News

Bridgerton‘s Adjoa Ando will go from the pages of Julia Quinn’s romantic series to Tina Andrew’s Charlotte Sophia.

Ando will lend her voice to the audiobook of Andrew’s Charlotte Sophia: Myth, Mandess and the Moor from RBmedia. Produced by Recorded Books, the audiobook is slated for a June 22, 2021 release.

The 2013 novel centers on Queen Charlotte, who is thought to be England’s first biracial royal. Charlotte Sophia spans 50 years in the life of a formidable queen whose history collides with lust, betrayal, politics, rape, murder, and madness.

HBO Max has optioned the rights to Andrews’ historical novel for film and TV development. If a project is put into development, Andrews would serve as creator/showrunner and executive producer.

Charlotte Sophia adds to Andoh’s lengthy list of audiobook credits. She has previously narrated The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah,...

Wed. March. 3 Byron Allen Acquires Civil Rights-Era Biography ‘From Selma to Sorrow’ For Film

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group feature film division, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, has announced it has acquired global media rights to the critically-acclaimed historic biography “From Selma To Sorrow: The Life And Death Of Viola Liuzzo.”

“From Selma To Sorrow: The Life And Death Of Viola Liuzzo” is written by author and historian Mary Stanton (“Journey Toward Justice”) and traces the life story of Viola Liuzzo — a white housewife, part-time college student, and mother of five children — whose passion for the civil rights movement led to her brutal murder by the Ku Klux Klan immediately following her participation in the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches of 1965.

Tina Andrews wrote the screenplay, based on the biography “From Selma to Sorrow.” Andrews’ credits include writing and co-executive producing the two acclaimed miniseries “Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis...

Exclusive: Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group feature film division, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, has picked up the worldwide media rights to the critically-acclaimed historic biography From Selma to Sorrow: The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo.

Written by author/historian Mary Stanton, From Selma to Sorrow traces the life story of Viola Liuzzo—a white housewife, part-time college student, and mother of five children—whose passion for the civil rights movement led to her brutal murder by the Ku Klux Klan immediately following her participation in the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches of 1965. Liuzzo’s story will be told through the eyes of her very best friend, Sarah Evans, an African-American woman who introduced her to the civil rights movement and raised Liuzzo’s five children after her untimely death.

While Liuzzo is the only white woman honored at...

1996: Nathan Hastings died on The Young and the Restless.

1996: Frankie Frame was murdered on Another World.

1996: Gh's Jason and Robin arrived in Montauk on Stone's birthday.

2013: The series finale of One Life to Live aired online."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1929: NBC Blue network broadcast Amos 'n' Andy, starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, for the first time. The show ran as a nightly radio serial from 1928 (starting at local Wmaq) until 1943, then as a weekly situation comedy from 1943 to 1955.

1953: On Search for Tomorrow, Arthur Tate (Terry O'Sullivan) told Nathan Walsh...

1996: Nathan Hastings died on The Young and the Restless.

1996: Frankie Frame was murdered on Another World.

1996: Gh's Jason and Robin arrived in Montauk on Stone's birthday.

2013: The series finale of One Life to Live aired online."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1929: NBC Blue network broadcast Amos 'n' Andy, starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, for the first time. The show ran as a nightly radio serial from 1928 (starting at local Wmaq) until 1943, then as a weekly situation comedy from 1943 to 1955.

1953: On Search for Tomorrow, Arthur Tate (Terry O'Sullivan) told Nathan Walsh...

Melrose Place veteran Vanessa Williams has joined the Days of Our Lives TV show cast, on NBC. The actress announced the news on Instagram (see below). She is a re-cast of the Dr. Valerie Grant character, originated by Tina Andrews in 1975, who played the part until 1977. Kitty Lester and the late Lawrence Cook played Valerie's parents, Helen and Paul Grant. Soap Central reports Andrews was not approached to reprise the role.Rose Fonseca assumed the role of Valerie from 1977 to '78. Diane Sommerfield brought the character back to Salem, from 1981 to '82. Per Deadline, Williams' first airdate is slated for October 25, 2016. Since Valerie's former love interest, Abe Carver (James Reynolds), is widowed, unattached, and still living in Salem...

Dr. Valerie Grant is — after a decades-long absence — back in.

NBC’s Days of Our Lives has cast Melrose Place and Soul Food actress Vanessa Williams as Dr. Grant, a role that originated in the 1970s and was controversial at the time, our sister site Deadline reports.

RelatedSusan Lucci: All My Children Creator Agnes Nixon ‘Was All I Hoped to Be’

In the late ’70s, Valerie (then played by Tina Andrews) and David Banning were daytime’s first interracial couple. They planned to marry, though that endeavor went south after he had an affair. Diane Sommerfield later took...

Producers Ian Sander and Moses (Ghost Whisperer, Reckless, Profiler) have signed a first-look deal with NBC Universal International TV Production. Under the agreement, the duo will develop and produce procedural dramas under the studio’s deal with France’s TF1 and Germany’s Rtl for U.S.-style, English-language procedurals in North America. Outside that pact, Sander Moses has sold two new dramas: Queen Charlotte to Amazon and Power to ABC. Written by Tina Andrews (The Salli…...

Festival top brass announced on Monday the 12 Narrative and eight Documentary Feature Film Competition films in 22nd edition, set to run in Park City from January 22-28, 2016.

The 20-strong line-up includes 12 world premieres, three North American premieres and one Us premiere.

All competition films are feature directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1m and without Us distribution.

Jury awards are presented to feature films in both categories and all films are eligible for audience awards as well as the Spirit Of Slamdance Award, judged by the filmmakers themselves.

“The standard of Diy filmmaking around the world is the highest we’ve seen, and the diversity of storytelling is the most we’ve experienced,” sad Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter.

“With a record breaking number of submissions to select from, the narrative and documentary feature line-up has never been so competitive or as exciting to programme.”

All synopses provided by the festival.

Narrative Features...

Festival top brass announced on Monday the 12 Narrative and eight Documentary Feature Film Competition films in 22nd edition, set to run in Park City from January 22-28, 2016.

The 20-strong line-up includes 12 world premieres, three North American premieres and one Us premiere.

All competition films are feature directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1m and without Us distribution.

Jury awards are presented to feature films in both categories and all films are eligible for audience awards as well as the Spirit Of Slamdance Award, judged by the filmmakers themselves.

“The standard of Diy filmmaking around the world is the highest we’ve seen, and the diversity of storytelling is the most we’ve experienced,” sad Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter.

“With a record breaking number of submissions to select from, the narrative and documentary feature line-up has never been so competitive or as exciting to programme.”

Al synopses provided by the festival.

Narrative Features...