| | | | | | What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is newly-minted Oscar-winner Mikey Madison. Disney is slashing jobs at ABC News and Disney Entertainment Networks. News aggregator Digg is making a comeback. Alec Baldwin will be deposed in a lawsuit related to the fatal Rust shooting. ESPN is canceling Around the Horn. — Abid Rahman
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Magic Mikey: What Other Tricks Does the 'Anora' Star Have Up Her Sleeve? ►On the cover. THR's Scott Feinberg sat down with Anora star Mikey Madison, in an exclusive morning-after the Academy Awards conversation with the 25-year-old best actress winner and newest Hollywood A-lister. Madison — still waking up to the reality of her stunning win — opens up about her upset victory, Oscar-night escapades and her post-ceremony texts with Demi Moore. The cover story. |
'Bachelor' Co-Executive Producers Exit Franchise ►Doesn't sound good. Two co-executive producers have exited The Bachelor franchise. Michael Margolis and Keely Booth have stepped down from their roles. Their departures come amid recent reports of an alleged toxic workplace at the ABC and Warner Bros. TV-produced reality series, of which The Bachelor is one of several series under their umbrella. The franchise also includes the female-led The Bachelorette, which ABC abruptly put on pause last month. ABC didn’t give a reason, or comment on if or when the female-led spinoff would return, when announcing that season 22 wouldn’t air in The Bachelorette's usual summer spot. The story.
—"So many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all." David Schwimmer on Tuesday called on his fellow Jewish members of Hollywood to stand up and fight against antisemitism. Speaking at the Anti-Defamation League’s annual Never Is Now antisemitism conference in New York, the Friends star's call to action was met with cheers from the crowd, and he continued over the noise: “I wish you would stand up. I wish you would speak out, because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, to folks who can use just a little solidarity right now.” The story.
—"It is long overdue for him to testify under oath about what really happened." Alec Baldwin will be deposed in May over his role in the October 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Lawyers for Hutchins’ parents and sister, in a notice filed on Monday in New Mexico state court, told the judge overseeing the case that they intend to take Baldwin’s deposition on May 9 at their firm’s New York office. The deposition relates to a lawsuit filed by Olga Solovey, Anatolii Androsovych and Svetlana Zemko — Hutchins’ mother, father and sister respectively — against Baldwin, Rust Movie Productions and producers of the film faulting them for the accidental shooting. The story.
—Brutal. Disney is slashing just under 200 jobs at ABC News and at its Disney Entertainment Networks division as the traditional TV business continues to face economic headwinds. The cuts represented about 6 percent of the division’s workforce. ABC News will be hit particularly hard, with the data-driven digital news brand 538 being shuttered, teams from Nightline and 20/20 being consolidated, and all three hours of Good Morning America moving under the same top producer, Simone Swink. The company is also merging its digital and social operations. The story.
—"We’re launching with a very limited tool set, and that is intentional." Twenty years after it was founded, news aggregator Digg is coming back, in a bid to “bring the fun back” to the internet. Digg founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian are backing the deal, which will see Rose serve as chairman and Justin Mezzell lead as CEO. Rose says that the new Digg is in part a reaction to the current state of the web, where chaos and viral content (true or not) often reign supreme. One thing that the new Digg will lean on is AI innovations, which will be used to supplement the work of human moderators. The story.
—"This is all about bringing families to a ball game." Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is joining the ownership group of the Oakland Ballers, the new (and as of this coming season) only professional baseball team in Northern California’s East Bay. Armstrong and legendary Oakland rapper Too $hort are climbing aboard the independent Pioneer League team ahead of the 2025 campaign, giving a celebrity boost to a club that in its first season already attracted plenty of grassroots interest. The story. |
Prince Doc Director Addresses Netflix Cancellation ►"I can’t get past this — the short-sightedness of a group of people whose interest is their own bottom line." Ezra Edelman responded on Tuesday to Netflix‘s announcement that they would not release his Prince documentary, calling the decision short-sighted, stifling and “a joke.” Controversy over Edelman’s documentary first made headlines in September, when a New York Times report alleged that the nine-hour project would accuse Prince of physical and emotional abuse. The Prince estate said at the time they were “working to resolve matters,” and Netflix revealed in early February that the streamer would not release the documentary, instead working with the estate to develop a new project using content from Prince’s archive. The story.
—Fighting back. Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z’s scorched-earth defense of his reputation and his company following potentially career-ending accusations of raping a teenage girl with Sean “Diddy” Combs has brought another lawsuit, this time taking on his accuser directly. The global rap superstar, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, filed a 25-page suit on Monday in a Mobile, Alabama court against the unnamed woman, saying she filed a “false” and “malicious” case that was “strategically and tactically calculated and timed to inflict maximum pain and suffering on [him].” The story.
