Entertainment

Archive link: https://archive.ph/cSHZa

Comic Roy Wood Jr. says he will not return to his position as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show when the show resumes new episodes later this month, ending a job he first started eight years ago.

The reason: Since he hasn't been offered the job as permanent host of the show, Wood wants some time to figure out his next act.

Wood says he doesn't know if his name is under consideration for the top job and he has already informed Comedy Central of his intention not to return. ("What could they really say?" he adds when asked how the cable channel responded. [They're] not going to give me the job just to keep me.") But if Comedy Central offered him the permanent host job now, the comic says he would still consider it.

The show began presenting a succession of guest hosts starting in January after South African comic Trevor Noah left the job

According to figures provided by Comedy Central in April, Wood had the second-best ratings of the show's first 11 guest hosts, second only to Al Franken and beating Minhaj.

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The news comes after Laci Mosley, who starred in the update of the beloved Nickelodeon series, posted “It’s canceled babes” on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a fan wondering about the show’s future.

“iCarly will not be returning for a fourth season on Paramount+,” a spokesperson for the streamer said in a statement. “The series had a great three-season run and delivered on what fans really wanted to see with Carly and Freddie finally getting together. We want to thank the entire cast, the writers, directors and producers along with the whole crew for their dedication, creativity and talent.”

I watched this docuseries this week.

It is very good. I am not a /r/UFOs lurker, but I do enjoy hearing these stories from time to time.

Aside from being produced by Amblin, this series has some things going for it:

• You can watch it in any order you wish
• There is no real call to action, and very few documentary tricks used... I didn't stop to see if the people bein interviewed actually worked for NASA, though
• 4 episodes, 4 countries, 4 perspectives and reactions, 4 classic cases
  • The Ariel School Incident
  • The Stephenville, Texas, sightings
  • The Broad Haven Triangle
  • The Fukushima Sightings
• The episodes are self-contained discussion starters

I'd only ever heard about the Ariel School Incident.

Anyway, if you are into this or not, and you want to see something presented in a level-headed way that crosses cultural boundaries, this is a decent docuseries.

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“The Curse,” a genre-defying series starring Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder, will premiere on Nov. 10 via Paramount+ with Showtime ahead of its on-air Showtime debut on Nov. 12, the network announced Tuesday.

“The Curse” stars Stone as Whitney and Fielder as Asher, a husband and wife duo who have just landed their own house-flipping series. Benny Safdie also stars as Dougie, the producer of Whitney and Asher’s “Flipanthropy” show, who is holding onto secrets of his own. Living in Española, N.M., the couple embarks on their new business venture while trying to have a baby, seemingly met by an alleged curse that promises to “disturb the relationship.”

See the first-look images below.

Archive link: https://archive.ph/6Kf65

Starz is canceling four of its series, Variety has learned exclusively. Specifically, “Heels,” “Run the World,” and “Blindspotting” will not get new seasons at the cable network, while “The Venery of Samantha Bird” Season 1 is being scrapped without airing.

“Heels,” “Run the World,” and “Blindspotting” all recently aired their second season at Starz, while “The Venery of Samantha Bird” was in production on its first season. Production was shut down, however, at the onset of the WGA strike. It was reported at the time that only two episodes of the first season were left to shoot.

A The Office reboot is reportedly in the works, with the original American showrunner attached to return.

The news about the reboot came in the context of mentioning all the projects and deals that are going to be announced once the writers' strike officially ends. There's no word yet on casting.

it would be set in the same overall universe but not necessarily feature the same characters. However, some The Office cast members, including John Krasinski and Mindy Kaling, have expressed they’d be open to revisiting their famous roles if the circumstances were right.

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The WGA and major studios and streamers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract that promises to end the 146-day strike that has taken a heavy toll across the content industry.

The nitty-gritty details of language around the use of generative AI in content production was one of the last items that the sides worked on before closing the pact.

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA’s negotiating committee wrote in an email to sent to members at 7:10 p.m. PT

The strike itself will still be in force through the guild’s contract approval and ratification process. But picketing has been suspended as of Sunday night. Guild leaders are expected to vote on Tuesday on whether to formally lift the strike order against AMPTP signatories.

