| | | | What's news: Three of Lizzo's former dancers have sued the singer over a hostile work environment. WGA East president Michael Winship will not seek re-election. Spamalot is returning to Broadway. Netflix has renewed Disenchantment. Janet Yang has been re-elected president of the Academy. — Abid Rahman
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WGA to Meet With Studios, Streamers ►Coming back to the table. The WGA and the AMPTP have finally set a date to meet. The prospective meeting on Aug. 4 will be the first time the union and the studios and streamers will come together since the WGA called a strike on May 1. Details are scant and the location was not disclosed. The story.
—Aaaaaand he walks it back. On Tuesday, Stephen Amell provided additional context to his controversial viral comments regarding the SAG-AFTRA strike. Writing on Instagram, the Arrow and Heels star seemingly tried to walk back his “I do not support striking” stance that he made during an appearance at Raleigh’s GalaxyCon last weekend. "I understand why we are striking, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t emotionally frustrating," Amell explained. The story.
—Tricky times ahead. With speculation that the work stoppage could go on for the rest of 2023, organizers of many upcoming industry events are being forced to consider how, or even if, they can proceed. THR's executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg dissects the predicament currently facing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it considers the strike's impact on its marquee events: the Academy’s Museum Gala, the Governors Awards and, of course, the Oscars. The analysis.
—"This is not a choice that was made lightly." In a changing of the guard at the WGA East, president Michael Winship told members Tuesday morning that he will not seek re-election in September. Winship served as president of the guild from 2007-2017, and agreed to run once more in 2021. According to the list of candidates released by the WGA East, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen — who is currently vp for film/TV/streaming — is running unopposed for the president’s seat. The story.
—"It’s amazing how quickly they can get sidewalk laid." THR's Gary Baum reports that two weeks after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA filed mirror National Labor Relations Board grievances against NBCUniversal, claiming the studio had infringed on their members’ right to picket — as well as their safety — by obstructing the public sidewalk in front of their studio lot, the company has restored partial access along Lankershim Boulevard. The story. |
Reality TV Producers Lament Frugal Networks Amid Strikes ►"It’s been brutal." THR rapscallion Ryan Gajewski writes that many thought the halt of scripted programming would lead to a reality boom, but even as fall schedules rely heavily on unscripted, workers still grapple with diminished job opportunities, long hours and a lack of union support: "We get starved out all the time." The story.
—The magic is still strong. Netflix has renewed Disenchantment, the animated comedy from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. The series is coming back for a fifth — and final — season on Sept. 1. The series originally landed at the streamer with a 20-episode order, and renewed in 2018 for a second batch of 20 installments. Rather than calling each run of 10 episodes a season, Netflix has split the orders and billed each batch as a “part,” a tactic many networks and streamers employ in a bid to avoid standard pay raises for creatives and stars. The story.
—Don't run away! Spamalot is returning to Broadway this fall in the first revival of the Tony-Award winning musical. The production, which is transferring to Broadway after a May run at the Kennedy Center, will play the St. James Theatre starting Oct. 31, with an opening night scheduled for Nov. 16. The show originally ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2009, and won three Tony Awards, including best musical. The story.
—"This is what we do!" THR's Rick Porter has the scoop on ESPN’s First Take wrapping July with a double-digit ratings gain over the same month last year, continuing a streak of year-to-year audience growth. July marked the 12th consecutive month that First Take’s ratings improved over the same period a year earlier. The morning show, hosted by Molly Qerim and with lead panelist Stephen A. Smith, averaged 363,000 daily viewers for the month, a 26 percent gain over July 2022. The ratings. |
Inside the Strikes' Unpredictable Emmy FYC Impact ►"The optics are just crazy." With glad-handing off the table as striking talent draws a line in the sand, THR's Mikey O'Connell writes that awards strategists must negotiate limited options with perception concerns as the second phase of voting approaches. The story.
—The godmother returns. Janet Yang, the producer who a year ago was elected the 36th president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was re-elected to that post on Tuesday during the first meeting of the Academy’s recently reconstituted board of governors. Also elected on Tuesday to serve as officers of the board: Bonnie Arnold, Howard Berger, Brooke Breton, Tom Duffield, DeVon Franklin, Lynette Howell Taylor, Howard A. Rodman and Kim Taylor-Coleman. The story.
