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Amazon confirms it'll make 'The Underground Railroad' TV series
Last year, Amazon tapped Oscar-winning writer and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins to adapt the acclaimed alternate-history book The Underground Railroad into a drama series. The tech giant must have liked what it saw, because it has given the project its formal approval and put in an order for 11 episodes. The Oscar winner worked with Netflix in the past, but that was for a single episode of Dear White People. This time, he's directing all 11 (possibly hour-long) episodes that revolve around a young slave girl named Cora and her daring escape from a cotton plantation in Georgia through an underground railroad.
Amazon taps 'Moonlight' director for 'The Underground Railroad' show
In the arms race for filmmaking talent and marquee shows, Amazon just scored a big win for its streaming originals. Oscar winning writer and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins has signed on with Amazon to adapt Colson Whitehead's best-selling book, The Underground Railroad into a new hourlong drama series.
YouTube wants you to make a music video for Elton John
Like many legendary musicians, Elton John didn't get music videos for some of his best-known songs -- they simply came too soon for the likes of MTV. Thanks to the internet, however, he's getting a second chance. YouTube is backing a competition, Elton John: The Cut, that challenges you to brainstorm an official music video treatment for "Bennie and the Jets," "Rocket Man," or "Tiny Dancer." There will definitely be some tall hurdles to clear. A trio of YouTube creators will screen the initial entries, and the resulting finalists will face scrutiny by John as well as long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin, DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg, music video director Melina Matsoukas and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins.
