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Kendrick Lamar and Sza launched their “Grand National Tour” (get tickets here) in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, teaming up for a massive 52-song, nine-act set that saw the longtime collaborators perform both together and solo as they ran through their respective catalogs.

Get Kendrick Lamar and Sza Tickets Here

Lamar opened with the live debut of Gnx standout “wacced out murals” along with “squabble up,” followed by To Pimp a Butterfly staples like “King Kunta” and “Element.” From there, Sza took the spotlight with a run of Ctrl favorites including “Love Galore,” “Broken Clocks,” and “The Weekend,” before the two came together for the first time for “30 for 30.”

Lamar’s subsequent acts mixed newer material and past albums like Damn., good kid, m.A.A.d city, and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Sza countered with highlights from both Ctrl and Sos—including “F2F,” “Shirt,” “Kill Bill,” and “Saturn.

Exclusive: Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has joined the cast of Lucky, a new limited drama from Apple TV+ starring and executive produced by Anya Taylor-Joy. Creator Jonathan Tropper also executive produces alongside Reese Witherspoon.

Based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel and Reese’s Book Club pick of the same name, Lucky stars Taylor-Joy as the eponymous heroine. She is a young woman who left behind the life of crime she was raised in years ago but must now embrace her darker, criminal side one final time in a desperate attempt to escape her past.

Ellis-Taylor will play as ‘Agent Billie Rand.’

Lucky is produced by Hello Sunshine and Tropper Ink, and is created by Tropper under his overall deal with Apple TV+. He serves as co-showrunner alongside Cassie Pappas. Witherspoon EPs alongside Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine, a part of Candle Media.

Kendrick Lamar, the Compton-born hip-hop visionary whose music has consistently redefined the genre, continued his reign over rap at the 2025 Grammys. With his 2024 anthem “Not Like Us,” Lamar swept five awards, including song of the year, record of the year, best rap song, best music video and best rap performance. The night marked not just a celebration of his music, but a reminder of his unmatched ability to bridge artistry, commercial success and cultural commentary.

As Lamar walked to the stage to accept his record of the year Grammy for “Not Like Us,” a legion of audience members, including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, danced and sang along to some of the song’s most incendiary lyrics as they blasted triumphantly from the house speakers. For however controversial the song may be to some, it’s worth noting Kendrick didn’t make “A minorrrrr” into a refrain until after Drake levied...

Eminem and 50 Cent recently linked up thanks to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s album Missionary — and now, Slim Shady is open to doing a full project with 50. In an interview on DJ Whoo Kidd’s Whoo’s House on SiriusXM’s Shade 45, Eminem said he’d be interested in collaborating with 50 to recreate the magic of “Patiently Waiting,” but on a full album more than 20 years later.

“That would be great,” Eminem said. “We just gotta stop bullshitting and just do it.”

“I would never say it’s not possible,...

It’s pretty clear there’s a big rivalry in the music industry, especially between Death Row and Bad Boy Records. Things have only escalated with Diddy’s criminal case going on. A lot has come out, but 50 Cent has been talking about Diddy and Jay Z for a while now. As a vocal rival of both, he’s not shy about sharing his opinions on music producers.

50 Cent in the official music video for ‘P.I.M.P. ft. Snoop Dogg & G-Unit (Dirty)’ (Credits: Youtube)

While the rapper has taken shots at Diddy almost a hundred times, what’s slipped under the radar over the years is his take on Jay Z. He thinks Beyoncé’s husband, who’s seen as just as powerful as Diddy, is actually pretty overrated. He might be a good producer, but when it comes to being a musician, 50 Cent feels it’s a whole different ball game.

Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall chaotically drops us into the chalet of Sandra (Sandra Hüller), Samuel (Samuel Theis), and their visually impaired young son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), in the French Alps. Sandra, a successful German writer, is in the midst of an interview with a visiting journalist (Camille Rutherford) that an unseen Samuel attempts to derail with his ceaseless blaring of an instrumental cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” from his upstairs office. Once her husband has succeeded at his mission, Sandra sends the journalist home before going upstairs to work herself. Not too long after, Samuel is found dead outside the house by Daniel, who had been walking around the property with the family dog.

As its title suggests, that series of events will be thoroughly dissected over Anatomy of a Fall’s runtime, first at the home and then in the courtroom. Did Samuel’s frequent...

