News

It was a night of firsts at the 2025 Oscars, with some winners making history and various records being set.

After emceeing the Emmys twice, Conan O'Brien served as the Oscars host for the first time, and he noted several of the historic moments while on the big stage.

By winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña became the first American of Dominican descent to prevail. "I am floored by this honor," she stated at the podium. "My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands. I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last. I hope!" Saldaña was the frontrunner all season long, having already dominated all of the precursor awards on her road to the Oscars.

Costume designer Paul Tazewell...

Visionary costume designer Paul Tazewell triumphed on Sunday night, winning his first Academy Award for his nature-inspired “Wicked” wardrobe. He can add his shiny new Oscar to the crowded shelf where he keeps his Tony, his Emmy, his BAFTA, his multiple Costume Designer Guild awards and the many other honors he has won over the years.

Tazewell’s “Wicked” victory makes him the first Black man to win for costume and only the second Black person to do so since Ruth E. Carter‘s 2023 victory for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which followed her history-making 2019 win for “Black Panther.” The only other Black person to be Oscar-nominated for costume design is Sharen Davis, who earned nods in 2005 for “Ray” and in 2007 for “Dreamgirls.”

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in “Wicked” (Credit: Universal Pictures)

Over his celebrated career, Tazewell has earned nine Tony Award nominations for “Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk,...

Can Paul Tazewell win a Grammy? We’re not sure, but if he does, he’d make history. The acclaimed costume designer won his first Academy Award for his impressive frocks in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” at the 2025 Oscars. He already has an Emmy Award for “The Wiz Live!” and a Tony Award for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.” Perhaps he should consider picking up songwriting.

Read More: Paul Tazewell breaks down Glinda’s subtle independent style

The Universal Pictures blockbuster earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

Continue reading ‘Wicked’ Wins The Oscar For Costume Design And Paul Tazewell Is Now 3/4 To Egot at The Playlist.

When this year’s Oscar nominations were announced, Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell was defying gravity thousands of feet in the air.

“I was actually on a plane coming from London, and I couldn’t get my wi-fi to work,” the Best Costume Design nominee tells Gold Derby (watch above). “I finally just gave up, and I dozed off for a bit. When I woke up, I was able to get on the wi-fi, and I saw all of the texts that had come through. I was so pleased!”

Tazewell continues on, “To have an epic film like Wicked acknowledged by my peers, by other people in the film community, and to receive the love of fans, that is beautiful. It’s hugely life-changing. Touching hearts is why I do what I do. So I take that on with celebration and with great meaning.”

Tazewell previously contended for the Best...

Tyler Perry has dedicated the past quarter-century of his career to giving voice to Black women on stage and screen. With “The Six Triple Eight,” the self-made mogul — who leveraged his success to build a production studio on a former U.S. Army base outside Atlanta — has found a story ideally suited to his strengths and interests: how a courageous group of 855 women of color made history during World War II, becoming the first such unit to serve overseas.

Led by Maj. Charity Adams (formidably played by Kerry Washington), the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion faced adversity on both fronts. First, they dealt with discrimination from their fellow Americans, later adding the threat of German attack once deployed abroad. As members of the Women’s Army Corps, these enlisted ladies did not kill Hitler or even carry guns, but were tasked with a significant assignment all the same: sorting a backlog...

TV’s mockumentary genre has taken on the doldrums of office life (“The Office”), the intricacies of blended families (“Modern Family”), and the fundamentals of elementary schools (“Abbott Elementary”). But now, NBC is about to go where no series set in the comedy verite format has gone before: a hospital. “St. Denis Medical” will premiere on November 12 on NBC and will stream later on Peacock. Watch the trailer above that introduces the medical characters played by Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman and more.

The minute-long video begins with Tolman’s supervising nurse Alex complaining, “A couple weeks ago I got a promotion. It came with a small pay bump and a large responsibility bump.” Tolman is a prior Emmy nominee for “Fargo” (2014) who most recently was seen on television shows like “Shining Vale,” “Gaslit,” and “Why Women Kill.”

