CBS has its eye on Justin Bieber creator Scooter Braun as it seeks to extend its reach in TV’s realm.
The network is developing a singing competition series with help from Braun as they seek to compete with ABC and NBC which house ‘American Idol’ and ‘The Voice’ respectively and extend its relationship with him following the birth of their scripted baby ‘Scorpion.’
Details on the project are still emerging so keep it locked on TGJ for updates for what may be a very exciting music industry moment.
How so? Braun’s success with the Biebs will undoubtedly add a level of credibility to a series seeking to find or forge the next generation of superstars.
Brandy‘s career may have stalled and been stifled by poorly executed moves in recent years, but that’s done all of nothing to shake her status as one of Pop’s greatest success stories.
Leading the way for the likes of then-teenagers Beyonce and Britney Spears in the 90s, the vocalist’s unmatched success on stage and screen during the period saw her harvest a fan base which has unknowingly turned her into a streaming magnet as her ability to pick up pure sales falters.
Though facing heat from fans who aren’t fans of her new performance style, Carey continues to balance music and motherhood by spending quality time with her twins Morocco and Monroe and her lover Bryan Tanaka.
Their latest escapade? A trip to the Sugar Factory American Brasserie in Miami!
Lady GaGa has accused Dr. Luke of trying to manipulate the truth after he accused her of trying to sabotage his career.
Fans of the ‘Starstruck’ siren will remember that she stepped forward to support Kesha when the singer accused Luke of drugging, raping and bullying her during their time together as collaborators.
Luke believes GaGa made attempts to force Sony Music to slice their ties with him and launched a legal attack on her by asking a judge to force her to hand him text messages she and Kesha exchanged about the case.
How the Grammy award winning vocalist has responded?
Read the statement she released via her spokespeople below…
As Lady Gaga’s legal team will present to the court, she has provided all of the relevant information in her possession and is at most an ancillary witness in this process. Dr. Luke’s team is attempting to manipulate the truth and draw press attention to their case by exaggerating Lady Gaga’s role and falsely accusing her of dodging reasonable requests.
After watching sales of her music decline, the multitalented Lady GaGa now enjoys life as a bonafide multi-hyphenate star, soaring in music, fashion, television and film.
This year, it appears she’ll be adding wife to that list following reports that she is planning to wed Mr. Christian Carino.
At the moment, they’re planning on getting married in Italy (“Champagne will be flowing throughout the day, and appetizers will be served before guests sit down for a five course Italian feast”) and Malibu. Both Christian and Lady Gaga are proud of their Italian heritage, so they’d love to go back to their roots and are talking about eloping in an intimate ceremony in Italy.
If Christian’s name rings a bell it may be because he’s played a major part in supporting the careers of the likes of Jennifer Lopez & Christina Aguilera via his work at the Creative Artists Agency.
In our quest to bring you a behind the scenes look at those who “make the magic happen,” the latest instalment of our ‘Meets The Makers’ feature spotlights Chokolate team.
Launched by Caroline Khouri and Guido Fabris, the agency has a multi-dimensional focus and has been instrumental in casting and creative direction for the likes of Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Paula Abdul.
Boasting a wealth of knowledge and know-how, the pair have an impressive résumé – and it’s continuing to grow.
Read below as they reflect on their journey and drop a number of noteworthy gems for those looking to break into the industry.
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That Grape Juice: The Chokolate journey has been an amazing one. Tell us a little bit about how and why you formed the idea?
Caroline: We both came from a creative background, I was into dance and casting and Guido was into acting and production. When we met we got on really well and we just knew that we could do big things if we merged our skills together. We always dreamed big! We felt we were stuck at a certain level at the previous company we were working at and there was no room for progression or sharing of ideas, so we decided to set up shop on our own so we could have more freedom and do things our own way. We both have a passion for entertainment – whether that’s live shows, films, tv, music we love it all.
Why the Chokolate name?
Guido: Well we both love chocolate and we just thought it would be a memorable name rather than initials that you can never remember. Also chocolate isn’t something you’d automatically associate with fitness and dancers and models which we also liked, we wanted to stand out and be different.
Caroline: The K is a nod to my last name, there was nothing we could play on Guido’s name so he missed out haha.
Also with a name like that you can lend it to anything you want, Chokolate Films, Chokolate Productions, Chokolate Records, so on and so forth.
In embarking on the path, who were your influences respectively?
Guido: Well, business-wise, Richard Branson and his Virgin brand is what we had in mind. He ventures into all different kinds of areas with the name Virgin. Caroline calls me MegaloG because I want to build a Chokolate Empire.
Also the founder of Diesel jeans Renzo Rosso has always been a great influence for me, as he created a super successful brand from scratch. Plus he’s from my home town Vicenza, in Italy.
