it unfolds this Saturday evening at 8:00 Pm on OWN.
Release...
- 3/23/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Exclusive: Depp v. Heard producer Empress Films has hired in the U.S. and UK following its deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio (Utas).
Former Paramount exec Eben Davidson will lead the company’s newly-opened LA office while Minnow Films development exec Matthew Clifton is joining in the UK.
Davidson’s Paramount tenure spanned more than a decade and former roles include Senior Vice President Acquisitions and Development at Paramount Pictures and Senior Vice President, Development at Paramount Pictures Television where his projects included Arrival, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Katy Perry: Part of Me.
Clifton’s work at Sas: Who Dares Wins producer Minnow has seen him produce the likes of What Harvey Did Next, My Big Gay Wedding and Gary Glitter for ITV.
Empress, which has credits including Netflix’s Depp V Heard and Who Killed Jill Dando?, struck an exclusive...
Former Paramount exec Eben Davidson will lead the company’s newly-opened LA office while Minnow Films development exec Matthew Clifton is joining in the UK.
Davidson’s Paramount tenure spanned more than a decade and former roles include Senior Vice President Acquisitions and Development at Paramount Pictures and Senior Vice President, Development at Paramount Pictures Television where his projects included Arrival, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Katy Perry: Part of Me.
Clifton’s work at Sas: Who Dares Wins producer Minnow has seen him produce the likes of What Harvey Did Next, My Big Gay Wedding and Gary Glitter for ITV.
Empress, which has credits including Netflix’s Depp V Heard and Who Killed Jill Dando?, struck an exclusive...
- 3/21/2024
- by Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 8 reunion is almost here, and Bravo is revealing all the ladies’ looks for the big event.
The show’s cast looked glamorous in coordinated black ensembles. Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, and Nneka Ihim all donned sleek dresses with eye-catching accessories for the reunion, which kicks off March 31.
[L-r] Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby of ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ | Clifton Prescod/Bravo via Getty Images
Gizelle strutted her stuff in a slinky floor-length dress with a thigh-high slit for the season 8 reunion. She told Bravo her look was “mob wife-inspired.”
“I just thought I might move into my inner Jersey girl and become a mob wife,” she said.
The inspiration for fellow cast member Ashley’s gown came from the world of fine art. She explained that her dress by designer Riley Knoxx was...
The show’s cast looked glamorous in coordinated black ensembles. Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, and Nneka Ihim all donned sleek dresses with eye-catching accessories for the reunion, which kicks off March 31.
[L-r] Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby of ‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ | Clifton Prescod/Bravo via Getty Images
Gizelle strutted her stuff in a slinky floor-length dress with a thigh-high slit for the season 8 reunion. She told Bravo her look was “mob wife-inspired.”
“I just thought I might move into my inner Jersey girl and become a mob wife,” she said.
The inspiration for fellow cast member Ashley’s gown came from the world of fine art. She explained that her dress by designer Riley Knoxx was...
- 3/20/2024
- by Megan Elliott
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Jermaine Fowler, fresh off his comedic turn as Clifton in this year’s horror comedy The Blackening, is set to return to the genre once more in an upcoming psychological thriller. Deadline reports that Fowler just wrapped production on the genre-bending thriller from Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink (“Santa Clarita Diet”).
The untitled thriller “follows Allen Perkins (Fowler) through various twists and turns on a descent into darkness as he hosts his old college pals for the weekend.”
Pink called this project, “One of the coolest films I have ever had the opportunity to direct in my career.”
Further quotes to the outlet tease more than just psychological thrills ahead; the mysterious thriller also appears to dabble in science fiction and the supernatural.
“I’m grateful for the extraordinary cast that came together around a phenomenal script that explores themes residing in the darker and possibly supernatural corners of the human experience,...
The untitled thriller “follows Allen Perkins (Fowler) through various twists and turns on a descent into darkness as he hosts his old college pals for the weekend.”
Pink called this project, “One of the coolest films I have ever had the opportunity to direct in my career.”
Further quotes to the outlet tease more than just psychological thrills ahead; the mysterious thriller also appears to dabble in science fiction and the supernatural.
