| | | | What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is the delightful Keke Palmer. Kevin Spacey faces additional charges in the U.K. A third Princess Diaries film is in the works. Dave Chappelle's controversial hosting stint on SNL led to a ratings boost. Walter Hamada will oversee horror at Paramount. — Abid Rahman |
How Keke Palmer Invented "Keke Palmer" ►On the cover. Keke Palmer does not entertain comparisons, and her actions defy them. Where others use digital platforms as a launchpad, the actress and singer wielded hers like a boomerang — perfecting a confessional style of comedy that prompted a career resurgence as she aged out of kid roles and became an adult. THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to the hilarious and impossibly irreverent star about the persona she created — and how it's only part of the story: "I also exist outside of this caricature." The cover story.
—Trial ends. Danny Masterson’s rape trial culminated Tuesday with prosecutors portraying the That ’70s Show star as a serial rapist who abused his celebrity status to violently sexually assault women in his orbit and the defense suggesting that the district attorney’s office is stubbornly pursuing a losing case despite inconsistencies in the accusers’ testimony. The story.
—Additional charges. Kevin Spacey is set to face an additional seven sexual offense charges in the U.K., bringing the total to 12. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the further charges against the actor include three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. The story.
—Ratings boost. Saturday Night Live ratings hit a season high with divisive host Dave Chappelle. This week’s episode scored 4.8m viewers and a 0.9 rating in the adults 18-49 demo. Chappelle hosted the iconic NBC late-night series’ sixth episode of its 48th season, which has been off to a very sluggish start following a major cast shakeup. Up until now, SNL has been averaging 4m viewers — down 20 percent from last fall. The story. |
Next Gen 2022: THR's 35 Rising Execs 35 and Under ►Leading Hollywood into the future. THR's 29th annual list of execs making an early mark on Hollywood includes a talent agent who considered working for the CIA, a manager who specializes in "self-proclaimed weirdos" and the published author that was recruited to be an in-house literary exec. The list.
—Third volume. THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch has the scoop on Disney developing a new entry in The Princess Diaries franchise. Aadrita Mukerji is penning a script for what sources say is a continuation of the Anne Hathaway-led series of films rather than a reboot. Hathaway does not have a deal to return, but she has publicly stated her support for a third installment, and the hope is she would return should the potential new film move forward beyond the script stage. The story.
—🤝 Producing deal 🤝 Former DC Films president Walter Hamada has found a new studio home, inking an exclusive producing pact with Paramount. The deal will see Hamada move away from superheroes and return to his horror roots. The move comes just weeks after he departed his post at Warner Bros., where he oversaw DC for four years. Prior to that, Hamada worked on New Line horror properties such as The Conjuring. The story.
—"More important than one bad moment." Antoine Fuqua is hopeful that viewers will give his forthcoming Apple movie Emancipation a chance as it prepares for release less than a year after Will Smith made headlines for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. In a new interview, the director said that no one involved in the film ever had a conversation “about the movie not coming out” but that Apple was “very careful” in assessing the situation and listening to various opinions surrounding it. The story.
—"Keep traditional marriage at the core." Candace Cameron Bure says her new network, Great American Family, does not plan to focus on same-gender relationships in its upcoming movies and projects. In a new interview, Bure said the GAF better aligns with her career goals and personal beliefs. After making more than two dozen movies for the Hallmark Channel, Bure left the network earlier this year and now serves as chief creative officer at GAF. The story. |
2023 Grammy Nominations ►Domination. Beyoncé’s dance album Renaissance led the nominations for the 2023 Grammy Awards with nine. The pop star is up for album of the year while her No. 1 hit, “Break My Soul,” earned bids for song and record of the year. She also earned three R&B nominations, one for her Oscar-nominated track “Be Alive” and two in the dance category — a first for the singer. Kendrick Lamar scored eight nods, including bids for album, record and song of the year. The nominations.
