| | | | | | What's news: WBD topped the BAFTA noms with 27 total nods. Melissa Gilbert is speaking out amid her husband Timothy Busfield's child sexual abuse charges. Nigella Lawson has been tapped to replace Prue Leith on The Great British Bake Off. The Tonys will return to Radio City Music Hall. And TCM is now “the ongoing television home” of the iconic Looney Tunes library. — Abid Rahman
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BAFTA Nominations 2026 ►🏆 Bloody hell! 🏆 The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards nominations, unveiled in London on Tuesday, have set up a thrill ride for the British Academy honors, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another earning 14 nods, narrowly edging out Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with 13. Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet and Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme earned 11 BAFTA nods each. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein earned eight BAFTA noms each, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia and Kirk Jones’ I Swear received five each. The nominees.
—Pam and Mike smash it, again. With the huge hauls for Sinners and One Battle After Another, it's no surprise that Warner Bros. Discovery, which earned a total of 27 noms, topped the BAFTAs medal table among the studios. Universal (with three nods to the absolutely wonderful The Ballad of Wallis Island) came in second with 24 total noms. Netflix came third but some way behind at 14 noms. The studio breakdown.
—"Hamnet, I Swear, Sentimental Value… I think it’s a year of really strong, bold flavors, stories told brilliantly." THR's Lily Ford spoke to BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip, who was beaming about the breadth of storytelling evident in Tuesday morning's film awards nominations. Millichip, who took up the top BAFTA role in 2022, said that the overarching theme for the 2026 nominations is "bold, strong, uncompromising, unique storytelling." The interview.
—Look out Andrew Garfield! Amelia Dimoldenberg, the London comedian who is best known for creating and hosting the popular web series Chicken Shop Date, will serve, for the third year in a row, as the Oscars’ social media ambassador and red carpet correspondent, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday. Dimoldenberg will participate in multiple key events throughout the awards season, culminating in interviews with nominees and talent on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday, March 15, 2026. The story. |
Amazon MGM Sets Major TV Reorganization ►Moving fast. A few months into his time as head of global television for Amazon MGM Studios, Peter Friedlander is undertaking a significant reorganization of the TV team. Under former head Vernon Sanders, Amazon's TV division had been structured around wholly owned series and co-productions. Starting “immediately,” Friedlander wrote in a memo to staff Monday, the studio will switch to genre-based teams for both development and current programming: drama and comedy, worldbuilding (i.e., fantasy, sci-fi and other “genre” series), animation and unscripted. Laura Lancaster and Nick Pepper, who had headed the co-production and wholly owned teams previously, are departing their roles. Blair Fetter will join on Feb. 2 as head of worldbuilding and genre series. Newly hired unscripted head Jenn Levy and animation head Melissa Wolfe will continue to lead those groups; Fetter, Levy and Wolfe will all report directly to Friedlander. The story.
—"Zack brings an exceptional creative sensibility." Disney Television Animation has named Zack Olin senior vp development and current series. The studio, part of Disney Branded Television, is behind shows including Phineas and Ferb — which recently announced a third feature-length movie based on the beloved show — Big City Greens and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, among others. Olin will take charge of creative strategy on new projects and oversee the continuing work on ongoing shows, reporting to Disney Television Animation executive vp Meredith Roberts. The story.
—As you were. The trade organization representing high-level television publicity professionals has named a leadership team for 2026 that features many familiar faces. Wendy Zocks will resume her role as chair of the Television Publicity Executives Committee. The founder of Wendy Zocks Public Relations, a veteran publicist who has worked for major networks and streamers since she founded her company in 1998, has led the organization for five years. Publicity professionals returning as members of the organization’s executive committee include Todd Beck, Irina Bobker, Brian Eley, Eileen Quast, Alice Rao, Joe Schlosser and Nancy Insua. The story.
—New partners. Creative Artists Agency has bolstered the leadership in Connect Ventures after expanding into the venture capital world in 2020 via a joint venture with New Enterprise Associates. Veteran investor Nicole Quinn and former CAA executive Michael Blank have joined to lead Connect Ventures as managing partners. Connect Ventures as an investment vehicle identifies and accelerates the growth of early-stage, consumer-focused businesses in the media and entertainment, sports, gaming, health and wellness and e-commerce spaces. In addition, CAA’s Adam Friedman has been named as a venture partner at Connect Ventures. The story. |
Melissa Gilbert Speaks Out Amid Timothy Busfield Allegations ►"Moving forward one step at a time." Melissa Gilbert is speaking out amid her husband Timothy Busfield‘s recent child sexual abuse allegations. The Little House on the Prairie alum took to the lifestyle company Modern Prairie’s Instagram on Monday, which she co-founded in 2022, to share her appreciation for her fans during “the extraordinarily difficult time.” “I’m sending you all my love and gratitude during this extraordinarily difficult time. Not only for Tim, me and our family, but in the collective heaviness so many of us seem to be carrying right now. Add an unexpected storm to the mix, and it can all feel like a bit too much,” Gilbert wrote. Busfield has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse following an investigation of sexual abuse involving two male minors. The story.
