| | | | What's news: Netflix has ordered two more seasons of Love Is Blind. Starz's Highland will end with season three. David Oyelowo has signed an overall deal with Apple TV+. Bobi Wine: The People’s President won the top prize at the International Documentary Awards. French and Italian critics have accused Napoleon and Ferrari of "cultural appropriation." — Abid Rahman
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Andre Braugher 1962 - 2023 ►"He could say so much with his eyes." Andre Braugher, the dynamic actor known for his outstanding work on such shows as Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died. He was 61. Braugher died Monday after a brief illness, his longtime rep Jennifer Allen told THR.
The two-time Emmy winner starred as master interrogator Det. Frank Pembleton on NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street for all seven seasons of the show’s acclaimed 1993-98 run, then played another cop, Capt. Raymond Holt — this time against type and for laughs — on the 2013-21 Fox-NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The obituary.
—"Andre Braugher was an intensely dramatic, intensely funny actor’s actor." From Homicide: Life on the Street to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the unexpected arc of Andre Braugher's career was a testament to the rare breadth of his talent, writes THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg. The critic's appreciation.
—"A true legend." Several former co-stars and industry creatives who Andre Braugher worked with throughout his career, including Terry Crews, David Simon, Chelsea Peretti, Joel McKinnon Miller, Dirk Blocker, Reed Diamond, Mike Royce and Josh Lucas, wrote heartfelt tributes to the late actor on Tuesday night. The reaction. |
Transparency! Netflix Releases Viewing Numbers for 18,000 Titles ►A streaming first. Netflix has taken its biggest step toward data transparency yet with the release of an exhaustive list of viewing time on the platform in the first half of 2023. The list includes worldwide viewing for 18,214 movies and seasons of TV between January and June. Those titles all had at least 50,000 hours of viewing over those six months, encompassing about 99 percent of all viewing on Netflix, vp strategy and analysis Lauren Smith told reporters during a presentation of the data on Tuesday. It is the deepest dive into viewing that Netflix (or any other streamer) has ever made public. The story.
—Back for seconds. Netflix has announced a second installment of its Netflix is a Joke Fest, which will be held May 2 to 12, with more than 300 shows across 35-plus Los Angeles venues. The multi-day event quickly became the biggest comedy festival in North America when it debuted in 2022, selling 260,000 tickets across 295 shows — and it’s poised to be bigger in 2024. Produced by Netflix in association with Live Nation, the lineup, so far, includes Chris Rock, Ali Wong, John Mulaney, Chelsea Handler, Bert Kreisher, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Tom Segura and Matt Rife. The story.
—Love isn't a surprise. Netflix has ordered two more seasons of its unscripted series Love Is Blind, which will take the show through its seventh installment. The streamer has also set a premiere date of Feb. 14 for season six. The renewal is something of a no-brainer for Netflix, as Love Is Blind is consistently one of its more popular unscripted shows. Season five, which premiered in September, spent five weeks on Netflix’s worldwide top 10 list; the show has also made Nielsen’s streaming top 10 a dozen times in 2023, amassing 9.6b minutes of viewing time in those weeks. The story.
—Voice cast in place. Netflix’s animated Good Times update from Seth MacFarlane and the late and great Norman Lear is moving full steam ahead. The streamer has tapped J.B. Smoove, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jay Pharoah to lead the voice cast of the animated and adult-leaning series. Additionally, Ranada Shepard (Family Affair, Lizzie McGuire) has signed on to serve as showrunner, replacing Carl Jones (The Boondocks) in the role. The story.
—Farewell to another show. Starz on Tuesday announced that crime drama Hightown, starring Monica Raymund, will conclude with its third season. Season three of the series from showrunner Rebecca Cutter (Gotham) will debut Jan. 26 on Starz. Hightown is the latest series to get the ax at Starz. The cabler recently cleaned house and canceled Blindspotting, Heels and Run the World after two seasons each and dropped The Venery of Samantha Bird with only two episodes left to produce. The story. |
Why Cinemas Want to Bring Back Intermissions ►"30 percent of our customers chose to watch the movie with an interval even if it meant staying longer." With Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon clocking in at a meaty three hours and 26 minutes and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer a shade over three hours, increasingly bloated runtimes for marquee films mean fewer showings — and ticket sales — for cinemas that are competing with streaming for viewers’ attention. THR's Pamela McClintock looks at whether adding breaks to theatrical releases could spur audiences to return to the multiplex. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 David Oyelowo, who stars in Apple TV+‘s series Silo, is expanding his relationship with the streamer. The actor and his wife and producing partner, Jessica Oyelowo, have signed a first-look deal with Apple TV+ via their Yoruba Saxon banner. Under the multi-year deal, the company will develop both series and feature film projects that Apple will have the first shot at buying. The story.
—📅 Our day will come 📅 Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black is getting a high profile release in cinemas across the country on May 10 from Focus Features. Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the film from a script by Matt Greenhalgh following their successful collaboration on 2009’s Nowhere Boy. Breakout Industry actress Marisa Abela stars as the legendary singers-songwriter, who died in 2011. Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville also star. The story.
—"I couldn’t be happier." James Gunn took a moment to confirm that Nicholas Hoult will, in fact, be playing Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy and gave a bit of insight into what fans can expect from his take on the villain. The co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios posted a photo of him and Hoult on Threads and shared that the two had dinner to celebrate the official casting. The story.
