NAACP Image Award and Peabody Award-winning actress Nia Long is set to be honored with the 2,857th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony will take place on September 16 at 11:30 AM PT at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard, where she will receive her star in the Motion Pictures category. Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson will emcee the event, joined by guest speakers Snoop Dogg and film producer Graham King. The ceremony will be streamed live exclusively at www.walkoffame.com.

“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome Nia Long to the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” stated Ana Martinez, Walk of Fame producer. “Nia is such a beloved and talented actress, and we’re so excited to celebrate her incredible career with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has brought so many unforgettable characters to life and has connected with audiences for decades. It’s wonderful to see her receive this well-deserved honor.”

Long’s early screen credits include roles in 227 (1986), The B.R.A.T. Patrol (1986), and Guiding Light (1991–1994), alongside her breakout film performance as Brandi in John Singleton’s seminal 1991 drama Boyz n the Hood. On television, she went on to star in classic series including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994–1995), Boston Legal, and Third Watch (2003–2005), the latter earning her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

Her extensive filmography includes defining roles across Black cinema classics, including Friday (1995), Soul Food (1997), Love Jones (1997)—which garnered her a Black Film Award nomination—The Best Man (1999), Big Momma’s House (2000), and Are We There Yet? (2005). Long continued to anchor major franchises in The Best Man Holiday (2013), the thriller Fatal Affair (2020), and The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022), winning a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special.

Beyond acting, Long has expanded her work behind the camera and across music culture. She appeared in Kanye West’s “Touch the Sky” music video and co-directed Ashanti’s “Baby” music video, in addition to directing Yolanda Adams’ video for “This Too Shall Pass.” She also executive produced Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story (2024), which earned a Peabody Award. Most recently, she portrayed Katherine Jackson in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, and she stars in and executive produces Netflix’s upcoming romantic drama Don’t Ever Wonder.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

A first-look image of Gabrielle Union in the supernatural horror ‘Casket Girls’ has been unveiled ahead of the film’s release, with international rights currently being sold by Capture at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) market. Union stars opposite Mike Colter.

According to the official logline, the film follows “Detective Shay Williams (Union) and her partner Galpin (Colter) as they investigate a child’s supernatural encounter and accidentally release the legendary ‘Casket Girls’ from beneath a centuries-old New Orleans church. Trapped inside, they and a handful of survivors must outwit the bloodthirsty vampires before they’re picked off one by one.”

The ensemble cast also features Raúl Castillo, Matt Frewer, and Thomas Lennon.

‘Casket Girls’ is directed by Justin G. Dyck (Creepshow), with Sean McKittrick and Raymond Mansfield producing for QC Entertainment (Get Out, BlacKkKlansman). Edward H. Hamm Jr., Jameson Parker, and Gabrielle Union serve as executive producers.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins returns to the stage with Purpose, directed by Keith Arthur Bolden in a co-production with McCarter Theatre Center.

The play centers on the Jasper family, a prominent Black political dynasty built on generations of ministry, activism, and public service. When an unexpected visitor arrives and begins challenging the family’s carefully protected history, long-buried tensions and secrets quickly rise to the surface.

Set over a single evening, Purpose explores family, faith, political legacy, and the difficult choices that come with confronting uncomfortable truths. Jacobs-Jenkins blends sharp humor with dramatic tension to examine what individuals owe to their families, communities, and themselves.

The cast features Donna Biscoe as Claudine Jasper, Veanna Black as Morgan Jasper, Jay Jones as Junior Jasper, Victoria Omoregie as Aziza Houston, Travis Turner as Nazareth Jasper, and Cornell Womack as Solomon Jasper.

The understudy cast includes Robert Connor as Solomon Jasper, Sheri Gilbert-Wilson as Claudine Jasper, Ashlee McNeill as Aziza Houston, Brittani Minnieweather as Morgan Jasper, Charlie Thomas as Junior Jasper, and Roderick Whitney as Nazareth Jasper.

With its mix of family drama, political conflict, and dark comedy, Purpose offers a provocative look at legacy and the courage required to challenge the stories that hold families together.

The Drop: A Snowfall Saga is a wildly visual and bold family drama about folks trying to love, protect, and believe in their dreams. It’s set in South Central Los Angeles in 1990, amid the sounds of West Coast rap, the dangers of gang violence, and a brutal police force.

The weekly series premiered September 8 on FX, opening a new chapter in the Snowfall world.

The Set Up

It’s 1990. South Central Los Angeles is still in the grip of crack, gang violence and an LAPD that was just as dangerous and violent as those streets. Bloods and Crips shape much of the geography of where a person could and could not go. West Coast rap is telling the story of all of it in real time, the anger, the fear, the swagger, the grief, the survival. The music business is starting to realize there is money to be made from a sound and a culture that Black Los Angeles already knows belongs to them.

That is the world of The Drop.

The story centers on Wanda Bell (Gail Bean), now clean, separated from Leon Simmons (Isaiah John), she is reinventing herself. While working at a used-car lot, she is focused on becoming a producer. She’s “interning” for d-boy turned producer Darryl “DG” Grant (Brandon Mychal Smith). From the top of the show we can see she can see talent, and sell anything and Wanda knows her cousin Lamar Kinsey (Asante Blackk), a young musician and producer with real talent, and believes he could be the key to working with local rapper Artillery (Simmie “Buddy” Sims III).

Lamar’s mother, Gerty Kinsey (Nicki Micheaux), and father, Big Daddy Kinsey (Mykelti Williamson), are less interested in what Lamar could become than in keeping him alive. His older brother James Kinsey (Peyton Alex Smith) understands the danger around them and is caught between protecting Lamar from it and recognizing that his little brother may actually have something special.

Leon is trying to build a different life too, working at a free legal clinic and questioning Wanda’s determination to chase a business tied to many of the same people and streets they fought to survive. Wanda sees music differently. She sees possibility. And she is not willing to let Lamar, or herself, give that up because everybody around them is afraid of what might happen.

