National board of review

The National Enquirer (U.S. and UK editions) and sister publications Globe and National Examiner are being unloaded by A360 Media to a JV of Vinco Ventures and Ted Farnsworth’s Icon Publishing. The exec was CEO of Helios & Matheson, a public company that acquired MoviePass in 2017 only see the ticketing service go belly-up three years later. The Enquirer, a nearly century-old, often scandal-plagued tabloid, most recently achieved notoriety under former publisher David Pecker with so-called “catch and kill” tactics — paying for stories that were potentially embarrassing to former President Donald Trump and never running them. That included payments to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed she had an affair with Trump. In 2019, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, in the midst of a divorce, accused the tabloid of attempting to strong arm and extort him with intimate photos and texts. Terms of today’s deal weren’t disclosed but it’s reportedly worth just under $100 … [Read more...] about The National Enquirer Sold To Joint Venture With Former MoviePass Executive

After weeks of seeing his private life flooded into the public, Jeff Bezos went online today to accuse Donald Trump’s pals at the National Enquirer of attempting to strong arm him with intimate photos, texts and an intent to ruin him with Amazon shareholders. “Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there’s a much more important matter involved here,” the world’s richest man and owner of the Washington Post wrote, regarding National Enquirer parent company American Media’s desire to shut down the investigation Bezos has started of how information about his marriage and other personal affairs became public knowledge. “If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can? (On that point, numerous people have contacted our investigation team about their similar experiences with AMI, and how they needed to capitulate because, for example, their livelihoods were at stake),” the Amazon founder wrote. … [Read more...] about Jeff Bezos Rips National Enquirer With “Extortion” Claims, Defends WaPo

David Pecker , the longtime publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer , is leaving the role as part of a deal unveiled Friday in which the paper’s parent company American Media LLC said it was merging with Accelerate , a national wholesale distribution company. Pecker, the longtime, often controversial president and CEO of Enquirer parent American Media, will become an executive adviser to the new combined company, which will be known as A360. Chris Scardino, previously EVP and Group Publisher and an 18-year veteran of American Media, becomes president. “This is a transformative event that significantly reshapes Accelerate and American Media into a new type of media and marketing company with an unprecedented reach all the way to the sales floor,” Accelerate CEO David Parry said in a release announcing the news. This move comes over a year after it was announced the scandal hobbled Enquirer was to be sold to a new company headed by Hudson News boss James Cohen … [Read more...] about David Pecker Out Atop National Enquirer Owner American Media After Merger

The three years in prison that Donald Trump ’s former fixer Michael Cohen received today wasn’t the only bad press the increasingly besieged former Celebrity Apprentice host was handed. The feds also revealed Wednesday that the owners of the National Enquirer have provided “substantial and important assistance” to them in their investigations. With the effective burial of the American Media Inc publication’s so-called “catch and kill” strategy to bury stores that could have adversely affected Trump, the company and CEO David Pecker were granted freedom criminal prosecution by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for their role in paying Playboy model Karen McDougal off with $150,000 before the 2016 election. “AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election,” the U.S. Attorney’s office added announcing the non-prosecution agreement ( … [Read more...] about ‘National Enquirer’ Owner Admits “Influencing” 2016 Election With Payoffs For Donald Trump

Federal prosecutors granted immunity to David Pecker , the CEO of National Enquirer ‘s publisher and a longtime Donald Trump pal, in the Michael Cohen investigation. Back in June, Fox New reported that federal authorities had subpoenaed American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer, for records related to its $150,000 payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal for the rights to her story alleging an affair with  Trump. The payment was part of a catch-and-kill scheme to bury her story in advance of the 2016 election. Pecker was granted immunity in the investigation of Cohen’s dealings in that catch-and-kill scheme as well as the hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels , who also claims she had an affair with Trump. Pecker met with prosecutors to describe Cohen’s involvement in the hush money schemes brokered ahead of the 2016 election, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Cohen plead guilty to campaign finance violations, saying that, … [Read more...] about National Enquirer Boss David Pecker Got Immunity in Michael Cohen Probe: Report