“I’m grateful for the extraordinary cast that came together around a phenomenal script that explores themes residing in the darker and possibly supernatural corners of the human experience,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
As a child, The Blackening star Antoinette Robertson was easily scared by horror movies, but it wasn’t until she got older that she realized the genre was scaring her off for a whole different reason.
Written by Dewayne Perkins and Tracy Oliver, the Tim Story-directed The Blackening is a horror-comedy that expands on Perkins’ 2018 short, parodying the age-old trope that Black characters are the first to die in horror films. Robertson plays Lisa, an ambitious lawyer who reunites with her college friends for a weekend getaway at a remote cabin. And despite some personal drama involving her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Lisa must step up to help save her friends from a masked killer, who’s ensnared them into playing a dangerous board game called The Blackening.
For Robertson, The Blackening was especially meaningful because she and her fellow collaborators were able to bring a bit...
Written by Dewayne Perkins and Tracy Oliver, the Tim Story-directed The Blackening is a horror-comedy that expands on Perkins’ 2018 short, parodying the age-old trope that Black characters are the first to die in horror films. Robertson plays Lisa, an ambitious lawyer who reunites with her college friends for a weekend getaway at a remote cabin. And despite some personal drama involving her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Lisa must step up to help save her friends from a masked killer, who’s ensnared them into playing a dangerous board game called The Blackening.
For Robertson, The Blackening was especially meaningful because she and her fellow collaborators were able to bring a bit...
- 6/18/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Grace Byers as Allison, Jermaine Fowler as Clifton and Dewayne Perkins as Dewayne in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson. Courtesy of Lionsgate
A group of college friends gather at a cabin in the woods, for a weekend reunion of sorts. What could go wrong? Well, we know what could go wrong, but the twist in the comedy-horror film The Blackening is the all-black cast and the comedy-horror film’s determined satiric skewering of that old horror film knack for killing off the Black character first. But like the film’s tagline says, they can’t all die first.
In fact, The Blackening leans much more into satiric comedy than horror, having fun with every little horror trope, not just the racist ones. But it does whittle down the group of friends as it goes and provides some jump scares. On one level, the humor is...
A group of college friends gather at a cabin in the woods, for a weekend reunion of sorts. What could go wrong? Well, we know what could go wrong, but the twist in the comedy-horror film The Blackening is the all-black cast and the comedy-horror film’s determined satiric skewering of that old horror film knack for killing off the Black character first. But like the film’s tagline says, they can’t all die first.
In fact, The Blackening leans much more into satiric comedy than horror, having fun with every little horror trope, not just the racist ones. But it does whittle down the group of friends as it goes and provides some jump scares. On one level, the humor is...
- 6/16/2023
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
So much has happened in mainstream horror since Jordan Peele released Get Out that it would be understandable if you felt uneasy about The Blackening, a slasher thriller directed by Tim Story (Barbershop). Peele’s feature debut subjected us to a wave — or maybe a better word is tsunami — of copycats and derivatives. They were labeled “social horror,” written furiously about, sometimes critically praised, commercially erratic and left to collect dust.
They quickly became their own kind of joke, a sign of desperate times. These films aspired to Peele’s Get Out but lacked its humor and its smarts. Their narratives were a Mad Libs-esque exercise of transgressions against Black Americans: They were about racist legal codes, police brutality, microaggressions on campus and macroaggressions everywhere. In a frantic rush to tell us something about ourselves, these flicks rarely said anything at all.
The Blackening is not like those other...
They quickly became their own kind of joke, a sign of desperate times. These films aspired to Peele’s Get Out but lacked its humor and its smarts. Their narratives were a Mad Libs-esque exercise of transgressions against Black Americans: They were about racist legal codes, police brutality, microaggressions on campus and macroaggressions everywhere. In a frantic rush to tell us something about ourselves, these flicks rarely said anything at all.
The Blackening is not like those other...
- 6/15/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the year’s most infectious horror comedies, The Blackening, arrives in theaters this Friday, June 16, 2023.
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sarcastic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
The Blackening stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Melvin Gregg as King, Grace Byers as Allison, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi,...
