Demi Lovato’s opening up to the world…

YouTube has given the green light to a four-part documentary series following the 27-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress.

The still-untitled series will be directed by Michael D. Ratner, who directed and executive produced Quibi’s recent &Music series.

The new docuseries will follow Lovato on her personal and musical journey over the past three years. Earlier this year, Lovato gave an emotional performance at the Grammys after taking time off after a highly publicized overdose, and later sang the National Anthem before Super Bowl 54 between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The project comes nearly two years after the digital platform and the This Is Me singer were set to do a follow-up doc to Demi Lovato: Simply Confidential.

That film, which was directed by Hannah Lux Davis, was released in 2017 and has been viewed more than 32 million times. It chronicled the recording of her Tell Me You Love Me record and her life and career including her stint on the Disney Channel and her struggles with bipolar disorder and addition.

The Google-owned service had been in talks to make a follow-up film in 2018 before Lovato overdosed and that project was put on hold. 

She reportedly recently watched Justin Bieber’s docuseries and reached out to YouTube to say she’s ready to make another doc.

Natalia Ramirez is on Board…

The Colombian audio engineer and vocal tuning specialist has won a spot on the Recording Academy’s 40-member Board of Trustees.

Ramirez, who has worked on records by some of the biggest names in Latin music including Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthonyand Aleja ndro Sanz, beat out Sarah Hudson for a seat on the board in the recent trustees elections.

In all, the number of women on the Recording Academy’s 40-member board of trustees jumped from 14 to 17 following the elections, which included, for the first time in academy history, four “at large” trustee seats. In three of those four two-person contests, two women faced off, ensuring that a female would fill that seat.

Trustees are primarily selected by the governors of each of the academy’s 12 chapters. This year, for the first time, voting members selected the winners in four “at large” trustee seats. 

In those elections, Chelsey Green defeated Maimouna Youssef; Ramirez bested Hudson; Carolyn Malachi outpolled Kelly Price; and, in the one all-male face-off, PJ Morton beat Camilo Landau.

In addition to Green, Ramirez and Malachi, three other female trustees were newly elected this year: Yolanda Adams, Lisa Kaplan and Carol Riddick. Three other female trustees were re-elected: Claudia Brant, Terri Lyne Carrington and Leslie Ann Jones. 

Eight others are mid-term: Samantha Cox, Sue Ennis,Trey Fanjoy, Tracy Hamlin, Terry Jones, Emily Lazar, Julia Michels and Piper Payne.

In addition to Morton, six other male trustees were newly elected this year: Doug Emery, Andrew Joslyn, Thom “TK” Kidd, John Legend, Von Vargas and Gebre Waddell. 

Two other male trustees were re-elected: George Flanigen and Fletcher Foster. Fourteen others are mid-term:  Darrell Brown, John Burk, Jimmy Douglass, John Driskell Hopkins, Om’Mas Keith, Rico Love, Jonathan McReynolds, Riggs Morales, Tim Palmer, Justin Roberts, Michael Romanowski, Shannon Sanders, Ken Shepherd and Paul Wall.

While the four “at large” trustees were elected by voters nationwide, Green and Malachi are from the Washington, D.C., chapter, Ramirez is from the Florida chapter, and Morton is from the Memphis chapter.

The Los Angeles chapter accounts for six trustees on the new board, more than any other chapter. Florida, Nashville, New York and Washington D.C. are next in line, with four trustees each. Chicago, Memphis, San Francisco and Texas are next, with three trustees each. The Atlanta, Pacific Northwest and Philadelphia chapters each account for two trustees.

The four officers are all midterm. Harvey Mason Jr., continues as national chair (and also as interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy). Tammy Hurt continues as vice chair, Terry Hemmings as secretary/treasurer and Christine Albert as chair emeritus.

It’s official… Xolo Mariduena’s switching homes…

Netflix has landed Cobra Kai, starring the 18-year-old Cuban, Mexican and Ecuadorian American actor,starting with its upcoming third season. YouTube’s flagship scripted series will become a Netflix original.

Along with the exclusive rights to Season 3 of Cobra Kai, Netflix will also have access on a non-exclusive basis to the first two seasons of the show. 

Seasons 1 and 2 of the Karate Kid sequel series, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, will premiere on Netflix this year, with an all-new third season to follow.

As previously reported, Cobra Kai studio Sony Pictures Television had been shopping the series, with all major streamers expressing interest. The field of suitors was eventually narrowed down, with Netflix and Hulu leading the short list of contenders. In the end, Netflix’s financial commitment, massive subscriber base, global reach and passion for the material reportedly sealed the deal, making it the new home of Cobra Kai. 

