| | | | What's news: Casey Bloys has addressed the fake Twitter accounts scandal. Yellowstone will have two more spinoffs. HBO/Max have set a second season to docuseries The Jinx. Walt Disney Animation Studios production workers have voted to unionize. The Academy Museum Gala has a new date. Six Flags and Cedar Fair have agreed to merge. — Abid Rahman
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Why Matthew Perry's Loss Feels So Massive ►"Like when a Beatle dies." If the last week has shown anything, the love for Matthew Perry transcends generations and travels the globe. THR's Lesley Goldberg talks to Hollywood insiders who helped shaped Friends — and were shaped by it — about why multiple generations were so enormously attached to the star and have been hit so hard by his death. The story.
—The YCU expands. The current iteration of Yellowstone has a timeline for its final episodes — but two more spinoffs of the Paramount Network hit are in the offing. The second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season, which will close the book on the current Dutton family saga, is set to premiere in November 2024. The two spinoffs in the works are a present-day story with the working title of 2024 and another prequel set in 1944. The story.
—"I came up with a very, very dumb idea to vent my frustration." In the wake of allegations that his division used fake Twitter accounts to undermine TV critics posting tepid reviews of HBO programming, network chief executive Casey Bloys addressed the claim during a meeting with the press on Thursday. At a presentation of HBO’s 2024 content slate, Bloys cast the Twitter accounts as part of a pandemic era “dumb idea.” The story.
—Yay us! THR has landed 46 nominations for the 16h National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, including best entertainment publication and best website. In addition, Rebecca Keegan was nominated for print journalist of the year, Katie Kilkenny online journalist of the year, Daniel Fienberg for best television critic and Mesfin Fekadu for best online columnist. Sadly, there's still no newsletter category. Bah! The nominees. |
Drescher Reiterates She Doesn’t Need "Male Energy" to Lead ►"I can lead with intellect, I can lead with wisdom, I can lead with empathy, I can be me." Fran Drescher is speaking out about her negotiating style in a new video on Instagram, saying once more that she doesn’t have to “emulate male energy to lead.” In a video posted to the SAG-AFTRA president’s Instagram page on Wednesday, Drescher is filmed prepping to go to work — applying makeup and putting on sunglasses as she walks out the door. Drescher also reveals the heart-shaped plush toy that THR has reported she brings into negotiations in the message. The story.
—Still we wait. Hollywood will remain in suspense on Thursday when the negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP are set to continue. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that the parties were still in negotiations as of Wednesday evening, talking over AI — which has proved to be a sticking point in the denouement of these contract talks — and other topics, said a union-side source. As in previous bargaining dates this week, Hollywood CEOs were not present for the talks, which were led on the management side by AMPTP president Carol Lombardini. The story.
—✊ Joining the guild ✊ Walt Disney Animation Studios production workers have voted to unionize. Sixty-three production employees — including production coordinators, production managers and production supervisors — voted to join The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) in a National Labor Relations Board ballot count that took place on Wednesday. The story. |
'Late Late Show' Replacement Names Host, Creative Team ►All change. CBS has named a host and hired the key creative team for After Midnight, which is set to take over the 12:35 a.m. ET spot in early 2024. The show is inspired by Comedy Central’s comedic game show @midnight and getting a truth-in-titling name change. Comedian Taylor Tomlinson will host After Midnight. Tomlinson, who has two Netflix specials to her name, appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday following the afternoon announcement of the creative team. The story.
—There's more?! HBO and Max will debut a six episode second season of its docuseries The Jinx in 2024, presenting new information about the real estate heir-turned convicted murderer from director Andrew Jarecki. The Jinx – Part Two will feature interviews with people who had not previously come forward, as well as Durst’s prison phone calls, and other new information that connects Durst to the murders of Susan Berman and Morris Black, as well as the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack. The story.
—📅 New date 📅 The Academy Museum Gala, an annual fundraiser for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures that has come to be the Met Gala of the West Coast, has been rescheduled for Sunday, Dec. 3. The event was postponed from its original date of Saturday, Oct. 14, following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan and Sofia Coppola are set to be honored at the event. The story.
—📅 Out of season 📅 The 2024 WGA Awards have been pushed out of the Oscar season, the guild announced on Wednesday. THR's awards editor Scott Feinberg writes the surprising move was ostensibly made to allow guild members greater time to submit work following the guild’s recently resolved months-long strike against the AMPTP. Sources say the fact that the guild is moving its 76th annual ceremony to April 14, more than a month after the 2024 Oscars further disincentivizes studio lobbying of the guild and talent attendance at its awards. The story.
—🏆 BIFA nods 🏆 The British Independent Film Awards nominations were unveiled Thursday morning. Raine Allen-Miller’s Rye Lane, Charlotte Regan's Scrapper and Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers led the way with performance nominations for the likes of Tilda Swinton, Jodie Comer, Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, George MacKay, Alia Shawkat and Claire Foy. The nominees. |
Disney to Buy Full Control of Hulu ►🤝 Final price TBD 🤝 Disney has agreed to take full control of Hulu in a deal with Comcast, which has owned a third of the streamer ever since Disney’s acquisition of the 21st Century Fox entertainment assets. Disney will have to pay at least $8.61b for the 33 percent stake in the streamer, with a deal expected to be closed in 2024. The story.