We then see a clip of Mekki Leeper‘s newly hired registered nurse Matt,...

Gold Derby’s Oscar predictions in the below-the-line races opened last week, and “Wicked” leads the early odds to win Best Costume Design. That should come as no surprise to anyone who’s seen the popular Broadway musical, which won various costume awards races two decades ago (including at the 2004 Tonys) for its eye-popping looks for good witches, bad witches, deceitful wizards and everyone in between.

The Universal Pictures film adaptation, which will begin defying gravity in theaters on November 22, 2024, stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland, aka Glinda the Good Witch, Michelle Yeoh as headmistress Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as the iconic Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Jonathan Bailey as young prince Fiyero Tigelaar. Jon M. Chu directs the movie from a script co-written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.

“Wicked’s” costume designer is Paul Tazewell, a...

Exclusive: Producers Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron are developing the Broadway-bound Studio 54 The Musical, a new work with a book by Chad Hodge and set to feature a full playlist of hits from the disco era.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations), the Broadway-bound Studio 54 musical will trace “the astonishing ascent and sudden downfall of the most legendary club in nightlife history.”

“Neil Meron and I started talking about the amazing story of Studio 54 as a possible series years ago,” said Greenblatt in an exclusive statement to Deadline, “but we finally came to our senses and realized we had the perfect musical right under our noses.”

Add Meron, “And with book writer Chad Hodge and the incredible Sergio Trujillo, who came of age during the disco dance craze in Toronto and New York, we have the...

Updated, 9 Am: The NAACP Image Awards today revealed a pair of career honors for musical acts to be presented at its 55th annual ceremony on March 16.

New Edition will be inducted into the will be inducted into the acclaimed NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame, and R&b hitmaking Maze frontman Frankie Beverly is set for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

New Edition and Frankie Beverly

Featuring Ricky Bell, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe, New Edition broke out with “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man” from their self-titled gold 1984 album. The group continued to rack up Top 10 R&b hits and re-stormed the pop charts with its multiplatinum 1996 reunion disc Home Again, which topped the Billboard 200 and produced the Top 10 singles “Hit Me Off” and “I’m Still in Love with You.” New Edition also was the subject of a popular BET miniseries The New Edition Story...

BroadwayHD, the musical streaming service, has partnered with NBCUniversal to bring the NBC live musicals to streaming. NBC’s televised live musicals are currently not available on Peacock or other streaming services. The Prince of Egypt: The Musical‘s professional recording will also make its streaming debut on BroadwayHD. The Prince of Egypt: The Musical debuts on November 15 on BroadwayHD. The Wiz Live! (2015) and Hairspray Live! (2016) are already available on the platform. Later this fall, The Sound of Music Live! (2013) and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018) will become available, in addition to the Shrek the Musical (2013) pro shot. The Sound of Music Live!, starring Carrie Underwood, True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer, Life & Beth‘s Laura Benanti, Smash‘s Christian Borle, and The Gilded Age‘s Audra McDonald, will land on BroadwayHD on November 1. Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert starring John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Brandon Victor Dixon, and Alice Cooper...

Nichelle Lewis will portray Dorothy in the upcoming Broadway revival of The Wiz.

The Virginian actress, who was discovered on TikTok and chosen following more than 2,000 submissions for the role, was also announced by producers on Monday as the lead in the upcoming National Tour. Kicking off in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre and running from Sept. 23-30, the tour will continue to previously announced cities across the U.S. before its limited run in New York.

Wayne Brady was previously announced for the role of the Wiz on Broadway, following appearances in San Francisco Golden Gate Theatre and Los Angeles (Feb. 13 – March 3), with Alan Mingo Jr. portraying the role in additional tour cities additional including Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Des Moines, Tempe and San Diego.

The musical also stars Deborah Cox as Glinda; Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene; Kyle Ramar Freeman as...

