Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 15th to 21st, 2018 - Update #26

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COMIC-CON - TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Joss Whedon and Monica Owusu-Breen to shepherd a reboot of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but with a Black female lead.

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COMIC-CON - TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Andrew Lincoln, who plays "Rick Grimes," the lead character on AMC's hit, "The Walking Dead," confirms that he is leaving the series during the upcoming season.

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SCANDAL - From CBR:  Old social media posts get James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise) fired by Disney.

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SCANDAL - From TheWrap: Lionsgate's legal affairs department is hit with sexual misconduct accusations.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Their will be a movie musical based on the legendary musical, "Cats."  Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellan, James Corden, and Taylor Swift will be among the cast.

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COMICS-FILM - From ShadowandAct:  Zazie Beetz (FX's "Atlanta") in talks to star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Warner/DC Comics' standalone film, "The Joker."

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COMIC-CON - From BleedingCool:  New Line announces a third film in its "Annabelle" horror movie franchise.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures moves Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" to August 9, 2019.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooTheTelegraph:  Once upon a time, online morons/trolls were totally against Chris Nolan casting the late Heath Ledger as "The Joker" in "The Dark Knight."

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STREAMING - From YahooEntertainment:  Chris Rock joins Eddie Murphy in Murphy's Rudy Ray Moore biopic, "Dolemite is My Name," which will be exclusive to Netflix in 2019.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooSports:  An article about former NBA legend Kobe Bryant's upcoming projects.

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COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  Everything you need to know about Warner Bros./DC Comics' "Shazam" movie, which is due April 5, 2019.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya will join Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn in the "Birds of Prey" film.

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TELEVISION - From CBR:  Their may be a TV series based on the "Aliens" film franchise.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Harrison Ford is considering starring in a big-budget adaptation of the Jack London's 1903 novel, "Call of the Wild."  Previous film versions of the classic novel about the Klondike gold rush have starred Clark Gable and Charlton Heston.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Keanu Reeves cast doubt on "Bill & Ted 3" because the project is still facing challenges.

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CULTURE - From NYTimes: "When Black actors use their "White voice."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 7/13 to 7/15/2018 weekend box office is "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" with an estimated take of $44.1 million.

From Variety:  "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" also passes new release "Skyscraper" at the international box office.

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EMMYS- From Variety:  Here is a complete list of the 70th/ 2018 Emmy Award nominations.

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MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  A lost screenplay, "entitled Burning Secret," written by the late Stanley Kubrick ("Full Metal Jacket") has been found.

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MOVIES - From RollingStone:   The original director, writers, and actors will return for a sequel to the hit 2009 film, "Zombieland."

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MOVIES - From PopSugar:  Dwayne Johnson is not sure if he is going to be in "Fast & Furious 9"

OBIT:

From PittPostGazette:  Former NFL player, Gabe Rivera, has died at the age of 57, Monday, July 16, 2018.  Rivera was the Steelers first round pick in 1983 out of Texas Tech.  Six games into his rookie season, his career ended when he was injured in a car accident and paralyzed from the waist down.  Rivera was notoriously chosen ahead of hometown boy Dan Marino who was picked later in the first round by the Miami Dolphins where he went on to have a legendary and record-setting, NFL Hall of Fame career.

VIDEOS:

From YouTube:  The first official trailer for "Glass," the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" and "Split."

From YouTube:  Second official trailer for "The Predator."

From YouTube:  First trailer for Warner Bros./New Line/DC Comics' "Shazam" (due Spring 2019).

From YouTube:  First full(?) "Aquaman" trailer.

2018 / 90th Academy Awards Announced - Complete Winners List

The Academy Awards is an American film accolade.  It is best known as the “Oscars,” and is an annual awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements primarily in the American film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette that is officially called the “Academy Award of Merit,” but has become commonly known by its nickname, the “Oscar.”   The awards were first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  The Academy Awards are overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The 90th Oscars nominations in 24 categories were announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.  Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2017 were presented on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and was televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.  The Oscars ceremony was also televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.  Jimmy Kimmel acted as host for the ceremony.