The Review

I have to start with a confession.

One of the stars of The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, Nicki Micheaux, is a good friend of mine. So I was nervous. Because what happens if your fabulously talented friend is in a show and you don’t like the show?

Turns out I didn’t have to worry.

Within minutes of Episode 1, “Click Pop,” I forgot to be worried. I forgot I knew Nicki. I forgot I was supposed to be watching critically.

I was just in.

And here’s the other thing: I have never seen Snowfall. Not one episode.

I came into The Drop knowing absolutely nothing about this world or these characters. Wanda Bell, played by Gail Bean, and Leon Simmons, played by Isaiah John, carry over from Snowfall, but I didn’t know that while I was watching, and it didn’t matter. I resisted the urge to google and just kept saying, more will be revealed.

The Drop immediately gave me everything I needed.

I’m from NYC. Manhattan born and raised in Da Bronx. It’s for sure It was how I remember LA…how it looked and felt.

It’s 1990. South Central Los Angeles is still in the grip of crack, gang violence and a terrifying LAPD. Bloods and Crips are at war, shaping the geography of everyday life. West Coast rap is one of the hardest-hitting sounds coming through car windows and out of cassette decks, and it’s telling the stories of what is happening all around them.

Also, the record labels are watching and listening. Perched like vultures.

This show is wildly visual. It’s what first grabbed me.

The colors are rich and saturated. The light is vibrant and sharp. The camera is constantly finding angles I didn’t expect, low angles, side angles, shots through windows and car interiors, even a shot that seemed to be looking at the characters through the guts of a car.

There is a moment after a shooting when the camera pulls away from Lamar, curled on the ground protecting his head, and then cuts into this incredible moving shot as he runs for a bus.

Director Ben Younger, the pilot's Director of Photography is Xiaolong Liu! They are really doing things here. The series DP is Christian “Tico” Herrera.

And here’s what struck me most about those images. They are also warm.

I’ve seen a lot of movies and television shows about neighborhoods in Los Angeles, in the ‘hood’ where the camera seems to have already decided how we should feel about the people who live there. The images are cold. Bleak. Dangerous.

The community becomes something to observe from a safe distance.

The Drop doesn’t feel like that.

It feels like the story is coming from inside the neighborhood.

It isn’t judging these people or explaining them to us. It understands them.

I’m from a different hood. Gun Hill Road, the Valley, the Bronx.

So while this world feels familiar to me, it’s also foreign. I didn’t grow up in Los Angeles. I didn’t live through the particular nightmare of Bloods and Crips, LAPD violence, their guns, their fear, or their constant calculation of which block you could safely walk down.

I can’t pretend to understand their experience.

But something in this story still felt familiar to me. And it felt truthful.

I remember the first time I drove through South Central and thinking, this doesn’t look anything like the way they portray it in movies and on television.

And that’s about perspective.

It’s about seeing both the love and the danger. The fear and the family. The violence and the talent. The dreams and the reality.

That perspective traveled.

It crossed the jet stream all the way to New York.

Because I understood the families trying to hold their children close. I understood the dreams that seemed too dangerous to encourage. I understood people who could see something bigger for themselves even when everything around them kept insisting they stay exactly where they were.

The Music

Music is the blood pumping through this episode. It isn’t there just to remind us that it’s 1990. It tells us who these people are, what they hear, what they want, and sometimes what they can’t say any other way. And the people behind that sound deserve their flowers. Larrance “Rance 1500” Dopson serves as executive music producer and composer, Kier Lehman is the music supervisor, and Jason “Problem” Martin wrote original lyrics and produced vocals for the series. Together, they are building music that feels specific to this place, this time and these characters, not like somebody dropped a ’90s playlist over the pictures.

What I really loved is that the show doesn’t just tell us Wanda has an ear or that Lamar is talented. We hear it. When Wanda starts talking about looping the horns, letting the bass line cycle and making sure the funk doesn’t overpower the hip-hop, she sounds like somebody who knows exactly what she’s doing. And when Lamar drops that track and the whole room starts moving before anybody says a word, you understand immediately. The beat tells you before the dialogue does. That’s not background music. That’s storytelling.

You hear the cassette slide into the boombox. You hear the click. You watch people pass tapes around and judge a song within seconds.

Wanda is the most fascinating character and I wanted even more of her!

Gail Bean is just dead right in that role. Sheer gold.

Wanda, I figured out is clean. She is hustling at a used-car lot, “interning” for record-label owner Darryl “DG” Grant, played by Brandon Mychal Smith, chasing artists and trying to build something for herself.

And she is good.

At one point, while demanding a piece of a track she’s helping to create, she tells Darryl:

“Deep down, more than you want to fuck me, you know I got vision.”

Yes, she does.

That’s important.

She’s not just ambitious. She has an ear. Talent. She has a vision and a voice.

When Wanda and Lamar start talking music, she understands why the bass works, what the horns will do, where the funk needs to sit against the hip-hop. She understands that this belongs to Los Angeles.

She’s producing. I’m so excited to see where she will go!

Malcolm Spellman created the series and is one of the credited writers on the premiere, along with Rance Ward and Eli Dansky.

The dialogue doesn’t sound like television characters explaining themselves to us.

Nothing felt cliché to me. Nothing felt like somebody had assembled a collection of “street” phrases and handed them to actors. The words felt connected to the people saying them. And the actors are so completely inside their bodies and inside these characters that I felt transported to another time and another place.

That includes my friend Nicki Micheaux as Gerty Kinsey.

This was my test.

Could I stop seeing Nicki?

Immediately, I saw Gerty.

A grandmother trying desperately to protect the boy she raised.

She isn’t trying to crush Lamar’s dream because she doesn’t believe in him. She is terrified because she knows exactly what can happen to a young Black boy with a dream when that dream requires him to walk into dangerous rooms.

