Although "The Simpsons" has a reputation as a show that's been dragged out long beyond its natural life span (never mind that it's still given us some banger episodes in recent seasons), it's worth noting that Fox easily could've milked the franchise way more than it has. As the show itself parodied in season 8's "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase," there were all sorts of shameless spinoff ideas Fox easily might've tried. Why not attempt its own "Frasier" or "Better Call Saul" or "Young Sheldon"? With such a massive hit as "The Simpsons" on its hands, why was the 2007 movie the most ambitious thing we ever got?
Turns out, it wasn't for lack of trying. Fox was genuinely interested in cashing in even more on the success of "The Simpsons," and creator Matt Groening made at least some attempt to pitch them ideas. As "Simpsons" writer and former showrunner Mike Reiss...
Turns out, it wasn't for lack of trying. Fox was genuinely interested in cashing in even more on the success of "The Simpsons," and creator Matt Groening made at least some attempt to pitch them ideas. As "Simpsons" writer and former showrunner Mike Reiss...
- 5/11/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
The front façade of the U.S. Capitol appears in a 2010 photograph. (Photo by Nicolas Raymond via Wikimedia Commons)
Forty years ago, you might be hard-pressed to find anyone in the country who regularly watched the political affairs network called C-span, let alone anyone who actually knew what it was.
Today, the brand is as synonymous as Xerox (copy machines) or Scotch tape (adhesive tape) — it’s a stand-in for any kind of live television coverage related to the hearings, votes and political affairs of Congress and other government agencies, to include the White House.
If it’s political in nature, it’s probably on C-span. But not everything aired on C-Span originates with the networks.
Take, for instance, hearings from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Colloquially, political aficionados and even journalists refer to the coverage as originating from “C-span cameras,” even though they don’t.
Forty years ago, you might be hard-pressed to find anyone in the country who regularly watched the political affairs network called C-span, let alone anyone who actually knew what it was.
Today, the brand is as synonymous as Xerox (copy machines) or Scotch tape (adhesive tape) — it’s a stand-in for any kind of live television coverage related to the hearings, votes and political affairs of Congress and other government agencies, to include the White House.
If it’s political in nature, it’s probably on C-span. But not everything aired on C-Span originates with the networks.
Take, for instance, hearings from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Colloquially, political aficionados and even journalists refer to the coverage as originating from “C-span cameras,” even though they don’t.
- 5/8/2024
- by Matthew Keys
- The Desk
Exclusive: The rise and fall of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) is to be explored in a new docuseries for Vice TV.
Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, founders of Seven Bucks Productions, are exec producing Who Killed WCW?
WCW was founded by Ted Turner in 1988 after his Turner Broadcasting System acquired the assets of National Wrestling Alliance territory Jim Crockett Productions. It competed aggressively with the then-titled WWF (now WWE), regularly beating it in the ratings on Monday nights where its Monday Nitro outrated Monday Night Raw. However, it endured significant losses and suffered from the merger between Turner parent Tim Warner and AOL and was shut down in 2001.
The series, which premieres on June 4, will explore the complex factors that led to the promotion’s downfall, including management challenges, creative decisions, and the intense competition during the infamous Monday Night Wars. It will feature exclusive, in-depth interviews with wrestlers, executives,...
Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, founders of Seven Bucks Productions, are exec producing Who Killed WCW?
WCW was founded by Ted Turner in 1988 after his Turner Broadcasting System acquired the assets of National Wrestling Alliance territory Jim Crockett Productions. It competed aggressively with the then-titled WWF (now WWE), regularly beating it in the ratings on Monday nights where its Monday Nitro outrated Monday Night Raw. However, it endured significant losses and suffered from the merger between Turner parent Tim Warner and AOL and was shut down in 2001.
The series, which premieres on June 4, will explore the complex factors that led to the promotion’s downfall, including management challenges, creative decisions, and the intense competition during the infamous Monday Night Wars. It will feature exclusive, in-depth interviews with wrestlers, executives,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
John Wilkes Booth was desperate to be famous. Instead, he became infamous as the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. He had been born in 1838 as the ninth of ten children of the famed actor Junius Brutus Booth. Though he had shown talent, his career was often derailed by his emotional instability. His older brother Edwin Booth was considered one of the top actors of the day.
The handsome younger Booth had received strong reviews in a New York production of “Richard III” with the New York Herald declaring him a “veritable sensation.” Booth even told the paper “I’m determined to be the villain.” A staunch supporter of the Confederacy, by 1864 he had recruited several co-conspirators in his plan to kidnap Honest Abe. Their attempts failed, but on April 14, 1865, he learned Lincoln would attend the comedy “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater that evening, During the third act...
The handsome younger Booth had received strong reviews in a New York production of “Richard III” with the New York Herald declaring him a “veritable sensation.” Booth even told the paper “I’m determined to be the villain.” A staunch supporter of the Confederacy, by 1864 he had recruited several co-conspirators in his plan to kidnap Honest Abe. Their attempts failed, but on April 14, 1865, he learned Lincoln would attend the comedy “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater that evening, During the third act...
- 4/8/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
It had all the elements of a good action movie – jeopardy, revenge, a mega budget – with even some casualties thrown in (albeit corporate).
The Bob Iger vs Nelson Peltz (who?) war is over now and Iger has won. But some filmmakers and ticket buyers might wonder: Did any of it matter? Would a modest change on the Disney board of directors have had any impact on the future of entertainment? (Peltz himself runs a hedge fund called Trian Partners and has no background in entertainment.)
To be sure, it’s been a good show, albeit a throwback to an era when Hollywood was run by Big Personalities, not monoliths like Amazon or Apple. The battles of that era were ego wars, not proxy wars — Redstone vs Diller or Murdoch vs Ted Turner, with bewildered stars and their reps huddled in the middle.
But now Iger has won – again. The onetime...
The Bob Iger vs Nelson Peltz (who?) war is over now and Iger has won. But some filmmakers and ticket buyers might wonder: Did any of it matter? Would a modest change on the Disney board of directors have had any impact on the future of entertainment? (Peltz himself runs a hedge fund called Trian Partners and has no background in entertainment.)
To be sure, it’s been a good show, albeit a throwback to an era when Hollywood was run by Big Personalities, not monoliths like Amazon or Apple. The battles of that era were ego wars, not proxy wars — Redstone vs Diller or Murdoch vs Ted Turner, with bewildered stars and their reps huddled in the middle.
But now Iger has won – again. The onetime...
- 4/4/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Gerald Levin, known to many as Jerry, wasn’t flamboyant. He wasn’t characterized, as were many of his media business contemporaries, by extravagant hobbies, odd peccadillos, inspiring speeches or a spicy personal life. He could be testy, but he didn’t engage in public brawls beloved by – and between – Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch.
Levin, who died Wednesday at 84 nearly two decades after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, was a philosophy major at Haverford College who was said to be fond of quoting Camus. But he also was private and often enigmatic at a time when the industry was led by brash founder-leaders like Viacom’s Sumner Redstone and News Corp.’s Murdoch. Michael Eisner was not a founder but a big personality. Bob Iger has been called a CEO out of central casting. “Jerry Levin was not your central casting CEO,” noted one Wall Streeter.
Levin, a...
Levin, who died Wednesday at 84 nearly two decades after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, was a philosophy major at Haverford College who was said to be fond of quoting Camus. But he also was private and often enigmatic at a time when the industry was led by brash founder-leaders like Viacom’s Sumner Redstone and News Corp.’s Murdoch. Michael Eisner was not a founder but a big personality. Bob Iger has been called a CEO out of central casting. “Jerry Levin was not your central casting CEO,” noted one Wall Streeter.
Levin, a...
