What's news: The Emmys scored 6.7m viewers in preliminary ratings. Robert De Niro is in talks to portray Tommy Lasorda in a biopic. La Bola Negra is Spain's pick for the Oscars. Ed Sheeran's other opening acts have pulled out of his tour. And Prime Video is launching its first super bundle. — Abid Rahman
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DOJ Sides With Paramount on $1.88B Bond Demand
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►"The bond requirement forces parties to have skin in the game." The U.S. government is urging a federal judge to force a dozen states led by California to bear the costs of the holdup caused by their lawsuits challenging the $111b megamerger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. In a statement of interest filed on Tuesday, the Justice Department argues that the states must post a “proper bond” taking into consideration potential damages. The move follows Paramount last week continuing to press California AG Rob Bonta for a $1.88b bond to cover losses if it wins the cases over the deal, which has been temporarily halted. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Paramount will sit down with Rob Bonta and the Writers Guild of America for two straight days starting on Oct. 14 to explore a deal settling lawsuits challenging the studio’s bid to acquire WBD, according to a court document filed on Tuesday. The talks will come after Bonta last month canceled a meeting with Paramount scheduled for the following day, accusing the studio’s representatives of leaking and misrepresenting details of negotiations they held. The story.
—Tragedy. At least three people are dead after local news station NBC4’s helicopter crashed in Los Angeles Tuesday night. The helicopter appeared to be over the scene of a nearby deadly Metro bus collision in the Chatsworth neighborhood when it crashed and burst into flames just before 7 p.m. PT. Several other vehicles that the chopper crashed next to also caught fire, authorities said. The victims aboard the helicopter were identified as Angel City Air employees Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. The story.
—The latest. Nick Reiner will not face the death penalty for the slayings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, in their Brentwood home last year. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said on Tuesday that he reached the decision after consulting Reiner’s siblings. “They made their views very clear,” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters outside the courthouse, per NBC News. The story.
—"Trump only cares about the Kennedy Center for his vanity." Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio board member of the Kennedy Center who sued Donald Trump over his plans for the arts institution, blasted the decision to shut down the center. On Tuesday, the board voted to shut down the Kennedy Center immediately, according to media reports and a post from Trump, which they said was to allow for renovations to the center. This vote came after a federal judge had issued an injunction earlier in the day, blocking the board from adding Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center. The story.
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'American Idol' Moving Production From L.A. to Georgia
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►Another blow. American Idol, ABC’s long-running music competition series, is relocating from Los Angeles to the Atlanta area. The Fremantle-produced show's move is a hit to L.A.’s production landscape, especially in scripted television, a space that has seen episode counts shaved and overall orders cut over the past several years. The city saw a nearly 13 percent drop in shoot days from April to June compared to the same period last year and an 8 percent drop compared to the previous quarter, according to FilmLA. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 THR's Alex Weprin has the scoop that James Cameron's Lightstorm has acquired Outsyders, an AI-driven 3D post-production company founded by Paul Becker, Jared Sandrew, and Chris Harvey. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the company will become a part of Lightstorm Vision to create an end-to-end 3D production and post-production process. The story.
—New streamer just dropped. JustWatch Group, which operates the popular streaming guide, is launching JustWatch TV next month within the main app and its website. JustWatch TV, which will offer free ad-supported or paid ad-free viewership as well as rentals, will be available across the U.S. and Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. The story.
—Niche but nice. Prime Video is launching its first super bundle. The streamer will debut a bundled offering that combines AMC+, Starz, MGM+, PBS Masterpiece and BritBox, the first time it will launch a bundle with five different services. The bundle won’t be cheap, however, with a cost of $29.99 per month. That said, Prime Video notes that it is a 39 percent discount compared to subscribing to each of the plans individually. The story.
—🤝 Podcast deal. 🤝 Amazon Music is making a bigger push into video podcasts. Starting today, users will be able to watch video podcasts within Amazon Music from hosting providers including Triton Digital’s Omny Studio and Flightcast, with shows from SiriusXM, Megaphone, and Libsyn expected in the coming months. This will include shows such as Hey Jonas!, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb, Pro Football Talk Live with Mike Florio, and Solved with Mark Manson. The story.
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Sheeran on Dropping Macklemore: "Promoter’s Decision, Not Mine" |
►"It’s important that I set out some facts." Ed Sheeran issued a statement on dropping Macklemore from his ongoing Loop Tour following backlash the rapper had faced over his pro-Palestine statements. Sheeran said that Macklemore's tour contract was with the promoter, Messina Touring Group, and not with him, so the decision to drop him came from the promoter. He also explained why he chooses to not share his political opinions publicly. The story.
