Latest news with #WeTV
UPI
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: 'Love After Lockup' teases pregnancy tests, cheating, lies
May 22 (UPI) -- We TV released a teaser for a new season of Love After Lockup on Thursday. The new season premieres in August. Several couples are shown dealing with their relationships after the man is released from prison. One couple is consummating their relationship for the first time. A quick shot of pregnancy tests hints at one couple starting a family. One woman accuses a man of lying and one man asks a woman who else she has been sleeping with. A synopsis adds that the season will also include struggles finding employment with a criminal record and coping with travel restrictions while on parole. The temptations of drugs and alcohol are also factors. Love After Lockup premiered in 2018. Each season follows different couples. The show airs on We TV and streams on ALLBLK and AMC+.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Honey Boo Boo Reflects on Mama June's Struggle With Drug Addiction and Where They Stand Today
Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson's upcoming Lifetime biopic, I Was Honey Boo Boo, brought some closure to the period in her life where she watched her mom battle drug addiction. 'That was a really hard time for me and I was trying to transition into high school and there was just so much going on in my life at that time,' Thompson, now 19, tells Us Weekly exclusively. 'Plus, everything my mom was doing on top of that was very hard for me. So that was probably one of the hardest things to just revisit.' 'But in a way I think it kind of brought me closure just because being able to finally just say it out loud, kind of just let it get off my chest a little bit and in a way it was light closure for sure,' she added. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo aired on TLC from 2012 to 2017, following the life of Thompson, then a child beauty pageant contestant, and her family, led by mom, June 'Mama June' Shannon. When the spinoff series, Mama June: From Not to Hot, started on WeTV, Shannon began struggling with drugs. She and then-boyfriend Geno Doak were arrested in 2019 on felony drug possession just days after her family staged an intervention for her. 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' Stars: Where Are They Now? As her mom's addiction worsened, Thompson noticed a change. 'I just noticed her locking her door and when she locked her bedroom door, it threw me off,' she said. 'But when she started locking her bedroom and bathroom door, that threw me off even more. My mom has always had an open door policy and we can come in and talk about anything to her.' And while Thompson said she never went hungry, she was often left fending for herself for dinner. 'When she got really bad in her addiction, there wasn't home cooked meals,' she said. 'I had to figure it out on my own or I was eating a bowl of cereal or noodles or whatever it was that I could cook at that time.' 'Dark Side of Reality TV' 1st Look Explores Honey Boo Boo's 'Toddlers and Tiaras' Rise to Fame Thompson admitted that for the 'first year or two' after her mom got sober, she worried about her relapsing. Now, Shannon has a few years of sobriety under her belt and it's no longer a worry. 'Now it's like I don't think it's even a thought in my mind just because of how anti-drug she is now,' Thompson explained. 'She doesn't like any drugs. She doesn't smoke cigarettes, she doesn't do alcohol, literally nothing. She doesn't do it. She hates it. So I'm very proud of her and I don't even think that's a concern for me anymore.' 'We're in a really good spot right now,' she added. 'I mean, honestly, I can't put into words how good of a spot we are in right now. It is just perfect. I mean, we don't talk every single day, but we do make sure to communicate with each other.' I Was Honey Boo Boo premieres Saturday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Recalls Days They Had No Food amid Mom's Addiction to Crack Cocaine (Exclusive)
Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson has been a fixture on reality TV ever since her days on Toddlers & Tiaras in 2011. The rambunctious spitfire won over the hearts of fans and snagged multiple spinoff shows featuring her family over the years. But what was her life really like behind the cameras? Alana, now 19, is finally ready to share her side of the story. The former pageant princess' life is being explored in a new Lifetime biopic, I Was Honey Boo Boo, premiering May 17. Among one of the darkest moments that the film depicts is her mother 'Mama June' Shannon's downward spiral into toxic relationships and drug addiction. 'I did not want this movie to be throwing punches at my mama and making her out to be the bad guy,' Alana tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. 'But I didn't hold back, and if she gets mad, at the end of the day it's the truth.' As Mama June filmed her spinoff series, WeTV's Mama June: From Not to Hot, which first premiered in 2017, she fell into the throes of addiction to crack cocaine. 'I noticed something was off about her,' Alana says. 'She started locking her doors, which really made me think, 'Oh, what is she doing?'" In 2019, Mama June and her then-boyfriend Geno Doak were charged with felony possession of drugs — just days after her family staged an intervention that was captured on Mama June: From Not to then began living with her older sister Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird after she told her mom during the intervention she had left "not by choice." "I would love to come home and stay with you, tell you about my day, but I can't do that because I'm scared. I'm scared to stay at your house," Alana said in the 2019 episode. Looking back now, Alana remembers "when Pumpkin came to get me [to live with her], there was no food. Basically, the house had been abandoned." When Alana was 16, Pumpkin was granted full custody of her. Alana recalls the period playing out so publicly on TV. 'People were like, 'I saw your mama on the news with a busted tooth, strung out,'' Alana recalls her classmates saying. 'I'm like, 'Great, like I didn't see that too.'" Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. During the time Alana came under fire for pretending to snort cocaine on social media. 'It was really stupid, but I was young, and Mama wasn't really reaching out. I thought if I do this maybe she'll be like, 'I need to stop because Alana's taking after me.' It didn't work.' As the show rebranded to Mama June: Road to Redemption and, later, Mama June: Family Crisis (which returns May 30), Alana recalls a time a producer 'pulled me aside to say, 'Your mama's not going to look like what you think. She's on drugs. You need to prepare yourself.'' Alana and her sisters confronted Mama June about her drug use, and 'she didn't lie,' Alana says. 'But it didn't matter that she fessed up, because she still wanted to do it.' Though critics have accused the show of being exploitative for showing such events, 'I don't think it was,' says Alana. 'But at times I do feel like the camera should have went away.' Now, she and her mom, who says she's five and a half years sober, have mended their relationship, though Alana says it was "hard." "But at the end of the day, she's my mom. When she was bad in her addiction, I just kept thinking about the day she'd recover," she says. "We're going pretty good. Hopefully it lasts. I just no longer have any expectations for her."I Was Honey Boo Boo premieres Saturday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. Read the original article on People
Mint
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Are microdramas the next big thing?
What do Sasural Murder Ka , Gumshuda Billionaire and Arabpati Ka Badla have in common? They're all microdramas, a new digital storytelling sensation that has spawned a multi-billion dollar industry. These are addictive, professionally-produced, vertically-shot series designed for mobile viewing, with each title comprising of 50-100 episodes of around a minute each—roughly the length of a feature film. The format first emerged in China in 2018 and has grown increasingly popular over the last few years in other global markets. One report by Bloomberg states that China now churns out more than 5,000 microdrama series a year. The rapidly expanding industry earned close to $7 billion last year, surpassing China's theatrical box office. Individual shows can generate millions of dollars through a mix of advertising and a pay-per-view model on dedicated microdrama apps such as WeTV, MangoTV, Douyin and Youko. Snacky, cheap to produce and with often tacky, low production value, the majority of these shows tend to be frothy love stories, family dramas and soap operas with fantasy elements. On popular American microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox, you can filter by genres such as reunion, playing dumb, redemption, hidden identity, one-night stand, vampire, toxic, immortal, second chance, underdog rise, strong female lead and innocent damsel. DramaBox even has a genre called 'small potato", which I was too scared to click on. Writers, filmmakers, producers and platform heads in the Hindi film industry say the reel-ification of narrative storytelling has already hit Indian shores and appears primed to explode in the coming year. Multiple Mumbai-based production houses seem to be either toying with the new format or grappling with what it could mean for the industry creatively, commercially and existentially. Some within the industry see it as an exciting new avenue of digital storytelling, while others consider it a worrying sign of where narrative storytelling is headed. 