| | | | What's news: Chris Rock's mom has broken her silence over the Will Smith slap incident at the Oscars. Cannes' opening film, zombie film Z, is changing its name. Roku is leaning into unscripted dating shows. Jon Stewart became the 23rd recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Britney Spears is taking a break from social media. Plus: The Mummy director Alex Kurtzman describes the 2017 box office bomb as the "biggest failure of his life" — Abid Rahman |
Showtime Fires 'American Gigolo' Showrunner David Hollander ►Misconduct investigation. David Hollander, who was set to helm Showtime’s television reboot of American Gigolo, has been fired by the network. Hollander, a writer, producer and director and former showrunner of Ray Donovan, was reportedly let go following a misconduct investigation. "David Hollander is no longer on the drama series American Gigolo and Paramount Television Studios no longer has a producing relationship with him," a Showtime spokesperson, who declined to comment further, told THR in a statement. The story.
—"Comedy is the bellweather, we’re the banana peel in the coal mine." Jon Stewart was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night, the first recipient of the award in more than two years. A host big names from the worlds of comedy and politics, including Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Kimmel, Nancy Pelosi and Pete Buttigieg turned out to honor the comedian at the Kennedy Center in D.C. Stewart used his speech to warn against authoritarianism, the real threat to comedy. The recap.
—Love is on the air. THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on The Roku Channel leaning into dating shows by greenlighting three new unscripted projects — To Paris for Love: A Reality ‘Rom Com’, The Marriage Pact and Match Me in Miami — as the service continues to ramp up its original offerings. Of those three, To Paris hails from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar. The story.
—"The title was perhaps funny when we completed the film several months ago but it isn’t anymore." Michel Hazanavicius’ zombie comedy Z, Cannes Film Festival's opening night film, has been renamed Coupe in France following a letter sent to the director and festival by the Ukrainian Institute. The organization had noted that “Z” has become a symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, used by supporters of the Kremlin and in pro-Russian demonstrations. The story.
—Product cycle issues. Activision Blizzard reported Q1 revenue of $1.8 billion, in line with expectations, though below its Q1 results of $2.3 billion from 2021. The company attributed its weaker performance to lower numbers for Call of Duty and the product cycle timing at Blizzard. Activision Blizzard also faced increased legal and professional fees due to the company’s planned sale to Microsoft. The results.
—Stepping back. Britney Spears has announced that she’s taking a "social media hiatus for a little while." The news follows her April 11 announcement that she’s expecting a child with fiancé Sam Asghari. The story. |
'The Bad Guys' Bury the 'Fantastic Beasts' ►Hope springs eternal. DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s The Bad Guys easily won the weekend with an estimated $24 million, more than enough to topple Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Pierre Perifel's Bad Guys, an action-comedy about a wicked smart group of crooked animals voiced by Sam Rockwell, Craig Robinson, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Zazie Beetz and Lilly Singh, has already earned $63 million overseas for an early worldwide haul of $87 million. The pic received an A CinemaScore.
Fellow PG release Sonic 2 — now in its third weekend — even bested FB3 with an estimated $15.2 million from 3,809 locations for a domestic total of $145.8 million.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the one-two-punch of Bad Guys and Sonic 2 will give exhibitors and Hollywood studios hope that kids and parents are returning to theaters in greater numbers after staying away for much of the pandemic. The box office report.
—"I was so scared." Megan Thee Stallion is sitting down for her first television interview about allegedly being shot by rapper Tory Lanez. In a preview clip of her emotional interview with CBS Mornings, which airs Monday, the Houston rapper recounts the July 2020 incident in which she claims Lanez shot her in the foot following a party in the Hollywood Hills. The story.
—"When you hurt my child, you hurt me." Chris Rock’s mom, Rose Rock, is sharing her thoughts on Will Smith slapping her son at the 2022 Oscars ceremony a month one month removed from the moment. In a recent interview, Rose Rock said her son is doing well but “still processing” the incident that led Smith to resign from the Academy. The story.
—"I'm gonna stop letting fear keep me from the things that I want to do." Robin Roberts says she nearly turned down the chance to interview then-President Barack Obama in 2012 about marriage equality amid fears she would be outed. In a recent interview, Roberts said she is glad she changed her mind, and it inspired her to open up about her longtime relationship with Amber Laign. The story. |
Natasha Lyonne Reveals 'Russian Doll' Metaphor Inside the S2 Ending ►"OK, now that I’ve stopped dying, what does it mean to be alive? How do I start living?" THR's Jackie Strause spoke to Russian Doll star/showrunner/writer/director Natasha Lyonne unpacks the meaning of the second season, the man-in-the-mirror final scene, separates the self-referential from the sci-fi, and looks ahead to what a third season might tackle. Warning spoilers. The interview.
—"I find Betsy terrifying to play as an actor because the pocket for her is about six inches wide." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Better Call Saul star Julie Ann Emery on the return of the fan-favorite characters the Kettlemans, and posits that Betsy is a harbinger of the “Karen” wave. Warning spoilers. The interview.
