| | | | | | What's news: Rising Brit actress Olivia Cooke is THR's latest digital cover star. On a busy awards weekends, prizes were handed out at the Creative Arts Emmys, the VMAs and Venice. Howard Stern shot down rumors he's leaving SiriusXM. Anthropic will pay $1.5b to settle a lawsuit from authors. And Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion ahead of Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. — Abid Rahman
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TV's Latest It Brit, Olivia Cooke, Wants to Be Your 'Girlfriend' ►On the digital cover. Olivia Cooke is trying to recall her biggest “pinch me” moment since becoming a full-fledged star, but all she can do is cringe. After skyrocketing to global fame as Alicent Hightower in HBO's House of the Dragon, the British actress is about to break out big in The Girlfriend, Robin Wright’s new six-part thriller series for Amazon Prime Video that is based on Michelle Frances’ 2017 novel of the same name. THR's Lily Ford profiles Cooke just before she's about to experience a level of fame she’s never known before. The digital cover story. |
Creative Arts Emmys 2025 ►🏆 First night heroes. 🏆 Julianne Nicholson, Bryan Cranston, Merritt Wever and Shawn Hatosy were among the many winners at Night 1 of the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The annual two-day event, which takes place the weekend before the Primetime Emmys, will give dozens of awards to mostly below-the-line categories on Saturday and Sunday. Early winners on Night 1 included Nicholson for best guest actress in a comedy series for Hacks, Cranston for best guest actor in a comedy series for The Studio, Wever for best guest actress in a drama series for Severance and Hatosy for best guest actor in a drama series for The Pitt. The night 1 winners.
—🏆 Second night champs. 🏆 Jimmy Kimmel, Alan Cumming, Barack Obama and SNL50: The Anniversary Special were among the many winners during the second night of the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys. Night 2 handed out dozens of awards to mostly below-the-line categories. Awards announced on Sunday spanned variety programming, nonfiction and reality sectors. Other top winners Sunday night include Pee-wee As Himself, which won four Emmys, including best documentary or nonfiction special, while the main Saturday Night Live weekly late night program earned three Emmys, tying with The Traitors. The night 2 winners.
More from the Creative Arts Emmys...
—Bryan Cranston and Julianne Nicholson win for guest acting in a comedy series
—Shawn Hatosy and Merritt Wever win for best guest acting in a drama
—Rebel Ridge wins best TV movie
—White Lotus composer wins Emmy after Mike White fallout |
MTV VMAs 2025 ►🏆 Girls night. 🏆 Ariana Grande won video of the year at the 2025 Video Music Awards, which were handed out Sunday night. The video for her song “brighter days ahead” won the night’s highest honor. Overall, Grande went home with a total of three awards. Lady Gaga was the biggest winner of the night; among her four wins was artist of the year. Gaga said in her acceptance speech that she couldn’t stick around for the rest of the VMAs as she had to get to Madison Square Garden, where she was scheduled to perform Sunday night. About 90 minutes later, the VMAs broadcast her performing “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance” from her show at MSG. Sabrina Carpenter also took home three “Moon Person” trophies, including album of the year with Short n’ Sweet. The winners.
—Showing out. THR has put together a gallery of the best looks from the VMAs red carpet, including the likes of FKA Twigs and Sabrina Carpenter going all out and some like MrBeast, really, making no effort. The looks.
—"What in the Sam Hill took you so long?!" Mariah Carey finally received her first MTV Video Music Award on Sunday night when the Grammy-winning superstar singer was honored with the Video Vanguard Award. Though she’d been nominated for eight VMAs over the years, Carey had yet to win a competitive prize. Taking the stage after a performance of a medley of her hits, Carey joked about her long-awaited award. The recap.
—Most memorable moments. From special honors for Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin and Busta Rhymes to performances by Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae and Doja Cat, THR has picked out some highlights from Sunday's VMAs. The moments.
More from the VMAs...