'All the major platforms are getting into it. Everyone wants a piece of this industry," says Anish Surana, who heads Ananta Productions, a company specifically geared towards producing microdramas. Surana says the company has churned out close to 'a thousand minutes a month", which is close to 10 shows of at least 50 episodes each, ever since they began in January this year. Their titles, which include Villa Paradise, Dil Vs Duty, Detective Ajay and Arabpati Ka Badla , have been predominantly commissioned for Indian microdrama app Kuku TV thus far, but Surana notes they're currently in the scripting stage for projects for the bigger streamers. Kuku TV was launched in September 2024 by podcast and audiobook platform KukuFM. With over 10 million downloads, its library is largely dubbed foreign language titles, but this year they have released a handful of Hindi originals such as Sasural Murder Ka, Gumshuda Billionaire, Cursed Daughter and Dreams, Tea Aur Hum . They have entire Hindi feature films—like Rajkumar Santoshi's thriller Khakee (2004) and Manmohan Desai's beloved Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)—but in 'microdrama form" with the entire film split into 30 episodes and edited vertically (which is as depressing as it sounds). 'This month we're looking to release one new show per day. We want to reach 60-100 shows a month as soon as we can," says KukuFM co-founder Vinod Kumar Meena, who describes the format as 'a hybrid between OTT and the fast pace of network TV soaps". Meena says he doesn't see this byte-sized arena as competition to storytelling on streaming, or 'horizontal content" as he puts it. 'It's not like Netflix and JioHotstar aren't making money because of YouTube and Instagram. Everyone has their own segment. This is a different industry. A traditional OTT releases 100 shows a year. We want to release 100 shows a month." Amazon MX Player is also gearing up to launch its own microdrama platform, MX Fatafat, making it the first big Indian streamer to enter the micro arena. The platform's launch date is yet to be fixed but Amazon MX Player Content head Amogh Dusad says the intention is to launch by the end of the year and that they're currently building their slate of licensed titles and originals. Hyderabad-based streamer AHA, which focuses on Telugu and Tamil originals, recently announced its first vertically shot micro series, Apsara , described as a romantic comedy infused with mythology. A release date is yet to be announced. 'The reason people are getting hooked is because it's mindless watching," Surana admits. 'They don't have to think about the story. The shows have to be so soapy, so melodramatic and so jumpy that it gives you that dopamine hit. That's it". He's not wrong. Watching several of the Indian originals on Kuku TV, what first struck me was the tackiness of the production and the stiff, awkward actors, many of whom seemed to be doing little more than reciting their lines. But even at their most cringey, the best ones are inescapably addictive and, whether ironically or otherwise, keep you curious about where things are headed and where the next unhinged twist might come from. The experience is not unlike that of watching a silly Instagram reel, except here you're not swiping to another random video but the next in the series. Surana notes that after a great deal of trial and error, they've got the turnaround time of a single show down to four weeks, from scripting to completion. They're currently exploring using AI to bring that down even further. 'People say it's easy making that stuff, it's not. There's a craft to it. Writing is the most difficult because you have to have a hook every 1-2 minutes, at the end of every episode". The pilot episode is the trickiest, he says, with the aim being to create what he calls 'thumb-stoppers"—shows that immediately grab you within the first few seconds so you can't look away. He adds that the target audience (and, by extension, the kinds of narratives and genres offered) for these shows tends to vary based on the platform. Some target based on gender while others programme for 'metro" audiences. 'Every day on Instagram, there are so many posts about auditions for microdramas," says actor Ankit Arora, who has starred in two such titles so far. 'It's like shooting multiple reels all in one day. Because the frame is vertical, you don't need any production design whatsoever. All you need is a director and a DOP (director of photography)". Arora says he shot an entire 60-minute series in just two days. 