Thursday, April 27, 2023

Rihanna to Voice Smurfette in ‘The Smurfs’ Movie

Rihanna will also write and perform original songs for the untitled Smurfs movie, Paramount announced Thursday (April 27) at CinemaCon.

Image: Paramount Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation

Rihanna will voice Smurfette in Paramount and Nickelodeon’ Untitled Smurfs Animated Film. She’ll also write and perform original music for the film while serving as a producer on the movie, which is slated for a Feb. 14, 2025 release.

Appearing on stage at CinemaCon, Rihanna said she’s thrilled to be playing this “blue badass’ in the reimagined Smurfs. “This is a delight,” Rihanna said. “I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but It didn’t work out,” she added.  "I got to play a part and just imagine. I got to just be myself," Rihanna said of the experience. "Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester and play a little blue badass [...] I hope this gives me cool points with my kids one day."

"I can't wait for you guys to see how [Smurfette has] been reimagined," Rihanna said, calling animation a "fun journey." She added, "The entire movie is going to be so fun. It's so thrilling."

Based on the characters of Belgian comics writer and artist Peyo, the movie is described as a comedic, musical adventure “that sets out to answer one of life’s biggest questions:  What is a Smurf?” Chris Miller, the Oscar-nominated director of 2011’s Puss in Boots, is helming the project, with South Park's Pam Brady wring the script.

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon issued a joint statement to announce that Rihanna has joined the cast of the film:

“On behalf of our studio and our creative partners at LAFIG, we couldn’t be more excited to have found our Smurfette in one of the most beloved stars in the world,” said Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, in a news release. “With Rihanna’s singular creative appeal and musical talents, there is an enormous opportunity to elevate the cultural touchstone of The Smurfs universe in a way that’s never been done before.”

During Paramount’s slate presentation at CinemaCon, Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, teased an ambitious slate of upcoming animated pics that also includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the newly-named Transformers One.

Naito also previewed a trailer for Sept. 29 release PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and revealed that Chris Rock will have a cameo in the movie.

He joins an ensemble cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, James Marsden, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian.

In the story, a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, giving the PAW Patrol pups superpowers—they are now the “Mighty Pups”—that they will need to defeat a team of supervillains when archrival Humdinger breaks out of jail.

Naito also revealed concept art from the studio’s 2025 releases: colorful underwater imagery from newly-titled The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, directed by Derek Drymon and set for a May 23, 2025 release; and 2D-styled The Last Airbender (working title), directed by Lauren Montgomery and slated for an Oct. 10, 2025 release.

Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!



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‘SpongeBob’, 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', 'Smurfs' and 'Transformers' Highlight Paramount’s Animated Movie Slate

Paramount’s CinemaCon 2023 presentation kicked off with the studio unveiling its future plans for animated movies on the big screen, with films based on SpongeBob SquarePants, The Smurfs, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Transformers now in the works.


The films were announced by Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, who kicked off the show with a preview of her division’s first feature film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which is co-written by Seth Rogen and tells the story of how the Ninja Turtles step out of hiding to become accepted by the humans of New York. The movie is set for release on August 4.

Then, on July 19, 2024, Paramount will release the animated film Transformers One, which will star Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as a younger Optimus Prime and Megatron and tell the story of how the two went from brothers-in-arms to sworn enemies. Scarlett Johannson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm and Laurence Fishburne round out the voice cast on the first animated Transformers movie since 1986.

In 2025, Paramount will have three animated films starting with a new Smurfs movie directed by The Lego Movie co-creator Chris Miller and starring Rihanna as Smurfette with original music by the pop star. The film is set for release on Valentine’s Day of that year (Friday, February 14).

Memorial Day weekend 2025 will bring a new SpongeBob movie called The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants with the show’s longtime writer Derek Drymon directing the film. And in October 2025, the studio will release a feature film based on the acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender, with concept art for the 2D-styled film revealed by Naito at CinemaCon.

Naito, who has worked at Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation since 2018, was promoted to the head of both positions by CEO Brian Robbins in 2021. The new slate shows how Paramount will be relying on animation for a greater portion of its theatrical strategy in the years ahead and will see the studio enter an increasingly competitive market for family audiences alongside the growing Sony Pictures Animation, Warner Animation Group, Universal’s Illumination and DreamWorks and Disney’s century-old animation studio and Pixar.

Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


Original source: TheWrap.