—New venture. Former HBO chief Chris Albrecht and Jane the Virgin EP Jorge Granier have partnered to launch Rubicon Global Media with an eye to producing Spanish-language content for the world market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Rubicon has struck a strategic partnership with Spain’s Secuoya Content Group, led by former HBO exec James Costos, that will see Albrecht and Granier produce story-driven content for Latin American audiences by aggregating IP from the U.S. and Spain. The story.
—Thumbs up. Amazon Prime Video is taking most of the European rights to Roland Emmerich’s upcoming Roman gladiator action series Those About To Die. Anthony Hopkins stars as Roman emperor Vespasian in the 10-part series, inspired by the nonfiction book of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. Those About To Die will appear exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. after the streamer gave a straight-to-series order for the show. The story. |
Dancers Accuse Lizzo of Hostile Work Environment ►Milkshake duck moment. A trio of former tour dancers for Lizzo are taking the artist to court for allegedly subjecting them to a hostile work environment that included instances of sexual harassment. The suit, which was filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Lizzo and employees of Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. of interrogating dancers about their weight and pressuring them to engage in sexually explicit acts at sex shows. The story.
—Final works. THR's Etan Vlessing reports that Angus Cloud had completed filming three roles for upcoming projects before the Euphoria star's untimely death was announced on Monday. Cloud had finished filming his part in Universal's untitled monster thriller from the filmmaking trio known as Radio Silence, and he wrapped filming on the upcoming thriller Your Lucky Day. He also completed work on Freaky Tales, a drama from Captain Marvel helmers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, which is now in post-production. The story.
—Moving forward. A New Mexico judge has advanced the criminal case against Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, marking a win for the prosecution, which has been marred by setbacks. Judge Mary Sommer on Tuesday rejected a move to dismiss the case by Gutierrez-Reed, who argued that prosecutors tainted the investigation to the point a fair trial is no longer possible, didn’t have the authority to bring charges and that her due process rights were violated. The story.
—Charges pending. The man who was driving the car that crashed into Treat Williams’ motorcycle is facing charges related to the actor’s death. Per a police news release on Tuesday, Bennington County State’s Attorney’s office had completed their review of the June 12 crash, and will seek to charge Ryan Koss, 35, with “grossly negligent operation with death.” The story. |
TV Review: 'Reservation Dogs' S3 ►"A superb sendoff for one of TV's finest series." THR's Angie Han reviews season three of FX/Hulu's Reservation Dogs. After a fateful trip to California, Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) and his pals make their way back to Oklahoma in the third and final season of Sterlin Harjo's dramedy. The review.
In other news...
—Alice Eve fights off ghosts in Haunting of the Queen Mary trailer
—WWE posts record revenue amid “most successful” WrestleMania
—Lionsgate nabs Unsung Hero drama from music duo For King + Country
—Bradley Whitford and Daniel Dae Kim join Center Theatre Group’s Peter Pan Goes Wrong
What else we're reading...
—Kevin Sullivan talks to historians who say Trump's latest indictment is different from before [WaPo]
—Paul Vieira reports that Meta's apps have begun blocking news for Canadian users [WSJ]
—After Britney Spears was released from her conservatorship, Rebecca Jennings writes that some of her fans latched on to a new theory that she had never been freed at all [Vox]
—From caricatures of misogynist bros to exploitative true-crime junkies, Ruchira Sharma looks at why TV dramas treat podcasters as a joke [Guardian]
—Robert Lloyd pens a loving tribute to TCM and the culture of watching classic movies on TV [LAT]
Today...
...in 1967, In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier, opened in theaters in New York. The film would go on to win five Oscars at the 40th Academy Awards, including best picture. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Lily Gladstone (37), Sam Worthington (47), Kevin Smith (53), Mary-Louise Parker (59), Edward Furlong (46), Apollonia Kotero (64), Charles Roven (74), Simon Kinberg (50), Charli XCX (31), Jabari Banks (25), Jacinda Barrett (51), Britt Lower (38), Joanna Cassidy (78), Kathryn Harrold (73), Artemis Pebdani (46), Matthew Del Negro (51), Zuleyka Silver (32), Madeline Smith (74), Aaron Staton (43), Cynthia Stevenson (61), Nadia Bjorlin (43), Uli Latukefu (39), Michelle Lee (45), Angus Imrie (29), Amir El-Masry (33), Bridgid Coulter (55) |
| Marc Gilpin, who played the youngest son of Roy Scheider’s Police Chief Martin Brody in Jaws 2, has died. He was 56. Gilpin died Saturday in Dallas after a long battle with glioblastoma, his older sister, Frasier actress Peri Gilpin, announced. The obituary. |
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