PBS Documentary Series ‘Independent Lens’ Acquires ‘Outta The Muck’ (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: Harry Hamlin (Mad Men) has signed on for a series regular role in the AMC series Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, and for a supporting role in the film 80 for Brady for Paramount Pictures and Endeavor Content.

Jessie J turned up the heat in Florida for her performance at the 17th Annual AIDS Walk and Music Fest on Saturday (March 19). The British born beauty, 33, whose real name is Jessica Ellen Cornish, stole the spotlight for the charity event in a fiery red, skintight ensemble. All eyes were focused on the “Bang Bang” singer as she took to the Fort Lauderdale stage in the iconic outfit perfectly fit for a pop princess.

The cast of Young Sheldon gathers up on the red carpet for a major milestone celebration!

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterOn March 9, LGBTQ employees and allies at Pixar Animation Studios sent a joint statement to Walt Disney Company leadership claiming that Disney executives had actively censored “overtly gay affection” in its feature films.

Naman Ramachandran Future Studios and women’s destination Marie Claire are teaming for digital true crime series “On the Record with Marie Claire.”The seven-part anthology series will feature female-focused stories of women seeking justice, told from the viewpoint of a central character directly linked to the case in question. Each episode, which is 7–12 minutes long, features archive film and stills and evidence from an individual case, alongside Marie Claire’s storytelling and investigative reporting.

EXCLUSIVE: Just days after she became available following the cancellation of NBC’s Ordinary Joe, Natalie Martinez has been tapped as a series regular opposite Vince Vaughn in the Apple TV+ drama series Bad Monkey, written and executive produced by Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence. Martinez replaces Ana Villafañe who had originally been cast in the role. Recastings are unfortunate but inevitable part of the business that could be for various of reasons. In this case, I hear the character had been written older than Villafañe’s age, leading to the decision to replace her.

Tributes have been pouring in for Love Island star Mike Thalassitis, who passed away three years ago at the age of 26. Mike, who first rose to fame on Love Island in 2017, took his own life in March 2019, with many of his friends and co-stars leaving touching messages for the star on the anniversary of his death. Marcel Somervile, who appeared alongside Mike on Love Island, posted a pair of the pair together to Instagram with the caption: “Always Remembered My Brother! “It’s not a coincidence me and @jonny_mitchell1991 always catch up around this time.

Channel change. Sam Elliott admitted that he isn’t the ideal audience for the Yellowstone franchise — even after starring in its prequel 1883.

Montana Brown has shared her sadness at the death of her late friend Mike Thalassitis on the third anniversary of his tragic death at the age of 26. Montana, now 26, and Mike grew close after their time together in the 2017 series of Love Island and were in constant contact before Mike took his own life in 2019, 18 months after rising to fame on the ITV2 series.

 is closer than ever. ET's Brooke Anderson spoke to Candace Cameron Bure, Dave Coulier, Scott Weinger and Andrea Barber at '90s con, where they spoke about their special bond and shared how they've come together in the wake of Bob Saget's untimely passing.«Well, it always feels like family. It always feels like a reunion,» Coulier — who played Uncle Joey on the series and the  spinoff — said of reuniting with his cast mates. «It always feels like we're about to laugh really hard for the next 48 hours.»They've known each other for so long, that Weinger, who played Steve, told ET that the cast really is a family at this point.«God, we've been friends for so long, for decades.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek and other company leaders received a letter from Disney’s LGBTQIA+ Business Employee Resource Groups on Feb. 28, requesting the company “issue a public statement condemning anti-LGBTQIA+ policies in the U.S.” just after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill had passed the state’s House of Representatives, but before it cleared the Senate, Variety has learned exclusively.“While there are over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills being introduced across the nation (and more globally), we urge you to begin with speaking against these acts: The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill in Florida (set to go into effect July 1st) and the Texas Governor’s directive for state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care as ‘child abuse,'” reads the letter, which was obtained by Variety Thursday, following Chapek’s first public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill at the Disney shareholders meeting Wednesday.

Summer of Soul” were among the big winners at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards Sunday.The ceremony hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally was held in a tent by the beach in Santa Monica, California, broadcast on AMC and IFC. It is the cool, casual counterpart to some of the more traditional film awards shows.“If you don’t win, you can just walk straight into the ocean,” Offerman said.Gyllenhaal won best feature, director and best screenplay for her adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel “The Lost Daughter.”Through tears, Gyllenhaal said that more than anything she believes in love.

Mortimer’s: Moments in Time” by documentary filmmaker Robin Baker Leacock, restaurateur Robert Caravaggi and photographer Mary Hilliard (available March 22 on Amazon) looks back at an era when socialites, celebs and the city’s most powerful people mixed over cigarette smoke, bull shots and vodka on the rocks.One of New York’s best-remembered bygone boîtes, Mortimer’s opened in March 1976 at 75th and Lex in a utilitarian space that fast became the de rigueur dining dive of the nascent Studio 54 set — including C.Z. Guest, Farrah Fawcett and Iman.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, Music“Care is a weird word in the music industry,” says Kara DioGuardi, who, in addition to being a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer, also runs her own music publishing house and record label, Arthouse Entertainment. As a former artist herself, she’s seen the business from all sides, and as an advocate for creators, she’s incensed that streaming giants like Spotify are under-compensating songwriters.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSpectrum Originals has ordered the dramedy series “Panhandle” starring Luke Kirby and Tiana Okoye, Variety has learned.Set in the Florida panhandle, the series follows agoraphobic arm-chair detective Bell Prescott (Kirby) and reluctant traffic cop Cammie Lorde (Okoye) as they wrestle with personal demons, shocking twists, and a few Florida gators on their journey to heal themselves and their town.Spectrum has ordered an eight-episode first season of the series, which will shoot in Savannah, GA. It will have a nine month exclusive ad-free run on Spectrum before an ad-supported second window on The Roku Channel.Nicholas Stoller and Carla Kettner created the series and will serve as executive producers.

fans are eagerly anticipating the fifth season of the show, and with production starting back up in May, ET spoke with the series' stars at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards to see what they could tease about the future of the Dutton family. Kevin Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton in the series, played coy about what fans can expect, telling ET that spoilers «take the fun away.»«I got a new horse. How's that?» Costner quipped.Even Luke Grimes, who portrays Costner's son, Kayce Dutton, didn't have any info to share, noting that the cast «gets the scripts as they come in and as we shoot.»«I never know.