| | | | What's news: Rapper Coolio has died at 59. David Zaslav has reaffirmed that WBD is not for sale. Epix is rebranding as MGM+. Starz is rebranding as Lionsgate+ outside the U.S. The Golden Globes is adding more categories. AMC has renewed Interview With the Vampire. Lisa Kudrow is the lead in Apple's Time Bandits series. — Abid Rahman |
Farrow and Masters on #MeToo, 5 Years Later ►"Harvey’s place in Hollywood changed, and maybe in some subtle ways Hollywood started to change." For nearly two decades, Harvey Weinstein’s predatory tendencies were legend in Hollywood. And until a news organization could gather the sourcing and the courage to take on the mogul, that’s what they would remain. In October 2017, Ronan Farrow's feature in The New Yorker, along with an investigation by The New York Times, turned the whispers into fact and kicked off the #MeToo reckoning. Farrow sits down with THR’s editor-at-large Kim Masters to discuss the behind-the-scenes processes and emotional toll of holding abusers to account. The talk.
—The darkest timeline. To mark five years since #MeToo went global, THR has compiled an incomplete — but nevertheless harrowing — chronology of a worldwide reckoning that spanned entertainment, media and politics. The timeline. |
Zaslav: WBD "Absolutely Not For Sale" ►"We have everything we need to be successful." Warner Bros. Discovery held a company-wide town hall on Wednesday, with CEO David Zaslav and his top creative deputies discussing the state of the company, and their vision for the future. Zaslav was joined by HBO chief Casey Bloys, WB film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy and WB TV topper Channing Dungey. Zaslav emphasized that he and his team are committed to the long-haul as a “pure play content company,” and is not thinking about dealmaking, despite sale rumors. The story.
—"This rebrand is a promise to existing and new viewers." Epix, the MGM-backed premium cable network and streamer, is being rebranded as MGM+. The change better aligns the brand with parent company MGM after the studio acquired full ownership of Epix from previous owners Viacom and Lionsgate in 2017 in a deal valued at $1b. The rebrand will kick off on Jan. 15, timed to the third-season return of drama series Godfather of Harlem, Epix’s best-performing season of all time. The story.
—Another plus. Lionsgate has decided to focus on spinning off its studio business. The strategy shift comes as it renames its StarzPlay streaming platform as Lionsgate+ in 35 countries. The Lionsgate+ rebrand will not happen in the U.S. and Canada, where the streaming platform will retain its Starz branding. The rebranding will come into effect today. The story.
—Consolidation continues. Anonymous Content, the management and production company that’s backed The Revenant, Mr. Robot, and has clients like Samuel L. Jackson and Emma Stone, is exploring an acquisition of fast-rising firm Grandview/Automatik. The latter's clients include Top Gun 2 director Joe Kosinski, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal and Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg. The story. |
News Emmys 2022 ►Judy's night. CBS, ABC and Vice were among the big winners at the 43rd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards held Wednesday at the Palladium Times Square in New York City. PBS NewsHour anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff was the previously announced recipient of the night’s lifetime achievement honor. The documentary winners will be announced Thursday. The winners.
—Supportive move. The HFPA has added new supporting acting TV categories for the 2023 Golden Globes effective immediately. The new categories are best supporting actor in a television series/musical-comedy or drama, best supporting actress in a television series/musical-comedy or drama, best supporting actor in a limited series/anthology or motion picture made for television and best supporting actress in a limited series/anthology or motion picture made for television. The story.
—Boost for members. The Academy announced Wednesday that members will be invited to serve as seat-fillers for the annual Oscars, beginning with next year’s March 12 ceremony. In the last two years, the Academy has limited the number of Oscars tickets for non-nominated voting members due to COVID-19 protocols. The announcement also included the return of the annual ticket lottery for members. The story.
—Not holding back. Inside Amy Schumer is mounting its comeback, and it won’t be subtle. Ahead of the series’ Oct. 20 debut on Paramount +, the streamer has released two clips, designed to showcase what audiences can expect from the show’s long-awaited fifth season. The first of the sketches is titled simply “Colorado” and deals with the reversal of Roe, and the second clip, "Home Spanx," takes aim at the shapewear industry. The clips.
—"I was kind of in the way, in a way I didn’t imagine." Jimmy Kimmel says he misjudged how people would react to a comedy bit he conceived for the Emmy Awards — one that ended up distracting from Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson’s win for comedy writing. Appearing on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show Wednesday, Kimmel said he regrets taking the focus away from Brunson's moment of triumph. The story. |
'Dallas Sting': When a Studio Investigates Its Own Project ►"People got spooked." It began with an anonymous note and ended with the scuttling of a $35m feature. Skydance was about two months away from starting production on Dallas Sting, an inspirational true-life tale that was to star Matthew McConaughey, when the film was scrapped Sept. 14. THR's Borys Kit reports on what really happened to the soccer drama and talks to insiders about the fallout. The story.
—Rapid renewal. AMC has picked up a second season of Interview With the Vampire, the show based on Anne Rice’s beloved novel. The renewal comes a few days ahead of the show’s Oct. 2 series premiere. The eight-episode second season will be set in Europe. Showrunner Rolin Jones will continue to oversee the series with Mark Johnson executive producing. The story.
—🎭 Casting news 🎭 Lisa Kudrow will head the cast for Apple TV+’s Time Bandits, Taika Waititi’s series adaptation of the 1981 Terry Gilliam film. The show has also cast seven other actors: Kal-El Tuck, Charlyne Yi, Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Kiera Thompson and the always wonderful Rachel House. Waititi is a co-writer on the series and will direct the first two episodes. The story.
