The Voice Kids is back on ITV, with a new line-up of future popstars ready to sing their hearts out.
16.06.2023 - 02:33 / variety.com
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Emmys have been here before. In 1980, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (back then, they were two separate unions negotiating a joint contract with the studios but are now the combined SAG-AFTRA) went on strike for three months. That year’s Emmy telecast happened to fall right in the middle of it. Actors boycotted the ceremony, but for some reason, the TV Academy went ahead with the Emmy telecast anyway. Famously, only one out of 52 nominees attended: Powers Boothe, who said when accepting his trophy for playing cult leader Jim Jones: “This is either the most courageous moment of my career or the stupidest.”
Steve Allen and Dick Clark (both of whom donated their hosting fees to the SAG emergency fund) hosted that year’s ceremony after original hosts Michael Landon, Bob Newhart and Lee Remick bowed out due to the strike. Variety called that year’s show a “lackluster affair,” and noted that the TV Academy aimed to fill the lack of big names with behind-the-scenes coverage of various crafts. With no stars to hand out the awards, execs like NBC Entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff and producers like David L. Wolper announced the winners.
The boycott worked. Although the ratings were still astounding by today’s numbers (a 15.0 household rating and 29 share), a rerun of the film “The Longest Yard” starring Burt Reynolds scored bigger ratings opposite it on a rival network. Fast forward to 2023, and as of press time, we don’t know if or when SAG-AFTRA will go on strike should its deal with the AMPTP expire on June 30 without a new contract. But with the Writers Guild already on strike, and a SAG-AFTRA strike a distinct
The Voice Kids is back on ITV, with a new line-up of future popstars ready to sing their hearts out.
EXCLUSIVE: Israeli game show format Raid The Cage is heading to the U.S.
It’s hard to believe, but Joel Schumacher‘s “Batman Forever” came out 28 years ago. And while it’s often overlooked today for Tim Burton‘s two films, Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight” trilogy, or even Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman,” Schumacher’s film was an event upon release.
Emily Longeretta SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from Season 2 of “The Bear,” now streaming on Hulu. Season 2 of “The Bear” included a plethora of incredible guest stars. That began in episode 4, “Honeydew,” with Will Poulter starring as Luca, a top Copenhagen chef who trains Marcus (Lionel Boyce) in the kitchen as the pair create a trusting friendship. Poulter felt a connection to the FX series early on, as he’d been dreaming about making a show about chefs. “I called them. I literally begged to be in the show. I asked if I could meet with Chris Storer and basically communicated that I was such a fan of so much of his work, but especially ‘The Bear,'” Poulter tells Variety. “He was kind enough to gift me with the offer to play Luca and it really changed my life, to be honest. It kind of helped me realize a dream of playing a chef on TV. I have such an immense amount of respect for chefs and the women and men of that industry. I feel like the whole society stands on the shoulders of people in the food and beverage industry, and we don’t even necessarily really know it or think about it. They sustain us and maintain us daily and they don’t get enough thanks for what they do.”
EXCLUSIVE: Fox is to adapt Dutch physical quiz show The Floor.
Us Weekly is predicting who will be in the running for a golden statuette at the 2023 Emmys — and HBO is likely set up to dominate across the board.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Eye Eye Pictures, the banner recently launched by the producers of Joachim Trier’s Oscar-nominated “The Worst Person in the World,” has started filming “Armand,” a feature film starring Cannes prizewinning actor Renate Reinsve. Charades has come on board to handle international sales on the film. “Armand” marks the feature debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, whose short film “Fanny” was nominated for an Amanda Award, Norway’s equivalent to the Oscars, in 2017. The story follows a 6-year-old boy, Armand, who is accused of crossing boundaries against his best friend at elementary school. While no one knows what actually happened between the two boys, the incident triggers a series of events, forcing parents and school staff into a captivating battle of redemption where madness, desire and obsession arise.
ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.“Since I have such respect for ‘The View,’ a news program with a heart, it was there that I felt comfortable enough to draw attention to the ongoing WGA strike for fair wages and working hours, as I find it incredibly important to continue to support the union,” Mulroney said in a statement to Variety.The “My Best Friend’s Wedding” star told the ABC talk show hosts that he was going to “symbolically walk off in support of the writers.”Mulroney had a friendly interview with the hosts and there was no negative tension, the act was simply a sign of support for the writers who are on strike fighting for pay increases and other benefits.The conversation covered his new series “Secret Invasion,” family, work ethic, his previous roles and longevity in Hollywood.As he left the stage, the “View” hosts kept their composure and Joy Behar plugged Mulroney’s new series again.Mulroney’s segment aired exactly as it was taped, and his walk-off remained in the cut.During the summer, “The View” airs live four days a week, but Friday shows are pre-taped. “The View” airs weekdays at 11:30 a.m.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Musical tag-teaming doesn’t have results much more fruitful than what came about when the showrunners of “A Small Light” picked Ariel Marx to compose the score for the limited series and Este Haim to serve as executive music producer. Neither Haim nor Marx was in a position to take anything about the job lightly, given that the eight-episode series for National Geographic and Disney+ tells the story of a Dutch woman, Miep Gies, who helped hide Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis. Yet, in their very separate roles, both found ways to bring musical light or even levity into a drama that inevitably skews toward tension. Este Haim took on the EMP job for the first time with “A Small Light” after previously scoring or co-composing “Maid” and “Cha Cha Smooth” — on top of her day job as one-third of the rocking sister trio Haim. For “A Small Light,” she produced episode-ending covers of songs from the first half of the 20th century, performed by Angel Olsen, Moses Sumney, Kamasi Washington, Sharon Van Etten with Michael Imperioli, Remi Wolf, Weyes Blood, duet partners Orville Peck and King Princess, and her sister Danielle.
Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian were just some of the celebs in attendance at Pharrell Williams' Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris, France.Jay-Z, Zendaya, A$AP Rocky, Maluma, Naomi Campbell, Jared Leto and Megan Thee Stallion were also on hand to see Williams' debut for the design house. Williams put on a night show at Paris' famed Pont Neuf, putting his line on display for Paris Fashion Week's menswear spring/summer 2024 showcase.More musicians showed up to support Williams, including Anitta, Offset, Coi Leray, Tyler, the Creator and Willow and Jaden Smith.A post shared by WWD (@wwd)He also got love from the sports world, with LeBron James, his wife Savannah and Lewis Hamilton also attending the show. Bey gave fans a closer look at her and Jay's LV duds on Instagram, as they took a break from her Renaissance World Tour to enjoy the show.A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)In addition to showing off the fashion house's new line, Williams performed, taking the stage with Jay-Z to perform their 2003 hit, «Frontin.'» Williams also brought a choir from his hometown to Paris for the show.Leave it to @pharrell, @louisvuitton’s menswear artistic director, to give showgoers top-tier fashion—and a show.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large We’ve all made the “Cop Rock” jokes. The Steven Bochco musical drama, which premiered in fall 1990, was a big swing: marrying original music with procedural storytelling. It was a colossal flop that we still talk about three decades later, and a reminder that musicals are hard. Music has been a part of the TV landscape going back to the 1950s and shows like “Your Hit Parade.” But few series have successfully integrated regular music performances into their storytelling: “The Monkees” and “The Partridge Family” worked in the 1960s and ’70s. “Fame” did it in the early ’80s. And then “Cop Rock” scared people off the concept.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Tyler James Williams has experienced several different kinds of fandom since childhood, starting with films like “Unaccompanied Minors,” and then his starring role in “Everybody Hates Chris,” and even a stint on “The Walking Dead.” But there’s nothing that compares to the passionate audience of teachers who have gravitated his latest series, ABC’s hit comedy “Abbott Elementary.” On this episode, Williams talks about the show’s resonance, his experience as a child actor, where his character’s relationship with Quinta Brunson’s character might be heading and so much more. Listen below! “It’s such a blessing that they feel so represented by it,” Williams tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit podcast. “Now I feel like, if there’s a teacher within ten blocks of me, I’m going to know about it. They’re going to say something. I didn’t realize how much this show resonated with them until going back out into the world. And seeing how willing they are to give all of the love towards us. It’s really been one of the more beautiful experiences of my career.”