'As long as the actor knows their lines, it's an okay take. There are no retakes," he says. He says they shot one series at a location close to Pune that was specifically created to shoot reels and which is now being repurposed for microdramas. 'Somebody has built this massive set there, which has got all your locations all in one place. It's got like a fancy bathroom, a fancy bedroom, a jacuzzi, a lawn, a swimming pool. So you can get a lot of different locations all under one set." Others like BhaDiPa CEO Paula McGlynn are more optimistic about this brand of snackable storytelling and the opportunities it affords. Known for their skits and web shows, the popular YouTube channel and production house recently released their first vertically shot snackable title, a frothy romance called To be Decided . 'I think microdramas are going to open up a lot of genres," she says, 'like sci-fi for example, which are considered too expensive or risky for platforms to produce as an eight-episode series." One screenwriter I spoke to, who chose to remain anonymous and is about to embark on his own independently-produced microdrama project, says he sees the micro arena as an opportunity to create proof of concepts for bigger projects. 'It's kind of like how people used to make short films. If you have an idea for a show or movies, this is like a low-cost way to see if any of them catches traction." He adds that the advantage of the low-cost production and quicker turnaround times is that filmmakers can be more nimble in commenting on and tackling subjects and issues in a timely manner, while they're still relevant to the culture. An executive at a production house behind several acclaimed independent films, who also chose to remain anonymous, says they've been forced to pivot and explore making microdramas after a number of their independent features struggled to find a home on streaming platforms. 'This is not something we wanted to do. But I have to if I want to sustain working in this market, which is already very cutthroat…I really want to do features and the long formats, but if there are no takers, it's hard for me to survive." It may be too soon to say how big microdramas hit in India. But if the initial signs are to be believed, the next phase of the Indian streaming wars could well be vertical. Suchin Mehrotra is a critic and film journalist.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cory Hardrict Makes Rare Comments About Co-Parenting with Ex Tia Mowry — and Shares Their Secret to 'No Drama'
Cory Hardrict is opening up about his co-parenting journey. In a recent episode of Emmy-nominated actress and host Sherri Shepherd's talk show Sherri, Hardict offered rare comments about his co-parenting journey with his ex-wife Mowry. The former couple, who divorced in 2023, share two children together. When asked about parenting as a single father, Hardrict said the family remains intact by remembering: "Everything starts and ends with love. We are a family, no matter what people say. I block out the noise. My kids are going to live to see this one day, and I am going to represent for them, always." Hardrict, 45, continued, "If you really love your children, you won't get involved in the noise or the mess. I make sure that I always think about them first. I put myself last. If you do that, you're going to avoid the mess." Related: Lil Rel Howery Recalls His 'Emotional' Talk with Cory Hardrict in a Sports Bar amid His Divorce: 'Tears Coming Out' Hardrict and Mowry , 46, were married in 2008, and share son Cree, 13, and daughter Cairo, 6. The former couple both appeared in a number of fan-favorite films and television shows in the 1990s and 2000s, with Hardrict briefly appearing on Felicity and Mowry and her twin sister, Tamera Mowry, appearing in Sister, Sister, Twitches, and more. Related: Tia Mowry and Kids to Spend Holidays with Ex Cory Hardrict Following Divorce: 'Family Is Family' Hardict and Mowry quietly divorced in 2023, and continue to keep the reason behind their split private. In the 2024 WeTV reality show Tia Mowry: My Next Act, The Game star opened up about her relationship with Hardrict. 'You know I've never dated. Cory was my first everything," Mowry said. 'I wasn't even allowed to date until I was 18 years old,' Mowry explained in her confessional. 'I met Cory when I turned 20 and I lost my virginity at 25. There, I said it! And then we got married! Boom!'Hardrict continues to produce new films and television shows. His latest project, Die Like a Man, will premiere in theaters on April 18 and on Apple TV + on April 25. Read the original article on People