—The saga continues. After settling a legal dispute with iHeartMedia over Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us,” Drake is moving for discovery on multiple fronts from Universal Music Group, which he alleges made illegal payments to the radio company to boost airplay for the diss track. A federal judge on Tuesday denied UMG’s bid to pause discovery in a defamation lawsuit accusing it of launching a campaign to create a viral hit out of the song. The order was issued a day after Drake moved for permission in Texas state court to depose a UMG representative and the production of certain documents relating to whether the label was actually a clearinghouse for promoting the track or actively schemed to promote it by covertly paying radio stations. The story.
—Tragedy at sea. On March 3, a woman went overboard from the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas during the first day of The 80s Cruise, a nostalgia cruise featuring musical acts such as Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work. The woman has been identified as Kimberly Burch, fiancée of Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe. The rock group was one of the acts that were part of the cruise’s lineup. Her mother, Carnell Burch, told the media that Burch fell off the ship following an argument with Downe, though it’s unclear whether she accidentally fell or jumped. Burch’s mom believes she would not have intentionally hurt herself. The story. |
Updated Oscars Numbers Show Five-Year Highs ►Plot twist! After initial numbers showed the 2025 edition of the Oscars running behind last year’s TV audience, final figures have moved the show ahead of the 2024 telecast — and to a five-year high in several measures. Sunday’s telecast, hosted by Conan O’Brien, averaged 19.69m viewers on ABC and Hulu, according to Nielsen’s final same-day ratings (which includes the streaming audience on Hulu). The show marked the first time the Academy Awards were live streamed, though Hulu suffered a number of technical glitches during the evening, including cutting off the final two awards of the night for some users. The ratings.
—End of an era. One of the longest-running TV shows in sports is coming to an end. ESPN says that its weekday debate series Around the Horn will televise its final episode on May 23, after 23 years and more than 4,900 episodes. The 5 p.m. show, hosted by Tony Reali, sees a panel of sports commentators attempt to earn points from the host, or be muted if their takes aren’t up to snuff. The show debuted in 2002, and Reali has hosted it since 2004. The story.
—Pouncing. TNT Sports continues its opportunistic push for new sports rights. The Warner Bros. Discovery division has inked a deal with the global sports streaming service DAZN to televise many of the matches from this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. The event will kick off June 14 in Miami, and sees 32 of the world’s best soccer clubs facing off in a global tournament. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey July 13. TNT Sports will televise 24 of the 63 matches on TNT, TBS and TruTV, including the knockout rounds and final. DAZN is the global rightsholder for the FIFA Club World Cup. The story.
—🤝 Overall deal 🤝 Skydance Sports has inked an overall deal with the the NFL‘s biggest stars. The entertainment production studio says that it has signed 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen to an overall deal, in which the Buffalo Bills quarterback will develop a slate of scripted, unscripted and branded content with the company. The story. |
'FBI' Spinoffs 'International,' 'Most Wanted' Canceled at CBS ►DOGE'd. CBS has canceled FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. The two shows will end their runs in the spring after six and four seasons, respectively. The flagship FBI series, which is in the midst of a multiseason order taking it through the 2026-27 season, will remain at CBS. Another entry in the franchise, which would focus on CIA operatives and is tentatively titled FBI: CIA, is in development at CBS. The potential show is set to be introduced as a back-door pilot in an episode of FBI later this season. The story.
—🎭 Together again 🎭 30 Rock alums Tracy Morgan and Tina Fey are teaming up for a single-camera comedy pilot at NBC. Morgan is set to star in a show from 30 Rock writers Sam Means and Robert Carlock in which he plays a disgraced former football player on a mission to rehabilitate his image. Fey, Carlock, Means and Morgan are all executive producing. The untitled project is the first formal pilot order NBC has handed out this season, though it has a handful of other shows in development. The story.
—🎭 Let's go! 🎭 Netflix has greenlit a limited series starring Rachel Weisz and based on Julia May Jonas’ novel Vladimir, about a woman’s growing obsession with a colleague. Jonas, a playwright and author, is also a writer and executive producer on the series. Kate Robin will serve as showrunner, and Sharon Horgan and Jason Winer are also among the executive producers. 20th Television is producing. Vladimir’s logline reads, "As a woman’s (Weisz) life unravels, she becomes obsessed with her captivating new colleague. Full of sexy secrets, dark humor and complex characters, Vladimir is about what happens when a woman goes hell-bent to turn her fantasies into reality." The story.
