Universal TV Alternative Studio’s Monica Rodman Upped to Exec VP of Alternative Development

Cam Newton and Kia Proctor, the mother of four of his children, he decided to open up about it during a recent interview between himself and fitness model/Instagram influencer Brittany Renner. Both parties came together for his ‘Funky Friday‘ YouTube series to set the record straight about themselves. During their chat, when Renner posed the question to him about why he didn’t marry Proctor, he didn’t shy away from answering.

Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls which will premiere next month on Prime Video. This eight-episode unscripted show is Lizzo’s first project as part of her first-look deal with Amazon Studios.According to a news release, the new series follows “global superstar and icon Lizzo, who is on the hunt for confident, bad-ass women to join the elite ranks of the Big Grrrls and join her world tour.

Fridays, the best is… of course, ESSENCE’s weekly roundup of new music. Today you’ll find a bunch of newcomers to listen to, and some projects from some of hip-hop’s staples.This week’s list includes a collaborative effort from Curren$y and The Alchemist, Mississippi’s own Big K.R.I.T.

Adriana Lima is pregnant!

Coronation Street is one of the nation's most-beloved soaps - and pretty soon you could be part of it! (Well, kinda).We're giving two lucky winners the chance to step onto the largest working television LOT in the country and explore the cobbles of Weatherfield. You can also bring your mum, nan, or friend a long for the day!All you have to do is sign up to our free Soaps Newsletter - which is filled with the latest fan theories, spoilers, exclusive interviews and backstage secrets from the drama-filled world of Corrie, Emmerdale and EastEnders.

The stars of “Killing Eve” are saying goodbye.

Delilah Hamlin is celebrating six months of sobriety.

Ed Sheeran boosts back in at Number 1 on the Official Irish Albums Chart with Equals.

Lost Frequencies & Calum Scott climb to Number 1 on the Official Irish Singles Chart with Where Are You Now.

The Guinness World Records gave the James Bond film “Spectre” the honor of having the biggest explosion on film, but the “Transformers” director begs to differ.“James Bond tried to take the ‘largest explosion in the world’,” Bay, 57, recently told Empire Magazine. “Bulls—t. Ours is.”He’s referring to his 2001 WWII film “Pearl Harbor” that was released almost 15 years before “Spectre.”The war film contains a 40-minute scene in which the Japanese bomb of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu and a massive explosion combusts.“[Producer] Jerry Bruckheimer showed Ridley Scott the movie,” Bay told the publication. “And the quote [from Scott] was, ‘F—k me.’ No one knows how hard that is.

Steph McGovern has teamed up with her father, professional artist Eamonn, for a great cause. The 39-year-old is supporting a new skill sharing initiative celebrating the talents older people can share with the younger generation.MORE: Steph McGovern offers intimate glimpse into 'little holiday with family'The TV star can vouch for this desire to learn, which is why she likes to spend some of her free time learning to paint with her creative 68-year-old dad Eamonn.WATCH: Inside Steph McGovern's weight loss journeyThe campaign is all part of the #GenerationWOW campaign (which stands for wonderful older wisdom) from Specsavers Home Visits, together with u3a (University of the Third Age).MORE: Steph McGovern reflects on 'terrible pregnancy sickness' with glamourous throwback photosSEE: Steph McGovern shares envy-inducing hot tub selfie during romantic spa tripOpening up about her family time, Steph explained: "My father is a brilliant artist, so I grew up surrounded by paints, brushes and all the other bits and bobs used to create his beautiful images and sculptures."I'm not sure I've inherited his talent, but I don’t do too badly thanks to the tips he has given me.

Chris Willman Music WriterTaking an obvious cue from the popularity of Peter Jackson’s recent “The Beatles: Get Back” documentary, Paul McCartney has announced what he’s calling his “Got Back” tour, a 13-city, 14-gig outing through the U.S. that begins just a little more than two months from now.“I said at the end of the last tour that I’d see you next time.

