| | | | What's news: Britney Spears has given her side of the story over an altercation with NBA star Victor Wembanyama's security team. HBO's A Black Lady Sketch Show will not be coming back for a fifth season. Meta's troubles with the Canadian government have escalated. Speak Now (Taylor's Version) dropped on Thursday night. — Abid Rahman |
Ryan Murphy Threatens to Sue WGA Strike Captain ►"If we turn on each other, the AMPTP wins." THR's Lesley Goldberg has the scoop on Ryan Murphy threatening litigation against Warren Leight, a WGA East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions. The flap started June 21, when Leight alleged in a tweet that crewmembers on Murphy’s American Horror Story had told him that they’ll be blackballed if they don’t cross the picket lines. At the time, a spokesperson for Murphy called Leight’s tweet "absolute nonsense" and "categorically false." The story.
—Getting prepped. Less than a week before the expiration of its current film and television deal, SAG-AFTRA is calling for members to step up and offer to volunteer in the event of an industry strike. THR's Katie Kilkenny reports that the performers’ union sent a message to members on Thursday asking them to fill out a survey gauging their availability to picket and interest in becoming member leaders in the event of a film and television work stoppage. The story.
—"We started off right away with people immediately needing help." Katie reports that The Entertainment Community Fund, one of the entertainment industry’s top charities, says that requests for aid in Los Angeles tripled in the first month of the ongoing writers strike. The nonprofit, formerly known as The Actors Fund, fielded around 629 calls for assistance in L.A. in May 2023 after the WGA strike began May 2. The story. |
NBCU's C-Suite Shake-Up ►Making moves. Comcast president Mike Cavanagh is undertaking a significant executive reorganization of NBCUniversal, giving expanded responsibilities to Donna Langley, Mark Lazarus and Cesar Conde, and cutting the number of direct reports he deals with on a regular basis to four operational leaders. Langley will now oversee all content for the company, including for streaming and TV. Conde will add oversight of Telemundo. And Lazarus will be chairman of the NBCUniversal media group. The story.
—Kicking it up a notch. As the battle between U.S. tech giants and Canada escalates, the country’s federal and Quebec provincial governments have halted advertising on Facebook and Instagram to force parent Meta to the negotiating table to implement Bill C-18. The bill, which recently became Canadian law, is designed to get the tech giants to pay local publishers for news snippets shared or repurposed on their platforms. The story.
—Going out on top. HBO’s groundbreaking, Emmy-winning comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show is ending with its recent fourth season. Creator, showrunner, writer and star Robin Thede issued a statement about the move, which is being characterized as a mutual decision to end on a creative high note. Under her three-year overall deal, Thede is developing a new half-hour comedy series at HBO titled Disengagement. The story. |
The Troubling Trend of Fans Throwing Objects at Artists ►"It’s a little disturbing." THR's music editor Mesfin Fekadu spoke to Kelly Clarkson, Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Justin Timberlake's security specialist Todd Dukes about the recent spate of incidents that have seen fans throw objects at Bebe Rexha, Ava Max, Pink and Lil Nas X during concerts. The story.
—"Physical violence is happening too much in this world." Britney Spears says she was “not prepared for what happened” on Wednesday night after she approached San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama while at a restaurant. Following reports that she was slapped by one of Wembanyama’s security team on Wednesday night after she approached the NBA player following a game, the singer posted a response to her Instagram stories, confirming the incident and detailing her experience. The story.
—"It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours." Taylor Swift's re-recorded “Taylor’s Version” of her album Speak Now dropped on Thursday evening. The 22-track record is the latest re-recorded album from the singer-songwriter, following Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both released in 2021. Her albums Taylor Swift (2006), 1989 (2014) and 2017’s Reputation are still yet to be re-released. The story.
—"THIS MOVIE IS GONNA CHANGE UR LIVES AND HOPEFULLY THE SONG WILL TOO." Billie Eilish is set to have a song on the official soundtrack to the upcoming Barbie movie. The Grammy-winning artist posted news of the song, set to be released July 13, to her Instagram Thursday. Producer and songwriter Mark Ronson, who worked on the soundtrack, had earlier teased Eilish’s involvement without naming her. The story. |
'Bachelorette' Star on Getting Called "Classless" ►"It’s been very surprising to watch back." THR larrikin Ryan Gajewski spoke to The Bachelorette's Charity Lawson, who returned for a second shot at love as the lead on season 20 of the ABC dating series. Lawson opens up about the diversity issues surrounding the franchise, the upcoming fantasy suite drama and her hopes for the next Bachelor after "a lot of white leads." The interview.
—"Excited to get back out on the competition floor!" Simone Biles is officially returning to competitive gymnastics. The four-time Olympic gold medalist took to Twitter on Wednesday to share her enthusiasm about her return ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The story.