—Bruce Springsteen performs symposium for 50 years of Born to Run
—Ricky Martin performs "Livin’ La Vida Loca," accepts Latin Icon Award
—Ozzy Osbourne honored with musical tribute
—Sabrina Carpenter includes “Protect Trans Rights” sign during “Tears” performance
—Doja Cat brings the ’80s back performing “Jealous Type” with Kenny G
—Rosé wins Song of the Year
—Busta Rhymes performs medley, pays tribute to Ananda Lewis
—Tate McRae's steamy performance of “Revolving Door” and “Sports Car” |
Howard Stern Denies SiriusXM Firing Rumors ►"I can’t leave now." Howard Stern has not been fired from SiriusXM and remains in the midst of negotiations over a new contract there. Amid swirling rumors about his retirement or not being renewed at the satellite radio company, Stern cleared the air on Monday and said that he and his team have been talking about a possible new contract at SiriusXM and what that could look like. “SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future, they’ve approached me. They’ve sat down with me like they normally do and they’re fantastic,” Stern said. “We’ve been talking.” The story.
—🤝 Landmark settlement. 🤝 Anthropic will pay $1.5b to settle a lawsuit from authors, who accused the Amazon-backed company of illegally downloading and copying their books to teach its AI system, in among the first deals reached by creators over novel legal issues raised by the technology. The settlement was reached on Aug. 26. Lawyers for authors on Friday notified the court on the terms of the deal. Authors who opt into the agreement will be eligible to share in the $1.5b settlement fund, plus additional payments of $3,000 per book allegedly used by Anthropic for training. They can also decline to participate in the deal and individually pursue copyright infringement claims. The story.
—🤝 Spectrum deal. 🤝 Charlie Ergen's EchoStar has struck a definitive agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX to sell the company’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses for approximately $17b, consisting of up to $8.5b in cash and up to $8.5b in SpaceX stock, the companies said Monday. In connection with the transaction, SpaceX and EchoStar will enter a long-term commercial agreement, “which will enable EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers — through its cloud-native 5G core — to access SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink Direct to Cell service,” according to the companies. The story.
—Unexpected crossover. Discovery in the legal battle over It Ends With Us has unearthed communications laying the groundwork for a defamation lawsuit against Rebel Wilson from the producer of her directorial debut, The Deb, who says the actress was behind a series of anonymous websites that accused her sex trafficking. Last year, The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden sued Wilson for defamation after she accused them of sexual harassment and embezzlement. A countersuit from Wilson, multiple public statements from the lead actress of the movie denying claims that she was harassed and a lawsuit from film's production company alleging that the Pitch Perfect star blocked a distribution deal followed. The story.
—Roc-a-bottom. Damon Dash, the co-founder of Roc-a-Fella Records, has filed for bankruptcy. According to documents filed in Florida, Dash is filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, stating that he’s over $25m in debt, while having just $4,350 to his name in assets. Dash co-founded Roc-a-Fella with Jay-Z and Kareem “Biggs” Burke back in 1994, and the label released records including Jay-Z’s debut Reasonable Doubt , also signing acts such as Kanye West and Jadakiss. In the filing, Dash reported a few possessions, including $500 worth of clothes, two guns, his cell phone and $2,500 worth of jewelry. Dash reported about $5,200 in monthly expenses. The executive reported that he owes over $4m to filmmaker Josh Webber, as well as nearly $650,000 in domestic support obligations to ex-partners Rachel Roy and Cindy Morales. The story. |
Kurt Russell Joins 'Yellowstone' Spinoff Series ►🎭 Another legend! 🎭 Kurt Russell is saddling up for Yellowstone spinoff series, The Madison. The Emmy and Golden Globe nominee has joined the forthcoming series, from Taylor Sheridan and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, as both a castmember and executive producer. Previously announced cast includes Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Matthew Fox, Beau Garrett, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, Ben Schnetzer, Rebecca Spence, Danielle Vasinova and Kevin Zegers. Paramount+'s The Madison is a modern-day spinoff with little known about how the characters will relate to the main Dutton family of the flagship series. The story.
