News

Chuck Scarborough. (Courtesy photo)

After more than five decades in television, Wnbc-tv’s lead news anchor Chuck Scarborough is ready to retire.

On Thursday, Wnbc (Channel 4) in New York said its news anchor of 50 years will be stepping away from the news desk next month, though he intends to make occasional contributions to news specials and other local programming.

“There is only one word: gratitude,” said Scarborough. “Our Wnbc viewers welcomed me into their homes for more than 50 years, trusting me to present the news free of any agenda, faithful to the fundamental principles of accuracy, objectivity and fairness—and to bring them vital, timely information during our darkest and brightest hours. That has been an extraordinary honor.”

Scarborough began his TV career at Boston’s now-defunct Wnac in 1972. He joined Wnbc in early 1974, serving as the 5 p.m. anchor of “NewsCenter 4” and moving into the role of lead anchor for the 6 p.

The 2021 Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, has today unveiled its short film lineup, which includes 46 films from 20 countries worldwide, 70 percent of which are world premieres. The short films will be presented in eight programs: two documentaries, two narratives, two hybrids (including both narrative and documentary), one animation, and one New York shorts program. Additionally, the festival will feature a special curated out-of-competition Juneteenth program and a live performance by Blondie, following the screening of the short film “Blondie: Vivir En La Habana.”

As the festival announced late last month, this year’s event will “transform prominent locations into an expansive 12-day multi-screen outdoor celebration” held June 9 to 20, and is believed to be first major North American film festival to mount such an in-person event. Director Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited “In the Heights,” adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will open the 20th anniversary edition of Tribeca...

Katherine Creag, a reporter for New York’s Wnbc and familiar presence on the station’s morning news program Today in New York, died unexpectedly last night. She was 47.

Her death was announced today by WNBC. A cause had not been determined, with Wnbc noting that Creag had not been ill and was working as recently as Wednesday morning.

“For ten years Kat was one of our cornerstones, always willing to help in any situation, whether it was a colleague in need or a shift that needed to be covered,” WNC ’s vice president of news, Amy Morris, said in an email to the staff. “She was thoughtful, funny and relentless. And even on the toughest days she was a bright light, quick with a kind word and a smile,”

Born in Manila, Creag joined WNBC in 2011 after five years at Fox. A 1996 graduate of New York University, Creag won...

Katherine Creag, a reporter for NBC 4 in New York City, died Wednesday evening at the age of 47, according to the network.

Her death came as a surprise, her employer said, as she’d been working as recently as Wednesday morning.

She had been with the company since 2011 and was a fixture in the city. She appeared on the “Today in New York” morning show and was so well-known that her 2006 wedding was written up in the New York Times. Her death hit the local press, too, with the New York Post quickly memorializing her Thursday morning.

“For ten years Kat was one of our cornerstones, always willing to help in any situation, whether it was a colleague in need or a shift that needed to be covered. She was thoughtful, funny and relentless. And even on the toughest days she was a bright light, quick with a kind word and a smile,...

Nick Waterman’s The Flame has lit up the 30th annual Flickerfest in Sydney, awarded Best Australian Short Film at the festival’s awards ceremony on Sunday.

Other winners included Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Dev Patel’s Roborovski, which was crowned Best Australian Short Animation, and Naomi Fryer, who won Best Direction in an Australian Short Film for her work on River.

The Flame, which was directed in collaboration with Dayannah Baker Barlow, Tyrese Fernando and Lance Whitton Jr, is about a young boy and girl in a remote town who remember a time before a cold wind first swept across the land; when fire meant something different.

The film was written by Nick Waterman, Megan Washington, Dayannah Baker Barlow, Tyrese Fernando, Paul Spearim, Connie Taylor, and Lance Whitton Jr, and produced by Beyond Empathy.

It was one of four Australian films to be selected for last year’s Berlin International Film Festival.

David Ushery, a veteran of Wnbc who has worked as an anchor on the station’s news programs for years, has been given a new role – co-anchoring at 4 p.m. and the economically critical 11 p.m. newscast.

