| |
|
|
|
|
One dystopian betting market has 85% odds that Donald Trump bellows "fake news" at media stars during the WHCD gala in a few hours. Hm. Gardening in rural Canada with Zach Galifianakis sounds nice. The Weekender is pruning its own mix of stories in bloom. — Erik Hayden
Ticker: Irving Azoff iHearts Sirius; Jeff Shell counts zeros; Bob Iger is a PE Guy; David Ellison dines with Madison Ave and Trump; Jay Sures pens fiery UC letter.
|
Thriller
It's got a rotten 38% from critics. But audiences polled are giving it an "A-." Hence why Michael may open as the biggest music biopic of all-time with near $90 million. A source tells THR that the script for that potential second film from writer John Logan has yet to be finished. “It’s a sensitive topic,” a rep for one of the film’s onscreen talent says of the potential follow-up. Mia Galuppo and Borys Kit have the story about a sequel.
+ Seth Abramovitch talks to HBO's Leaving Neverland director as Dan Reed watches Hollywood cash in on a man he calls "worse than Jeffrey Epstein" with the biopic. The interview.
|
Smeargate
What do Scooter Braun, Andrew Huberman and Justin Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman have in common? All are headline subjects this week from Gary Baum in his quest to untangle an ever-escalating spiral of Hollywood PR mudslinging and anonymous online attacks. Part I (Braun), Part II (Huberman), Part III (Freedman).
|
Breaking Gadd
Richard Gadd, the tormented mind behind Baby Reindeer, is back with an unflinching new series for HBO and gets candid on grappling with sudden tabloid fame, battling a $170 million lawsuit and the dark roads his new show Half Man dares to travel: "It had to go to extreme places." Lily Ford's cover story.
|
Earth Daze
What lands a star on THR's fifth annual list of the 25 Greenest Celebrities? A rap sheet doesn't hurt. They've also made multimillion-dollar investments in clean energy, produced countless eco docs, done literal deep dives into the ocean, built zero-waste homes, and written climate change plot points into their scripts. The Full List + browse our interactive Sustainability Issue.
*Speaking of, THR held Sustainability in Entertainment Honors at the Hotel Bel-Air this week, keynoted by Al Gore.
|
Zach's Garden
In a new docuseries shot around his home in rural Canada, Zach Galifianakis swaps showbiz for soil, pitching an agrarian future with kids, compost and deadpan conviction: "The lifestyle of Hollywood never fit with me. It’s not my thing. So I work in it, but then I separate it." Mikey O'Connell's interview.
|
They Said It
"I've found Claude to have a sort of pen-and-paper quality to it." — Graydon Carter, on the AI tool, in sharing he's hosting a Cannes party with Anthropic's Dario Amodei and CAA's Bryan Lourd. (No David Zaslav this time.)
"The new C-suite and stuff have been amazing to have." — Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, on his company's hires after the firm was sued by a former executive over harassment and discrimination claims.
"We feel this is the best path forward, given the circumstances." — Meta chief people officer Janelle Gale, notifying staff after leaks about the firm's planned cut of 8,000 employees and closing of 6,000 open job listings.
"The prospect for ongoing and durable profitability for Peacock is what we have our sights on." — Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong, after disclosing that the streaming service lost $432 million in the quarter.
"The Bachelor franchise is not going anywhere." — Disney exec Rob Mills on the ABC series' viability after the latest season of The Bachelorette was pulled.
"Well, we wanted a three-year deal. And we made a deal for four, and that was something that the negotiating committee did not take lightly." — Writers Guild negotiator Danielle Sanchez-Witzel in an interview on its newly ratified contract with studios.
Logline of the Week
"Fresh off a messy divorce, Heidi sets out to secure a lively second act for herself and her kids. But when she stumbles into coordinating her father’s retirement community sex dates, Heidi is forced into an unlikely alliance with his girlfriend’s perpetually single son." — Apple TV's untitled comedy series starring Elizabeth Banks.
