What's news: Singer Oliver Tree died in a helicopter crash in Brazil. Blake Lively will have her legal fees paid by Justin Baldoni. Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix. John Fogerty is next in line for a biopic. And the champion Knicks will feature in a special episode of The Tonight Show, tonight! — Abid Rahman
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Curry Barker Got His Wish
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►"The opportunities were just unbelievable. I realized I can do whatever I want now." Last week, Curry Barker, the 26-year-old writer-director of the $750,000 horror hit Obsession, heard he was going to yet another meeting at the Focus Features offices in Universal City. Instead, he arrived at the production company to find himself facing 250 employees — all holding glasses of champagne. Barker thought — for perhaps the hundredth time in recent weeks: Holy shit! Focus Chairman Peter Kujawski declared, “Congratulations on the biggest movie Focus has ever had!” The employees burst into applause and toasted Barker’s success. It was another crazy moment in Barker's meteoric rise as his film continues to defy gravity at the box office.
THR's James Hibberd goes inside the Barker's wild month, with the filmmaker dishing on the shocks, thrills and intense pressure of suddenly becoming the most wanted young director in Hollywood — and what he's doing next. The cover story.
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Fox to Acquire Roku for $22B |
►🤝 Sold! 🤝 Fox Corp. and streaming technology powerhouse Roku have entered a definitive agreement under which Fox will acquire Roku for $160 per share in a combination of cash and Fox Class A common stock, valuing Roku at approximately $22b, the companies said on Monday. The transaction combines Fox’s sports, news, and entertainment content and the Tubi streaming service with Roku’s connected TV platform, The Roku Channel, first-party data and direct relationship with more than 100m global streaming households. The story.
—ICYMI. The Justice Department has cleared Paramount‘s $111b megadeal for Warner Bros., a key approval that removes a major regulatory roadblock to completing the merger that will reshape Hollywood. The DOJ found that markets for streaming, linear TV and the development, production or distribution of films for theatrical release will not be harmed. As the DOJ weighed approval, a coalition of states led by California are preparing a lawsuit to block the deal that’s expected to be filed within a month. New York, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Connecticut and Tennessee are among the several states in talks to join. The story.
—🚨 Shameless plug alert! 🚨 With Emmy season heating up, THR is taking the awards conversation live. This Wednesday June 17, awards editors Scott Feinberg and Brande Victorian will go live on THR's YouTube channel to discuss Emmy season momentum, react to audience responses, and answer top viewer questions. Think of it as an insider's Emmy chat — with you in the conversation. Have a question about the races? Curious about a contender's momentum? Wondering which performances have surprised our experts most? Head to THR's Instagram Stories starting today to submit your questions and weigh in on our Emmy polls. Your responses could help shape the conversation!
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U.K. to Ban Social Media for Under-16s |
►"Children will be given back their childhoods." The social media ban for children under the age of 16 in the U.K. is official, with legislation set to finalized for a formal launch in spring 2027. Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled landmark legislation on Monday, which will make the likes of X, Facebook, YouTube, SnapChat and TikTok unavailable to under-16s in the U.K., in a move that follows the lead of Australia, where a similar ban was launched in 2025. Not covered in the British law are messaging services, such as WhatsApp. The story.
—🤝 Catalog deal. 🤝 THR's Ethan Millman has the scoop that legendary singer Chaka Khan has entered into a partnership with HarbourView for a stake her catalog. It’s unclear the specifics of the agreement including what rights and how much HarbourView has acquired as the company didn’t disclose any of the transaction terms, only calling it a partnership “focused on catalog development, global licensing, and the development of new creative ventures.” Financial details of the transaction weren‘t disclosed either. The story.
—Seasoned PR pros team up. Adam Keen, the veteran publicity executive who has held senior roles at a number of Hollywood studios including Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, MGM/United Artists, has launched Agenda Collective, a full-service and bicoastal PR firm. The company has offices in Los Angeles and New York and a staff roster comprised of fellow PR vets as newly-installed vice presidents, Emily Teichner, Natalie Petozzi and Kevin McAlpine. The story.
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Oliver Tree Dies in Helicopter Crash at 32
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►Tragic incident. Oliver Tree, the singer, director and record producer known for his hit songs “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” with Robin Schulz, has died. He was 32. The artist was among six killed when two helicopters collided in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the Southwest zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday morning. The obituary.
