| | | | | | What's news: Fox Corp.'s upcoming Fox One streaming service will cost $20 per month. Sean Combs will stay in jail as he awaits sentencing. Apple is suing Apple Cinemas for trademark infringement. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent is departing the company. Lee Chang-dong's next film Possible Love has landed at Netflix. — Abid Rahman
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The New York Post Goes Hollywood ►Surprise! News Corp. is bringing its New York Post to California with a new daily newspaper: The California Post. The new venture will feature the signature high-low mix of content that the New York Post is famous for. The California Post will be based in Los Angeles, and led by editor-in-chief Nick Papps, joined by a team of reporters across the state, while also leveraging the Post’s national resources. It will include a daily print newspaper, with front pages following the tone and tenor that the New York Post is infamous for, as well as a robust digital, social, audio and video presence. The California Post will launch in early 2026, and mock cover images show that the New York paper’s gossip section Page Six will make the move westward as well. The story.
—Rupert's new war. THR's Erik Hayden writes that the launch of a New York Post offshoot in California may seem like a side show, but News Corp. sees a real chance to carve away audience from The Los Angeles Times with its tabloid formula. Is the Times' owner Patrick Soon-Shiong ready? The analysis.
—On the up and up. Fox Corp. saw its ad revenue rise by 7 percent in its last quarter (the company’s fiscal Q4), underscoring how its strategy has separated itself from the competition, with most other media companies reporting flat or declining ad revenue at a challenging moment for the medium. Fox says that the growth was driven by its Tubi free ad-supported streaming service, as well as Fox News. Total revenue in the quarter was $3.29b, up 6 percent from a year ago, with ad revenue accounting for $1.1b of that total. Net income was $719m, more than doubling the year-ago quarter, with the company also seeing 6 percent growth in affiliate revenue, and 33 percent growth in other revenue, thanks to higher content revenues. The results.
—Coming soon. Fox Corp. will launch its Fox One streaming service later this month, at a price point of $20 per month. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the launch during the company’s earnings call on Tuesday, Aug. 5, telling analysts that Fox One will debut Aug. 21, in time for the launch of Big Noon Saturday, Fox’s flagship college football show, as well as the NFL season kickoff, and MLB playoffs. On the call, Murdoch reiterated that Fox One is targeting "cord-nevers," trying to reach consumers that have not subscribed to pay-TV, and are unlikely to do so. The story. |
Trump Takes on L.A. Olympics ►Uh-oh. THR's James Hibberd reports that Donald Trump is readying an initiative that could set the White House on another collision course with Los Angeles officials. The president is set to announce a task force on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — with himself on top of the podium. The White House has scheduled an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday with a selection of athletes and members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to reveal the news, sources confirm. This includes having Trump in charge of the effort. While it’s certainly not unusual for the federal government to form an Olympics task force, such efforts tend to be run by law enforcement departments which provide public safety and security support. The story.
—"Why is he allowed to use the word ‘GOD’ when describing himself?" The ever-busy, workaholic Donald Trump somehow found the time to slam radio personality Charlamagne tha God for his recent appearance on his daughter-in-law Lara Trump’s Fox News program My View. The Breakfast Club host appeared on a Saturday segment of the president’s daughter-in-law’s show, where he said that he “think[s] traditional conservatives are going to take the Republican Party back.” During Charlamagne’s My View appearance, he cited a future “political coup” in the Republican Party due to the infamous Epstein files. "He’s a Low IQ individual, has no idea what words are coming out of his mouth and knows nothing about me or what I have done," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The story. |
Paramount TV Studios Reborn Under Skydance ►Back from the dead. A year ago, Paramount Television Studios was shuttered in a cost-cutting move as its parent company prepared to merge with Skydance. With that deal on the verge of closing, the new Paramount is reviving the Paramount TV Studios name — which will in turn absorb one of the company’s two remaining studio operations as well as the formerly independent Skydance Television. Skydance TV president Matt Thunell is set to lead Paramount TV Studios, reporting to Dana Goldberg, the newly named co-chair of Paramount Pictures (with Josh Greenstein) and chair of Paramount Television. The story.