—"Our job is to evaluate the art." THR spoke to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. about Grammy nominations for controversial figures like Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. The musician and music executive also talked about noms for Burna Boy and Drake, the latter getting nominations though he didn’t submit his latest album for consideration. The interview.
—Poor Ed Sheeran, lucky Drake. The Grammy noms pleased some and disappointed others. Here are 16 standout things about the nods for the 2023 awards, including snubs, surprise nominees, controversial contenders and more. The story. |
TV News Enters Belt-Tightening Era ►No longer flush with cash. As CNN, ABC News and others grapple with an advertising downturn and lower linear viewership, THR's Alex Weprin writes that the new mandate is to trim costs and find savings however they can while staffers weather the storm. The analysis.
—🤝 JV in place 🤝 The NFL and Skydance Media are launching a new joint venture, one that will combine assets from NFL Films and Skydance Sports to create what they are betting can be “the premier global multi-sports production studio.” The new venture will produce sports media content across genres, in both scripted and unscripted formats. The story.
—🏆 Best of the best 🏆 Netflix and Disney were among the top winners at 2022 Clio Entertainment Awards on Tuesday. The event recognizes creative excellence in the marketing of film, television, home entertainment, gaming and live entertainment. At the Dolby Theater ceremony, Netflix was awarded network of the year, Microsoft Studios/Xbox was game publisher of the year, Disney was named studio of the year and Trailer Park Group as agency of the year. The winners.
—Winter is here. Endeavor — the parent company of assets like agencies WME and IMG, sports league UFC, events firm On Location and online gambling platform OpenBet — is pausing new hires through the end of the year. Endeavor president Mark Shapiro told THR's Erik Hayden that the firm will put in place a hiring freeze until 2023 but noted that the conglomerate will be backfilling positions. The story. |
TV Review: 'The Santa Clauses' ►"Lacks that holiday magic." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Disney+'s The Santa Clauses. Continuing the story that started with 1994's film The Santa Clause, the show sees Tim Allen's Scott considering retirement after nearly three decades on the job. The review.
—"A witty dark comedy." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Paul Dektor's American Dreamer. Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon, Kimberly Quinn and Danny Glover also appear in this black comedy scripted by Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures). The review.
In other news...
—Will Smith escapes cruel hunters, swamps to win freedom in Emancipation trailer
—Channing Tatum shares steamy last hurrah with Salma Hayek Pinault in Magic Mike’s Last Dance trailer
—Something From Tiffany’s trailer teases an engagement ring mix-up for Zoey Deutch
—Controversial Casey Anthony Peacock docuseries releases trailer
—DNEG to launch VFX, animation studio in Sydney
—Ryan Coogler, Margot Robbie and Sarah Polley to be honored by SFFILM
—Mars One director Gabriel Martins signs with CAA
What else we're reading...
—Kathryn VanArendonk writes that all the newfangled ways to watch Yellowstone are a mess [Vulture]
—Simon Kuper makes the ethical case for watching this possibly unethical World Cup [FT]
—Joy Saha has the true story of Charles Cullen, the subject of Capturing the Killer Nurse and The Good Nurse [Salon]
—Jodi Walker writes that Lindsay Lohan’s comeback is a Christmas miracle [Ringer]
—Kenan Draughorne reports on some church leaders who are finding it harder to cut ties with Kanye West [LAT]
Today...
...in 2001, Warner Bros. launched J.K. Rowling’s wizarding universe in wide release with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which grossed more than $970m worldwide. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Pete Davidson (29), Missi Pyle (50), Maggie Gyllenhaal (45), Martha Plimpton (52), Lisa Bonet (55), Marg Helgenberger (64), Brandon Larracuente (28), Harry Lennix (58), Gigi Edgley (45), Kimberly J. Brown (38), Ona Grauer (47), Miguel Sandoval (71), Chelsea Frei (30), Michael Irby (50), Dean McDermott (56), Brooke Elliott (48), Vicki Berlin (45), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (58), James Parks (54), Jamie Babbit (52), Brandi Glanville (50), Bruno Amato (61), India Ennenga (28) |
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