Get ready for an entertaining and heartwarming episode of “7 Little Johnstons” with Season 14 Episode 3, titled “Pimp-a-Trent,” airing on TLC at 10:00 Pm on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. In this installment, viewers are invited into the world of the Johnston family as they embark on a series of fun and challenging adventures.

First up, the family tries out a trampoline exercise class, providing plenty of laughs and memorable moments as they bounce their way to fitness. Meanwhile, Anna tackles the kitchen as she learns to cook, navigating through a few mishaps along the way.

As the episode unfolds, viewers get a glimpse into the personal struggles of Emma, who opens up to Liz about her difficulties in making friends. Meanwhile, Alex enjoys spending time with twins from his robotics team, showcasing the importance of friendship and camaraderie in his life.

Don’t miss “Pimp-A-Trent,” where laughter, learning, and family bonding take center stage on “7 Little Johnstons.

Crank up that steel drum cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P”! “Anatomy of a Fall” has scored the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Director Justine Triet and her husband and co-writer Arthur Harari took the stage at the Dolby Theater on March 10 to accept the trophy.

In winning the award, Triet and Harari beat out several other Best Picture nominees to claim the top prize. Also nominated in the category were David Hemingson for “The Holdovers,” Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer for “Maestro,” and Celine Song for “Past Lives.” The sole non-Best Picture nominee recognized in the category was “May December,” which received its sole Oscar nomination for Samy Burch’s script.

The Original Screenplay Oscar is the latest award that Triet’s courtroom drama received during the past Awards season. Triet and Harari won in the same category at the British Academy Film Awards, the Golden Globes, and the French César Awards.

Martin Scorsese and Justine Triet, two of this year’s best director Oscar nominees, received the Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s outstanding directors of the year award on Monday night.

The tribute, sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter, featured 30-minute, sit-down conversations with each of the honorees about their careers and journeys to their currently celebrated films, moderated by THR‘s Scott Feinberg.

Anatomy of a Fall director Triet was up first. She touched on originally meeting the film’s star Sandra Hüller 12 years ago, watching The Boston Strangler “40 times before shooting” the best picture nominee as inspiration and her reluctance to reveal how the project truly ends: “I think I will speak in 10 years.”

Of the secret recording storyline that is featured in both Anatomy of a Fall and her 2019 film Sibyl, she also revealed, “When I was a young girl, I had a bad habit to record but now no.

In her first Palm d’Or-winning feature film, Anatomy of a Fall, Justin Triet, like an expert surgeon wielding a scalpel, skillfully peels back the layers of this seemingly stable relationship, revealing concealed wounds and smoldering resentments that have festered beneath the surface for years. The once-intact facade of marital bliss crumbles as the protagonist Sandra (Sandra Hüller) navigates through the emotionally charged terrain of a relationship in turmoil. Triet’s narrative approach delicately dissects the intricacies of the characters’ emotions, laying bare the layers of suppressed anger and aggression that have built up over time. The film becomes a poignant exploration of the fragile equilibrium that exists between understanding and compromise in a long-term relationship. The thin bridge upon which the characters tread precariously reveals the delicate balance that has held the union together, even as the weight of unresolved issues threatens to tip the scales. Set against the...

This year’s Best Director lineup is filled with familiar names for cinephiles: Martin Scorsese and Alexander Payne are old pros at this point, Bradley Cooper has long been famous as an actor, and Jonathan Glazer — despite only making four films — has been a known quantity since 2000’s “Sexy Beast.” That just makes it all the more impressive that in this (very male) lineup, Justine Triet not only made it into the category, but was nominated with a film that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her heavyweight competitors’ works.

Although Triet made her feature debut “Age of Panic” in 2013, it took her a decade to obtain her true breakout moment when her fourth feature “Anatomy of a Fall” premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2023. Starring a never-better Sandra Hüller as a successful writer who is tried for the sudden death of her husband, a fellow creative, the film is a marital drama...

An instrumental cover of 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." soundtracks the death of the lead character's husband in Anatomy of a Fall, an event for which she is put on trial for murder. German funk group Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band performs the instrumental version of "P.I.M.P." featured in Anatomy of a Fall, which was chosen after director Justine Triet was unable to secure the rights to Dolly Parton's "Jolene" for the opening scene. The 50 Cent cover plays a significant role in the murder case and is used as a narrative tool to better understand the couple's relationship and the circumstances of his death.