Campaigns like ‘Only the Brave’ and ‘Be Stupid’ for instance were/are very inspirational for us; I think we were always daring and pioneered into fields that our competitors are not interested in, that’s the niche market we love to explore and develop.
Caroline: Although it’s intended for us to be brave and to not be scared to do things differently, we did make some stupid mistakes but we learned! I always wanted to have a dance studio, I remember reading Debbie Moore’s book about how she started Pineapple Studios while Guido was reading Branson’s book. So we did end up building a dance studio from scratch and opened an office in West London. Otherwise we didn’t really have anyone from our business that we looked up to, we had to learn a lot on the way. The friends we thought we had in ‘the business’ didn’t end up helping us at all. So we did everything on our own.
Let’s discuss your relationship with Frank Gatson. How and when did you meet him?
Guido: That’s a funny story. We were booked on the MTV Awards in 2008 in Liverpool; we were looking after the creative director and all the dancers on the show and we knew that in order to grow we needed a big American choreographer on our books. An agent in the US suggested we look at Frank Gatson since he’d be at the show.
Caroline: We were new so we didn’t know who he was at the time, we just knew that he looked after Beyonce who I was obsessed back then, I told Guido if we could work with her I could die happy.
Guido: After the show was done, I saw a man hanging around her team so I went up to him and asked if he knew where Frank Gatson was and he answered “I am Frank Gatson” and proceeded to walk away, I started following him and explaining who I was and what we did but he didn’t seem too bothered. I gave him my card and he quickly left and that was that. We followed up with a phone call and invited him to come to London to meet with us, and crazily enough after a few months of stalking, he agreed; he admitted he didn’t like agents but liked us and the rest is history!
You’ve worked on a number of Beyonce related projects – what’s it like being a part of her process? What don’t we see that people would be intrigued by?
There were 2 very different eras to Beyonce; we were there when Mathew Knowles was in charge and we were helping on the surface and it was light and fun. And then when she started managing herself and we were more deeply involved. I think everyone knows this now, but she really never stops working. The process is very difficult. It’s a lot of work, there are changes happening until the last minute all in the search to make the show better or the end product the best it can be, whatever it is. There’s no complacency, you can’t be lazy, you have to be on top of it at all times. So much work and preparation goes into that 3 min performance.
Beyond Bey, you’ve worked with huge names such as Jennifer Lopez, Paula Abdul, Macy Gray, and Kelly Rowland. Which project/s have been the most rewarding?
The longer projects are more satisfying because so much work goes into them and then after the sweat and tears you can see the final product and the audience reacting positively to what you’ve worked so hard on. Probably the Jennifer Lopez NYE concert at Caesars and the Graphics for Paula’s tour and Beyonce’s ‘Run the World’ because of all the people we had to cast and it was part of a long campaign. Also Chris Grant’s music video because it was our first Chokolate production. Working with the genius Macy Gray as her Creative Directors and Directors is also very rewarding and gratifying, also her ‘White Man’ video has been nominated for the “Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival 2017”.
What would you say are the biggest misconceptions about show-business?
That it’s very glamorous and that we’re always at parties and it’s easy and always fun. People believe everything they read in the papers when a lot is set up and PR constructed . It makes you a little cynical. The reality is that you have to sacrifice a lot to get to where you want to be. As soon as you book a holiday, work comes in and you have to let your friends and family down constantly. But for all the backstabbing and awful people you meet you also meet the most amazing people and keep them close and you get to travel the world and see things you would never see and in the end the good outweighs the bad. Other people may look at what we do and think we’re masochists but you work in showbiz because you love it otherwise you wouldn’t survive!
As an agency active in the fields of casting, creative direction, and choreography, you’ve covered a lot of ground. What’s next on the agenda for Chokolate?
Well we’ve done Chokolate Vision and Chokolate Records so maybe Chokolate Films next? Our dream is to make a comedy movie. We love working on our own projects, they’re much more satisfying and fun. When you come up with an idea/concept and you see it come to life, that’s the best feeling in the world!
A proper Chokolate production that encompasses all our services is the ideal so the director, choreographer, make up, dancers, stage, graphics etc thats the aim.
Who’ve you yet to work with that dream to?
Caroline: It would be nice to a do another biggie like Madonna or Cher! Or Gaga, Bruno Mars or like Daft Punk. Although if I could do something with Larry David or Melissa McCarthy it would fulfill another side for me away from the music world.
Guido: Same as Caroline plus I’d love to add Sophia Loren, Martin Scorsese, Danny De Vito, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Jonah Hill, Ryan Gosling, Damien Chazelle, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti.
And the list goes on and on.
What drives you?