Like Richard Nixon’s bestselling 1962 book Six Crises, Woody Allen ’s Crisis In Six Scenes is part stump speech, part career retrospective and a whole lot of filler. After Allen’s nearly 50-year absence from television, the September 30-launching Amazon series is a limp effort from an American icon. In a role he’s been playing for decades, Allen portrays Sidney J. Munsinger, an upscale suburban ad-man-turned-frustrated novelist who now is trying to write a sitcom. To joke, the late-1960s-set Crisis does little to hide Allen’s contempt for the gig, literally and figuratively. Elaine May is Sidney’s psychologist spouse Kay and contemporary wild child and new The Voice judge Miley Cyrus is an on-the-run radical named Lennie Dale, who lands on their doorstep. Maybe the fact that none of Crisis ‘ six episodes clocks in at more than 30 minutes reveals just how little Allen seems to care about the medium and the possibilities of the platform because the meandering … [Read more...] about ‘Crisis In Six Scenes’ Review: Woody Allen’s Limp Amazon Series Is All Old Tricks

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based genre specialist has boarded sales on Belgian black comedy Krump about a down-on-his-luck ex-porn actor who embarks on a seemingly hopeless mission to raise 50,000 euros when his daughter is kidnapped. The film is the debut feature of French-born, long-time Brussels resident director Cédric Bourgeois after a raft of half a dozen shorts including Laura and Dreamcatchers . Veteran Belgian actor Jean-Benoit Ugeux stars as the titular Krump who turns to his former acquaintances in the porn world to raise the ransom money in a race against time in the underbelly of Brussels nightlife. Other cast members include Jean-Jacques Rausin ( Death By Death ), Babetida Sadjo ( Ritueel, Attraction ), stunt woman and actress Barbara Hellemans  ( Corsage, Dumbo ) and Ingrid Heiderscheidt ( Employee Of The Month ). Bourgeois and Ugeux, and director Xavier Seron co-wrote the screenplay taking inspiration from the figure of President Donald Trump … [Read more...] about Reel Suspects Boards Belgian Donald Trump-Inspired Dark Comedy ‘Krump’ – EFM

The furor over a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. airspace has further chilled D.C.-Beijing tensions, but the entertainment industry already has been swept up in the heightened atmosphere of American hawkishness. Hollywood studios and producers are poised to get a new level of scrutiny over their dealings with China — reflecting a bipartisan hardline toward Beijing and escalating concerns over its influence. A little publicized provision of a recently passed defense bill restricts the U.S. government from spending funds on movies that, to gain entry into the Chinese marketplace, are altered in the face of Chinese government dictates. The provision in the National Defense Authorization Act , approved in a bipartisan vote of Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in December, is the latest example of an increased focus on China’s role, not just in the entertainment industry but also in sports and social media. While Republicans have led attacks on … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s China Predicament: New Law Restricts U.S. Cooperation On Projects Modified To Appease Beijing

President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday: “The president will underscore the progress we have made during one of the most challenging times…in history.” The speech will be carried live at 9 p.m. ET by every major broadcast and most cable news outlets. It can also be livestreamed via the player embedded below. The Republican response to Biden’s address, delivered directly after, will also be available via the player. This is Biden’s first address to a divided Congress and Kevin McCarthy’s first State of the Union as Speaker of the House. NETWORK COVERAGE PLANS ON TV & ONLINE ABC News will have special coverage of the 2023 State of the Union and the Republican response from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. ET on ABC, and streaming on ABC News Live. World News Tonight anchor David Muir will lead primetime coverage from Washington, … [Read more...] about State Of The Union Speech: How To Watch Biden’s Address To Congress On TV & Online

EXCLUSIVE: Picture Tree Int’l (PTI) has boarded sales on German Sophie Scholls – The Final Days Oscar-nominee and hitmaker Marc Rothemund ’s heart-warming family drama Weekend Rebels , inspired by the true story of a father who forged a special bond with his autistic son through the search for a perfect soccer club. The film, currently in post-production, is produced by Justyna Muesch, Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann. Their Oscar-winning banner Wiedemann & Berg Film company has delivered a slew of award-winning pictures over the years including The Lives Of Others , Never Look Away and Who Am I . SevenPictures Film co-produces. Leonine Studios is also on board and will release the film in Germany on September 28, 2023. Florian David Fitz ( Welcome to Germany , Vincent Wants To Sea ) leads the German cast as a father who gets closer to his 10-year-old autistic son through a quest to find a soccer club they can support together, in return for the boy … [Read more...] about Picture Tree Int’l To Launch Marc Rothemund’s Father & Son, Autism, Soccer Club Comedy-Drama ‘Weekend Rebels’ At EFM; Unveils First Image