By the Numbers
(Most-read stories on THR.com this week)
1.) "Epic, Viral Musical Retelling of The Odyssey, to Become Animated Movie Thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer"
2.) "Michael Jackson Biopic Michael: First Reactions"
3.) "The Last Time Everyone Watched the Same Thing"
$21.9M
The sequel to The Simpsons Movie headlines the 38 movies granted subsidies in the latest round of tax credits granted to productions by California’s film office with nearly $22 million for shooting the film in the state.
|
The Last Laugh
Apple is getting a new CEO in September, hardware engineer John Ternus, and his view on entertainment is far more opaque than Tim Cook, who leaned in to TV, leading to anxiety in the halls of agencies that have had success selling ambitious projects to Apple over the last few years. Alex Weprin's read.
|
Nithya's Gambit
Nithya Raman's political rival in the L.A. mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass, contends Raman has not taken meaningful action on the film and TV production crisis while serving on the city council, and is only now exploiting the issue. Yet Raman, a progressive with an urban planning background whose signature focus has been housing affordability, would seem to be well-positioned for a moment now requiring a Hollywood close-up. Gary Baum's report.
|
Slow Burn
How a buzzy Neon doc by Alan Elliott that was positioned for an awards run instead became a cautionary tale of bills piling up, bad decisions, antagonism — and millions in legal fees charged to the production. It would be a rare spectacle if the case goes to trial, with chief Tom Quinn potentially testifying. A jury would assess the distributor’s finances and accounting practices, including the kind of information that could give talent a leg up in negotiations. Winston Cho's report.
|
The Conversation
"My Son Was Killed at Sandy Hook.
The Drama Showed Me Every Warning Sign We Keep Missing"
A mother who knows says the controversial Zendaya film contains exactly what we fail to see before violence erupts — and how to intervene. What does this story show us about the moments before violence — and what we can do about them? Nicole Hockley's guest column.
|
Keep an Eye Out
"The Most Acclaimed Film of 2026 So Far"
That's how David Canfield describes Blue Heron, a devastating Canadian family drama from Sophy Romvari that emerged as an under-the-radar sensation on the festival circuit last fall, and is now hitting theaters. Is it the film to watch?
|
Around Town
Karl Lagerfeld kicked off its campaign starring Paris Hilton with a takeover of Herald Square and a special DJ set. Dave Chappelle, Mike Myers, Robert Townsend and Judge Reinhold were on hand to support Eddie Murphy as he received the AFI Life Achievement Award in Hollywood. Heidi Klum made a surprise appearance at the Grey Goose x The Devil Wears Prada 2 Devil’s Roast pop-up truck in NYC. Jennifer Aniston joined Jenni Kayne in Summerland for an intimate event celebrating Kayne’s new book Pacific Natural Everywhere. Tina Fey and husband Jeff Richmond came out for the opening night of Schmigadoon! on Broadway. Chuck Lorre was honored at and Jackie Tohn hosted the Venice Family Clinic's Heart Gala. Barbie Ferreira and Iris Law were among the guests as Damson Madder hosted an L.A. cocktail party. All 49 photos from this week's premieres and events.
|
The Bottom Line
Snapshots from THR's team of critics:Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton Netflix survival thriller Apex is "brutal, bruising and reliably gripping." Antoine Fuqua's Lionsgate King of Pop biopic Michael is "fan-friendly, family-sanctioned." Andy Serkis' animated Netflix adaptation of Animal Farm is a "dumbed down Orwell adaptation." Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley starrer Desert Warrior is "an elaborate slog of a Saudi epic." Richard Gadd's Baby Reindeer follow-up Half Man for HBO is "more exhausting than enjoyable." Netflix spinoff Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is a "dull and unambitious animated spinoff." Aubrey Plaza and Joe Wengert's Amazon cartoon Kevin is "an amiable hangout comedy, with a feline twist." And finally,
|
|
|
|
|