RZA and DJ Scratch have released their new single ‘Fate Of The World’ – you can hear the track below.The song is taken from the pair’s forthcoming collaborative album ‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater’, which is set for release on March 4 via 36 Chambers ALC/MNRK Music Group.After sharing the video for its title track earlier this month, RZA and DJ Scratch’s ‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater’ is now being previewed by its latest single ‘Fate Of The World’.The Danny Hastings and RZA-produced video for the song, starring RZA himself, has also been released, which you can see below.‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater’, which can be pre-ordered here, is described as “a love letter to the kung fu movies that aired each Saturday on local TV channels when there were only 5 channels to choose from”, and will see RZA “sparring with Bobby Digital, his more aggressive alter-ego”.“Lyrically the hip-hop part of me had a chance to re-emerge during quarantine,” RZA recently said in a press release announcing the album.“Giving Scratch the reins as a producer and me taking the reins as an MC, that’s what frees me up creatively and lets me play more with lyrical gags and lyrical flows because I don’t have to be focused on everything.” Last month the US government shared a series of new photos of Wu-Tang Clan‘s one-of-a-kind album, ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterFox has canceled “Bless the Harts,” the animated comedy series from creator Emily Spivey starring Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell, Ike Barinholtz, and Kumail Nanjiani. The show premiered in the fall 2019-2020 television lineup.The half-hour series, which is currently in its second season, revolves around a perpetually broke North Carolina family described as forever struggling to make ends meet and hoping to achieve the American dream.Wiig stars as Jenny Hart, a single mother working as a waitress to support her family, which includes her mother Betty, played by Rudolph, and daughter Violet, played by Bell.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterLongtime 20th exec Chet Dave has been tapped to lead the studio’s comedy division as senior vice president of comedy development, where he and his team will be tasked with shaping 20th’s comedy development strategy, identifying writers and guiding projects from pitch to series order. He replaces head of comedy Cheryl Dolins, who departed in a wave of layoffs at Walt Disney Television last December amid a broader restructuring.“I have worked with Chet for almost a decade now and I know how incredibly passionate he is about comedy and making breakthrough television,” said Cassidy in a statement.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterHalf-hour multicamera comedy “Head of the Class” has been given a 10-episode series order from streaming platform HBO Max.The original series, which is being executive produced by Bill Lawrence (of “Ted Lasso” and “Scrubs”) alongside exec producers and writers Amy Pocha and Seth Cohen (of “Paradise PD” and “American Vandal”), stars “One Day at a Time” actor Isabella Gomez as well as Jorge Diaz, Jolie Hoang Rappaport, Gavin Lewis, Dior Goodjohn, Brandon Severs, Adrian Matthew Escalona, and Katie Beth Hall, plus guest star Christa Miller.“Head of the Class” — a reboot of the original 1980s comedy created by Rich Eustis and Michael Elias — centers on a “group of overachieving high school students who meet their

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterUniversal Studios Hollywood is back: The Universal City, Calif. theme park has set an April 16 reopening date and will be limited to California residents for the time being.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterAmid the rise in vaccinations and decline in COVID-19 case rates in California, Sony Pictures Entertainment is looking to have employees begin returning to the lot in Culver City, Calif.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterEndeavor Content partner and executive vice president Lorenzo De Maio is exiting the company to launch a new venture, De Maio Entertainment, which has backing from Fremantle through an exclusive long-term partnership deal.Based in Los Angeles, De Maio will work closely with both Fremantle’s senior leadership team and a broader group of independent labels and producers to grow the company’s scripted at factual slate and explore new strategic opportunities with Fremantle.

Monica Rodman has been promoted at Universal Television Alternative Studio. Rodman, who oversees development at the unscripted unit, has been upped to executive vp alternative development.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterAttention, Cloud 9 shoppers: if you weren’t expecting Amy to return quite so soon, you weren’t the only one.“Superstore” star and executive producer America Ferrera didn’t anticipate her character Amy would head back to St. Louis during the same season she left for a corporate gig at the big-box retailer’s headquarters in California, but news that Season 6 would be the NBC series’ last dramatically shifted the trajectory of her storyline.“I expected and hoped that the show would go on after my departure for many, many years,“ she tells Variety.