When Wanda pushes her to let Lamar work with Artillery, Gerty tells her:

“I got a tinderbox, and you keep trying to sell me matches.”

That line tells you everything. She’s afraid. And her fear shows up by saying no.

I loved seeing this family. Because stories about neighborhoods like this have too often acted as if violence erased connection and family. Here we see parenting, love, support. They are given permission to dream.

That may be what I loved most about The Drop.

I think about Lamar, he said:

“Why the fuck can’t anyone be special around here?”

There it is.

That’s the show for me.

Why can’t anybody be special around there?

Why can’t something extraordinary blossom in a place everyone else has already decided is broken?

Even Wanda has already been reduced to who she used to be. But she is fighting, and trying to make people see that she has value beyond her past.

The Drop made me care about all of these people almost immediately because it doesn’t seem interested in judging them.

It understands them. So I understand them.

The episode closes with the sound that has been running through the entire hour.

A cassette. Click.

Cut.

I sat there thinking, damn. This is without a doubt a fat fucking hit of a show.

And underneath all of it, I kept coming back to this idea of a dream and a miracle.

Not the Hollywood miracle where Lamar becomes famous and Wanda gets a label and everybody gets rich. I mean that’s good too. But, I don’t know what’s going to happen to any of these people. The miracle happens before any of that. The miracle starts with somebody saying, I have a dream.

The miracle is believing you might be special when everything around you has taught you not to believe that at all.

The miracle is trying.

Whether the dream happens almost feels secondary.

I came into The Drop having never watched Snowfall.

I came in nervous because my friend was in it.

I came in knowing none of these characters.

By the end of Episode 1, like a good beat, it had its hook in me…and I was locked in.

- Victoria Bert // @victoriabnyc

AMERICA, WHO HURT YOU?

Written & Performed by: Sarah Jones

Directed by: Eric Ting

Where: Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217

When: Now, until October 4th, 2026 (Extended!)

Presented by: National Black Theatre and Theatre for a New Audience, in association with Foment Productions and Jayson Jackson.

Tickets: $70–$98; Premium $125; $20 New Deal tickets for patrons 30 and under and full-time students.

I saw America, Who Hurt You? on Wednesday, September 9, before its first public preview in New York. Sarah Jones told us that night that we were the first audience to see the show.

There is something special about experiencing a piece that way. Before the reviews. Before everyone starts talking about it. When it is simply an artist, the work, and a theater full of people receiving it for the first time.

I absolutely loved it.

America, Who Hurt You? is playing at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, home of Theatre for a New Audience. It was my first time in the theater, and when I walked into the space, the stage was almost entirely black. There were a few structural pieces, a stool, a camera, a microphone stand and a metal lectern.

And then there was SARAH JONES, her name glowing in bright lights.

Not the name of the show. Her name.

By the time the evening was over, that made perfect sense.

The one woman show… is that… but really, it’s not!

Jones comes onto the stage as herself and begins talking to us. But it does not take long before other people begin to arrive. People from her past, people she has encountered, people who carry pieces of America inside them. Different ages, cultures, backgrounds and points of view, all helping Jones wrestle with the question underneath the entire piece: Who are we and how did we get here?

I am deliberately not going to tell you much about who these characters are.

You need to meet them yourself.

There is an elderly woman who appears fairly early in the show, and when I tell you I could feel that woman’s skin, I mean it. You know how the skin of someone over 80 becomes thinner and softer? Somehow, sitting in that theater, I could feel it. I loved her so much.

That is how complete Sarah Jones’s transformation is.

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Jones is a brilliant actress and writer, but even those words feel insufficient to describe what happens in front of you. She captures voices, but by “voices,” I do not simply mean accents. She captures how people speak, the words they choose, their rhythms, their pauses, their bodies, their movement, their history. Her face changes. Her body morphs. She gets wider, thinner, weaker, stronger…it’s mesmerizing to watch a person disappear, and suddenly someone completely different is standing in front of you.

Jones has been building this remarkable kind of performance for years. She won a Special Tony Award for her Broadway solo show Bridge & Tunnel, and more recently created Sell/Buy/Date. America, Who Hurt You? began as a podcast exploring the relationship between our political lives and our personal wounds, and Jones has now expanded that idea into a theatrical piece.

But this show is not simply an exhibition of how many people Sarah Jones can become.

All of these people are here for a reason.

They talk to us. They talk to one another. They talk to Sarah. Through them, she moves across time, generations and experiences, trying to understand America, not as an abstract idea, or as a country among other countries, but almost as a person.

And eventually, America actually becomes one.

I am going to be very careful here because I do not want to spoil how Jones gets us there.

At the heart of America, Who Hurt You? is a conversation between Great Britain and America, who is imagined as a young woman who also happens to be 250 years old. Which makes us… Gen Z … I think.

And Britain essentially looks at her and asks:

Girl, who hurt you?

and

Can we go to therapy!?

It is funny. It’s relatable. It’s sad.

But it is also beautiful.

Because suddenly this enormous conversation about a country becomes something intimate and recognizable. What would happen if, instead of immediately arguing about America, defending America, condemning America or trying to win an argument about America, we actually asked her what happened?

Who hurt you?

What did you inherit?

What are you still carrying?

And can we talk about it?

That is where this piece moved beyond being clever for me.

I could feel how much Sarah Jones cared about what she was sharing with us. I could feel her love. I could feel her hope.

And that matters, because America, Who Hurt You? is dealing with a country where so many of our conversations have become about choosing a side and shouting from it.

Jones has a point of view. This is not a politically neutral piece, nor should it be. But she is also interested in people, including the contradictions inside them. She allows different voices into the room and then asks us to listen.

Not necessarily agree.

Listen.

There is a difference.

And somewhere in that listening, she finds compassion without pretending that compassion means ignoring history, pain or responsibility.

She made me think. She made me tear up. She made me laugh. She made me breathe.

