See what news has us chatting over coffee:
• John Legend’s teaming up with Austin Winsberg to develop a comedy about music managers for Showtime. The untitled show will be written and executive produced by Winsberg and Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. It’s the third series in the works for Legend. He’s also developing an FBI business drama for the USA Network and a second drama based in Miami for HBO. [Hollywood Reporter]
• A statue of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in China is catching some attention. The sculpture, showing Bryant in his Laker uniform, sits outside the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts’ Sculpture Museum. The garden also features both ancient as well as current figures. It’s not the first NBA statue to get attention in the country. There’s a sculpture of Shaquille O’Neal in Beijing. [Hollywood Reporter]
• Vice President Joe Biden along with several senators unveiled a seven-foot statue of Frederick Douglass yesterday. The figure will be placed alongside Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth in the Emancipation Hall. Political leaders also used the unveiling to bring attention to equal voting rights for Washington D.C. citizens. [Grio]
• Beyoncé fans may still be wondering when the pop queen’s latest album will be released. According to Ne-Yo, she’s still working on it. In an interview with Billboard, Ne-Yo said, “I’m still putting stuff together for Beyoncé’s album. They’re still trying to figure out what they want that to be, which I’m not mad at. Beyoncé’s the kind of artist where you’re not gonna see it ’till it’s right. And her fans—they love her so they’ll be patient.” Beyoncé kicks off the Nother-American leg of her Mrs. Carter Show tour on June 29 in Las Vegas. [Billboard]