or


[08/25/16 - 08:01 AM]
Amazon Original Live-Action American Girl Special "Melody" Casts Marsai Martin in Lead Role
Executive produced by Common, Melody will also star Frances Fisher as Miss Abbot, Frankie Faison as Melody's grandfather Frank Ellison, and Idara Victor as Melody's mother Frances Ellison.
[via press release from Amazon]

Amazon Original Live-Action American Girl Special "Melody" Casts Marsai Martin in Lead Role; Common to Executive Produce and Frances Fisher, Frankie Faison and Idara Victor to Star

Marsai Martin (Black-ish) has been cast in Amazon's original upcoming American Girl live-action special Melody, 1963: Love Has to Win, an American Girl Story as Melody, which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video this fall. Executive produced by Common (Selma), Melody will also star Frances Fisher (Titanic) as Miss Abbot, Frankie Faison (The Wire) as Melody's grandfather Frank Ellison, and Idara Victor (Rizzoli & Isles) as Melody's mother Frances Ellison.

Based in 1963 Detroit during the civil rights movement, Melody centers around a 10-year-old girl Melody (Martin) whose eyes are opened to the racial inequality surrounding her, including the 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing. As a result, her belief in the "indivisible" promise of our country's Pledge of Allegiance comes into question as she challenges her teacher on the validity of this given the horrific tragedy. After an emotional journey of self-reflection, her mother gives her the courage she needs by reminding her that it's important to "stand up for what's right, even when it's hard or scary."

This project is written and executive produced by Alison McDonald (Roots), directed and produced by Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned, Queen Sugar), executive produced by Common's Freedom Road Productions. Christopher Keenan and Melinda McCrocklin are executive producers for American Girl. The Melody special is an Amazon adaptation on American Girl's original created stories written by Denise Lewis Patrick.

Amazon and American Girl have also partnered to feature unique Melody product collections in the American Girl brand store at Amazon: www.amazon.com/americangirl.

Born in Plano, Texas, Marsai Martin currently plays the sassy youngest daughter "Diane" on ABC's Emmy nominated comedy Black-ish, alongside Anthony Anderson and Laurence Fishburne. Her work on the award-winning show has earned her a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Young Artists Award for Best Performance in a TV Series. Marsai most recently performed in the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Tony Award winning Musical Dreamgirls with the original stars (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday), singing the hit song "Move." Marsai also recently worked on the films How To Die Happy with Meagan Good, and Fun Mom Dinner, with Toni Collette and Adam Levine.

Amazon's American Girl Melody special will be available for Prime members using the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/originals. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices visit http://www.amazon.com/howtostream.





  [august 2016]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




[12/01/25 - 12:43 PM]
Video: "Zero Star: The Cam Ward Story" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
Witness Cam Ward's unlikely rise from overlooked high school QB with one Division I FCS offer to the NFL draft's no. 1 pick.
[12/01/25 - 12:30 PM]
Production Begins on "Power: Origins" as Six Recurring Cast Members Join the Starz Prequel Series
The first season will consist of 18 episodes and is filming in New Jersey.
[12/01/25 - 12:00 PM]
"Wicked: One Wonderful Night" Encore to Air Dec. 31 at 8 P.M. ET/PT on NBC
This once-in-a-lifetime musical event is a thrillifying celebration of the cinematic release of Universal Pictures' "Wicked: For Good," the epic finale to the global cultural phenomenon, now playing in theaters.
[12/01/25 - 11:01 AM]
First Look: Hulu Original Series "The Artful Dodger" Season 2
The comedy-adventure series starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis and Maia Mitchell returns for season two on February 10 on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
[12/01/25 - 09:44 AM]
USA Sports Announces 2025-26 Atlantic 10 College Basketball Schedule & Commentators
The 2025-26 season marks the fifth consecutive year of live Atlantic 10 basketball on USA Network.
[12/01/25 - 09:00 AM]
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards Airs May 17, 2026 Live from Las Vegas, Exclusively on Prime Video
Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the 61st ACM Awards promises to build on the momentum of its milestone year, celebrating the artists, collaborations, and moments that continue to shape Country Music.

[12/01/25 - 07:16 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for Holiday Special "The First Snow of Fraggle Rock"
The special features a cameo appearance by musical artist and internet sensation Lele Pons that includes a duet of the classic, beloved "Fraggle Rock" song "Our Melody" with Gobo, along with two other holiday numbers.
[12/01/25 - 07:01 AM]
HBO Max Wraps the Year with Its "Always the Season" In-App Collection, Spotlighting the Year's Best Picks and Holiday Offerings
Packed with award-winning originals, fan-favorite films, and quintessential holiday favorites, the "Always The Season" page reminds subscribers that every season is the perfect time to stream on HBO Max.
[12/01/25 - 06:01 AM]
"Maxton Hall - The World Between Us" Successfully Wraps Filming for Third and Final Season
The second season confirms its status as the most-watched international original series of all time on Prime Video, reaching number one on Prime Video charts in almost 100 countries during its launch week, including Germany, the USA and the UK.

[12/01/25 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" - Official Teaser - Netflix
This documentary series unpacks the shocking allegations behind Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy empire, spanning decades of his life and career.
[12/01/25 - 04:31 AM]
Video: "Run Away" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case - and stumbles upon secrets which could destroy his family for good.
[11/30/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Cashero" - Official Teaser - Netflix
An ordinary man who inherits super strength discovers a greater evil out to steal his power. The one catch? Every use drains money from his wallet.
[11/29/25 - 11:06 AM]
Flex Games! Nikola Jokic and Nuggets Host Kevin Durant and Rockets; Cade Cunningham and Pistons Visit Jaylen Brown and Celtics on "Peacock NBA Monday" Doubleheader, Dec. 15, on Peacock and NBCSN
One quarter of the NBA's top 20 scorers (Jokic, Cunningham, Brown, Durant, and Jamal Murray) are on the four teams in the doubleheader.
[11/28/25 - 04:32 PM]
NBC's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Sets All-Time Viewership Record
The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, its biggest combined audience on record, outperforming last year's parade by +8% (2.5 million viewers).
[11/28/25 - 01:59 PM]
Thanksgiving Day Hoops Scores FOX's Most-Watched CBB Game in History
Michigan State's Thanksgiving Day win over UNC in the Fort Myers Tip-Off scored 5,488,000 viewers on FOX - the most-watched college basketball game ever on the network.