Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 2-21-20

Entertainment
Lionel Richie Tells 'American Idol' Contestant: 'I Don’t Like You'
Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Buys 11 TV Stations For $305 Million
Lionel Richie is making his voice heard.
The 70-year-old star is set to return to the new season of "American Idol" -- airing on Sunday -- and in a sneak peek at what's to come, it appears Richie is not holding back.
In a clip, obtained by People magazine, Richie gives his very honest opinion to a hope- ful young contestant.
“We have a problem,” Li- onel told the contestant. “Well, a big problem, honestly, because I don’t like you.”
Lionel's remarks caught the attention of fellow judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.
Lionel Richie and the other judges on American Idol.
Byron Allen, founder, and CEO of Entertainment Studios Networks (parent company of theGrio) has acquired 11 broadcast television stations from USA Television Holdings LLC and USA Television MidAmerica Holdings LLC (collectively, USA TV) for $305 million.
Allen Media Broadcasting, a division of Entertainment Studios, closed on the deal on Tuesday. This move signifies a commitment by Allen to ex- pand his company’s broadcast holdings, reported Deadline.
“Over the past six months we’ve invested nearly $500 million to acquire best-in- class, top-tier, broadcast net- work affiliates,” Allen said. “We plan to invest approxi- mately $10 billion to acquire ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox televi- sion stations over the next three years with the goal of being one of the largest broad- cast television groups in Amer- ica.”
The move is expected to strengthen local coverage and improve the digital footprints of these local stations.
“These stations are dedi- cated to their local communi- ties and this transaction will enable them to become even stronger on both their broad- cast and digital platforms,” USA Television CEO Robert Prather, Jr. said according to Deadline.
Here are the stations cov- ered by the USA TV deal:
• WAAY, WAAY-D2 (ABC,
BYRON ALLEN
ION) — Huntsville, Decatur, and Florence, Alabama
• WFFT (Fox) — Ft. Wayne, Indiana
• KEZI, KEZI-D2, KEZI-D3 (ABC, ION, METV) — Eugene, Oregon
• KNVN*, KNVN-DT2*, KHSL, KHSL-D2, KHSL-D5 (NBC, Telemundo, CBS, CW, Ion) — Chico and Redding, California
• WTVA, WLOV*, WTVA- D2 (NBC, Fox, ABC) — Colum- bus, Tupelo and West Point, Missouri
• KDRV, KDRV-D2 (ABC, antenna TV) — Medford and Klamath Falls, Oregon
• KIMT, KIMT-D2, KIMT- D3 (CBS, MyTV, Ion) — Rochester, Minnesota, Mason City, Iowa, and Austin, Min- nesota
• WTHI, WTHI-D2, WTHI- D3 (CBS, Fox, MyTV, CW) — Terre Haute, Indiana
• WLFI, WLFI-D2, WLFI- D3 (CBS, CW, Ion) — Lafayette, Indiana
Forest Whitaker-led Godfather of Harlem will be coming back for another go- round. Epix has renewed the drama series, from ABC Signa- ture, for a 10-episode second season. Production on season 2 will begin in New York later this year.
While Epix does not release viewership data, Godfather of Harlem, boosted by strong word of mouth, has been a breakout hit, becoming the network’s top series. Epix
FOREST WHITAKER
President Michael Wright revealed some ratings data in announcing the drama’s re-
newal.
“Godfather of Harlem season one was a remarkable success, tripling previous viewership numbers for the network and earning acclaim from both critics and viewers alike,” said Wright. “We couldn’t wait to reunite with Chris, Paul, Forest and the team at ABC Signature to continue telling this compelling and extremely relevant story.”
Created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, Godfa- ther of Harlem tells a story in- spired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to re- gain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Mal- colm X – catching Mal- colm’s political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Godfa- ther of Harlem is a collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement dur- ing one of the most tumul- tuous times in American history.
Season one cast also in- cluded Vincent D’Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Nigél Thatch, Giancarlo Espos- ito, Lucy Fry, Kelvin Har- rison Jr., Rafi Gavron and Antoinette Crowe-Legacy.
35, said as Bryan, 43, let out a sigh.
“I’ve got to be honest with you,” Richie continued. “I don’t like you. And for some weird reason, it’s not sitting
well with me. I don’t like your voice. I’m being very honest. I don’t like your attitude."
He added: "And I don’t re- ally think you’re going to make it in Hollywood.”
“Lionel Richie,” Perry,
‘Godfather Of Harlem’ Renewed For Season 2 By Epix
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