Lauren Corrao Exits As Head Of Original Programming At Freeform

Friends of TOWIE star James Argent called an ambulance to rush over to his Essex home after getting worried when they couldn't get ahold of the star, The Sun has reported. The 34 year old turned his life around in the last year after dropping 13 stone following a gastric sleeve surgery in 2021. However, according to the publication, pals of he star were left concerned when they weren't able to reach him.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentFilmax has swooped on international rights to “Irati,” an action adventure feature set in the eighth-century Pyrenees.Produced by Spain’s Bainet, Ikusgarri Films, Kilima Media with France’s La Fidèle Production, “Irati” weighs in as one of the most ambitious new Spanish movies being brought onto the market at Berlin. Filmax will present a promo at the EFM.Featuring battles, mythological creatures and fantasy elements in a mix of Basque legend and historical events, it also marks director Paul Urkijo’s follow-up to “Errementari: the Blacksmith and the Devil,” which Filmax sold to Netflix for the world.Now in post-production, “Irati” turns on a pagan girl who guides a young Christian lord called Enekoon a journey into an ancient, mythological world. Eneko hopes to recover lost treasure, key to his defending his valley from Charlemagne’s marauding army, which is devastating the Pyrenees.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentItalian director Matteo Garrone, who was at the 2020 Berlinale with Roberto Benigni-starrer “Pinocchio,” is set to return to the director’s chair in March with coming-of-age adventure drama “Io Capitano,” on which France’s Pathé will be handling international distribution.Garrone’s new pic, whose title translates as “I, Captain,” will be shot in Italy, Morocco and Senegal, marking the first time, Garrone –– a two-time Cannes jury prize-winner, with “Gomorrah” in 2008 and “Reality” in 2012 –– sets a feature film outside of Italy.As is customary with Garrone, story details of “Io Capitano” are being kept under wraps, besides the fact that he wrote the screenplay with regular collaborators Massimo Gaudioso and Andrea Tagliaferri and actor Massimo Ceccherini (“Pinocchio”), who also contributed to the “Pinocchio” screenplay.

Christopher Vourlias Rwandan director Kivu Ruhorahoza’s “Father’s Day,” which bows in the competitive Encounters strand of the Berlin Film Festival, is a timely story of fatherhood in a country that saw a generation orphaned by one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.The film presents a trio of interwoven stories set in the East African nation. A mother tries to cope with the loss of her only son.

Christopher Vourlias Russian VOD platform KION has unveiled a slate of original content it will be presenting to buyers at the European Film Market.Launched less than one year ago by telecom giant MTS, the company has so far surpassed expectations, according to Igor Mishin, VP for media business development at MTS and CEO of MTS Media. “We have exceeded all business key performance indicators, in terms of the subscriber base and streaming views,” he said.The company is launching two new feature films and two original series at EFM.“Ophiuchus” is an erotic thriller about a bold and sexually liberated pathologist whose lovers begin to die under mysterious circumstances.

“Death on the Nile” was being released in the rest of the Middle East over the weekend, according to Deadline.Gadot, 36, served in the Israeli armed forces for two years, as is required of all young Israelis, before she entered show business.It’s not the first time the former Miss Israel’s nationality has caused controversy as tensions persist between the two warring nations.

Manchester United need a response as they prepare to face Southampton on Saturday.

Manchester United will be looking to bounce back from Tuesday evening's frustrating 1-1 draw with Burnley when they welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime.

thug from a deadly drug cartel can be heard trying to extort a man, with the threat of abducting his wife, in a chilling phone call shared online. The video comes from the Mexican state of Sonora, which borders Arizona, US, and captures the tense conversation between the drug cartel extortionist and the victim over some unexplained, previous misunderstanding. The criminal notes that the man's wife - who is in the room with him - is a "well known business woman", and insists: "I don’t want to tie your wife up and abduct her."He also reveals that members of the cartel have visited a house nearby to abduct another man, claiming that he now has orders from higher-ups to "go where you are and abduct you, to take your vehicle or car and keep everything that you have of value, fool."As the threats are being laid bare, the terrified victim can be heard agreeing with the "boss" before adding "we won't say anything".