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Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for April 27, 2023 | Nickelodeon

Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for April 27, 2023 | Nickelodeon


Stream the classic and the all new CG-animated Rugrats series on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

Rugrats, provided to Creators Syndicate by Nickelodeon, based off the popular animated television series has been created for children and family's to laugh and enjoy together.

Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.

Read more Rugrats comic strips!: https://www.creators.com/features/rugrats

More Nick: Paramount+ Renews 'Rugrats' For Season 3!

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How to Watch James Corden’s ‘Last Last Late Late Show’ and Final 'Carpool Karaoke' with Adele Online on Paramount+

The comedian's last ride as late-night host and singalong driver airs April 27 — here's where to stream online.

'The Late Late Show with James Corden' airing Tuesday, April 25, 2023, with guests Natalie Portman, Billie Eilish, Jonas Brothers, and Norah Jones. COURTESY OF TERENCE PATRICK/CBS

James Corden is stepping away from his desk at The Late Late Show, which takes its final bow on Thursday, April 27 at 12:37 a.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

Dubbed The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden, the episode caps off the comedian’s eight years leading the live talk show series. The 44-year-old actor and late-night host revealed that Harry Styles and Will Farrell will join him for his last episode, while Adele will close out the final ride of Carpool Karaoke, which will air April 26 at 10 p.m. ET before the talk show’s final broadcast.

Ahead of Corden’s grand finale, CBS will feature a 20-hour live countdown on TikTok highlighting the show’s best moments over the past eight years. Below, find out other ways to watch The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden and his final Carpool Karaoke special with or without cable.

How to Watch the Last Episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden Online

The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden will be broadcast live on CBS and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ on April 27 at 12:37 a.m. ET (April 26 at 9 p.m. PT). It will be preceded by Corden’s Carpool Karaoke primetime special with Adele on April 26 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET.

Paramount+ costs $5 per month for the ad-based Essential plan or $10 monthly for the Premium subscription with no ads (except for select shows and live TV). Both plans include NFL on CBS live, Champions League soccer and access to tens of thousands of episodes and movies in the Paramount-owned streamer’s library, including Emmy-nominated series such as RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Amazing Race; original content such as Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Rabbit Hole and the Yellowstone prequel 1883; the full Star Trek franchise; Paramount feature films (including Django Unchained, Scream and more); revivals of beloved Nickelodeon series, including iCarly and Rugrats; and more content from BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and the Smithsonian channel.

On top of minimal ads, Paramount+ Premium subscribers can access their local CBS station live, watch CBS sports (including March Madness, Champions League and NFL games), stream on up to three devices, create profiles for other family members and download select content for offline viewing.

Both plans are available with a free trial. To try Paramount+ for FREE, visit ParamountPlus.com.

If you prefer to cut the cord entirely, you can watch CBS without a traditional cable subscription with live TV streaming services that offer the channel.

Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


Original source: The Hollywood Reporter.

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Minecraft x SpongeBob DLC Gets New Update

BIKINI BOTTOM IS BACK!

The Minecraft x SpongeBob DLC just got… spongier!


Time to switch that pickaxe for a spatula because the SpongeBob DLC is getting an update! Since the smash-hit release last year, Nickelodeon and Spark Universe have now pulled out the big blocks and added new features to Bikini Bottom. We’re talking new quests, updated interiors, added furniture, more character customization, new boatmobiles, and a haunted mini-game. Rumor has it, you also get a free Character Creator item: a Patrick t-shirt. Already visited Bikini Bottom? Then the update is free! Did somebody say best day ever?


We pick up where we left off: helping SpongeBob on his mission to give his friends in Bikini Bottom the best day ever. If you’ve played this vibrant DLC packed with nautical nostalgia before, you’ve already swung by SpongeBob’s pineapple pad, been awed by the blocky Jellyfish Fields, and put your patty-flipping skills to the test at the Krusty Krab. Perhaps you’ve even experienced the irresistible tune of a mayo-flute firsthand? Hard to beat, I know, which is why it’s all still there if you are tempted to dive back in. So, what about the new stuff? I’m glad you asked...


THE NEW QUESTS ON THE BLOCK

Since our last trip below the surface, word of our good deeds has spread and more friends are lining up for a chance at having the best day ever, meaning there are two new quests for you to take on... 