He replaces Stefan Holt, who is returning to Wmaq, the company’s owned-and-operated affiliate in Chicago. Ushery will join Natalie Pasquarella, who has been co-anchoring at 11 p.m. since 2016.

“David is a talented, experienced journalist who takes a thoughtful approach to every story he covers. As an anchor, he’s an incredible newsroom leader who cares about the entire team,” said Amy Morris, vice president of news for NBC 4 New York, in a prepared statement. “I’m delighted that David is taking on this new role.” Ushery had previously been stationed as a co-anchor at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The New York late-news post can be an important milestone for any TV journalist.

Friday the 13th meets Bring it On.

Written and Directed by Kerry Beyer

Featuring Kerry Beyer, Jon Paul Burkhart, Alyssia Dujmovich, Brandon Hearnsberger, Julin, John Lansch, Brandon Smith, Roxy Vandiver, Denise Williamson, Katy Rowe, Megan Moser, Amy Morris

www.spiritcampmovie.com

The new millenium has initiated the terribly tragic demise of some of the most influential deranged deviants in the history of horror films. A plethora of wimpy Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers wannabes has submerged the slasher sub-genre in a swampy, leech-infested lake leaving me with no other choice but to accept the inevitable: my once immortal horror heroes have sadly been plagued with mortality by much tamer modern day manifestations of the macabre. Independent writer/director and owner & founder of production company Kerosene Films, Kerry Beyer takes a playful stab at re-inventing and ultimately redefining some of the greatest monumental machete-wielding maniacs ever to slash their ways through horror history.

Who said sexiness is dead in horror? Spirit Camp brings back some tried and true methods to entertain fans (sex-appeal)! Not only that, but Spirit Camp has shock value and those in the Houston get the special treat of hosting the world premiere of this slyly comedic horror film. Being described as "Friday the 13th meets Bring it On" fans of horror or cheerleaders can check out these shocking movie stills below (Spirit Camp). Plus, a trailer can be found inside.

A synopsis for Spirit Camp here:

"A street smart goth girl is forced to attend cheer camp as part of her rehabilitation from a juvenile correction facility, she clashes with the popular girls and finds herself embroiled in a bitter rivalry with the bitchy ringleader. But, members of the spirit squad start turning up dead, and the girls must put aside their differences, as they struggle to survive the...

Actress Julin passed on a couple of exclusive pics (see them below) from Spirit Camp, a cheerleader-slasher flick in which she plays one of the lead roles. The film was written, produced and directed (and shot, edited and scored) by Kerry Beyer, an acclaimed fashion photographer who won the Slamdance Anarchy Film Showcase and was a semi-finalist for a Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting.

Julin appears in the film as Rachel, leader of the popular girls at a cheerleader camp. When Goth chick Nikki (Roxy Vandiver) is sent there as part of her rehabilitation from a juvenile correction facility, the two enter into a bitter rivalry—until other members of the squad begin dying horribly, and Nikki, Rachel and the other survivors must band together against the mysterious maniac who’s stalking them. The cast also includes Brandon Smith, Megan Moser, Amy Morris, Jon Paul Burkhart, Kavon Rafat, Katy Rowe, Phil Leggett and George Brock.

We never turn down a chance to ogle images of cheerleaders in their underwear here around the Dread Central offices, but it's especially cool when said sexy subjects are also starring in a horror film! Get ready for your first look at Spirit Camp!

Spirit Camp, directed by Kerry Beyer and starring Brandon Smith, Julin, Marco Perella, Denise Williamson, Amy Morris, Alyssia Dujmovich, and Jon Paul Burkhart, centers upon what happens when streetwise Goth Nikki (Witchcraft 13's Roxy Vandiver) is forced to attend cheerleader camp as part of her rehabilitation from a juvenile correction facility. She clashes with the popular girls and finds herself embroiled in a bitter rivalry with the bitchy ringleader Rachel (Sweatshop's Julin). But when members of the spirit squad start turning up dead, the girls must put aside their differences and struggle to survive the murderous rage of a crazed psycho-killer lurking among them!

The...