This article contains spoilers for Anatomy of a FallAn instrumental cover of rapper 50 Cent's song, "P.I.M.P.", plays a key role in the Oscar-nominated courtroom drama, Anatomy of a Fall. Directed by Justine Triet, the film follows German writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller), who becomes the prime suspect...

The Brothers Sun has a standout cast and an impressive soundtrack that enhances the storytelling and action scenes. The variety of songs in the show reflects the different ages and personalities of the characters, adding depth to their individual stories. Each episode features well-curated songs that match the tone of the scenes, whether they are action-packed or showcase brotherly bonding moments.

This article contains spoilers for The Brother Sun season 1.

The Brothers Sun has become a big hit for Netflix viewers and part of its success can be traced to the soundtrack for the show which offers plenty of great needle drops and perfect songs for action scenes. Created by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu, The Brothers Sun follows a Taipei gangster named Charles Sun (Justin Chien) who must go to Los Angeles to protect his mother Eileen (Michelle Yeoh) and younger brother Bruce (Sam Song Li) after their crime boss father is shot.

A key music choice can really make a movie scene sing, for lack of a better word — whether it be a surprising needle drop, a song to underscore a character’s motivation or even a opening credit track that sets the tone of a film.

Four directors from this season’s biggest contenders spoke with THR about the tunes they selected for their films, some of which represent the time in which the films are set or, in one case, gives a sense of a character who is notably absent from most of the feature.

Anatomy of a Fall Bacao Rhythm and Steel Bands

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, “P.I.M.P.”

Justine Triet’s drama about a woman (Sandra Hüller) accused of killing her husband might be the only Palme d’Or winner to feature a song co-written by American rapper 50 Cent. The director admits she’s obsessed with this steel band cover,...

Searching for and listening to movie soundtrack music for the year is an active quest of curiosity, discovery, and collage. For those fatigued and pushing through the chilliest season, I hope this mix can provide both energy and warmth, as it did to me in making it.Trends in film music over the last decade are continuing strong in 2023, particularly in the ambition of independent auteurs using complex and unusual scoring. The foundation for this mix is Angela Schanelec's beautiful and aptly titled Music, which provides both diegetic and non-diegetic moments to guide us. Samples range from The Old Oak, in which classical choral choir meets Syrian guitar and words of hope that now hit harder than ever, to a mix of sentimental strings courtesy of the legendary Joe Hisaishi. Abstract experimental sounds by two completely different kinds of artists—Harmony Korine and Thomas Newman—are mixed with sliced...

The snow covered French Alps might not be a place where you’d expect to hear the propulsive sound of Caribbean island steel drums.

But that wonderful boinging is audible – extremely audible – right at the start of “Anatomy of a Fall,” the twisty mystery that won the Cannes Film Festival top prize for director Justine Triet.

The French film, now in limited release, depicts the ordeal of novelist Sandra (played by Oscar contender Sandra Hüller), who is suspected of murder when her husband Vincent dies after plummeting from a high window in their mountain chalet.

During the whole first segment of the film, Vincent has cranked up the volume on an instrumental cover of 50 Cent’s 2003 “P.I.M.P.,” a hit single from his major studio debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” The version we hear in the film is a 2008 remix by the German music ensemble Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band:...

Anatomy of a Fall starts out with an extraordinary act of passive-aggressiveness: A German writer, Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is sitting in her home in Grenoble, a part-cabin, part-winter-getaway mini-mansion tucked away at the snowy foot of the French Alps. She’s being interviewed by a female student (Camille Rutherford) about her work. Wine’s being consumed, questions lead to slightly flirty answers and queries about the young woman’s life. The vibe feels like it’s slowly drifting into intimate territory. Sandra’s son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), is roaming around with his Border Collie,...

Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall chaotically drops us into the chalet of Sandra (Sandra Hüller), Samuel (Samuel Theis), and their visually impaired young son, Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), in the French Alps. Sandra, a successful German writer, is in the midst of an interview with a visiting journalist (Camille Rutherford) that an unseen Samuel attempts to derail with his ceaseless blaring of an instrumental cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” from his upstairs office. Once her husband has succeeded at his mission, Sandra sends the journalist home before going upstairs to work herself. Not too long after, Samuel is found dead outside the house by Daniel, who had been walking around the property with the family dog.

