Obamas ‘in talks’ for Netflix series
With The West Wing’s liberal utopia now 12 years off our screens and House of Cards abruptly curtailed, television-loving political anoraks could be forgiven for feeling a little underserved. But help may be on its way in the form of liberal deities Barack and Michelle Obama, who are reportedly in talks with Netflix about producing a new show. The former US President and his wife are in advanced negotiations with the streaming service, which has nearly 118 million subscribers, sources told the New York Times.
What exactly the show will be is under wraps, with little known about its format or number of episodes. Nor is there any reliable information about what the former leader of the free world might hope to earn from such a deal — although rumours have suggested a figure as high as £500m.
Certainly there is no shortage of money sloshing around the rival video streaming services. Netflix recently signed a five-year $300m (£217m) deal to lure Ryan Murphy away from the Fox network, and had previously convinced the Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator, Shonda Rhimes, to leave her ABC deal.
The deal that saw Jeremy Clarkson and his fellow former Top Gear hosts move to Amazon to make The Grand Tour was reportedly worth as much as £160m, although accounts filed seem to suggest the sum was considerably overestimated.
‘Music industry still a boys’ club’
The music industry is still a “boys’ club” where women are not given enough opportunities to develop, a leading British songwriter has said. Carla Marie Williams, who has written for artists including Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Craig David and Girls Aloud, said the music industry was not immune to the barriers faced by women in entertainment and called for more investment by record labels and publishers to involve women at a younger age to bridge the gender gap. “Equality in the music industry definitely doesn’t exist, it’s male-dominated through and through,” the Brit-winning and Grammy-nominated writer told the Guardian.
To mark International Women’s Day, Williams has invited 100 women in music to the third annual gala for Girls I Rate, a not-for-profit support network she founded two years ago. It was set up with the aim of empowering women already established in the industry and give space to those from disadvantaged backgrounds like hers to become the managers, PRs, and songwriters of tomorrow. Advocates include lily Allen, Emeli Sandé and Wretch 32.
Growing up in Harlesden, north-west london, Williams decided she wanted to work in music after watching adult singing classes in the community centre where her mum worked after school. After a stint as a youth worker, she worked with Beyoncé on the Naughty Boy-produced song Runnin’ in 2015.
Michael B Jordan’s ‘inclusion rider’
Black Panther star Michael B Jordan has announced that his production company will be adopting the “inclusion rider” — a clause in contracts demanding projects have diverse casts and crews. His move comes in response to Frances McDormand’s powerful speech at Sunday’s Academy Awards, in which she encouraged the industry to back more stories and projects created by women. “In support of the women & men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society,” Jordan announced on March 7, posting an image of himself with Outlier Society’s head of production, Alana Mayo, and his agent, Phil Sun. “I’ve been privileged to work with powerful woman & persons of color throughout my career & it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward.” Outlier Society’s planned projects include a remake of The Thomas Crowne Affair and Netflix sci-fi series Raising Dion, though it is not known when its inclusion rider pledge will be implemented.