For 90 minutes, Jones creates a space where we can look at something that feels almost impossibly large and complicated, America, and make it human-sized again.

People can be hurt.

People can inherit things they did not create.

People can make terrible choices.

People can repeat what was done to them.

But people can also talk. People can listen. People can change.

Now read those lines again.

This time, replace the word people with America.

That is the exercise.

Because once Jones makes America human, the question shifts. Maybe a country can carry wounds. Maybe a country can inherit things it did not create. Maybe it can repeat what was done to it.

And maybe it can change too.

There is a line from Robert Frost’s poem A Servant to Servants that kept coming back to me afterward: “The best way out is always through.”

That feels like what Sarah Jones is asking us to consider.

Not around it.

Through it.

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I hope Mayor Zohran Mamdani sees this play. I hope he talks about it. More than that, I would love to see the city find a way to get teenagers, high school students and college students into this theater.

I hope this piece can travel around the country. But Sarah Jones is one person, and what she does on that stage is uniquely hers. So I also hope someone is making a pro-shot of America, Who Hurt You? Because I want this piece to reach every state, every city and every classroom where people are trying to understand how we got here, how we talk to one another, and how we might find a way through.

Because there is something valuable happening here beyond a terrific performance.

This is a piece about how we look at a problem. How we listen to somebody whose experience is different from ours. How we talk about pain without allowing pain to be the end of the conversation. How we find compassion without pretending everything is okay.

And perhaps, somewhere inside all of that, how we find a way through.

If you are in New York City, please go see America, Who Hurt You?

If you can get here …come see it!

And if you can, maybe buy someone else a ticket, take them with you… pay it forward! Because this is the kind of work I hope people can experience together, then walk out of the theater and keep talking about.

Sarah Jones shared something beautiful with us that night.

I am grateful I got to be in the room.

And I absolutely loved it.

- Victoria Bert // @victoriabnyc

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The series adaptation of Kennedy Ryan’s bestselling novel ‘Before I Let Go’—the first installment in her Skyland book series—has officially landed a series order at Peacock. Sister duo Attica Locke (When They See Us) and Tembi Locke (From Scratch) will serve as showrunners and write alongside Ryan and Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man franchise, Girls Trip), who is also attached to direct.

Before I Let Go follows Yasmen and Josiah Wade, a couple whose marriage was expected to last forever until back-to-back tragedies tore it apart and proved that love can’t solve everything. The life they created fell apart and the two were left to navigate divorce and shared custody. When Yasmen begins finding joy again, staying close to Josiah reignites a spark while reopening past heartbreak. Ultimately, both are left to question whether they can truly move on—or if a second chance could offer a better future.

Expressing her enthusiasm for the screen adaptation, Ryan shared: “Getting the chance to bring the Skyland series to life onscreen is a dream come true. I’m excited about what this remarkable team is creating. Co-writing the pilot with Malcolm D. Lee and now imagining this world with Attica and Tembi is more than I even knew to ask for. These characters have meant so much to so many readers, and none of this would be possible without the people who have supported my work for years. I’m incredibly grateful and excited to find a new audience for these books that have changed my life.”

Produced by Universal Global Television and Universal Television, the project is executive produced by the Locke sisters, Ryan, Lee, Dominique Telson, Debra Martin Chase, and Get Lifted Film Co.’s Mike Jackson and John Legend.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

Turnstr+ is bringing you its first highly anticipated original, ‘Forever This Ring,’ starring Taye Diggs, Erica Mena, Marques Houston, Loretta Devine, La’Myia Good, Malik Whitfield & Troy Brookins, & Executive Produced by TOP DAWG. STREAMING FREE OCTOBER 2ND. Head to http://turnstrplus.com and SIGN UP FREE NOW.

The Pynk is back open for business—one last time! Starz has unveiled the official teaser for the third and final season of ‘P-Valley,’ the drama series created by Pulitzer-winning playwright Katori Hall and based on her acclaimed stage play. The final chapter kicks off December 4 with a special two-episode premiere.

According to the official logline, the arrival of the new Promised Land Casino brings a flood of wealth and fresh chaos to Chucalissa. As dreamers, schemers, ballers, and shot-callers flock to town chasing a massive payday, the stakes reach an all-time high. At The Pynk, Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan) sets her sights on expanding her territory, while Roulette (Gail Bean) breaks a sacred club rule to stake her own claim. Meanwhile, Lil’ Murda (J. Alphonse Nicholson) struggles under the weight of his gang affiliations, and Keyshawn (Shannon Thornton) fights to escape her ongoing confinement.

The core ensemble returns for the farewell season, led by Nicco Annan as Uncle Clifford, Brandee Evans as Mercedes, Shannon Thornton as Keyshawn, and J. Alphonse Nicholson as Lil’ Murda. The cast also features Harriett D. Foy, Dan J. Johnson, Gail Bean, Psalms Salazar, Morocco Omari, Dominic DeVore, Jordan M. Cox, Thomas Q. Jones, Bertram Williams Jr., Mea Wilkerson, and Loretta Devine.

Series creator Katori Hall continues her role as showrunner and executive producer for the Lionsgate Television production. Joining her as co-executive producers are Jennifer Arnold, Debbie Hayn-Cass, Kemiyondo Coutinho, and Ian Olympio. In a heartfelt letter to fans accompanying the announcement, Hall expressed deep gratitude to the audience for their support over the show’s 17-year journey from stage to screen. Calling the three-season run a “visual novel of 27 chapters” and her “finest work,” she shared that ending the series on her own terms allows her to deliver a farewell designed to celebrate the community built around the show.

Following the two-episode debut on December 4, the remaining episodes of the nine-episode season will drop weekly on Fridays across the Starz app as well as all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

FX has dropped the official trailer for Season 13 of Ryan Murphy’s hit anthology series ‘American Horror Story,’ offering fans an exciting look at Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, and Orlando Jones alongside returning franchise veterans Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters.

