‘Life’ to feature a special on Orlando shooting survivors
‘Breakthrough’ gets 2nd season
LOS ANGELES, July 26, (RTRS): MTV is honoring the victims of the Orlando anti-LGBT shooting with a special episode of the documentary series “True Life”, titled “True Life: We Are Orlando.”
The special, which airs Monday, Aug 15, will follow survivors of the nightclub shooting, as they try to come to terms with the trauma they experienced in order to get their lives back on track.
On June 12, an attack at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fl, marked the deadliest mass shooting in US history, leaving 49 dead and 53 others wounded. The announcement of MTV’s “True Life” special comes on the day of another Florida nightclub shooting that left at least two dead and another 17 injured.
Leading up to the Aug 15 episode, MTV will release more than a dozen short digital videos on social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat Discover and Tumblr, beginning on Monday, July 25. The videos will feature content that will not be seen on the TV special, including interviews and footage of LGBTQ community members from Orlando.
The digital and social video component marks the first time in the 18 year history of “True Life” that viewers will have the chance to meet the subjects and hear their stories, while the larger TV special is still in production. With the digital series, viewers will be directed to a page on the “MTV Elect This” site to see how they can support the individuals in “True Life: We Are Orlando” and take action on gun reform.
Meet the individuals who will be included in “True Life: We Are Orlando”, and watch two sneak peaks of the digital series below:
Tony Marrero: Tony was shot four times during the attack, including once in the back. He faces a long road ahead as he heals from his physical wounds, but is finding it more challenging to accept the loss of his best friend Luis Vielma, who was killed in the attack, and also come to terms with the guilt he feels over being forced to leave an unknown club patron behind as he called for help while Tony crawled out of the club.
Patience Carter and Tiara Parker: While on vacation from Philadelphia, Patience, Tiara and Tiara’s cousin Akyra headed to Pulse for a night out. The three young women hid in a bathroom during the attack where they were shot and trapped in the room with the shooter during his three hour standoff with the police. Patience and Tiara are now starting therapy to deal with the unspeakable actions that they witnessed and begin to move forward.
As expected, Timothy Hutton has set his return to the third season of “American Crime”, Variety has learned.
Hutton joins his fellow cast members Felicity Huffman, Regina King and Richard Cabral, who were all previously confirmed to return to Season 3. All four actors starred in the first two seasons of the criticallyacclaimed ABC anthology.
The upcoming season of John Ridley’s drama will be set in North Carolina and will deal with labor issues. While most details are scarce at this point, executive producer Michael McDonald teased a bit of Hutton’s character description, revealing that he will play a wealthy man.
“John and I are thrilled to have Tim return to season 3”, said McDonald. “We believe that Tim’s undeniable talent will be showcased in a role unlike anything we have ever seen from Tim. He will shock the audience in a darker twisted turn as a wealthy man struggling to keep his family and fortune.”
National Geographic Channel has ordered a second season of Ron Howard’s docuseries “Breakthrough”, Variety has learned exclusively.
The anthology series that enlists directors to follow trailblazing scientists on the verge of possibly monumental discoveries will get another six episodes, to premiere next spring.
“‘Breakthrough’ is about taking the science, these hot-button issues, and looking at it from a storyteller’s eye”, Howard said. “It’s about finding the hope in it, finding the heroism. And I have no doubt that this new season’s visionary filmmakers will add their own style of storytelling to show the power of the intersection between science and human drama, making it relatable for audiences.”