CANNONS OVERBOARD

The Flying Dutchman isn’t known to pass on treasure and has traveled across coral reefs and far away sand blocks to get his share of the best day ever. Unfortunately, his ship collided with the Kelp Forest and lost its cannons overboard! Use your parkour skills to help retrieve them so the ship can once again feel the waves in its sails. And remember, the goal is to have the best day ever, so why not take the cannons for a spin in the re-playable mini- game whilst you’re at it? 


THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Let’s be real here. Can anybody really have the best day ever without freshly baked pizza? I think not. Neither does Mr. Krabs who refuses to buy Pearl new boots unless she helps with the pizza deliveries. Give Pearl a hand getting the orders to the hungry residents of Bikini Bottom before they get cold so they can all have the best day ever! 


ROLL ON THE GOOD TIMES!

Like a wise, yellow sponge once said: “You don’t need a license to drive a sandwich”. Luckily, that applies to the sweet new rides in this DLC, too! Take one of the new vehicles for a spin at Rock Bottom Racing and it's yours to keep driving afterwards. Cruise in style as you explore iconic locations like Jellyfish Fields or Goo Lagoon in this expansive subaquatic map.




The deep blue awaits. Be there AND be square!


Watch the SpongeBob SquarePants Universe, including Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years and The Patrick Star Show on Nickelodeon and Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com.


Listen to The SpongeBob Musical here!

CALLING ALL GOOFY GOOBERS! (ROCK!) Are ya ready for a deep dive into the world of SpongeBob SquarePants? The SpongeBob YouTube channel is THE PLACE for all fan-favorite SpongeBob moments! Subscribe now at https://www.youtube.com/SpongeBobOfficial!


Originally published: April 27, 2023.

H/T: GoNintendo.

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Paramount Global Leverages Groundbreaking Use of the Salesforce Platform to Measure Diversity Across Productions

Paramount Global Leverages Groundbreaking Use of the Salesforce Platform to Measure Diversity Across Productions

The innovative reporting platform is designed to help increase representation by analyzing gender, race and ethnic diversity metrics across television productions


NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2023 -- Today, Paramount Global and Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, announced the launch of Paramount's new diversity reporting platform, which will give the company a more holistic view of the makeup of its production workforce, including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, BET, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, and others.

"To produce the best content for a diverse global audience, it's imperative that the teams both in front of and behind the camera and those who are creating content, reflect our audiences. We often say, 'what gets measured gets done,' and this data will help us create a baseline for diversity targets, continue to improve representation, make informed long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments in a measurable way, and hold ourselves accountable," said Bob Bakish, President and CEO, Paramount Global.

"While there is no finish line when it comes to equality, every company can make progress in creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce and ecosystem by seeing and acting on their data," said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce. "We're incredibly excited to support Bob Bakish and his amazing team on their creation of a new software platform that advances equality across Paramount and the entertainment industry."

Paramount has been publishing diversity data of its full-time U.S. employees for some time. And while there have been efforts to track diversity across domestic primetime productions because there was no uniform method of obtaining access to production suppliers' diversity statistics, the process of standardizing, consolidating, and understanding the data from these various sources was challenging and time intensive.

The use of Salesforce's platform represents the next step in Paramount's efforts to measure diversity within its production suppliers, which include writers, directors, vendors, contractors, and roles like wardrobe stylists, production assistants, makeup artists, stunt workers, and extras.

To address this challenge, Paramount created a new reporting platform that offers a single dashboard to display diversity statistics of its production suppliers across brands with an eye towards safeguarding the privacy and security of the information. This dashboard and overall framework are designed so that other media organizations and industries can adopt them at their discretion. The platform will also further its Content for Change initiative, which is focused on using data-driven insights to transform its creative ecosystem – from content and creative supply chain to culture.

Paramount's Human Resources organization, technology and social impact teams, and Office of Global Inclusion collaborated for several months to plan their framework and created the platform using Salesforce's low-code developer tools in just four weeks. Having already reduced the process of calculating and visualizing metrics from at least two days of manual work to seconds, Paramount  is also planning to further automate parts of the reporting process using features including Salesforce Flow. Today, it's the responsibility of the industry to leverage workforce diversity information as a basis for taking meaningful action. The new diversity reporting platform is fundamental to building a data-driven culture within Paramount and driving systemic change across the industry.

About Paramount:
Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic studios, networks and streaming services, Paramount's portfolio of consumer brands includes CBS, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. Paramount delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry's most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the company provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution, and advertising solutions. For more information about Paramount, please visit www.paramount.com and follow @ParamountCo on social platforms.  

