There was a moment last November when Channel 4 ’s senior executives breathed a sigh of relief. Sat at the top table of Channel 4’s 40th birthday party, Chief Executive Alex Mahon was flanked by her friend Elisabeth Murdoch and doyens of UK broadcasting, including BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Carolyn McCall, ITV’s Chief Executive. They were raising a glass to a British success story in a rare public display of unity. On the same table was Thérèse Coffey, a senior government minister who had survived three prime ministers in the space of little more than three months. Her presence at the V&A Museum event bemused others, who believed the government only had hostile intentions for Channel 4 after sanctioning a sale of the broadcaster against its wishes. Things soon got weirder. Coffey turned to Mahon and asked if she could raise a glass to Channel 4. She then proceeded to surprise the room full of TV luminaries by serenading her hosts with a rendition of happy … [Read more...] about Channel 4: Inside The Doomed Sale Of A Crown Jewel Of British Television
A revealed pretty little liars episode
‘The Flash’: Rick Cosnett, Matt Letscher, Jessica Parker Kennedy Return For Season 9
There will be a few familiar faces on Season 9 of The Flash . Rick Cosnett , Matt Letscher and Jessica Parker Kennedy will return for the final season, Deadline has confirmed. Cosnett was an original cast member, playing CCPD Detective Eddie Thawne before he met his demise in the Season 1 finale. He returned to reprise his role in seasons 2, 3 and 8. “We’re so excited to have Rick join us once more as we put together our final batch of emotional and thrilling episodes,” said executive producer Eric Wallace. It’s especially wonderful as Rick was an integral part of the show’s inaugural season. So having him return to help us conclude our show’s incredible nine-year run was more than a privilege. It was a no-brainer.” Letscher recurred as multiple different versions of Eobard Thawne and the Reverse-Flash, appearing in seasons 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8. “Having the incredibly gracious and talented Matt Letscher return for our final season was something we couldn’t … [Read more...] about ‘The Flash’: Rick Cosnett, Matt Letscher, Jessica Parker Kennedy Return For Season 9
WGA Contract Talks Brittle In Opening Days Over “Ridiculous” AMPTP Proposals
There’ll be fireworks but no fire, and there will be a deal in the end. That’s the word I’m hearing from both sides out of the WGA ’s contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers after two days of talks . No one is commenting publicly, but I’ve learned that besides presentations from both sides during the opening days, there’s palpable unease in the room at AMPTP HQ thanks to the multimillion-dollar rollback proposal producers sent the WGA more than a week before negotiations began. “There’s a feeling of, Why did you have to insult us?’” a WGA insider told me over the producers’ request for $60 million in rollbacks from the health and pension plans, residuals and targeted screenplay minimums. “Once again it makes us the least favored child of the guilds.” Some on the other side of the table don’t disagree with that assessment. “Those were ridiculous proposals meant to appease the people at the top, not anyone in the room,” a well-placed … [Read more...] about WGA Contract Talks Brittle In Opening Days Over “Ridiculous” AMPTP Proposals
Hulk Hogan Says Kurt Angle’s Wrong About Health, Walks On Video To Prove It
Hulk Hogan has a message for his fans ... "Don't believe everything you hear!" Days after WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle provided a bleak health assessment of Hulk's current condition, saying he was in such rough shape he had no feeling in his legs and couldn't walk without a cane, TMZ Sports obtained a video which appears to show differently. The clip, shot by Hulk's longtime friend and sports agent, Darren Prince , was shot Thursday night and shows 69-year-old Hogan very much walking without a cane, doing his best Ric Flair strut. "Hulk Hogan here, the greatest of all time, a little stiff, a little sore, but woooooo!" before executing a walk that'd make Ric proud! Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Of course, Angle, on the latest episode of his podcast, said he spoke with Hogan last month during the taping of WWE Raw's 30th Anniversary show and the WWE legend told him he “had the nerves cut from his lower body" during back … [Read more...] about Hulk Hogan Says Kurt Angle’s Wrong About Health, Walks On Video To Prove It
Thanks, ‘Night Court’! How Multi-Cams Are Having A Moment … Again
Leave it to a sitcom vet like Melissa Rauch to remind the industry that everything old can be new again. After persuading Warner Bros. TV to dust off the Night Court IP and revive it for NBC, multi-cams are suddenly hot again, with every broadcast network — and even a few streamers like Netflix (home to new hit That ’90s Show , which just got renewed ) are putting studio audience comedies in development. While no one is straight-up abandoning single-cams — the success of CBS’ Ghosts and ABC’s Abbott Elementary have certainly made sure of that — there’s no beating the cost-effectiveness of one of TV’s most tried and true genres. “Everybody had a hunch they should probably be doing more of them,” says one high-powered comedy agent. “Night Court is a good sign there is an appetite for that. Everything I’m hearing out of CBS, for example, is that they have pretty hard caps they are trying to hit on these multi-camera shows. The Conners is an exception because … [Read more...] about Thanks, ‘Night Court’! How Multi-Cams Are Having A Moment … Again