2018 / 90th Academy Award winners (for film achievements in 2017):

Best Picture
The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale, Producers

Directing
The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro

Actor in a Leading Role:
Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour

Actor in a Supporting Role
Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actress in a Leading Role
Frances McDormand - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actress in a Supporting Role
Allison Janney - I, Tonya

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Call Me by Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Get Out - Written by Jordan Peele

Animated Feature Film
Coco - Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson

Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049 - Roger A. Deakins

Costume Design
Phantom Thread - Mark Bridges

Documentary (Feature)
Icarus - Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan

Documentary (Short Subject)
Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 - Frank Stiefel

Film Editing
Dunkirk - Lee Smith

Foreign Language Film
A Fantastic Woman - Chile

Makeup and Hairstyling:
Darkest Hour - Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

Music (Original Score)
The Shape of Water - Alexandre Desplat

Music (Original Song)
Remember Me from Coco; Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Production Design
The Shape of Water - Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeffrey A. Melvin

Short Film (Animated)
Dear Basketball - Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant

Short Film (Live Action)
The Silent Child - Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton

Sound Editing
Dunkirk - Richard King and Alex Gibson

Sound Mixing
Dunkirk - Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo and Mark Weingarten

Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049 - John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

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2018 Oscars "Best Animated Short Film" - "Dear Basketball"

Short Film (Animated)

Dear Basketball - Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant - WINNERS

Nominees
Garden Party - Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
Lou - Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
Negative Space - Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
Revolting Rhymes - Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer

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2018 / 90th Academy Awards Nominees - Complete List

The Academy Awards is an American film accolade.  It is best known as the “Oscars,” and is an annual awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements primarily in the American film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette that is officially called the “Academy Award of Merit,” but has become commonly known by its nickname, the “Oscar.”   The awards were first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  The Academy Awards are overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The 90th Oscars nominations in 24 categories were announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.  Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2017 will be presented on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.  Jimmy Kimmel will return as host for the ceremony.

2018 / 90th Academy Award nominations (for film achievements in 2017):

Best Picture

Nominees
Call Me by Your Name - Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito, Producers

Darkest Hour - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski, Producers

Dunkirk - Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

Get Out - Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele, Producers

Lady Bird - Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O'Neill, Producers

Phantom Thread - JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi, Producers

The Post - Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale, Producers

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers

Directing
Nominees
Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan
Get Out - Jordan Peele
Lady Bird - Greta Gerwig
Phantom Thread - Paul Thomas Anderson
The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro

Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees
Timothée Chalamet - Call Me by Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis - Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out
Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington - Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees
Willem Dafoe - The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins - The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer - All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees
Sally Hawkins - The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie - I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird
Meryl Streep - The Post

Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees
Mary J. Blige - Mudbound
Allison Janney - I, Tonya
Lesley Manville - Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer - The Shape of Water

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Nominees
Call Me by Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory
The Disaster Artist - Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Logan - Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold
Molly's Game - Written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin
Mudbound - Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Nominees
The Big Sick - Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
Get Out - Written by Jordan Peele
Lady Bird - Written by Greta Gerwig
The Shape of Water - Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Written by Martin McDonagh

Animated Feature Film
Nominees
The Boss Baby - Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito
The Breadwinner - Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo
Coco - Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson
Ferdinand - Carlos Saldanha and Lori Forte
Loving Vincent - Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart

Cinematography
Nominees
Blade Runner 2049 - Roger A. Deakins
Darkest Hour - Bruno Delbonnel
Dunkirk - Hoyte van Hoytema
Mudbound - Rachel Morrison
The Shape of Water - Dan Laustsen

Costume Design
Nominees
Beauty and the Beast - Jacqueline Durran
Darkest Hour - Jacqueline Durran
Phantom Thread - Mark Bridges
The Shape of Water - Luis Sequeira
Victoria & Abdul - Consolata Boyle

Documentary (Feature)
Nominees
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail - Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman
Faces Places - Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda
Icarus - Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan
Last Men in Aleppo - Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen
Strong Island - Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes

Documentary (Short Subject)
Nominees
Edith+Eddie - Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright
Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 - Frank Stiefel
Heroin(e) - Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon
Knife Skills - Thomas Lennon
Traffic Stop - Kate Davis and David Heilbroner