—True to form. San Sebastián Film Festival unveiled its first group of competition titles Friday. The Spanish festival named a typically eclectic mix of established art house favorites — Cristi Puiu, Joachim Lafosse, Robin Campillo — and rising talents, including Maria Alche, Benjamín Naishtat and American debutant Raven Jackson whose first feature, All Roads Taste of Salt, will be competing for the Golden Shell this year. The story. |
Ayo Edebiri and Robert Townsend on Playing Family in 'The Bear' ►"The best gift ever." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to The Bear star Ayo Edebiri and her on-screen father Robert Townsend. The actors reveal how their mutual admiration for one another translated into moving scenes in season two of the hit FX/Hulu series. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—🎭 Heavyweight addition 🎭 Former UFC champ Michael Bisping has jumped on board Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, where he will star opposite fellow returning actors Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. Bisping will reprise his role as Connor in the sequel after also doing a star turn in Millennium’s upcoming Red Sonja movie. The story.
—Big screen debut. Rachel Goldberg, known for her TV work such as Resident Evil and American Gods, is making her feature directorial debut with The BM, an action comedy from MarVista Entertainment, a division of FOX Entertainment. Written by Family Guy stalwarts Shawn Ries and Artie Johann, the story centers on a young woman’s desperate search for a bathroom that gets her inadvertently caught up in a bizarre heist in Los Angeles with her best friend. The story.
—"The stigma is that people don’t do any acting in these shows." Emilia Clarke is dismissing claims from others, including a fellow actor, who said people who act in front of a green screen are really acting. In a new interview, the Secret Invasion star, who has been in several projects with heavy green screen usage, gave her take on the misconception and gave a full-throated defense of the skills needed to do this type of acting. The story. |
Film Review: 'The Out-Laws' ►"Meet the Felons." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Tyler Spindel's The Out-Laws. Adam Devine and Pierce Brosnan star in this Netflix feature about a young couple who receive a surprise visit from the bride’s criminal-minded parents just before their wedding. The review.
—"A twisted treat." THR's Angie Han reviews Amazon Prime Video's The Horror of Dolores Roach. Justina Machado stars as a recently incarcerated woman whose new job as a masseuse working under a Washington Heights empanada shop takes a Sweeney Todd-like turn. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the headlines including the upcoming end of Sex Education and A Black Lady Sketch Show, Freeform cutting its scripted originals in half and Showtime dropping a big ax on four shows. There's a section on the NBCU exec shakeup, one on July TV and another on 2023 awards season. And Dan reviews The Horror of Dolores Roach, Last Call and Miracle Workers. Listen here.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode Scott spoke to Aubrey Plaza. The Parks and Rec scene-stealer turned leading lady reflects on the stroke that changed her at 21, landing three major parts in her first week in L.A., breaking out of the 'deadpan' box and why she wants to host the Oscars. Listen here.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode Seth spoke to Jerry Zucker. The writer-director of Airplane! and Ghost stops by for a rare interview about the making of two classics — one, a broad comedy, the other a supernatural romance that made pottery and the afterlife hot. Listen here.
In other news...
—The Nun 2 conjures up first trailer
—Bob Marley: One Love reveals Kingsley Ben-Adir as music legend in biopic trailer
—Reservation Dogs return home in S3 trailer
—Red, White & Royal Blue trailer sees an incident spark a gay romance
—Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef to divorce
—Billy Porter and Adam Smith to divorce
—Linh Tran, Slamdance 2023 winner, signs with Rain
What else we're reading...
—With Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg seriously considering facing off in the ring, Joseph Bernstein looks at why rich and powerful guys are so keen to fight for real [NYT]
—Delia Cai wonders whether Threads can actually dethrone Twitter [VF]
—Adrian Horton reflects on Hollywood's renewed fondness for the R-rated raunchy comedy [Guardian]
—With the recent spate of high profile Hollywood breakups, Allie Jones marvels at the return of the messy celebrity divorce [The Cut]
—Here's your Friday list: "The best films about AI – ranked!" [Guardian]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Robert Eggers (40), Shelley Duvall (74), Marika Dominczyk (43), Hamish Linklater (47), Eve Hewson (32), Billy Campbell (64), Robin Weigert (54), Nina Hoss (48), Jack Whitehall (35), Cree Summer (54), Mo Collins (58), Christian Camargo (52), Jorja Fox (55), Kirsten Vangsness (51), Dylan Sprayberry (25), Jim Gaffigan (57), Bérénice Bejo (47), Tom Sandoval (40), Tracy Reiner (59), Akiva Goldsman (61), Johnny Berchtold (29), Ringo Starr (83), Paula Devicq (58), Allen Payne (55), Jonathan Dayton (66) |
| Margia Dean, who co-starred in the cult sci-fi classic The Quatermass Xperiment and appeared alongside the likes of Clint Eastwood, Vincent Price, Esther Williams and George Reeves in other movies, has died. She was 101. The obituary. |
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