Director Justin Simien expresses a strong desire to remake cult classic film The Wiz, envisioning a Black-centric universe with Quincy Jones music. Despite its initial reception, The Wiz has maintained a loyal fanbase and saw success with the 2015 televised production The Wiz Live!, indicating ongoing interest in the story. Simien's potential involvement in a reboot is exciting, as audiences are seeking more diversity in film and his fresh perspective could bring a new take on the beloved story, especially the iconic Emerald City sequence.

Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien wants to remake The Wiz, a cult classic retelling of The Wizard of Oz. The musical, based on the Broadway production of the same name, premiered back in 1978. It follows Diana Ross as Dorothy, a Harlem schoolteacher who gets swept away to Oz, although the film depicts its fantasy land as an alternate version of New York City. In addition to Ross,...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Peacock has landed for development, The Show Must Go On, an hourlong murder mystery anthology, which would mark the first time Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera musical is used as part of a TV series. The high-profile project comes from the Zoey’s Extraordinary Playbook creator Austin Winsberg, former top TV executive and award-winning producer Robert Greenblatt, Egot Lloyd Webber, as well as Zoey’s producer The Tannenbaum Company, pilot director Richard Shepard and studio Lionsgate Television.

Written by Winsberg, The Show Must Go On is a darkly comedic murder mystery anthology series. Each season would take place in the days leading up to a big, live, televised event and would tackle a new murder with a refreshed cast.

Season 1 is set behind the scenes during the making of a fictitious version of Lloyd Webber’s worldwide mega-hit: The Phantom of The Opera Live!

Hulu has picked up Lee Daniels' passion project, a series about multi-talented performer Sammy Davis Jr., per Variety. The development deal may be new, but the concept isn't: Outlets first reported Daniels' interest in a biography of the artist back in 2013.

Actor Elijah Kelley, who previously worked with Daniels on "The Butler" in 2013, has been tapped as the as-yet-untitled series' lead. Kelley is also known for playing Ricky Bell in "The New Edition Story" and the Scarecrow in NBC's "The Wiz Live!" The actor will also produce the Davis project and contribute original music to the show.

Despite his tremendous contributions...

The post Hulu Orders Sammy Davis, Jr. Biographical Series from Director Lee Daniels appeared first on /Film.

The candy man is coming to Hulu. The streamer has ordered eight episodes of a limited series about Sammy Davis, Jr. from Lee Daniels and 20th Television. It’s based on the Wil Haygood book In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr.

Multi-hyphenate performer Elijah Kelley will portray the title role in the untitled series, having starred in NBC’s The Wiz Live! and New Line’s Hairspray. He previously collaborated with Daniels on Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Fox’s Star.

2022 Hulu Pilots & Series Orders

Here’s the official logline: Sammy Davis, Jr. rose from childhood stardom on the vaudeville stage to become one of the most famous African American entertainers of the 1950s and ’60s (and the only Black member of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack). At the same time, he spent most of his career surrounded by controversy and ridicule–over his affairs with white film stars,...

Lex Luthor or Daddy Warbucks? That is the question in the first promo for NBC’s Annie Live! musical event (airing Thursday, Dec. 2 at 8/7c).

The above video offers a glimpse at the cast in character, with newcomer Celina Smith as Annie, Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan and a very different-looking Harry Connick, Jr. as Lex Daddy Warbucks. The ensemble also features Nicole Scherzinger (Grace), Tituss Burgess (Rooster Hannigan) and Jane Krakowski (Lily St. Regis).

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Play-Doh Competition, Cumberbatch Is Kgb Agent and MoreB Positive's Annaleigh Ashford Sings and Dances in New Gina-Centric Opening Title Sequence...

NBC has found its Little Orphan Annie: 12-year-old Celina Smith will headline the network’s forthcoming musical event Annie Live!, it was announced Tuesday.

Smith — who is best known for her supporting role as Rebecca Wilson on Tyler Perry’s Nickelodeon sitcom Young Dylan — won the role after a nationwide search. She previously played Young Nala in the national touring company of The Lion King. She joins an all-star cast that includes Harry Connick Jr. (Will & Grace) as Sir Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, Taraji P. Henson (Empire) as Miss Hannigan, Nicole Scherzinger (The Masked Singer) as Grace, and Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable...