Cobra Kai takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, where a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr. Miyagi, and must face his previous adversary, down-and-out Johnny Lawrence ( Zabka), who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. Martin Kove stars as sensei John Kreese.

The freshman season of Cobra Kai was a massive breakout hit, topping 55 million YouTube views for Episode 1 and ranking as the sixth-most Google-searched TV show in 2018. It also was named 2018’s Best Drama by Rotten Tomatoes, earning a rare 100% Fresh rating.

“The appeal of The Karate Kid saga is timeless, and Cobra Kai picks up right where it left off without missing a beat. The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny is one for the ages, and the show has a ton of heart and is a lot of fun,” said Brian Wright, VP, Original Series, Netflix  “We can’t wait to introduce a new generation of fans to Cobra Kai and are thrilled to be its new home around the world.”

Brig Muñoz-Liebowitz has a new deal…

The Latina comedy writer-producer, whose credits include HBO Max’s Love Life and Pop TV’s One Day At A Time, has signed a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television. 

As part of the agreement, Muñoz-Liebowitz will develop comedy projects for the studio aimed at network, cable and streaming.

Muñoz-Liebowitz recently came to the attention of Sony executives for her work as co-executive producer on studio’s Latinx family comedy series One Day At A Time, a reimagining of Norman Lear’s classic series.

“From the minute we met Brig and she joined us on the staff of One Day at a Time, we knew we had to have a larger relationship with her,” said Glenn Adilman, EVP Comedy Development, Sony Pictures Television. “Her intelligence, originality, humor and passion are so clear in her writing. We are thrilled to be able to partner with her as she continues to share her voice with the world.”

Muñoz-Liebowitz most recently served as co-executive producer on HBO Max’s romantic comedy anthology series Love Life,which was just renewed for a second season.

Her writing career was launched on the staff of NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She went on to work on comedy series like TBS’ People of Earth, NBC’s Abby’s and Diary of a Future President for Disney+. 

She has developed projects for CBS/CBS Television Studios and Hulu/Warner Bros. Television/Berlanti Prods.

Bruno Mars is bringing his essenceonline…

Essence has announced that for the first time in its 25 year history, the media company’s annual festival will be going virtual, with a special performance by the 34-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter.

The 2020 Essence Festival of Culture: Unstoppable Virtual, hosted by Loni Love and featuring D-Nice, will include a number of A-list performances, summits and panels from Mars, John Legend, Patti Labelle, Swizz Beatz, Estelle, Doug E Fresh, BBD, Nas, Andra Day, Master P, Tank and The Bangas, PJ Morton, India.Arie, Kelis, Kirk Franklin, The Clark Sisters, Egypt Sherrod and more.

Leading a special tribute to the city of New Orleans will be Mayor LaToya Cantrell, PJ Morton, Big Freedia, Irma Thomas,Tank and The Bangas and Big 6 Brass Band.  

Also, featured in the popular Sunday gospel Get Lifted celebration are Anita Wilson, Bri Babineaux, Erica Campbell, Fred Hammond, Greater Sound of Greater St. Stephen FGBC, Jonathan McReynolds,Kierra Sheard, Kirk Franklin, Koryn Hawthorne, Marvin Sapp, Tamela Mann, The Clark Sisters, The Walls Group, Tye Tribbett, and more, along with Sunday sermons from Bishop Paul S. Morton and Bishop T.D. Jakes.

The fully virtual experience will span two weekends, June 25-28 and July 2-5 (Thursdays-Sundays), and will go live on Essence Studios.

“Due to COVID-19, this was certainly not the year we planned for the 2020 Essence Festival of Culture, but challenging times call for innovative measures,” said Richelieu Dennis, founder & chair of Essence Ventures.  “As we began to see the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our community, it became more important to us than ever to still create a festival experience that delivered the community, love, laughter, fun and empowerment that the Festival is known for—and to leave our audience feeling inspired and uplifted, especially during these times.”

Essence’s #BlackVotesMatter365 voting hub will also be a core element of the virtual festival, giving viewers quick access to helpful resources for Black women and communities to amplify their voices in local and national elections through voting.  There will also be benefit initiative to raise funds to support the critical needs and sustainability of Black and Brown entrepreneurs, micro and small businesses, and organizations focused on racial equity across the U.S. 

For an up-to-date artist lineup and schedule for the 2020 Essence Festival of Culture: Unstoppable Virtual, click here.