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sarcastic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
The Blackening stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Melvin Gregg as King, Grace Byers as Allison, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
“The Blackening” is a slasher movie that’s also a slapdash enjoyable social satire. That the satire turns out to be sharper than the scares isn’t a problem — it’s all part of the film’s slovenly demonic party atmosphere. The set-up, which feels like a “Friday the 13th” sequel by way of “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” reunites nine old college chums to celebrate Juneteenth weekend in a big roomy house they’ve rented near the woods.
As Tina Turner’s cover of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” spins on the turntable, the first two to arrive, Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharaoh), find their way to the basement game room, which has shelves of old board games, an ancient TV set, a Ouija board, and a prominently displayed game called The Blackening. Taking the box cover off, they discover, to their horror, that there’s a plastic...
As Tina Turner’s cover of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” spins on the turntable, the first two to arrive, Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharaoh), find their way to the basement game room, which has shelves of old board games, an ancient TV set, a Ouija board, and a prominently displayed game called The Blackening. Taking the box cover off, they discover, to their horror, that there’s a plastic...
- 6/14/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton wasn’t the first African American basketball player to sign an NBA contract, but he was the first to sign one and go on to play professionally. Without him, the sport wouldn’t be what it is today. Now, it’s time for movie audiences to take in his story.
Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023
“Sweetwater” charts Clifton’s life and career from his Arkansas youth, his time fighting in Europe during World War II, and brief stints with the Harlem Globetrotters and Negro League baseball before signing with New York Knicks in 1950.
Continue reading ‘Sweetwater’ Trailer: The Story About Trailblazing Basketball Player Nat Clifton Hits Theaters On April 14 at The Playlist.
Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023
“Sweetwater” charts Clifton’s life and career from his Arkansas youth, his time fighting in Europe during World War II, and brief stints with the Harlem Globetrotters and Negro League baseball before signing with New York Knicks in 1950.
Continue reading ‘Sweetwater’ Trailer: The Story About Trailblazing Basketball Player Nat Clifton Hits Theaters On April 14 at The Playlist.
- 2/17/2023
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Producers targeting major festival slot this year.
Screen has obtained the exclusive first-look image to Hyde Park International’s (Hpi) EFM sales title Marianne starring Isabelle Huppert.
The English-language film from Dark Dreams Entertainment, Cine@, and Hyde Park Entertainment shot last November outside Paris at a location doubling for New England.
It is described as a radical piece of cinema which captures the zeitgeist and sees the sole character played by Huppert talking directly to the audience.
Hpi’s Carl Clifton will show EFM buyers a promo reel and producers Philippe Carcassonne, James Ireland, Alex Pettyfer, and Ashok Amritraj are...
Screen has obtained the exclusive first-look image to Hyde Park International’s (Hpi) EFM sales title Marianne starring Isabelle Huppert.
The English-language film from Dark Dreams Entertainment, Cine@, and Hyde Park Entertainment shot last November outside Paris at a location doubling for New England.
It is described as a radical piece of cinema which captures the zeitgeist and sees the sole character played by Huppert talking directly to the audience.
Hpi’s Carl Clifton will show EFM buyers a promo reel and producers Philippe Carcassonne, James Ireland, Alex Pettyfer, and Ashok Amritraj are...
- 2/16/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
OWN’s “Ready to Love” will celebrate 100 episodes with a retrospective special, TheWrap can reveal exclusively.
The one-hour special, which premieres Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on OWN, will look back at the dating show that has connected Black singles looking for love for over seven seasons across Atlanta, Houston, DC and Miami, the current season’s home.
Highlighting the series’ best moments throughout its 100 episodes, the presentation will delve into the show’s most memorable love triangles, the drama queens and kings who stole the show, romantic moments of connection and the surprise proposal that brought a previous couple onto the show.
Past participants and fans will make an appearance on the special, alongside a surprise visit by the show’s creator and executive producer Will Packer and an appearance by Oprah Winfrey.
Also Read:
‘Perfect Match’ Review: Netflix’s Latest Reality Experiment Might Actually Be Perfect
“When...