Arsenal are set to complete the signing of goalkeeper Matt Turner, but are reluctant to announce his arrival until the summer transfer window opens.According to football.london, a deal has been reached between the Gunners and MLS outfit New England Revolution for the shot-stopper, with a fee being agreed of £4.5m leading to £7.5m plus further bonuses.However, Arsenal will not announce the signing until Turner has completed his medical.Personal terms have already been agreed with the player and the Revs have even announced that the 27-year-old will be making the move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer, but the Gunners are refusing to jump the gun on the transfer.A statement on the Revolutions' website stated: “The New England Revolution have agreed to terms for goalkeeper Matt Turner to join Arsenal of the English Premier League in a summer transfer for an undisclosed fee pending completion of a medical.“Turner, the 2021 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, is expected to join Arsenal in late June 2022, allowing the United States international to remain with New England through the entirety of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League campaign and nearly half of the 2022 MLS regular season.“Further information will be shared when the transfer is completed.”The arrival of Turner will open the door for Bernd Leno to leave the club in the summer too, who has been replaced by Englishman Aaron Ramsdale this season.HAVE YOUR SAY! Who else should Arsenal sign in the summer? Comment below.Leno was the first-choice keeper in North London for the three seasons prior to Ramsdale’s arrival, however, he has started just three Premier League fixtures this campaign and the writing is on the wall for the Germany international.Leno

The first footage of the upcoming Aquaman sequel has been released.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates made headlines over the past week with their exciting and dramatic performance during the Team Figure Skating Event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and they’re about to take the ice again for the Rhythm Ice Dance competition today (February 12).

Kevin Thomson’s approach doesn’t change – whether he is facing Lionel Messi, Cowdenbeath or St Mirren.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Channing Dungey has stepped down as VP Original Content and head of drama at Netflix after 20 months at the company to pursue another opportunity. Her last day is today.While that opportunity has not been revealed, Dungey, the former ABC Entertainment president, is among the handful of top female TV executives rumored to succeed Susan Rovner as president of Warner BrosTV.Dungey’s departure follows the exit last month of Netflix’s head of content Cindy Holland when Bela Bajaria was upped to Global Head of TV.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVLori Openden is stepping down as EVP of Talent and Casting for the CW and retiring after more than 40 years in the business as a casting director and executive. She will be succeeded in the CW head of casting post by her longtime top lieutenant, Dana Theodoratos, currently SVP, Talent and Casting who oversee casting on all of The CW’s series, pilots and original scripted digital programming.Openden, with Theodoratos by her side, has been at the CW since its launch in 2006, overseeing the network’s slate of pilots and series for the past 14 years.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVSaturday Night Live returned to the studio last night to open its 46th season with host Chris Rock and Megan Thee Stallion. The season premiere, which introduced Jim Carrey as Joe Biden and featured Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris and Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, drew and 7.765 million total viewers and a 1.68 rating among adults 18-49 in “fast official” Live+Same Day results from Nielsen, special-ordered by NBC.That was SNL’s #1 most-watched season debut in four years and second-most-watched in 12 years, only behind the 2016 opener a month before the last Presidential election.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVThere is a change at the helm of the upcoming NBC series Law & Order: Organized Crime, starring Christopher Meloni as his Law & Order: SVU character Elliot Stabler. Matt Olmstead has stepped down as writer-showrunner.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVAfter a months-long coronavirus-related delay, National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha resumed production today in Atlanta as planned, and cast and crew were greeted with a welcome back letter from executive producer/showrunner Suzan-Lori Parks.Genius: Aretha, starring Cynthia Erivo as the legendary singer Aretha Franklin, had filmed 5 1/2 episodes of its eight-episode order when production shut down mid-March amid the escalating coronavirus outbreak. Two weeks later, Nat Geo delayed the premiere of the limited series, originally slated for May 25.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVRachel Bendavid has been officially named Head of Scripted Programming for the Lionsgate and BBC Studios Los Angeles partnership. The formal announcement follows Deadline’s report last month that the former longtime ABC drama executive had been tapped to head the Lionsgate/BBC Studios Los Angeles programming venture.Bendavid is responsible for overseeing the operations and content initiatives of the television partnership as well as shepherding the development and production of its programming slate.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Basil Eidenbenz (Victoria) will play popular Witcher Eskel in recasting for the second season of Netflix’s hit series The Witcher. Thue Ersted Rasmussen, who had been originally cast in the role heading into Season 2 and filmed scenes in late February and early March before production was shut down due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic, announced this week that he had to leave the show “due to the rescheduling because of COVID-19.”Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series ordersRasmussen was one of seven new cast members announced by Netflix on Feb.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Lee Rierson has left independent TV studio wiip, where he was Head of Business & Operations, to join another indie, Miramax. Rierson has been named EVP, Global Television Business and Legal Affairs for Miramax, which has been ramping up their TV production operating under new Head of Worldwide Television Marc Helwig.Rierson will serve as lead negotiator for all of the company’s television business transactions both domestic and international, covering all development and production deals, rights deals, co-productions, co-financings, and license agreements with buyers of the studio’s new original content.