Exclusive: Five-time Emmy winner Jean Smart (Hacks) and actor-comedian Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) have teamed up for comedy short film Too Good.
Written and directed by Meron Alon, the film explores the afterlife with a humorous twist. In Too Good, a recently deceased man (Howery) arrives at the Gates of Heaven. There, he faces an unconventional interview with God herself (Smart), to determine if he’s good enough to get in.
Arjun Yadav produces under his Rsa Endeavors banner. Casting directors Barbie Block and Robin Lippin will executive-produce alongside Ben Escobar. The film is currently in post production and the producer’s aim is to develop the project into a feature or series after securing a festival berth.
“I was drawn to the script because I thought it was hilarious,” said Smart. “The clever dialogue winks at all our quirky little private moments when we question, ‘Am I really a good person?...
Written and directed by Meron Alon, the film explores the afterlife with a humorous twist. In Too Good, a recently deceased man (Howery) arrives at the Gates of Heaven. There, he faces an unconventional interview with God herself (Smart), to determine if he’s good enough to get in.
Arjun Yadav produces under his Rsa Endeavors banner. Casting directors Barbie Block and Robin Lippin will executive-produce alongside Ben Escobar. The film is currently in post production and the producer’s aim is to develop the project into a feature or series after securing a festival berth.
“I was drawn to the script because I thought it was hilarious,” said Smart. “The clever dialogue winks at all our quirky little private moments when we question, ‘Am I really a good person?...
- 5/30/2024
- by Valerie Complex and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Casting director Robin Lippin has a long list of television credits to her name, but her time on “Saved by the Bell” and all of its spinoffs made her uniquely qualified to work on Lifetime's movie, “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.” In addition to “Saved by the Bell,” Lippin has cast the miniseries “Attila,” “Lizzie McGuire,” and Lifetime's “Petals on the Wind” and “Blue Lagoon: The Awakening.” But, her work on the iconic Saturday morning series was special to her and she doesn't take the opportunity of returning for the movie for granted. “As a casting director, you rarely.
- 9/1/2014
- by Jethro Nededog
- The Wrap
Zack Morris, A.C. Slater, Jessie Spano and Mr. Belding better listen up -- because the stars of Lifetime's new film about "Saved by the Bell" say they've got nothing but love for the classic TV show.Premiering on Labor Day, "The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story" dives into all the behind-the-scenes drama for the beloved sitcom, but original series stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley and Dennis Haskins have all expressed concerns about how they'll be portrayed in the flick.But they've all assumed the film is based on Dustin Diamond's book "Behind the Bell" though, which Lifetime tells us is not the case. They also say Screech is not an executive producer on the flick, despite reports suggesting otherwise -- and add that the show's original casting director, Robin Lippin, worked with them for the script.The new film's Zack and Jessie, played by Dylan Everett and Tiera Skovbye,...
- 8/29/2014
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
Lifetime released a sneak peek of The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, a made-for-tv movie that claims to show what it was like behind the scenes of the popular 90s TV show.
The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story
The clip from Lifetime’s The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story shows stars of the teen show Mark Paul Gosselaar (Dylan Everett), Lark Voorhies (Taylor Russell McKEnzie), Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Alyssa Lynch), Mario Lopez (Julian Works), Elizabeth Berkley (Tiera Skovbye) and Dustin Diamond (Sam Kindseth) not getting along while posing for promotional footage. The scene is set to Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison.”
Apparently, while Zach (Gosselaar), Lisa (Voorhies), Kelly (Thiessen), A.C. Slater (Lopez), Jesse (Berkley) and Screech (Diamond) all got along reasonably well as students at Bayside, the dynamic between the actors was considerably more tense. Though the TV movie isn’t authorized, it’s based off of...
The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story
The clip from Lifetime’s The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story shows stars of the teen show Mark Paul Gosselaar (Dylan Everett), Lark Voorhies (Taylor Russell McKEnzie), Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Alyssa Lynch), Mario Lopez (Julian Works), Elizabeth Berkley (Tiera Skovbye) and Dustin Diamond (Sam Kindseth) not getting along while posing for promotional footage. The scene is set to Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison.”
Apparently, while Zach (Gosselaar), Lisa (Voorhies), Kelly (Thiessen), A.C. Slater (Lopez), Jesse (Berkley) and Screech (Diamond) all got along reasonably well as students at Bayside, the dynamic between the actors was considerably more tense. Though the TV movie isn’t authorized, it’s based off of...
- 8/8/2014
- Uinterview
Who was sleeping with who? Who was a diva on set? What was the cast of “The College Years” thinking? TheWrap's film reporter Jeff Sneider has a whole lot of questions that he hopes will be answered when Lifetime airs “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story” on Monday, Sept. 1 at 9/8c. Also read: Lifetime Producing Unauthorized ‘Saved by the Bell’ Movie — Are You So Excited? While Sneider is a self-described “Saved by the Bell” super fan, he does have a slight bone to pick with Robin Lippin, the casting director responsible for bringing Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani.