- 3/15/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith and Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Turner Classic Movies will turn 30 on April 14, 2024. That’s right: It’ll be 30 years since Ted Turner flipped the switch — flanked by Old Hollywood legends Arthur Hiller, Arlene Dahl, Jane Powell, Celeste Holm, and Van Johnson — right in the middle of Times Square to turn the network “on.”
Also with Turner that day was the man who’d become TCM’s longtime host, Robert Osborne, then just 61. A veteran columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, Osborne had become known as a close friend to many of the surviving stars of yesteryear ever since he was photographed kissing Bette Davis’s hand during a Golden Globes broadcast in the late ’70s. He’d go on to host the intros and outros for most of TCM’s primetime lineup for close to 23 years after that launch date, until he died in March 2017 at 84.
For so many TCM fans, Robert Osborne was the network.
Also with Turner that day was the man who’d become TCM’s longtime host, Robert Osborne, then just 61. A veteran columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, Osborne had become known as a close friend to many of the surviving stars of yesteryear ever since he was photographed kissing Bette Davis’s hand during a Golden Globes broadcast in the late ’70s. He’d go on to host the intros and outros for most of TCM’s primetime lineup for close to 23 years after that launch date, until he died in March 2017 at 84.
For so many TCM fans, Robert Osborne was the network.
- 3/14/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, TCM on April 14 will present a 24-hour marathon of films with historical introductions from Robert Osborne and throughout the month feature programming with other staffers who started with the channel, it was announced Thursday.
For more than 22 years until his death in March 2017, the revered Osborne served as TCM’s primetime host, bringing millions of viewers into the world of classic cinema he knew as an actor mentored by Lucille Ball, as an Oscar historian and as a longtime The Hollywood Reporter reviewer and columnist.
“How many other channels on television celebrate their anniversary? How many other channels’ fans know where they were the day a network launched?” Ben Mankiewicz, who took over for Osborne, said in a statement. “I’m not sure either of those things are true without Robert Osborne.
“He’s the Walter Cronkite of TCM. The Johnny Carson. The Alex Trebek.
For more than 22 years until his death in March 2017, the revered Osborne served as TCM’s primetime host, bringing millions of viewers into the world of classic cinema he knew as an actor mentored by Lucille Ball, as an Oscar historian and as a longtime The Hollywood Reporter reviewer and columnist.
“How many other channels on television celebrate their anniversary? How many other channels’ fans know where they were the day a network launched?” Ben Mankiewicz, who took over for Osborne, said in a statement. “I’m not sure either of those things are true without Robert Osborne.
“He’s the Walter Cronkite of TCM. The Johnny Carson. The Alex Trebek.
- 3/14/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gerald Levin, the visionary executive in the early days of HBO whose career will be forever marred after he orchestrated the merger of Time Warner and AOL, a debacle that destroyed the value of employees’ retirement accounts and culminated in a historic $100 billion write-down, has died. He was 84.
Levin died Wednesday in a hospital, his grandchild Jake Maia Arlow told The New York Times. He had battled Parkinson’s disease since being diagnosed in 2006 and lived most recently in Long Beach, California.
Levin was an attorney who worked for a year in Iran before joining HBO at its inception in 1972 as a programming executive. He was promoted to CEO a year later, and a year after that he convinced parent company Time Inc. to take HBO to cable companies nationwide via satellite technology, earning him the nickname of “resident genius.”
The Philadelphia native and University of Pennsylvania Law School graduate...
Levin died Wednesday in a hospital, his grandchild Jake Maia Arlow told The New York Times. He had battled Parkinson’s disease since being diagnosed in 2006 and lived most recently in Long Beach, California.
Levin was an attorney who worked for a year in Iran before joining HBO at its inception in 1972 as a programming executive. He was promoted to CEO a year later, and a year after that he convinced parent company Time Inc. to take HBO to cable companies nationwide via satellite technology, earning him the nickname of “resident genius.”
The Philadelphia native and University of Pennsylvania Law School graduate...
- 3/14/2024
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ted Turner made a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations Foundation – an organization he set up himself – in 1997.
He established The Turner Foundation in 1990 to support efforts for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect the climate, safeguarding environmental health, maintaining wildlife habitat protection, and developing practices and policies to curb population growth rates.
The Captain Planet Foundation was founded in 1991 to educate and empower children on how to make a positive impact on their own lives and the health of their communities.
Charities & foundations supported
Ted Turner has supported the following charities:
Avoided Deforestation PartnersCaptain Planet FoundationChildren's Cancer & Blood FoundationChildren with AIDSMines Advisory GroupNothing But NetsNuclear Age Peace FoundationRotary InternationalUnited Nations Foundation Read more about Ted Turner's charity work and events. Related articles Captain Planet Fights For The EnvironmentOceana Awards To Honor Clinton And StingBid On Signed Books, Photos And Even C3P0 To...
He established The Turner Foundation in 1990 to support efforts for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect the climate, safeguarding environmental health, maintaining wildlife habitat protection, and developing practices and policies to curb population growth rates.
The Captain Planet Foundation was founded in 1991 to educate and empower children on how to make a positive impact on their own lives and the health of their communities.
Charities & foundations supported
Ted Turner has supported the following charities:
Avoided Deforestation PartnersCaptain Planet FoundationChildren's Cancer & Blood FoundationChildren with AIDSMines Advisory GroupNothing But NetsNuclear Age Peace FoundationRotary InternationalUnited Nations Foundation Read more about Ted Turner's charity work and events. Related articles Captain Planet Fights For The EnvironmentOceana Awards To Honor Clinton And StingBid On Signed Books, Photos And Even C3P0 To...
- 3/6/2024
- Look to the Stars
Mark Thompson’s vision for CNN is beginning to take shape.
In a wide-ranging memo titled “CNN’s Future” sent to staffers Wednesday morning, Thompson outlined a new organizational structure for the company, one built “around the future not the past.”
“We need to recapture some of the swagger and innovation of the early CNN,” Thompson wrote. “It’s time for a new revolution.
“There’s news of a fair amount of change at CNN in this memo, and no doubt more in the coming months,” he wrote. “Change is essential if we’re to secure this great news company’s future. It brings uncertainty — that I’m afraid is inevitable — but in my experience, it’s also often rich in personal and shared opportunity. As we enter this new chapter in CNN’s storied history, I’d encourage you to take a leaf out of Ted Turner’s book.
In a wide-ranging memo titled “CNN’s Future” sent to staffers Wednesday morning, Thompson outlined a new organizational structure for the company, one built “around the future not the past.”
“We need to recapture some of the swagger and innovation of the early CNN,” Thompson wrote. “It’s time for a new revolution.
“There’s news of a fair amount of change at CNN in this memo, and no doubt more in the coming months,” he wrote. “Change is essential if we’re to secure this great news company’s future. It brings uncertainty — that I’m afraid is inevitable — but in my experience, it’s also often rich in personal and shared opportunity. As we enter this new chapter in CNN’s storied history, I’d encourage you to take a leaf out of Ted Turner’s book.
- 1/17/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Turner Classic Movies has a lot going on as it celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
On Friday, execs from the beloved cable channel unveiled a new podcast, 2024 programming initiatives, a new branded studio tour of the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank and details about the 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April.
On Jan. 16, TCM and sister streamer Max will debut Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz will join filmmakers and actors as they discuss “their earliest film memories, favorite movies, creative influences and guilty pleasures,” with guests including Mel Brooks, Nancy Meyers and Patty Jenkins.
The TCM podcast The Plot Thickens is returning this year for a fifth season, with the subject yet to be disclosed.