Writers Rail As Talks Resume – First Question In A Deadline Survey
As talks are about to resume Monday on the final elements that many hope will lead to a new deal for the Writers Guild Of America, we wanted to lend some perspective and give voice to the TV and feature writers whose fortunes will be tied directly to the deal their union makes. This is the first in a quick succession of five questions we asked a panel of 10 writers. Here are their responses, and hopefully other writers will be moved to comment about the issues that worry them most as their work is monetized in this fast-changing digital age. (Note: Writer #2 didn’t reply to this question.) Related: WGA: Why Gains, Lessons From 2008′s Strike Will Keep Hollywood From Another War DEADLINE: How has your ability to make a living improved or deteriorated since the WGA strike and why? WRITER #1: Directly, I lost at least one job so, for me, that is a loss of over $1 million. I was fortunate to survive the strike without the terrible ramifications that hit … [Read more...] about Writers Rail As Talks Resume – First Question In A Deadline Survey
Panic! At The Disco Singer On Making Out with Ryan Gosling and Other Famous Guys
TMZ.com Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie has a few ideas about how to hook up with his man crush, Ryan Gosling -- but he also has a plan B ... and C. We got Brendon at LAX and asked him about his recent admission that he's attracted to Gosling. He told a radio interviewer he's down to get with anyone as long as there's a connection and good convo. Brendon -- who is married to a woman -- told us how he's trying to make the Gosling thing happen, and revealed a couple of other famous guys on his hit list. One of the names escaped him, but we're pretty sure he was referring to a certain superhero . … [Read more...] about Panic! At The Disco Singer On Making Out with Ryan Gosling and Other Famous Guys
Boris Johnson Says He Spends His Days Drawing Cows After Scandal Forced Him From Office
Boris Johnson has revealed his weirdly specific new hobby: mastering the form of a cow. The former UK Prime Minister has told TalkTV , the Rupert Murdoch-backed British television channel, that he spends his days drawing cattle after resigning in scandal last year. In his first major TV interview since leaving office, Johnson sat down with his friend and colleague Nadine Dorries , the former UK Culture Secretary. “At the moment I’ve got a project, which is to master the form of the cow,” he told Friday Night with Nadine in an exchange that bordered on bizarre. Johnson continued: “Cows are actually far more difficult to draw than you think. How many toes on the front does a cow have? It’s two, and they’ve got a little thing on the heel. And what do you call that bit of the cow? I think it’s called the withers. What do you call the back of the knee of the cow? The hock. “They repay a lot of study. So, I’m filling a book now with cow. Pictures of parts of cows, … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson Says He Spends His Days Drawing Cows After Scandal Forced Him From Office
Benedict Cumberbatch To Lead & EP Netflix’s ‘Eric’ From Abi Morgan & Sister
Benedict Cumberbatch is to lead and EP Netflix ’s Eric , playing a puppeteer whose son goes missing in 1980s Manhattan. Netflix has set cast on the Abi Morgan -penned show from Chernobyl producer Sister and the likes of Gaby Hoffman, McKinley Belcher II, Dan Fogler and Phoebe Nicholls will star opposite Cumberbatch. Cast is rounded out by Clarke Peters, Ivan Morris Howe, David Denman, Bamar Kane, Adepero Odyue, Alexis Molnar and Roberta Colindrez. The six-parter follows Vincent Anderson (Cumberbatch), a grief-stricken puppeteer on a leading TV show whose young boy goes missing and who finds solace through his friendship with Eric, the monster that lives under his son’s bed. The Split scribe Morgan’s Little Chick is producing with Sister and Morgan EPing alongside Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke and Lucy Forbes. “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980’s New York, and the good bad and ugly world of Vincent,” said Morgan. “The chance … [Read more...] about Benedict Cumberbatch To Lead & EP Netflix’s ‘Eric’ From Abi Morgan & Sister
Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Sundance Winner ‘The Persian Version’
Sony Pictures Classics has taken North American on Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version which won the Audience Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) at this year’s Sundance. Keshavarz is the first filmmaker to have two films win the Sundance Audience Award in the Dramatic Competition category. This is the second title that SPC has snapped out of Sundance, Deadline first telling you about their acquisition of A Little Prayer, which they took global rights on. Logline: Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret … [Read more...] about Sony Pictures Classics Picks Up Sundance Winner ‘The Persian Version’