Season 13 brings back fan-favorite cast members Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, and John Carroll Lynch. The new chapter also expands its roster with fresh faces, including Orlando Jones stepping into the role of Papa Legba, alongside Paul Anthony Kelly, John Waters, Avantika Vandanapu, Joey Pollari, and Alex Consani.

Produced by 20th Television, the season is executive produced by Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ned Martel, Charlie Carver, Eric Kovtun, and Nissa Diederich, with Scott Robertson, Tanase Popa, Crystle Roberson Dorsey, Jennifer Salt, and Tim Minear also serving as executive producers.

‘American Horror Story’ Season 13 premieres on September 24 via FX and Hulu. The 13-episode season kicks off with back-to-back three-episode events across its first two weeks, followed by a two-episode rollout every Thursday until the finale lands on October 29.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

Boom! ‘Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Again?’ has officially made its debut today on Netflix.

The beloved group of friends gathers once more for a joyful occasion: the wedding of Marcus and Angela’s daughter. However, despite the years that have passed since their last reunion, old habits and familiar dynamics resurface immediately, leaving everyone to ponder the timeless dilemma of why they walked down the aisle in the first place.

Oscar-nominated star Taraji P. Henson joins the franchise for its third chapter, sharing the screen with original ensemble cast members Tasha Smith, Sharon Leal, Michael Jai White, Lamman Rucker, and Jill Scott. In addition to stepping back into his onscreen role, Perry once again pulled triple duty as writer, producer, and director for the feature.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

Upscale Media Films is officially expanding into a full-service production company focused on the rapidly growing microdrama and vertical content market.

Founded by CEO Malik Davis, the company is building its business around acquiring and controlling published book properties, then developing, casting, producing and delivering projects through an in-house production pipeline. The model is designed to reduce traditional development and packaging costs while allowing the company to move quickly from existing intellectual property to vertical series and potentially longer-form film and television adaptations.

Upscale is currently using the strategy through its partnership with Hartbeat on a slate of vertical series adapted from bestselling author Blake Karrington’s novels for microdrama platform aTwist. The projects could later be developed into feature films or traditional television series.

Karrington’s catalog includes more than 20 titles slated for adaptation. His books have reportedly sold over 16.5 million units and generated more than 271 million page reads. The author is now working directly with Upscale’s development team to bring his stories and characters into the vertical format.

In addition to adapting existing IP, Upscale is developing original projects. The company is currently producing Exotic Foods, a 10-episode horror anthology created through its hybrid AI-assisted production workflow. Other projects in development include Trapstar, The King of the South, Single Ladies, Scandalous and the feature film R.I.C.O. ATL.

Upscale has also secured rights to a story involving actor Quinton Aaron, titled Blindsided by Love, which is being developed for Hartbeat. Another upcoming microdrama, The Brown Family, will feature original music from Organized Noize, alongside a companion album released through Universal Music Group’s Chamber Studios.

The company’s growing team includes Davis, Karrington, CFO and executive producer Tiffaney Collins, casting director Rhavynn Drummer, Latino division executive producer Liana Mendoza, Chief AI Officer Delmone Rivers and director of photography Kareen “Curley the 5th” Oda, along with a full production crew.

As vertical storytelling continues to gain momentum, Upscale Media Films is positioning itself to develop, produce and scale content from existing audiences and original ideas under one production ecosystem.

Writers are now seeking non-traditional routes into a system that requires them to wear multiple hats. Shannan chooses to introduce her feature screenplay, The Weight of Silence to Hollywood by inviting a small group of execs into the world of Houston’s Black rodeo culture, a culture introduced to her by her late father, Sidney “Sid the Cowboy” Johnson.

Logline: After her estranged father, a revered Black cowboy, is murdered in a string of serial decapitations, Kennedy, a sharp, guarded butcher returns home to bury him and get the hell out of Houston, only to be pulled into an investigation that reignites a toxic love triangle and exposes the buried family secret she’s spent her life running from.

WOS Live: WHO KILLED CALVIN? is presented by The Professional Pen, presented by LATex Media, directed by Jason Dirden, with creative direction from Artis J. Olds.

Cast: (Pictured L:R) Birgundi Baker, Omar J. Dorsey, Zachariah Rogers, Jon Chaffin, Deborah Joy Winans, Rolando Boyce, Sr., Geffri Maya, Jessica Frances Dukes, (Not pictured) Cairo Spencer, LeShay T. Boyce, Amad Jackson, Jeff Prater, Reno Warmath, Jeremie Rivers, Shari “Ri” Bihms, Maria Pallas, Misty Anderson, Paul Archer, Michael Monks

On Saturday, September 5, FX brought the sound, style and creative energy of early-’90s hip-hop to South Los Angeles with “The Drop: Neighborhood Sessions Event,” a daylong community celebration inspired by the world of the new series, FX’s “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga.”

The outdoor activation brought together local food, shopping and interactive experiences rooted in the surrounding community. Guests explored a marketplace of local artists and Black-owned businesses curated by Black on the Block, including The Black Los Angeles, TAP Candle Company and Ninety Four Frames. Guests also enjoyed food from Nay’s Tacos and Marathon Burger.

Attendees had the opportunity to create their own album covers through a lowrider-inspired photo experience and customize airbrushed tote bags.

Inside Somerville, the series’ musical themes came to life through live performances by Dom Kennedy and Ty Dolla $ign, curated by “The Voice of L.A.,” award-winning radio personality Big Boy. Following the performances, guests enjoyed a special screening of the series’ first episode.

Cast members Gail Bean, Isaiah John, Asante Blackk, Peyton Alex Smith, Simmie “Buddy” Sims III, Nicki Micheaux, Brandon Mychal Smith, Eric Balfour, Isidora Goreshter and Quincy Chad joined fans throughout the celebration.