—No-brainer, but no Heughan. The Couple Next Door is visiting Starz for a second season. Starz has picked up the U.S. and Canadian rights for the six episode season two of the anthology series, which premiered in July on the U.K.’s Channel 4. The new season will premiere on Starz on Sept. 19. The Couple Next Door “explores the stultifying claustrophobia of suburbia and the fallout of chasing your deepest desires,” per the logline. The first season starred Sam Heughan of Outlander, which made it a no-brainer for Starz. The story.
—Greenlight! Amazon Prime Video is adding another series based on a video game to its roster. The streamer has picked up Life Is Strange, based on the critically acclaimed game of the same title. The show comes from game publisher Square Enix, Story Kitchen, LuckyChap and creator Charlie Covell. Amazon MGM Studios is producing. As with the game, first released in 2015, Life Is Strange will center on Max, a photography student who, while saving the life of her childhood best friend Chloe, discovers she can rewind time. “As Max struggles to understand this new skill,” the logline reads, “the pair investigate the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student, uncovering a dark side to their town that will ultimately force them to make an impossible life or death choice that will impact them forever.” The story. |
'Conjuring: Last Rites' Opens to Colossal $187M Globally ►Mike and Pam's generational run. Jolting the domestic box office back to life in a major way, New Line’s The Conjuring: Last Rites topped the weekend chart with a colossal $83m domestic debut, including a huge $34.5m Friday, and a record $8.5m in Thursday previews. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that’s by far the best opening in the history of the franchise and the third-biggest horror opening of all time in yet another win for Warner Bros.’ film empire, as well as the best showing of the year so far for any Hollywood horror title. Last Rites is the seventh consecutive WB release to open north of $40m this year, a first for any Hollywood studio and one of the numerous milestones achieved this year by the once-struggling studio.
The news only gets better from there. The R-rated Last Rites continued to see its audience grow throughout the weekend. On Friday afternoon, it looked like it was headed for a record $65m-plus bow. On Saturday, it was on course to open to $75m from 3,802 theaters, including a lion’s share of higher-priced Imax and other premium large-format screens, which are a boon for the film in accounting for 40 percent of its total gross so far. Sunday’s estimate of $83m left WB and New Line reeling, considering they had projected $35m heading into the weekend, although other box pundits thought north of $50m was more likely.
Overseas, Last Rites also came in well ahead of an expected $50m with a record-shattering $104m for a terrifyingly great global start of $187m against a net production budget of $55m before marketing. It surpassed fellow New Line release It: Chapter Two ($92.5m) to rank as the industry’s top foreign bow of all time at the foreign box office, not adjusted for inflation, and Hollywood’s second-largest horror bow of all time globally. The box office report. |
'Father Mother Sister Brother' Wins Venice Golden Lion ►🏆 Dark horse winner. 🏆 Heading into Saturday night’s Venice Film Festival awards ceremony, Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab was widely viewed as the movie to beat for this year’s Golden Lion. The powerful Gaza-set drama, received a thunderous 21-minute standing ovation at its world premiere, one of the longest in the festival's history. But Ben Hania's film ended up going home with the festival’s Silver Lion for the Grand Jury prize, aka second place. Jim Jarmusch's delicate triptych Father Mother Sister Brother , was the night’s dark horse champ, handing the American indie film icon his first Golden Lion. Elsewhere, Benny Safdie brought home the festival’s best director prize for his offbeat MMA biopic The Smashing Machine, his first feature as a solo director without his brother Josh. The winners.
—🎭 Touch of class. 🎭 Two-time Academy Award nominee and frequent franchise player Djimon Hounsou is the latest bold-faced name to join the cast of Highlander, Amazon MGM’s remake of the 1980s cult classic. Hounsou will play an immortal warrior from Africa. Henry Cavill is leading the cast that includes Russell Crowe and Marisa Abela as well as Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan, the latter two who notably appeared with Hounsou in Guardians of the Galaxy. The action fantasy, which hails from Amazon MGM’s United Artists banner, is being directed by Chad Stahelski and is slated for a theatrical release. Principal photography is due to begin at the end of September. The story.