As its title suggests, that series of events will be thoroughly dissected over Anatomy of a Fall’s runtime, first at the home and then in the courtroom. Did Samuel’s frequent...

Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall is a sensational courtroom drama that challenges our perception of truth and explores power dynamics within a failing marriage. The film's script is smart and sharp, bending facts, fiction, and perception to keep audiences questioning everything from beginning to end. Sandra Hüller's incomparable performance and the exceptional filmmaking make Anatomy of a Fall an addictive, riveting, and thought-provoking experience that delves into themes of marriage failure, power dynamics, and the consequences of truth.

After its premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Justine Triet’s feature, Anatomy of a Fall, took home the prestigious Palme d’Or and for good reasons. Written by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, the smart and sharp script challenges our perception of the truth while dissecting power dynamics within a failing marriage. Sandra Hüller stars as Sandra Voyter, who is on trial for the suspicious death of her...

During the New York City stop on his world tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album, 50 Cent surprised the audience with guests including A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Moneybagg Yo, Jadakiss and J. Cole, the latter who called 2003’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ “the best album of all time.”

Cole performed “No Role Modelz” at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Wednesday alongside 50 Cent as fans cheered loudly. He was the last surprise performer and spoke highly of 50 Cent and his first album after the performance.

“Can I say this before I walk off this stage? If y’all don’t make some noise for one of the greatest n***as to ever do this shit — 50 motherfucking Cent, Curtis Jackson,” Cole said.

“Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is the best album of all-time. … It’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ at No. 1 and it’s Thriller at No.

The ensuing days after a romantic breakup, even if it isn’t a cataclysmic one, are an uncanny time. Perhaps once the spell of verbal conflict and sparring’s ceased, suddenly your sole companion for the most intimate thoughts is yourself once again, but it’s an opportune moment for contemplation: how did it really go wrong? Or, can I be honest with myself and acknowledge my own partial responsibility for its demise? For Sandra (Sandra Hüller) and Samuel (Samuel Theis), the key onscreen and offscreen players in Anatomy of a Fall, are enduring this quagmire, although their inevitable breakup was enforced––the latter has just tragically died.

The international title of this film, the fourth feature from rising French auteur Justine Triet, refers to one of the greatest American legal procedurals, Anatomy of a Murder, and it allows Sandra to subject her wrecked marriage to forensic legal scrutiny––the price being her freedom,...

Depending on where you come down on the question of its main character’s guilt or innocence, Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” could be seen as a kind of “Gone Girl” in reverse: A frustrated writer dies of suspicious causes, leaving behind clues that implicate his wife (Sandra Hüller).

If the man’s death was a suicide — and the bilingual (half-English) movie strongly points in that direction — then there’s a terrible cruelty to what follows, as his grieving wife is hauled into court and tried for his murder. Their 11-year-old son is obsessed with trying to make sense of what happened, whereas it’s the death of the marriage, not the husband, that preoccupies Triet. Can any couple’s relationship withstand the kind of scrutiny this one is subjected to, as old fights and infidelities are dragged into the open?

One of seven women filmmakers in competition at Cannes this year,...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Neon releases the film in select theaters on Friday, October 13.

They say trends come in threes. And so, nipping on the heels of Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer” and Cedric Kahn’s Directors’ Fortnight breakout “The Goldman Case,” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” make a compelling case that the courthouse has become the most fertile ground in contemporary French cinema, offering incisive auteurs both motive and opportunity to put social structures on trial. As it calls the institution of marriage to the stand, Triet’s piercing film, which went on to win the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes, holds the ambient tensions and illogical loose ends of domestic life against the harsh and rational light of a legal system that searches for order in chaos.

Rounding out her own impressive hat trick,...

French director Justine Triet returns to Competition with a cerebral smash that might finally bring the Best Actress award that its star, Sandra Hüller, was cruelly denied in 2016 when Maren Ade’s festival hit Toni Erdmann lost out in every category. That film wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and the formidably forensic Anatomy of a Fall might not be either, but Hüller’s screen magnetism cannot be denied. Between this and her role as “Queen of Auschwitz” in Jonathan Glazer’s equally brilliant Zone of Interest, Hüller has Cannes in the palm of her hand. Whether she will also get a Palme in her hand is up to the jury.