—"I can guarantee you right now that Leonard Bernstein is here with us, giving you a big kiss on the mouth." Steven Spielberg told Bradley Cooper he did a "mitzvah," or good deed, by telling Leonard Bernstein’s story in Maestro. Spielberg, a producer of the film, moderated a Q&A with Cooper, its co-writer, director and star, following a screening of the film at the TCL Chinese Theatre Hollywood on Saturday night. The story. |
THR Documentary Roundtable ►"I have a story to tell before I leave this Earth." THR's award-winning Roundtable Series continues, next up are the documentarians. Madeleine Gavin (Beyond Utopia), Nicole Newnham (The Disappearance of Shere Hite), D. Smith (Kokomo City), Roger Ross Williams (Stamped From the Beginning), Matthew Heineman (American Symphony) and Davis Guggenheim (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie) sat down with THR's Scott Feinberg and reveal what drew them to stories about anti-Black racism, North Korean escapees, trans sex workers and Jon Batiste’s very intense year. The roundtable.
—🏆 Fine Wine 🏆 Bobi Wine: The People’s President won the top prize of best feature documentary at the 2023 International Documentary Awards on Tuesday night. The film follows music star, activist and opposition leader Bobi Wine amid Uganda’s 2021 presidential election. Other winners include The Mother of All Lies, Four Daughters and Dear Mama. The winners.
—🏆 Stellar lineup 🏆 The Producers Guild of America has announced its 2024 documentary motion picture nominees for the 35th annual Producers Guild Awards. The nominees include 20 Days in Mariupol, American Symphony, Beyond Utopia, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, The Mother of All Lies, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood and Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis). The story. |
Euro Critics Share Wrath for U.S. Actors in 'Ferrari' and 'Napoleon' ►Sacré bleu! Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and Michael Mann’s Ferrari are facing allegations of cultural appropriation in Europe. THR's Scott Roxborough reports that French and Italian critics have taken offense at the directors’ decisions to cast American actors to play national icons — Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte, the general who became French emperor, and Adam Driver as visionary Italian carmaker Enzo Ferrari — and, adding insult to injury, having them speak in English. The story.
—Just in time for the holidays. Chris Columbus’ Home Alone and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas have been unwrapped with 23 other cinematic sparklers for entry into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. Among those also voted in: George Cukor's Dinner at Eight (1933); Susan Seidelman’s Desperately Seeking Susan (1985); John Sayles’ Matewan (1987); James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991); Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet (1993); Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995); Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball (2000) and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled (2000). The story.
—"I was not aware of the amount of trouble I was in." Stephen Colbert returned to The Late Show on Monday night after taking several weeks off to treat a ruptured appendix and revealing that he dropped 14 pounds after experiencing blood poisoning. Appearing behind his desk for the first time in three weeks, the host and comedian spent the opening of Monday’s show detailing the medical emergency, from his last day on set to his trip to the St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where his burst organ was treated by doctors and nurses. The story. |
THR Critics Pick the Best Films of 2023 ►Strong year. A romantic collision of past and present, a subversive feminist fairy tale, a metaphysical ghost story, an epic retelling of a horrific footnote in American history and a sublime anti-rom-com are among this year’s THR movie highlights. THR's team of film critics — David Rooney, Jon Frosch, Lovia Gyarkye and Sheri Linden — run through their top 10 films of the year, as well as their 10 honorable mentions. The list.
—"Hits the right notes." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Denny Tedesco's Immediate Family. The Wrecking Crew director profiles the four prolific session musicians who became synonymous with the singer-songwriter ’70s and are still going strong. The review. In other news...
—Kirsten Dunst tries to survive a divided America in Civil War trailer
—Dune: Part Two trailer sees war come to Arrakis
—Netflix unveils release date, teaser for Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown
—Berlinale Forum unveils first films for 2024 festival
—Taylor Swift biographical comic reveals "Dazzler" variant cover ahead of December release
—Christopher Nolan lands Saturn Awards honor
—Swedish film awards nominations unveiled
What else we're reading...
—Jennifer Elias writes that Google’s court loss to Epic will likely have little impact in the near-term [CNBC]
—Aidan Walker reports on the rise of Instagram cat influencers who are unexpectedly now helping break news from Gaza [Daily Beast]
—Ian Millhiser explains the sinister Texas court decision that denied Kate Cox an abortion [Vox]
—Victor Mather reports on the discovery of a lost work by Raymond Chandler, a sentimental and delicate poem [NYT]
—Will Parker and Christine Mai-Duc look into Lorena Plaza, the 49 house development in Los Angeles that took an incredible 17 years to build [WSJ]
Today...
...in 1996, Cameron Crowe rolled out the 135-minute Tom Cruise-starrer Jerry Maguire, a commercial hit and enduring pop culture staple that grossed more than $270m in its theatrical run. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Taylor Swift (34), Jamie Foxx (56), Steve Buscemi (66), Emma Corrin (28), Jesse Armstrong (53), Katherine Schwarzenegger (34), NeNe Leakes (56), Tom DeLonge (48), Rusty Cundieff (63), Amy Lee (42), Scott Stuber (55), Peter Deming (66), Todd Holland (62), Wendie Malick (73), Sunita Mani (37), Laurence Leboeuf (38), Satya Bhabha (40), Tony Curran (54), Lynn-Holly Johnson (65), Johnny Whitaker (64), Jeffrey Pierce (52), Meghna Gulzar (50), Michael Socha (36), Regina Cassandra (33), Maisy Stella (20), Robert Lindsay (74), Bart Johnson (53), Lou Adler (90), James Kyson (48), Harry Gregson-Williams (62), Afemo Omilami (73), Cameron Douglas (45), Billy Van Zandt (66) |
| Shirley Anne Field, the British leading lady who starred alongside Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer, Albert Finney in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, and Kenneth More in Man in the Moon — all in 1960 — has died. She was 87. The obituary. |
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