—London calling. The winners of the 2022 BAFTA TV Craft awards, celebrating behind the screen talent in the British TV industry, were announced at an in-person ceremony at London’s The Brewery on Sunday. Sky Atlantic/HBO mini-series Landscapers and Channel 4/Peacock comedy-drama We Are Lady Parts were among the productions picking up multiple awards. The winners.
—"The biggest failure of my life." Alex Kurtzman is no longer keeping his feelings about making Universal's The Mummy under wraps. In a recent podcast interview, the filmmaker spoke about his “brutal” experience as helmer of the Tom Cruise-starring 2017 film that was an intended reboot of the Mummy franchise and kickstart the studio's much hyped but ultimately doomed Dark Universe of films. The story. |
NAB Show Opens With Projected 55,000 Attendees ►Return to normalcy. After a three-year absence due to COVID-19, the NAB Show in Las Vegas opened its doors on Saturday with what the National Association of Broadcasters projects could see 55,000 delegates visit over the five days. THR's Carolyn Giardina looks at the two of the biggest production trends that may dominate the conversation at the exhibition: virtual production and cloud-based remote production. The story.
—New mega canvas. Delegates who converge on Las Vegas this week for the NAB Show will notice a new addition to the famous skyline — the MSG Sphere at the Venetian. MSG Sphere Studios, the production arm of the venture, confirmed that it is talking to everyone from Hollywood directors to musicians while revealing new details about the creative content plans. The story.
—"We had our first woman president, now we need our second, third, fourth, fifth, and beyond." This weekend at the NAB Show, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers introduced David Grindle as its new executive director. Grindle succeeds Barbara Lange, who stepped down at the end of 2021 after 12 years in this role. Carolyn caught up with the SMPTE exec at NAB and he talked about making diversity and inclusion his top priority. The interview.
—"The disruptions of the past two years have proven to be astonishing creative catalysts." The Advanced Imaging Society recognized nine technical achievements during its 12th annual Entertainment Technology Lumiere Awards, which were presented Saturday during a brunch at the Wynn Resort as the NAB Show kicked off. The honorees. |
TV Review: 'Gaslit' ►"Fitfully amusing, but wildly uneven." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Starz's Gaslit. Starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, the drama, based on the wildly popular podcast Slow Burn, focuses on the lesser-known stories around the Watergate scandal. The review. — "Feldstein gives a spirited, highly enjoyable performance." THR's David Rooney reviews Michael Mayer's Funny Girl. Beanie Feldstein, Ramin Karimloo and Jane Lynch star in the first-ever Broadway revival of the 1964 Fanny Brice bio-musical, which made Barbra Streisand a star. The review. — "Fascinating material, questionable treatment." David also reviews Emma Cooper's The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes. Cooper’s documentary for Netflix explores the murky circumstances of the legendary star’s shocking death in 1962 at age 36. The review. — "Dreary and dragging." THR critic Robyn Bahr reviews HBO's The Baby. The British horror comedy series follows a childless millennial who suddenly finds herself in charge of a creepy tot. The review. In other news... —Vivendi Q1 revenue rises 8 percent on growth at Canal+, ad unit Havas — Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent composer on crafting a “multi-genre score of Nick Cage” —Bounce Trumpet Awards honoree Courtney B. Vance says acting allows him to tell stories that show different points of view —Robert Patrick enjoying Terminator 2 jokes about Baker Mayfield statue —Matthew Broderick says getting COVID-19 after being “so careful” was “really disappointing” —Gal Gadot talks starring in Tiffany & Co.’s flower-inspired high-jewelry campaign —Rocket Science hires Voltage’s Patricia Arias as director of sales What else we're reading... —Justin McCurry and Raphael Rashid on the debate in South Korea over whether billon-dollar popsters BTS should be able to avoid compulsory military service [ Guardian] —Kyle Chayka on the reasons why Elon Musk would want to buy Twitter, including returning it to a state where influencers like himself could tweet without consequence [ New Yorker] —Great Kyle Buchanan interview with The Northman director Robert Eggers, especially his views on big budget filmmaking and the importance of box office [ NYT] —(Depressing) podcast on the discrepancy between the total number of billionaires in the U.S., as well as the overall number growing [ NYT] —Interesting story on how concert ticket prices rising because of soaring consumer demand and not just inflation [ WSJ] Today... Today's birthdays: Renée Zellweger (53), Al Pacino (83), Jonathan Bailey (34), Adria Arjona (30), Gina Torres (53), Marguerite Moreau (45), Talia Shire (76), Hank Azaria (58), Jillian Bell (38), Sofia Helin (50), Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (59), Allisyn Snyder (26), Jason Lee (52), Jeffrey DeMunn (75), Ron Clements (69), Sugith Varughese (64), Sandra Borgmann (48), Fabian Wagner (44), Björn Ulvaeus (77) |
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