About Content for Change:
Paramount's Content for Change is a global company-wide, cross-brand initiative that seeks to harness the power of content to counteract racism, bias, stereotypes, and all forms of hate. Informed and inspired by BET's groundbreaking campaign, Content for Change applies scientific research, rigor, and data to transform the entire creative ecosystem across three pillars – the content the company produces, the creative supply chain that powers it, and the culture that underpins everything Paramount does. For more information, go to www.contentforchange.paramount.com 

About Salesforce:
Salesforce empowers companies of every size and industry to connect with their customers in a whole new way with the power of AI, data and CRM. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

###

For the past six months the company has been testing the tool — which is currently dubbed the Paramount Production Diversity Measurement Infrastructure — on some of its TV projects. In the first phase, the company asked for opt in data on race and gender, but it will explore measuring other factors. Paramount plans to roll out the tool for all of its domestic television productions.

“We know that media plays a pivotal role in shaping and driving values, perceptions, and actions — of individuals and within communities,” Crystal Barnes, Senior Vice President (SVP) of corporate social responsibility and ESG strategy and reporting, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Content for Change’s mission is to transform the way the world sees people. We recognized the need for diversity across the industry and have key insights through our partners that prove that the more diverse the profiles are of those helping to create content, the more accurate the portrayals across this content will be. By using scientific research and insights, like those that are in our Salesforce production tool, we will be able to continue the work towards systemic change and a clear path to measure this process.”

Because the company was an established Salesforce client, developing a tool using its framework was speedier than building something similar from scratch. Paramount also plans to implement automation features in the future, including Salesforce Flow.

“While there is no finish line when it comes to equality, every company can make progress in creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce and ecosystem by seeing and acting on their data,” says Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff. “We’re incredibly excited to support Bob Bakish and his amazing team of their creation of a new software platform that advances equality across Paramount and the entertainment industry.”

Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


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'No Apologies' Music Video | Behind The Scenes | Monster High

behind-the-scenes dance with Monster High cast! #shorts | Monster High


Watch the behind-the-scenes of the Monster High cast singing and dancing to “No Apologies” from Monster High: The Movie! Plus catch them with all of your favorite Nickelodeon characters like That Girl Lay Lay, Young Dylan, Erin & Aaron, and more! Watch the finished music video here!

Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


#NoApologies #MonsterHigh #MonsterHighTheMovie

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Why Picard’s Story Had to End This Way (ft. Terry Matalas) | Star Trek | IGN

Why Picard’s Story Had to End This Way (ft. Terry Matalas) | Star Trek | IGN


“People were like, ‘It must be the most emotional experience to bring them on set!’ It was like, ‘No, it was terrifying!’”

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas may have been terrified when he reunited the crew of the USS Enterprise-D onboard the USS Enterprise-D, rebuilding the iconic starship’s bridge for just two days of actual filming for the Star Trek finale. But that was only part of the process when it came to telling the final Jean-Luc Picard story, a tale that began with the launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation 35 years ago, but that’s, seemingly now, finally over as the third and final season’s tenth episode, “The Last Generation,” hits.

It turns out that there was only one way that Jean-Luc’s story could close out as far as Matalas was concerned. But it wasn’t always an easy road to get there. 

Matalas has made no secret of being a lifelong Star Trek fan. His professional credits go as far back as Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise, so the fact that he would have strong feelings on how Picard’s journey should wrap up is no surprise. And besides, what fan wants to kill off their heroes anyway?

As he notes, the Picard finale is a surprise ending because it's a happy ending. Does Picard live or die? What happens to Riker, Beverly, Worf, Geordi, Data and Troi? What about the crew of the USS Titan, Seven of Nine and Sidney La Forge? Jack Crusher?

Watch the full video for how the last Picard story happened…

Stream the Star Trek Universe, including Star Trek: Prodigy on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!


#IGN #StarTrek #Paramount

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Big Time Rush to Release New Single 'Waves' on May 3

Waves coming May 3rd. New single by Big Time Rush. | Big Time Rush


New Big Time Rush Music video coming May 3rd !! #bigtimerush #waves | Big Time Rush


Guess the title/track list for BTR4!! New Album on the way… #bigtimerush #BTR4 | Big Time Rush


WAVES Release YouTube AFTERPARTY!! #bigtimerush #waves | Big Time Rush




#BigTimeRush #Nickelodeon

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