Film Editing
Nominees
Baby Driver - Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos
Dunkirk - Lee Smith
I, Tonya - Tatiana S. Riegel
The Shape of Water - Sidney Wolinsky
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Jon Gregory

Foreign Language Film
Nominees
A Fantastic Woman - Chile
The Insult - Lebanon
Loveless - Russia
On Body and Soul - Hungary
The Square – Sweden

Makeup and Hairstyling
Nominees
Darkest Hour - Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick
Victoria & Abdul - Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
Wonder - Arjen Tuiten

Music (Original Score)
Nominees
Dunkirk - Hans Zimmer
Phantom Thread - Jonny Greenwood
The Shape of Water - Alexandre Desplat
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - John Williams
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Carter Burwell

Music (Original Song)
Nominees
"Mighty River" from Mudbound; Music and Lyric by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson

"Mystery Of Love" from Call Me by Your Name; Music and Lyric by Sufjan Stevens

"Remember Me" from Coco; Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

"Stand Up For Something" from Marshall; Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren

"This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman; Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Production Design
Nominees
Beauty and the Beast - Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
Blade Runner 2049 - Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola
Darkest Hour - Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
Dunkirk - Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
The Shape of Water - Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeffrey A. Melvin

Short Film (Animated)
Nominees
Dear Basketball - Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant
Garden Party - Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
Lou - Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
Negative Space - Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
Revolting Rhymes - Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer

Short Film (Live Action)
Nominees
DeKalb Elementary - Reed Van Dyk
The Eleven O'Clock - Derin Seale and Josh Lawson
My Nephew Emmett - Kevin Wilson, Jr.
The Silent Child - Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton
Watu Wote/All of Us - Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen

Sound Editing
Nominees
Baby Driver - Julian Slater
Blade Runner 2049 - Mark Mangini and Theo Green
Dunkirk - Richard King and Alex Gibson
The Shape of Water - Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce

Sound Mixing
Nominees
Baby Driver - Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis
Blade Runner 2049 - Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth
Dunkirk - Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo and Mark Weingarten
The Shape of Water - Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern and Glen Gauthier
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects
Nominees
Blade Runner 2049 - John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick
Kong: Skull Island - Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
War for the Planet of the Apes - Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist


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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 21st to 31st, 2018 - Update #33

Support Leroy on Patreon.

STREAMING - From TVfanatic:  DC Comics/Entertainment's still unnamed streaming service has ordered a series set in Superman's base city of operations, Metropolis, before Superman arrived.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Denzel Washington to direct "A Journal for Jordan."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/26 to 1/28/2018 weekend box office is "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" with an estimated box office haul of $23.5 million.

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GRAMMYS - From Variety:  This page is a winners list that is being updated during the ceremony.

From YahooEntertaiment:  Bruno Mars has a magical night at the 60th Grammy Awards winning in all six categories in which he was nominated, including in the big three categories:  Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year.

From YahooMusic:  The highs and lows of the 2018 Grammy Awards, according to Yahoo Music's Chris Willman.

From HollywoodLife:   Jay-Z lost every Grammy category in which he was nominated - 8 categories - and his fans are upset.

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MOVIES - From GuardianUK:  Steven Spielberg said the urgency to make "The Post," his Oscar-nominated film, was President Trump.

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MUSIC - From Deadline:  Aretha Franklin has chosen Oscar-winning actress and Grammy-winning singer, Jennifer Hudson, to portray her in MGM's upcoming biopic about Franklin.

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SCANDAL - From THR:  Three more women accuse Emmy-winning actor, Jeremy Piven, of sexual misconduct.  Since November of 2017, five other women have accused Piven of various forms of sexual misconduct and harassment.

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GRAMMYS - From Variety:   A complete list of 2018 Grammy Awards nominees.

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TELEVISION - From YahooSports:  ESPN sports personality Jemele Hill is leaving ESPN's "SportsCenter" to work at ESPN's "The Undefeated," which focuses on culture and race.

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TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Alley Mills, who played the mother on ABC's late "The Wonder Years" (1988 to 1993), says that the show was cancelled because of what she calls a baseless sexual harassment lawsuit.

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CULTURE - From Wired:  "The Dirty War Over Diversity Inside Google."

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COMICS-FILM - From PageSix:  First photos of Brie Larson in Captain Marvel costume.