In April, TCM will introduce a new franchise, Two for One, with prominent filmmakers co-hosting a double feature of their choice on Saturday nights. Guests will include Jenkins,...
On Friday, execs from the beloved cable channel unveiled a new podcast, 2024 programming initiatives, a new branded studio tour of the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank and details about the 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April.
On Jan. 16, TCM and sister streamer Max will debut Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz will join filmmakers and actors as they discuss “their earliest film memories, favorite movies, creative influences and guilty pleasures,” with guests including Mel Brooks, Nancy Meyers and Patty Jenkins.
The TCM podcast The Plot Thickens is returning this year for a fifth season, with the subject yet to be disclosed.
In April, TCM will introduce a new franchise, Two for One, with prominent filmmakers co-hosting a double feature of their choice on Saturday nights. Guests will include Jenkins,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood has a strong presence on the shortlist for Time‘s 2023 Person of the Year.
The magazine and global media brand announced the finalists for its annual Person of the Year Monday morning. The 2023 honoree will be officially announced Wednesday morning.
Among the finalists this year are the Hollywood strikers at the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, Barbie and Taylor Swift.
Time notes that the Person of the Year is the “individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months,” and is not necessarily about someone who is good, bad or powerful, but rather a reflection of influence.
But its hard to argue with any of those choices, given Swift’s emergence as a global musical icon, selling out stadiums around the world; the success of the Barbie movie and its transformative take on the classic toy, or the impact that Hollywood’s labor...
The magazine and global media brand announced the finalists for its annual Person of the Year Monday morning. The 2023 honoree will be officially announced Wednesday morning.
Among the finalists this year are the Hollywood strikers at the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, Barbie and Taylor Swift.
Time notes that the Person of the Year is the “individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the world throughout the previous 12 months,” and is not necessarily about someone who is good, bad or powerful, but rather a reflection of influence.
But its hard to argue with any of those choices, given Swift’s emergence as a global musical icon, selling out stadiums around the world; the success of the Barbie movie and its transformative take on the classic toy, or the impact that Hollywood’s labor...
- 12/4/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Promoting a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world through the support of the United Nations and its Charter.
Through its grantmaking and by building new and innovative public-private partnerships, the United Nations Foundation acts to meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socioeconomic, and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
The United Nations Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support Un causes and activities. They build and implement public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and work to broaden support for the Un through advocacy and public outreach. Through their campaigns and partnerships, they connect people, ideas, and resources to help the Un solve global problems. These campaigns focus on reducing child mortality, empowering women and girls, creating a new energy future, securing peace and human rights, and promoting technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are...
Through its grantmaking and by building new and innovative public-private partnerships, the United Nations Foundation acts to meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socioeconomic, and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
The United Nations Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support Un causes and activities. They build and implement public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and work to broaden support for the Un through advocacy and public outreach. Through their campaigns and partnerships, they connect people, ideas, and resources to help the Un solve global problems. These campaigns focus on reducing child mortality, empowering women and girls, creating a new energy future, securing peace and human rights, and promoting technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are...
- 10/24/2023
- Look to the Stars
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, cartoons often featured positive moral lessons in a PSA style, like the "knowing is half the battle" segments of "G.I. Joe" or the "Sailor Says" endings of "Sailor Moon." Many of these additions were due to the passing of the "Children's Television Act" in 1991, legalizing what so many shows had already been doing -- serving the "educational and informational" needs of children. A lot of times, these PSA announcements had something to do with the episode that just played, but sometimes they, like "Sonic Sez" on "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog," had absolutely nothing to do with the cartoon ... like that time Sonic gave a PSA on sexual harassment. (I'm dead serious.)
Then there was "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," an environmentalist superhero series from Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner that took the...
In the 1980s and early 1990s, cartoons often featured positive moral lessons in a PSA style, like the "knowing is half the battle" segments of "G.I. Joe" or the "Sailor Says" endings of "Sailor Moon." Many of these additions were due to the passing of the "Children's Television Act" in 1991, legalizing what so many shows had already been doing -- serving the "educational and informational" needs of children. A lot of times, these PSA announcements had something to do with the episode that just played, but sometimes they, like "Sonic Sez" on "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog," had absolutely nothing to do with the cartoon ... like that time Sonic gave a PSA on sexual harassment. (I'm dead serious.)
Then there was "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," an environmentalist superhero series from Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner that took the...
- 10/2/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
In a carriage battle about pay TV’s future, one of the original cable channels became an unexpected flashpoint.
Freeform, the Disney-owned cable channel that caters to younger women, was dropped from Spectrum channel lineups as part of Disney’s landmark deal with Charter Communications. It was no small decision, with Freeform in some 74 million homes at the end of last year, and with Charter’s nearly 15 million cable TV households no longer having access.
“When we looked across the portfolio to try to identify where the greatest value in this deal was to us, we definitely made some trade-offs,” Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden told The Hollywood Reporter after the Spectrum deal was announced. She noted that channels like Freeform already served as a pipeline of programming for streaming services like Hulu.
And while the deal saw a number of other channels were dropped in the deal, the dropping of Freeform suggests that,...
Freeform, the Disney-owned cable channel that caters to younger women, was dropped from Spectrum channel lineups as part of Disney’s landmark deal with Charter Communications. It was no small decision, with Freeform in some 74 million homes at the end of last year, and with Charter’s nearly 15 million cable TV households no longer having access.
“When we looked across the portfolio to try to identify where the greatest value in this deal was to us, we definitely made some trade-offs,” Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden told The Hollywood Reporter after the Spectrum deal was announced. She noted that channels like Freeform already served as a pipeline of programming for streaming services like Hulu.
And while the deal saw a number of other channels were dropped in the deal, the dropping of Freeform suggests that,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Alex Weprin and Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The popular sitcom “Modern Family” is picking up some new real estate — while keeping its other homes.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s TBS cable network will start showing a three-hour block of the landmark comedy, which ran on ABC for 11 seasons between 2009 and 2020. Beginning Monday, September 25, “Modern Family” will run between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays as part of an effort by the large cable outlet to reinforce its comedy leanings. Those hours have been occupied in the recent past by episodes of “Friends” and “Young Sheldon,” both of which will continue to run on the network. On Monday, TBS began running longer daily marathons of “The Big Bang Theory,” the popular sitcom.
“Our audience continually seeks out popular comedies like ‘Friends,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Modern Family,’ so now that we have all three of these iconic series on TBS, we can build an even bigger,...
Warner Bros. Discovery’s TBS cable network will start showing a three-hour block of the landmark comedy, which ran on ABC for 11 seasons between 2009 and 2020. Beginning Monday, September 25, “Modern Family” will run between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays as part of an effort by the large cable outlet to reinforce its comedy leanings. Those hours have been occupied in the recent past by episodes of “Friends” and “Young Sheldon,” both of which will continue to run on the network. On Monday, TBS began running longer daily marathons of “The Big Bang Theory,” the popular sitcom.
“Our audience continually seeks out popular comedies like ‘Friends,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Modern Family,’ so now that we have all three of these iconic series on TBS, we can build an even bigger,...
- 9/12/2023
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Robby Ramos, Kelli Berglund, and Trey Tucker in ‘Heels’ season 2 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Starz’s Heels season two episode six opens with a brief rundown of what’s happening in the Fwd and Dwl. The wrap-up ends with Ace (Alexander Ludwig) working on a vision board while his mom (correctly) points out that he’s been acting weird recently.
Ace explains that he’s examined his life, and he’s decided he needs room to just reflect and think.
Jack (Stephen Amell), Staci (Alison Luff), and the newly enlightened Ace meet with Brooks Rizzo (Josh Segarra) to discuss his streaming service. After Jack thanks him for making the trek all the way to Duffy, Brooks confirms Continuum needs to grow its subscriber base in the lead-up to a merger with a larger company. Professional wrestling has a huge audience that Continuum would like to tap into.