—Ghost at the feast. Fox Corp. reported improved fiscal-quarter financials on Thursday as ad revenue fell 2 percent in the period ended Sept. 30, but affiliate revenue rose 2 percent. The earnings update was the first since media mogul Rupert Murdoch announced in September that he would be stepping down as the chairman of Fox and News Corp in November. “I can assure you that [Rupert Murdoch] is still very much involved and will continue to be for years to come,” executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch told analysts. The results.
—Roku and roll. Shares of Roku soared 12 percent in after hours trading Wednesday after the company beat Wall Street revenue expectations and saw improvements in its ad business. The company reported total net revenue of $912m, up 20 percent year-over-year. Platform revenue at Roku, which is primarily generated from ads, has also been increasing, reaching $787m, up 18 percent year-over-year, the company says. The results.
—🤝 Making moves 🤝 In a deal that shakes up the U.S. theme parks business, Six Flags and Cedar Fair have agreed to merge, creating a $8b parks giant that the companies hope will be able to better compete with parks from the likes of the Disney and Comcast’s NBCUniversal. The story.
—🤝 Deal done 🤝 Indie production giant Banijay's U.K. arm unveiled the acquisition of scripted producer The Forge, the company behind such dramas as Marriage, starring Sean Bean, Help, starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham, and Becoming Elizabeth. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The acquisition will add to Banijay U.K.’s scripted output and bring the number of scripted labels under its umbrella to 11, including such labels as Kudos, Tiger Aspect and Wild Mercury. The story. |
3 Debut Features Give Depth and Dimension to Black Mothers ►"Black mothers assume more complex roles than the ones Hollywood usually affords them." THR culture critic Lovia Gyarkye reflects on A.V. Rockwell's A Thousand and One, Savanah Leaf's Earth Mama and now Raven Jackson's All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, describing the trio of films as revelatory dramas that shape and shade more complex screen representations of Black mothers. The critic's notebook.
—"I want to address what is one of the most thoughtless, insensitive, and ignorant things I’ve ever done." Emily Hampshire has apologized for dressing up as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for Halloween along with a friend following criticism on social media. The Schitt’s Creek star wrote in a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, "I am deeply sorry and ashamed for putting something that awful out in the universe. Domestic abuse is never, ever funny." The story.
—"I still feel like I never really hit my stride with acting because after Hellboy I was so sick that I really stepped away." Selma Blair is reflecting on her acting career after she “stepped away” when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In a new interview, the actress opened up about what she feels like she missed out on. It wasn’t until 2018 that the Cruel Intentions actress publicly revealed her MS diagnosis, and she has been in remission since 2021. However, she previously shared that she went undiagnosed for 40 years. The story.
—"I don’t want to open up my show to that political violence." Quinta Brunson says there are “two different realities” to teaching — and a school shooting episode wouldn’t fit into the reality Abbott Elementary's universe is most focused on. In a new interview, the Emmy-winning creator, writer and star of the hit ABC comedy is once again addressing her decision to not include the difficult topic in her show, despite "knowing that school shootings happen all the time." The story. |
Film Review: 'What Happens Later' ►"The whimsy gets old fast." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Meg Ryan's What Happens Later. The actress toplines and directs a slightly surreal romantic comedy-drama about two former lovers stuck together in an airport during a winter storm, also starring David Duchovny. The review. In other news...
—The Boy Who Lived trailer: Daniel Radcliffe shines a light on paralyzed Harry Potter stuntman
—Genie trailer: Melissa McCarthy is granting Paapa Essiedu’s magical wishes
—Netflix’s new releases coming in November 2023
—Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner list NYC pied-à-terre for $6m
—Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat CEO Thai Randolph exits
—Will Packer launches management firm, Shayla Cowan to run
—Bob Knight, Indiana’s combustible coaching giant, dies at 83
What else we're reading...
—Jeffrey Gettleman, Rami Nazzal and Adam Sella report that a campaign of extremist violence by Israeli settlers is pushing the West Bank to the brink [NYT]
—Jon Pareles writes that The Beatles' "Now and Then" is a glimpse of past greatness [NYT]
— Mikael Wood reflects on how 60s rock gods Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Van Morrison have all been unmasked as narcissistic conspiracy nuts [LAT]
—ICYMI, here is Cheyenne Roundtree's incredible piece on HBO boss Casey Bloys ordering staffers to create fake accounts to fire back at critics [RS]
—Troy Smith looks at all the ways that Taylor Swift is having one of the biggest years in pop history [Axios]
Today...
...in 2003, Arrested Development introduced the Bluth family to Fox television audiences at 9:30 p.m. The original review.
Today's birthdays: David Schwimmer (57), Jon M. Chu (44), Shah Rukh Khan (58), Peter Mullan (64), Miles McKenna (28), Stefanie Powers (81), Luna Lauren Velez (59), Alyshia Ochse (43), Kate Rogal (40), Jaume Balagueró (55), Randy Harrison (46), Katharine Isabelle (42), Marisol Nichols (50), Reshma Shetty (46), Meta Golding (52), Steve Edge (51), Samantha Womack (51), Danny Cooksey (48), Gabriella Pession (46), Brittany Ishibashi (43), Chris Williams (56), Maeve Dermody (38), Sean Kanan (57), Jason Cerbone (46), Erika Flores (44) |
| Ady Barkan, an attorney and influential activist who used his years-long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to advance healthcare rights, has died. He was 39. The obituary. |
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