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ANIMATION - From THR:  Warner Animation Group is looking to make an animated feature film based on "The Cat in the Hat."  It is part of a deal Warner Animation has signed with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Classic CBS television series, "Murphy Brown" (1988 to 1998) is returning to CBS in 2018-19 with thirteen new episodes.  The star of the series, Candice Bergen, and series creator, Diane English, are reportedly returning.

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OSCARS - From Variety:  Oscar nominations - 2018 - the complete list.

From Variety:  NBA legend and former Los Angeles Laker, Kobe Bryant, shares an Oscar nomination with Glen Keane for the animated short film, "Dear Basketball."

From THR:  Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman to receive an Oscar nomination for "Best Director."  She earned the nod for her acclaimed film, "Lady Bird."

From Variety:  2018 Oscar snubs and surprises.

From Variety:  Meryl Streeps breaks her own Oscar nominations record. Her nomination as "Best Actress" for "The Post" is her 21st and is the most by a performer.

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  Gary Oldman wants to be in a Marvel Studios movie.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  The nominees for the 38th annual Razzie Awards have been announced.  The "Razzies" make note or what the voters thinks are the worst films and performers of the year.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is the winner of the 1/19 to 1/21/2018 weekend box office with an estimated total $20 million.  This is its third straight week at No. 1.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jordan Peele Says It Feels Like “We’re In The Sunken Place” Right Now – PGA Awards

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TELEVISION - From TheVillageVoice:  The Voice's Lara Zarum talks about Ryan Murphy's "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" (FX).

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POLITICS - From TheGuardian:  Noted Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress Kathleen Turner writes, "Trump’s judges threaten reproductive rights for generations to come"

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  A young Barack Obama may appear in "Legends of Tomorrow" Season 3.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Steven Spielberg's next films may be a fifth "Indiana Jones" movie and a new film version of the classic Broadway musical, "West Side Story."  The 1961 film won the Oscar for "Best Picture."

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment will produce a comic book based on the "Jeepers Creepers" film franchise.

OBITS:

From ConsortiumNews:  Robert Parry, the editor and publisher of Consortiumnews.com died at the age of 68, Saturday, January 27, 2018.

From Billboard:  R&B singer Denise LaSalle died at the age of 78, Tuesday, January 9, 2018.  She had a string of hits in the from the 1970s to the early 1980s.  LaSalle's first hit was the song, "Trapped By a Thing Called Love," which topped the R&B charts and made it to #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, eventually being certified gold for sale of 1 million.

From SkiMagazine:  The pioneering ski filmmaker, Warren Miller, has died at the age of 93, Wednesday, January 24, 2018.  He is credited with directing over 50 films, beginning with "Deep and Light" in 1950.

From NYTimes:  The beloved science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Le Guin, has died at the age of 88, Monday, January 22, 2018.  Her most famous works are the Earthsea series and the novel, "The Left Hand of Darkness."

From Billboard:  South African jazz musician, Hugh Masekela, has died at the age of 78, Tuesday, January 23, 2018.  Considered a legend, Masekela was often called the "Father of South African jazz."  He collaborated with American musicians such as Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, and Herb Albert.  His best known musical number may be 1968's "Grazing in the Grass."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 17th to 23rd, 2017 - Update #31

Support Leroy on Patreon.

BLM - From Lobelog:  Free Ahed Tamimi!  She hurt the IDF's masculinity.

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice:  "Searching for Daniel Day-Lewis."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" will be 20 years old Christmas Day.

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STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Paramount has set Mark L. Smith to write the screenplay for the announced R-rated Star Trek movie that Quentin Tarantino says he wants to direct and J.J. Abrams will produce.

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SPORTS - From BET:  Former Major League Baseball player, Darryl Strawberry, admitted to having sex in the team clubhouse during games.

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POLITICS - From teleSUR:  Oxfam describes the situation in Yemen as an "apocalypse," after 1000 days of a U.S. backed military campaign by Saudi Arabia.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  The board of directors of The Weinstein Company will meet today to consider bids to buy the company, in the wake of the co-founder Harvey Weinstein facing multiple accusations of sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct.

