City Burbank Showbiz Latest News and Updates

This is Day 86 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

EXCLUSIVE: Neon CEO and founder Tom Quinn, Black Bear International President John Friedberg and Iconoclast‘s Head of Film and TV Robert Walak stopped by Deadline’s Zurich Summit studio this weekend to talk about current projects. Watch the video above.

Nickelodeon has renewed its flagship animated series SpongeBob SquarePants for a 26-episode fifteenth season. The announcement comes ahead of the series’ milestone 25th anniversary next year.

EXCLUSIVE: The company that cuts a lot of Hollywood’s residual checks cut dozens and dozens of employees this week.

A swarm of Supernatural fans joined the picket line at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles on Thursday to catch a glimpse of series creator Eric Kripke as well as the cast and other writers who had reunited in solidarity with the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Amy Adams is showing her support amid SAG-AFTRA strike.

IATSE Grips Local 80 closed its offices in Burbank today after receiving a threatening letter. “Local 80 received a letter threatening harm to our employees,” the local said in an email to members. “Burbank police have been notified, and an officer came to assess.

David Jacobs, who created the smash 1980s primetime soaps Dallas and Knots Landing and was a two-time Emmy nominee for Homefront, died August 20 of Alzheimer’s complications at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, his son said Tuesday. He was 86.

Michaela Zee David Jacobs, the creator of the CBS primetime series “Knots Landing,” “Dallas” and “Paradise,” has died. He was 84. Jacobs, who battled Alzheimer’s for several years, died Sunday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor As SAG-AFTRA clocked its 40th day on strike, the union’s chief negotiator has called for leaders of Hollywood’s major studios and streamers to step in to bring the sides to a new deal and get the industry back to work. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive secretary and its chief negotiator, said the union has had outreach from industry insiders who aim to help with basic communication between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

This is Day 113 of the WGA strike and Day 40 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

The Writers Guild and the AMPTP didn’t come back to the bargaining table Monday. The two sides last met on Friday, after which the guild told its members that talks would resume sometime this week. The strike is now in its 112th day.

Thania Garcia Musexpo, the international music business and showcase event, will be honoring Jacqueline Saturn, president of Virgin Music, with the international music person of the year award at the special VIP Awards Gala Luncheon on March 19, 2024. The luncheon will feature a special awards honorarium and presentations from the City of Burbank; County of Los Angeles and representatives from the State of California to pay tribute to Jacqueline’s remarkable and indelible career in the music business. The luncheon will also be preceded by an exclusive keynote interview with Saturn which will highlight her personal and professional journey.

Florence Pugh is showing her support amid the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Sony’s Indian TV businesses has been nearly two years in the making, but finally cleared a key regulatory hurdle on Thursday. The combined companies have the potential to create a giant in broadcast TV — a sector that is still paramount in India — and are valued at $10 billion. Last week’s other tremblor was news from Burbank that Disney+ Hotstar, India’s streaming market leader, had lost 12.5 million subscribers, following the loss of key sports rights to a competitor.

William Earl Weeks after delivering anti-strike comments during a fan convention, actor Stephen Amell was spotted on the picket line in New York on Friday. Wearing a black “SAG-AFTRA Strong” and carrying a sign, Amell was on the other side of the country from his former “Arrow” costars and creative team, who struck together in front of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank during a planned reunion picket.

Editors note: One in a series of stories marking the 100th day of the WGA strike.

This is Day 93 of the WGA strike and Day 20 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

It’s Day 13 of the SAG-AFTRA strike and Day 86 of the WGA strike.

Warner Bros. Discovery is searching for start-up media companies to invest in after launching a new accelerator program.

Mandy Moore is sharing just how much she's received in the "This is Us" streaming deal with Hulu. Moore — who starred as Rebecca on the hit NBC series — has voiced her support of the SAG-AFTRA strike. In a recent interview, Moore opened up about receiving "81 cent" checks for the show's streaming residual deal.

Sophia Scorziello editor It was a special night at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif. celebrating the forces behind some of Hollywood’s beloved animated projects for Variety’s 10 Animators to Watch event. The ceremony and cocktail reception honoring 10 creators in the animation (check out the full list here) field kicked things off with a short welcome from President of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Ramsey Ann Naito. After an exclusive sneak peak from the soon-to-be-released animated film, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” Naito took the stage welcoming the crowd, “I’ve been in animation my entire career and today I can honestly say it’s bigger, it’s brighter and it’s more inclusive than ever.”

Mandy Moore might be a household name, but that doesn’t mean she’s making a ton of money when fans stream her past work.

Joey King is on the picket lines to fight for a fair deal for all SAG-AFTRA members!

Karen Idelson As the Nickelodeon Animation Studio celebrates its 25th anniversary, it’s clearly blossomed from being a small but formidable toon house to a world-class studio with dozens of productions in process and executive Ramsey Naito at the helm. And Naito’s plans include growing relationships with creators who can speak to Nick’s audience.  In the last five to six years, the studio has expanded to include Nick Animation West (Burbank), Nick Animation East (New York) and offices in Hollywood on the Paramount lot. When Naito was named president of Nickelodeon Animation in 2020 (she has since become president of Paramount Animation as well), there were nine shows in production at the studio. Today there are nearly 70 at a place known for its irreverent, fun and boundary-breaking animation.  

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher will be on the picket lines Friday on the first day of the guild’s strike against the film and television industry. She’ll be joined by Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the guild’s national executive director and chief negotiator, and members of the guild’s negotiating committee.

A fire has broken out after an explosion was heard on the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank on Friday.

A new report has revealed what happened during the screen tests for the upcoming DC Studios movie Superman: Legacy.

Editor’s note: Bryn Mathieu lives near one of the studios, where WGA picketing and honking occurs daily. In May, law enforcement in Burbank posted an electronic sign outside of Warner Bros warning drivers that excessive horn use violates 27001 of the California Vehicle Code. The law enforces “reasonably necessary” horn blowing to insure safe operation of other vehicles. Otherwise, “the horn shall not otherwise be used, except as a theft alarm system.”

Melissa McCarthy and the rest of the cast of Gilmore Girls felt the heat when they were filming the show.