—🎭 More casting news 🎭 Netflix has revealed the cast of Berlin, the Spanish spinoff series to the streamer’s global hit Money Heist. The prequel follows the extraordinary heists carried out by Pedro Alonso's Berlin character before the events of the original series. The cast includes Michelle Jenner, Tristán Ulloa, Begoña Vargas, Julio Peña Fernández and Joel Sánchez. The story.
—🎭 Yet more casting news 🎭 Al Pacino is set to topline Alec Griffen Roth’s debut feature, Billy Knight. The Oscar winner will star opposite Charlie Heaton and Diana Silvers in the project that Roth describes as “a love letter to cinema.” The plot follows grad school students, Alex (Heaton) and Emily (Silvers), as they navigate their careers as aspiring filmmakers. The story. |
'Dahmer': Victim's Family Speaks Out ►"It felt like reliving it all over again." Rita Isbell, a family member of one of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims who is portrayed in the new Netflix series about the serial killer, is speaking out about Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Isbell’s brother, Errol Lindsey, was murdered at age 19 by Dahmer. Isbell says she wasn’t contacted by Netflix and criticized the streaming giant for profiting off the murders. The story.
—"Anyone else think it’s pretty gross?" Netflix has taken an “LGBTQ” tag off of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story after an outcry from viewers. The tag was one of several categories initially used to categorize the limited series, along with labels like “dark,” “horror” and “vintage crime.” Viewers noticed and raised objections online. The story.
—Restitution order. A federal judge signaled Wednesday that she plans to order disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly to pay more than $300,000 to one his victims in a decades-long scheme to use his fame to sexually abuse young fans. A restitution order by U.S. District Judge Ann Connelly that was still being finalized is meant to cover the cost of treatment for herpes and psychotherapy. The story.
—Legal strategy. Lawyers representing Hargobind Tahilramani, the alleged Con Queen of Hollywood, laid out the strategy they intend to pursue in order to block an extradition request by the U.S. DOJ. Tahilramani's legal team intend to cite their client's mental health, his prior abuse and the dangerous state of U.S. prisons. Hearings on the extradition are currently underway at the Western Magistrates Court in London. The story. |
Coolio 1963 - 2022 ►West Coast legend. Coolio, the Grammy-winning Compton rapper who was behind the global hit “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has died. He was 59. His manager, Jarez Posey, told THR that Coolio died Wednesday afternoon at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. No cause of death was given. The obituary.
—"Rest in power my brother." Fellow rappers, actors and other entertainment industry people took to social media to pay tribute to Coolio on Wednesday night. The likes of Martin Lawrence, Questlove, Kenan Thompson, Weird Al Yankovic, Ice Cube, Flavor Flav, MC Hammer and more shared their thoughts and paid tribute to the rapper. The reaction. |
Film Review: 'Hocus Pocus 2' ►"Honors the past without forging into the future." THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews Anne Fletcher's Hocus Pocus 2. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles in this Disney+ follow-up to the 1993 film about a group of kids who accidentally revive a powerful coven of witches. The review. — "A disquieting experience." Lovia reviews Parker Finn's Smile. Sosie Bacon stars in this film about a woman haunted and hunted by her trauma, co-starring Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert and Kal Penn. The review. — "First-person filmmaking at its eloquent best." THR film critic Sheri Linden reviews Iliana Sosa's What We Leave Behind. Sosa documents her family’s hard-working patriarch during his final years in rural Mexico, and gets to know him in the process. The review. — "Thorough, balanced and provocative." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews HBO’s Hostages. The four-part docuseries examines the 1979-81 Iran hostage crisis and explores the 20th-century history of relations between the United States and Iran. The review. In other news... — Yellowstone season 5 trailer: Meet Gov. Dutton —Television Center in Hollywood to get $600m soundstage redevelopment —Where to go out in Los Angeles right now —LA Philharmonic honors John Williams’ 90th birthday —The Weeknd reschedules L.A. concert, adds second show —LAPD ID suspect in shooting of rapper PnB Rock —Former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo plots comeback with “candid” podcast —VidCon to host first East Coast convention next year —NBCU's content distribution president Mac Budill steps down after 10 years —UTA names Allan Haldeman head of New York office — For Diego director Miguel Flatow signs with Rain What else we're reading... —A.A. Dowd writes that Blonde is likely to be the first and last NC-17 Netflix movie [ Ringer] —Natalie Jarvey reports on the existential dread stalking Hollywood as layoffs and cost-cutting start to amp up across town [ VF] —Nicholas Kulish, Rebecca R. Ruiz and Karen Weise report that billionaire MacKenzie Scott has quietly divorced her second husband [ NYT] —Alexis Soloski talks to Wendell "Bunk" Pierce on becoming the first Black lead in Death of a Salesman [ NYT] —On the 30th anniversary of Singles, Adam Nayman reappraises Cameron Crowe's film, describing it as "tired, empty, cliché" [ Gawker] Today... ...in 1954, Warner Bros. premiered George Cukor’s A Star Is Born at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated event was billed at the time as “the first film to premiere telecast coast-to-coast; first to provide a working press room.” The drama went on to be nominated for six Oscars at the 27th Academy Awards. The original review. Today's birthdays: Ian McShane (80), Halsey (28), Zachary Levi (42), Erika Eleniak (53), Nicholas Galitzine (28), Dale Dickey (61), Cindy Morgan (68), Mackenzie Crook (51), Nicolas Winding Refn (52), Chrissy Metz (42), Luke and Matt Goss (54), Zibby Allen (42), Sasha Lane (27), James Lance (48), Roger Bart (60), Andrew Dice Clay (65), Patricia Hodge (76), Martin Ferrero (75), Anna Khaja (48), Marco Ilsø (28), Robert Webb (50) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