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MOVIES - From GQ:  "The Dark Optimism of Paul Thomas Anderson."

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MOVIES - From RollingStone:  Cher makes her grand entry in the "Mamma Mia" sequel.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Josh Gad joins Disney's "Artemis Fowl" film.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Nick Castle who played Michael Myers in John Carpenter's 1978 "Halloween" is returning to play the character again in next year's David Gordon Green directed reboot.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born" remake, in which he stars with Lady Gaga, has been moved from a Summer 2018 release date to October 2018.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Yahoo's "50 Best Movies of 2017."  Their pick for best is "Lady Bird."

From YahooEntertainment:  Yahoo's "10 Worse Movies of 2017."  "Baywatch" is the winner/loser.

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SPORTS - From YahooEntertainment:  NBA legend, former L.A. Laker, Kobe Bryant, talks about his animated short film, "Dear Basketball," directed by Disney legend, Glen Keane.

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BLM - From YahooLifestyle:  George Zimmerman, who killed an African-American child named Trayvon Martin, has threatened to kill Jay-Z who is produced a six-part docuseries about Trayvon Martin, "Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story."

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COMICS - From THR:  Elvis Presley will battle aliens!  "Bubba Ho-Tep," the Joe R. Lansdale novella that became a 2002 cult film (from director Don Coscarelli), will get a prequel comic book from IDW Publishing in 2018.

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MOVIES - From BoxOfficeMojo:  There will be a whole lotta movies released on Christmas Day 2017.

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MOVIES - From TheHollywoodReporter:  Paramount Pictures announces release dates for GI Joe, Micronauts, and Dungeons & Dragons films.

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ANIMATION - From ShadowandAct:  Adam Reid's animated sci-fi comedy, "Barry and Joe: The Animated Series," gets some backing from late-night talk show host, Conan O'Brien.

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TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  HBO has picked up two new shows from Issa Rae, the creator of the acclaimed HBO series, "Insecure."

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  BBC preps a feature-length, definitive documentary about the "Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/15 to 12/17/2017 weekend box office is "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" with an estimated take of $220 million.

From Deadline:  "I, Tonya" leads specialty box office for the second weekend.

From Variety:  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" hits $230 million in international box office.

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From YahooEntertainment:  Bob and Harvey Weinstein apparently blacklisted Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino from films in which they were involved, including "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Bad Santa."

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STREAMING - From IndieWireTV:  Ian McKellen wants to play Gandalf in Amazon's upcoming "Lord of the Rings" TV series. McKellen says he is not to old because Gandalf is over 7000 years old.

OBITS:

From TheWrap:  Sports broadcaster, Dick Enberg, has died at the age of 82, Thursday, December 21, 2017.  Over his nearly 60-year career, Enberg worked for CBS, NBC, and ESPN covering eight Super Bowls, multiple World Series, and the Wimbledon tennis tournament.  He is also famous for his catchphrase, "Oh, my!"

From Variety:  Film production designer, Therese DePrez, has died at the age of 52, Tuesday, December 19, 2017.  DePrez is best known for her work on Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," but over her long career, she had worked on such films as Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam" and John Cameron Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."

From Deadline:  The actress Hiep Thi Le has died at the age of 46, Tuesday, December 19, 2017.   She was best known for playing the role of real-life Le Ly Hayslip in Oliver Stone's 1994, "Heaven and Earth."  Le was also a celebrated restaurateur and chef.

From THR:  The actress Heather North has died at the age of 71, Thursday, November 30, 2017.  Although she appeared in numerous films and TV shows ("The Monkees," "My Three Sons"), North is best known as the voice of "Daphne Blake," on various "Scooby-Doo" animated TV series, beginning with the second season of the first Scooby-Doo series, "Scooby-Doo Where Are You!"

