Michael Schneider Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. Television Group chairman/CEO Channing Dungey is returning to the Banff World Media Festival this June to serve as one of its keynote speakers, the event announced on Wednesday. Dungey joins a lineup that also includes Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade as a summit series keynote.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Game Show Network is bulking up its stable of original series, adding three new strip series to its lineup. As announced on Tuesday morning as part of its 2024 upfronts pitch to advertisers, Game Show Network revealed it has ordered a new version of classic gamer “Tic Tac Dough,” this time hosted by Brooke Burns (“Master Minds,” “The Chase”), as well as a U.S. version of the U.K.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Sherri Shepherd is staying put. Her first-run syndicated talker strip “Sherri” has been officially renewed for a third season via Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 4 of “The Masked Singer,” “TV Theme Night,” which aired March 27 on Fox. “Extra” host Billy Bush won’t get an extra shot at “The Masked Singer.” The entertainment newsmagazine anchor and one-time morning drive radio host was the next celebrity to be unmasked on Wednesday’s “TV Theme Night” edition of “The Masked Singer.” “I’m not a great singer,” Bush said. “If you can’t make it with the lips, make it with the hips. If you’ve never done something that’s a little on the scary side — and this is scary — say yes!” For Bush, none of the panelists got it right.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large When NBC recently resurrected its long-dormant “Deal or No Deal,” it came with a new format: “Deal or No Deal Island.” The game show was originally a “shiny floor” in-studio contest where players had to guess how much money was inside a large briefcase. The updated iteration takes things outdoors, raising the stakes by adding interpersonal dynamics, physical challenges and survival to the mix. At producer Endemol Shine North America, they call adding a fresh spin to existing IP the “ESNA twist.” And it’s become a hallmark for CEO Sharon Levy, who took over the shingle — part of Banijay Americas — a little more than a year ago.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Hit faith-based drama “The Chosen,” which just launched its fourth season in theaters via a partnership with Fathom Events, is already prepping the start of production for Season 5 next month. Variety has confirmed that cameras will begin rolling on “The Chosen” Season 5 in Utah starting April 11; the series will shoot there for six weeks before shifting to the show’s home base in Texas for the remainder of the production. “The Chosen” has been mapped out as a seven-season series; for Season 5, the show will pick up where Season 4 left off, during Holy Week before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Disney Channel has given an official series order to its “Wizards of Waverly Place” sequel, this time with the working title “Wizards.” Original stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie are set to exec produce, while Gomez will appear in a guest role and Henrie will be back full time as a series regular. Production will begin next month in Los Angeles on “Wizards,” which is aimed for a premiere later this year on both Disney Channel and Disney+.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Niecy Nash-Betts, who recently won an Emmy for her role on Netflix’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” has signed on to host the Los Angeles portion of next month’s Writers Guild Awards. The 2024 event, which was pushed back in the wake of the Hollywood strikes, will take place on Saturday, April 14 at the Hollywood Palladium.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Bupkis” Season 2 is bupkis. Star Pete Davidson has confirmed that he has opted not to continue with his semi-autobiographical Peacock comedy, which had previously been renewed for a second season. “I’ve always seen Bupkis as a window into my life, since it is so personal and about my struggles and family,” Davidson said ina.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Dick Wolf is in for another busy season at NBC. No surprise here, the Peacock network has renewed “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.,” “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: SVU” for the 2024-25 broadcast TV season.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Comedian Hasan Minhaj, currently touring with a new show recounting the year he just experienced, is set to headline the 10th edition of the SeriesFest event this May in Denver. This year’s SeriesFest, an annual event focused on “championing emerging and underserved voices in episodic storytelling” (aka TV), is also set to honor Shonda Rhimes’ and Betsy Beers‘ Shondaland shingle, as well as Minnie Driver and SAG-AFTRA.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The BBC leads all producers among nominees with 22 at this year’s 2024 Rockie Awards International Program Competition, as announced Thursday by the Banff World Media Festival. The United States is tops among all countries, with 51 total, followed closely by the UK with 50. Among U.S.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 3 of “The Masked Singer,” “Billy Joel Night,” which aired March 20 on Fox. In a Fox reality crossover, “MasterChef” judge Joe Bastianich was revealed to be the singer under the Spaghetti & Meatballs costume on this week’s episode of “The Masked Singer.” And in a coincidence, the restauranteur appeared on “Billy Joel Night” — and the Piano Man happens to be a buddy. “I grew up on Long Island in the 70s and 80s,” Bastianich told Variety. “That was the soundtrack of that era.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large That’s a wrap on Oscar season 2024 — but first, the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast‘s Roundtable dives in one last time to take a final look at the highs, lows and head scratchers from Sunday night’s ceremony. “Oppenheimer” did huge, but it didn’t quite sweep.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 11, Episode 2 of “The Masked Singer,” “The Wizard of Oz Night,” which aired March 13 on Fox. Chrisley didn’t know best, at least on “The Masked Singer.” As her “Chrisley Knows Best” parents Julie and Todd Chrisley remain in prison for bank fraud, daughter Savannah Chrisley was unmasked on the hit Fox series this week as the “Afghan Hound.” For Chrisley, no one got it right. Robin Thicke guessed Bethenny Frankel. Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg said Brooke Hogan.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Fresh off her recent stint hosting “Saturday Night Live,” Sydney Sweeney made her way to Austin and SXSW for the world premiere of her new religious horror film “Immaculate” — and on Tuesday night, she had the crowd screaming (and laughing at their own reactions) at the Paramount Theatre. The jump scares, in particular, had the entire theater jumping — and then giggling at their own fear. “Immaculate” leans into horror but also has plenty of moments of dark humor.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Just minutes before the Oscars were set to begin, the show’s producers realized they had a problem: Some of the year’s key A-listers and nominees weren’t inside the Dolby Theatre just yet. The perfect storm of traffic delays, pro-Palestine protests, the first day of daylight saving time and an earlier start time had contributed to the last-minute crunch. “We were definitely stressed out, because we had to have certain celebrities in their seats,” Oscars producer Molly McNearney — also an EP on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” — tells Variety on Monday morning.