The one-hour special, which premieres Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on OWN, will look back at the dating show that has connected Black singles looking for love for over seven seasons across Atlanta, Houston, DC and Miami, the current season’s home.
Highlighting the series’ best moments throughout its 100 episodes, the presentation will delve into the show’s most memorable love triangles, the drama queens and kings who stole the show, romantic moments of connection and the surprise proposal that brought a previous couple onto the show.
Past participants and fans will make an appearance on the special, alongside a surprise visit by the show’s creator and executive producer Will Packer and an appearance by Oprah Winfrey.
Also Read:
‘Perfect Match’ Review: Netflix’s Latest Reality Experiment Might Actually Be Perfect
“When...
- 2/15/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
The original short directed by Chioke Nassor asked a group of Black friends to choose who among them was the “blackest” as a sacrifice to save the rest. Why? Because the killer got confused when starting his spree, unable to find the “Black character” his trope-fueled brain demanded as its first victim. Hilarity ensues, everyone desperately trying to erase said blackness to keep breathing, revealing embarrassing (some unforgivable) secrets along the way. It’s an ingenious conceit for satire that’s perfectly suited for a full-fledged horror comedy willing to tread heavily in that vein while also holding some surprises up its sleeve. So that’s exactly what screenwriters Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins (the lone holdover from that skit) do with Tim Story’s The Blackening.
Fans will be glad to hear the aforementioned scene is reenacted almost verbatim here, complete with that revelation. Before we get there, however,...
Fans will be glad to hear the aforementioned scene is reenacted almost verbatim here, complete with that revelation. Before we get there, however,...
- 9/14/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Director Tim Story’s slasher The Blackening has a killer premise: if all of the characters are Black, who dies first? In the adaptation of 3peat’s Comedy Central short, co-writers Dewayne Perkins and Tracy Oliver strand a group of friends at a remote cottage in the woods for Juneteenth (yes holiday horror!). Unbeknownst to them, the weekend is more than just a reunion: they’re being pitted against a Machiavellian game master intent on deciphering their level of Blackness in order to kill them in the appropriate order.
While the film isn’t Scream levels of meta, The Blackening fuses social commentary about the Black experience in contemporary America with slasher conventions in a highly entertaining fashion. It doesn’t hurt that the characters are extremely likable – to the point that when the bloodshed begins, you worry for their survival because no one is expendable.
Reuniting for a weekend...
While the film isn’t Scream levels of meta, The Blackening fuses social commentary about the Black experience in contemporary America with slasher conventions in a highly entertaining fashion. It doesn’t hurt that the characters are extremely likable – to the point that when the bloodshed begins, you worry for their survival because no one is expendable.
Reuniting for a weekend...
- 9/13/2022
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Every year, Strictly Come Dancing brings its yearly spook-fest back to the dance floor.
By now, we’ve seen hundreds of dancers take part in the themed competition week, hoping to impress the judges with routines that are less trick, more treat.
For fans, Halloween is one of the biggest nights in the Strictly calendar. Design-wise, it doesn’t get more extra than this, with the perfect performance featuring a spooky costume and song choice that are well linked together. However, it’s not always easy and we often see a slightly spooky song title pushed together with a random costume that doesn’t exactly make sense or scream Halloween. After all, there are only so many times the show can do the “Monster Mash”.
The best Halloween dances bring all these elements together, from design, to music, to (naturally) the actual dancing. Among this top 10 we have a lot of tangos,...
By now, we’ve seen hundreds of dancers take part in the themed competition week, hoping to impress the judges with routines that are less trick, more treat.
For fans, Halloween is one of the biggest nights in the Strictly calendar. Design-wise, it doesn’t get more extra than this, with the perfect performance featuring a spooky costume and song choice that are well linked together. However, it’s not always easy and we often see a slightly spooky song title pushed together with a random costume that doesn’t exactly make sense or scream Halloween. After all, there are only so many times the show can do the “Monster Mash”.
The best Halloween dances bring all these elements together, from design, to music, to (naturally) the actual dancing. Among this top 10 we have a lot of tangos,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.