While the meeting’s going on,...
Starz’s Heels season two episode six opens with a brief rundown of what’s happening in the Fwd and Dwl. The wrap-up ends with Ace (Alexander Ludwig) working on a vision board while his mom (correctly) points out that he’s been acting weird recently.
Ace explains that he’s examined his life, and he’s decided he needs room to just reflect and think.
Jack (Stephen Amell), Staci (Alison Luff), and the newly enlightened Ace meet with Brooks Rizzo (Josh Segarra) to discuss his streaming service. After Jack thanks him for making the trek all the way to Duffy, Brooks confirms Continuum needs to grow its subscriber base in the lead-up to a merger with a larger company. Professional wrestling has a huge audience that Continuum would like to tap into.
While the meeting’s going on,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Renowned British documentarian Louis Theroux, who has been a staple on U.K. TV and radio for more than two decades, used the flagship address of the 2023 Edinburgh TV Festival to speak about concerns over artificial intelligence in the industry, claiming that he found the new world — one where there were “valid concerns” from writers about “robots cannibalizing their creativity” — both “troubling and exciting in roughly equal measure.”
As the giver of the 2023 James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture — which sees Theroux join a prestigious lineup of former lecturers including Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner, Michaela Coel and Armando Iannucci — he said that the changing times and raised stakes, where “the manosphere, the conspiracy community, the far-right have real power,” meant that the TV world needed to be “on our mettle to report responsibly.
“But those raised stakes also show how important it is that we do report it, not hide from it...
As the giver of the 2023 James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture — which sees Theroux join a prestigious lineup of former lecturers including Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner, Michaela Coel and Armando Iannucci — he said that the changing times and raised stakes, where “the manosphere, the conspiracy community, the far-right have real power,” meant that the TV world needed to be “on our mettle to report responsibly.
“But those raised stakes also show how important it is that we do report it, not hide from it...
- 8/23/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On August 22 the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the two recipients of its Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmys, which will be held over two nights on Wednesday, September 27, and Thursday, September 28. News anchor Wolf Blitzer, a 33-year veteran of CNN, and documentarian Barbara Kopple, who won Oscars for “Harlan County U.S.A.” and “American Dream,” will be feted by the academy for their career contributions.
NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement, “We are thrilled to recognize two icons with Lifetime Achievement Emmy Awards. Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple each continue to enjoy successful careers and have made a deep impact in the world of television journalism and documentaries. Through their achievements, they have left indelible marks of distinction on the industry.”
SEE44th Annual News and Documentary Emmys nominations list led by CNN, Vice News, ABC, PBS...
NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement, “We are thrilled to recognize two icons with Lifetime Achievement Emmy Awards. Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple each continue to enjoy successful careers and have made a deep impact in the world of television journalism and documentaries. Through their achievements, they have left indelible marks of distinction on the industry.”
SEE44th Annual News and Documentary Emmys nominations list led by CNN, Vice News, ABC, PBS...
- 8/22/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple will receive the Lifetime Achievement Honors at the 44th annual News & Documentary Awards, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced on Tuesday. NATAS is recognizing longtime CNN veteran Blitzer for his career in broadcast journalism and Oscar-winning Kopple for her extensive work in film and TV documentaries.
“We are thrilled to recognize two icons with Lifetime Achievement Emmy Awards,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement. “Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple each continue to enjoy successful careers and have made a deep impact in the world of television journalism and documentaries. Through their achievements, they have left indelible marks of distinction on the industry.”
Also via statement, Blitzer, who has been at CNN for 33 years and hosts “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer,” said, “I am truly honored to receive this esteemed award from the Academy. When Ted Turner hired me,...
“We are thrilled to recognize two icons with Lifetime Achievement Emmy Awards,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement. “Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple each continue to enjoy successful careers and have made a deep impact in the world of television journalism and documentaries. Through their achievements, they have left indelible marks of distinction on the industry.”
Also via statement, Blitzer, who has been at CNN for 33 years and hosts “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer,” said, “I am truly honored to receive this esteemed award from the Academy. When Ted Turner hired me,...
- 8/22/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer and Oscar-winning director/producer Barbara Kopple are this year’s recipients of the 44th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards lifetime achievement honors, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was set to announce on Tuesday. The News & Doc Emmys take place over two days next month in New York: Blitzer will receive his honor at the news ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and Kopple’s Emmy will be presented at the documentary ceremony on Thursday, September 28. Both ceremonies will take place at the Palladium Times Square.
“Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple each continue to enjoy successful careers and have made a deep impact in the world of television journalism and documentaries,” said Adam Sharp, President and CEO, NATAS . “Through their achievements, they have left indelible marks of distinction on the industry.”
Blitzer, a 33-year veteran of CNN, currently anchors “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” on the news cabler.
“Wolf Blitzer and Barbara Kopple each continue to enjoy successful careers and have made a deep impact in the world of television journalism and documentaries,” said Adam Sharp, President and CEO, NATAS . “Through their achievements, they have left indelible marks of distinction on the industry.”
Blitzer, a 33-year veteran of CNN, currently anchors “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” on the news cabler.
- 8/22/2023
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
The icons have arrived on the SAG-AFTRA picket lines.
On day five of the actors strike, award-winning actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin attended the strike at Netflix. Last month, Fonda and Tomlin also appeared on the picket lines in support of the Writers Guild of America.
As an industry veteran who has worked with many of the top industry execs through her career (and was once married to media mogul Ted Turner), Fonda implored the studio heads to see reason. “I think that they need to listen to us,” the 80 for Brady star told The Hollywood Reporter. “They have to agree to come back to the negotiating table and be reasonable, because what we’re asking for is reasonable. Their refusal to negotiate these things is really bad.”
Frequent collaborators and longtime friends, Fonda and Tomlin drew a crowd as they walked up and down Sunset Boulevard with their fellow union members.
On day five of the actors strike, award-winning actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin attended the strike at Netflix. Last month, Fonda and Tomlin also appeared on the picket lines in support of the Writers Guild of America.
As an industry veteran who has worked with many of the top industry execs through her career (and was once married to media mogul Ted Turner), Fonda implored the studio heads to see reason. “I think that they need to listen to us,” the 80 for Brady star told The Hollywood Reporter. “They have to agree to come back to the negotiating table and be reasonable, because what we’re asking for is reasonable. Their refusal to negotiate these things is really bad.”
Frequent collaborators and longtime friends, Fonda and Tomlin drew a crowd as they walked up and down Sunset Boulevard with their fellow union members.
- 7/20/2023
- by Sydney Odman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The effect of The Simpsons on pop culture can’t be overstated. In the early nineties, the show tapped into the cultural zeitgeist in a way few others had before. Indeed, no other cartoon show could reasonably emulate it- but Hollywood couldn’t help but try. Capitol Critters, Family Dog, and Fish Police were just a few of the shows that tried to be “the new Simpsons.” Still, the only one that really came close was ABC’s The Critic, starring the voice of Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman, perhaps the world’s least-loved film critic and the subject of this Gone But Not Forgotten episode.
Unlike other wannabe animated hits, The Critic could boast a legit connection to The Simpsons, with it also being a production of James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films. At the same time, creators Al Jean and Mike Reiss had been showrunners on The Simpsons during...
Unlike other wannabe animated hits, The Critic could boast a legit connection to The Simpsons, with it also being a production of James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films. At the same time, creators Al Jean and Mike Reiss had been showrunners on The Simpsons during...
