Reality Beat: 'Love Island' Returns for Season 5 & Roc Nation Sports Inks Deal with Italy's Soccer League Serie A
John Leguizamo - Unique Nicole
Docuseries: MSNBC docuseries Leguizamo Does America has been renewed for a second season. In the second season John Leguizamo, Emmy and Tony award winner, will be visiting a new plethora of cities featuring brand new adventures and more; exact location TBA. Previously, Leguizamo visited major cities like New York City, Miami, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico to “to showcase and explore each of their thriving Latino communities firsthand”. The series emphasizes Leguizamo’s advocacy and understanding of the importance of Latin culture by including guests like George Lopez and, filmmaker, Robert Rodriguez, along with local heroes, community leaders, young actors, etc.
Project Greenlight is back again, and this time with executive producer, Issa Rae. The docuseries debuted on Max Thursday, July 13 with all 10 episodes available to stream. The series aims to shine a light on first-time filmmakers like director Meko Winbush and her feature film Gray Matter; also premiered on Max July 13. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, originators of Project Greenlight also followed the plight of a rookie film director, scoring two seasons on HBO in 2001, moving to Bravo, before returning to HBO in 2015. Rae aims to look at female filmmakers by enlisting the help of fellow production companies including Rae’s company, Hoorae, Alfred Street Industries, 3 Arts Entertainment and Miramax Television. Other than Rae, fellow filmmakers Kumail Nanjiani and Gina Prince-Bythewood will be mentoring the filmmaker throughout the season.
Shangela - Momodu Mansaray / Stringer
Docusoap: BET’s Comic View came back after a nine-year hiatus as part of Kevin Hart’s, and his media company Hartbeat, four-day weekend event in Las Vegas to celebrate his 44th birthday. Hart teamed up with Paramount Global to bring in big names, like Mike Epps, to host the new episodes that were recorded on location in front of a live audience throughout the four-day event with performances by Tommy Davidson, Tacarra Williams, Tony T. Roberts, Bresha Webb, D.C. Young Fly – even rapper, Tip “T.I.” Harris, will make his first stand-up comedy series debut.
“I’m thrilled to partner with BET for the return of ‘Comic View’ as part of Hartbeat Weekend making this can’t-miss celebration of comedy, music and culture,” Hart stated. “Having hosted ‘Comic View’ in the past, I understand first-hand the incredible platform this franchise offers for comedians to showcase their talents on a national stage and I’m excited to continue that tradition in Las Vegas.”
We’re Here on HBO has been renewed for Season 4 – and this time with a new cast, previously led by Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela. This season will follow Sasha Velour, Priyanka, and Jaida Essence Hall as they continue to spread love and shed light on the art of drag through small towns in America. This six-episode series will focus on two towns by “taking an in-depth and more immersive look at the local political systems and participants, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and opposition, and their effect on the LGBTQ+ community”.
“With the ongoing aggression towards the LGBTQ+ community, and the increased hostility directed at drag performers, it’s more important than ever for another season of ‘We’re Here’,” stated Nina Rosenstein, HBO’s executive vice president of late night and specials programming. “Time and time again, the series has shown that love is stronger than hate, and we want to continue to uplift the community by showcasing these rich and important stories. We owe a huge thank you to Bob, Shangela and Eureka for sharing their personal stories and for their incredible contribution over the last three seasons. We’re also excited to welcome our three new queens to the We’re Here family and dive into our new season.”
Competitive Series: Rev up your engines! RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is back again for a third season. The new queens feature 10 fabulous beauty’s competing for the #1 spot. Judges Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson will be returning to host the season along with RuPaul. These queens, hailing from across New Zealand and Australia, will face all new thrills and challenges as they go toe-to-toe to fight for the crown. The series will release their air day/date on WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and minor outlaying islands along with airing on TVNZ+ in New Zealand and Stan in Australia.
Highlighted Contestants
27-year-old Amyl hails from Sydney bringing her experience in the drag scene since 2019 along with walking the runway during Australian Fashion Week in 2021 and 2023 and featured in magazine editorials in Australia.
51-year-old Bumpa Love from New Zealand brings the experience of over 25 years of entertaining audiences in both Australia and New Zealand by running Australia’s only drag queen-owned and produced venue, Vau d’vile Drag Cabaret; performing sold-out shows all year round.
25-year-old Flor from Guatemala brings the Latin spice to the series as she was previously a competitor on TVNZ’s House of Drag where she embodied the aura of a strong Latina woman aware of her voice all the while being true to herself.
34-year-old Hollywood Star from America brings in experience of being a trained classical music singer who has toured the world performing in big stage productions like Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots. This year she performed with Kelly Rowland at this year’s Domain Dance Party Sydney World Pride.
26-year-old Ivanna Drink from New Zealand has an IMDB credit as “Hooker #2” from Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop. She can be found at Caluzzi’s Cabaret as the resident emcee and showgirl. Fun Fact: She is married to Season 1’s Anita Wigl’it.
