| | | | | | What's news: THR has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Apple has renewed Murderbot. Hailee Steinfeld will star opposite Miles Teller in Paramount's Winter Games. Guy Ritchie is no longer directing Road House 2. Justin Bieber has released his seventh album. — Abid Rahman
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Tyler Perry Accuser Derek Dixon Speaks ►"I couldn't stay silent anymore." In his first interview since filing a $260m sexual assault claim against entertainment industry titan Tyler Perry, actor Derek Dixon opens up to THR's Rebecca Keegan and says he felt compelled to go public because “everyone deserves to go to work and do their job without their boss trying to have sex with them.” The interview.
—Addendum. Kanye "Ye" West is now facing sexual battery and sex trafficking allegations from his former assistant, who has attached an addendum to a previously filed suit alleging she was drugged and sexually assaulted during a studio session co-hosted by Sean "Diddy" Combs. Lauren Pisciotta worked for the rapper and producer from 2021 until her employment was terminated in 2024, first as an A&R representative and then as Ye’s personal assistant. During the recording of the Grammy winner’s Donda album sessions, Pisciotta alleges that West “orally raped her without her consent” and had coerced her into sexual compliance with false promises of career advancement, according to the second addendum to a lawsuit filed in June 2024. The story. |
TV Goes on a Cocaine Bender ►"A crazy coke scene can resolve a show’s story arcs." Critically acclaimed streaming shows are getting a lot of laughs these days by airing a heretofore-inordinate number of scenes involving actors going over their lines. For THR, Steve Garbarino writes that in hits like The Studio and Hacks and Your Friends & Neighbors and The Righteous Gemstones comedic cocaine consumption has suddenly become an inescapable staple on TV. The story.
—Shake-up. Webtoon Entertainment, the media company that spearheaded the mainstream embrace of webcomics, is rebranding and reorganizing the structure of its North American entertainment and intellectual property business as it aims to scale up the adaptations of its many titles. Effective immediately, Wattpad Webtoon Studios is morphing into Webtoon Productions, with David Madden elevated to president of the production company. He was previously head of global entertainment. The story.
—Tweak incoming. YouTube is getting rid of its Trending page and Trending Now list and moving towards category-specific charts as the trends themselves become more niche. The change, which will happen over the next couple of weeks, comes as YouTube says it has seen visits to its Trending page decrease significantly over the last five years. The company attributes this change to more “micro-trends” and users relying more on recommendations, search suggestions, Shorts, comments and communities to find trending videos. The story. |
Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations Revealed ►🏆 Congrats to all! 🏆 The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has revealed its nominees for the 2025 annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which will be held on Oct. 17 in Pasadena, California. Among the nominees are General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Days of our Lives, The Drew Barrymore Show, The View, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse and Be My Guest with Ina Garten, among many others. The nominations.
—🏆 Yay us! 🏆 THR's Off Script roundtable series was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, the second consecutive nod for the awards-season showcase, which has received a total of five Daytime Emmy Awards nominations since 2017. Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter was nominated in the arts and popular culture program category alongside Black Barbie (Netflix), Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (PBS), The Swift Effect (Peacock) and Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (PBS) Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter is the magazine’s iconic roundtable series, which has aired on IFC, streaming on AMC+ over the past two years. The story. |
Larry David Returning to HBO With Obamas-Produced Sketch Series ►He's back! A year after Curb Your Enthusiasm aired its series finale, Larry David is returning to HBO, and he’s bringing a former president along with him. David will star in, co-write and executive produce a sketch comedy series about American history. Higher Ground, the company headed by Barack and Michelle Obama, is producing the series, with the former president and first lady serving as executive producers. The logline reads: “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. … But then Larry David called.” Curb writer/executive producer Jeff Schaffer and David will write the series, and Schaffer is also set to direct. The pair will executive produce with the Obamas and Higher Ground’s Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis. The story.
—The Sorrows of Young Murderbot. Apple TV+ will give Murderbot more time to watch his favorite shows. The streamer has ordered a second season of the series, which stars Alexander Skarsgård as the title character, a security robot who has to hide the fact that it has gained free will and guard its human clients on a dangerous mission — but who really wants just to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe. The renewal for Murderbot comes a day ahead of the show’s first season finale, set for July 11. The CBS Studios show is based on the first book in Martha Wells’ Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Murderbot Diaries novel series. Chris and Paul Weitz adapted the book and serve as showrunners. The story.
—No murder, though. Netflix has mapped out the future of Squid Game — or at least its reality-show version of it. The streamer has renewed Squid Game: The Challenge for a third season, matching (for the moment) the number of seasons for the Korean blockbuster on which it’s based. Netflix has also set a Nov. 4 premiere date for season two of the competition. Squid Game: The Challenge features 456 contestants in a re-creation of the games in Squid Game, minus the part where eliminated players are murdered. Netflix says season two will feature some new challenges as the players compete for a $4.56m prize. The story. |
'Scrubs' Revival Nabs Series Order at ABC ►🎭 "So excited for the chance to get the band back together." 🎭 Scrubs is officially scrubbing back in. A long-discussed revival of the 2000s comedy series has landed a series order from ABC, where it’s been in development since December 2024 — though series creator Bill Lawrence and members of the cast have talked about reuniting for years before that. Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke, who starred in the original version of the show, have signed on to join series lead Zach Braff in the revival. All three will also be executive producers on the show, which is set to premiere in the 2025-26 season. The story.
