What's news: George Clooney gave a fiery speech as he collected the Golden Lion in Venice. Amelia Dimoldenberg's Chicken Shop Date is coming to an end. Norah O’Donnell will co-host CBS Mornings. Prime Video and the NHL have struck a local rights deal for 6 teams. And MobLand has been renewed for S3, with Tom Hardy on board. — Abid Rahman
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Oscar Predictions: Scott Feinberg's First Read of the Race |
►🏆 The time has come! 🏆 The 2026-2027 Oscar race is kicking off in earnest over the next month — yesterday at the Venice Film Festival, Friday at the Telluride Film Festival, a week from tomorrow at the Toronto International Film Festival, and two weeks after that at the New York Film Festival — which means that it’s time for Scott Feinberg, THR's executive editor of awards coverage, to share this season’s first installment of the Feinberg Forecast, his weekly assessment of the competition. The predictions.
—🏆 On the topic of frontrunners... 🏆 Romania has picked its Oscar contender, selecting Cristian Mungiu‘s Fjord to be its official selection for the 99th Academy Awards in the best international feature race. In the drama about progressive politics, religious faith, and the limits of tolerance, Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan play two fundamentalist parents who relocate from Romania to a small Norwegian village, only to find themselves accused of child abuse, and forced to defend their beliefs, and strict parenting style, in court. Fjord premiered in Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or for best film. The story.
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Gloria Steinem 1934 - 2026 |
►Icon. Gloria Steinem, the writer, activist and icon of the feminist movement, has died. She was 92. Considered by some to be the world’s most famous feminist, the Toledo, Ohio, native began her career as a journalist, penning political columns and features for New York Magazine and writing for such other publications as Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. She also received an Emmy nomination (shared with David Frost, Buck Henry and others) in 1965 for writing on the series That Was the Week That Was.
Steinem co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 and Ms. magazine a year later, and she produced and hosted HBO’s Emmy-winning 1993 child-abuse documentary Multiple Personalities: The Search for Deadly Memories and Viceland’s Emmy-nominated 2016 docuseries Woman. The obituary.
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The Tragedy of Perez Hilton
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►"The person being judged today is simply not the person people remember from a website two decades ago." In the wake of Perez Hilton's nightmarish, livestreamed suicide attempt last month, THR's Chris Gardner talks to insiders about the groundbreaking gossip blogger and past toxicity of the self-proclaimed "original influencer": "I really think he started rage bait and hateful comments." The story.
—Picking a side. The Trump administration is throwing its weight behind OpenAI in a copyright lawsuit brought by The New York Times accusing the tech company of mass theft for using the publication’s content to train its AI system. In a brief backing OpenAI filed in New York federal court on Tuesday, the DOJ argues that training on copyrighted material constitutes fair use, the legal doctrine in intellectual property law that allows creators to build upon copyrighted works without a license. The motion appears to be the first time the government has weighed in on novel issues raised by AI. The story.
—The devil wears Zara. John Galliano’s sudden exit from the Costume Institute exhibition was already a huge headache for Anna Wintour. THR's Merle Ginsberg reports that things might be about to get stickier for Wintour and the Met Gala. Galliano’s current gig is at Zara, the fast-fashion behemoth, and while nothing has been announced, well-placed fashion sources say that Zara was lining up to be one of the sponsors for next year’s Met Gala. Merle writes that it’s hard to imagine the company sticking around after its headline designer has been booted from the party. The story.
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Clooney Challenges Authoritarians in Powerful Venice Speech
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►Golden George! Hollywood icon and Lake Como resident George Clooney was the toast of the Venice Film Festival‘s opening ceremony Wednesday evening, receiving an honorary Golden Lion for lifetime achievement and a hero’s tribute that, at times, had the icon tearing up, and same for his emotional wife Amal Clooney. The prize was presented to Clooney by his longtime friend and occasional co-star Laura Dern. Following a lengthy standing ovation, Clooney then delivered a powerful speech: "The people who are afraid of books and music and stories, they’re never the heroes in history." The recap.