The French like a good courtroom drama and they do them well, as Alice Diop’s Saint Omer proved last year. Triet’s film is very much in that mold, a ferociously intelligent and deceptively playful drama that...

To commemorate two full decades of sipping Bacardí with shorties on their birthdays, 50 Cent will embark on the Final Lap Tour 2023, marking the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough record, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Busta Rhymes and Jeremih will open all the North American dates. The trek kicks off in July and runs through September before 50 Cent takes the show to Europe.

Tickets will be available to participants in Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program on May 10. Concertgoers can register now through May 7 at 11:59 p.m. Et. Tickets will...

Exclusive: Actor and producer Edi Gathegi has signed with Inspire Entertainment for management representation.

He next will be seen in the Netflix western The Harder They Fall, produced by Jay Z, in which Gathegi stars alongside Idris Elba, Regina King, Lakeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz. He also recently joined Joel Kinnaman in Apple TV+ sci-fi drama For All Mankind in a new series-regular role for its upcoming third season. Additionally, he stars in the Crackle series StartUp opposite Ron Perlman and Martin Freeman.

Gathegi also can be seen in Sam Esmail’s USA network show Briarpatch, starring as A.D. Singe opposite Rosario Dawson. His recent film credits include Pimp, produced by Lee Daniels; Better Start Running, with Jeremy Irons; and The Last Thing He Wanted, directed by Dee Rees and starring Anne Hathaway and Ben Affleck.

He made his off-Broadway stage debut in Signature Theatre’s Jesus Hopped the A Train,...

Exclusive: Madison Pettis (He’s All That), Vanessa Morgan (Riverdale) and Richard Harmon (The 100) are set to star in horror-thriller Margaux for Brad Krevoy’s (Dumb And Dumber) Motion Picture Corporation of America (Mpca).

Production is due to begin this summer in Vancouver, Canada, on the feature about a group of college friends who rent a smart house for a weekend of partying. However, they slowly start to realize that Margaux, the house’s super advanced AI system, has sinister designs for them.

Pic will be directed by Steven C. Miller who is returning to the horror genre after helming the 2012 reboot Silent Night. Since then, Miller has made action movies including Escape Plan 2, First Kill and Line Of Duty. Nick Waters and Chris Beyrooty wrote the script and are also executive producers.

Mpca’s Brad Krevoy is producing, with Eric Jarboe, Amanda Phillips, Amy Krell, Lorenzo Nardini and...

Update: Sources now tell Deadline Daniel Kaluuya is in negotiations to co-star with Palmer as first reported by The Illuminerdi. If deal closes, it would mark a reteam for Peele and Kaluuya, who worked together on Get Out.

Exclusive: Following the massive success of his first two feature films, Jordan Peele’s next feature film looks to be falling into place as the Oscar-winner has found the star of the untitled pic. Sources tell Deadline that Keke Palmer will star in Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated next project from the Get Out and Us director. Besides directing and writing the pic, Peele will also produce alongside Ian Cooper for their Monkeypaw Productions. The project falls under Monkeypaw’s exclusive five-year deal with Universal.

Like all of Peele’s film’s, plot details are being kept under lock & key with no idea what it is about or who Palmer will be playing.

“Hustlers” actress Keke Palmer is set to star in a thriller called “Alice,” with Common and Jonny Lee Miller co-starring.

“Alice” is the story of a woman trapped in slavery in an 1800s Georgia plantation, only for her to discover upon her escape that it’s actually 1973.

The film comes from writer Krystin Ver Linden, who will also make her directorial debut on the project. Steel Springs Pictures announced the new casting addition Wednesday and is fully financing the project that’s aiming for principal photography to begin this August in Georgia.

Also Read: 'Singled Out' Trailer: Watch People Do the Opposite of Social Distancing in Quibi Trailer (Video)

Peter Lawson is producing “Alice,” and the executive producers are Jose Agustin Valdes and Luisa Fernanda Espinosa of Steel Springs Pictures. Palmer is also an executive producer on the project.

“Alice” is actually in part inspired by a couple of different...

Multihyphenate Keke Palmer will executive produce and star in the historical thriller “Alice” from Steel Springs Pictures.