—🎭 Double dipping. 🎭 Tiffany Haddish has signed on to star opposite Isla Fisher in Double Crossed , a high-concept action-comedy being shopped to buyers at TIFF. Haddish and Fisher play Niki and Lara, two women with polar-opposite personalities who discover, at their husband’s funeral, that they were married to the same man. As secrets from his life emerge, the unlikely duo embark on a perilous road trip to uncover the dangerous truth about the man they thought they both knew. Kestrin Pantera is set to direct the film from a script by Shelby Enlow. Zero Gravity will produce the feature together with Jeffrey Greenstein’s A Higher Standard, with A Higher Standard handling worldwide sales at TIFF. Principal photography is set to begin in the first quarter of next year. The story.
—"I’m gonna pass the torch on this one." A year ago, Fede Alvarez brought the Alien franchise back to life with the well-received Alien: Romulus. It earned $350m globally, and 20th Century Studios quickly put a sequel in development, with Alvarez writing and presumed to be directing. But now the filmmaker has revealed he will not be behind the camera, but rather is on the hunt for a new director to take over the franchise that stars Cailee Spaeny. The filmmaker and co-writer Rodo Sayagues have completed a script, and now he and producer Ridley Scott are looking for a filmmaker to take the project on. The story. |
Film Review: 'Good Fortune' ►"Funny comedy, awkward moralizing." For THR, Michael Rechtshaffen reviews Aziz Ansari's Good Fortune. Keanu Reeves plays an inept guardian angel who interacts with a gig worker and a venture capitalist in Ansari’s feature directorial debut. Also starring Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Kiki Palmer and Sandra Oh. Written by Aziz Ansari. The review.
—"Not much nutritional value." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Billy Corben's Canceled: The Paula Deen Story. This TIFF-premiering documentary explores the rise and fall of the butter-loving Southern chef, revisiting her N-word scandal 12 years later. The review.
—"An entertaining exposé." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews David Kittredge's Boorman and the Devil. Filmmaker John Boorman, Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher are among the cast and crew of Exorcist II: The Heretic interviewed in Kittredge’s deep dive into a notorious flop. Also featuring Rospo Pallenberg, Karyn Kusama, Mike Flanagan, Joe Dante, Bilge Ebiri, Stephanie Zacharek, Simon Abrams and Jim Hemphill. The review. |
Film Review: 'The Lost Bus' ►"Most effective as an immersive ride through the raging elements." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Paul Greengrass' The Lost Bus. Mixing docudrama with a story of human courage, the Apple TV+ film recreates the deadliest blaze in California history and the determination of two strangers to rescue 22 schoolchildren. Starring Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vázquez, Ashlie Atkinson and Spencer Watson. Written by Paul Greengrass, Brad Inglesby, based on the book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson. The review.
—"A gentle charmer that resists tugging too hard on the heartstrings." David Rooney reviews Derek Cianfrance's Roofman. The latest from the Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines and Sound of Metal filmmaker is based on a late-‘90s robbery spree and the prison break and fugitive months that followed. Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Melonie Diaz, Uzo Aduba, Lily Collias, Jimmy O. Yang, Peter Dinklage, Emory Cohen and Kennedy Moyer. Written by Derek Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn. The review.
—"Watchable enough, but no knockout." David Rooney reviews David Michôd's Christy. Sydney Sweeney leads this biopic, based on the life of Christy Martin, who helped legitimize women’s boxing, that also stars Ben Foster as the trainer who becomes her abusive husband. Also starring Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, Chad Coleman, Bryan Hibbard, Tony Cavalero, Gilbert Cruz and Bill Kelly. Written by Mirrah Foulkes and David Michôd. The review. |
Film Review: 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' ►"The knives need sharpening." David Rooney reviews Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. A large ensemble gets caught up in the latest Benoit Blanc investigation, this one taking place around a small-town church. Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church. Written by Rian Johnson. The review.
