Harlan Coben Expresses Solidarity With Writers Guild of America at Premiere of ‘Shelter’ at Monte-Carlo Television Festival

The Writer Guild of America said Wednesday that “we stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA as they bargain for a contract that truly works for all their members.” It’s the first comment the WGA has made on the SAG-AFTRA talks since the actors’ union last week extended its contract until July 12 to allow negotiations for a new film and TV contract to continue.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony’s video game adaptation Gran Turismo is among movies set to debut at the fifth edition of LA’s Micheaux Film Festival (July 10-16).

Kylie Minogue is proud of her LGBTQ+ fanbase.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The 28th edition of the Shanghai TV Festival wrapped up on Friday with its Magnolia Awards presented to a range of TV drama series, documentaries and animation programs. The drama awards were dominated by two shows “A Lifelong Journey” and “Bright Future.” “A Lifelong Journey,” adapted from a novel of the same name by Liang Xiaosheng, tells the story of three generations of one family in China’s Northeast as time moves from the late Cultural Revolution period through to the country’s reform and opening up. With a starry cast and broadcasters including CCTV-1 and Jiangsu Satellite TV, the show is reported to have attracted 310 million viewers at the beginning of 2022. In mainland China, it ran for 58 episodes, while in Hong Kong it played in 35 parts.

Actor Dermot Mulroney, promoting his new Disney+ Marvel series Secret Invasion, walked off the set of ABC’s The View in an episode airing today, expressing his support for striking WGA writers.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The members of the international juries that will decide the Magnolia prizes at the ongoing Shanghai Television Festival were Thursday made to do double duty as speakers in public masterclasses that were open to a generation of aspiring documentary and animation makers. David Stephan, jury president in the animation category, along with fellow judges Spencer Ooi and Jia Fou, spoke at length about getting their starts in the business and finding inspiration. “When I studied animation, I didn’t have a textbook available. I saw extremely limited things, so I did further research to make myself understand what I was doing in such a career,” said Jia.

Princess Charlene of Monaco is simply stunning during a rare, solo appearance!

The French film Le Colosse aux Pieds d’Argile and UK-Australia series Ten Pounds Poms took the top fiction prizes at the 62nd annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival, which were handed out Tuesday in Monaco. See the full winners list below.

Ben Croll “The Fragile Colossus,” “Ten Pound Poms” and “The Seed” ruled the roost at this year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival, with the three programs collecting two prizes each at a small-screen showcase that ran June 16 – 20 in the Monaco capital. Produced by Make It Happen Studio and Shoot Again Productions in partnership with TF1 France, telefilm “The Fragile Colossus” took home Monte-Carlo’s Golden Nymph for best film and the special jury prize. The French drama follows a one-time rugby star (played by soccer player-turned-actor Eric Cantona) confronting his history as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and is based on the life and memoires of rugbyman Sébastien Boueilh.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor At the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, the cast of “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” – which debuts on Prime Video on Aug. 18 – spoke about how the show rings true when it comes to presenting a true representation of the country’s diversity, and delivering an authentic depiction of teenage life in the U.S. At the press conference for the show, which followed its world premiere at the festival, were Jaden Michael, Constance Zimmer, Adrian Greensmith and Abby Corrigan, alongside Edward Ornelas, one of the show’s executive producers and directors. Michael, who plays Mickey Bolitar in the teen thriller, said: “When I was growing up, there was one movie I watched religiously. It was called ‘Imagine That’ with Eddie Murphy, Nicole Ari Parker and Yara Shahidi – it was one of her first projects. And I watched that movie on repeat daily, because it was the only movie where I saw someone who looked like me.

Josh Duhamel and wife Audra Mari are back on the red carpet for the premiere of Buddy Games 2: Spring Awakening during the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival on Sunday (June 18) in Monaco.

Zeeko Zaki‘s fiancée Renee Monaco is showing off her engagement ring!

Raymond Lee is showing off his better half – Stacy Kusumolkul – on the red carpet while attending the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival in Monaco over the weekend.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Speaking at Monte-Carlo Television Festival Sunday, cast members from the fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” expressed their feelings about the racist trolls who objected to the Prime Video show’s diverse and inclusive casting when it first launched. Last month, Ismael Cruz Córdova, who plays the Elven warrior Arondir, told Variety that Prime Video provided an on-set therapist to help the actors deal with the racist backlash against its casting. He revealed it wasn’t just attacks on social media. “My phone got hacked. I had bank account attempts of being hacked. My PayPal got hacked. My friends got messages. I got death threats. I got things mailed to me. People found out my address. It was a lot of that,” Córdova recalled.

Ben Croll Running the Monte-Carlo Television Festival since 2012, Laurent Puons has always tried to look ahead. From his embrace of streamers and digital platforms back in 2017 to his growing emphasis on diverse formats, the festival director sees his summer showcase as a bellwether event for the wider television industry – and what the industry could use right now, in Puons’ view, is flexibility.  “There are already so many festivals today dedicated to series,” Puons explains. “But Monte-Carlo follows a wholly different concept. We’re a home for all kinds of content, and one of the only festivals with both fiction and factual competitions. And when you see what’s broadcast on platforms like Netflix and Amazon, [you need to cover that full range.]”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Prime Video debuted the first-look image and revealed the premiere date for the adaptation of thriller series “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” from New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben on Thursday. The show marks Coben’s first collaboration with Prime Video. The first three episodes of the eight-episode series will premiere globally on Aug. 18 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide, with new episodes available each Friday, leading up to the season finale on Sept. 22. “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” follows the story of Mickey Bolitar after the sudden death of his father leads him to start a new life in Kasselton, New Jersey. Mickey quickly finds himself tangled in the mysterious disappearance of a new student at his school, Ashley Kent, which leads to uncovering unimaginable secrets within their quiet suburban community.

In an open letter in support of the actress Amber Heard, Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Ernaux denounces “the vilification” and “ongoing online harassment” of the actress.

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have announced that they are moving their upcoming Hollywood Bowl shows to October in a show of solidarity with the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) and their ongoing strike.The shows, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Snoop’s Dre-produced debut album ‘Doggystyle’, were set to take place across two nights at the end of the month – on June 27 and 28.

Snoop Dogg is standing in solidarity with Hollywood writers who are demanding better pay and contracts for their work.

Taylor Swift expressed solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community at the Chicago, Illinois stop of her Eras Tour. The 33-year-old - who stepped out in New York City this week - took a moment to speak directly to the crowd and make a statement about politics with Pride Month in mind. Wearing a sleeveless orange dress and seated at her piano, the hitmaker said, 'I'm looking out tonight, I'm seeing so many incredible individuals who are living authentically and beautifully, and this is a safe space.