24-year-old Rita Menu, also from New Zealand, is new to the scene but nonetheless has already impressions as a multi-talented singer and dancer wowing audiences at local nightclubs and winning Kita and Anita’s Drag Wars competition.
“Australasian drag is filled with heart and humor, and I’m thrilled to share my Season 3 queens to the world, for all to see their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent,” says RuPaul.
Ratings for Big Brother Titans, a MultiChoice and Mzansi Magic’s South African and Nigerian production, have just come in… and the show is a flop. MultiChoice will be switching back to Big Brother Naija; already having the green light for their eighth season. At MultiChoice's DStv Media Sales event, Waldimar Pelser, director of M-Net premium channels, has revealed at their showcase that their call for an adventure reality series on kykNET was to be an adaptation of the realty franchise The Bridge which will be on the channel as Die Brug. Die Brug will presumably be the 11th adaption of the reality franchise worldwide. The show will have eleven episodes, airing on kykNET on Thursday, October 26 at 20:00 (8:00 PM).
"The Bridge is not just a show, it's a global phenomenon that captures the interest of viewers around the world," said Pelser in a statement. “We are thrilled to be producing the local version of this hit franchise, bringing together the best South African talent, and showcasing our beautiful landscapes to create a series that will have audiences at the edge of their seats."
Vietnam Idol is back after a seven-year hiatus. Production companies, Cat Tien Sa Media Group and VTV3 have partnered up to not only revive the series but to focus on younger audiences and aspiring superstars. Production has already started to accumulate a following on all social media platforms all the while using local universities for casting. The judges will include music producer, Huy Tuan; singer-songwriters Son Tung MTP and My Tam, and director Nguyen Quang Dung – all of who have judged in previous seasons; hosted by Duc Bao. This season will incorporate three months of competition starting with in-person casting calls, and a music festival in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. At the music festival, 100 contestants will have to sing their way through elimination rounds for a shot at theater rounds, live rounds, and the finale.
Haryaty Rahman, executive VP distribution Asia, international at Fremantle, stated: “We are thrilled to partner with Cat Tien Sa and VTV3 to bring back the highly anticipated ‘Vietnam Idol’ for audiences in the region. ‘Idols’ is a renowned format in Vietnam and globally – after seven years off air, we are incredibly excited to see the new generation of stars that Vietnam Idol will soon uncover.”
Netflix’s Snowflake Mountain has been canceled after only one season. The competitive series has underperformed in comparison to other unscripted series, such as, Too Hot To Handle. Snowflake Mountain took a group of young people from the comfort of their homes and dropped them in the wilderness that is Britain’s Lake District. Under the supervision of survivalists Matt Tate and Joel Graves, the competitors battled to win a chance at $50,000.
Top Chef will have a new host, Kristen Kish. Kish who won Season 10 of Top Chef will be succeeding Padma Lakshmi as host joining head judge Tom Colicchio and judge Gail Simmons for season 21. Attending Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, then spending 10 years in Boston as a chef rising to chef de cuisine at a Relais & Chateaux property, competing in Top Chef from 2012-13 and won. From then she went on to co-host 36 hours debuting on the Travel Channel in 2015.
“Kristen Kish represents everything that makes Top Chef incredibly special,” stated Ryan Flynn, senior VP, current production, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “She’s an acclaimed chef and her experience as a cheftestant, winner and judge, alongside her culinary curiosity, makes Kristen the perfect host for the next chapter of Top Chef as we take on a new region of the country we haven’t explored.”
The CW and the Roku Channel have collaborated to create Fight to Survive, an eight-episode survivalist competition series. The series, hosted by American Ninja Warrior alum Akbar Gbajabiamila, will feature former contestants from Survivor, Alone, Naked and Afraid and American Ninja Warrior. Contestants will fight against each other to survive 25 days on a remote island facing harsh conditions and brutal weather for the chance to win $250,000. The series will premiere Thursday, August 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW and eventually be available for streaming on The Roku Channel and The CW App on September 29 after the season finale.
“By bringing together the best of The CW and the best of The Roku Channel, ‘Fight to Survive’ will be able to reach the largest audience possible across both broadcast and streaming,” noted Brad Schwartz, The CW’s President of Entertainment, and Brian Tannenbaum, Roku’s Head of Originals. “By working together in all aspects of distribution, marketing, press and advertising, we will expose this edge-of-your-seat series to millions of fans in brand new ways.”
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports has just made another big move. Roc Nation Sports has partnered up with Italy’s top-flight soccer league Serie A. The deal was announced via Roc Nation’s social media accounts stating the partnership is to help raise league awareness in America by engaging with current and new fans through digital content, marketing activations, and events. The duo has had a working partnership since 2019 and in 2020 inked a deal resulting in Serie A side AC Milan hosting an event to raise awareness for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Roc Nation also represents and supports many of the leading European soccer players including Romelu Lukaku, Serie A’s Inter Milan. Lukaku has faced many issues involving racism within the sport itself; last season being subject to racist monkey chants from opposing fans in the stadium. Nonetheless, Roc Nation has stood by its side condemning such actions furthering its objective and leadership towards partnering with Serie A.
Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports said: “We are super excited to help Serie A expand its brand throughout America while helping to develop meaningful commercial partnerships along with enhanced brand visibility that will lead to continued growth for one of the world’s premier football leagues.”
Love Island USA is back for a Season 5 available on Peacock for streaming Tuesday, July 18 with 10 all-new cast members.
CONTESTANTS
Destiny – A microbiologist; looking for it all! Offering a lot of body and brains she is looking for a nice smile, good looks, hygiene.
Marco – Boasting 6’3 made of solid steel and sex appeal Marco comes in steaming hot as eye candy for the ladies of Love Island
Anna – A detective, she plays no games, she will find out every little piece of you in the most stalker-ish, but careful and loving manner.
Leonardo – aka Las Melazas comes in straight from DR with smooth sultry talk about “having the touch” to make the ladies melt as he goes in for the kill slow and smooth using your love language against you.
Kassy – A real estate student working with her mom coming in hot with an unfiltered mouth.
Bergie – Never having a girlfriend comes to Love Island looking for a chance at real love as a hopeless romantic.
Jasmine – A professional girl by day, and feral by night; in the party scenes that is. She is looking for her man and prove her animalistic capabilities.
Keenan – A football player, a dog on and off the field, who is going after whatever bone he deems best on the island.
Kay Kay – Another hopeless romantic looking for love amongst a sea of dating apps, dates, and more that hasn’t quite worked out for her. Nonetheless, she is relying on the Love Island God’s to help her find a tall, athletic, and handsome man.
Victor – A 250-pound wrestler who is all mass on the outside, but a softie on the inside. He is looking for his fairytale princess and hopes to not run into a bunch of frogs!
MultiChoice’s Big Brother Naija has been renewed for an eighth season and will premiere Sunday, July 23. This renewal comes as the ratings for Big Brother Titans showed a huge disappointment, ultimately resulting in the cancellation of the series. Former housemates will return to the cameras in Lagos for Big Brother Naija: All Stars. Big Brother Naija: All Stars will run for 24 hours a day on the DStv channel 198 along with featured programs and weekly highlights on Africa Magic Urban (DStv 153) and Africa Magic Family (DStv channel 154). MultiChoice will attempt to bring in new subscribers to Showmax by live-streaming the entirety of Big Brother Naija: All Stars. Big Brother Naija: All Stars will continue to air for 10 weeks (70 days) until Nigeria’s Independence Day; October 1, with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu returning as the host of the series.
"We are excited to bring you a refreshed season of Big Brother Naija," says Dr Busola Tejumola, MultiChoice's executive head of content for West Africa channels, in a statement. The 8th season of Big Brother Naija is the All Stars edition. It has been seven years of engaging our viewers, the industry and the fans. This is the biggest show in Africa and once Big Brother is on, the majority tune in. Fans should watch out for new versions of the housemates they used to know."
Deepak Dhar
Lifestyle: HBCU GO will be airing five Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) college football games in the Fall in partnership with the Division II conference. According to the Allen Media Group owned-service; the telecast will be scheduled and released “with the 15-member SIAC Conference with the September 9 Fort Valley State-Clark Atlanta contest and conclude October 28 with the Miles-Albany State game”.
SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman states: "Through this innovative streaming platform, we invite fans from around the world to join us in celebrating the indomitable spirit of SIAC football. This new era of digital engagement opens doors to boundless opportunities and ensures that every thrilling moment will be etched in the memories of our dedicated supporters. We extend our sincere gratitude to HBCU GO for their invaluable collaboration, and we can't wait to share the excitement and passion of SIAC football with fans everywhere."
Banijay Asia CEO Deepak Dhar has taken full control of Endemol Shine India. The indie giant bought out CA Media’s 49% stake in Endemol for an undisclosed amount. Dhar has become CEO of both companies leaving former Chief Exec Rishi Negi in the unknown as to what position, if any, will he have with the company. Previously, Dhar led Endemol’s Indian business from 2005 to 2018 before founding Banijay Asia as a joint venture with Banijay. Now, with control of both companies, Dhar will oversee content strategies, partnerships, new business, and alliances. Dhar aims to create group-wide roles along with creative positions at both labels along with name key personnel in the weeks to come.
“The reorganization of Banijay in Asia is our biggest and boldest move yet and aligns with our ambition to drive further growth in India and Asia at-large,” said Dhar. “Leveraging the creative potential and possibilities of both brands, we will now strategically pursue complimentary yet independent creative portfolios to offer the most diverse, and compelling cross-genre content from all across the globe, to our Indian and Asian platforms