movies

Riz Ahmed’s Journey To ‘Bait’ Included Teaching Patrick Stewart Dirty Slang

Published

4 months ago

April 26, 2026

Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor, writer and producer Riz Ahmed knew he had to lay it all out there for his Prime Video series Bait. “We’re all performing this public version of ourselves,” he said during Deadline’s Contenders TV panel.

A revelation that was compounded when he was banned from his local supermarket for suspected shoplifting the same week that photos of him from the upcoming Star Wars leaked.

So when someone shared with Ahmed the idea that “the distance between your public and private self is the amount of shame your carrying,” the idea for Bait was born. Ahmed was so moved that he realized “either I need to get therapy or I need to make a TV show about it.” With that we have the creation of Shah Latif, the neurotic struggling actor who auditions for James Bond and was built so much from Ahmed’s own real-life experiences.

One of those experiences that thankfully is not based on real-life events is when Shah finds himself consulting with a decapitated pig head. A dead pig head which offers him wisdom that could only really be delivered by the iconic voice of Sir Patrick Stewart, but how could anyone possibly convince the Oscar-winning Sir Patrick to do such a thing? “We wrote him a letter expecting him to say no, but he said yes,” Ahmed said. “Still pinching.”

What came next was Ahmed sitting down with Stewart teaching him Urdu swear words. He recalled the actor’s response: “Behenchod – ah, sister f*cker, is it? Fantastic, it does have a logic to it. Wonderful culture. You’d like me to sing the words or say them?”

The coming together of Bait was full of magical moments. It was nothing but true kismet when Ahmed’s co-star Guz Kahn came on board to play Shah’s cousin Zulfi. Kahn had to remind Ahmed of their chance meeting 20 years prior, a meeting which Ahmed had completely forgotten about but Kahn never could.

“I was doing spoken-word poetry performance in a British city called Coventry, which is like a post-apocalyptic Detroit,” he said. “I’m out in the street, ‘Please, will you come see me do some spoken word,’ when I see a bunch of guys down a dark alleyway, mid-transaction.” The guys down the alley were Kahn and his friends.

“Guz’s legal team has asked me to describe it as they were selling tulips … ‘Hey, how you doing, brothers, would you like to see me do some spoken-word poetry?’ Out of their pity, him and his goons come and watch me do spoken word. Guz says it was the first time I saw someone who looked like me doing something like that in a space like that. And that inspired me to take the stage more, and that set him on his journey.”

The finale leaves the audience guessing as Shah seemingly is offered the role he’s nearly destroyed himself and his family for, when he’s asked to deliver one of the most iconic lines in cinematic history — “The name’s Bond, James Bond” — and he refuses. Was it real? Was it metaphor? Prime has not picked up for Season 2 yet, but either way Ahmed has a peace about the whole thing.

“All the incredible geniuses, teachers, mentors who shepherded me through my first experience showrunning. Whether or not we get to make Bait again, I‘d love to keep that family with me.”

Check back Monday for the panel video.

movies

Judge Jackie Glass Dead: ‘Swift Justice’ Host Was 70

Published

11 minutes ago

August 29, 2026

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Judge Jackie Glass, the former Clark County judge who hosted the syndicated court show Swift Justice, has died. She was 70.

Glass died on Friday afternoon in Las Vegas, TMZ reported after Glass’ daughter Rachel Wolfson posted a tribute to her late mother on social media.

“RIP my rock,” wrote Wolfson on Facebook. “I don’t know how I’ll do this life without you, I love you so much mommy Jackie Glass, I’ll see you again someday.”

Judge Glass made headlines in 2008 when she sentenced O.J. Simpson to 33 years in prison for armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel. Simpson was released on parole in 2017 before dying of cancer in Vegas in 2024.

In 2011, Glass took over for Nancy Grace as host of the small claims court show Swift Justice in Season 2, which moved production from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Glass hosted the syndicated reality series until it ended in April 2012.

Glass is survived by husband, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, and two daughters.

movies

CA Lawmakers Compromise With Film Industry On Corporate Tax Credit Cap

Published

2 hours ago

August 29, 2026

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The California production community can breathe a sigh of relief: State lawmakers have officially introduced a bill meant to allow studios a few key exemptions from a recently enacted restriction on corporate tax credits.

AB136, introduced Friday evening, addresses concerns raised from stakeholders including the Motion Picture Association about the threat of undermining the efforts to expand California’s Film & TV Tax Credit pool to $750 million.

Lawmakers have to consider legislation for 72 hours before voting. With that in mind, a vote on AB136 is likely to come Monday evening, hours before the midnight end to the legislative session.

The state budget, passed this summer, seeks to stabilize revenue by preventing corporations from offsetting more than $5 million in tax liability annually for the next three years. Several advocacy groups pushed for a complete exemption, but the solution introduced by lawmakers on Friday evening does fall short of that.

Instead, only independent productions will be completely exempt from the $5 million cap. The legislation also addresses concerns about the payback period for studios that have elected to refund credits for cash. Current law allows studios to get cash instead of claiming the credit against tax liability for a 10% discount on the total with a payback period of five years. The fix accelerates that to two years with just a 5% discount.

The new legislation will also extend the expiration date of the non-refundable tax credits that were issued prior to 2025.

movies

Tennessee Governor Plans To Rename Nashville Airport For Dolly Parton

Published

2 hours ago

August 29, 2026

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As the world mourns Dolly Parton, Tennessee has plans to immortalize the late Queen of Country while welcoming visitors to Music City.

On Friday, Gov. Bill Lee‘s office announced a partnership with the Nashville International Airport (BNA) in conversations with Parton’s team to rename the airport in honor of the 11x Grammy-winning country pop/songstress, who died at age 80 on Tuesday.

The Metro Nashville Airport Authority will discuss its naming policy and Gov. Lee’s proposal to rename the airport at its Thursday, Sept. 17 meeting.

“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” said Gov. Lee in a statement. “From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her.

“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith and kindness,” he added.

Born Jan. 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, Parton lived with husband Carl Dean in his native Nashville for several years, and he died there last March at age 82.

Parton’s family announced that she died in Nashville on Tuesday following a brief sickness with cancer. Although she remained busy until her final days, the “I Will Always Love You” artist had dealt with health issues over the past year.