—"Most political ever." The Venice Film Festival has become synonymous with the Oscar launch. This year feels different, writes THR's Scott Roxborough. Politics, not awards campaigns, has taken center stage. Venice’s 83rd edition is packed with films focused on right-wing media moguls and the crackdown on immigration, on the conflicts in Israel, Iran and Russia, on the abuses of capitalism and the rise of authoritarian power. The story.
—Spilling Ink. Venice got off to a rousing start Wednesday evening with the warmly received world premiere of Danny Boyle’s propulsive Rupert Murdoch drama Ink from Netflix. As the lights came up inside Venice’s Sala Grande, with stars Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy seated alongside their director, the black-tie crowd rose for a four-minute standing ovation in a warmly-received moment. The recap.
—"In the ’70s, at least these horrible people had the intelligence to keep their acts secret, but it just feels like things are getting stupider and stupider and stupider." The incomparably salty and character-rich cast of Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine swept into Venice via water taxi Thursday to introduce the Oscar winner’s latest darkly literate comedy-drama. John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey were all on hand to banter about the new movie with the global media ahead of its world premiere this evening. The recap.
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Box Office: $250M Movies Aren't the Only Way to Score Hits |
►"The marketplace is booming right now." What a difference a year makes for the summer box office, as Hollywood remembers that less can be more. THR's "numbers guy" Ryan Gajewski writes that the summer box office got a boost — up 25 percent — thanks in part to films that cost less than $25m, upending conventional wisdom that only the priciest tentpoles can pack multiplexes. The analysis.
—📅 Dated! 📅 The Ramayana is headed to theaters this fall, with Sony putting a Nov. 6 release date on the project. The studio has global rights, excluding India, where Ramayana producer Prime Focus Studios will handle distribution. The Ranbir Kapoor-starring film will get a release in multiple languages catered to local markets around the world. The Ramayana is one of humanity’s oldest stories, an epic poem that centers on prince Rama, who spends years in exile and whose wife, Sita, is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. The story.
—🎭 In-demand. 🎭 Project Hail Mary and Anatomy of a Fall star Sandra Hüller is teaming up with director Maria Schrader on the new German drama Arbeit und Struktur (Work and Structure). The film is an adaptation of the memoir by German writer and artist Wolfgang Herrndorf, who began documenting his life after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour in 2010. The book, published posthumously in 2013, became a literary phenomenon in Germany. The story.
—Boarding. Meryl Streep and Oscar-winning documentarian Laura Poitras have come onboard as executive producers on upcoming doc My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile, Julia Loktev’s follow up to her acclaimed 2024 doc My Undesirable Friends: Part I – The Last Air in Moscow about independent journalists under fire in Russia. In her new film, which will have its world premiere in Venice, Loktev follows a group of young journalists labelled “foreign agents” by Putin’s regime. The story.
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'Primetime': Inside Robert Pattinson's Eerie Chris Hansen Transformation |
►"Every day Rob would come in and would do something that felt like he was almost jumping off a cliff." Lance Oppenheim's Primetime will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5, but an early trailer for the A24 film has already captured the discourse on social media — and launched an already overused meme — for Robert Pattinson's incredible portrayal of To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen. THR's David Canfield talks to Oppenheim, Pattinson and Primetime's creative team about how they made the buzzy film. The story.
—🎭 Stacked. 🎭 Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, and Vanessa Redgrave have joined the growing A-list voice cast of indie animated feature The Turning Door. Swedish composer Anna von Hausswolff also joins the cast of the upcoming family fantasy animation epic directed by filmmaker and artist Nicholas Ashe Bateman, along with newcomer Pippa Kelly, who plays the lead, the young heroine Ariadlyn. The story.
