Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Inc. company has a message for a podcasting production: “O, no, you don’t.” The talk show host’s company is suing the podcasters who created “Oprahdemics,” which purportedly celebrates all things Oprah. The trademark infringement lawsuit was filed in Manhattan Federal Court and claims the podcast leads listeners to believe it is endorsed by […]
Many have ascended the Seven Kingdoms’ Iron Throne, the most prized seat of George R.R. Martin’s blockbuster A Song of Ice and Fire saga. But it is a station built on daggers, and few have lasted long; as the events of HBO’s Game of Thrones detailed. The difference for Paddy Considine’s King Viserys is that […]
Academy Award nominee actor Gary Busey has been charged by Cherry Hill, N.J. police with three counts of sex crimes. The incident took place when Busey allegedly groped at least two victims during a Monster-Mania convention in Cherry Hill earlier this month, authorities said Saturday. Busey, 78, who lives in Malibu, Ca., was charged Friday […]
David Zaslav is fond of his motor racing analogies. The Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO recently said, “If the linear business is a racecar, we’ve got a team of racecar drivers”. “When we hear a noise or it’s in third gear, we know how to fix it. It’s a business we know well,” he […]
A cleaner and his young neighbor form an unusual bond in The Narrow Road, a Hong Kong-set drama world premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Director Lam Sum paints a vivid picture of life for low-paid workers in the city, skillfully incorporating elements of the Covid pandemic, which struck before filming began. Louis Cheung plays […]
Will Smith has returned to social media, issuing his first Instagram post since his July 29 video apology for his well-documented misconduct at the 94th Oscars. For his latest statement, Smith chose a popular meme of a baby gorilla annoying a much larger one by tentatively touching the big one’s backside. As might be expected, […]
The late actor Bill Paxton’s family has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a surgeon who performed heart surgery on him. Paxton died on Feb. 25, 2017 from a stroke that came 11 days after surgery to replace a heart valve and repair aorta damage, according to his death […]
Amazon’s Prime Video is one of the lions of the streaming business, with a shelf of awards, a multibillion-dollar advertising operation and reach to 80 million U.S. households to show for its efforts. This Thursday, however, will mark perhaps the biggest milestone yet in Prime Video’s 15-year run, as it will deliver an exclusive stream […]
British actor Stephen Tompkinson, best known for his roles in Ballykissangel and DCI Banks, has been charged with grievous bodily harm (GBH) and will appear to stand trial in an English crown court. Tompkinson has been accused of inflicting harm on another man, beating him and leaving him with a double skull fracture during an […]
British veteran comedy actress Josephine Tewson, who found her biggest success in her sixties starring in one of the 1990s’ biggest TV sitcoms, has died aged 91. Tewson was best known for playing Elizabeth, the living-on-her-nerves neighbour of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances, from 1990 to 1995. But she appeared in a string of […]
Gerard Butler has paid tribute to his friend Darius Campbell Danesh, saying he has been left “devastated” by the death of his “brother in arms” last week. The Scottish actor was reported to be close friends with the Scottish reality TV singing contestant turned West End actor and Hollywood producer, who was found dead in […]
The cartoon character Pogo by Walt Kelly is best remembered for his line, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” That sentiment was the underlying theme of Bill Maher’s Real Time on Friday, as the comedian and his guests explored the various ways that America remains divided, often by our own hand. B.J. […]
What’s thought to be the largest Halloween Carnival in the country will not be happening this year, according to a post on the City of West Hollywood’s website. “The City of West Hollywood is reminding the community and the region that the City’s annual Halloween Carnaval has been cancelled for 2022 in accordance with protecting […]
EXCLUSIVE: For all the noise about David Zaslav’s quest to find $3 billion in cost-saving initiatives at the newly merged Warner Bros Discovery, what remains important to the new CEO is to spend on content where those dollars pay off. And where is that? Why, on the launch of HBO’s near $200M Game of Thrones […]
Eight films battled it out in competition at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival, but Austrian director Sebastian Meise’s jury—including French director Lucile Hadžihalilović , Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, Serbian actor Milan Marić and Israeli producer Katriel Schory—spread the love quite widely. By far the critics’ darling, Juraj Lerotić’s powerful suicide drama Safe Place was […]
A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. In this column: interviews with the director who guided Chadwick Boseman to a posthumous Emmy nomination for his final performance ever and a chat with Amanda Seyfried on the challenges met and conquered in playing Elizabeth Holmes, for which she received her first Emmy nomination. […]
“People are catching up on films,” is how one arthouse executive described the current moment in specialty, which echoes the slowdown in studio wide releases. August can be slow ahead of a trio of festivals – Venice, Toronto, New York – and a ramp up to awards season. It can also offer an less obstructed […]
More cuts at Warner Bros. Discovery, this time at the Oprah Winfrey Network. Deadline has confirmed that Karen Grant-Selma, Jennifer Giddens, Mary Beth Cunin and Nicole Nichols are leaving the network. Cunin was the head of programming and scheduling at OWN while Grant-Selma was general counsel and Giddens, the chief marketing officer. Nichols, who was exec […]
Producers offered a first look today at Lea Michele rehearsing the role of Fanny Brice for the current Broadway production of Funny Girl. Michele got the part after Beanie Feldstein suddenly announced in July that she was stepping away from the part at the end of the month amidst rumors that the former Glee star […]
Reba McEntire is staying booked and busy in 2022, with the upcoming release of her Lifetime film The Hammer, shooting underway on ABC’s Big Sky, and a concert tour kicking off this fall. What this means is that a revival of her popular series Reba will have to wait, although, she says, it’s a project […]
EXCLUSIVE: Exactly two decades since David E. Kelley’s Ally McBeal ended its five-season run on Fox, the Emmy-winning legal dramedy starring Calista Flockhart is plotting a comeback with a sequel series, which is in early development at ABC, I have learned. Written and executive produced by Karin Gist (Mike), I hear the new show will […]
ABC will not be moving forward with drama pilot Criminal Nature, from Rashad Raisani, 20th Television and A+E Studios. Criminal Nature was one of two remaining “second cycle” ABC pilots that had not heard about their fates, along with fellow drama The Company You Keep, starring and executive produced by This Is Us alum Milo […]
