Disney+ Has Paused Original Commissions in Canada (EXCLUSIVE)

The trailer for Liam Neeson‘s new movie has been released!

Star of ITV's The Chase Mark Labbett has opened up on the unique way he wooed his glamorous 41-year-old girlfriend Hayley Palmer. 57-year-old Mark, who is 16 years Hayley's senior, split from his ex wife Katie, who is also his second cousin, in 2020, claiming that their 27-year age gap and Covid-19 lockdowns were the reasons after seven years of marriage.

Amber Dowling Stephanie Azam is no longer the head of content for Disney+ Canada, Variety has learned. The executive was let go as part of the company’s recent reorganization after less than a year on the job, and amid news that Disney+ has paused original commissions in Canada. Several other positions were eliminated as a result of the reorganization. Jason Badal remains in place as the VP and general manager of Disney+ in Canada. Sources indicate the company is still looking at Canadian originals, although the timeline surrounding any such commissions is unclear. Last September at a Content Canada conference, Badal indicated the streaming service was in search of Canadian content for the Star component of Disney+ (an amalgamation of Hulu, FX and Fox content that hasn’t been distributed to other Canadian broadcasters). Azam was in the audience at the time and still new to the role. Still, Badal revealed her email for those in the room who wanted to send pitches.

Ryan Gosling and his sister Mandi may not have had Barbies in the house growing up, but she knew her brother was the right choice to play Ken immediately.

Kylie Minogue really wants to collaborate with “The Killers” frontman Brandon Flowers.

Apparently, Ghislaine Maxwell is not enjoying her time in prison and cannot stop whining about it!

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Sky Deutschland, the German arm of Comcast-owned pay-TV operator Sky, is pulling out of scripted originals from 2024, Variety can reveal. Staff were notified of the surprise move by Sky Deutschland boss Devesh Raj on Thursday morning, local time. Variety understands that the entire scripted originals team will eventually be disbanded, though shows that have already been commissioned and are in production, such as post-apocalypse drama “Helgoland 513″ and “Das Boot” Season 4, will finish filming. Any projects in development will be “put into turnaround,” as per another internal note from Sky Studios CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz, also seen by Variety.

Ricky Gervais is crossing the pond and heading to the U.S. and Canada for four huge shows in June, July and August as part of his massive, international ‘Armageddon Tour.’That includes back to back gigs at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1.Want to see Gervais live as he prepares material for his 2024 Netflix special?Well, thankfully, you can still pick up last-minute tickets for the five-time Golden Globe host’s pair of Big Apple gigs.They’re not particularly cheap though.At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on seats was $158 before fees on Vivid Seats.Should you choose to see the funnyman in Canada come August, you’ll find much more affordable inventory.Based on our findings, some tickets started at $60 USD before fees for those shows.For more information on catching the original Michael Scott — David Brent, for those in the know — live, keep reading.We’ve got everything you need to know and more below.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A complete calendar including all Ricky Gervais tour dates, venues and links to the cheapest tickets available for each show can be found here:(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed.” The film, which recently world-premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight section and is executive produced by Sean Baker, is a comedy about a 30-something New York woman, who is played by Arnow. It follows her as time passes in her long-term casual BDSM relationship and low-level corporate job, and chronicles her quarrelsome Jewish family.  Critics liked Arnow’s witty and fresh take, with Variety calling it one of the festival’s true discoveries and hailing the filmmaker as “a raw, intimate and more importantly extremely funny new talent.“ The film is Arnow’s narrative feature film debut following shorts including “Bad Dancing,” which won the Berlinale Silver Bear, “Laying Out,” and the feature doc “I hate myself:).” 

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International An underwater vessel used to take tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing, with a search and rescue operation now underway to locate the craft. The submersible, which is roughly the size of a truck, went missing in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday with crew members on board. Government agencies and deep-sea specialists are assisting with the operation. The craft is understood to be the Titan, built by Washington-based exploration company OceanGate Inc. The Titan is designed to take five people to a depth of 4,000 meters. The structure has a life support span of 96 hours (four days) for five people, according to OceanGate’s website. Each round-trip journey to the Titanic wreckage can take up to 10 hours.

It’s over — again — for Camila Cabello and ex Shawn Mendes. The former couple have gone their separate ways once more after briefly rekindling their relationship.

The Chase star Mark Labbett shared a post on Instagram as he bid farewell to his new girlfriend Hayley Palmer.

Stan Refreshes Lionsgate Output Deal

One of the many headline-making anecdotes in Elliot Page’s new memoir Pageboy involves a chapter in the book titled “Famous A**hole at a Party.”

Spotify has confirmed that it will not be renewing Meghan Markle’s podcast Archetypes for a second series. The Spotify deal, which was estimated to be worth £18 million, was just one of many commercial partnerships that Meghan and Prince Harry entered into upon their exit of the royal family in 2020. When Archetypes was announced in late 2020, Prince Harry said it would 'bring forward different perspectives and voices that perhaps you haven't heard before.

Amy Duggar King hasn’t heard from her cousin Josh Duggar’s wife, Anna, amid his legal trials.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International CBS chief George Cheeks has said the broadcaster is maintaining a “fluid and active” approach as it curates its fall programming schedule amid month two of the writers strike. The executive, who took on his new remit at CBS just weeks before the pandemic struck in March 2020, said the streamers’ series model poses “serious challenges” for writers that the whole industry will need to “figure out” in the long term. Cheeks was speaking as part of a wide-ranging keynote session at the Banff World Media Festival in Alberta, Canada, where Paramount Global has been the most prominent studio on the ground.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Garcelle Beauvais has said the new season of the Bravo reality series will drop in November — and will be a kinder edition of the franchise. “I’m hearing November is our release date. It’s back to fun and glamour and friendships,” said Beauvais of Season 13. “It’s not as toxic as it was. I think the last season was pretty hardcore on everybody.” Season 12 has been described by Variety’s resident “Real Housewives” correspondent Kate Aurthur as “grisly,” and ultimately led to the departure of long-time provocateur Lisa Rinna this past January. Rinna constantly stirred the pot on the show, and feuded heavily with Kathy Hilton. She also got into her share of spats with Beauvais, who had been friendly with Rinna, a fellow actor, prior to starring together on “Real Housewives.”

Peppa Pig, the British cartoon character with a show for preschoolers, is coming to Audible by way of the upcoming Peppa Pig podcast. Further details on the podcast and where eager listeners can check it out will be revealed later in 2023.“We’re delighted to work with Hasbro to expand our family listening content with one of the most popular and impactful brands, Peppa Pig,” said Aurelie de Troyer, Head of Content UK and Canada at Audible.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Amazon Studios’ head of drama series Odetta Watkins says big-budget drama “Citadel,” which has yet to crack Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings, still “needs time to grow” with “very jaded” U.S. audiences. The exec was speaking at the Banff World Media Festival in Alberta, Canada, on Sunday, where the global-facing “Citadel” was a key topic of conversation during an international media leaders panel, moderated by The Ankler’s Elaine Low. In response to a question from Variety about “Citadel’s” sluggish domestic performance but strong showing overseas — and whether that matters to Prime Video — Watkins said: “I can tell you from a creative perspective, for me, it’s a victory, because the show was conceived to be able to speak to the world.”