Taraji P. Henson is set as host of the 2021 BET Awards, which will be handed out this month. BET also said today that Emmy winner and The Equalizer star Queen Latifah will receive the show’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The in-person ceremony, whose theme this year is “Year of the Black Woman,” is set for 8 p.m. June 27 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It will air live on BET.

“For more than 20 years, the BET Awards have been a celebration of Black creativity, art and excellence,” said Henson, who starred on Fox’s Empire and will appear in NBC’s Annie Live! in December. “Returning live, this year’s show will be unlike anything we have ever seen before, and I am honored to be sharing the stage with so many powerful and prolific women in music and entertainment. The BET Awards will once again be at the forefront of Black culture.

Taraji P. Henson has an exciting new role.

The former Empire star and Academy Award nominee will star as Miss Hannigan in NBC's Annie Live!, premiering Thursday, December 2.

“Carol Burnett, who brought Miss Hannigan to life in the classic 1982 movie, is someone I have studied and idolized as far back as I can remember,” Henson said in a statement.

“So when the opportunity came to me to join NBC and this incredible group of producers, I jumped! Carol, I hope to do you proud!”

“When we decided to bring back NBC’s holiday musical tradition, we were looking for something that was critically acclaimed and universally beloved — and while that’s definitely the case with Annie, it absolutely applies to Taraji as well,” added said Susan Rovner, Chairman of Entertainment Content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

“Watching her take on this iconic role will be a thrill that has...

The woman formerly known as Cookie Lyon is headed for Easy Street. Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson will star as Miss Hannigan in NBC’s Annie Live!, premiering Thursday, Dec. 2.

“Carol Burnett, who brought Miss Hannigan to life in the classic 1982 movie, is someone I have studied and idolized as far back as I can remember,” Henson said in a statement. “So when the opportunity came to me to join NBC and this incredible group of producers, I jumped! Carol, I hope to do you proud!”

More from TVLineNew Amsterdam Video: Ryan Eggold and Freema Agyeman Tease Finale's 'Sharpwin' Moment,...

NBC will broadcast the holiday musical event Annie Live!, with Robert Greenblatt as executive producer along with Neil Meron, who has served as executive producer on such NBC’s live musicals The Sound of Music Live! and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

Annie Live! will be directed by Lear deBessonet, Artistic Director for New York’s revival series Encores and creator of the Public Works program at the Public Theatre, which produces community-engaged productions with as many as 200 performers.

Sergio Trujillo will choreograph the production, Paul Tazewell will design the costumes and Jason Sherwood the scenery. Tazewell is a veteran of two NBC live musicals, The Wiz Live! and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. He recently designed costumes for film Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. Sherwood was production designer for Rent: Live and the 2020 Oscars.

Greenblatt brought live musicals back...

The sun will come out this holiday season on NBC. Annie Live!, produced by Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron, will air later this year, the network announced on Wednesday.

“As we look to drive big live audiences for NBC, we could think of no better way than to bring back the network’s holiday musical tradition,” says Susan Rovner, Chairman of Entertainment Content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “And there are no better partners to do this with than the incredible Neil Meron and Bob Greenblatt, who oversaw every live musical during the years he ran NBC. Under their leadership,...

NBC is getting a New Deal for Christmas, as it gets back into the live TV musical business with “Annie Live!” Set to air during the holidays, “Annie” also represents a homecoming of sorts for producers Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron.

Greenblatt, of course, is the former NBC Entertainment chairman who found success in bringing live musicals to the network, starting with “The Sound of Music Live!” in 2013. Meron and the late Craig Zadan were the producers behind that special, which was a tremendous hit — averaging 21.8 million viewers in live+3 ratings. It spawned follow-up events including “Peter Pan Live!” in 2014, “The Wiz Live!” in 2015, “Hairspray Live!” in 2016 and “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” on Easter in 2018.

