| | | | What's news: Katy Perry is leaving American Idol. Alicia Keys' Super Bowl Halftime Show appearance was pitch-corrected before its release on YouTube. WB has signed a first look film deal with Margot Robbie's LuckyChap. The lead for The Karate Kid film reboot has been found. Woody Allen's Coup de Chance will get a U.S. release. Tyler Perry has signed a first look deal with Netflix. — Abid Rahman
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Stewart Rips Trump and Biden in 'Daily Show' Return ►"It turns out that the leading cause of early onset dementia is being deposed." Jon Stewart returned to host The Daily Show on Monday night and within three minutes was already going after Donald Trump — but also Joe Biden, by taking a critical look at the president’s apparent age-related issues. Announcing "Indecision 2024: Electile Dysfunction," Stewart dove right into hitting Trump and Biden for their recent public appearances that have raised serious questions about their fitness for office. The story.
—"I very much wanted to have some place to unload thoughts as we get into this election season." Earlier on Monday, Jon Stewart opened up about why he was returning as The Daily Show host, nearly nine years after leaving the nightly gig. Appearing on CBS Mornings, Stewart said it was the current political environment that brought him back, while also sharing that the move was influenced by his departure from Apple TV+ over creative differences. The story. |
Super Bowl LVIII Sets All-Time Ratings Record ►Good Lord. The second overtime game in Super Bowl history delivered a gigantic audience on Sunday — the biggest one in the history of total-viewer ratings, in fact. The Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers averaged 120m viewers on CBS, by itself the largest telecast on record. Simulcasts on Nickelodeon, Univision, Paramount+ and other digital platforms pushed the total to 123.4m. No other broadcast in American TV history — at least as measured by Nielsen — has drawn more people. The ratings.
—Off Keys. The NFL set the internet ablaze on Monday with theories that a recording of Alicia Keys‘ halftime appearance was pitch-corrected before its release on YouTube. Keys dazzled as the first guest of Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday, beginning her performance with "If I Ain’t Got You." In the opening note of the song, many fans heard Keys' voice crack. Clips of the vocal stumble spread across the internet, but many later noticed it was missing from the official recording of the performance later uploaded to YouTube. The story. |
J.Lo On Why She Financed Her New Film ►"Everybody thought I was crazy." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to Jennifer Lopez about her new film This is Me … Now: A Love Story, the "narrative driven, cinematic original" film that hits Amazon Prime Video this week. Lopez reveals that when the money fell out for the ambitious musical, she opened her wallet even though her producing partner admits, "I was terrified." The interview.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Warner Bros. is staying in business with Margot Robbie, with the studio securing a first look film deal with LuckyChap, the banner Robbie runs with Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara. The LuckyChap-produced Barbie stands as WB's highest grossing film of all time, with $1.45b. The deal is another coup for WB film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who have focused on courting top talent, signing Tom Cruise to a much ballyhooed (but non-exclusive) deal, and bringing Ryan Coogler’s next movie to the studio. The story.
—🎭 The search is over 🎭 THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Sony Pictures finding the new Karate Kid. The studio has cast Ben Wang, best known as the star of Disney+ series American Born Chinese, to star in its latest installment of the coming-of-age martial arts franchise. The casting comes after a global search that saw thousands of submissions from around the world, with 10,000 entries reported in the first 24 hours alone. The story.
—Coming out of the shadows. Last week, THR reported that Woody Allen’s latest film Coup de Chance was being shared via links and New Yorkers were attending clandestine screenings at an East Village space as a theatrical release in the U.S. seemed remote. Now, the controversial filmmaker's French-language film is set for a North America release through MPI Media Group, opening on April 4 before hitting digital VOD release on April 12. The film has already been released in many European markets, and has made $7.3m. The story.
—🤝 Sold wide 🤝 Germany’s Beta Cinema has racked up multiple territory deals for its Joseph Goebbels biopic Führer and Seducer ahead of the film’s premiere at the European Film Market in Berlin later this week. Directed by filmmaker/writer/historian Joachim A. Lang, Führer and Seducer stars Robert Stadlober as Goebbels, Austrian actor Fritz Karl (Sisi) as Adolf Hitler and Franziska Weisz as Goebbels’ wife Magda. The story.
—"Morbius was better." Sony's Spider-Man spinoff film Madame Web had its premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night, and the first reactions have already hit social media. Alas, the overall verdict seems to be a big "yikes" from those who attended the screening. THR's full review of Madame Web is below. The reaction. |
FX Chief on What Killed Peak TV ►"The only thing that you can do to get closer to profitability faster is reduce your output." FX CEO John Landgraf, fresh off revealing a 14 percent decline in the volume of scripted originals and saying “adios” to Peak TV, can pinpoint the moment the bubble burst. THR's Lesley Goldberg spoke to Landgraf about his vision of the future of television, and his forecast on what will stop the industry’s contraction. The interview.