—🎭 Beefing up the ranks 🎭 Max's Emmy-winning comedy Hacks announced Tuesday the addition of 13 new guest stars planned for the fourth season — including those populating the writers room on Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) new late-night talk show. Toplining the new faces are Julianne Nicholson, Michaela Watkins, Bresha Webb, Robby Hoffman and Eric Balfour, while Danny Jolles, Gavin Matts, Grover Whitmore, III, Holmes, Jasmine Ashanti, Katy Sullivan, Matt Oberg and Sandy Honig will guest as the Deborah’s new writers — all of whom will presumably report to Hannah Einbinder‘s Ava. The story. |
Jesse Armstrong's Movie Sets Lead Cast ►🎭 Plutocrat pals 🎭 The movie that will serve as Jesse Armstrong's follow-up to Succession has announced its lead actors and is set to begin production soon. It even has a rough premiere date — HBO says it’s set to air sometime in the spring. Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef will star in the film, playing "a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis," per the movie’s logline. What the film doesn’t have yet — or at least, isn’t being revealed yet — is a title. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Materialists, the next movie from Past Lives director Celine Song, is set for a Jun. 13 release. The A24 romantic comedy is about a young matchmaker in New York City (Dakota Johnson), torn between her perfect match and an imperfect ex. The cast includes starring Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Zoe Winters, Marin Ireland and Louisa Jacobson. The story. |
Broadway Box Office: 'Othello' Brings In Massive $2.6M ► Reputation, reputation, reputation! Othello, the Shakespeare adaptation starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, brought in a massive $2.6m across its first seven performances on Broadway. The play broke multiple box office records at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, surpassing those set by plays across nine performances and by musicals by more than $1m. It was helped by an eye-popping average ticket price of $361.90. The next highest average ticket price on Broadway last week was for The Outsiders at $155. The totals made Othello the highest grossing show on Broadway last week, beating out Wicked, which has held the top spot for months, propelled by momentum from the film. The Broadway box office report.
—Crossing the Atlantic. Mamma Mia! is returning to Broadway. The hit musical, which ran on Broadway from October 2001 to September 2015, will return to the Winter Garden Theatre this summer starting Aug. 2. An opening night celebration will be held Aug. 14. The limited engagement will play in New York through Feb. 1, 2026. The show, which also launched the movie starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried, currently has multiple productions playing around the world, including the 25th Anniversary North American tour; an International Tour and a full-length production on board the Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas. The story. |
TV Review: 'Daredevil: Born Again' ►"A familiar path elevated by two still-great performances." THR's Angie Han reviews Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio reprise their roles as superhero/lawyer Matt Murdock aka Daredevil and mob boss Wilson Fisk, respectively, in a continuation of the 2010s Netflix/Marvel drama. The review.
—"It's a junk food snack, not a full meal." Angie reviews Hulu's Deli Boys. The Onyx Collective-produced series centers on two Pakistani American brothers who inherit an underground drug empire from their seemingly upstanding father. The review.
In other news...
—Michelle Buteau goes to Rome in Survival of the Thickest S2 trailer
—Guy Ritchie’s MobLand trailer wastes no time making its point
—Kevin Bacon goes demon-hunting in The Bondsman trailer
—Annaleigh Ashford confronts serial killer father in Happy Face trailer
—Kenny Beecham signs with WME
—Judy Page, veteran talent agent, dies at 76
—Bobby Meyers, co-founder of the American Film Market, dies at 90
What else we're reading...
—Resurfacing this story from THR's Canada bureau chief Etan Vlessing in light of recent events: "One big way Trump's tariffs may upend Hollywood production" [THR]
—John Branch and Vjosa Isai explain the complicated relationship between Canadians and hockey hero, as well as huge Trump supporter, Wayne Gretzky [NYT]
—Noah Keate, Esther Webber and Laura Kayali report that the ever-charming JD Vance has sparked fury in the U.K. and France over his recent comments [Politico]
—Aja Romano reflects on Disney's addition of a Christian character to Pixar's new series Win or Lose, and what it means for the company's shifting politics [Vox]
—Sonja Wind and Madison Muller report that Novo Nordisk is set to sell weight-loss drug Wegovy direct to patients [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1999, Warner Bros. brought Harold Ramis’ Analyze This to theaters nationwide, where it would go on to gross $176m globally in its theatrical run. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Eva Mendes (51), Kevin Connolly (51), Penn Jillette (70), John Frusciante (55), Matt Lucas (51), Roman Griffin Davis (18), Jake Lloyd (36), Talia Balsam (66), Aasif Mandvi (59), Paul Blackthorne (56), Fred Williamson (87), Marsha Warfield (71), Adriana Barraza (69), Sonya Cassidy (38), Jessica Boehrs (45), Riki Lindhome (46), Jolene Blalock (50), Lucian Msamati (49), Yuri Lowenthal (54), Sterling Knight (36), Andrew Burnap (34), Amber Anderson (33), Karolina Wydra (44), Hanna Alström (44), Lauren Weedman (56), Neil Jackson (49), Matt Rogers (35), Molly McNearney (47), Michael Evans Behling (29), Elsie Hewitt (29), Julian Looman (40), Pallavi Sharda (37), Nicholas Burns (48), Madison Beer (26), Rena Riffel (56), Aislinn Paul (31), Hanna Mangan Lawrence (34), Tonya Cornelisse (43), Jill Ritchie (51), Jonathan Penner (63) |
| Peter Engel, who executive produced Saved by the Bell and a host of other teen sitcoms for NBC, had died. He was 88. The obituary. |
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