Caroline: It’s like there’s a feeling inside that something big is coming and I can’t stop until I get there. I’m always looking for the next big thing.
Also any negativity from anyone else or lack of belief makes you want to succeed even more.
Guido: The will to do something great and meaningful through the channel of entertainment, at the end of the day Showbiz is an amazing, powerful and artistic way to express ourselves, to communicate something to the world.
Having worked with the best, what advice would you give to rising stars hoping to make a major mark?
If you believe in what you’re doing and you know in your heart that it’s all you want to do then you just have to keep going and not give up, be persistent. We know it sounds cliche, but there were so many times we felt like giving up but just kept pushing through and by doing that it got us to the next step and step after that.
To any artists out there, we’d say work hard, don’t think it’s magically going to come to you. You have to put the work in. Be nice to people! When you find someone you work well with that you trust, keep them close to you because they’re rare. Surround yourself with talented people who want the same things. Don’t let other people’s words keep you down, if you don’t believe in yourself no one else will.
Network too! Trust your instincts and sometimes you have to take a detour to get to the final destination.
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Want to reach out to team Chokolate?
Music’s reigning Queen Bey proves that her bank balance is losing none of its shine, even as she readies the arrival of twins.
Forbes have released their 2017 list of Highest Celebrity Earners – and Mrs Carter is sitting pretty at #2 with an annual estimated earning of $105 million.
In occupying said spot, the 36-year-old is the top placed female and is overall only bested by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (whose savvy business moves earned him $122 million).
So what’s beefing up Bey’s pockets?
Per the report, coins are raining in from last year’s colossal ‘Formation World Tour’ and sales of the star’s premium-priced ‘Lemonade’ visual album are contributing too. Unsurprising given that the LP is nearing double platinum status.
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Beyonce remains at the forefront of what it means to truly achieve the American Dream. Indeed, few others in the Pop cultural sphere are as exemplary of the reality of working hard and yielding the rewards.
Ever about upping her own levels, it’ll be both intriguing and exciting to see her approach to dominating the musical and cultural landscape upon the birth of her babies.
Because, if one thing is a given about Bey, it’s that she won’t be letting her reign let up anytime soon.
Following multiple Grammy wins and unforgettable Oscar glory, last night brought with it a Tony award win for the performer!
What for? His role as co-producer of the Broadway show JITNEY which now means he stands only an Emmy away from bagging all four major American entertainment awards!
WINNER: Dear Evan Hansen
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Groundhog Day The Musical
Come From Away
Best Play
WINNER: Oslo
Sweat
Indecent
A Doll’s House, Part 2
Best Revival of a Musical
WINNER: Hello, Dolly!
Falsettos
Miss Saigon
Best Revival of a Play
WINNER: August Wilson’s Jitney
Present Laughter
Six Degrees of Separation
Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
Best Actress in a Musical
WINNER: Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly!
Patti LuPone, War Paint
Christine Ebersole, War Paint
Denee Benton, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Eva Noblezada, Miss Saigon
Best Actor in a Musical
WINNER: Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Andy Karl, Groundhog Day The Musical
David Hyde Pierce, Hello, Dolly!
Christian Borle, Falsettos
Josh Groban, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Best Actress in a Play
WINNER: Laurie Metcalf, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Jennifer Ehle, Oslo
Cate Blanchett, The Present
Sally Field, The Glass Menagerie
Laura Linney, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
Best Actor in a Play
WINNER: Kevin Kline, Present Laughter
Jefferson Mays, Oslo
Denis Arndt, Heisenberg
Chris Cooper, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Corey Hawkins, Six Degrees of Separation
Best Book of a Musical
Come From Away, Irene Sankoff and David Hein WINNER: Dear Evan Hansen, Steven Levenson Groundhog Day The Musical, Danny Rubin Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Dave Malloy
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Come From Away, Irene Sankoff and David Hein WINNER: Dear Evan Hansen, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Groundhog Day The Musical, Tim Minchin
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Dave Malloy
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
WINNER: Michael Aronov, Oslo
Danny DeVito, Arthur Miller’s The Price
Nathan Lane, The Front Page
Richard Thomas, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
John Douglas Thompson, August Wilson’s Jitney
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Johanna Day, Sweat
Jayne Houdyshell, A Doll’s House, Part 2 WINNER: Cynthia Nixon, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
Condola Rashad, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Michelle Wilson, Sweat
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
WINNER: Gavin Creel, Hello, Dolly!
Mike Faist, Dear Evan Hansen
Andrew Rannells, Falsettos
Lucas Steele, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Brandon Uranowitz, Falsettos
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Hello, Dolly!