“Alice” is inspired by the true events of a woman of servitude in 1800s Georgia, who escapes the 55-acre confines of her captor to discover the shocking reality that exists beyond the tree line — it’s 1973.

Krystin Ver Linden will make her directorial debut and helm from her own script. The thriller will be produced by Peter Lawson, who has executive producer credits on “John Wick” and “Spotlight,” with Jose Agustin Valdes and Luisa Fernanda Espinosa of Steel Springs Pictures also exec producing. Steel Springs is fully financing the pic and principal photography will begin in August in Georgia.

“So many films that depict this time in our history are rooted in victimization of the black female lead,” Palmer said. “This story is the opposite and that’s what attracted me to Krystin’s perspective.

A Straub-Huillet Companion is a series of short essays on the films of Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, subject of a Mubi retrospective. Straub-Huillet's Workers, Peasants (2001) is showing on Mubi from September 24 – October 23, 2019.Performer: "...and of every thing came the end, and it was a whole that was living."

J.-M.S.: Thanks—I'll stop you there. It's not bad, but some things should be done a little better. Some are tired. Let's start again from the beginning. First of all, fourth line: "...it lingers among the vineyards and on the seashore." You have to stress the Italian tonic accent on "sea," seeeea. But don't omit the rest of the word. After that, you have four bars to breathe, understand? So you can do it.—Extract from "Jean-Marie Straub to Cesare Pavese" (available here)In the last years of the 20th century, after having produced films in a variety...

‘Precious’ director Lee Daniels is an executive producer.

Los Angeles-based Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) is kicking off talks with Cannes buyers this week on crime drama Pimp starring Keke Palmer and featuring Lee Daniels as executive producer.

Haley Ramm, Vanessa Morgan, Aunjanue Ellis, Edi Gathegi, and Dmx round out the key cast on the Bronx-set urban love story about a female pimp who learned her trade from her father and struggles to survive after he dies, forced to look after her girlfriend and prostitute mother.

Christine Crokos makes her feature directorial debut from her original screenplay. Alexis Varouxakis produces for 1821 Pictures and Adrenaline Entertainment,...

The H Collective—the company behind the highly anticipated Brightburn—announced that Christine Crokos has been tapped to direct their new film The Beast. The Beast follows a woman who has fled her abusive husband only to find herself stranded on a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific. Well, is the island actually deserted? Continue reading for more information on Crokos, as well as the production details.

"The H Collective has tapped writer/director Christine Crokos (Pimp) to direct their upcoming elevated horror-thriller The Beast (Blacklist 2018). The H Collective is producing and fully financing with casting beginning immediately for a Fall 2019 Shoot. The Beast is a hard-hitting horror thriller about a woman who flees an abusive husband only to find herself the sole survivor of a plane crash. Stranded in the South Pacific on a deserted island, she must also grapple with horrors that tap into her worst nightmares...

Exclusive: The H Collective, the La production outfit which is teaming up with Vin Diesel to produce the next installment in the xXx franchise, has set rising filmmaker Christine Crokos (Pimp) to direct their upcoming elevated horror-thriller The Beast.

The company landed Aaron W Sala’s 2018 Blacklist (2018) script in a six-figure deal last year. The story follows a woman who flees an abusive husband only to find herself the sole survivor of a plane crash. Stranded in the South Pacific on a deserted island, she must also grapple with horrors that tap into her worst nightmares while fighting off a creature of unknown origins. The H Collective, which has Sony sci-fi-horror Brightburn coming out in May, will produce and finance The Beast and is eyeing a fall 2019 shoot.

Crokos previously wrote, directed and produced Pimp starring Keke Palmer and executive produced by Lee Daniels. She made her directorial debut with Bang-Bang Wedding!

Breaker, the blockchain content distributor formerly known as SingularDTV, launched its beta version Thursday with a slew of projects, such as FilmRise’s feature “Manifesto” starring Cate Blanchett.

The platform seeks to empower artists and owners through the peer-to-peer distribution network. It was founded in 2016 by author and music producer Zach LeBeau, movie producer Kim Jackson, and entrepreneur Joseph Lubin (Ethereum co-founder and Consensys founder and CEO).

Largely used to record transparency in financial transactions, the tech will help Breaker offer a slate of movies and music to consumers worldwide through an application called DApp. Projects from Oscilloscope Laboratories, Dread via Epic Pictures Releasing, and Vertical Entertainment will be available.

