| | | | | | What's news: Nate Bargatze will host the Emmys. Amazon is canceling its Citadel spinoffs. Peacock has canceled Steph Curry's Mr. Throwback. Michelle Trachtenberg's cause of death has been revealed. Lindsay Lohan will topline Hulu's Count My Lies. — Abid Rahman
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Justin Bieber's Crisis of Faith? ►Beliebers at the crossroads. A bitter management shake-up. Angry public outbursts. A “narcissistic” pastor whose word is gospel. What in God’s name is happening to Justin Bieber, the once-mighty pop icon? In recent months, Bieber has been giving glimpses into his new life on social media, but whereas usually what someone presents on Instagram is the best version of themselves, some of the singer’s posts have been more cryptic. In posts, Bieber has shared feeling "unworthy," like he’s "drowning and unsafe." "Whatever he’s going through, I pray for him," a longtime collaborator tell THR's co-editor-in-chief Shirley Halperin, who digs into Bieber's dark turn. The story.
—"Orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist." Drake has filed an amended complaint in his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, alleging that Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime show in February “assassinated” his character, and that the performance and the Grammy wins for “Not Like Us” "introduced new listeners to the recording, causing even more people to be duped into believing that Drake was a pedophile." In the amended complaint, filed on Wednesday night and reviewed by THR, Drake alleged that the Super Bowl performance — and Lamar omitting the word “pedophile” during “Not Like Us” — affirmed his claim that the song’s lyrics were defamatory. The story.
—Silly Billy!!! Fyre Festival 2 isn’t going as planned (again). The second coming of the ill-fated music festival has reportedly been postponed by organizers. “The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule,” read a message sent to ticket holders. The festival was initially set to take place from May 30 to June 2, 2025, with tickets ranging from $1,400 to $25,000, as well as a $1m package. The announcement of Fyre Festival 2 came eight years after the original festival ended in a disaster, leaving attendees stranded in the Bahamas and found Billy McFarland pleading guilty to fraud. The story. |
Why Joe Rogan's Recent Tilt Is So Dangerous ►"Welcome to the new 'just asking questions.' 'Just talking to people.'" With recent guests like Ian Carroll, Darryl Cooper and a major vax denialist, THR's Steven Zeitchik writes that Joe Rogan, the world's biggest podcaster, is slowly moving from conspiracy-curious to a launderer of antisemitic and anti-scientific ideas right before our eyes. The column.
—Blacklisted. The WGA West has issued a notice to members forbidding them from contributing to feature project Wall of White, thanks to a few of the project’s announced contributors. Producer Randall Emmett is on the union’s strike/unfair list — a directory of no-go collaborators for unionized writers — while production company and financier Convergence Entertainment Group is not a signatory to the union’s contract. In early March, it was revealed that the project was set to be produced by Martin Scorsese, and was a narrative feature adaptation of the deadly 1982 avalanche that subsumed the Alpine Meadows ski resort near Lake Tahoe. The story.
—Paused. An appeals court has temporarily blocked Sony from taking over distribution of syndicated game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune from CBS. California’s Second Appellate District on Thursday paused a Los Angeles judge’s order last week denying CBS’s bid for a preliminary injunction, allowing the network to continue distributing the shows. That ruling, which allowed Sony not to deliver episodes to CBS, is “stayed pending further order of this court,” a three-judge panel ruled. Sony produces the two long-running shows, which are perennially among the most watched syndicated programs on broadcast TV. The story.
—Set to testify. Kim Kardashian will testify in person at an upcoming trial over a 2016 heist in Paris in which armed robbers allegedly tied her up and locked her in a bathroom while they stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry, her lawyer said Tuesday. Ten suspects accused of armed robbery, kidnapping or other criminal charges are going on trial in Paris from April 28 through May 23. The October 2016 robbery took place in a Paris apartment where Kardashian was staying for Paris Fashion Week. The story.
—Cause of death. Michelle Trachtenberg‘s cause of death has been revealed. The Gossip Girl actress died from complications of diabetes mellitus, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to THR on Wednesday. Her death was ruled as natural. The medical examiner’s office told ABC News no autopsy was performed, but toxicology test results provided additional information surrounding her cause of death. This comes nearly two months after Trachtenberg’s unexpected death at age 39 in February. The story. |
Disney Is Heading to Annecy ►Bringing their A-game. For the first time, Disney will bring the full force of its animation empire to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, giving festival goers a sneak peek at Disney Animation’s Zootopia 2, Pixar's Elio and Marvel Animation’s Eyes of Wakanda, and screening early footage from Pixar’s upcoming 2026 titles Hoppers and Toy Story 5. Lucasfilm will premiere "Black," a new Star Wars: Visions short by Shinya Ohira at the festival, while Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will screen the episode "Devotion" as part of Annecy’s official TV competition. The story.