Stephanie J. Block, Falsettos
Jenn Colella, Come From Away WINNER: Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Mary Beth Peil, Anastasia
Best Scenic Design of a Play
David Gallo, August Wilson’s Jitney WINNER: Nigel Hook, The Play That Goes Wrong
Douglas W. Schmidt, The Front Page
Michael Yeargan, Oslo
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rob Howell, Groundhog Day The Musical
David Korins, War Paint WINNER: Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!
Best Costume Design of a Play
WINNER: Jane Greenwood, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes
Susan Hilferty, Present Laughter
Toni-Leslie James, August Wilson’s Jitney
David Zinn, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, Anastasia WINNER: Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!
Paloma Young, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Catherine Zuber, War Paint
Best Lighting Design of a Play
WINNER: Christopher Akerlind, Indecent
Jane Cox, August Wilson’s Jitney
Donald Holder, Oslo
Jennifer Tipton, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Howell Binkley, Come From Away
Natasha Katz, Hello, Dolly! WINNER: Bradley King, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Japhy Weideman, Dear Evan Hansen
Best Direction of a Play
Sam Gold, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson’s Jitney
Bartlett Sher, Oslo
Daniel Sullivan, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes WINNER: Rebecca Taichman, Indecent
Best Direction of a Musical
WINNER: Christopher Ashley, Come From Away
Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Michael Greif, Dear Evan Hansen
Matthew Warchus, Groundhog Day The Musical
Jerry Zaks, Hello, Dolly!
Best Choreography
WINNER: Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand
Peter Darling and Ellen Kane, Groundhog Day The Musical
Kelly Devine, Come From Away
Denis Jones, Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical
Sam Pinkleton, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Best Orchestrations
Bill Elliott and Greg Anthony Rassen, Bandstand
Larry Hochman, Hello, Dolly! WINNER: Alex Lacamoire, Dear Evan Hansen
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
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Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre: James Earl Jones
Special Tony Award: Gareth Fry & Pete Malkin, Sound Designers for The Encounter
Regional Theatre Tony Award: Dallas Theater Center, Dallas, TX
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award: Baayork Lee
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre: Nina Lannan, Alan Wasser
The ceremony will air on June 25th 2017 and will also bring with it the Humanitarian award for Chance the Rapper in celebration of his bold and brave efforts to support the African-American community.
It’s an immense honor & I’m inspired to do so much more after receiving this. Thank you @IamDebraLee I won’t let you down https://t.co/cz6RSgsrT0
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) June 6, 2017
In today’s music industry, albums are oftentimes released as a primary vehicle to tour. A memo chart titan Kendrick Lamar has digested with his new ‘DAMN.’ LP.
For, the Hip-Hop star has wasted no time revealing live-dates for the mega-selling project– whichopened atop of the Billboard 200 this week.
Moments ago on Twitter, K. Dot announced the North American leg of the trek. Aptly titled ‘The DAMN. Tour,’ the US concert series kicks off in July and runs for a month straight.
Accompanying the TDE nucleus on the road will be Travis $cott and D.R.A.M.
Following his much-loved set at Coachella this month, find out when Kendrick and co are coming to a city near you below…
Beyonce continues to rack up the accolades – even when pregnant with her feet up.
The superstar singer, who is expecting twins, has just added another award to her shelf: a Peabody Award.
In a press statement, it was announced that the diva’s 2016 visual album ‘Lemonade’ is a winner at the Peabody’s, which salutes excellence in television, radio and digital broadcasting.
The project, which arrived last April, is among seven honorees in the Entertainment category.
Joining ‘Lemonade’ are FX series ‘Atlanta,’‘Better Things,’ ‘Horace and Pete,’ ‘Happy Valley,’ ‘National Treasure,’ and HBO’s ‘Veep.’
“Lemonade draws from the prolific literary, musical, cinematic, and aesthetic sensibilities of black cultural producers to create a rich tapestry of poetic innovation. The audacity of its reach and fierceness of its vision challenges our cultural imagination, while crafting a stunning and sublime masterpiece about the lives of women of color and the bonds of friendship seldom seen or heard in American popular culture.”
For folk not in the know, the Peabody’s are one of the more revered honors in critics circles. As such, it’s a huge look for Beyonce and all involved.
The 76th annual Peabody Awards tapes May 20th at Cipriani Wall Street in NYC and airs on PBS and Fusion on June 2nd.
Just as rumors about the reboot of juggernaut reality singing competition series, ‘American Idol,’ were laid to rest last week, the show’s network home – FOX – has announced its intent to revive another historic talent show: ‘Showtime at the Apollo.’
As we reported here in October 2016, Steve Harvey (the series’ host from 1993-2000) joined FOX for an ‘Apollo’ special. Fast forward months later, that venture was so well received the network has opted to restore it to a weekly, hourlong showing. Set to kick off later this year, tuck inside for all the details:
