Guilty about calling in sick

Hundreds of WGA East members who work for Hearst Magazines Media are planning to stage a walkout Thursday to demand a fair contract. The half-day action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET and will last the remainder of the day. “ WGA East members at Hearst have been bargaining a first contract for over two years and their last scheduled day of negotiations is March 28,” the guild said. “With only one bargaining session left, the Hearst Union is taking collective action with a unit-wide walkout in their fight for a fair first contract.” Rallies in support of the walkout will be held at four locations: outside the Hearst Tower in Manhattan; at the Hearst offices in Easton, PA; at the Hearst offices in Ann Arbor, MI; and the Hearst offices in Birmingham, AL. The guild represents some 500 of the publishing giant’s editorial, video, design and photo staff at more than 25 brands including Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, … [Read more...] about WGA East Sets Walkout At Hearst Magazines For Thursday; Hundreds Sign Petition

Danny DeVito will return to the Broadway stage this October in a new play by Theresa Rebeck called I Need That . The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor will star alongside his daughter Lucy DeVito and Ray Anthony Thomas in the Roundabout Theatre Company ’s production of what the company describes as “a deeply human new comedy.” Preview and opening night dates for I Need That at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre will be announced later. The synopsis: Sam (DeVito) doesn’t get out much. Actually, he doesn’t get out at all, opting instead for the safety of his house in the company of his things – his many, many things. But when a notice from the government arrives alerting Sam that he must clean up his property or face eviction, he’s forced to reckon with what’s trash, what’s treasure, and whether we can ever know the difference between the two. DeVito, best known of course for portraying Louie De Palma on the sitcom Taxi and, more recently, Frank … [Read more...] about Danny DeVito Sets Fall Broadway Return With Daughter Lucy In Theresa Rebeck Play ‘I Need That’

EXCLUSIVE: Guinness World Records , the iconic British institution that has been running for nearly 70 years, has launched its first ever TV channel. Guinness World Records and the recently-launched GWR Studios have tied with U.S. streamer Atmosphere on the FAST network. Shows such as GWR original Guinness World Records: Gone Viral will launch on the network along with a number of shows that focus on sports or fitness record-breaking. Launching in 1955 as the Guinness Book of Records before changing name in 1999, the institution publishes an annual world-renowned book, which carries the latest recordbreakers. Today, the offering has transformed into a multimedia brand. Kathryn Hubbard, Head of Licensing at Guinness World Records, called the channel a “pinnacle moment for both GWR Studios and Guinness World Records in general.” “It presents an amazing opportunity to curate and showcase the very best of our content in partnership with Atmosphere, an industry … [Read more...] about Guinness World Records Launches First Ever TV Channel

Amazon is moving forward with its series adaptation of E. Lockhart’s novel We Were Liars . The streamer has handed the project, which comes from Julie Plec , Carina Adly MacKenzie and Universal Television and Amazon Studios, a series order. It comes after the project emerged at the streamer in development in December. RELATED: 2023 Prime Video Pilots & Series Orders Plec and her My So-Called Company banner and Universal Television, where The Vampire Diaries co-creator is based, optioned the 2014 book as part of a trio of deals with Lockhart in the summer. Plec and Roswell, New Mexico co-creator Carina Adly MacKenzie are adapting the book. Plec is writing the first episode, and MacKenzie is writing the second. We Were Liars is a “tragic” love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. Focusing on the the theme of consequences of one’s mistakes, the series follows the wealthy, seemingly … [Read more...] about ‘We Were Liars’ Series Adaptation From Julie Plec & Carina Adly MacKenzie Lands Series Order At Amazon

EXCLUSIVE : Great news for fans of E. Lockhart’s popular YA books: Julie Plec ’s My So-Called Company and Universal Television has acquired the rights to We Were Liars, Family of Liars and Again Again. We Were Liars is a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. It’s been on the NY Times bestseller list for the past 22 months. The recently released Family of Liars , the prequel to We Were Liars, takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come. Again Again follows Adelaide Buchwald who, after a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times while confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind. Carina Adly MacKenzie … [Read more...] about Julie Plec & Universal TV Option YA Books ‘We Were Liars,’ ‘Family of Liars’ & ‘Again Again’ By E. Lockhart