- 7/10/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
It wasn’t all that long ago that being the CEO of a major media or entertainment company was the top of the heap. The moguls of the day, from Ted Turner and Sumner Redstone to Rupert Murdoch and Steve Ross, dominated the culture — and earned billions in the process.
But the CEO gig ain’t what it used to be. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has become public executive enemy No. 1 for many industry workers amid the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing strike.
Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos is a close second, while Disney chief Bob Iger finds himself back in the CEO seat, but under much more challenging circumstances, all while trying to figure out who, if anyone, has what it takes to succeed him after his predecessor and successor Bob Chapek lasted only two and a half years.
At Apple and Amazon, entertainment is...
But the CEO gig ain’t what it used to be. David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, has become public executive enemy No. 1 for many industry workers amid the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing strike.
Netflix co-ceo Ted Sarandos is a close second, while Disney chief Bob Iger finds himself back in the CEO seat, but under much more challenging circumstances, all while trying to figure out who, if anyone, has what it takes to succeed him after his predecessor and successor Bob Chapek lasted only two and a half years.
At Apple and Amazon, entertainment is...
- 7/7/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Louis Theroux, the renowned British documentarian who has been a staple on U.K. TV and radio for more than two decades, is set to deliver the 2023 James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture, the flagship address of the Edinburgh TV Festival.
While he’s arguably best known in the U.S for his 2015 documentary feature My Scientology Feature (in which he’s seen in several comical altercations with church enforcers), Theroux has been a cult figure and beloved interviewer in the U.K. since the late 1990s for his BBC doc series including as Weird Weekends and When Louis Met…, shows that saw him cover off-beat human experiences as well as hard-hitting subject matters. In his trademark style, Theroux has explored the world of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, plus porn stars, survivalists, swingers and neo-Nazis, and has spent time with several noted individuals (most famously Jimmy Savile, several years before his...
While he’s arguably best known in the U.S for his 2015 documentary feature My Scientology Feature (in which he’s seen in several comical altercations with church enforcers), Theroux has been a cult figure and beloved interviewer in the U.K. since the late 1990s for his BBC doc series including as Weird Weekends and When Louis Met…, shows that saw him cover off-beat human experiences as well as hard-hitting subject matters. In his trademark style, Theroux has explored the world of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, plus porn stars, survivalists, swingers and neo-Nazis, and has spent time with several noted individuals (most famously Jimmy Savile, several years before his...
- 6/29/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Trio to work alongside Warner Bros. picture group co-heads Mike De Luca, Pamela Abdy.
The imbroglio at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) appears to have been resolved as it emerged on Wednesday that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson will help curate films under the creative oversight of Warner Bros picture group co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy.
Senior vice-president of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, who had been at TCM for more than 25 years and was among several senior executives laid off earlier this month, will now return to the channel.
In a heartening development the new roles for Spielberg,...
The imbroglio at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) appears to have been resolved as it emerged on Wednesday that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson will help curate films under the creative oversight of Warner Bros picture group co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy.
Senior vice-president of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, who had been at TCM for more than 25 years and was among several senior executives laid off earlier this month, will now return to the channel.
In a heartening development the new roles for Spielberg,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
David Zaslav has at last made a good decision with regards to the film history he acquired more than a year ago via the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery. The fact that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson were metaphorically leaning over his shoulder is probably not a coincidence. However he got there though, it seems the small but indispensable cable network that is Turner Classic Movies has been spared a total ransacking by its new corporate owners.
The news became official Wednesday afternoon with the announcement that rather than staying totally under the control of Wbd TV Networks, creative decisions regarding the classic cinema network will now fall under the oversight of Warner Bros. Pictures bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy (Wbd TV will still control TCM’s budget). Further, after being ousted just last week from TCM by Wbd’s cable network C-Suite, longtime chief TCM programmer,...
The news became official Wednesday afternoon with the announcement that rather than staying totally under the control of Wbd TV Networks, creative decisions regarding the classic cinema network will now fall under the oversight of Warner Bros. Pictures bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy (Wbd TV will still control TCM’s budget). Further, after being ousted just last week from TCM by Wbd’s cable network C-Suite, longtime chief TCM programmer,...
- 6/28/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Kohn’s Corner is a weekly column about the challenges and opportunities of sustaining American film culture.
Shame was never high on Warner Media Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s priority list: Over the past 12 months, he buried “Batgirl,” yanked close to 100 titles from its streaming service, and threw a lavish party at Cannes in the middle of the WGA strike.
Yet in January, when I devoted this column to questions about the prospects for Turner Classic Movies at Wbd, the company did its best to project a bright future. Zaslav loved TCM, the company’s general manager Pola Changnon told me. “We feel fortunate that in this new world, at the top, someone cares about us,” Changnon said.
That affection has its limits. After a handful of layoffs earlier this year, TCM lost its five senior executives this week, including Changnon and VP of programing and strategy Charles “Charlie” Tabesh,...
Shame was never high on Warner Media Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s priority list: Over the past 12 months, he buried “Batgirl,” yanked close to 100 titles from its streaming service, and threw a lavish party at Cannes in the middle of the WGA strike.
Yet in January, when I devoted this column to questions about the prospects for Turner Classic Movies at Wbd, the company did its best to project a bright future. Zaslav loved TCM, the company’s general manager Pola Changnon told me. “We feel fortunate that in this new world, at the top, someone cares about us,” Changnon said.
That affection has its limits. After a handful of layoffs earlier this year, TCM lost its five senior executives this week, including Changnon and VP of programing and strategy Charles “Charlie” Tabesh,...
- 6/24/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Clockwise from top left: Films available on TCM in July include Casablanca (Warner Bros.), The Music Man (Warner Bros.), Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (MGM), and Dog Day Afternoon (Warner Bros.)
If media mogul Ted Turner’s misbegotten plan to colorize beloved black-and-white movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age was a cinematic sin,...
If media mogul Ted Turner’s misbegotten plan to colorize beloved black-and-white movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age was a cinematic sin,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Scott Huver
- avclub.com
One of the biggest personalities in world media and politics is no more.
Whatever you thought of him, Silvio Berlusconi had a seismic impact on the European political sphere and the continent’s broadcasting landscape, in a way that many believe was completely intertwined.
Italy’s longest-serving post-war prime minister and the founder of European networks giant Mediaset died Monday at 86, and the onlookers have swiftly turned to his legacy and the future of his prized media assets. Mediaset, with its powerful Italian and Spanish subsidiaries, is now part of MediaForEurope (Mfe) — a conglomerate with a stake of nearly 30% in German heavyweight ProSiebenSat.1 alongside having TV broadcasting, production, podcasting and publishing assets.
Berlusconi’s route to the top of Europe’s media landscape is well-storied. Born into a middle-class family in Milan just before World War II, the tycoon was known throughout the world as a man who courted controversy wherever he went.
Whatever you thought of him, Silvio Berlusconi had a seismic impact on the European political sphere and the continent’s broadcasting landscape, in a way that many believe was completely intertwined.
Italy’s longest-serving post-war prime minister and the founder of European networks giant Mediaset died Monday at 86, and the onlookers have swiftly turned to his legacy and the future of his prized media assets. Mediaset, with its powerful Italian and Spanish subsidiaries, is now part of MediaForEurope (Mfe) — a conglomerate with a stake of nearly 30% in German heavyweight ProSiebenSat.1 alongside having TV broadcasting, production, podcasting and publishing assets.
Berlusconi’s route to the top of Europe’s media landscape is well-storied. Born into a middle-class family in Milan just before World War II, the tycoon was known throughout the world as a man who courted controversy wherever he went.
- 6/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav addressed the ousting of his handpicked CNN CEO Chris Licht in an internal memo to employees on Wednesday.