—Class action suit. Amazon is facing a lawsuit accusing it of misleading Prime subscribers by charging them an additional fee to stream movies and TV shows without ads. A proposed class action lawsuit claims breach of contract and violations of state consumer protection laws on behalf of users who saw the terms of their subscriptions with Amazon change when it pivoted to making its ad tier the default for its over 100m subscribers. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Netflix is doubling down on its commitment to the ever-busy Tyler Perry. The streamer announced Monday that it was adding a multi-year, first-look series deal to its ongoing partnership with Perry. The first series under the new pact is titled Beauty in Black, a 16-episode hour-long drama, written, directed and produced by the man himself. The story.
—"I need to feel that pulse of my own beat." Katy Perry has revealed that the upcoming 22nd season of American Idol will be her last. The singer broke the news on Monday night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and said she was booked to appear at the massive Rock in Rio music festival in September, and dropped vague hints that new music and possibly a tour were on the way. Perry has been a judge on Idol, alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, since the former Fox singing competition series was revived by ABC in 2018. The story. |
The Latest Side Gig for A-Listers: Screening Host ►The Riseborough factor. From Angelina Jolie to Jennifer Aniston to J. Lo, THR's Pamela McClintock writes that more and more of Hollywood’s top actors are lending their star power to boost their favorite Oscar campaigns, sometimes moderating panels themselves. The story.
—Snoop dog steals the show. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon on Monday at the Beverly Hilton and THR's executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg was on the scene. Scott reports that the loudest ovations in the room, as Oscar nominees were called forward for their class photo, appeared to go to Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Robert Downey Jr., Christopher Nolan and Paul Giamatti. The story.
—Unanimous. Actors' Equity Association has voted to authorize a strike against the Broadway League amid negotiations over developmental work. The strike authorization vote was agreed to unanimously by the union’s 83-member national council. The union went on a 33-day strike in 2019 over this contract, which pertains to workshops and readings of shows held before potential full productions on Broadway or elsewhere. The story.
—On the move. Appropriate, starring Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll, is transferring to another Broadway theater to extend its run. The Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play will move to the Belasco Theatre starting March 25, a few weeks after it plays its last performance at the Hayes Theater. The limited run will play the Belasco Theatre through June 23. Elle Fanning, who is starring in the current run, will not be able to transfer with the production. The story.
—More media layoffs. SiriusXM is laying off less than 3 percent of its workforce, or about 160 positions, as the company reorganizes to promote future subscriber growth. In a memo to employees Monday, CEO Jennifer Witz said the layoffs will allow the company to become “more efficient, agile, and flexible.” As of December 31, 2023, the company reported having 5,680 full-time and part-time employees. The story. | Film Review: 'Madame Web' ►"Doesn't meet even the lowest expectations." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews S.J. Clarkson's Madame Web. Dakota Johnson stars alongside Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott, Isabela Merced and Celeste O'Connor in this Sony/Marvel offering about a clairvoyant paramedic. The review. In other news...
—Gillian Anderson pursues Prince Andrew interview in Scoop teaser
—Kate McKinnon to release debut novel in October
—Anatomy of a Fall named best picture of 2023 by Vancouver Film Critics Circle
—Usher and Jennifer Goicoechea obtained marriage license in Vegas ahead of Super Bowl
—Tiger Woods launches lifestyle brand Sun Day Red
—Billionaires' survivalist bunkers go absolutely bonkers with fiery moats and water cannons
—Kylie Minogue signs with UTA
What else we're reading...
—Anne Marie Lee reports on the troubling TikTok trend of Gen Zers recording themselves getting fired [CBS News]
—Finally, some good news related to a digital media company, with Max Tani reporting that Slate enjoyed their most profitable year ever in 2023 [Semafor]
—Reeves Wiedeman has an incredible profile of Bill "Activist Man" Ackman — incredible because the billionaire agreed to be involved [Intelligencer]
—With Kanye "Ye" West's The College Dropout hitting 20 this year, Justin Charity digs deep into the album to find clues about the person the rapper was perhaps always destined to become [Ringer]
—Alison Willmore defines and advocates for movies to feature scenes that elicit a "Spectacle Cry," that is, those scenes that unexpectedly push the viewer to become overcome by the sweep of what’s onscreen [Vulture]
Today...
...in 1998, New Line unveiled The Wedding Singer in theaters in time for Valentine’s Day audiences. The Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore rom-com went on to earn $123m globally at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Neal McDonough (58), Stockard Channing (80), Kim Novak (91), Alaqua Cox (27), Sophia Lillis (22), Mena Suvari (45), Kelly Hu (56), Richard Tyson (63), Ferdinand Kingsley (36), Tony Dalton (49), Henry Rollins (63), Sydney Chandler (28), Andy Buckley (59), Bo Svenson (83), Pernilla August (66), Donald Sumpter (81), Hugh Dennis (62), Cissy Jones (45), JB Blanc (55), Joe Estevez (78), Scott Paulin (74), Carolyn Lawrence (57), Reem Kherici (41) |
| Terry Levene, the schlock showman who as the head of Aquarius Releasing was behind such films as Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave and Doctor Butcher, Medical Deviate, has died. He was 90. The obituary. |
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