“Neighborhood Sessions” was part of a broader citywide rollout inviting fans to experience the world of FX’s “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” through collaborations with brands rooted in South Los Angeles.

Participating businesses included Randy’s Donuts, Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, Marathon Burger and The Marathon Clothing. The campaign features limited-edition menu items, co-branded packaging, in-store installations and exclusive merchandise available throughout the city.

FX’s “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” premieres September 8 on FX and Hulu.

Filmmaker, director, producer, studio owner, distributor, and streaming entrepreneur Mann Robinson is expanding his growing entertainment ecosystem with the launch of Urban Operas, a new vertical streaming platform created to bring culturally connected, mobile-first storytelling directly to audiences.

The platform will debut with 15 original micro-drama series produced by Robinson and his production team specifically for Urban Operas.

For Robinson, Urban Operas is not simply another streaming application. It represents the latest expansion of the vertically integrated entertainment ecosystem he has spent years building across nearly every stage of the content business.

The launch of Urban Operas marks another evolution in Robinson’s larger strategy of moving beyond simply producing content and toward building infrastructure around the audiences consuming it.

When asked about the inspiration behind the new platform, Robinson says:

“For me, this has never been about just making another movie. I wanted to understand the entire business and build as much of the infrastructure as we could. Production is one piece. Distribution is another. Marketing is another. Equipment is another. Owning the platform and having a direct relationship with the audience is another. Urban Operas brings those pieces together around a new format that I believe is going to become an important part of entertainment.”

Robinson says the idea for Urban Operas came from watching new entertainment formats develop and recognizing a familiar problem before it had the opportunity to repeat itself.

In his own words:

“Every time a new format or opportunity develops in entertainment, creators eventually start asking where their content belongs. I didn’t want us to wait until vertical entertainment was completely established and then start looking around for somewhere our stories could live. We already know how to produce the content. We understand distribution. We understand streaming. We understand this audience. This time, I wanted us to build the home early.”

Built around the tagline, “Stories That Know Us,” Urban Operas will feature serialized dramas created specifically for mobile viewing. Episodes will be short and fast-moving, built around compelling characters, emotional storytelling, cliffhangers, relationships, romance, crime, family, betrayal, ambition, money, power, and experiences Robinson believes remain underserved within the rapidly expanding vertical entertainment marketplace.

Urban Operas is not being created in opposition to the major companies already operating in the vertical entertainment space. Instead, Robinson sees an opportunity to expand the marketplace by creating a platform with a distinct cultural identity and programming philosophy.

When discussing what makes Urban Operas unique, Robinson says:

“The major platforms have their audiences and the types of programming that make sense for their businesses. I respect that. I saw an opportunity to build something from our perspective. There should be a destination where our stories aren’t simply another category somewhere inside the platform. They are the foundation of the platform. That’s what Urban Operas is being built to become. Original content will remain at the center of Urban Operas.”

Production on the first group of Urban Operas Originals is already underway, with additional series titles, trailers, and well-known cast announcements scheduled to be revealed leading up to launch. Robinson expects the company’s internally produced original slate to serve as the foundation of the Urban Operas brand.

While simultaneously launching his own original content, Robinson also wants Urban Operas to provide an additional streaming opportunity for independent filmmakers who have already entered the vertical storytelling space.

Urban Operas will accept completed vertical micro-dramas from independent filmmakers and production companies seeking a streaming home for their projects. Outside submissions will be handled through an approved list of aggregators and the company’s distribution partner, Blue Honey Distribution, rather than through direct filmmaker uploads.

Filmmakers interested in having completed vertical projects considered for Urban Operas will be able to find information regarding approved submission partners, eligibility requirements, revenue participation, and additional submission details through the official Urban Operas website at www.urbanoperas.com.

Selected outside productions will have the opportunity to be distributed through Urban Operas under a creator-focused revenue-share model, allowing qualified filmmakers and content owners to participate financially in the performance of their programming on the platform.

The outside submission initiative is designed to allow Urban Operas to grow beyond Robinson’s internal production slate while creating another piece of infrastructure for independent content creators.

Robinson says viewers can expect a combination of Urban Operas Originals and acquired programming.

“Urban Operas is an original content company first. My production team and I are producing our own slate and creating programming specifically for this audience. At the same time, I know there are filmmakers around the country who have already taken the risk and shot vertical projects and are now asking where those projects can go. If the content is strong and it fits our audience, I want them to know there is going to be another home available to them.”

He continues:

“If a filmmaker has already invested in producing a strong vertical series, I want there to be a pathway for that filmmaker to reach an audience and participate in what their content earns. We know independent filmmaking. We know distribution. We know streaming. Bringing those pieces together is a natural extension of what we’ve already built.”

Urban Operas will begin appearing on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in November 2026, with its official launch scheduled for Winter 2026.

COCO QUEENS, the new play written by New York Times bestselling author LaDarrion Williams and directed by Jessica E. Williams, will make its Los Angeles stage debut at Outside In Theatre. Previews begin October 19, with opening night scheduled for October 25. The production is co-produced by Blackgical Productions and Outside In Theatre.

Set in 1975 Alabama, COCO QUEENS follows four Black women who reunite annually at a neighborhood beauty shop for Coco Queens Weekend—a cherished tradition filled with food, music, laughter and healing. As long-buried secrets come to light, the women must confront the fractures in their relationships and discover whether honesty can bring them back together.

“COCO QUEENS is about the spaces we create for one another when the world becomes too heavy,” says Williams. “It’s a celebration of Black joy, community, memory and the complicated ways we love and care for one another.”

The production marks an expansion into theater producing for Williams through Blackgical Productions. Williams is the bestselling author of Blood at the Root and Bones at the Crossroads and has developed several theatrical works across the country.

The cast includes Julanne Chidi Hill (Little America, Lackawanna Blues), Mildred Marie Langford (Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Med), Chanell Bell (Power Book IV, Garden Hands) and Sierra Nicolette Smith (P-Valley, Snowfall).

