David pecker

(Updated with statement from David Pecker ’s reps) National Enquirer ’s parent company have been fined for violating election law in 2016. Per the Wall Street Journal , A360 Media LLC agreed earlier this month to pay $187,500 as part of a settlement with the Federal Election Commission. The settlement has to do with a ‘catch and kill’ scheme on the part of the publisher to buy the story of ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal’s alleged affair with former president Donald Trump —thereby squashing it. Negotiations between A360 Media LLC and the FEC come on the heels of an admission three years ago, on the part of A360’s predecessor, American Media. At the time, the company admitted to federal prosecutors that it had paid McDougal $150,000 in hush money “in cooperation, consultation, and concert with” at least one member of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The payment was ultimately characterized as an illegal corporate campaign contribution. Pecker stepped down from his … [Read more...] about ‘National Enquirer’ Parent Company Fined For Violating Election Law In 2016 In Trump Affair Payoff

EXCLUSIVE : Filming is to begin on May 8 in Toronto on David Cronenberg ’s next movie, The Shrouds , which will star Vincent Cassel ( La Haine ), Diane Kruger ( Inglourious Basterds ), and Guy Pearce ( Memento ). Kruger has replaced Léa Seydoux on the project (as first noted by blog World Of Reel). Cassel, star of Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method , has been aboard since the project was first revealed last summer. French icon Cassel will play Karsh, an innovative businessman and grieving widower, who builds a novel device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud. This burial tool installed at his own state-of-the-art – though controversial cemetery allows him and his clients to watch their specific departed loved one decompose in real time. Karsh’s revolutionary business is on the verge of breaking into the international mainstream when several graves within his cemetery are vandalized and nearly destroyed, including that of his … [Read more...] about David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds’, With Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger & Guy Pearce, To Begin Filming In May

Tilda Swinton is the latest high-profile industry figure to throw their support behind a campaign to save Edinburgh’s Filmhouse Cinema as reports suggest the popular rep house is close to being bought by a hospitality business. In a rare public statement handed to Deadline, Swinton, who lives in Nairn, Scotland, described Filmhouse Cinema as an “invaluable cultural resource” for the city of Edinburgh that deserves to be “in the hands of legitimate cineastes who will nurture its future and the legacy of cultural cinema in Edinburgh and beyond.” “This is an opportunity for all of us to join together to put a flag on the field: culture matters in Scotland. Let’s make it so,” she said in the statement, adding that any potential sale of the cinema to a private owner must be conducted with “unequivocal transparency.” Edinburgh Filmhouse first closed its doors last October alongside Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen, Northern Scotland, when the trustees in charge of the Centre … [Read more...] about Tilda Swinton Among Campaigners Calling For “Transparency” In The Sale Of Edinburgh’s Filmhouse Cinema

EXCLUSIVE: Apple TV+ is continuing its natural history push. The streamer is launching new wildlife series Big Beasts , narrated by Tom Hiddleston . The series, which has been in the works for two years, takes viewers around the globe, from freezing poles to tropical rainforests, to meet nature’s most captivating giants. It features massive species filmed across 17 countries, including the gray whale, the elephant seal, the giant otter, the gorilla, the hippopotamus, the brown bear, the ostrich, the orangutan, the tiger and the polar bear. Viewers will see that it’s not easy being big—the larger the animal, the greater the challenges they face. Big Beasts comes from the creative team of Apple’s Tiny World, which launched in 2020 and was narrated by Paul Rudd. It is produced by ITV-owned Plimsoll Productions with Tom Hugh-Jones ( Planet Earth II ), Grant Mansfield ( Hostile Planet) and Martha Holmes ( Life ) exec producing. Alongside Tiny World , … [Read more...] about Tom Hiddleston To Narrate Apple Wildlife Series ‘Big Beasts’

ABC News underwent a round of staff reductions on Thursday, with about 50 positions impacted as part of parent Walt Disney Co.’s companywide cuts. ABC News President Kim Godwin also announced a realignment of her leadership team, with Katie den Daas serving as vice president of newsgathering, overseeing the domestic and international teams, as well as NewsOne; Derek Medina, executive vice president, will oversee an expanded business and operations team; and Stacia Deshishku, executive editor and senior vice president of news, who will oversee the investigative and enterprise reporting units, as well as linear shows and special events. According to a network source, among the employees who were impacted by the layoffs were Wendy Fisher, senior vice president, newsgathering; Galen Gordon, senior VP of talent strategy and development; Mary Noonan, vice president of talent strategy and development; Alison Rudnick, vice president of corporate communications, Chris Vlasto, … [Read more...] about ABC News Undergoes Round Of Layoffs And Realignment Of Leadership Team

