SUNDAY AM WRITETHRU: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he’s delivering the motion picture industry a $9 billion-plus year at the domestic box office, a feat many thought was unimaginable with the lack of a mega-tentpole over the holiday, coupled by a Q4 impacted by the double strikes. …
Read More »
Prominent Jewish TV executives in the UK have expressed their horror at a social media post by a former Channel 4 commissioner, who attacked a Stephen Fry rallying call against antisemitism. Tamara Abood, an ex-Channel 4 current affairs commissioner and producer of shows including What Happens In Kavos, sparked anger …
Read More »
The Rose Parade will see floral-decorated floats decorated to the theme of “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.” Volunteers have been assembling the floats ahead of the live parade set to take place on Monday, Jan. 1, starting at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET. Audra McDonald …
Read More »
They were testing the New Year’s Eve ball today in Times Square ahead of Sunday’s celebrations, but the real spectacle was happening on the streets. In a self-declared “heightened threat environment” since Hamas’ murderous assault on Israeli communities near the border with Gaza and the butchering of thousands on October …
Read More »
In a year that was defined by as much drama off-screen with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as there was on-screen, 2023 saw the era of Peak TV come to a bruised end, but not without getting a few last solid punches in. Ted Lasso sputtered to a pretty standard …
Read More »
There was a moment in the past year when dozens of media and political reporters found themselves in the same room, sitting patiently for hours, essentially doing nothing but speculating about what was about to happen. That’s generally a fraught scenario, but in this case, it was a bit fortuitous …
Read More »
Some 600 French art and entertainment world figures have signed a “counter-petition” decrying moves to defend iconic actor Gérard Depardieu in the face of multiple accusations of sexual assault and one of rape. The petition described a recent open letter in support of Depardieu, signed by 55 cinema world celebrities, …
Read More »
Less than 72 hours before California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act expires, Paula Abdul today filed a sexual assault and gender violence lawsuit against American Idol EP and So You Think You Can Dance judge Nigel Lythgoe over multiple alleged attacks. “Lythgoe knew and was aware that his …
Read More »
Christmas is history, but there’s still some holiday celebrating to be done. New Year’s Eve festivities are being broadcast across the country Sunday, December 31 from Puerto Rico to Los Angeles to the famous Times Square ball drop in New York City. The official Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration …
Read More »
Roku was a champ. Lionsgate surged and Netflix jumped. Tech shares went bananas in 2023. Big media stocks had a mixed year of transition dominated by Hollywood strikes with linear television declines and streaming losses. Paramount fell. Disney and Fox were basically flat on the year. Giants Comcast and Sony, …
Read More »
Ken Fritz, was a personal manager of Tom and Dick Smothers for the better part of 60 years. In 1964 and recently out of college, Fritz started out as a sort of advance man for their tours before becoming their full-time road manager. Later, he co-managed them with Ken Kragen and eventually assumed solo management for …
Read More »
EXCLUSIVE: With the 10th edition of the Playoff set to cap off a high-rated season starting on New Year’s Day, Disney says advertising inventory is nearly sold out for the semifinals and championship. “We have a lot of consistency with brands,” Deidra Maddock, VP, Sports Brand Solutions, Disney Advertising, told …
Read More »