“Annie Live!” landed at NBC after being shopped to all four major broadcast networks. “NBC is where we started these live musicals and I still have so much affection for it,” Greenblatt said.

Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon will join Roundabout Theatre Company’s artistic leadership team as Senior Resident Director next month. The director, most recently of Roundabout’s Tony-nominated A Soldier’s Play, is expected to help develop and nurture the careers of young Bipoc directors and play a key part in the non-profit’s “commitment to anti-racism and increased equity, diversity and inclusion.”

In his new role, Leon will participate in the selection of plays and musicals for production, and for workshops and readings. A Soldier’s Play, which starred David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood, is currently nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play and Best Director.

“The great artistry of Kenny’s revival of A Soldier’s Play revealed the possibilities of what Roundabout can, and should, do,” said Todd Haimes, Artistic Director and CEO, Roundabout Theatre Company. “Roundabout has historically played a large...

Amber Riley is setting her sights on a Dream gig: The Glee vet will star in and co-executive-produce the music-driven comedy, which is in development at NBC, our sister site Deadline reports.

The single-camera project follows a former teen mom, Dream Morgan (played by Riley), who turns her life upside down to pursue her dream of becoming a singer after her son graduates from college. Lisa Muse Bryant (black-ish) will pen the script and serve as showrunner, in addition to exec-producing alongside Neil Meron (The Wiz Live!, Smash).

More from TVLineSaturday Night Live: Jason Bateman, Timothée Chalamet and Kristen Wiig...

Exclusive: Glee alumna Amber Riley is returning to series television as the star of another music-driven broadcast comedy series. Riley is set to headline and co-executive produce Dream, a single-camera comedy in development at NBC from writer-producer Lisa Muse Bryant (Black-ish), producer Neil Meron and Universal TV where Meron is based.

This marks a reunion for Riley and Meron. The actress and Grammy-nominated singer starred in The Wiz Live!, Meron and his late producing partner Craig Zadan’s highly-rated live musical on NBC.

Written by Bryant, in Dream, when her son graduates from college, former teen mom Dream Morgan (Riley) turns her life upside down to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

Bryant serves as showrunner and executive produces with Meron and his producing partner Mark Nicholson. Riley co-executive produces.

Since the end of Glee, Riley also appeared in the Tyler Perry feature Nobody’s Fool opposite Tiffany Haddish...

You are invited to attend our Q&a discussion with four of film’s top costume designers who now compete for Oscars and more. Our event is on Tuesday, November 12, at 7:00 p.m. at the Landmark Theater at 10850 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles. Admission and parking are free. Academy and guild members will get priority seating.

To RSVP, make your reservation here: https://goldderbycostumedesignpanel.splashthat.com/

Gold Derby managing editor Joyce Eng will moderate this “Meet the Film Experts” panel with the following contenders for 2019/2020 awards consideration:

Deborah Cook represents Laika for “Missing Link”

Cook has been a nominee at the Costume Designers Guild Awards for her work on “Kubo and the Two Strings.” She was also nominated at the Visual Effects Society Awards for “Coraline.” Other films have included “ParaNorman” and “The Boxtrolls.”

Julian Day represents Paramount for “Rocketman”

Day was nominated at BAFTA and the Costume...

Amber Riley is going under the sea to join ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live!… and fingers fins crossed she’ll be singing, too.

The Glee veteran has signed on to serve as emcee of the Alphabet network’s upcoming live presentation of the animated Disney classic, TVLine has learned. Riley “will present the Daughters of Triton with a special performance for King Triton and his subjects,” according to the network.

More from TVLineHow to Get Away With Murder Recap: How Michaela Got Her Groove BackA Million Little Things Recap: Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?Grey's Recap: Charmed, I'm Sure -- Plus,...

Bob Greenblatt his stepping down from his post as chairman of NBC Entertainment, effective immediately. Greenblatt will be replaced by Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, who have been named co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment — essentially taking over Greenblatt’s duties.

