EXCLUSIVE: Jim Taylor, the Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning screenwriter known for his longtime creative partnership with filmmaker Alexander Payne on a series of lauded, darkly comedic character studies, has inked with Paradigm for representation.

Payne and Taylor first collaborated on the Laura Dern-led indie satire Citizen Ruth, following that up with the Tom Perrotta adaptation Election, a dark comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon that brought them an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and scored Independent Spirit Awards wins for Picture, Director and Screenplay, bringing Witherspoon her first Golden Globe nomination.

Taylor and Payne won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for About Schmidt, an existential dramedy whose stars Nicholson and Kathy Bates earned Oscar nominations. Two years later, the duo won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sideways, the celebrated wine country dramedy starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh, based on the 2004 novel by Rex Pickett. The film earned Academy Award nominations for Giamatti, Handen Church and Madsen for acting, as well as Payne for directing. In addition, Taylor and Payne won a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Outside of his collaboration with Payne, Taylor is known for his creative partnership with his wife, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (The Savages). Together, they adapted the Nick Hornby novel Juliet, Naked into the 2018 film starring Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke.

Taylor was a producer on Payne’s 2011 film The Descendants, starring George Clooney, which was nominated for five Oscars and won two Golden Globes. Together, they’re currently adapting an Election sequel, based on Perrotta’s 2022 novel Tracy Flick Can’t Win, for Paramount, with Hello Sunshine and Bona Fide producing.

Taylor continues to be represented by Untitled Entertainment and attorney John Diemer at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Senator Thom Tillis expresses regret for voting for several Trump appointees in his new book, but “The View” host Ana Navarro wasn’t buying it on Monday morning. So, she called the North Carolina Republican out directly to his face.

Tillis stopped by the ABC talk show to promote said book, “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents: The Trouble with Sycophants, Courage Outsourcing, and Partisan Group Think.” During the interview, the hosts pressed him on multiple votes he’s made, including voting to confirm former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, which Tillis has openly expressed regret for.

“I like you, and I think you say a lot of of truth, but you kind of break my heart,” Navarro said bluntly. “And you do it — I feel you were very inconsistent in this book because, on the one hand, you go through all of the reasons why Hegseth was unqualified. You go through all of the reasons why [Kristi] Noem was unqualified. You kept calling her like an unqualified dog killer, and yet you voted for them.”

Tillis conceded as much, and added that both sentiments remain true. But that only upset Navarro further.

“Then you regretted the Hegseth vote, but you just voted to confirm Todd Blanche who, you in the book, say you objected to the bogus investigation he reopened on James Comey and his involvement in a reparations fund for the January 6th people,” she continued. “So you know you’re voting for people who are rubber stamped and unqualified, but you keep doing it, Thom!”

Tillis doubled down in his support of Blanche in response, defending it in part by saying “in politics, you’ve got to play the hand that’s dealt you.” Tillis insisted that, based on Blanche’s experience, the man is the best fit “to try and give the president honest upward feedback.” Navarro didn’t buy that either.

“Oh come on! He doesn’t even want to look at — there’s nothing to look at when a Russian oligarch just paid for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding,” she shot back. “And he’s saying there’s nothing here to see. So he’s not giving Donald Trump any pushback.”

“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.

EXCLUSIVE: Production management and entertainment payroll firm Entertainment Partners (EP) has a new boss in Britain.

Chris Gratton has today been named Executive Vice President and Managing Director of EP’s UK business, effective today.

This will see him lead EP’s UK operations, as EP pushes out its integrated production technology offering in the UK. The company recently launched its SmartStart digital onboarding and SmartTime timecard solution in the country, adding to its existing UK production finance, payroll and production management technology capabilities.

Gratton joins EP from Ticketmaster Sport, where he served as Managing Director. There he helped to create the first-ever league-wide deal across Premiership Rugby and launch a centralized rugby marketplace.

Earlier in his career, Gratton held leadership roles at global agencies including FleishmanHillard, Octagon and Leo Burnett, working with leading brands across sponsorship, marketing and integrated campaigns.

“Chris brings an important combination of entertainment industry experience, commercial leadership and a deep understanding of how technology can help industries evolve,” said Markham L. Goldstein, President and CEO of Entertainment Partners.

“He has a track record of taking on complex challenges, bringing people and ideas together and turning new opportunities into meaningful results. As EP continues to evolve and expand what we bring to the UK market, his leadership will be an important part of helping us build on the momentum we’ve created.”

“What attracted me to EP is the opportunity to be part of a leading company that sits at the intersection of technology and entertainment, and has the scale, expertise and relationships to make a meaningful impact,” added Gratton. “I’m excited to work with the team and our clients and partners across the UK to help define the next chapter for the business and the industry.”

Gratton will be based in EP’s London office and will work closely with the company’s global leadership team.