About LaDarrion Williams

LaDarrion Williams is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter from Helena, Alabama. His published works include Blood at the Root and Bones at the Crossroads. His theatrical projects include COCO QUEENS, Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Hurt People and Black Creek Risin’.

About Jessica E. Williams

Jessica E. Williams is a director and theater artist whose work focuses on dynamic storytelling, community and the development of new works. She directs COCO QUEENS for its Los Angeles stage debut.

Fly Butterfly Productions has announced a life rights deal with Kitty Black Perkins, the trailblazing designer behind the first Black Barbie, for the development of the feature film biopic KITTY.

Keena Ferguson is attached to direct, with Kadesha Powell set to write the screenplay and Jasmine Farr producing. The project is currently in development.

KITTY chronicles the extraordinary life of a woman who changed what generations of little girls saw when they walked down the toy aisle.

The film follows Perkins’ journey from segregated Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she colored paper dolls brown simply to see herself reflected, to Los Angeles, California, where she climbed the corporate ladder at Mattel and ultimately became the first and only Chief Designer in Barbie’s history. During her groundbreaking career, Perkins designed numerous iconic dolls, including the milestone Black Barbie.

“Black Barbie has opened the door for dolls like the Black Historical series and so many more,” said Kitty Black Perkins, creator and designer of the first Black Barbie.

KITTY arrives as the cultural conversation surrounding Black representation and the importance of diverse storytelling continues to gain momentum. Perkins’ story also connects to the broader mainstream fascination with Barbie and the brand’s lasting cultural and historical significance.

“Thirty years later, I grew up in that same neighborhood,” said Jasmine Farr, producer of KITTY and founder of Fly Butterfly Productions. “From Highland to Hollywood is a hardscrabble path that Kitty and I both share. That is why this project is deeply personal to me.”

The film is actively seeking production partners and funding to bring this powerful Spartanburg story to the world stage. The project has received development support through a South Carolina Arts Commission development grant.

NAACP Image Award winner and Emmy nominee Hanelle M. Culpepper (Paradise, Star Trek: Picard) has been tapped to direct and executive produce ‘The Undertaker,’ an ABC police procedural in development from 20th Television and Elevate Entertainment. Written by Gabriel Garza (The Winchesters, The Flash), the project adapts the 2013 hit Swiss series Der Bestatter.

The drama centers on Luke Conrad, a former police detective who returns to his family’s funeral home business, only to find himself obsessively investigating the deaths of the deceased brought to his facility. The original series, created by Hartmut Block, enjoyed a successful seven-season run on Switzerland’s Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen.

Garza executive produces alongside Culpepper. Alex Cole and Joe Wiggins executive produce for Elevate Entertainment, with Michael Wenning also serving as executive producer. One Gate Media holds the rights to the original Swiss format.

Culpepper, whose directing credits span American Crime, Gotham, How to Get Away with Murder, and Star Trek: Discovery, recently earned an Emmy nomination for directing the Season 2 finale of Hulu’s Paradise. Her upcoming slate includes Apple TV+’s sci-fi adaptation Neuromancer, as well as feature film adaptations of Amari and the Night Brothers and 1000 Miles.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

Two months ago, Ryan Clark was on the wrong end of an ESPN layoff sheet. Today he is a Netflix guy. The Pivot, the interview podcast Clark hosts with fellow former NFL players Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, has signed a multi-year deal with Netflix, and the timing could not be sweeter.

Boardroom broke the news Monday. Video episodes of The Pivot arrive on Netflix starting September 8, with new episodes streaming exclusively on the platform every Tuesday and Friday. The back catalog stays up on YouTube and gets added to Netflix too, so nothing the show built over four years disappears behind a wall.

Clark did not sound like a man who got knocked down. “I’ve gained a new perspective: passion over platform, and people over perception,” he said in a statement, calling this the beginning of a beautiful new chapter and adding that the story is far from finished.

That is the whole arc right there. ESPN cut Clark in July after 11 years as part of network-wide layoffs. He was among the highest-paid NFL analysts on the roster, a guy who had publicly fought for his number and won it. The Netflix agreement is his first major deal since the exit, and it is bigger than the one he lost.

Look at what he actually got. Netflix holds first rights to negotiate on new projects from Pivot25 Productions, the company Clark co-founded with Alicia Zubikowski. Pivot25 will also produce bonus episodes made exclusively for Netflix. That is not a podcast licensing deal. That is a production company getting a seat at the table with the biggest streamer on earth.

The Pivot earned this the hard way. Clark, Crowder and Taylor launched the show in January 2022 with no institutional backing and turned it into must-watch television for anyone who wanted athletes talking to athletes without a network filter. They landed Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley early. They landed Nick Saban later. They built past 150 million cumulative YouTube views and are closing in on a million subscribers.

They also survived the part nobody celebrates. The Pivot signed what Clark called a multiyear exclusive partnership with Fanatics in May 2024, then split from it by the end of that year. Since January 2025, the show has run independent, funding itself, booking itself, proving itself. That independence is exactly why Netflix wanted it and exactly why Clark could negotiate for production rights instead of just a distribution check.

Smith, Clark’s former ESPN colleague, posted his congratulations on X in all caps, saying he was proud of the guys and telling Clark he already knew. When the loudest voice in sports media celebrates a man his old network let go, that says something about who won the breakup.

The Pivot joins a Netflix podcast slate that has grown fast. The streamer struck deals with Spotify Studios and The Ringer last October for shows including The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Zach Lowe Show, then added Barstool Sports in December in an eight-figure annual arrangement covering Pardon My Take, Spittin’ Chiclets and The Ryen Russillo Show, plus a separate deal with iHeartMedia.

