Page 31 - Florida Sentinel 12-18-20

Entertainment
Halle Berry ‘Heartbroken' Over Death Of 'B.A.P.S.' Costar Natalie Desselle Reid
Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle Reid starred in the 1997 com- edy "B.A.P.S."
AMC Networks' UMC Streaming Service To Rebrand As ALLBLK
Halle Berry is mourning the death of her former co-star, Natalie Desselle Reid, re- membering their friendship as "a connection that was simply unexplainable."
Desselle Reid, who starred alongside Berry in the beloved 1997 comedy "B.A.P.S.," died of colon cancer
on Monday. She was 53. Berry posted a clip on her verified Instagram account from the film showing her and Desselle Reid embracing
while in character.
"I'm in total shock. com-
pletely heartbroken. gonna need a minute," Berry's cap- tion read.
The AMC Networks-owned streaming service UMC, which was created by BET founder Robert L. Johnson to focus exclusively on Black TV and film, will be rebranded as ALL- BLK. The rebrand will happen in January 2021.
First launched in November 2014 under Johnson’s RLJ Entertainment entity, UMC was acquired by AMC Networks in November 2018 when it ac- quired RLJ Entertainment.
In Q1 2021, the service will have a new look and feel as it will ramp up production on new originals, including multi-cam comedy, Millennials; MC Lyte sitcom, Partners In Rhyme, legal drama, Lace, haircare makeover series, My Mane Problem and the Datari Turner/eOne reality series,
ROBERT JOHNSON
Notorious Queens.
“UMC began as a distribu- tion model for Black creatives to directly reach the then largely underserved African American audience without the restrictions of legacy content development and traditional broadcast models,” Johnson
said in a statement. “As tech- nology advances and program- ming demands from our community evolve, the re- branded ALLBLK will be well positioned to breakout as the preeminent streaming destina- tion for viewers seeking Black entertainment.”
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 19-B