Mossbank, CAA & UTA Launch Action-Horror ‘Azrael’ With ‘Ready Or Not’ Star Samara Weaving & ‘You’re Next’ Scribe, First Look — EFM

SPOILER ALERT! This story contains plot points from the finale of 1923 on Paramount+.

Katie Reul editor “Saturday Night Live” cast member Colin Jost, co-anchor of Weekend Update, levied a jab at the Academy for this week’s decision to hire a “crisis team” for the upcoming 2023 Oscars. Devised to ensure first-line responders are available at the awards show in the case of an emergency, the newly-implemented team comes on the heels of last year’s tumultuous ceremony. The 2022 Oscars saw actor Will Smith slap presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife. The violent outburst resulted in Smith being banned from events hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the next decade. “Guys, it’s not going to happen again,” Jost joked, seeming to address the telecast’s producers. “I’m sure you wish it would, for ratings. If anything the promo should be, ‘Who’s going to get slapped this year?’ Can Ana de Armas beat the ‘Tar’ out of Cate Blanchett? Which banshee will knock the shoes off Marcel the Shell? And who has what it takes to ‘Whale’ on Brendan Fraser?”

Katie Reul editor Donald Trump was skewered for his recent press conference in East Palestine, Ohio during the “Saturday Night Live” cold open. Framed as fake C-Span coverage, “SNL” featured player James Austin Johnson embodied the former president as he gave an address to local residents impacted by the recent trail derailment and toxic chemical spill in the area. “I’ve been looking at your river, and it’s so shiny,” Johnson said, impersonating the politician. “I’ve never seen water more beautiful — beautiful rainbows and discoloration. It’s great. It’s wearing makeup, like Fenty beauty water.” Johnson proceeds to shoutout Rihanna for her Feb. 12 halftime show at Super Bowl LVII, commenting on her pregnancy. Regaining focus, Johnson directs blame at the man he identifies as the one true culprit.

Done with the drama. Brian Austin Green slammed ex-girlfriend Vanessa Marcil after she claimed that the Beverly Hills, 90210 star didn’t help her coparent their son Kassius — and praised ex-wife, Megan Fox, for stepping in.

Calling off the bidders. The foreclosure auction of Kim Zolciak-Biermann and husband Kroy Biermann’s Georgia mansion has been canceled.

Time for Eric Stonestreet to put on an angry face: The Modern Family will join the cast of the Disney+ Original series The Santa Clauses as Magnus Antas (aka the Mad Santa), who reigned during the 14th century and is now returning to try and take down Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) and reclaim the North Pole.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar season used to boil down to one main thing for Condé Nast: Vanity Fair‘s party. While the famed bash is back this year, there’s also a more consequential reason for the company to feel festive: The New Yorker‘s record five nominations across all three short film categories.

Bravo’s “Summer House” and E!’s “Nikki Bella Says I Do” both exhibited growth in three-day viewership figures, TheWrap can exclusively report. The NBCUniversal-owned unscripted cable series saw increases in their Season 7 premiere and Season 1 finale, respectively.

Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson was arrested and charged with fraud by federal investigators, according to multiple news reports.

AJ Pritchard is locked in a feud with former Love Island star Arabella Chi after she "cost him" a huge sum of money in a new TV show. Dancer AJ, 28, has opened up about his feud with Arabella after the two were paired up together in The Challenge - a new game show that pits reality stars against each other to win a big prize pot. However, they didn't prove a very effective team and failed to make it into the final three where they could have competed for £50,000.

Simu Liu has tweeted out his displeasure at being compared to an Asian man in a “celebrity look-a-like” segment simply because of their coethnic background.

Back in 2020, Disney announced plans for a live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch”, the 2002 animated hit about a young Hawaiian girl who befriends a fun-loving alien creature named Stitch.

Zach Galifianakis has been cast in Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” feature, TheWrap has confirmed. We’ve heard he will be playing Pleakley, the alien character originally voiced by Kevin McDonald and animated by Ruben A. Aquino.Dean Fleischer Camp, the Oscar-nominated director of last year’s “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” will be directing the new adaptation.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Nolan Gallagher, the founder of Gravitas Ventures, will step down as CEO and leaving the film company on March 31, 2023.  Gravitas was sold to Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the owner of Fight Network and HD Net Movies, in November 2021. Gravitas has released more than 3,000 films on video on demand (VOD) during Gallagher’s time at the company. Some of those films also had theatrical releases. Gravitas’ recent films include “Mack & Rita” with Diane Keaton; “Our Friend,” starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel; and “Vanguard,” starring Jackie Chan. Anthem said it has retained an advisor to identify a successor to Gallagher and expects to make a decision within the coming months.

Camila Cabello is back on the market!

What does it mean to be a woman? A group of talented writers and directors come together to answer the question in “Tell It Like A Woman.” The film looks at the many challenges women face on a daily basis — highlighting both the empowering and heartbreaking aspects that accompany these complex subjects. The project garnered attention thanks to its Oscar nomination for Dianne Warren — a 14-time nominee; her song, “Applause,” is performed by actress Sofia Carson.

Brent Lang Executive Editor CAA has signed Jonathan Rockefeller. The American-Australian producer, director, and writer, is the founder and owner of Rockefeller Productions. The production company has become a leader in family entertainment having partnered with the likes of Disney, Pixar, Lego, Colorado Rockies, Sesame Street, Eric Carle, Peanuts, and Paddington Bear to create large-scale puppetry stage adaptations and events across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Rockefeller Productions is currently working on a number of shows, including “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, which has a U.S. national tour, as well as a UK/Ireland tour, as well as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show,” which is based on the beloved children’s book by Eric Carle. Their recent productions include “Sesame Street: The Musical,” “Paddington Gets in a Jame,” and “The Golden Girls Show!: A Puppet Parody.”

Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul has revealed plans to shoot a film in Sri Lanka, inspired by the work of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International BAFTA’s new CEO Jane Millichip is preparing to welcome the largest group of nominees to ever turn up at this weekend’s film awards. It’s exciting, says the executive, both from a red carpet perspective, but also as a testament to the growing appeal of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. “It’s the real mandate of BAFTA that people are flying from all corners of the world to come to our ceremony. I’m really proud of that, to be honest,” says Millichip. Guests confirmed to attend as presenters include Brian Cox, Catherine-Zeta-Jones, Cynthia Erivo, Diego Luna, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jamie Dornan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jodie Turner-Smith, Julianne Moore, Lily James, Martin Freeman, Matthew Modine, Rami Malek, Regé Jean Page, Rita Wilson, Sir Patrick Stewart, Taron Egerton, Toheeb Jimoh and Troy Kotsur.

Miley Cyrus has secured a month-long stint at Number 1 with Flowers.