Will Packer: Last News

The end is in sight for That Girl Lay Lay. The Nickelodeon buddy comedy starring teen hip-hop artist Alaya “That Girl Lay Lay” High and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green will end with the current second season, we’ve learned. The Season 2 finale, which will now serve as the series finale, airs tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has ordered more than 85 new hours of content by picking up additional seasons of Belle Collective, Love & Marriage: D.C., Love & Marriage: Huntsville, and Put A Ring On It.

Will Packer is rooting for Will Smith.At the New York City premiere of, ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the producer, who headed up the the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. He revealed what he thought of the 53-year-old actor's recent public apology for charging the Oscars stage and slapping Chris Rock across the face.«I love the fact that he's being so transparent about his process,» Packer said of Smith. «Clearly he is going through his own personal rehabilitation.»Showing support for the star, Packer noted, «I’m pulling for him. I’m pulling for him to continue his own process, but I think this is for him.

The girls are traveling! ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with filmmaker and producer Will Packer on the 2022 BET Awards red carpet, where Packer confirmed that the highly anticipated  sequel is currently in production and that «it's gonna be better than the first one.» That's a tall order, but Packer is confident in his declaration, adding, «You can’t do  if you’re not gonna top yourself.» When asked where the road trip comedy might take the stars — including Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish -- Packer shared that the Flossy Posse will not be returning to New Orleans for their next adventure. «I can't tell you where we're gonna go yet, but we were in New Orleans the first time and we're not going back to New Orleans,» he revealed. «We're going somewhere bigger and better.

Will Smith has formally withdrawn his membership from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences following the tense physical exchange he had with Chris Rock during the live broadcast of the 94th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday. The Academy has already launched a formal investigation into the incident that found Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald haircut, which she has publicly spoken about as being a choice made to an ongoing medical issue that has prompted intense hair loss. After the altercation, Smith repeatedly told Rock “keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth” as the stunned host attempted to move on and present the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Chris Rock didn't weigh in on whether Will Smith should be removed from the Oscars after the actor slapped him, a source tells ET. When Rock exited the stage following the incident with Smith, which came after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair, he «just wanted to leave» the Dolby Theatre, the source says.Before departing the venue, though, Rock went downstairs to Oscars producer Will Packer's office, according to the source.«Chris was never asked if he wanted to have Will Smith removed from theater. That was Dave and Dawn and Will Packer’s job, not Chris' decision to make,» the source says, referring to Academy leaders David Rubin and Dawn Hudson, who did not speak to Rock that night after the incident.Rock was, however, asked if he wanted to press charges against Smith, an offer he declined.«The police came down to question him.

While we’ve heard from The Academy and two out of three co-hosts about the slap that occurred at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, producer Will Packer has finally chosen to speak out publicly on the events. Packer seemed to defend the choice of letting Will Smith stay by suggesting that Chris Rock was “fine” with the actor not being removed.

Will Smith and Chris Rock during Sunday night’s live broadcast of the Oscars ceremony, Will Packer is giving his perspective as the evening’s showrunner. The screenwriter and film producer spoke out publicly for the first time on Good Morning America Friday morning, giving a never-before-heard perspective on what occurred in the production bay backstage in the moments immediately following the shocking altercation.Packer oversaw the production of the 94th annual Academy Awards, the first Black man to do so, with an all-Black production team at his side. He, alongside his production partner Shayla Cowan, brought back formal hosts for the first time in three years (three hosts for the first time in over 35 years) and added several surprise elements and show shakeups to draw in additional viewership.However, much of their hard work has unfortunately been overshadowed by the hot topic on everyone’s tongue this week.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterAsk 100 people in the entertainment industry what the Academy Awards telecast should entail, and you’re bound to get 100 different opinions.