—"An engigmatic art film that grows on you." Jordan Mintzer reviews Ildikó Enyedi's Venice competition entry, Silent Friend. Various species of trees and flowers are among the stars of Hungarian director's unusual new feature. Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke, Johannes Hegemann, Rainer Bock and Léa Seydoux. Written by Ildikó Enyedi. The review.
—"Stronger on paper than on screen." Jordan Mintzer reviews Leonardo Di Constanzo's Venice competition entry, Elisa. Di Constanzo's latest is an Italian crime drama about a woman who murdered her own sister but can’t remember committing the crime. Starring Barbara Ronchi, Roschdy Zem, Diego Ribon, Valeria Golino, Giorgio Montanini and Hippolyte Girardot. Written by Leonardo Di Constanzo, Bruno Oliviero, and Valia Santella. The review. |
Film Review: 'Rental Family' ►"A warm and witty delight." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Hikari's Rental Family. Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser plays a struggling actor living in Tokyo, who begins working for a company that provides performers for personal role-play situations. Also starring Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Akira Emoto and Shannon Gorman. Written by Stephen Blahut. The review.
—"Grueling but powerful." Frank Scheck reviews Francis Lawrence's The Long Walk. The Hunger Games helmer adapts one of Stephen King's grimmest novels about a dystopian contest, where fifty young men, one from each state and chosen by lottery, walk until they drop. Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer and Mark Hamill. Written by JT Mollner. The review.
—"A shaky, if not uninteresting, proposition." Frank Scheck reviews Nadia Latif's The Man in My Basement. Latif directs this film about a Sag Harbor man and his unusual houseguest, receiving its world premiere at Toronto. Starring Corey Hawkins, Willem Dafoe, Anna Diop, Jonathan Ajayi, Gershwyn Eustache Jr., Pamela Nomvetea and Tamara Lawrence. Written by Walter Mosley and Nadia Latif. The review.
In other news...
—Oasis bring hits — and tears — at first L.A. show since 2008
—Grace for the World: Disney+'s Vatican concert adds Jennifer Hudson, BamBam
—Tokyo: Junji Sakamoto’s Climbing for Life to open festival
—Target to open select stores at midnight to sell Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl
—Car enthusiast digital brand Donut Media signs with CAA
—Mark Volman, co-founder of rock band The Turtles, dies at 78
What else we're reading...
—Jessica Toonkel reports that OpenAI is backing the AI-made animated feature film Critterz, with plans to debut it at Cannes [WSJ]
—Allison P. Davis profiles Lizzo as the impossible to ignore artist tries to recapture the zeitgeist [Vulture]
—Lucas Shaw's reports some wild numbers for the Sphere's Wizard of Oz film, revealing research that suggests the venue is making $2m a day from the special 75-minute cut of the classic [Bloomberg]
—Max Tani reports that Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo is making some big hires and launching newsletters in an attempt to take on Politico Playbook from the left [Semafor]
—With Anna Wintour stepping down at Vogue, Ellie Violet Bramley wonders whether the magazine can stay relevant [BBC]
Today...
...in 1986, the first edition of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired nationally. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Martin Freeman (54), Gaten Matarazzo (23), Thomas Kretschmann (63), Larenz Tate (50), Park So-dam (34), Ray Fisher (38), Aimee Mann (65), P!nk (46), Emma Laird (27), Jonathan Taylor Thomas (44), David Arquette (54), Lily Sullivan (32), Heather Thomas (68), Jonah Scott (32), Lauren Hashian (41), Dianne Doan (35), Nate Corddry (48), Christina Wolfe (35), Matilda Lawler (17), Nicolas Cantu (22), Brian Huskey (57), Brooke Burke (54), David Lee Smith (62), Mitchell Whitfield (61), Brad Silberling (62), Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (53), Hannah Fierman (38), Sierra Capri (27), Rachel Hunter (56), Miles Jupp (46), Philip Ettinger (40), Stevie Louise Vallance (67), Ella Rae Peck (35), Alan Feinstein (84) |
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