—Fees ruling. Blake Lively will have her legal fees paid by Justin Baldoni but isn’t entitled to damages for harm caused by his defamation claims, a court found Friday. Under the settlement reached last month, Baldoni waived his right to appeal the court’s order last year dismissing his $400m lawsuit against Lively. The deal didn’t include monetary compensation but left open the door for the actress to recover her legal costs and pursue damages under a California law intended to shield sexual harassment victims from retaliatory defamation claims. The story.
—Fighting back. Tyra Banks filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix on Saturday, claiming that her portrayal in the America’s Next Top Model docuseries, Reality Check, which the streamer released in February, was edited to support a false narrative. In the suit, Banks’ attorneys say she participated in a 3 1/2 interview about the show’s legacy and decisions she would approach differently today. But, the suit claims, just 16 minutes of her comments were used in the docuseries and they were”stripped of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed.” The story.
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UFC Fighter Declares "Michelle Obama Is a Man" at White House |
►Disgraceful. Josh Hokit won his bout at the UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday night and then surprised the crowd with a shocking statement. Hokit fought fellow heavyweight Derrick Lewis in the event, held on the White House lawn, and won. After the match, he gave an interview to podcaster Joe Rogan. At the end of the interview, he said: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?” In videos posted online, some in the crowd could be heard laughing while others seemed to be surprised by the comments. Rogan did not address the comments. The story.
—"Those rights are for everyone, everyone. And we must defend them for everyone." Jane Fonda gave a passionate speech defending the First Amendment on Sunday night at the star-studded Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment. “Right now, the government and its cronies [are] routinely violating its First Amendment to silence artists,” she said onstage. Also on the bill at Sunday night’s event were Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro, Tessa Thompson, Ayo Edebiri, Bette Midler, Ms. Rachel, Joy Reid, Lily Gladstone, Patti Smith and others. The New York event was organized by the Committee for the First Amendment, a group that originally formed in 1947 during the McCarthy era but was recently revived by Fonda. The recap.
—"The nuance of it is too personal." Seth Rogen and James Franco spent years as friends and close collaborators on the short-lived TV show Freaks and Geeks and movies like Pineapple Express, This Is The End, The Disaster Artist and The Interview. But after Franco was hit with numerous allegations of sexual misconduct in 2018, Rogen has said he has no plans to work with him again. And his approach hasn’t changed. Still Rogen was asked about his relationship with Franco in a new interview, and he indicated the situation is complicated. The story.
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THR's Drama Actors Roundtable |
►"I don’t know about you guys, but I’m always looking for that plan B and I can never find it." With Emmy voting underway, THR's award-winning Roundtable Series continues. Next up are the Drama Actors. The Brit heavy sextet — Noah Wyle (The Pitt), Charlie Hunnam (Monster), Richard Gadd (Half Man), Paul Anthony Kelly (Love Story), Kit Harington (Industry) and Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) — sat down with THR's Lacey Rose on a late April morning at The Georgian Hotel to discuss meltdowns, bulking up, growing chest hair, disrespectful cab drivers and channeling their inner Jax Teller. The roundtable.
—🏆 Strong year. 🏆 The leading nominees for the 2026 Television Critics Association Awards have been revealed and three shows — Widow’s Bay, Heated Rivalry and Industry — each scored five nominations. All three are up for program of the year and have multiple nominations in the individual achievement categories. The other nominees for program of the year are The Comeback, Hacks, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Pitt (which won last year), Pluribus and Shrinking. Heated Rivarly, Pluribus and Widow’s Bay are also nominated for best new show, along with Alien: Earth, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Lowdown and Margo’s Got Money Troubles. The nominations.
—Listen up Knicks fans! Two days after winning the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks will be featured in a special episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Members of the winning team will appear on Monday’s episode of the NBC late night show, airing at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT and streaming the next day on Peacock. Fallon, a Knicks superfan, will welcome NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to discuss their championship run and most recent season. The episode will also feature appearances by the entire Knicks team and head coach Mike Brown, plus surprise guests. The story.
