Variety’s Tim Gray Exits to Take Key Role at Golden Globes, Which Reveals New Board Members and Awards Calendar

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Golden Globes has found its production team for the 2024 ceremony: Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, of White Cherry Entertainment, will serve as executive producers and showrunners for the 81st Golden Globe Awards. The event, previously announced to take place live on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, does yet not have a broadcast home, having cut ties with NBC after the 2023 show.

Multi-Emmy-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner have been tapped as executive producing showrunners for the 81st Golden Globe Awards. Weiss also is set to direct the live show on Sunday, January 7, 2024.    

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Fox’s “The Masked Singer” is taking to the streets next Saturday, Sept. 23, in Los Angeles, offering up freebies throughout the city. Dubbed “Masked Mania,” the show has partnered with ten businesses to offer up free food and other items, as well as the opportunity to see some of the show’s costumes up close.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As “The Masked Singer” panelist Nicole Scherzinger returns to London’s West End this month, starring as Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, the show has found a suitable substitute: Singer/songwriter Rita Ora. Ora, who is no stranger to the format as a panelist for “The Masked Singer UK,” will take the U.S. “Masked Singer” panelist chair alongside Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Robin Thicke throughout Season 11, now shooting (and set to air in midseason).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Here we are, just days away from the start of the 2023-24 television season… and the major networks still aren’t 100% sure what they’re doing. Just last week, several broadcasters scrambled to make even more last minute schedule changes — on top of other recently announced tweaks. The fall lineups that viewers tune into later this month will be remarkably different than the ones first announced in May.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 10 season premiere of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Sept. 10 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” kicked off its 10th season on Sunday night with a special episode — and a lotta Lovato. Demi Lovato as “Anonymouse” was the first celebrity unmasked this season — although there’s an asterisk there.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. TV has suspended overall deals with more of its A-list, marquee producers, which is believed to include Greg Berlanti, Bill Lawrence, John Wells, Chuck Lorre and Mindy Kaling, as well as J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot shingle.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The CrimeCon Clue Awards will return for a second year with a new streaming partner — Law&Crime’s YouTube, Facebook and TikTok accounts — on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. ET.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large CBS just smiled and gave us a Vegemite sandwich. “NCIS: Sydney,” previously announced as a Paramount+ Australia original and the first international edition of CBS’ “NCIS” procedural franchise, is making it to the U.S. shores as well.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner is threatening to sue the show’s producers over money he believes he’s still owed from the series. The actor spoke publicly on Friday for the first time about his falling out with the hit Paramount Network series, while on the stand in a Santa Barbara courtroom.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large This is it! This year’s Emmy voting is over, ending what was a rather muted Phase 2. We’ve noted the limited number of Phase 2 FYC events due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes (as well as the inability of nominated talent to participate in any press that they hadn’t already completed pre-strike).

The Golden Globes, which is embarking on a new era after it was acquired by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge from longtime operator the Hollywood Foreign Press Association earlier this summer, on Thursday revealed its new membership board of directors and timeline for the 2024 awards, which take place January 7.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large CBS has announced that its eight CW-affiliated channels shifting to independent will make the transition on Friday. The network’s stations group revealed plans to change the call letters to those outlets in several markets, as well as primetime plans for those stations going forward. CBS had previously announced in May that TV stations will be dropping their affiliation with The CW and becoming independent stations would include WPSG Philadelphia (DMA #4), WUPA Atlanta (DMA #6), KBCW San Francisco (DMA #10), KSTW Seattle (DMA #12), WTOG Tampa-St.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “The Amazing Race” executive producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, along with host/EP Phil Keoghan, had already shot a Season 35 of “The Amazing Race” last year, and it was mostly edited and ready to go. But then came a detour: Early this winter, CBS approached both “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” about expanding to weekly 90 minute episodes for fall 2023. Rather than try to retroactively try to pad an additional half hour on to those already-shot episodes, van Munster, Doganieri and Keoghan decided to hit the road again and take full advantage of filming supersized installments.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has tapped broadcast journalist icon Dan Rather, as well as veteran network correspondents John Quiñones and David Martin to be inducted into its annual Gold Circle honor society. NATAS’ 2023 Gold and Silver Circle inductees will be recognized at the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmys on Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Because I doubt even Netflix saw this coming. “Suits,” which starred Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht and Gina Torres as lawyers who filed suits while wearing stylish suits, was always a solid player for USA.

ESPN is teaming up with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake!

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Hollywood Critics Association, which had recently been hit with allegations of malfeasance and accused of harboring a hostile membership environment, has completed an organizational restructuring that it believes will address those issues. The HCA was set to reveal those plans to its 180 members this afternoon, including a new name: The Hollywood Creative Alliance.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Mary Lou Belli knows she’s the longshot to win the Emmy for outstanding comedy director, and that’s fine with her. After all, she’s up against some marquee names, including Tim Burton (“Wednesday”), Bill Hader (“Barry”) and Amy Sherman-Palladino (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”).

Are Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon working on a new project together?