| | | | What's news: DGA sets the start date for its negotiations. Scarlett Johansson circles Nancy Meyers' big-budget film return for Netflix. SiriusXM is cutting 8 percent of its workforce. HBO's The Last of Us hits a ratings high. The Virginian actress Sara Lane dies at 73. — Ryan Gajewski |
Host Jimmy Kimmel Is Prepared for Another Oscar Night Slap ►"If I'm bigger than they are, I beat the shit out of them on television." THR's Lacey Rose interviews Jimmy Kimmel ahead of his turn as host of the 95th Oscars, marking his third stint as emcee. Kimmel discusses the delicate balance of being both funny and safe, the unrealistic expectations around ratings and run time and what, exactly, he'd do should someone storm the stage and slap him, as Will Smith infamously did to Chris Rock at last year's ceremony. The interview.
—"Nearly every department across SiriusXM will be impacted." The layoffs affecting the media and entertainment industries have hit SiriusXM. The satellite radio giant is laying off 475 people, or about 8 percent of its workforce, according to a staff memo from CEO Jennifer Witz. The story.
—A rom-com renaissance? After not directing a movie since 2015's The Intern, Nancy Meyers is back with a project attracting A-list talent. THR's Mia Galuppo and Borys Kit report that Scarlett Johansson is circling the lead role in the filmmaker's upcoming feature for Netflix, with Penélope Cruz, Owen Wilson and Michael Fassbender also eying the project. The rom-com is currently looking at a budget in the whopping $130 million to $150 million range. The story.
—"Anticipating where the industry is going." The Directors Guild of America set a date with studios and streamers for its latest contract negotiations. The union, which represents directors, assistant directors, unit production managers and others, will enter into talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on May 10, the AMPTP and the DGA jointly announced. The DGA's current basic agreement expires June 30. The story. |
'Devil in the White City' Dead at Hulu ►City limits. THR's Lesley Goldberg reports that Devil in the White City is officially dead at Hulu. Sources say the Disney-backed streamer is no longer moving forward with the limited series that had been in various stages of development for more than a decade. However, ABC Signature remains committed to the drama and will be shopping the show to new outlets, per insiders. The news comes months after leading man Keanu Reeves and director Todd Field (Tár) dropped out of the drama from Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. The story.
—"You still have a chance to choose a life of strength." Arnold Schwarzenegger has issued an impassioned 12-minute video message reacting to the rising tide of antisemitism. The actor took the unusual step of spending the bulk of his speech addressing people who indulge in hate directly — similar to his viral message where he addressed the people of Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine. The story.
—Captain America's London disaster. A grand romantic gesture turns into a dangerous international adventure for Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in the trailer for Ghosted. The stars lead the Apple TV+ film centered on Cole (Evans) who, after having a date with Sadie (de Armas), is left confused as to why she doesn't respond to his texts. When he decides to travel to London to surprise Sadie while she works, he makes a shocking discovery that there's more to his paramour than he realized. The story. |
Tyler Perry, Byron Allen Eye BET Majority Stake ►A deal would give the studio cash as it builds out Paramount+. THR's Alex Weprin reports that Paramount is exploring a potential sale of a majority stake in its BET business, which includes BET, VH1 and the BET+ streaming service. Tyler Perry, a longtime partner of BET, is engaged in conversations to buy the stake, per a source. Other parties are also said to have expressed an interest in the BET businesses, and a rep for Byron Allen confirms that the media mogul plans to pursue a deal as well. The story.
—"Make sure that everybody has an opportunity to be successful." THR's J. Clara Chan interviews YouTube's global head of gaming, Leo Olebe, following the video giant announcing that it hit more than 120 billion hours of watch time for gaming-related content on the platform in 2022. The exec discusses the exclusive deal model, the latest YouTube Gaming stats and the company's new CEO, Neal Mohan. The interview.
—"Definitive and unvarnished examination." Documentarian Alex Gibney, who has tackled Scientology, WikiLeaks and Russian president Vladimir Putin, announced that tech entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Elon Musk is the focus of his latest work. Titled Musk, the feature project already months into making will examine the controversial CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. The story. |
Oscar Nominee Brian Tyree Henry Talks Style Choices ►"I want everything to pop." THR's Evan Nicole Brown sits down with first-time Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry about his red carpet and personal style. The Causeway actor and self-proclaimed "sock freak" shares his fashion icons, must-have items and why he doesn't care about being a shape that "most people want to dress." The interview.
—"Why was I hired in the first place?" THR's Borys Kit spoke with famed comics author Brian Michael Bendis. The co-creator of Miles Morales chatted about his new autobiographical graphic novel Fortune and Glory: The Musical!, which tells the tale of his time on the notorious Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The interview.
—"Traveling solo as a woman was actually really, really empowering." Former The Bachelorette lead and Dancing With the Stars winner Hannah Brown tells THR about recently visiting Europe on her own for the first time. Brown reflects on leaving Jordan, where she filmed Fox's Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, and embarking on memorable adventures in Italy and France. The story. |
TV Review: 'UnPrisoned' ►"Finds intriguing depth in the messiness of lived experience." THR's Angie Han reviews creator Tracy McMillan's Hulu dramedy UnPrisoned. Kerry Washington plays a therapist whose life is upended when her father (Delroy Lindo) is released from prison. The review.
In other news...
—The View weighs in on Chris Rock's Netflix special and his jokes about the Will Smith slap: "He kept her name out of his mouth"
—Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano trailer gives look at never-before-heard recordings used in the former Hollywood fixer's case
—Melissa Barrera headlining horror romance Your Monster
—TV ratings: The Last of Us hits same-day high ahead of season finale
—Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters: "Member satisfaction and profit" guide company decisions
What else we're reading...
—Zoe Schiffer and Casey Newton explore how a single engineer brought down Twitter [Verge]
—Following the Glastonbury lineup, Rhian Jones asks why there are so few women headlining music festivals [Guardian]
—Daniel Joyaux's suggestions for fixing the Oscars telecast includes creating an off-site halftime show and announcing the order of the categories ahead of time [Ringer]
—For the 25th anniversary of The Big Lebowski, Derek Lawrence chats with Tara Reid all about the film, including her role being one that "every girl was fighting for" [Vulture]
—Jon Caramanica gets to know Saint Levant, the 22-year-old trilingual rapper and TikTok sensation who aspires to be the president of Palestine [NYT]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Bryan Cranston (67), Wanda Sykes (59), Rachel Weisz (53), Haley Lu Richardson (28), Greta Lee (40), Peter Sarsgaard (52), Jenna Fischer (49), Bel Powley (31), Tobias Menzies (49), Laura Prepon (43), Anupam Kher (68), Jay Duplass (50), Donna Murphy (64), Brandon T. Jackson (39), Daisy Head (32), Matthew Vaughn (52), Amanda Gorman (25) |
| | Sara Lane, who portrayed the orphaned frontier girl Elizabeth Grainger for four seasons of the NBC drama The Virginian, has died. She was 73. The obituary. |
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