Variety Awards Circuit Podcast for some final analysis. Awards guru Clayton Davis, along with Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and Michael Schneider recorded a Mega Roundtable edition this week to share their final thoughts on this year’s races.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Conan O’Brien Must Go” is finally going. The long-in-the-works project, announced last year during Warner Bros. Discovery’s upfronts presentation, has been given a premiere date: Thursday, April 18 on Max.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large From “Scandoval” to soccer ball. Reality TV uber producer Alex Baskin (“Vanderpump Rules,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) and his 32 Flavors shingle have partnered with tech mogul Alexis Ohanian, soccer star Midge Purce and sports doc producers Box to Box Films (“Drive to Survive,” “Break Point”) to produce the sports docuseries “The Offseason.” National Women’s Soccer League player Purce, who is also a U.S.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 11 season premiere of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 6 on Fox. “The Masked Singer” kicked off its 11th season on Wednesday night — and in perhaps the show’s most unusual reveal ever, comedian Kevin Hart brought his prank war with host Nick Cannon to the show. Hart brought his one-night-only appearance to “The Masked Singer” as Book, singing the song “So Sick,” by Ne-Yo (who happened to be the Season 10 winner on the show). The performance… was a bit pitchy, dawg.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Tim Allen is one step closer to returning to ABC for a third time. The Alphabet net has given a pilot order to his latest sitcom, “Shifting Gears,” from 20th Television. Allen is on board to star and executive produce the multi-cam sitcom pilot — which is still a working title — which will also be written and executive produced by Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “The Masked Singer” didn’t have to look far to find a fill-in for panelist Nicole Scherzinger, who spent the fall starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard on London’s West End. Singer/songwriter Rita Ora has served as a panelist on “The Masked Singer UK” for several seasons — making it an easy trip across the pond to take Scherzinger’s chair alongside Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Robin Thicke. U.S.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large It’s become an Oscars tradition for Kelly Ripa: The “Live With Kelly & Mark” host is positioned back stage to grab the very first interview with a newly minted winner. Every year, those winners are so wrapped up in the moment that they excitedly invite Ripa to appear in their next project or join in on their next vacation. And then they don’t follow through.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Dessert is served: Fox has given a Season 3 order to its baking competition series “Crime Scene Kitchen,” hosted by Joel McHale. The pickup, announced by the network on Monday, also includes the return of chef Curtis Stone and cake artist Yolanda Gampp as celebrity judges.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Jamie Foxx is returning to once again host Fox’s musical game show “Beat Shazam,” after he took last season off in the wake of his hospitalization for a still-undisclosed medical emergency. Nick Cannon took over as host last season. Foxx’s daughter, Corinne Foxx, is also back as the show’s co-host DJ, after she was temporarily replaced last season by Kelly Osbourne.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large On a windy evening in Las Vegas, U2 were finally reunited in the same arena for the first time in five years — sort of. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. attended Friday night’s penultimate U2 show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, where he watched from a box seat in the audience.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As part of their new deal with Amazon MGM Studios, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne are already at work on breaking stories for Season 3 of the Prime Video series. That comes as Prime Video preps a premiere later this year for Season 2 of the series. A Season 3 writers room isn’t yet open, but the showrunners are at work on the initial story outline.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large It’s finally here. Variety joined the producers and contestants — including host Phil Keoghan — on a private charter to Puerto Vallerta to kick off “The Amazing Race” back in October 2022.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large ABC has made it a priority this season to turn sophomore series “Will Trent” into an established hit — and so far the strategy seems to be working. The drama’s Season 2 premiere already posted one of the Alphabet net’s most-watched scripted drama episodes among live+same day total viewers in years, at 4.77 million. Now, after three days of viewing on ABC, Hulu and digital platforms, “Will Trent” (which returned on Tuesday, Feb.