Netflix is still figuring the format out. Puck’s Matthew Belloni reported in June that no video podcast has cracked Nielsen’s weekly top 10 and that internal engagement numbers for the category are low. Big Cat of Pardon My Take put it plainly back in April, saying his show was the tip of the spear and admitting that was a little scary.

Here is the bet, and it is a good one. Netflix does not need The Pivot to win week one. It needs shows people already choose to watch, and The Pivot is one of maybe five sports podcasts with a genuine cultural footprint. Three Black former players built a platform on candor and relationships, kept ownership of it through a corporate split, and now have Netflix money and Netflix reach without giving up the thing that made it work.

- REAVES // @fisher.reaves

Grammy-winning rapper and actor André 3000 is returning to the Scooby-Doo universe, securing a recurring role in Netflix’s upcoming live-action series ‘Scooby-Doo: Origins.’ The OutKast musician previously co-wrote and performed “Land of a Million Drums” for the soundtrack of the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo feature film alongside Big Boi, Killer Mike, and Sleepy Brown.

Described as a modern reimagining of the classic mystery-solving gang, the series follows old friends Shaggy and Daphne during their final summer at camp. When they get swept up in a haunting mystery involving a stray Great Dane puppy who may have witnessed a supernatural murder, they team up with practical townie Velma and eccentric newcomer Fred to uncover a dark case that threatens to expose all of their secrets.

He joins previously announced leads Mckenna Grace (Daphne Blake), Tanner Hagen (Shaggy Rogers), Abby Ryder Fortson (Velma Dinkley), Maxwell Jenkins (Fred Jones), and Scooby-Doo. The ensemble also includes Peter Macon, Cathy Moriarty, Paul Walter Hauser, Rusty Schwimmer, Jona Xiao, Dani Deetté, Elysée Sanvillé, Alex Isles, Avery Kristen Pohl, Pamela Mitchell, Ross Kimball, Sara Gilbert, Wynn Everett, Sauriyan Sapkota, and Bruce McGill.

Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg serve as showrunners, writers, and executive producers. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman executive produce via Berlanti Productions under its overall deal with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers also include André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Adrienne Erickson via Midnight Radio, with Toby Haynes executive producing and directing episode 101. Warner Bros. Television serves as the studio.

‘Scooby-Doo: Origins’ is currently filming in Atlanta.

–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm

Filmmaker and civil engineer Destiny Macon, known online as @hushgirl_des, is bringing a new psychological horror thriller to the screen with Burn House, the debut feature film from her production company, Hush Girl Productions. Currently in production, the ambitious independent film blends psychological suspense, supernatural horror and period storytelling against the haunting backdrop of the late 1800s.

Burn House follows a canceled talk show host who encounters a supernatural presence at her family’s lake house, forcing her to confront the ghosts of her past—or risk burning alive inside.

For Macon, the journey to making her first feature film began years earlier. In 2023, she experienced a major career milestone when her short film Talk Black streamed on HBO Max after becoming a finalist in the American Black Film Festival’s HBO Short Film Showcase. Macon credits the support of the South Carolina Film Commission’s Indie Grants program as an important part of making that opportunity possible.

Two years later, in November 2025, Macon took an even bigger leap of faith by self-financing the first act of Burn House through Hush Girl Productions.

Production took place in Hollywood, South Carolina, where the area’s close proximity to Charleston created opportunities for students and alumni from Trident Technical College to join the production. Additional members of the crew included filmmakers from South Carolina’s Upstate region, reinforcing Macon’s commitment to building opportunities for local creatives.

One of the production’s most memorable experiences came from filming inside a cabin that was actually built during the period represented in the film.

“There was something about putting a camera inside a space that had existed for more than a century and using it to tell a story about a woman confronting the ghosts of her past that felt ethereal,” Macon said.

Now, with the first act completed and footage already captured, Hush Girl Productions has launched a Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaign to raise the next $20,000 needed to complete principal photography on Burn House this fall.

Support the Burn House Seed&Spark Campaign

Self-financing the first act taught Macon firsthand that producing an independent feature is an enormous undertaking, but she believes the challenges are worth it when the work begins to come alive on screen. With a cast, crew, locations and completed footage already in place, the team is now calling on the community to help bring the next chapter of Burn House to life.

For Macon, Burn House represents more than a feature film. The project reflects the growing strength of independent filmmaking in South Carolina, the importance of Black representation both in front of and behind the camera, and the need to create more opportunities for women in creative and corporate spaces.

Through Hush Girl Productions, Macon hopes to continue building a pipeline for South Carolina filmmakers while creating opportunities for local crew members and emerging talent. Her work also serves as a reminder that filmmakers do not necessarily have to relocate to Los Angeles or New York to create cinematic, ambitious stories.

Sometimes, you can make Hollywood in Hollywood, South Carolina.

Cast of Burn House

Lirelle Gardere as Zee
Dorian Herring as Doug
Whitney Morrow as Phoenix
Erwin James Jacob as Kiloh
Mia Alexis Reese as Marabelle
Zach Humphrey as Terran
Kinsleigh Boyd as Little Zee
Robin Hailey as Vanessa

And introducing:

Natacha Ellie as Savita

Burn House is currently in production.

Follow filmmaker Destiny Macon at @hushgirl_des and follow the film at @burnhouse_movie for production updates, behind-the-scenes content and information about the film’s crowdfunding campaign.

About Destiny Macon

Destiny Macon is a filmmaker and civil engineer based in Greenville, South Carolina. She is the founder of Hush Girl Productions and is committed to telling compelling stories while creating opportunities for filmmakers and creatives throughout South Carolina. In 2023, her short film Talk Black became a finalist in the American Black Film Festival’s HBO Short Film Showcase and later streamed on HBO Max. Burn House marks her first feature film.

About Burn House

Burn House is a psychological horror thriller and partially period-set feature film from Hush Girl Productions. Set against the backdrop of the late 1800s, the story follows a canceled talk show host who encounters a supernatural presence at her family’s lake house and must confront her past before it consumes her.