—"They are dynamic leaders whose impact spans industries and whose reputations resonate across the business world." With Skydance's deal to acquire Paramount Global set to close later this week, David Ellison has unveiled its proposed 10 new board directors to serve once the merger is completed. Ellison is set to serve as the future chairman and CEO of the Paramount studio. Former Paramount Pictures head Sherry Lansing is proposed to sit as an independent director, while Oracle Corp CEO Safra A. Catz, whose company is aligned with former CEO Larry Ellison, father of David Ellison, is also tapped for the new boardroom. Barbara Byrne, former vice chairman of British investment bank Barclays, is the lone holdover from the old board and will sit as an independent director. The new Paramount will have three segments: Studios, direct-to-consumer, and TV media. The story. |
Apple Sues Apple Cinemas ►Apple-solutely not! In June, a relatively unknown East Coast movie theater chain announced that it had signed a lease in San Francisco to take over a historic cinema and retail space previously occupied by AMC Theatres and CGV Cinemas. The opening was part of an aggressive expansion that includes plans to roll out 100 locations nationwide to become one of the largest exhibitors in North America over the next decade. That exhibitor? Apple Cinemas but not the Cupertino-based tech monolith, which is now going to court in a bid to force the company into changing its name. In a lawsuit filed on Friday in Massachusetts federal court, Apple accuses the theater chain of trademark infringement for taking advantage of its brand to trick consumers into believing that the two companies are affiliated with one another. The story.
—Hi, hello, howdy! Roku is launching an ad-free, subscription streaming service. The service, called Howdy, offers a lower price point than most ad-free streaming services, at $2.99 a month, and launches with a library of close to 10,000 hours of entertainment from partners including Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery and FilmRise, in addition to select Roku Original titles. Initial titles in the library include Mad Max: Fury Road, The Blind Side, Weeds and Kids in the Hall, among others. Howdy is set to launch Tuesday in the U.S. This joins the company’s Roku Channel, which includes ads on a large library of content, as well as Roku Originals, and was the most popular FAST service in June, according to the Nielsen Gauge. The story.
—✊ Hollywood labor vet. ✊ The NFL Players Association has elected a veteran entertainment labor figure as its interim leader after former executive director Lloyd Howell resigned in July. On Sunday, the players’ union announced that they had appointed former SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White to the vacant leadership position following a “a comprehensive, player-led process.” The move follows Howell’s resignation in a cloud of controversy on July 17 after two years as the union’s top staffer. White has a wealth of experience dealing with labor issues involving high-profile talent, having previously served as SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator between 2009 and 2021 after working as general counsel for the performers’ union between 2002 and 2006. The story.
—Shake-up. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent is departing the company as it undergoes a broader restructuring and a push toward video. The podcasting company, which was acquired by Amazon in 2021, will move its narrative podcast studio, which includes Dr. Death, American Scandal and Business Wars, to Audible, and will also see Wondery’s chief content officer Marshall Lewy joining Audible’s content team. The team responsible for Wondery’s creator-led, video-focused podcast shows such as New Heights and Armchair Expert will join Amazon’s Talent Services team, forming a new organization called Creator Services. The story. |
Diddy Denied Release From Jail Until Sentencing ►Not going anywhere. Sean Combs will stay in jail as he awaits sentencing for prostitution-related crimes, a court has ruled. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on Monday denied Combs’ bid to be released, finding that this history of violence shows that he could pose a danger to others. "Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears," the judge wrote. The order comes after a former girlfriend of Combs — who was at one point set to participate in the government’s case against him as “Victim-3” — urged the court on Sunday to grant bail. The woman, Viginia Huynh, said Combs is a “family man” committed to becoming “a better person” and “address the harm he had caused.” The story.