“I’m always looking for new ways to increase the transparency of the business while also trying to simplify it. If this what the future’s going to look like, I want to be in on it early,” said Steven Soderbergh,...

Christine Crokos, writer/director of the Lee Daniels-produced drama, Pimp, has joined the client roster of Verve.

The film, which hit theaters November 9 via by Vertical Entertainment, stars Keke Palmer, Haley Ramm, Aunjanue Ellis, Vanessa Morgan, and Edi Gathegi. The story follows a struggling female Pimp, Wednesday (Palmer), hustles for a chance at a better life. When her girlfriend, Nikki (Ramm), hits the streets to change their luck, Wednesday’s game starts to rise and so do her stable of girls. In a ferocious battle for street power, Wednesday fights to survive, risking her dream of ever getting out.

The pic, which marked Crokos second directorial outing, recently picked up the Best Narrative Feature Award and the Audience Award for Best Feature at this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival.

Crokos made her directorial debut with the film, Bang-Bang Wedding!. She continues to be managed by Gail Levin.

Keke Palmer was 19 years old when she read a script for the part of a hard-edged young woman in the film “Pimp.” But at that age and point in her career, not long after breaking out in the indie film “Akeelah and the Bee,” she was still only offered “children based stuff” and couldn’t even get an audition with writer and director Christine Crokos for the role.

As she explains in this documentary clip “Making the ‘Pimp,'” exclusively on TheWrap, it took Palmer completely transforming her mindset and body over the course of three years to prove she was mature enough for the role.

“I did a lot of research within myself, because I knew I would have to go very deep in order to take on such a role like this,” Palmer says in the doc. “I would have to face a lot of my dark truths...

In 2009, before Empire and The Butler, Lee Daniels made a small little independent film about an overweight, illiterate and pregnant black girl who dreams of a better life.

The film, Precious, with its often painfully raw look at rape, incest and abuse, wasn't anyone's idea of an obvious commercial success. Precious looked likely to go the way of most challenging indie films — especially ones focused on the African-American experience — and be overlooked and quickly forgotten.

Then Oprah Winfrey saw it.

Shortly before he finished the film, Daniels invited Winfrey to a screening. She signed on as an executive producer ...

"Once you in this game, you in it for life." Vertical Entertainment has released an official trailer for an indie drama titled Pimp, the latest feature written & directed by filmmaker Christine Crokos. This is executive produced by Lee Daniels, and it's getting a small release this November. Born into the "Pimp Game", a female pimp Named Wednesday, played by Keke Palmer, hustles for a chance at a better life. When her girlfriend, Nikki, hits the streets to change their luck, Wednesday's game starts to rise and so do her stable of girls. On her epic journey of survival of the fittest, Wednesday comes face to face with a male pimp who plays a much more dangerous game. In a ferocious battle for street power Wednesday fights to survive, risking her dream of ever getting out. In addition to Palmer, the cast includes Haley Ramm, Edi Gathegi, Vanessa Morgan, Aunjanue Ellis,...

Pimp Trailer Christine Crokos‘ Pimp (2018) movie trailer stars Keke Palmer, Haley Ramm, Edi Gathegi, Aunjanue Ellis, and Vanessa Morgan. Pimp‘s plot synopsis: “An urban gritty drama set on the streets of the Bronx. Wednesday, a female pimp, grows up learning the game from her dad. Once he’s gone she is left looking after her prostitute [...]

Continue reading: Pimp (2018) Movie Trailer: Keke Palmer is a Female Pimp Fighting for Survival Against Rivals...

Universal Pictures’ “Night School,” starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, will open the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival.

“Night School” is one of more than 60 films and TV shows being screened at the fest — an annual showcase of diverse culture — including the debut of the Fox show “Rel.” “Get Out’s” Lil Rel Howery stars in the series and will take part in a Q&A following the screening at New York City’s AMC Empire 25.

HBO will also screen two spotlight selections: first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s “The Sentence,” a documentary about mandatory minimum sentencing, and Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown’s “United Skates,” a doc about some of America’s last standing roller rinks.

Passes for the festival, which runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23, are available at the Urbanworld website, and tickets for official selections and spotlights will be available in September.

Here’s the full list of...

Seven names chosen for initial list.