“I have known Chris for many years and have enormous respect for him, personally and professionally. This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it,” Zaslav wrote. “He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped – and ultimately that’s on me. I take responsibility. Needless to say, we appreciate Chris’ efforts and dedication and wish him all the best.”
Licht’s tenure, which began when he assumed the position of CEO and Chairman of CNN Worldwide in April 2022, was mired in criticism from former and current CNN staffers alike,...
“I have known Chris for many years and have enormous respect for him, personally and professionally. This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it,” Zaslav wrote. “He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped – and ultimately that’s on me. I take responsibility. Needless to say, we appreciate Chris’ efforts and dedication and wish him all the best.”
Licht’s tenure, which began when he assumed the position of CEO and Chairman of CNN Worldwide in April 2022, was mired in criticism from former and current CNN staffers alike,...
- 6/7/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Chris Licht has exited CNN a little over a year after he was hired as CEO, a short but turbulent tenure at the cable network mired in controversy, plunging ratings and a horribly haywire Donald Trump town hall event that irretrievably broke staff morale.
Licht was handpicked as CEO and Chairman of CNN Worldwide last April by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, who announced his firing Wednesday morning in an editorial call. The decision is effective immediately, according to a Wednesday morning release from Wbd.
“I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” Zaslav wrote. “The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it. While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team...
Licht was handpicked as CEO and Chairman of CNN Worldwide last April by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, who announced his firing Wednesday morning in an editorial call. The decision is effective immediately, according to a Wednesday morning release from Wbd.
“I have great respect for Chris, personally and professionally,” Zaslav wrote. “The job of leading CNN was never going to be easy, especially at a time of huge disruption and transformation, and he has poured his heart and soul into it. While we know we have work to do as we look to identify a new leader, we have absolute confidence in the team...
- 6/7/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
The Chris Licht era at CNN is over.
The CNN CEO will be departing the company after only a year. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed the news to CNN staff on the news organization’s daily editorial call. Zaslav praised Licht for his “amazing career” but acknowledged that his leadership at CNN was not successful. “I take full responsibility,” Zaslav told CNN staff on the call.
CNN’s interim leaders will be Amy Entelis, the longtime head of talent and content development; head of editorial Virginia Moseley; programming chief Eric Sherling; and David Leavy, who was announced as the incoming COO of CNN just last week.
Zaslav told staff that the company is now beginning the search for a new CNN chief, and will be looking both internally and externally. The search “will take a while” he said, adding that he was not in a rush to find a successor.
The CNN CEO will be departing the company after only a year. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed the news to CNN staff on the news organization’s daily editorial call. Zaslav praised Licht for his “amazing career” but acknowledged that his leadership at CNN was not successful. “I take full responsibility,” Zaslav told CNN staff on the call.
CNN’s interim leaders will be Amy Entelis, the longtime head of talent and content development; head of editorial Virginia Moseley; programming chief Eric Sherling; and David Leavy, who was announced as the incoming COO of CNN just last week.
Zaslav told staff that the company is now beginning the search for a new CNN chief, and will be looking both internally and externally. The search “will take a while” he said, adding that he was not in a rush to find a successor.
- 6/7/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Homeland co-creator Howard Gordon will receive the 62nd Monte-Carlo Television Festival’s Honorary Golden Nymph, an award that honors renowned professionals for their extraordinary contributions to the entertainment and television industry.
Gordon will be presented with the award on Tuesday, June 20, the closing night of the event. The 62nd Edition of the Fest runs June 16-20 in Monaco.
Gordon co-created with Alex Gansa the multiple award-winning series Homeland. He’s currently serving as executive producer on the second season of Fox’s Accused and he previously served as executive producer on the original Fox series 24 and reboot 24: Legacy, among numerous other credits.
Previous recipients of the honor include Darren Star Dick Wolf, Ted Turner, Jerry Bruckheimer, Anne Sweeney, Stephen J. Cannell, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner.
Additionally, it was announced today that Harlan Coben’s Shelter, a Prime Video Original series, will world premiere at the fest, with the...
Gordon will be presented with the award on Tuesday, June 20, the closing night of the event. The 62nd Edition of the Fest runs June 16-20 in Monaco.
Gordon co-created with Alex Gansa the multiple award-winning series Homeland. He’s currently serving as executive producer on the second season of Fox’s Accused and he previously served as executive producer on the original Fox series 24 and reboot 24: Legacy, among numerous other credits.
Previous recipients of the honor include Darren Star Dick Wolf, Ted Turner, Jerry Bruckheimer, Anne Sweeney, Stephen J. Cannell, Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner.
Additionally, it was announced today that Harlan Coben’s Shelter, a Prime Video Original series, will world premiere at the fest, with the...
- 5/4/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
With over 20 years under her belt as an anchor, Elizabeth Vargas is setting her sights on nuanced, contextual reporting with NewsNation’s newly launched “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” hoping to avoid “falling into the trap” of extreme partisanship.
“I am not going to be sharing my opinions — I never have in my career, and I don’t plan on starting” with “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” Vargas told TheWrap. “It’ll be an in-depth look at the most important stories of the day … I think what we want to avoid [is] falling into the trap of being highly partisan in the way we cover it.”
“Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” which launches April 3 and airs weeknights at 6 p.m. Et, will present an hour-long deep dive of the most important stories to people across the country, not just the Beltway, Vargas notes, featuring live interviews that provide “nuance and context” to the day’s news. Armed...
“I am not going to be sharing my opinions — I never have in my career, and I don’t plan on starting” with “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” Vargas told TheWrap. “It’ll be an in-depth look at the most important stories of the day … I think what we want to avoid [is] falling into the trap of being highly partisan in the way we cover it.”
“Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” which launches April 3 and airs weeknights at 6 p.m. Et, will present an hour-long deep dive of the most important stories to people across the country, not just the Beltway, Vargas notes, featuring live interviews that provide “nuance and context” to the day’s news. Armed...
- 4/3/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Jackie Gleason never won an Emmy. Neither did Ed Sullivan. Or Andy Griffith. Or Fred Rogers. Or “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry. Or “Rocky & Bullwinkle” genius Jay Ward. Bob Newhart’s sole Emmy win was as a guest actor on “The Big Bang Theory” in 2013.
Yes, the 74 years of Emmy history are chock full of surprises spanning both winners and non-winners. That extends to the Emmy’s Governors Award as well. The TV academy describes that Governors Award – bestowed generally but not always annually since 1978 – as follows: “The Board of Governors of the Television Academy may, when warranted, recognize an individual, company or organization that has made a profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television by presenting them with the Governors Award.”
SEE2023 Emmy Predictions: Gold Derby Predicts the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards
The first Governors Award in ’78 went to CBS founder William Paley.
Yes, the 74 years of Emmy history are chock full of surprises spanning both winners and non-winners. That extends to the Emmy’s Governors Award as well. The TV academy describes that Governors Award – bestowed generally but not always annually since 1978 – as follows: “The Board of Governors of the Television Academy may, when warranted, recognize an individual, company or organization that has made a profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television by presenting them with the Governors Award.”
SEE2023 Emmy Predictions: Gold Derby Predicts the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards
The first Governors Award in ’78 went to CBS founder William Paley.
- 3/31/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Turner Classic Movies is devoting the entire month of April to celebrating the 100th anniversary of its landlord, Warner Bros., with hundreds of films from every decade of the studio, plus a variety of interstitials, documentaries, shorts and Looney Tunes cartoons, as well as interviews with stars and directors focusing on the cinematic achievements of the storied movie factory.