—"I love Jewish people." Kanye “Ye” West placed a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, taking back a number of antisemitic statements he made on social media over the past several years and now attributing his hateful rants to a brain injury. In February 2025, the rapper and fashion mogul was widely condemned after posting about his admiration for Adolf Hitler and declaring himself to be a Nazi. He walked that affiliation back in Monday’s ad. "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people. … I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change." The story.
—"Just one atrocity after another." The voices of late night are joining the many Americans who are outraged over the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, in Minneapolis at the hands of federal immigration officers. Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert kicked off their respective shows Monday night, calling out the Trump administration and ICE as tensions continue to soar following the second fatal shooting by ICE in the Minnesota city (Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an agent on Jan. 7). The story.
—Life support. Quinton Aaron, who starred as Michael Oher in The Blind Side, is on life support after being hospitalized following a collapse at his home. His wife, Margarita Aaron, told TMZ on Monday that he “opened his eyes today and gave a thumbs up” after being in the hospital for four days. She said he has a blood infection and has undergone a number of tests as doctors work to determine the source of the issue. The story. |
TCM New Home of Looney Tunes Library ►📅 Saved! 📅 Big news just in from the folks at the Acme Corporation: TCM has become “the ongoing television home” of the iconic Looney Tunes library from Warner Bros. In late 2022, HBO Max eliminated 256 Looney Tunes shorts from 1950-2004 when its license expired and the streaming arm of Warner Bros. Discovery chose not to renew it. Last year, another 255 shorts produced from 1930-1949 were excised. But on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. PT, the prized animated films — more than 750 in all — will begin running on WBD cable channel TCM as part of a new six-year deal. The story.
—All-in on Ohtani. Netflix’s ambitions in Japan were on clear display in a production deal mentioned in passing Tuesday during the streamer’s splashy content showcase in Tokyo. The streamer revealed that it had recently signed a deal with Toho Studios to double its leased production space in the country. Now in its 11th year in Japan, Netflix also unveiled its most substantial Japanese content slate to date. Outlining the streamer’s release plans for the year, Netflix’s Japanese content leaders touted 13 series, three films, eight anime titles, plus the complete World Baseball Classic, with all 47 games to be broadcast live in Japan. The lineup.
—"I’m uncharacteristically rather lost for words right now!" TV chef and cookbook writer Nigella Lawson has been tapped to replace Prue Leith as a judge on Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off competition series. Leith announced her departure after serving as a longtime judge on the beloved show last week, and similarly replaced a legend in Mary Berry. Lawson featured as a TV chef on several BBC shows and also the ABC series The Taste, and has published numerous cookbooks to drive her on-screen career. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The Testaments is heading back to Gilead starting April 8. Hulu’s highly anticipated sequel series to The Handmaid’s Tale had previously revealed it would launch in April, and has now has set a premiere date. The new chapter from the showrunner and executive producers of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres with three episodes, followed by a weekly release. The series returns The Handmaid’s Tale star Ann Dowd to the role of Aunt Lydia and introduces new characters led by Chase Infiniti, who steps into the role of Agnes/Hannah — the daughter to June Osborne, who was played by Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid’s Tale. The story. |
Studios Fight Over Olivia Wilde's 'The Invite' at Sundance ►Bidding war! Bidding war! Bidding war! Olivia Wilde’s sex comedy The Invite has lit a fire under the final Sundance in Park City, with major indie distributors and minor studio divisions elbowing each other to make it this year’s festival first big sale. A24, Neon and Universal division Focus Features are said to be the frontrunners for the feature, although Netflix is making a hard move with beaucoup bucks. 20th/Disney division Searchlight Pictures is also said to be in the mix. The dealmaking has already gone through Sunday night and began almost as soon as the movie received a standing ovation after its Saturday night premiere at the Eccles Theatre and then enjoyed rave reviews. The story.
—🎭 Three more. 🎭 THR fancy lad Ryan Gajewski has the scoop that a trio of performers have been added to Amazon MGM Studios‘ untitled feature focusing on former Navy SEAL Mike Thornton. Kodi Smit-McPhee, Aden Young and Sam Rechner have joined the cast of director Patrick Hughes’ film. The previously announced castmembers include Alan Ritchson, Joe Cole, Hoa Xuande, Brian Duong, Duy Nguyen and Kyle Allen. Based on a true story, the project is set in the final days of the Vietnam War and centers on SEAL Thornton (Ritchson) as he leads a mission to rescue five men stuck behind enemy lines in North Vietnam. The film highlights Thornton’s efforts as he was pursued by 150 soldiers and later swam for hours through the South China Sea with both a wounded lieutenant and fellow soldier tied to him. The story.