- 6/21/2014
- by Lindsay Goldstein
- The Wrap
Lifetime will premiere an unauthorized TV movie for the classic 1990s kid series Saved By The Bell. The movie will focus on the off-camera experiences of the six young stars of the afternoon sitcom. According to THR, the film "promises to expose the challenges of growing up under the public scrutiny while trying to maintain a squeaky clean image of their characters on- and off-screen."
Having grown up watching Saved By The Bell, it will be really interesting to see what behind-the-scenes stories they tell in this thing. I imagine there was a lot more drama with these actors off-screen than on.
The movie was cast by the original casting director of the series, Robin Lippin. The TV movie stars Dylan Everett (Degrassi: The Next Generation) as Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Sam Kindseth (Shameless) as Dustin Diamond, Julian Works (Paranormal Activity) as Mario Lopez, Alyssa Lynch as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tiera Skovbye (Supernatural) as Elizabeth Berkley,...
Having grown up watching Saved By The Bell, it will be really interesting to see what behind-the-scenes stories they tell in this thing. I imagine there was a lot more drama with these actors off-screen than on.
The movie was cast by the original casting director of the series, Robin Lippin. The TV movie stars Dylan Everett (Degrassi: The Next Generation) as Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Sam Kindseth (Shameless) as Dustin Diamond, Julian Works (Paranormal Activity) as Mario Lopez, Alyssa Lynch as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tiera Skovbye (Supernatural) as Elizabeth Berkley,...
- 6/20/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Principal Belding always wanted to know, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What is going on here?" Now he, and the rest of us, are about to find out.
TV network Lifetime will air The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story in 2014. This tell-all TV movie promises to delve into the behind-the-scenes drama of the popular '90s series and its six young actors, – including Mario Lopez – who grew up in the public spotlight, reports the New York Daily News.
In 2009, Dustin Diamond, the actor who portrayed Bell's Screech, divulged tales of drugs, sex and other not-so-pg activities in his book Behind the Bell.
TV network Lifetime will air The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story in 2014. This tell-all TV movie promises to delve into the behind-the-scenes drama of the popular '90s series and its six young actors, – including Mario Lopez – who grew up in the public spotlight, reports the New York Daily News.
In 2009, Dustin Diamond, the actor who portrayed Bell's Screech, divulged tales of drugs, sex and other not-so-pg activities in his book Behind the Bell.
- 6/20/2014
- by Kelli Bender
- People.com - TV Watch
Principal Belding always wanted to know, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What is going on here?" Now he, and the rest of us, are about to find out. TV network Lifetime will air The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story in 2014. This tell-all TV movie promises to delve into the behind-the-scenes drama of the popular '90s series and its six young actors, - including Mario Lopez - who grew up in the public spotlight, reports the New York Daily News. In 2009, Dustin Diamond, the actor who portrayed Bell's Screech, divulged tales of drugs, sex and other not-so-pg activities in his book Behind the Bell.
- 6/20/2014
- by Kelli Bender
- PEOPLE.com
If you were born in the late '70s, any time in the '80s and probably up to late-'90s you're aware of the television show "Saved by the Bell". I remember seeing it when it first aired and I think I was still watching it in my dorm room in college, probably on TBS with back-to-back episodes, you know, in-between all that studying I was doing. Fans of the show remember Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and his giant cell phone, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski and who would ever forget the episode where Elizabeth Berkeley as Jessie Spano took drugs so she could study all night long. Then you have Mario Lopez who went on to a career in entertainment reporting, Dustin Diamond whom I believe was doing porn or something last I checked and Lark Voorhies who may be the one to have pretty much completely dropped...
- 6/20/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Too bad a bell can’t save them now.
Five years after Saved by the Bell’s Dustin Diamond wrote Behind the Bell, his tell-all book that revealed secrets of the Bell set, EW has confirmed that Lifetime is airing The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story. Although the project is completely separate from Diamond’s book, which included accusations of threesomes, drugs, and more, the new television movie will focus in on the same subject matter: The on-set life of the hit series that ran from 1989-1993. According to a press release, the film “delves into the experiences of...
Five years after Saved by the Bell’s Dustin Diamond wrote Behind the Bell, his tell-all book that revealed secrets of the Bell set, EW has confirmed that Lifetime is airing The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story. Although the project is completely separate from Diamond’s book, which included accusations of threesomes, drugs, and more, the new television movie will focus in on the same subject matter: The on-set life of the hit series that ran from 1989-1993. According to a press release, the film “delves into the experiences of...