—Sign him up! Elliot Page isn’t getting a flood of casting opportunities coming off his acclaimed performance in The Odyssey. During an interview with On Film…With Kevin McCarthy, the host asked if Page knows what role he’s doing next and said, “I imagine you’re getting a zillion calls after this movie.” "No, Kevin, I’m not," Page said with a laugh. "So, let’s — if someone wants to call me … “ A surprised McCarthy asked if Page really doesn’t have another job lined up. “Not really,” Page replied. "I’d really love to do good work. That’s what I’d love to do." The story.
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The Buzziest New Show on Netflix? A Video Game Trailer
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►Forget prestige TV. In late August, Netflix debuted a program that was so popular, it caused tech issues around the world as people signed on to watch it as soon as it went live. Streamers on Twitch and YouTube turned cameras on themselves to record their reactions, and it quickly rose to the top of the Netflix most watched movies list. But the 26-minute premiere wasn’t actually a movie, even if it was categorized as one. Nor was it a TV show, the bread and butter of the streaming platform. It was a trailer for a video game: Grand Theft Auto VI. THR's Alex Weprin looks at why game trailers and AI Andy Cohens may be the future of streaming entertainment. The story.
—Noooo!!!! The series that shot presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg to stratospheric fame, Chicken Shop Date, is coming to an end. The British writer and producer confirmed on Thursday that the next season will be its last, bringing to a close the much-loved celebrity interview show she started as a teenager under the umbrella of her media company, Dimz Inc. Dimoldenberg began Chicken Shop Date as a column when she was 17. The filmed series launched on YouTube in 2014. The story.
—"A lot of hot air." The Gentlemen star Theo James is throwing cold water on reports of Meghan Markle joining the Netflix crime drama’s cast — yet is still leaving the door open to the possibility. After a flurry of speculative stories that Markle was in talks for the show’s third season amid her move with Prince Harry back to the U.K., James dismissed the idea of the former Suits star appearing in the series. The story.
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Hardy Officially Returning to 'MobLand' With S3 Renewal
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►🟢 Lovely jubbly. 🟢 Tom Hardy will remain with the MobLand cast for a third season — the official word was handed down on Thursday with a renewal for the Paramount+ series. MobLand season two is still weeks away from premiering, the early season three renewal is a vote of confidence in the series and a wise way to put the Hardy drama to bed. MobLand will roll out a new episode each Friday through its season two finale on Nov. 20. Hardy had clashed with producers on the series, THR reported in May, including executive producer Jez Butterworth and others at David Glasser’s 101 Studios. The story.
—Another anchor change. CBS News has named Norah O’Donnell co-host of its flagship morning program CBS Mornings. The new role will pair O’Donnell with Gayle King and Nate Burleson behind the anchor desk. It is also a homecoming for O’Donnell, who previously hosted the program from 2012-2019, before moving to the CBS Evening News. O’Donnell has been a senior correspondent and a frequent fill-in anchor since 2024 when her run at the evening newscast ended. She was also recently named a correspondent on 60 Minutes, where she was previously a contributor. The story.
—🤝 Rights deal. 🤝 Amazon and the National Hockey League have struck a deal for Prime Video to become the exclusive local streaming home for six teams. The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues will stream their games on Prime Video in each club’s regional territory. The deal kicks in when the 2026-27 season begins Sept. 29. The story.
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►"A chronicle more than a critique, but vigorously entertaining." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Danny Boyle's Venice competition entry Ink. Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy star in this Venice opener about Rupert Murdoch’s transformation of U.K. tabloid culture into mass-market low-brow entertainment. Also starring Bertie Carvel, Brian Gleeson, Christopher Fulford, Patrick Kennedy, Blake Harrison, Jonathan Hyde, Lucy Russell, Abigail Amin and Georgie Henley. Written by James Graham, based on his play. The review.
—"An accidental rebuttal to George Mallory’s ‘Because it’s there.’" For THR, Richard Lawson reviews Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's Everest: The Other Side. Premiering out of competition in Venice, the new film the Free Solo Oscar winners sees them hit the slopes for a National Geographic doc about people risking it all to climb to the top of the world — and then ski back down. The review.