Telegdy, who has been with the Peacock for a decade, was most recently president of alternative and reality group at NBC Entertainment. Cheeks, who first joined NBC in 2012, had a rare dual cable and broadcasting gig inside the company, serving as both co-president of Universal Cable Productions and Wilshire Studios, as well as president of late night programming for NBC Entertainment.

“It is with very mixed feelings that I have decided to leave NBC after nearly eight years,” Greenblatt said in a memo to staffers. “I love this network and our parent company, but since NBC is back on track and has achieved such great success I think it’s time...

Mary J. Blige might want to put her singing voice to rest and start working on her screaming.

The Grammy-winning singer/actress will appear on MTV’s Scream during the rebooted Season 3, the network announced on Thursday. Blige will play Sherry Elliot, the mother of local football star Deion, whose tragic past comes back to haunt him.

More from TVLineSuits: L.A. Casts Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Vet Alice Lee (Exclusive)SNL Taps Kristen Wiig, Ryan Gosling to Host April EpisodesJurnee Smollett Joins Taron Egerton to Solve Firebug Arson Mystery in Apple Drama From Dennis Lehane

Blige — who earned an...

Oscar producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd are surrounding themselves with many of the veterans that helped them make their first stint last year such a success, barring that last-minute snafu with the Best Picture envelope. On Friday they confirmed the top-notch production team for the upcoming 90th annual Academy Awards on March 4. As the producers noted, “This team brings more than 90 years of combined Oscars telecast experience. Collaborating with them as we celebrate the 90th year of the Oscars is both fitting and thrilling.”

Director: Glenn Weiss

The Emmy-winning helmer of the Tony Awards is returning to oversee the telecast for a third year running. He has won 13 Emmy Awards, including one for the 89th Oscars, for which he also won a DGA Award. Weiss has directed numerous televised events, including 17 Tony Awards shows. Other directing credits include multiple “Primetime Emmy Awards,“ “The Kennedy Center Honors,” “Billboard Music Awards,...

True Blood boss Alan Ball’s new series Here and Now is not here now, but it will be soon: The drama is set to premiere Sunday, Feb. 11 at 9/8c on HBO.

VIDEOSHere and Now: Watch Teaser for Alan Ball’s New HBO Drama

The show is centered around a middle-aged couple (played by The Brink‘s Tim Robbins and Top of the Lake‘s Holly Hunter) and their four children, three of which were adopted from Somalia, Vietnam and Colombia. Things take a turn when one of the children begins to see things others cannot. The cast also includes...

“Haven’t you ever wanted something so much that you had to go for it no matter what it took?” YouTube and Lionsgate have released the official trailer and set the premiere date for Step Up: High Water, YouTube Red's new original drama series based on the film franchise that grossed $650 million at the global box office. YouTube Red will premiere all episodes on January 31. Starring Ne-Yo (The Wiz Live!, World of Dance) and Naya Rivera (Glee), the 10-episode drama focuses…...

Exclusive: Well, it’s about time for this woman’s story to be told. She was a known figure throughout New York in 1920s Harlem. She fought against other mobsters to maintain her independent business and was also considered an activist for the black community at the time. Her name was Stephanie St. Clair and now Tim Story and Zero Gravity Management are developing a pic at HBO Films about her life.

Nicole Asher has been hired to script the story about the woman who was an immigrant from the Caribbean and ended up running something known as the Policy Bank — which really was the precursor to the American lottery system.

Yes, it was in the time of organized crime and the money flowed, but when mobsters Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano and a corrupt police force tried to take over her criminal enterprise she fought fiercely against them and won those battles.

The Wiz Live! star and multiple Grammy winner Mary J. Blige is set to guest star on the upcoming third season of Shondaland’s How To Get Away With Murder on ABC. Details of her role and the storyline for Season 3 are being kept under wraps, but in an earlier interview with Deadline’s AwardsLine, star Viola Davis said there will be “a new mystery” in Season 3, “and it's going to be presented very quickly in the first episode.” Davis also added, with that new mystery…...