Details of the contract agreement won’t be released until the final language is completed over the coming days. WGA leadership expects to vote on Tuesday on the final pact.

Usher will be the headlining performer at the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime show, Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced on Sunday. The game takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. on Sunday, February 11, 2024, airing on CBS.

Usher follows Rihanna, who performed at the 2023 halftime show — while pregnant! — and the 2022 all-star tag team of Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” said Usher. “Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”

“Usher is an icon whose music has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape throughout his career, we couldn’t be more excited to have him headline this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show,” said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music. “We look forward to working with Usher, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another Halftime Show for the history books.” 



“Usher is the ultimate artist and showman. Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” said JAY-Z. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.”



“The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of the most highly anticipated music events of the year and we’re excited to bring this legendary show to fans all over the world in Spatial Audio, along with tons of exclusive videos, interviews, playlists and so much more across Apple Music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports, and Beats. “We are so proud of what we were able to accomplish together with the NFL and Roc Nation last year and now with the insanely talented Usher set to take the stage we’re looking forward to another incredible Halftime Show from one of the world’s all-time greatest performers.”



Link to original tweet: https://twitter.com/AnimationOnMax/status/1704224493168676890

I'm not sure if this type of post is allowed in the Entertainment community on Beehaw since it isn't an article, but as a fan of Craig of the Creek, I am interested in discussing the spin-off.

I can, of course, remove this post if it is unwelcome

Archive link: https://archive.ph/2GrWo

"After the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movie, making these films is so exhausting and it destroys Keanu, physically and emotionally," explained Iwanyk. "By the end, he’s always like, 'I can’t do this again,' and we agree with him. The guy is just a shell of himself because he just goes off and goes for it. He was like, 'I wanna be definitively killed at the end of this movie.' We were like, 'You know, we’ll leave a 10% little opening.'"

I finished re-reading The Great Gatsby today and was in the mood for analysis, discussion, and more interpretations. So I started watching the 2013 version with Toby and Leo. Got about 20 minutes in before the stream froze to buffer and I decided it wasn't worth trying to get worth working again.

The movie was a fever dream. The editing was so frantic I couldn't get a feel for a scene before it blew by. The CGI was gratuitous and unattractive! From a book reader perspective it was unfaithful to the novel, and from a cinema perspective it was a toad in a blender.

I'd love to hear some positive criticisms of the movie adaptation - maybe someone saw something in it that I didn't.

I'd also enjoy any reviews of the previous version from decades ago.

One last thing, I think the movie would have worked much better if it was placed in 2002 - similar positivity on life, "great" war for Americans, and a looming financial crisis. It would have made the weird editing make much more sense, kind of like the remake of Romeo and Juliet (coincidentally starring Leo)

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/2483703

Comedian Katherine Ryan allegedly confronted Brand during the filming of Comedy Central’s “Roast Battle,” but her remarks were edited out.

It seems that Russell Brand’s alleged sexual misconduct may have been a well-known industry secret.

The British comedian left Comedy Central’s “Roast Battle” in 2018 after co-judge Katherine Ryan called him a “sexual predator” on camera, three sources who worked with the show’s production company, Fulwell 73, told Deadline in a story published Monday.

The sources told the entertainment outlet that Ryan, a Canadian comedian who worked with Brand on the reality competition show, called him out on numerous occasions during filming, but her pointed remarks were edited out of the final cut of the episodes.

On Sunday, The Mirror resurfaced a clip of Ryan telling the BBC’s Louis Theroux in 2022 that she had once confronted a co-worker about being a “predator” directly to “his face.” She did not name the co-worker at the time of the interview.

She told Theroux that it was “very dangerous for us to have this conversation.”

“I’m happy to have it,” Ryan continued, “but it is a litigious minefield, because a lot of people have tried to nail this person down for their alleged crimes, and this person has very good lawyers.”

She added that the allegations against her co-worker were “not really my story to tell.”

“No one has perpetrated any sexual assaults against me, but this person I believe very strongly — so do a lot of people … it’s an open secret — is a perpetrator of sexual assault,” Ryan told Theroux.

According to Deadline and The Mirror, Ryan also told Theroux that she had confronted this co-worker “in front of loads of people, in the format of the show.”

