News Shorts: South African Artist Zahara Has Died At The Age Of 35, 2 Good 2 Be True Makes A Landing On Novelas E Plus And Becky G To Headline Upcoming Drama Series From Peacock

South Africa has lost another icon

Award-winning South African Afro-pop singer Bulelwa Mkutukana, popularly known as Zahara, has died, the country's culture minister announced.

She had been in hospital, reportedly with liver complications, and the government had been assisting the family "for some time", Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa said.

Zahara, who released five albums, won dozens of awards both local and international. In 2020, she was named in the BBC's 100 Women list.

Novelas E Plus to debut a new Asian drama, 2 Good 2 Be True

Eloy is a student and scam artist seeking the truth behind his father's imprisonment and Ali is a nurse working to become a doctor. Their lives intertwine when Eloy is led to a man who Ali works for. It airs daily on Novelas E Plus from 12 December at 20:40.

Becky G is making waves

Peacock is developing drama series Queen of Flow, a premium adaptation of Caracol Television’s Colombian telenovela, La Reina Del Flow. Jorge Reyes is attached to pen the script for the project, from Westbrook Studios and Universal Television. Singer and actress Becky G (Good Mourning, Power Rangers) is in early negotiations to lead the series, Deadline understands.

Queen of Flow is a revenge tale/music drama about a young singer-songwriter named Yeimi — the role Becky G is in talks for — who rises to fame in the music world and finds a star-crossed love with the superstar scion of a powerful family. But on her rise to the top, dark secrets are discovered about both Yeimi and the family she’s made her own that set them on a collision course towards a reckoning that could destroy them all.

The premise is described as a “Count of Monte Cristo-esque tale set against the backdrop of Latin music.”

Regular Nick Shorts: ALVINNN!!! And The Chipmunks Wraps Production On Nickelodeon, Classic 80s Game Monster In My Pocket Is Being Transformed Into A Live-Action Series And Toyline RoboForce Is Getting An Animated Series

ALVINNN!!! And The Chipmunks comes to a close

ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks has reportedly ended production. In a recent interview with Billboard, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., the son of the creator of Alvin and The Chipmunks, revealed that production on ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks officially finished "last year."

ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks is currently in its fifth season on Nickelodeon channels globally, with the show being renewed for seasons six and seven in 2019. It's currently unknown whether these seasons got produced before the cancelation.

Alvin and the Chipmunks was created by Bagdasarian Jr.’s father, Ross Bagdasarian Sr., in 1958 as a children’s music act. The Alvin Show began in 1961, featuring the three animated singing chipmunks — Alvin, Simon and Theodore — with sped-up voices to give them their trademark high-pitched sound. Several iterations of TV shows and films followed, including an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie in 2007 and three sequels. The current series is produced by Bagdasarian Productions - run by Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife, Janice Karman - in collaboration with Mikros Animation IP (previously Technicolor Animation Productions).

Monster In My Pocket is being revived

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Altar Rock Pictures have teamed up to develop a live-action series adaptation.

The two companies are currently meeting with writers to turn the collection of over 200 pocket-sized, collectible monsters, drawn from global myths and legend, into a series.

The brand was launched in 1989 by former Mattel execs Joe Morrison and John Weems, and have sold over 500M units globally. It has been turned into an ABC animated TV special, comic books and a Nintendo game.

RoboForce: The Animated Series is in development

The Nacelle Company has partnered with Seven Bucks Productions, the studio helmed by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, to co-produce RoboForce: The Animated Series. 

Nacelle announced its intention to finance the development and production of RoboForce, which is based on an ’80s toy line from the now-defunct Ideal Toy Company. Nacelle acquired the brand from Toyfinity in 2021, and released a small line of adult-targeted collectibles last year (pictured) that are selling well online and in specialty retailers across North America, Japan, Europe and Australia. 

RoboForce: The Animated Series follows lead bot Maxx 89 as he tries to reassemble the heroic crew and battle against a rogue entity infecting the Earth’s robots with code that turns them against humans. 

DLife Is Being Revived In Japan As A Replacement To FOX From March 2024

Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century FOX, they had been phasing out the FOX brand name across several of their properties. This has led the closure of numerous FOX channels across Europe, Africa and Asia with others being converted to Star or FX.

According to the FOX Network website in Japan, FOX is set to rebrand from 1st March 2024 to DLife. The new brand will continue to provide Japanese viewers with comprehensive global entertainment content, with a focus on high-quality foreign drama, including award-winning popular series. 