The Duchess of Sussex is set to follow in the footsteps of music icon Rihanna and sign with DiorIn 2015, Rihanna was named as the first black woman to front a Dior campaign and said at the time to MTV that “It is such a big deal for me, for my culture, for a lot of young girls of any colour. I think, to be acknowledged by Dior is just… it means a lot as a woman to feel beautiful, elegant and timeless. ”According to Forbes, Rihanna has a net worth of $1.
A column chronicling events and conversations on the awards circuit.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Rod Aissa, the executive VP, unscripted content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, is departing the company after 11 years. Aissa oversaw all unscripted lifestyle and documentary programming across NBCU’s broadcast, cable and streaming platforms: NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen True Crime, Syfy, Universal Kids, USA Network and Peacock. Rachel Smith will take on the interim role of leading the unscripted lifestyle and docuseries group, which reports to Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. NBCU said it would “be doing a broad search to fill the role.”
Once Pat Sajak announced his retirement from "Wheel of Fortune," fans immediately began trying to solve the puzzle as to who would replace their favorite game show host. All eyes turned to Ryan Seacrest, whose schedule recently became a little more available after he stepped down from co-hosting "Live! with Kelly and Ryan" in April. Seacrest's name has reportedly been floated among several people who are being considered as Sajak's replacement by "Wheel of Fortune" owner Sony Group Corp.
Naman Ramachandran Fremantle has unveiled a trailer for documentary feature “On the Line: The Richard Williams Story,” which will have its U.K. premiere at Sheffield DocFest. In the film, which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, the father of Venus Williams and Serena Williams retraces his family’s meteoric journey in his own words. Featuring never-before-seen archive material and new, in-depth, intimate interviews, the film tells the story of one man’s fight against racism, suppression and violence to raise two of the greatest tennis champions in history. Richard Williams takes the audience from his childhood in poverty-stricken Shreveport, Louisiana, where he was raised by his cotton-picking mother, to the tennis courts of Compton. As the film charts the Williams’ ascent to the tennis world stage, Richard provides insights into family life and also shines a light on unconscious bias and repression of Black people.
This story about the casting of “Shrinking” first appeared in the Comedy Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.Say you’re casting a thoughtful comedy about the world of psychotherapists, and you need a seasoned veteran to support the sharp young cast in a potentially scene-stealing mentor role. And then you land one of the biggest movie stars in the world, an icon who has been in two of the largest movie franchises in the last 50 years.This was the reality for “Shrinking” casting directors Debby Romano and Brett Benner when the AppleTV+ comedy was being put together.
The Crowded Room is a psychological mystery thriller starring Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried.Created by Akiva Goldsman (Star Trek: Picard), the series follows Danny Sullivan (Holland) who is arrested for his involvement in a New York City shooting in 1979. Following his arrest, his past is uncovered through a series of interviews by interrogator Rya Goodwin (Seyfried).The show’s supporting cast includes Sasha Lane, Will Chase, Lior Raz and Emmy Rossum, with guest appearances from Jason Isaacs, Emma Laird and Thomas Sadoski.The series is inspired by Daniel Keys’ non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan, who was the first person to be acquitted of a major crime in the US by pleading dissociative identity disorder.The series is available to stream on Apple TV+.
Manchester City have qualified for the UEFA Super Cup after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final of the Champions League on Saturday night.