Amazon is laying off another 9,000 workers as job cuts in the tech sector expand at a time of growing economic uncertainty. It follows cuts last fall and early this year. “Given the uncertain economy in which we reside, and the uncertainty that exists in the near future, we have chosen to be more streamlined in our costs and headcount,” Jassy said in a memo to staff today. “As we’ve just concluded the second phase of our operating plan (“OP2”) this past week, I’m writing to share that we intend to eliminate about 9,000 more positions in the next few weeks—mostly in AWS, PXT, Advertising, and Twitch. This was a difficult decision, but one that we think is best for the company long term,” he said. (PXT is People eXperience and Technology,) Tech companies have been shedding staff at a rapid clip. Meta Platforms, the corporate parent of Facebook , Instagram and WhatsApp, recently announced plans to cut another 10,000 jobs and undergo a hiring freeze in what CEO Mark … [Read more...] about Amazon Laying Off Thousands More As Job Cuts In Sector Expand

Karamo , the syndicated talk show hosted by Karamo Brown , has been renewed for a second season. The news was announced Thursday by Tracie Wilson, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News. To date, Karamo is sold in 85% of the country and appears on leading station groups including Nexstar, Weigel, Tegna, Sunbeam, Hearst, Sinclair, Capitol, Block, CW Plus, Mission Broadcasting and more. The conflict talk show addresses a wide range of topics, including infidelity, DNA mystery, parenting, and complex family dynamics. The show also features a popular segment called “Unlock The Phone,” where guests have the opportunity for Karamo’s investigative team to uncover their partners’ cell phone history to identify potential infidelities. In its first season in national broadcast syndication , Karamo is averaging over 600,000 daily viewers in 2023, up 18% over its performance for fall 2022. “I’m beyond excited for a second season where we … [Read more...] about Karamo Brown Syndicated Talk Show Renewed For Season 2 By NBCUniversal

UK sales and production firm Embankment Films ( The Father, The Wife ) has set a wholesale rejig of its nonfiction arm with four new senior hires. Producers Nick Taussig, Malcolm Neaum, Sophie Harmer, and researcher Henry Farrington will join the company, taking on their new positions with immediate effect. Taussig ( McQueen, Audrey, Killing Escobar ), a BAFTA and Grierson nominated feature documentary producer, will team with Neaum ( I Shouldn’t Be Alive, Savile Row ) to produce unscripted series formats, including returnable series, for Embankment. Those two will be joined by Harmer, who, with Taussig, recently produced the feature docs Call Me Kate and Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and Me . Harmer will be Head of Production Unscripted at Embankment, while Henry Farrington joins as a senior researcher. These four new hires are the latest to be announced by Embankment since veteran UK producer Kevin Loader ( The Death of Stalin, … [Read more...] about Embankment Beefs Up Nonfiction Arm With Four Hires

EXCLUSIVE: Actress, writer, and producer Diarra Kilpatrick has signed an overall deal with BET for its BET Studios division. As part of the deal, BET+ ordered 8 episodes of the straight-to-series project Diarra From Detroit . Each 1-hour episode of the dark comedy follows a divorcing schoolteacher with an acerbic sense of humor who refuses to believe she’s been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date. Her search for the missing man pulls her into a decades-old mystery involving the Detroit underworld. Production is currently wrapping up on Diarra From Detroit , which is slated to premiere later in 2023. “We are so excited to partner with Diarra. She represents the next generation of content creators, boldly embracing the role of a multi-hyphenate as a writer, actress, and producer,” said Aisha Summers Burke, Executive Vice President, and General Manager, BET Studios. “With a unique and authentic voice, Diarra’s storytelling is fearless, funny, and subversive. We are … [Read more...] about Diarra Kilpatrick Strikes Overall Deal With BET, Lands Straight-To-Series Order For Dark Comedy At BET+

Getty Composite Jimmy Garoppolo 's Raiders career might start off with a bang -- that is, if he accepts a once-in-a-lifetime offer from two Nevada brothel workers ... who tell TMZ Sports they wanna hook him up with free sex forever!! The two lovely ladies are Caitlin Bell and Alice Little of the famous Chicken Ranch brothel ... and they tell us they're really excited the "heartthrob" is moving to their neck of the woods after inking a 3-year deal with the Raiders last week. The licensed workers wanna show Jimmy G just how grateful they are now that he's moving from The Bay to Vegas ... with a free-for-life sex package!!! "I almost fainted when I heard Jimmy signed with the Raiders," Bell said in a statement. Gallery Launch Gallery "He deserves free sex just for joining our team," Bell said. "But he gets free sex for life from us just because he’s such a legit babe!" Little also points out that next year's Super Bowl is at … [Read more...] about Jimmy Garoppolo Offered ‘Free Sex For Life’ From Las Vegas Brothel Workers