In today’s roundup, National Geographic will re-release ‘Before the Flood’ and Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein to be honored at SoCal Journalism Awards Gala.
DATES
National Geographic Channel announced a commercial-free re-release of “Before the Flood,” from June 2 – 9 on the heels of the Trump Administration’s announcement to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. The climate change feature documentary, released last October, was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisher Stevens, Brett Ratner and James Packer and was executive produced by Martin Scorsese. “Before the Flood” will be among six honorees recognized at the Television Academy Honors on Thursday, June 8.
Amazon announced Friday, July 28 as the premiere date for “The Last Tycoon” and released the official trailer for the one-hour series based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last work. The new drama, airing exclusively on Prime Video, stars Matt Bomer, Kelsey Grammer, and Lily Collins, and is executive produced by Academy Award nominee Billy Ray and Christoper Keyser. “The Last Tycoon” is inspired by the life of legendary film mogul Irving Thalberg and captures the effects of the Great Depression and the influence of Hitler’s Germany in 1930’s Hollywood.
CASTING
Roy Wood Jr. has been named the new host of Comedy Central’s show, “This Is Not Happening.” The storytelling series will film its fourth season in Hollywood before it premieres in fall. Comedians Drew Carey, Darrell Hammond, Howie Mandel and Talib Kweli are set to perform this season.
SPECIALS
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, getTV added the sitcom “Designing Women” to its daytime lineup. The network acquired five seasons of the series and will begin airing on Monday, June 26 at 11 a.m. ET. During the week of June 19, the network is launching a special evening countdown featuring 30 all-time favorite episodes. “Designing Women” stars Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts and Jean Smart. Notable guest starts include Dolly Parton, Hal Holbrook and Scott Bakula. Throughout its run, “Designing Women” addressed a number of serious topics and earned a total of 18 Emmy Award nominations.
DEVELOPMENT
Imperative Entertainment acquired the television rights to Susan Quinn’s book “Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady.” The series will be written and directed by Shana Feste (“Country Strong”, “Boundaries”) and executive produced by Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. Quinn’s novel shares the relationship between former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok. Their three decade love led them to significant roles in a difficult time in American history.
AWARDS
The Los Angeles Press Club announced it’s presenting the inaugural Truthteller Award to Shawn “Jay Z” Carter and Harvey Weinstein for their contributions to the public discourse and cultural enlightenment of our society. Carter and Weinstein are receiving the award for their Spike TV documentary series “Time: The Kalief Browder Story,” which captured the story of a man who was falsely imprisoned for three years. Browder spent most of his three years in Rikers Prision in solitary confinement, which led to his suicide. The duo is currently working on a Trayvon Martin documentary as well. The Truthteller Award will be presented at the 59th SoCal Journalism Awards Gala on Sunday, June 25 at the Biltmore Millennium Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” will be honored as Program of the Year at the 38th annual Banff World Media’s Rockie Awards. Star Yvonne Strahovski and executive producer Warren Littlefield will accept the honor on June 13. The BANFF World Media Festival will take place from June 11-14 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Canada.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
Steven Hein joined NBC as the company’s senior vice president of digital content, where he will oversee the development and production of native content across digital platforms. Before joining NBC, Hein served as senior vice president of programming and production at Legendary Digital Networks. He also worked in development and production at 20th Century Fox and helped found Fox’s digital studio. In his new role, Hein will report to Rob Hayes, executive vice president of digital at NBC Entertainment.
