It looks like we can add Oscar winner Diane Keaton to the list of actors making the transition from big to small screen. According to EW, she will be teaming up with Ellen Page for a new HBO half-hour comedy called Tilda.

The show, which in produced by Bill Condon, centers on a powerful and much-feared Hollywood blogger who may or may not be based on Deadline’s Nikki Finke. It will also feature Page as Carolyn, Tilda’s “morally conflicted” assistant.

The case reportedly came together after months of negotiations. What finally sealed the deal may never be publically known but whatever it was, HBO must have offered quite a lot to secure Keaton’s participation. Not to take anything away from Page but as stars go, Keaton is on another level entirely.

Tilda will start shooting next month in Los Angeles with a planned launch on HBO sometime early next year.

HBO is planning a half-hour comedy series with writer-director Bill Condon and Tell Me You Love Me creator Cynthia Mort. The show, titled Tilda, ”centers on a powerful female online showbiz journalist with a no-holds-barred style.” For examples of such a character you can look to online reporters Nikki Finke, Sharon Waxman and Anne Thompson. Entertainment journalists who have made a successful career online.

As traditional news outlets scale down reporting, or go out of business entirely, many reporters have found a new home online. This is especially true for entertainment and celebrity reporting. Given that, it seems only natural for a network like HBO to latch onto this transition and build a show around it.

While there has not been a lot of details about Tilda provided this, in my opinion, could be Sex and the City 2.0. A female lead, who’s a writer, dishing on relationships (in this case about celebrities).  Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Furthermore, a show such as this is ripe for celebrity cameos, and given the rich talent pool from HBO I’m sure they can pull a few strings to get walk-ons. Being a writer, specifically one who covers entertainment news, I’m interested to see how this show shakes out.

Continue Reading →