—Arrested. Rapper Soulja Boy was arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Division confirmed to THR. Wilshire Officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Genesee and Melrose around 2:30 a.m. While they conducted an investigation, Soulja Boy, whose legal name is Deandre Cortez Way, was identified as the passenger in the vehicle. He was detained and subsequently arrested due to him being in possession of a firearm. It is not currently known what prompted the police to stop the vehicle, or who else was in the car with the rapper. The story. |
BAFTA Tweaks Rules for Television and Craft Awards ►🏆 Rule change! 🏆 For the first time ever, all 6,000 members will be allowed to vote on the nominees and winners in BAFTA TV's international category. The British film and television academy on Tuesday unveiled tweaks to its rules for voting on the BAFTA Television Craft Awards and BAFTA Television Awards, set for Apr. 26 and May 10, 2026, respectively. BAFTA is also allowing one exemption for a senior team member who might not be U.K.-eligible in their craft TV categories. The story.
—Still undefeated. NBC will keep American Ninja Warrior running (and jumping, and climbing) for another season. The network has ordered an 18th season of the competition series that sees contestants working to conquer an intricate obstacle course. Hosts Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall are all set to return. Production on season 18 is set to begin in the fall, with all rounds taking place in Las Vegas. American Ninja Warrior will also add a new round to season 18, in which trios of contestants will take part in head-to-head-to-head races over of a three-lane course. It will also keep the bracket-style format of the current season’s final rounds (which start with Monday night’s episode), with one-on-one races deciding who moves on. The story.
—Switching sides. MSNBC has made a major hire for its news team, tapping Jacob Soboroff as senior national and political correspondent. Soboroff, currently a national and political correspondent for NBC News, will jump to MSNBC as the cable news channel prepares to split from NBC as part of the Versant spinoff. He will continue to be based in Los Angeles. He is no stranger to MSNBC viewers, appearing frequently on the channel, including his work on a special primetime town hall earlier this year. The story. |
Original 'Naked Gun' Director Reacts to Reboot Success ►"I'm excited about it because it just shows that there’s a strong market for comedy in movie theaters, and spoof in particular." THR's resident funny man Ryan Gajewski spoke to filmmaker David Zucker, the director of 1988's The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and 1991's The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, about the new Liam Neeson-fronted reboot of the franchise. Zucker reveals that he wants the best for the new film and reached out to director Akiva Schaffer to show his support, even if the movie "really isn't what I would have done." The interview.
—Get excited. The New York Film Festival has unveiled its main slate of movies for its 2025 edition. The 34 films selected include Jafar Panahi’s Cannes’ Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident, Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite, Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, Kelly Reichardt‘s The Mastermind, the Laura Poitras- and Mark Obenhaus-directed Seymour Hersh documentary Cover-Up and Mary Bronstein’s Rose Byrne and Conan O’Brien starrer If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The main slate is made up of movies from 26 countries and features two world premieres, eight North American premieres and 13 U.S. debuts. The festival is set to run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 13. The lineup.
—New additions. The Toronto Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled 55 new film titles for its global-film focused Centerpiece program, including titles from Richard Linklater, Christian Petzold, Anders Thomas Jensen, Pietro Marcello and Álvaro Olmos Torrico. There’s world premieres for the “Brat” singer Charli xcx-starrer Erupcja from director Peter Ohs; the Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough and Anson Boon starring thriller Good Boy, from director Jan Komasa and co-producer Jeremy Thomas; Adam Carter Rehmeier’s romantic crime thriller Carolina Caroline, starring Samara Weaving; and Kirk Jones’ Tourette Syndrome drama I Swear, which stars Robert Aramayo as John Davidson, the trailblazing campaigner. The story.
—🎭 All Twits in place. 🎭 Netflix has unveiled the full cast of its upcoming animated adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Twits. Joining the previously announced Johnny Vegas, Margo Martindale, Emilia Clarke and Natalie Portman are Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Beesha, Ryan Lopez as Busby, Timothy Simons as Marty Muggle-Wump, Nicole Byer as Beverly Onion, and Jason Mantzoukas as Mayor Wayne John John-John. Also starring in the Jellyfish Pictures feature is Alan Tudyk as Sweet Toed Toad, Mark Proksch as Horvis Dingle, Rebecca Wisocky as Dee Dumdie-Dungle and Charlie Berens as Gorb Klurb. The story.