—"We’ve cultivated with Japan’s leading creators and studios." The stunning box office success of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reza Arc, the anime feature about a man who co-exists with the demonic spirit of a chainsaw, caught the attention of the whole industry last fall — including Netflix. Last week, the streamer quietly revealed a new strategic alliance with Mappa, the Tokyo-based anime studio behind the feature, as well as many of global anime fans’ other favorite titles. On Tuesday, Netflix’s Kaata Sakamoto, head of content for the streamer in Japan, shared a few comments on the shape the partnership will take during a content presentation in Tokyo. The story. |
Tonys Return to Radio City Music Hall ►📅 Back home. 📅 The Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall this June. The ceremony has traditionally been held at Radio City Music Hall, but had moved around to the Lincoln Center, Beacon Theatre and United Palace Theatre in recent years. The 79th Tonys are scheduled to take place June 7 and air on CBS Television Network as well as stream live for Paramount+ Premium subscribers. Essential tier subscribers of Paramount will have access to the ceremony the day after it airs. The Tonys eligibility cut-off date for the 2025-2026 season is April 26, 2026. Nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards will be announced on May 5, 2026. The story.
—"Faithful fans should expect an intense, joyful night out." A new twist in The Traitors game: A stage adaptation of the hit reality series is headed to London's West End. Studio Lambert and Neal Street Productions will be collaborating on the show, written by John Finnemore and directed by Robert Hastie, the deputy artistic director of the National Theatre. The project is currently in development and slated for a 2027 run. The Traitors‘ stage show will be based on the hit BBC series hosted by the iconic Claudia Winkleman in Britain and Alan Cumming on the U.S. version. The story.
—🎭 Ball knowlege. 🎭 Original Broadway Cats cast member Ken Ard, dancer Leoimy and Saturday Church’s Bryson Battle are joining the cast of Broadway’s Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Leoimy, a judge on HBO’s voguing reality competition Legendary, will make her Broadway debut as Macavity in the reimagined revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical. Ard, who played Macavity in the 1982 Broadway production of Cats, will return to the stage after 25 years to take on the newly created role of DJ Griddlebone. Battle, a finalist on season 28 of The Voice, will make his Broadway debut in the role of Jellylorum. The story. |
Film Review: 'The Weight' ►"Well-acted but murky and underpowered." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Padraic McKinley's The Weight . McKinley’s debut, that debuted at Sundance, is about the lone woman with a group of volatile men on a dangerous gold smuggling expedition through Oregon. Starring Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Sam Hazeldine, Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen, George Burgess, Avy Berry, Alec Newman and Cameron Brady. Written by Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines. The review.
—"Well worth RSVPing." David reviews Olivia Wilde's The Invite. This Sundance-bowing social comedy features a starry ensemble cast in a chamber piece adapted from a Spanish film whose remakes are multiplying like rabbits. Starring Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton. Written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, based on the film Sentimental, by Cesc Gay. The review.
—"A stirringly defiant response to hideous violence." David reviews Alex Gibney's Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie. Incorporating footage shot by the author’s wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, the doc captures the strength and resilience of its subject, for whom writing remains an act of resistance. Based on the book Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, by Salman Rushdie. The review.
—"Sweet as can be." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Alysa Nahmias' Cookie Queens. Executive produced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, among others, Nahmias' Girl Scouts doc premiered at Sundance. Written by Alysa Nahmias. The review. |
Film Review: 'The Gallerist' ►"A limp piece of art about a limp piece of art." For THR, Richard Lawson reviews Cathy Yan's The Gallerist. The Birds of Prey writer-director Cathy Yan attempts to parody one of the world's silliest industries in this Sundance premiering feature. Starring Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Written by Cathy Yan and James Pedersen. The review.
—"Good stupid fun, at long last." Richard reviews David Wain's Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. The Wet Hot American Summer gang do their thing in this movie about a bride-to-be on a mission to sleep with her celebrity “hall pass.” Starring Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley and Ben Wang. Written by David Wain and Ken Marino. The review.
—"Those who can’t do make bad movies about teachers." Richard reviews Giselle Bonilla's Sundance U.S. dramatic competition entry, The Musical. Woke jokes, drama jokes and 9/11 jokes commingle in Bonilla’s movie about romance and revenge among faculty at a high school. Starring Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs and Rob Lowe. Written by Alexander Heller. The review.