—"Deliciously odd." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Lili Horvat's My Notes on Mars. Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend play a trauma-shaken couple in this Venice premiere taps into current anxieties about what is human and what is love. Also starring Szabolcz Thuroczy, Zoltan Gyongyosi, Atanaz Babinchak, Lara Dragovic, Ernest Hausmann, Ed Cantu, Elizabeth Lande, Adriana Altaras and Kincso Adorjani. Written by Lili Horvat. The review.
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►"No rescue needed from this formulaic but fun throwback." THR's Frank Scheck reviews John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's Mayday. Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh lead this Apple TV feature about an American pilot trapped in Soviet Russia and the ex-KGB agent who helps him. Also starring Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova and David Morse. Written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The review.
—"Run Gal Run." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Kevin Macdonald's The Runner. The Whitney and The Last King of Scotland filmmaker directs this high-concept suspenser about a lawyer (Gal Gadot) forced to run across London in order to save her kidnapped son. Also starring Damian Lewis, Rory Wilmot and Alfred Enoch. Written by Mark Gibson. The review.
—"More please." For THR, Demetrios Matheou reviews Benedict Andrews’ production of Electra/Persona. Tar co-stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss star in this ambitious theater double bill, taking turns playing four roles, two each night, as they explore thematic cross-currents between Sophocles and Bergman. Also starring Ella Lily Hyland and Patrick Robinson. Written by Benedict Andrews, after Sophocles and Ingmar Bergman. The review.
In other news...
—HBO’s new Harry Potter trailer: The Sorting Hat, Quidditch and Snape dissing Harry
—Marshals S2 trailer picks up after cliffhanger finale
—S.W.A.T. Exiles trailer: Shemar Moore’s Hondo trains LAPD misfits for redemption
—Jeff Goldblum to host Saturday Night Live UK S2 premiere
—Tim Curry’s cause of death revealed
—Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld signs with Range
—Four Seasons launches refresh of Hotel Danieli
—Paris Hilton and Colman Domingo join Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women Gala
What else we're reading...
—Seth Borenstein reports that "the United Nations has acknowledged that Earth has lost its chance to prevent some of the worst of global warming's harms" [ABC News]
—Veronica Chambers appraises the cultural and political impact of Gloria Steinem [NYT]
—Vulture has an excerpt from Sona Movsesian's new book, The World's Worst Mom, in which she describes her boss Conan O’Brien as her “60-something-year-old practice baby" [Vulture]
—Jack Holmes profiles tech journalist Ed Zitron who is railing against the excesses and dubious finances of the AI industry [Vanity Fair]
—Rachel Wolfe talks to Aussie rave DJ Lenny Pearce who has become a global touring phenomenon by remixing nursery rhymes [WSJ]
Today...
...in 2010, 20th Century Fox released Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' Machete in theaters. The spinoff from 2007's Grindhouse, had an all star cast including Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson, Jessica Alba and Robert De Niro, and was a moderate box office success. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Charlie Sheen (61), Noah Baumbach (57), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (73), Holt McCallany (63), Garrett Hedlund (42), Steve Schirripa (69), Jack Dylan Grazer (23), Kaia Gerber (25), Maria Bamford (56), Nick Wechsler (48), Clare Kramer (52), Costas Mandylor (61), Ashley Jones (50), Paz de la Huerta (42), Christine Woods (43), Lisa McGrillis (44), Nina Kiri (34), Nichole Hiltz (48), Leah McKendrick (40), Amy Lindsay (60), Jessalyn Wanlim (44), Yûki Kaji (41), AJ Raval (26), Eloise Webb (23), Ashley Boettcher (26), Annie McEnroe (71), Trevor St. John (55), Adam Brooks (70), Rita Volk (36), Vivek Oberoi (50), Angus Sutherland (44), Drena De Niro (59)
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Carla Jeffery, best known for her role as Bree in Disney‘s Zombies franchise, died on Tuesday. She was 33. The obituary.
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