—A major Ed-ache. Finneas, Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe, the other openers on Ed Sheeran's tour, have dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore. Sheeran’s band Beoga has also departed the tour. In statements within hours of each other, Finneas wrote that “artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed." Graham wrote that “money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge." The story.
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Prime Video in Talks to Take Over Emmys Telecast
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►Bye, bye broadcast? The Television Academy and Prime Video are in talks about the streamer taking over as home of the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast. Should a deal be struck, it would mark the first time in the Emmys‘ history that the awards would not air on a broadcast outlet. The TV Academy’s most recent eight-year agreement with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC came to an end Monday night with NBC’s telecast of the 78th Emmys. The awards have rotated between the big four broadcasters since the mid-1990s. The story.
—About those broadcast numbers. The 78th Emmy Awards drew a somewhat smaller audience than the 77th awards, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. Early numbers for Monday’s telecast put the Emmys at 6.7m viewers on NBC and other platforms, including Peacock. That figure may change some when final ratings are released Wednesday, but the Emmys are currently down about 10 percent from last year’s preliminary number. The 2025 awards averaged 7.42m viewers in early ratings before adjusting up to a final same-day total of 7.59m. The ratings.
—Not great. The 59th season premiere of 60 Minutes was heavily scrutinized — but not as heavily watched as last year’s debut. The Sept. 13 episode of 60 Minutes delivered 7.94m on-air viewers, according to Nielsen. That’s down about 21 percent from the show’s premiere last year, which had 10.03m viewers on Sept. 28, 2025. Sunday’s show was also the first since CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss overhauled the long-running newsmagazine. The ratings.
—New high. The Israeli drama Fauda scored its highest position ever on Netflix‘s weekly streaming rankings for a season that takes on the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and their aftermath. The series finished in fourth place among non-English language series for the week of Sept. 7-13, based on internal data from the streamer. That’s the highest spot Fauda has occupied since Netflix began releasing weekly rankings in the summer of 2021; season four peaked at No. 7 in January 2023 for its premiere week. The ratings.
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Colbert Shaves Beard Off, Talks Emmys and 'Rings' Movie
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►"Smoochy time." A free and unburdened Stephen Colbert was back on late night on Tuesday, but this time he was (sort of) answering the questions rather than asking them. Colbert appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and took part in a lengthy interview that took in the Emmys, his beard, smooching Jimmy Kimmel, smooching his wife, his upcoming Lord of the Rings movie, and an update on what happened to all his Late Show suits. The recap.
—Special tribute. The Country Music Association revealed on Wednesday that it’s producing a live two-hour special to pay tribute to Dolly Parton, who died last month at age 80. CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will air live on ABC and Disney+ internationally on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9-11 p.m. ET, and stream next day on Hulu. The story.
—🎭 Three more! 🎭 The sprawling cast of HBO‘s Harry Potter series continues to grow. The latest additions to the show are Rafe Spall, Molly Hewitt-Richards and Jasper Ambrose. All three are joining the show’s second season, which is set to begin production in the fall. Spall will play Arthur Weasley, the father of Ron, Ginny and the rest of the Weasley kids. Hewitt-Richards will play Moaning Myrtle, a ghost who haunts part of Hogwarts. Ambrose plays Colin Creevey, a Hogwarts student who’s a fan of Harry. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Bonnets at the ready: The six-part Pride and Prejudice is coming to Netflix Dec. 3. Series writer Dolly Alderton gave the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England the first full look at every single cast member, including Olivia Colman as Mrs. Bennet, Rufus Sewell as Mr. Bennet and Louis Partridge as the roguish Mr. Wickham. The story.
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De Niro in Talks to Play Lasorda |
►🎭 Raging bullpen. 🎭 Robert De Niro is in talks to portray Tommy Lasorda, the legendary manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a new sports film with the working title Tommy & Me. Reid Carolin set to direct the pic for Skydance Sports. While storyline details have yet to be released, Carolin, George Gallo and Cambron Clark are penning the script. Lasorda, who died in 2021 at age 93, spent seven decades with the Dodgers as a player, scout, coach, manager and ambassador in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. The story.
—"Absolutely rocks!" Resident Evil is back! Again. Sony’s second reimagining of its long-running action horror movie franchise, based on the popular video games, had its world premiere at The United Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, as well as press screenings, and early reactions to the film have already hit social media. Zach Creggar's film hits theaters on Sept. 18. The reaction.