—"Another limp attempt to remaster Ari Aster." Richard reviews Ian Tuason's Undertone. Debut filmmaker Tuason's A24 movie revolves around a Canadian podcaster haunted by creepy recordings sent to her anonymously. Starring Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas and Jeff Yung. Written by Ian Tuason. The review.
—"A basic script gets the batshit treatment." Richard reviews Josephine Decker's Chasing Summer. Stand-up comic Iliza Shlesinger plays a woman who returns to her Texas hometown for the summer. Also starring Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, Tom Welling and Megan Mullally. Written by Iliza Shlesinger. The review. |
Film Review: 'Send Help' ►"Fun, freaky and full of surprises." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Sam Raimi's Send Help. An aggrieved employee and her abusive boss get stranded on an island together in the Evil Dead and Spider-Man director's latest. Starring Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Emma Raimi and Dennis Haysbert. Written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. The review.
—"What, you were expecting Shakespeare?" Frank reviews Angel Manuel Soto's The Wrecking Crew. Soto's Amazon Prime Video feature finds Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa playing estranged half-brothers who reunite to investigate their father's death. Also starring Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Frankie Adams, Miyavi, Stephen Root, Morena Baccarin, Lydia Peckham, Roimata Fox, Branscombe Richmond, Maia Kealoha and Josua Tuivavalag. Written by Jonathan Tropper. The review.
—"Imperfect doc still makes a perfect first amendment argument." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Sharon Liese's Sundance U.S. documentary competition entry Seized. Liese's Sundance-premiering film tries to show both sides of the newspaper raid that thrust a small Kansas town into national headlines. The review.
—"Loving tribute and dynamic memory piece." Sheri reviews J.M. Harper's Sundance U.S. documentary competition entry Soul Patrol. Harper takes a hybrid approach, combining new interviews, archival footage and stylized dramatizations, to tell the story of the U.S. Army’s first all-Black special operations team in Vietnam. Written by J.M. Harper. The review.
—"Fresh and unpredictable." Sheri reviews Liz Sargent's Sundance U.S. dramatic competition entry Take Me Home. Expanding upon her award-winning short film, the writer-director again casts her sister Anna Sargent in the story of a cognitively disabled woman facing tough realities about her aging parents. Also starring Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot and Shane Harper. Written by Liz Sargent. The review.
In other news...
—Tyra Banks admits she "went too far" in Netflix’s America’s Next Top Model doc trailer
—Guy Fieri’s shocking new look is for a Super Bowl ad
—Kumail Nanjiani to host 2026 DGA Awards
—Harry Styles to present at the Grammys
—PaleyFest LA sets lineup
—First look at KPop Demon Hunters toy lines
—Enhypen’s Sunghoon to serve as torchbearer at Winter Olympics
—Fashion brand Daniel Diamond signs with CAA
—Sly Dunbar, reggae Drummer who worked iwth Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, dies at 73
What else we're reading...
—Drew Harwell and Scott Nover report that Alex Pretti’s murder broke through in even the internet’s apolitical spaces [WaPo]
—Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on the rapidly proliferating blood-and-soil nationalism that killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti [Vanity Fair]
—Aisha Malik reports that Aussie social network UpScrolled saw a surge in downloads following TikTok’s U.S. takeover [TechCrunch]
—The Guardian editorial board is bullish on the future of cinema, as they think Gen Z is falling in love with the big screen [Guardian]
—Louise Perry writes that Harry Potter-loving millennials need to grow up, as the franchise struggles to connect with younger generations [NYT]
Today...
...in 2012, Lionsgate released Julie Anne Robinson's One for the Money in theaters. The crime comedy, based on Janet Evanovich's 1994 novel of the same name, starred Katherine Heigl, was panned by critics (2 percent on RT!) and unsurprisingly bombed at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Alan Cumming (61), James Cromwell (86), Bridget Fonda (62), Patton Oswalt (57), Mimi Rogers (70), Phil Rosenthal (66), Frank Miller (69), Tamlyn Tomita (60), Freddy Carter (33), Amy Hargreaves (56), Susanna Thompson (68), Josh Randall (54), David DeSantos (51), Richard Bremmer (73), Julie Caitlin Brown (65), Andi Osho (53), Bobby Deol (57), Todd Louiso (56), Alex Norton (76), Kevin Isola (56), Maryam Hassan (33), Stephen A. Pope (54), Joshua Mikel (42), Hrothgar Mathews (62), Devin Druid (28), Jörg Pintsch (61), Iyana Halley (33), Paulina Gerzon (31), Tricky (58), Natalia Germani (33), Kim Su-an (20), Iain Stirling (38) |
| Geoffrey Mason, the veteran sports television producer whose chaotic time in the ABC control room during the hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics was documented in the Oscar-nominated drama September 5, has died. He was 85. The obituary. |
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