Behind the Scenes Buzz

AVA DUVERNAY TALKS COMPTON-TO-HOLLYWOOD STORY: Ava DuVernay was honored by Mindy Kaling at last week’s VH1 Trailblazer Honors, along with #MeToo founder Tatana Burke, author Margaret Atwood and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Standing in a room like this, in front of a crowd like you, I can’t help to remember the girl I was growing up in Compton,” said DuVernay, welcomed to the stage after receiving compliments from Kaling on activism, creativity, social media and, yes, fashion. (She joked: “Her fashion is so on point that sometimes I forget that she’s a director and I’m like, ‘what’s with Oprah’s hot friend?’”) “I remember when movies seemed so glamorous and far away, and I can’t believe that I get to make them.” She also gave her mother Darlene and her late aunt Denise credit for her journey. “I was 32 the first time I picked up a camera. That’s ancient in film years,” she explained. “Where did the audacity to come from to say, ‘I can do this, I can make films?’ … [My mother] taught me that my flaws were my gifts so because of her I never questioned my desire or my ability to make films or do anything else. All I knew is that I wanted was to make films about women like her – fearless, gorgeous, courageous, brave, better than they think they are.”

COMEDY CENTRAL ANNOUNCES FLAPS: In honor of International Woman’s Day March 8^th, Comedy Central announced the launch of an all-female sketch series, Flaps. The nine-part series features Maddie Rice, who starred in the theatrical version of Fleabag, Beth Rylance (Plebs), Bronwyn James (Harlots), Danielle Vitalis (Attack The Block) and Elinor Lawless (The End of Hope), among others.

NETFLIX PARTNERING ON THAI CAVE FILM: Netflix is teaming up with SK Global, which acquired the rights to the epic 12 Thai boy + soccer coach cave rescue in 2018. They will co-produce a miniseries. A rep for Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter: “We can confirm that we are working on an original scripted miniseries with SKE Global and 13 Tham Luang Company Limited to bring the incredible story of the Thai cave rescue to audiences worldwide on Netflix.”

FIRST TRAILER FOR THE DAILY SHOW ABROAD DROPS: The Daily Show‘s Desi Lydic is plunging into an exploration of gender equality around the world. Desi Lydic: Abroad will drop on Monday, May 13 at 11:00 PM ET/PT, marking her first one-hour special. On International Women’s Day, the first trailer dropped. Will you tune in for this special?