—Looking good for Pam and Mike. Warner Bros. will collect more eggs than any other studio at the Easter weekend box office, between smash sensation A Minecraft Movie and Ryan Coogler's critically acclaimed original film Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan. The big question: Which film will win the race? Warners, trying to manage expectations, is targeting an opening in the $35m to $40m range for Sinners. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that there’s reason to be circumspect, considering the film is an R-rated, period supernatural vampire pic. Tracking services are more bullish in suggesting $40m to $45m, while rival studios think Sinners’ launch could end up north of $50m. The box office report.
—Final four. New York University has revealed its 2025 picks for its Black List-inspired Purple List of the best production-ready screenplays from Tisch School of the Arts graduate film students and recent alumni. The four screenplays, selected via a blind reading process by industry insiders, are How I Learned to Die by Manya Glassman, Mandingo by Terrance Daye, Punter by Jason Adam Maselle and Sweetwater by Cassidy Batiz. Prominent filmmakers whose work was included on past editions of the Purple List, now in its 14th year, include Chloé Zhao, Shaka King, Cathy Yan, Desiree Akhavan and Laurel Parmet. The story. |
Paused 'Citadel' Spinoffs Will Just Become Part of Amazon Show's S2 ►Radical rethink. Amazon Prime Video's paused Citadel spinoffs, Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana, are now officially canceled. Instead, the second seasons for each of those shows will just “be woven into the upcoming second season of the mothership series Citadel,” Amazon MGM Studios’ head of TV Vernon Sanders said on Wednesday. THR first reported the news that Citadel season two was being pushed and its spinoffs were placed on hold. At the time, sources said that Amazon executives were unhappy with what they saw for season two of the original Citadel series. The expansive — and expensive — spy series hail from Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO. The story.
—"I don’t like making people feel dumb and I don’t want to make fun of them." The Television Academy has announced that comedian Nate Bargatze will host the 77th Emmy Awards in the fall. Bargatze is known for his deadpan style of family friendly stand-up comedy. He has multiple stand-up specials and hosts The Nateland Podcast . In December, CBS aired Bargatze’s Nashville Christmas variety special. In 2024, Bargatze was the highest-earning stand-up comedian, having sold 1.2m tickets. While the Golden Globes hit a home run with host Nikki Glaser this year, and the Oscars similarly had a success with Conan O’Brien (with both hosts returning in 2026), the Emmys has recently struggled to find an acclaimed host that would also return for a successive year. The last four ceremonies were hosted by Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, Anthony Anderson, Kenan Thompson and Cedric the Entertainer, respectively. The story.
—Crossover resolution. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is set to return to FXX for its 17th season on July 9 and with it will come the second and final crossover episode with ABC's Abbott Elementary. The gang from Paddy’s Pub appeared in season four of Abbott earlier this year, in episode nine titled “Volunteers,” in which they spent a day attempting to help out around the elementary school to earn credit toward their court-ordered community service requirement — a highly plausible plot line for the mischievous bunch. Now in the newest season of It’s Always Sunny , “The Gang Embraces The Corporate Era,” audiences will see how Janine (Quinta Brunson), Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and the rest of the teachers at Abbott fit in on the other side of town, as the long-running comedy explores the ways in which greed and the New American Dream have consumed Paddy’s Pub. The story.
—"I love branding, I love marketing, I love the world of advertising." In addition to being the host of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon is a prolific pitchman, starring in ads for State Farm, Pepsi and Capital One, among others. He will put that experience front and center in his latest primetime unscripted show for NBC. Fallon created and will host and executive produce On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, a competition series that “follows what happens when Jimmy Fallon starts a premier marketing agency and fills it with the most creative, clever, and competitive go-getters he can find,” according to the show’s description. Former Netflix and Uber marketing head (and current Real Housewives of Beverly Hills castmember) Bozoma Saint John will also be part of On Brand, serving as chief marketing officer of the agency in the show. The story. |
David Blaine Has One More (Deadly) Trick Up His Sleeve ►"He pushes the limits to such a degree that it’s almost like he won’t be content until he goes over the edge." David Blaine, the onetime bad boy of magic, famed for his punishing feats of endurance — including partying with Leo — is attempting what might be the most challenging trick of his death-defying life: introducing himself to a new generation. THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Blaine about his six-part National Geographic series, David Blaine Do Not Attempt, in which he’s been covered in venomous scorpions and swallowed lethal amounts of water, and more. The interview.