“Dlife” inherits the 25-year tradition of the “FOX” channel in Japan, and continues to enjoy shows such as “NCIS” and “Criminal Minds”, which continue to enjoy high ratings in the United States. Warner Bros. Discovery also trademarks a similar brand name in some countries.

From long-loved series such as ``Frontline'' and ``FBI: Special Investigations Unit,'' to works that have been broadcast for the first time in Japan, we have and will continue to provide high-quality works centered on the best dramas from around the world. 

Prior to the rebrand, Disney is set to phase out the remaining FOX channels in Portugal (including Angola and Mozambique) for Star by early 2024. They are also looking to close their remaining linear offering across Asia.

Moederhart: Another Brand New Dubbed Turkish Telenovela For kykNET&kie In January

The new year also makes way for a new dubbed Turkish telenovela which will start on 8 January 2024 at 17:30 on kykNET&kie (DStv channel 145). 

Moederhart tells the story of three sisters and their brother - Zeynep, Emre, Cemre and Aysun - who, together with their mother, Nefise, are left in poverty after the sudden death of their father. As a single mother, Nefise often feels powerless, but with the help of a family member, she starts working for a rich family in a mansion. The house is owned by Muzaffer and his brother, Onur, who also run a company together. 

To help her family, Zeynep starts working for Ahmet, who is in love with her. During a business meeting, Zeynep meets Onur, causing a complicated love triangle between the three. In another twist, Muzaffer begins to develop feelings for Nefise, but Emre does not approve of their relationship. Will love win in the end for this mother and daughter? 

Moederhart's original Turkish title is Kanatsiz Kuslar and the series was filmed in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The main characters are: 

Zeynep who is played by Melis Tüzüngüç. Zeynep is the oldest of Nefise's children and will give up her own dreams for her younger sisters and brother. Danielle Retief is responsible for her Afrikaans voice. 

Onur (Ümit Kantarcilar) is a young businessman with a bright future. Despite the fact that Zeynep's background is different from his, he will do anything to win her love. Tiaan Kelderman's voice is used for Onur. 

Ahmet (Ahmet Varli) has a big heart and although Zeynep does not feel about him as he does about her, he will continue to fight against his opponent, Onur. Donovan Petersen is Ahmet's voice in Afrikaans. 

Nefise (Deniz Bolisik) is a woman who will do everything in her power for her children and to see that they are always together. Being a good mother is the most important thing in her life. Natasja Jacobs is responsible for Nefise's voice. 

Muzaffer (Fatih Al) is a successful businessman and heads the wealthy family. However, his life is turned upside down when Nefise walks into his life. Anton Schmidt is Muzaffer's Afrikaans voice. 

Azime (Servet Pandur) has been working in Muzaffer's mansion for years and pretends to be Nefise's friend, but she is scheming and manipulative. Marijke Coetzer is Azime's voice in Afrikaans. 

Also in the cast are Gizem Gunes as Cemre (voiced by Monica Muller), Emir Ozden as Emre (voiced by Zach Mtombeni), Seda Turkmen as Tuba (voiced by Anré Bouguenon) and Yusuf Baymaz as Suat (voiced by Luan Jacobs). 

Moederhart starts broadcasting on kykNET&kie (DStv channel 145) on 8 January 2024 at 17:30.

New Series Alert: Game Of Lies To Make It's International Debut + Release Date On Telemundo Across Africa

During the year, Telemundo halted further production of newer content resulting in more rebroadcast for consumers. This was due to changing legislation in countries like Cameroon and Uganda which imposed anti-gay laws across linear channels which results in fines and revoking of licence.

Game Of Lies was initially set to be broadcast sometime in 2023 before it was delayed to early 2024. This would be the channel's first original show in over a year as the latter such as Nurses came from Colombia's RCN Television and Cennet: The Power Of Destiny from Turkey's ATV.

Game Of Lies (Juego De Mentiras) follows Cesar Ferrer whose wife disappears. As he becomes the prime suspect of her possible murder, he takes the investigation in his own hands and fights to keep custody of his daughter. The series was broadcast in the United States earlier in the year.

It starred Arap Bethke as César Ferrer, Altaír Jarabo as Camila del Río, María Elisa Camargo as Adriana Molina, Rodrigo Guirao as Francisco Javier del Río, Cynthia Klitbo as Renata del Río, Eduardo Yáñez as Pascual del Río and Pepe Gámez as Jesús "Chuy" Marín.

The series is set to replace Lord Of The Skies from 15 January at 22:00. Initially, the third and final season of Queen Of The South was set to premiere on the timeslot but it got delayed once again - we'll update if we recieve any details.