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'Disclosure Day' Touches Down With $44m Opening
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►The OG still has the juice. Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day enters the fray amid a summer dominated by Gen Z hits Obsession and Backrooms. Spielberg’s $115m budgeted UFO will land at around $44m domestically and $93.9m globally this weekend, a solid start for the filmmaker’s first popcorn movie in eight years, since he released Ready Player One to $53.7m in North America on its way to $583.5m globally. It will become Spielberg’s top-grossing opening weekend domestically for an original feature, as well as his company Amblin’s biggest original opening. The box office report.
—Family means nobody gets left behind. THR's Borys "Scoopy-Doo" Kit has the scoop on Chris Sanders, who co-created, co-wrote and co-directed the original Lilo & Stitch animated movie, returning to direct Disney’s sequel to its hit live-action adaptation of the property. Sanders, who also voiced the character of Stitch in both animated and live-action form, was already deeply involved with the feature as its screenwriter. The sequel is now on the wave to production, with shooting due to begin later this year. The story.
—"Such an honor." John Fogerty is next in line for a biopic. While attending the 55th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday night in New York City, the Creedence Clearwater Revival founder spoke with THR's Ethan Millman, exclusively sharing an update on the project. The 81-year-old added that the film’s team has “been down the road” on casting, but “I don’t think I’m allowed to say much more.” Fogerty also told THR that the script is currently being written. The story.
—Helmer in place. The feature film adaptation of the hit horror video game, Dead by Daylight, has found its director. The Damned and The Valhalla Murders filmmaker Thordur Palsson has been tapped by Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Behaviour Interactive, the largest Canadian gaming studio, to direct the project. The announcement came during Dead by Daylight’s 10th anniversary celebration in Montreal’s Old Port. The story.
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Film Review: 'On the Sea'
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►"A distinctive drama steeped in melancholy sensuality." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Helen Walsh's On the Sea. In this Wales-set drama, Barry Ward plays a middle-aged mussel farmer, with Lorne MacFadyen as the younger itinerant worker who sparks desires he has spent most of his life hiding. Also starring Liz White, Henry Lawfull, Celyn Jones, Danny Webb and Leisa Gwenllian. Written by Helen Walsh. The review.
—"Will give you a hangover." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Katie Holmes' Happy Hours. In this drama premiering at Tribeca, former Dawson's Creek co-stars Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes play former high-school sweethearts. Also starring John McGinty, Joe Tippett, Jack Martin, Johnna Dias-Watson, Donald Webber Jr., Chloë Kerwin, Constance Wu and Mary-Louise Parker. Written by Katie Holmes. The review.
In other news...
—Sony Future Filmmaker Awards unveils 2026 winners
—SerienCamp 2026 winners
—Inside the most glamorous weekend in sports: 3 days at the Monaco Grand Prix with Aston Martin
—Gene Shalit, mussed-up movie critic of the Today show, dies at 100
—Ronnie Schell, actor on Gomer Pyle: USMC, dies at 94
What else we're reading...
—Ben Terris goes inside the Biden family's attempts to salvage their legacy [Intelligencer]
—Amelia Nierenberg has an explainer on the planned social media bans in several countries around the world [NYT]
—Marc Champion writes that Trump's Iran deal has all the hallmarks of a defeat [Bloomberg]
—Alex Leary and Terell Wright report on Trump's "gruesome and unbecoming" White House cage fight [WSJ]
—Kelly Grovier reflects on how the late David Hockney's 1967 masterpiece "A Bigger Splash" is newly poignant after his death [BBC]
Today...
...in 1960, Billy Wilder’s comedy The Apartment premiered in New York at the Astor and Plaza theatres. The film, featuring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, went on to claim five Oscars at the 33rd Academy Awards, including for best picture. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Courteney Cox (62), Helen Hunt (63), Leah Remini (56), Neil Patrick Harris (53), Jake Busey (55), Ice Cube (57), Julie Hagerty (71), Jim Belushi (72), Sterling Jerins (22), Chung-hoon Chung (56), Denzel Whitaker (36), Andy Tennant (71), Anthony Atamanuik (52), Michèle Laroque (66), John Toll (74), Rick Rosenthal (77), Dan Laustsen (72), Adam Rapp (58), Alice Englert (32), Polly Draper (71), Jessie Ennis (35), Michelle Greenidge (57), John Dahl (70), Eileen Davidson (67)
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Actress Anne Schedeen, best known for playing matriarch Kate Tanner on the late-’80s sitcom ALF, has died. She was 77. The obituary.
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