—🎭 LiLo's time to shine 🎭 Lindsay Lohan is set to topline her first scripted TV series. The actress is set to star in Count My Lies, a drama that’s in development at Hulu. The project comes from 20th Television and former This Is Us showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger and is based on a novel by Sophie Stava. Lohan will also executive produce. Count My Lies centers on compulsive liar Sloane Caraway, who bluffs her way into a job as a nanny for a gorgeous and charismatic couple, Violet and Jay Lockhart. "It seems she’s finally landed her dream job," the show’s logline reads. "But little does Sloane know, she’s just entered a household brimming with secrets that are about to explode — with potentially catastrophic consequences for all." The story.
—Going big. The season two finale of 1923 brought in the show’s largest audience ever. Paramount+ says the Yellowstone prequel closed its season with 14m viewers worldwide over seven days. That’s a 41 percent improvement over the 10m for first season finale in February 2023. Of note, what Paramount+ calls “viewers” comes from the same formula — total viewing time divided by run time — other streamers use to call “views.” With or without the “er,” that math, in 1923’s case, yields the equivalent of 14m complete runs of the season finale, which stretched to two hours. That would put its total viewing time at 1.68b minutes worldwide. The ratings.
—Curry misses, for once. Peacock has canceled mockumentary Mr. Throwback, NBA superstar Steph Curry’s acting debut and the first scripted, live-action series produced by his Unanimous Media banner, after just one season. The cancellation is due to a lack of viewership, THR is told, not quality. Mr. Throwback debuted to a pretty strong reception. The six-episode season one has an 86 percent rating among TV critics on Rotten Tomatoes and is at 80 percent with the audience. The story. |
Film Review: 'The Encampments' ►"A compelling fly-on-the-wall document." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Kei Pritsker and Michael T. Workman's The Encampments. This gripping documentary film, executive produced by rapper Macklemore, chronicles the Gaza protest movement that swept U.S. college campuses last spring. The review.
—"Best enjoyed while drifting off on the couch." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Ransom Canyon. In this western drama, a Texas rancher, mourning the deaths of his wife and son, fights to keep the land that is his family's legacy, and to win over the heart of the woman he's loved for years. Starring Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly, James Brolin, Eoin Macken, Lizzy Greene, Andrew Liner, Marianly Tejada, Garrett Wareing and Jack Schumacher. The review.
In other news...
—Poker Face S2 trailer heads back on the road with Natasha Lyonne
—Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later official trailer 2 released
—Netflix’s The Sandman S2 trailer and premiere date released
—Dexter: Resurrection: First look at Michael C. Hall, Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage
—The Who parts ways with drummer Zak Starkey
—Chanel to bring Chance Eau Splendide pop-up to The Grove in L.A.
—Regal Cineworld taps Brooks LeBoeuf to head film content in U.S.
—Fabel Entertainment ups Jasmine Russ to senior vp
What else we're reading...
—In a personal plea, comedian Tom Green explains to Americans why all the "51st state" talk is so dangerous to Canadians [Vulture]
—John Paul Tasker reports that nearly 900,000 fewer Canadians went to the U.S. in March as cross-border travel plummets [CBC]
—Meridith McGraw, Josh Dawsey and Julie Wernau go inside Trump's gaudy makeover of the White House to make it look more like Mar-a-Lago [WSJ]
—Evan Perez, Alayna Treene and Marshall Cohen report that Trump's IRS is making plans to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status [CNN]
—Ayeshea Perera explains why China curbing rare earth exports is a huge blow to the U.S. [BBC]
Today...
...in 1987, 20th Century Fox unveiled Jonathan Kaplan's Project X in theaters. The military action film starred Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt and was a box office bomb. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Adam McKay (57), Sean Bean (66), Jennifer Garner (53), Rooney Mara (40), Redman (55), Phoebe Dynevor (30), Darci Shaw (23), Henry Ian Cusick (58), David Bradley (83), Nicholas D'Agosto (45), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (38), Beau Knapp (36), William Mapother (60), Maïwenn (49), Joel Murray (62), Alaina Huffman (45), Luke Mitchell (40), Carlo Rota (64), Gia Mantegna (35), Lindsay Hartley (47), Lee Joon-gi (43), Monet Mazur (49), Leslie Bega (58), Lela Rochon (61), Kimberly Elise (58), Charlie Hofheimer (44), Samantha Soule (45), Niamh Walsh (37), Nick Hornby (68), Victoria Beckham (51), Majid Majidi (66) |
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