UK genre festival FrightFest (August 23-27) has unveiled the seven names comprising the long-list of the 2018 edition of its Screen Genre Rising Star Award.

There are three directors and four actors. On the filmmaking side, names include Kevin Chicken, whose Perfect Skin will premiere at FrightFest this year, Aislinn Clarke, whose The Devil’s Doorway will play the festival, and Mike Mort, whose stop-motion feature Chuck Steel: Night Of The Trampires premiered at animation festival Annecy earlier this year and will now travel to FrightFest.

The four actors are Hannah Arterton, Ella Hunt (Anna...

Lee Daniels has signed on to executive produce the indie urban drama film Pimp.

Written and directed by Christine Crokos, the love story stars Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee), Haley Ramm (The Originals), Aunjanue Ellis (The Help), Vanessa Morgan (Finding Carter), Mike E. Winfield (Conversations in L.A.), Edi Cathegi (Twilight) and Dmx.

Pimp marks the first film that Daniels — the writer-director-producer behind such hits as Empire, Star, Precious and The Butler — has executive produced. The impetus for his involvement stemmed from wanting to support a new generation of filmmakers with authentic voices and a unique approach to storytelling.

Pimp...

Keke Palmer has signed with UTA, which will rep the actress-singer-author for film, TV, music, licensing and endorsements, and digital media. The actress, whose recent TV credits include Scream Queens and Grease Live, in February landed a series-regular role on Epix’s upcoming Season 2 of drama series Berlin Station. Palmer, whose breakout role was starring in the 2006 film Akeelah And The Bee, is next up on the big screen in the indie Pimp. She voiced a role in Ice Age: C…...

Keke Palmer has signed with UTA, which will rep the actress-singer-author for film, TV, music, licensing and endorsements, and digital media. The actress, whose recent TV credits include Scream Queens and Grease Live, in February landed a series-regular role on Epix’s upcoming Season 2 of drama series Berlin Station. Palmer, whose breakout role was starring in the 2006 film Akeelah And The Bee, is next up on the big screen in the indie Pimp. She voiced a role in Ice Age: C…...

Edi Gathegi is joining Martin Sheen in the indie drama The Princess of the Row.

The movie follows a 12-year-old girl in foster care who will stop at nothing to live with her homeless, mentally ill father (Gathegi), a veteran who now lives on the streets of Los Angeles' Skid Row. 

Max Carlson will direct the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shawn Austin. Gathegi will produce, along with Carlson and Austin.

The Blacklist actor's other upcoming film credits include the Jeremy Irons-starrer Monumental and the drama Pimp, in which he stars opposite Keke Palmer. He can currently be seen on NBC's Blacklist spinoff...

Rapper Dmx has just signed on to join the cast of the indie film “Pimp,” according to Deadline. The story is written and directed by Christine Crokos and follows the hustle and dangers that women face working in the illegal sex trade in New York.

The film is essentially a love story that revolves around a female pimp (Keke Palmer) and her girlfriend (Haley Ramm), who dream of a better life and getting out of the situation they are in. There are no additional details on Dmx’s role. However, Crokos is working closely with “a man of the cloth in the community who is trying to get kids out of the circle of gun violence that plagues the area.”

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Aunjanue Ellis, Vanessa Morgan and Edi Gathegi round out the female-led cast. “Pimp” is being produced by Alexis Varouxakis...

Exclusive: Rapper Dmx has just committed to star in Pimp, an indie film from writer-director Christine Crokos that looks at life for women on the streets of New York amidst the hustles and dangers facing those working in the illegal sex trade. At the center of this film is a love story between a pimp (Keke Palmer, Akeelah And The Bee) and her girlfriend (Haley Ramm, The Originals) who dream of a better life and hope to get out of the one they're in. Filming is underway in…...

Keke Palmer, best known for starring in Akeelah and the Bee, will be the first black actress to play Cinderella on Broadway.

Keke Palmer Lands Broadway Cinderella Role

Palmer announced that she’d landed the titular role in Rogers & Hemmerstein’s Cinderella on Twitter. “I’m sooooo excited to be doing broadway for the first time, as Cinderella!!,” Palmer wrote. “Dreams Do Come True!!.”

I’m sooooo excited to be doing broadway for the first time, as Cinderella!! Dreams Do Come True!!