- 6/19/2014
- by Samantha Highfill
- EW - Inside TV
What really happened behind the scenes of Saved by the Bell? Lifetime has set The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, centered on the off-camera experiences of the six young stars of the 1990s comedy, for a Labor Day premiere. Premiering Monday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. Et/Pt, The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story promises to expose the challenges of growing up under public scrutiny while trying to maintain a squeaky clean image of their characters on- and offscreen. Cast by Saved by the Bell's original casting director Robin Lippin, the television movie stars Dylan Everett (Degrassi:
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- 6/19/2014
- by Philiana Ng
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Inspired by the salacious stories revealed by series star Dustin Diamond, Lifetime is making a movie about the behind the scenes action on "Saved by the Bell." Depending on your penchant for '90s nostalgia and cheesy teen TV programming, you're either going to be -- like Jessie Spano -- so excited, or so scared. (Or maybe a little of both.)
"The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story" will be in the same vein as Diamond's 2009 memoir, "Behind the Bell," which recounted that cast members were sleeping with each other -- even having threesomes -- and doing drugs throughout the series' run. All except Diamond, of course, who really personified his nerd alter ego, Screech, in those days. (Cue sad violin music for Diamond.)
While "Unauthorized," like its title suggests, won't be a direct adaptation of that book, it will contain similar scenarios, collected through numerous new interviews conducted to write the screenplay.
"The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story" will be in the same vein as Diamond's 2009 memoir, "Behind the Bell," which recounted that cast members were sleeping with each other -- even having threesomes -- and doing drugs throughout the series' run. All except Diamond, of course, who really personified his nerd alter ego, Screech, in those days. (Cue sad violin music for Diamond.)
While "Unauthorized," like its title suggests, won't be a direct adaptation of that book, it will contain similar scenarios, collected through numerous new interviews conducted to write the screenplay.
- 6/19/2014
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
"Casting By," the critically acclaimed documentary about the role of the casting director in the movie-making process, makes its Hollywood debut this weekend at Arena Cinema. To celebrate, the filmmakers have scheduled Q&As with some of the industry's top CDs to follow this weekend's screenings: Nov. 15, 7:45 p.m.: Deb Aquila; Wally Nicita; Robin Lippin; Cathy Sandrich Nov. 16, noon: Gary Zuckerbrod, Marci Liroff Nov. 16, 2 p.m.: Richard Hicks; Jane Jenkins Nov. 16, 7:45 p.m.: Barbara McCarthy, April Webster Nov. 17, noon: Deb Zane; Roger Mussenden; John Papsidera; Julie Hutchinson; Deb Barylski Nov. 17, 2 p.m.: Ronna Kress, Heidi Levitt Nov. 17, 7 p.m.: Risa Bramon Garcia; Caroline Liem For updates and ticket information, visit arenascreen.com...
- 11/13/2013
- backstage.com
Casting directors Tracy Lilienfield and Jeff Meshel have formed a new partnership, Back Stage has confirmed.Both Lilienfield and Meshel are longtime TV casting directors with multiple credits to their names.Some of Lilienfield's more recent credits include the CBS comedies "$#*! My Dad Says" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and TBS comedy "My Boys." She also cast NBC's long-running sitcom "Will & Grace."Meshel, formerly partnered with Robin Lippin, cast the CW dramas "Life Unexpected," which ran for two seasons, and "The Beautiful Life," which ran for two episodes. He's also cast several telefilms.Meshel and Lilienfield are currently casting the CW drama pilot "Dakota."...
- 2/10/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Pete Keeley)
- backstage.com
Robin Lippin on Gerard Butler: I was casting "Attila," the miniseries, and it was an extremely hard role. We had to find someone who could carry the mini and have charisma and yet be able to exude leadership and a barbaric quality. He also had to have an amazing body and good looks (it is TV, after all). Gerry had been referred by the CD in London, and I brought him in. I felt he had it all, but the executive at the time wasn't convinced. He wanted me to keep looking and told me to go to Crunch, the gym where all the hotties worked out. I wanted to die. I mean, this was a powerful role and needed an amazing actor. I think the exec was worried about his accent.I fought really hard for him, and luckily the director and producers were behind him. I even offered to...
- 7/7/2010
- backstage.com
Robin Lippin initially imagined her move to L.A. as temporary. She was hoping to pick up some entertainment industry job experience before returning to her native New York. Two decades and dozens of casting gigs later, Lippin still calls Hollywood home. Her credits include the legendary Aaron Spelling hours "Charlie's Angels" and "Fantasy Island," tween hits "Saved by the Bell" and "Lizzie McGuire," and the Web series "Woke Up Dead" and "Valemont." Currently, she and Jeff Meshel are hard at work assembling the ensemble for the upcoming CW series "Life Unexpected." "It's an incredible show," Lippin says. "To do a show that has comedy and drama and such heart is really a great experience."Spelling ClassGrowing up, my sister was an actress, and I used to see plays all the time in New York. I knew I either wanted to be a casting director or an agent. I came...
- 12/31/2009
- backstage.com
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