—🏆 ¡Buena suerte! 🏆 La Bola Negra from filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi has been selected as Spain‘s entry for best international feature film at the 2027 Oscars. The film recounts the story of three generations of queer men whose lives are connected through love and loss. La Bola Negra became the subject of a competitive bidding war following its May 21 world premiere in Cannes, where the filmmakers were awarded the fest’s best director prize in a tie with Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland. The story.
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Film Review: 'The Julia Set' |
►"Less than the sum of its parts." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Niki Byrne's The Julia Set. Chase Infiniti leads a strong ensemble cast in Byrne’s debut about a gifted math student too unwise about the world to subtract herself from a toxic relationship. Also starring Christopher Briney, Nina Hoss, Carmen Ejogo, Chloe Bailey, Nico Hiraga, Liz Lin, Alex Dillard, Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson. Written by Niki Byrne. The review.
—"A soft-impact lurch from archness to angst." David reviews Cody Fern's Closing Night. Sarah Paulson and Naomi Watts lead a deluxe cast in Fern’s first feature about a famed actress grappling with a dark secret in a time of crisis. Also starring Dianne Wiest, Toby Wallace and Odessa A’zion. Written by Cody Fern and Devon Bostick. The review.
—"Fiendishly entertaining." For THR, Michael Rechtshaffen reviews Courteney Cox's Evil Genius. The comic dramatization of 2003's notorious "Pizza Bomber" incident takes its cue from the Netflix series Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist. Starring Patricia Arquette, David Harbour, Michael Chernus, Garret Dillahunt, Ryan Eggold, Gregory Alan Williams, Tom McCarthy and Owen Teague. Written by Courtenay Miles. The review.
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►"Thrives on action, stumbles on exposition — just like Reacher." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews Amazon Prime Video's Neagley. Maria Sten takes the spotlight as a Chicago private investigator looking into a rural cult and occasionally hanging out with Jack Reacher (guest star Alan Ritchson). Also starring Greyston Holt, Jasper Jones, Adeline Rudolph, Matthew Del Negro and Damon Herriman. Created by Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton. The review.
—"Two hours of solid stuff buried in lots of fictionalized nonsense." Daniel reviews TNT's High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam. The eight-part drama tells the story of CIA analyst who interviewed the former Iraqi president. Starring Joel Kinnaman, Waleed Zuaiter and Tom Berenger. Created by Daniel Stiepleman and Jonathan Wakeham, developed by Leslie Greif. The review.
In other news...
—The Diplomat S4 trailer: Keri Russell confronts a "culture of consistent lawlessness"
—The Remarried Empress trailer: Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon face royal betrayal in Disney+ K-drama
—Ryan Gosling’s coat among 300 items from Blade Runner 2049 set for auction
—Quentin Tarantino to release The Adventures of Cliff Booth book in December
—Amanda Seyfried splits from Thomas Sadoski after nearly 10 years of marriage
—The Female Quotient signs with CAA
What else we're reading...
—Jeanna Smialek and Matina Stevis-Gridneff report on the seismic news that the EU is offering to make Canada an "associate member" [NYT]
—Caroline Davies has a story on Matthew Rhys’s Cardiff alma mater paying tribute to the "loyal pupil" and Welsh language devotee [Guardian]
—Emily Kennard writes that the liberal media empire Pod Save America is now reflecting the Democratic Party's existential woes [Washington Sun]
—Alex Horton, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Maria Sacchetti and Ted Hesson report that ICE is quietly firing unvetted new hires [Washington Post]
—James Parker goes inside the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, George Lucas' "temple to storytelling" [The Atlantic]
Today...
...in 2011, FilmDistrict released Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive in theaters. The action drama, Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks, was a critical and commercial hit and has become something of cult film. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Jennifer Tilly (68), Mickey Rourke (74), Molly Shannon (62), Amy Poehler (55), Max Minghella (41), Nick Jonas (34), Kurt Fuller (73), Fan Bingbing (45), Marc Anthony (58), Craig Zobel (51), Alexis Bledel (45), Ed Begley Jr. (77), Madeline Zima (41), Chase Stokes (34), Jessica Plummer (34), Michael James Shaw (40), Elena Kampouris (29), Ian Harding (40), Jayne Brook (66), Toks Olagundoye (51), Christopher Rich (73), Kyla Pratt (40), Holly J. Barrett (24), Danny John-Jules (66), Mike Doyle (54), Thekla Reuten (51), Virginia Gay (45), Vanessa Aspillaga (54), Ed Stoppard (52), Amy Price-Francis (51), Victory Van Tuyl (31), Linda Henning (82), Susan Ruttan (78), Rodrigo Sorogoyen (45), Lee Jin-wook (45), Bailey De Young (37), Daren Kagasoff (39)
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