Deadline confirmed with its sources that Ryan was referring to Brand during her interview with Theroux.

Ryan did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment and confirmation.

Over the weekend, the U.K.-based outlets The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches released a joint statement saying they were investigating allegations that Brand had sexually assaulted and abused four women between 2006 and 2013 when the comedian’s acting career was at its peak.

One woman, who is now 31, said she had a three-month relationship with Brand when she was 16, and that Brand “forced his penis down her throat” at the time. She characterized the comedian as abusive and controlling.

Another woman who was interviewed by the British outlets said that Brand raped her against a wall in her Los Angeles home. The outlets’ joint statement also notes that they obtained medical records showing that this woman received treatment at a rape crisis center the day she said her rape occurred.

Brand has denied the allegations. In a video he posted on social media the day before the British outlets’ investigation was published, Brand said he had received notice of “some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.” He also suggested that he was the victim of a “coordinated attack” by the media.

Deadline notes that Brand has been virtually absent from British television since his one-season stint on “Roast Battle” in 2018, with the exception of an appearance on “The Great Celebrity Bake Off” in 2019.

In the past couple of years, the comedian has also rebranded himself as a wellness influencer and has become increasingly right-wing on social media. Brand shared COVID-19 conspiracy theories on his YouTube channel and hosted ex-Fox News personality Tucker Carlson on his channel in July.

Summarizing his statement wouldn't do it justice so I recommend you read it in full, he explains why he does it and what has DC done to anger him to this extent - but it's also a move about more than just to spite DC.

original source (Willingham's blog): https://billwillingham.substack.com/p/willingham-sends-fables-into-the

It’s been a disastrous week for Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, and it’s only Wednesday. The SEC has charged the Hollywood power couple’s NFT-based web series, “Stoner Cats,” calling the NFTs unregistered securities.

Per the SEC, “Stoner Cats is an adult animated television show about house cats that become sentient after being exposed to their owner’s medical marijuana.” By buying one of 10,000 NFTs worth around $800 each, fans could get exclusive access to the six-episode animated series, which features celebrities like Jane Fonda, Chris Rock and Seth MacFarlane. Even Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin was in the show.

Every time one of these NFTs was resold, the original owner would earn a 2.5% royalty. In marketing the NFTs, Stoner Cats emphasized that “the more successful the show, the more successful your NFT will be.”

The Stoner Cats’ social media accounts continued to promote the resale of these NFTs, and since they strongly suggested a return on investment, the SEC declared the Stoner Cats NFTs to be unregistered securities.

Archive link: http://archive.today/Yz1PN

The dual WGA and SAG-SAFTRA strikes need to be resolved by the end of this month if scripted primetime fare such as 9-1-1: Lone Star and The Cleaning Lady are to return with new episodes in the 2023-24 TV season, says Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn.

Sources tell TVLine that it will take scripted shows roughly eight weeks to get back into production once the strikes are resolved.

“You’re going get to a point in the fall, in the late fall, where it’s going to be very hard to launch [scripted shows] within the traditional TV viewing season,” Thorn told our sister site Deadline.

Fox’s fall TV slate features one full night of scripted animated fare (on Sundays), while the rest of the week is rife with multiple Gordon Ramsay cooking competitions, new seasons of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Name That Tune and The Masked Singer, 9-1-1: Lone Star reruns, the new, David Spade-hosted Snake Oil game show, and, of course, Friday Night SmackDown.

Archive link: http://archive.today/RiOGb

In a historic move, Marvel Studios’ visual effects workers unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the company announced Wednesday.

This marks the first time a unit of solely VFX workers has unionized with IATSE.

The Marvel Studios workers initially filed for the election on Aug. 7, and votes were cast and collected between Aug. 21 and Sept. 11. During the count on Sept. 12, all votes were in favor of unionizing with IATSE and zero were against.

So far, Marvel Studios is the only in-house VFX team unionized with IATSE, but Walt Disney Pictures VFX staffers recently moved to unionize in late August.

The next step for the union is to engage in collective bargaining negotiations with Marvel Studios execs in order to draft a contract that addresses the workers’ needs. As of now, negotiation dates have yet to be scheduled.

The unionization vote comes amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, as the guilds continue to seek fair contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.