—🎭 Wrath of Kahn. 🎭 Hulu’s King of the Hill revival has a trailer, as well as a new member of its voice cast. Comedian and Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng has joined the animated series to voice Kahn Souphanousinphone, Hank’s (Mike Judge) Laotian neighbor, in the show’s 14th season. Toby Huss voiced the character during the show’s 13-season run on Fox from 1997-2010. Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlon, the late Johnny Hardwick, Stephen Root, Lauren Tom and Huss all return in voice roles from the Fox series. The story.
—Come on, cancel me! What are you waiting for? The second season of Netflix’s action comedy FUBAR, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, took a hard fall in Nielsen’s streaming ratings. FUBAR drew 412m minutes of viewing for the week of June 9-15; season two premiered on June 12. That’s a steep decline — 73 percent — from its series premiere week in May 2023. It ranked eighth among original shows for the week. (The show also had a soft start in Netflix’s worldwide rankings, starting in 10th place among English-language series and hanging on for two more weeks.) Netflix's Ginny & Georgia spent a second straight week as the No. 1 overall streaming title, and its 2.86b minutes of viewing. Love Island USA , meanwhile, surged to 1.09b minutes in the second week of season seven, beating the Peacock show’s previous high of 1.05b midway through its 2024 season. The streaming rankings. |
Hailee Steinfeld Joins Miles Teller in Paramount's 'Winter Games' ►🎭 Ice to see you. 🎭 Hailee Steinfeld will star opposite Miles Teller in Winter Games, a sporty romantic comedy from Paramount Pictures. Paul Downs Colaizzo, who wrote and directed the sporty-themed Brittany Runs a Marathon, is helming the feature and co-wrote the script with Patrick Cunnane. The story is set in the high-stakes arena of the Winter Olympic Games and, per the studio, centers on a perpetually overlooked skier and a self-sabotaging hockey legend that collide at their breaking points. Their unexpected connection threatens her chance for a medal and his shot at a comeback as they navigate romance and redemption in the Olympic Village. The story.
—Would ya Adam and Eve it?!? Guy Ritchie has exited as the director for Amazon MGM Studios' sequel to Road House. THR reported in April that the Brit filmmaker had signed on to direct Road House 2, it is unclear why he has dropped out. Jake Gyllenhaal is set to return after starring in Amazon’s 2024 remake feature, Road House, which Doug Liman directed. In last year’s remake, Gyllenhaal plays Dalton, a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a roadside bar in the Florida Keys. Screenwriter Will Beall, whose recent credits include Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, is penning the script for Road House 2. Plot details for the sequel have not yet been shared. The story.
—🎭 Filling out. 🎭 A24's forthcoming horror feature The Backrooms is adding to its cast. Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell and Avan Jogia are joining The Backrooms, with the movie starting production this week in Canada. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve were previously announced as the stars of the project from 20-year-old director Kane Parsons, who will become the youngest filmmaker in A24’s history. Parsons is making his feature directorial debut with the film that has a script from Will Soodik. Plot details have not been revealed for The Backrooms, which is inspired by Parsons’ viral YouTube horror series that has amassed more than 190m views. The story.
—🎭 Lead in place. 🎭 Taylor Kitsch is set to play a Texas prison boss facing a hostage taking drama in Eleven Days, a new thriller directed by Peter Landesman. Set in 1974 and based on a real-life prison uprising, Kitsch will take the role of Jim Estelle, the head of the Texas Department of Corrections, attempting to end a hostage taking in the Huntsville Penitentiary led by heroin kingpin Federico Carrasco as part of an escape plan gone wrong. The screenplay is by Kevin Sheridan, with revisions by Landesman. Eleven Days is based on the book Eleven Days in Hell: The 1974 Carrasco Prison Siege at Huntsville, Texas, by William T. Harper. The story. |
Justin Bieber Drops Seventh Album ►Surprise! Beliebers rejoice as THR's Shirley Halperin and Ethan Millman have the scoop that Justin Bieber will release his long-awaited seventh album today. The singer headed to Iceland in late April to put finishing touches on the project, his first since 2021’s Justice. His Nordic getaway hosted jam sessions and allowed the pop superstar to "vibe out" with a number of musical collaborators, an insider reveals. THR reported in April that Bieber had been hosting “jam sessions” at his Los Angeles house where attendees have included his longtime DJ Tay James, musical director HARV, SZA collaborator Carter Lang and Australian artist Eddie Benjamin. Features on the album include Gunna and Sexyy Red as well as Cash Cobain, each of whom Bieber has shouted out on social media in recent months. The story.