Related Story Warner Bros’ 100th To Be Celebrated At TCM Classic Film Festival With Steven Spielberg & Paul Thomas Anderson; ‘Rio Bravo’ Restoration With Angie Dickinson Set For Opening Night Related Story 'Unorthodox' & 'Deutschland 83' Creator Anna Winger Says Her Netflix War Drama 'Transatlantic' Was Inspired By Comedy In 'Casablanca' Related Story 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King' Extended Edition Back In Theaters To Mark 20th Anniversary Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in ‘Casablanca,’ 1942
Viewers got a taste of the...
Related Story Warner Bros’ 100th To Be Celebrated At TCM Classic Film Festival With Steven Spielberg & Paul Thomas Anderson; ‘Rio Bravo’ Restoration With Angie Dickinson Set For Opening Night Related Story 'Unorthodox' & 'Deutschland 83' Creator Anna Winger Says Her Netflix War Drama 'Transatlantic' Was Inspired By Comedy In 'Casablanca' Related Story 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King' Extended Edition Back In Theaters To Mark 20th Anniversary Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in ‘Casablanca,’ 1942
Viewers got a taste of the...
- 3/22/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
It is highly satisfying that this feature film about the history and cultural impact of photography - and, by extension, film and television - should be such a lovely example of the Reithian principles to “inform, educate and entertain”.
Starting from the very first known image - which took 10 hours of exposure to capture - Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck take us on a whistle-stop tour of what came after, passing by way of everyone from the Lumiere brothers to Ted Turner until we reach the modern age of the social media algorithm and 300 million photos a day.
There’s a treasure trove of archive footage expertly edited together with modern snippets from the internet by Mikel Cee Karlson. The directors aren’t just interested in offering up a cultural kaleidoscope, they also want to interrogate the material, through both juxtaposition and thoughtful narration from Van Aertryck that...
Starting from the very first known image - which took 10 hours of exposure to capture - Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck take us on a whistle-stop tour of what came after, passing by way of everyone from the Lumiere brothers to Ted Turner until we reach the modern age of the social media algorithm and 300 million photos a day.
There’s a treasure trove of archive footage expertly edited together with modern snippets from the internet by Mikel Cee Karlson. The directors aren’t just interested in offering up a cultural kaleidoscope, they also want to interrogate the material, through both juxtaposition and thoughtful narration from Van Aertryck that...
- 3/15/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“If it’s Biden against Trump, Biden will win – that’s a good bet,” Bill Maher predicted to Jake Tapper tonight on CNN of a potential 2024 showdown between the 2020 rivals.
“I think he’s done the job perfectly fine .. generally, he’s restored normality,” the Real Time with Bill Maher host said of the 46th Potus in the first edition of the CNN Primetime on Tuesday. “I don’t mind at all that he’s 82, 84, 86,” Maher added, taking on one of the top Joe Biden critiques. “We have an important decision to make, go to the elders,” the comedian went on to say with a swing at a society that doesn’t value the aged – though Maher admitted Biden was no “James Brown at the Apollo.”
The sometime barbed comedian made a point of noting that if octogenarian Biden isn’t at the top of the Democrats’ ’24 ticket, 76-year old...
“I think he’s done the job perfectly fine .. generally, he’s restored normality,” the Real Time with Bill Maher host said of the 46th Potus in the first edition of the CNN Primetime on Tuesday. “I don’t mind at all that he’s 82, 84, 86,” Maher added, taking on one of the top Joe Biden critiques. “We have an important decision to make, go to the elders,” the comedian went on to say with a swing at a society that doesn’t value the aged – though Maher admitted Biden was no “James Brown at the Apollo.”
The sometime barbed comedian made a point of noting that if octogenarian Biden isn’t at the top of the Democrats’ ’24 ticket, 76-year old...
- 3/1/2023
- by Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Jane Fonda refuses to be pushed aside. She recently discussed her life and career accomplishments so far. As she looked back on her career, she made it clear she has no intentions of retiring from the entertainment industry. Here’s what the 80 for Brady star had to say about her career plans.
Jane Fonda won’t retire Jane Fonda | Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for Chopard
During an interview with Chris Wallace on the HBO Max show Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Fonda shared how she feels about retiring from acting. Wallace says Fonda has been “busier than ever” since turning 85 years old. He asked her if she ever thought about “taking it easy.”
“You have three movies this year, you’re resuming your climate protests where you sometimes get arrested, and you’ve got your climate political action committee,” says Wallace. “So, here’s my question, Jane, why not...
Jane Fonda won’t retire Jane Fonda | Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for Chopard
During an interview with Chris Wallace on the HBO Max show Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Fonda shared how she feels about retiring from acting. Wallace says Fonda has been “busier than ever” since turning 85 years old. He asked her if she ever thought about “taking it easy.”
“You have three movies this year, you’re resuming your climate protests where you sometimes get arrested, and you’ve got your climate political action committee,” says Wallace. “So, here’s my question, Jane, why not...
- 2/19/2023
- by Sheiresa Ngo
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Jane Fonda spoke about her life and career so far. The 80 for Brady star discussed her involvement in the movie and how grateful she was to be able to work with Tom Brady. Here’s why Fonda is happy Brady retired from the NFL.
Tom Brady’s retirement announcement Tom Brady and Jane Fonda | Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images; Gisela Schober/Getty Images
Brady announced his retirement on social media. He thanked his supporters during an emotional speech. In his Instagram video, Brady says, “I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good. I really thank you guys so much, to every single one of you, for supporting me. My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. Thank you for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Jane Fonda is happy Tom Brady retired Related
Megyn Kelly Doesn...
Tom Brady’s retirement announcement Tom Brady and Jane Fonda | Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images; Gisela Schober/Getty Images
Brady announced his retirement on social media. He thanked his supporters during an emotional speech. In his Instagram video, Brady says, “I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good. I really thank you guys so much, to every single one of you, for supporting me. My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. Thank you for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Jane Fonda is happy Tom Brady retired Related
Megyn Kelly Doesn...
- 2/18/2023
- by Sheiresa Ngo
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Jane Fonda has been involved in a few celebrity relationships during her lifetime. However, she doesn’t feel the need to have a special someone in her life. The 80 for Brady actor says she’s content with the way things are because she has a “drawer full of vibrators.”
How many times was Jane Fonda married? Jane Fonda | Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Fonda is part of the Hollywood group that has been married several times. The On Golden Pond actor has been married three times. She married her first husband, Roger Vadim, in 1965. They later divorced in 1973. She was married to her second husband, Tom Hayden, from 1973 to 1990. Fonda married her third husband, CNN founder Ted Turner, in 1991. They divorced in 2001.
As of this writing, Fonda is not married. Right now, she says her focus is on her friends. “My current and next love are my girlfriends. I have great girlfriends,...
How many times was Jane Fonda married? Jane Fonda | Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Fonda is part of the Hollywood group that has been married several times. The On Golden Pond actor has been married three times. She married her first husband, Roger Vadim, in 1965. They later divorced in 1973. She was married to her second husband, Tom Hayden, from 1973 to 1990. Fonda married her third husband, CNN founder Ted Turner, in 1991. They divorced in 2001.
As of this writing, Fonda is not married. Right now, she says her focus is on her friends. “My current and next love are my girlfriends. I have great girlfriends,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Sheiresa Ngo
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In 80 for Brady, Jane Fonda plays a diehard football fan on a quest to get to the Super Bowl with her three best friends. In reality, the two-time Oscar winner has a more… casual relationship with the sport.
“I know nothing about football,” Fonda told The Hollywood Reporter. “Watching football makes my body hurt, when I see these guys flying through the air and then landing.”
But during the making of 80 for Brady, which Tom Brady produced and stars in, Fonda said she developed a deep appreciation for the former quarterback, who announced his retirement from the NFL on Feb. 1, two days before Paramount opened the sports comedy in theaters.