From BleedingCool:  Bob Givens, the man who created the official design for Bugs Bunny, has died at the age of 99, Thursday, December 14, 2017.  Given was asked to redesign the "too cute" Bugs, and Given's iconic look first appeared in the animated short film, "A Wild Hare."  Given, once an employee of Walt Disney, participated in the notorious 1941 strike at Disney.  [Thank you and rest in peace, Mr. Givens. - Leroy]

10 Animated Short Films Vie for 5 Spots at the 90th Academy Awards

10 ANIMATED SHORTS ADVANCE IN 2017 OSCAR® RACE

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards®. Sixty-three pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Cradle,” Devon Manney, director (University of Southern California)

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, director, and Kobe Bryant, writer (Glen Keane Productions)

“Fox and the Whale,” Robin Joseph, director (Robin Joseph)

“Garden Party,” Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon, directors (MOPA)

“In a Heartbeat,” Esteban Bravo and Beth David, directors (Ringling College of Art and Design)

“Life Smartphone,” Chenglin Xie, director (China Central Academy of Fine Arts)

“Lost Property Office,” Daniel Agdag, director, and Liz Kearney, producer (8th in Line)

“Lou,” Dave Mullins, director, and Dana Murray, producer (Pixar Animation Studios)

“Negative Space,” Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, directors (Ikki Films)

“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, directors (Magic Light Pictures)

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in January. Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 5th, 2017 - Update #29

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  FOX News "personality" Eric Bolling is the latest FOX white male in trouble for sexual harassment of female co-workers.

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TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Scripps Network  has bought Black-oriented television network, "Bounce TV."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Whoopi Goldberg is returning this fall for Season 21 of "The View."

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COMICS-FILM - From TheTrackingBoard:  Jeff Robinov's Studio 8 has optioned the independent comic book series, "Black," for film.  The series is set in a world where only African-Ameicans have super powers.

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TELEVISION - TheTrackingBoard:  Teagan Croft is the first cast member of "Titans," based on the comic book from DC Comics.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC's "Will & Grace" revival has been renewed for a second season before the first season makes it debut (set for September 28th).

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MOVIES - From THR:  Jaden Smith to star in director Crystal Moselle's film about female skateboarders in New York City.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Sylvester Stallone will appear in the upcoming season of NBC's much talked about series, "This is Us."

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TELEVISION - From Vulture:  The "Divergent" novel series is comprised of three books.  The third book, "Allegiant," was supposed adapted into two films.  The first film, also entitled "Allegiant," was a box office disappointment, and it seems that Lionsgate is not making the second part, to be called "Ascendant."  Starz is developing "Ascendant" as a TV series, instead.

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TELEVISION - From Variety: Vin Diesel's One Race Television is working on a reboot of NBC's classic TV series, "Miami Vice."

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COMICS-FILM - From CinemaBlend:  Dave Bautista, who plays "Drax" in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, says he will appear in a film adaptation of Valiant Comics' "Eternal Warrior" comic books.

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DISNEY - From THR:  Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks to voice "Scar" in Disney's live-action remake of its animated classic, "The Lion King" (1994), which will be directed by Jon Favreau.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooStyle:  President and Mrs. Obama send newlywed couple a moving note of congratulations.

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JAMES BOND - From YahooCelebrity:  Halle Berry does not think that James Bond should be played by a woman.  Berry was a co-star in the 2002 Bond film, "Die Another Day."

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Scott Cooper to write and direct "Hellhound on His Trail," about the hunt for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  NBA Legend/G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan says that Kobe is higher on the all-time list than LeBron James.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  ABC's long-running sitcom, "The Middle," will end after this coming season, its ninth.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" begins production and releases a teaser video.

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Ian McShane joins the "Hellboy" film franchise reboot, "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Amazon is developing a TV series from Aaron McGruder (creator of "The Boondocks") and super-producer Will Packer ("Girls Trip") that will deal with a post-slavery reparations America.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Leah Remini is reuniting with her "King of Queens" cast mate, Kevin James, on his recent CBS comedy, "Kevin Can Wait."  In order to do that, the character played by Erinn Hayes in "Kevin Can Wait" will be killed off.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  50 Cent is threatening to take his hit show, "Power," from Starz.

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TELEVISION - From Vulture:  Jason Bateman says Season 5 of "Arrested Development" begins next week for Netflix.

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ANIMATION - From YahooMovies:  Sony's "The Emoji Movie" may be the worst reviewed movie of the year.

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LGBTQ - From YahooNews:  A federal judge orders the FBT to probe records of a 1950 program to purge LGBT federal workers from their jobs, as per Executive Order 10450 by then President Dwight Eisenhower.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Legendary Major League Baseball player Pete Rose had sex with an underage girl, according to court documents.