—Shut up and take my money! Paul McCartney's Got Back Tour is returning to North America this fall, marking the former Beatle's first North American tour since 2022. The 19-date tour will start at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert September 29, his first time playing the venue, and it will finish with two nights in Chicago at the United Center on November 24 and 25. McCartney’s Got Back Tour had first come to North America three years ago and was the tenth-biggest tour of 2022, according to Pollstar. The tour’s most recent run finished at the O2 Arena in London at the end of last year. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Records compilation album JackBoys 2 is set to release this Sunday. The album will drop days after Scott and JackBoys dropped the single “2000 Excursion” featuring Don Toliver and Sheck Wes. “The Jack is back with 17 tracks full of trunk rattling classics in the making,” the album’s promo art online reads. According to the promo art, Bun B is hosting the project, which is set to release at midnight Sunday. The story.
—Fresh start Part I. Rob Thomas is entering a new chapter in his career ahead of the release of his first non-holiday album since 2019, as the three-time Grammy-winner and Matchbox Twenty singer has left his longtime label Atlantic for a new deal with Universal Music Group’s Universal Records. Thomas officially signed with Universal back in April. News of the switch-up arrives officially today, and with it Thomas will drop two new songs, “Hard to be Happy” and “Thrill Me.” His fifth solo album All Night Days comes out Sept. 5. The change to Universal marks a major turn for Thomas, who’d previously called Atlantic his home for the last 20 years, releasing four solo albums there (and a Christmas collection), as well as five albums with his band Matchbox Twenty. The story.
—Fresh start Part II. OneRepublic have signed with BMG, with the Ryan Tedder-fronted pop-rock band signing a new global recordings partnership with BMG after a nearly two-decade run at Universal Music Group’s Interscope. BMG said Thursday that OneRepublic will be dropping their upcoming seventh album through the company, with lead single “Beautiful Colors” set to release on July 25. The story. |
Film Review: 'Perla' ►"Authentically stark." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Alexandra Makarova's Perla. Makarova's second feature portrays an exiled mother and painter who decides to return to her native Slovakia in the early 1980s after her daughter's father is released from prison. Starring Rebeka Polakova, Simon Schwarz, Noel Czuczor, Carmen Diego and Hilde Dalik. The review.
—"A heartfelt and painfully honest portrait of motherhood." Jordan reviews Zuzana Kirchnerova's Caravan. Kirchnerova's first feature, a tough Czech family drama, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard sidebar before screening at Karlovy Vary. Starring Ana Geislerova, David Vodstrcil, Juliana Brutovska, Jana Plodkova, Mario Russo and Giandomenico Cupaiuolo. The review.
In other news...
—Marc Maron admits progressives are a buzzkill in HBO special trailer
—Outlander: Blood of My Blood trailer teases love stories of Jamie and Claire's parents
—Jason Momoa rides a shark in Apple’s Chief of War trailer
—France’s Lumiere Festival to honor Michael Mann
—Good Mythical Morning hosts Rhett & Link exit WME for CAA
—Creator Eric Sedeno signs with UTA
What else we're reading...
—Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Natan Odenheimer outline how Benjamin Netanyahu prolonged the war in Gaza to stay in power [NYT]
—In his postmortem of the recently canceled Pulse, Josef Adalian goes over what Netflix got wrong with its first medical procedural [Vulture]
—After the Epstein disaster, Elie Honig writes that now nobody trusts beleaguered Attorney General Pam Bondi [Intelligencer]
—Kevin Collier and Bruna Horvath report that X's advertisers are staying quiet after the "MechaHitler" debacle and the exit of CEO Linda Yaccarino [NBC News]
—Here's your Friday list: "The 40 best films about the immigrant experience" [THR]
Today...
...in 2014, IFC Films released Richard Linklater's Boyhood in theaters. The innovative feature, filmed from 2002 to 2013, was a huge critical and commercial hit and was nominated for six Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Lisa Rinna (62), Stephen Lang (73), Bruce McGill (75), Justin Chambers (55), Jafar Panahi (65), Susan Seaforth Hayes (82), Serinda Swan (41), Sela Ward (69), Michael Rosenbaum (53), Blu Hunt (30), Michelle Fairley (62), Rachael Taylor (41), Greg Grunberg (59), Cristina Valenzuela (38), Allegra Clark (37), Rob Heaps (41), David Henrie (36), Mindy Sterling (72), Connor Paolo (35), Greg Mottola (61), Jared Sandler (32), Caroline Quentin (65), Debbe Dunning (59), Jonjo O'Neill (47), Justin Willman (45), Mark Lester (67), Laura Cayouette (61), Leisha Hailey (54), Sophia Anne Caruso (24), Dina Eastwood (60), Melanie Papalia (41), Jason Liebrecht (52), Pauline McLynn (63), Conrad Vernon (57), Jon Harris (58), Elina Löwensohn (59), Craig Charles (61), Corinne Kingsbury (44), Liane Curtis (60) |
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