“I’ve watched enough to know that Tom Brady is a Goat,” Fonda said. “It’s just awesome what he does. No matter what sport, I’m in awe of great athletes. And I was so surprised when I met Brady,...
“I know nothing about football,” Fonda told The Hollywood Reporter. “Watching football makes my body hurt, when I see these guys flying through the air and then landing.”
But during the making of 80 for Brady, which Tom Brady produced and stars in, Fonda said she developed a deep appreciation for the former quarterback, who announced his retirement from the NFL on Feb. 1, two days before Paramount opened the sports comedy in theaters.
“I’ve watched enough to know that Tom Brady is a Goat,” Fonda said. “It’s just awesome what he does. No matter what sport, I’m in awe of great athletes. And I was so surprised when I met Brady,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Orson Welles had a knack for beautiful compositions. Sure, his career might've been filled with turbulence, but even a quick glance through the action-director's filmography illustrates just how skilled he was behind the camera. In fact, he even topped our list of the best filmmakers who never won an Academy Award for directing (though he did snag an Oscar for co-writing "Citizen Kane").
Welles was also famously in favor of shooting films in black-and-white rather than color. This surely led to much of his films' visual strength: The stylistic choice cut down on unnecessary color clashes, which in turn led to striking, visually unified images. That high-contrast look is also a big part of why black-and-white films are still made to this day.
Yet Welles' personal rationale for avoiding color film was relatively unusual, even if it undoubtedly showed respect for his fellow actors. As the multi-hyphenate explained to Peter Bogdanovich...
Welles was also famously in favor of shooting films in black-and-white rather than color. This surely led to much of his films' visual strength: The stylistic choice cut down on unnecessary color clashes, which in turn led to striking, visually unified images. That high-contrast look is also a big part of why black-and-white films are still made to this day.
Yet Welles' personal rationale for avoiding color film was relatively unusual, even if it undoubtedly showed respect for his fellow actors. As the multi-hyphenate explained to Peter Bogdanovich...
- 1/27/2023
- by Demetra Nikolakakis
- Slash Film
The Simpsons has been on for over 30 years and continues to add to its canon of episodes. In all that time, it’s surprising they’ve never tried a spinoff, although they made fun of spinoffs in the classic episode “The Simpsons Spin Off Showcase.” There were plans for a Krusty the Clown spinoff, but two versions of it fizzled out.
Marge Simpson and Krusty the Clown | 20th Television.
Simpsons writer Mike Reiss was a guest on the Hollywood & Levine podcast on June 2, 2021. Reiss revealed the plans for two Krusty the Clown spinoffs, and where some of those ideas ended up instead.
‘The Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening pitched a Krusty the Clown spinoff
Reiss has been a producer on The Simpsons since the beginning and wrote many episodes in the ‘90s. Al Jean was showrunner for most of that time, so it was on the two of them to fulfill Groening’s wishes.
Marge Simpson and Krusty the Clown | 20th Television.
Simpsons writer Mike Reiss was a guest on the Hollywood & Levine podcast on June 2, 2021. Reiss revealed the plans for two Krusty the Clown spinoffs, and where some of those ideas ended up instead.
‘The Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening pitched a Krusty the Clown spinoff
Reiss has been a producer on The Simpsons since the beginning and wrote many episodes in the ‘90s. Al Jean was showrunner for most of that time, so it was on the two of them to fulfill Groening’s wishes.
- 1/26/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
"The Shawshank Redemption" was released in theaters nearly 29 years ago, and it's still the highest-rated film on IMDb. It's the definitive prison movie, one that's been parodied and referenced to death in pop culture, and it's probably going to be sticking around in public consciousness for a long while more. But despite the fact that everyone basically agrees it's a great movie, writer/director Frank Darabont doesn't believe it could be made in today's movie landscape.
"I am absolutely certain that I could not make that movie today," he told IndieWire in a 2019 interview. "I don't think I could get 'Green Mile' made today. I don't think I could get 'The Majestic' made today."
The claim that a particular movie/show couldn't have aired today is usually made as part of an attack on perceived PC culture, but Darabont is more concerned about studio interference. "I can't even begin to...
"I am absolutely certain that I could not make that movie today," he told IndieWire in a 2019 interview. "I don't think I could get 'Green Mile' made today. I don't think I could get 'The Majestic' made today."
The claim that a particular movie/show couldn't have aired today is usually made as part of an attack on perceived PC culture, but Darabont is more concerned about studio interference. "I can't even begin to...
- 1/16/2023
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
While "The Shawshank Redemption" is a perfect example of a great American movie, its legacy as a weekend dad film cannot be understated. There have been more than a few moments in my life where I have walked into my family's living room, only to find my dad asleep in his chair with the 1994 film playing on the television. The first time this happened, I tried turning the channel to Nickelodeon. Unfortunately for me, my dad woke up and told me that he "was watching that." He fell back asleep, and that's when I watched "The Shawshank Redemption" for the first time.
I've heard different variations of this story among my friends, with subjects ranging from "Top Gun" to "Jurassic Park." However, "The Shawshank Redemption" seems to be the movie that comes up the most, an apparent favorite among dads who just want to mindlessly watch a movie on cable.
I've heard different variations of this story among my friends, with subjects ranging from "Top Gun" to "Jurassic Park." However, "The Shawshank Redemption" seems to be the movie that comes up the most, an apparent favorite among dads who just want to mindlessly watch a movie on cable.
- 1/15/2023
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
Last week the National Society of Film Critics honored “TÁR” as the year’s best film, but it also handed out a prize that doubled as a cry for corporate investment. As one this year’s “Film Heritage Awards” recipients, Turner Classic Movies received a citation for its “rich array of programming that ranges deep and wide in the history of cinema, a service too easily taken for granted by audiences and worthy of the utmost care and attention from its corporate owners.”
As an Nsfc member, I was happy to vote in favor of this award. Few curatorial entities preserve cinema history while presenting it to a mass audience; of those, only TCM has the backing of a major media company. That’s why I fear we could lose it — and why the broader efforts to preserve film history also face peril.
The economy, shaky box office, and a...
As an Nsfc member, I was happy to vote in favor of this award. Few curatorial entities preserve cinema history while presenting it to a mass audience; of those, only TCM has the backing of a major media company. That’s why I fear we could lose it — and why the broader efforts to preserve film history also face peril.
The economy, shaky box office, and a...
- 1/14/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Jane Fonda has done incredible work over the last three decades of her career, from her long-running Netflix series, “Grace and Frankie”, to Tony-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated roles on Broadway, film and television. But according to the actress, it all almost never happened.
Fonda and her “80 For Brady” co-stars — Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field — welcomed Et to the set of the upcoming film last year, and opened up about the secrets to their long and acclaimed careers. All four of the film’s main stars are previous Oscar nominees, with five statuettes between them.
“Desire,” Field answered simply. “You can’t not do it.”
However the answer was more complicated for Fonda, who announced her retirement from acting in 1991 when she married her third husband, media tycoon Ted Turner.
“I left for 15 years, when I married Ted Turner, and I did not think I was gonna come back,...
Fonda and her “80 For Brady” co-stars — Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field — welcomed Et to the set of the upcoming film last year, and opened up about the secrets to their long and acclaimed careers. All four of the film’s main stars are previous Oscar nominees, with five statuettes between them.
“Desire,” Field answered simply. “You can’t not do it.”
However the answer was more complicated for Fonda, who announced her retirement from acting in 1991 when she married her third husband, media tycoon Ted Turner.
“I left for 15 years, when I married Ted Turner, and I did not think I was gonna come back,...
- 1/5/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.