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HEALTH - From Propublica:  Could "Agent Orange" exposure in Vietnam be behind Senator John McCain's (a Vietnam War prisoner of war) battle with brain cancer?

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CELEBRITY - From Mashable:  Mark Hamill sends a sweet DM to a fan trying to verify an old Hamill autograph.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooMovies:  Idris Elba would like to be in a third "Magic Mike" film, is one happens.  "Magic Mike" star, Matthew McConaughey, thinks so, too.

OBIT:

From People:  The British actor Robert Hardy has died at the age of 91, Thursday, August 3, 2017.  Harry Potter fans know Hardy for playing Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in four "Harry Potter" films.

From Variety:  The film and television music composer, Daniel Licht,  died at the age of 60, Wednesday, August 2, 2017.  He was best known for composing the music for all eight seasons of Showtime's serial killer drama, "Dexter."  He composed music for two of the films in the "Children of the Corn" series.

Kobe Bryant to Be Honored at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Sports 2016

NBA Champion and All-Star MVP Kobe Bryant to Be Honored with the Legend Award at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016

Telecast Hosted by Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Airs Sunday, July 17, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following his 20th and final season with the Los Angeles Lakers, five-time NBA Champion, four-time NBA Finals MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kobe Bryant will be honored with the Legend Award at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016. Bryant will receive the award in recognition of his record-breaking achievements, unrivaled talent and outstanding sportsmanship on and off the basketball court.

    “It’s an honor to receive Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports Legend Award. This is a great opportunity to inspire kids to never lose their imaginations and to dream bigger than what they think is possible. If you stay true to that, the hard work, dedication and success will always follow.”

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 will be hosted by Seattle Seahawks two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson, and will air on Sunday, July 17, 2016, from 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The Legend Award honors athletes who are the ultimate role models to kids across the globe, inspiring generations year after year. Bryant, is the third recipient of the award, with soccer legend David Beckham receiving the inaugural golden sliming in 2014, and five-time World Series champion Derek Jeter following in last year’s ceremony.

Said Bryant, “It’s an honor to receive Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports Legend Award. This is a great opportunity to inspire kids to never lose their imaginations and to dream bigger than what they think is possible. If you stay true to that, the hard work, dedication and success will always follow.”

Bryant is a five-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, NBA MVP, four-time NBA Finals MVP and a 15-time All-NBA player. He recently retired from the game having played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has appeared in 18 NBA All Star Games, earning three NBA All Star MVP recognitions. He became the League’s youngest player ever to be named to the NBA’s All Defensive Team, to start an All-Star Game, and to earn All-Rookie honors. In December 2014, Bryant became the League’s 3rd all-time leading scorer, surpassing his basketball muse, Michael Jordan. On April 13, 2016, Bryant played his final NBA game, setting a season-high 60 points.

Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 is the only show that celebrates kids and families’ love of sports and top professional athletes. With special guests and outrageous competitions, the one-of-a-kind event will be bursting with fun, unforgettable moments, epic slimings and sheer ‘fan’-demonium that can only happen on Nickelodeon. Kids from around the country will show their support for their favorite athletes, teams and sports moments and decide who will take home a cherished, one-of-a-kind Nickelodeon orange mohawked blimp trophy.

Nick.com/sports will serve as the official destination for everything Kids’ Choice Sports 2016, where kids can cast their votes for their favorite athletes and all-star moments from the past year, play a brand new Kids’ Choice game, watch sports-themed short-form videos and check out photo galleries of athletic all-stars online and on the Nick App. To stay up to date on everything Kids’ Choice Sports 2016, use #KidsChoiceSports on Instagram and Twitter. Follow NickelodeonTV on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 sponsors are Always®, FCA US LLC, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®, Nationwide® and Popsicle®.

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 is produced by Done + Dusted in association with Nickelodeon Productions. Jay Schmalholz and Shelly Sumpter Gillyard are executive producers. Constance Schwartz and Michael Strahan of SMAC Entertainment will serve as executive producers, alongside Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done + Dusted with Hamilton also serving as director of the show.


About Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

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