Paramount+ has given a green light to a new chapter in the Star Trek universe. The streamer has handed a series order to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , a project that we exclusively reported had been in development since last year, from Alex Kurtzman ’s Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment and CBS Studios. The series will follow the adventures of a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. Produced by CBS Studios, the series will begin production in 2024. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself. RELATED: 2023 Paramount+ Pilots & … [Read more...] about ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Gets Series Greenlight At Paramount+

Roadside Attractions has nabbed North American rights to the drama Dreamin’ Wild , telling the true story of musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson, slating it for release in theaters nationwide on August 4th. The film starring Academy Award winner Casey Affleck ( Manchester by the Sea ), Noah Jupe ( Honey Boy ) and Emmy and Golden Globe nom Zooey Deschanel ( 500 Days of Summer ) puts Oscar- and Emmy-nominated writer-director Bill Pohlad back in business with Roadside, which with Lionsgate released his last acclaimed film Love & Mercy on Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson. Its central question is, what if a childhood dream suddenly came true — but 30 years later?  That’s what happened to singer-songwriter Donnie Emerson and his family when the album he and his brother recorded as teens was rediscovered after 30 years of obscurity and was suddenly hailed by music critics as a lost masterpiece. While the album’s rediscovery brings hopes of second chances, … [Read more...] about Roadside Attractions Acquires Emerson Brothers Drama ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ With Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe & Zooey Deschanel

Netflix yesterday gave The Night Agent a quick Season 2 pickup only six days after the action-thriller from creator Shawn Ryan and Sony Pictures TV launched with the third-best premiere week of viewing for a new series — only behind Wednesday and Dahmer — putting the series starring Gabriel Basso on track to potentially land in the Top 5 of Netflix’s all-time most popular series. “I’m still getting my head around it,” Ryan, creator of The Shield and showrunner of S.W.A.T. , said. “I’ve had a long career and certainly some success stories, but nothing quite like this in terms of intense, immediate fan reaction. Almost doesn’t feel real.” The renewal comes exactly two years after The Night Agent , inspired by Matthew Quirk’s novel, was pitched to the streamer, which initially was not very impressed. A few things from that original pitch changed before the series reached the air, mainly, taking out the Secret Service storyline from the pilot script and delaying … [Read more...] about ‘The Night Agent’: How Thriller Almost Didn’t End Up At Netflix & Underwent Story Tweaks Before Becoming Streamer’s Next Big Hit

EXCLUSIVE: Corbin Bernsen ( City on a Hill ) is set for a key recurring role opposite Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson in J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan’s HBO Max period drama Duster . Co-written by Abrams and LaToya Morgan, in Duster , set in 1972, the first Black female FBI agent (Hilson) heads to the Southwest and recruits a gutsy getaway driver (Holloway) in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate. Bernsen will play Wade Ellis, the father of Holloway’s character. Keith David, Sydney Elisabeth, Greg Grunberg, Camille Guaty, Asivak Koostachin, Adriana Aluna Martinez and Benjamin Charles Watson also star. RELATED: 2023 HBO Max Series & Pilot Orders Duster is produced by Warner Bros. Television. The first two episodes are written by Abrams and Morgan. Steph Green directs the first two episodes and executive produces. Abrams and Rachel Rusch Rich executive produce for Bad Robot through its content partnership with Warner Bros. … [Read more...] about Corbin Bernsen Set To Recur In J.J. Abrams’ HBO Max Series ‘Duster’

Rachel Hilson will star alongside Josh Holloway in J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan’s period drama Duster as HBO Max has finally handed the project an official series order. The project has been long in the works, it was first announced in April 2020, where it was seemingly given a series order by then HBO Max Chief Content Officer Kevin Reilly. However, that turned out to be development with a series commitment. It has remained active and recently landed an official series order after a pilot was shot. Hilson will star as Nina, the first Black female FBI agent, who in 1972 heads to the Southwest and recruits a gutsy getaway driver, played by Holloway, the first in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate. Keith David, Sydney Elisabeth, Greg Grunberg, Camille Guaty, Asivak Koostachin, Adriana Aluna Martinez and Benjamin Charles Watson also star. Hilson is best known for starring in Hulu teen drama series Love, Victor after starting her career on … [Read more...] about Rachel Hilson To Star In J.J. Abrams & LaToya Morgan’s ‘Duster’ As HBO Max Hands Out Official Series Order