—The return of the king. It’s an improbable pairing yet nonetheless exciting news for film buffs: Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong is returning to filmmaking to direct a feature project backed by Netflix. Titled Possible Love, the drama is Lee’s first movie in eight years since his critically acclaimed Haruki Murakami adaptation, Burning. The new film reunites Lee with the stars of his most critically revered earlier work. Possible Love 's story is said to follow “the intertwined lives of two married couples leading completely opposite lives. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence.” Korean screen royalty Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu will play the lead couple, Mi-ok and Ho-seok. The second couple — Sang-woo and Ye-ji — will be played by Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong. The story. |
TV Review: 'Alien: Earth' ►"On Earth, everyone can hear you scream." THR's Angie Han reviews FX's Alien: Earth. Timothy Olyphant and Sydney Chandler star in the Noah Hawley-created series, a sci-fi prequel set in the Alien universe, which begins with a spaceship crash-landing on our planet and introducing an array of deadly extraterrestrial creatures. Also starring Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Alex Lawther and Essie Davis. The review.
—"Enjoyable, but can't reproduce its predecessor's formula." THR's chief film critic Daniel Fienberg reviews FXX's Necaxa. The Eva Longoria, Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac-produced docuseries, which focuses on struggling Mexican soccer squad Necaxa, is one in a recent wave of series about celebrities investing in sports teams. The review.
—"A jerky ride." For THR, Lovia Gyarkye reviews Tim Story's The Pickup. Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer and Eva Longoria star in this Amazon feature from director The Blackening filmmaker, about a pair of armored car guards who get ensnared in a deadly pursuit. The review.
In other news...
—Jay Kelly teaser: George Clooney goes on a journey of self-discovery with Adam Sandler
—Allison Williams, Dave Franco lead emotional trailer for Colleen Hoover movie Regretting You
—Harry Potter full cast audiobook to star Hugh Laurie, Matthew Macfadyen
—San Sebastián: Saoirse Ronan-starrer Bad Apples to open new directors strand
—Doechii announces 12-stop live from the Swamp Tour
—Burbank Fest: Quentin Tarantino set for Vanguard Award
What else we're reading...
—With deep cuts to PBS and NPR and a hostile GOP, Nicholas Quah writes that the future of public media looks rocky [Vulture]
—Justin McCurry reports on the race to secure Hiroshima survivors’ memories amid a new era of nuclear brinkmanship [Guardian]
—American Eagle shares jumped the most since 2000 after Trump touted their Sydney Sweeney ads [Bloomberg]
—Tim Higgins reports that Mark Zuckerberg is declaring war on Apple's iPhone (again), after betting on a future dominated by "primary computing devices" rather than smartphones [WSJ]
—Henry Mance considers the art of charisma, what it is, who’s got it, and how politics is being reshaped by the power of the X factor [FT]
Today...
...in 2003, Fox premiered creator Josh Schwartz’s hourlong teen drama The O.C., which aired for four seasons on the network. The original review.
Today's birthdays: James Gunn (59), Steven Knight (66), Mark Strong (62), Jesse Williams (44), Olivia Holt (28), Janet McTeer (64), Josie Totah (24), Wi Ha-joon (34), Bruce Horak (51), John Reynolds (34), Kajol (51), Jonathan Silverman (59), Sophie Winkleman (45), Mimi Keene (27), Maureen McCormick (69), Kara Tointon (42), Yungblud (28), Scott William Winters (60), Honor Kneafsey (21), Barbara Flynn (77), John Jarratt (73), Izzy G. (17), Ray Fearon (52), Clayton Rohner (68), Kola Bokinni (33), Franco Lo Presti (35), Elle McKinnon (19), Kô Shibasaki (44), Lorri Bagley (52), Karl Theobald (56), Tara Karsian (60), Chip Fields (74), Nick Pugliese (29), Ami Foster (50), Chad Einbinder (62), Holly Palance (75), Zach Appelman (40), Maddox Jolie-Pitt (24), Chris Sandiford (38) |
| Jane Morgan, the elegant American singer who dazzled audiences in Paris nightclubs, on just about every TV variety show of her era and at the Oscars and had a hit record with the lovely standard “Fascination,” has died. She was 101. The obituary. |
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