last year’s historically low ratings, but cratered in civility and grace.Strike another death knell for the once-almighty ratings grabber.Tinseltown likes to think of itself as the center of the moral and pop culture universe, but c’mon — that was ridiculous, another slap in the face for what’s supposed to be (but rarely is) “Hollywood’s Shining Moment,” with television along for the ride on a gravy train that’s gone off the rails and crashed into a wall of indifference.Sunday night’s Oscarcast on ABC is the second-lowest-rated Oscars ever with around 15 million viewers, up from last year’s abysmal 10.4 million viewing audience (akin to an episode of “Yellowstone” on cable’s Paramount Network). The mediocre ratings bump will instill in nervous network execs the hope that this dinosaur can be saved from extinction — instead of seeing the obvious writing on the (video) wall that it’s too late for that.This year’s annual self-congratulatory festivities were produced by Will Packer, who can thank another Will (Smith) for perhaps the most controversial moment in the ceremony’s 93-year history … if only anyone was watching it live on ABC, instead of scurrying to their computers late Sunday night/ Monday morning to see what all the social media ruckus was about.There’s no doubt that Smith’s WTF? open-palmed smack of Oscars presenter Chris Rock after Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia (“Jada, can’t wait for ‘G.I.

The 94th Academy Awards are just three days away and this afternoon producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan, hosts Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall, director Glenn Weiss, musical director Adam Blackstone and production designer David Korins took questions from the press about the telecast. A ceremony that has already upset members of the Academy over how eight categories will be incorporated into the broadcast.

Variety reports that Hall, Sykes, and comedian Amy Schumer are currently finalizing plans to co-host the 94th annual award ceremony, taking place at LA’s Dolby Theater on March 27. This year’s telecast is being produced by Will Packer, who also produced Hall in the smash hit movie Girls Trip. After reportedly meeting with a “laundry list” of top talent for hosting duties over the last few weeks, it seems that Packer has settled on three comedic actresses, with a possible three-act structure in which each woman hosts an hour-long portion of the show.

Three is better than one! Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are reportedly set to host the 94th Academy Awards next month, marking the first time anyone has hosted the ceremony in three years.

Page Six that Pete is being eyed for the gig. "His people are talking to producers," the source said, adding that the show is looking for a "reset."The Oscars has long hoped to bring in a younger demographic, and there's belief that Pete can do that, as the New Year's Eve special he hosted with Miley Cyrus for NBC brought in 6.3 million viewers."He gets a demographic that is hard to get," the source said. "He is in a good space, his career is doing well and he is on the rise. He is a sex symbol, unlikely, but he is big with a certain generation."Pete, Page Six points out, has previously worked with Will Packer, who is producing the Oscars in late March.

Our long awards season nightmare may be over. During an executive session panel for the Television Critics Association Winter Tour, Craig Erwich, President of ABC and Hulu Originals, provided an update regarding the 94th Academy Awards and a big one.

Will Packer. For more than 20 years, the producer and founder of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media has shown us Black love from films such as Think Like A Man all the way up to last year’s The Photograph.

Following historic rating lows for the 93rd Oscars, the Academy of Motion Pictures has decided to bring on a new producer for the 94th Academy Awards, Will Packer. The prolific film producer of films such as “Straight Outta Compton,” “Girls Trip” and “Obsessed” has a major challenge on his hands, but AMPAS leadership seems very enthusiastic about his coming on board.

Angelique Jackson Will Packer Productions has promoted Alvie Hurtado to director of development.In the new role, Hurtado is responsible for identifying content, filmmakers and talent for feature film development and production. He reports directly to Johanna Byer, Will Packer Prods.’ (WPP) executive vice president of motion pictures.“Alvie is an integral part of our film team,” producer and founder Will Packer said, announcing Hurtado’s promotion.

Natalie Oganesyan editorIn today’s TV news roundup, HBO set the release date for its new baking competition series “Baketopia,” hosted by YouTuber Rosanna Pansino, and Syfy announced the premiere date for the fifth and final season of “Van Helsing.”BET Plus announced that the second season of Will Packer-executive produced comedy series “Bigger” will premiere April 22. Tanisha Long, Angell Conwell, Rasheda Crockett, Chase Anthony and Tristen Winger will return as series regulars while Angela Ko, Bechir Sylvain, Alyssa Brooke and Warren Burke will return as recurring guest stars.

Lifetime and they’ve officially cast who will play Williams and her ex-husband Kevin Hunter.According to Deadline, Ciera Payton and Morocco Omari will be portraying the couple in the film, which has Williams’ backing. The movie, which will reportedly be called Wendy Williams: The Hot Topic will follow Williams’ journey to becoming one of the most notable names in radio and daytime television, with the support of her then-husband and business partner Hunter. Along the way, the outspoken personality clashed with many rappers and fellow radio jockeys.