Politely to reject a job offer

Britain’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden has denied a report that the government has asked right-wing commentator Charles Moore and former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre to fill two powerful UK media jobs. The Sunday Times reported that Moore has been tapped to be the next chair of the BBC , while Dacre is set to be installed as the new chair of UK media regulator Ofcom . The government is responsible for recruiting for both roles and the Sunday Times said prime minister Boris Johnson wants the pair, both ferocious critics of the BBC, to usher in a “revolution” in UK broadcasting. Senior government insiders told the newspaper that hiring Moore as a replacement for outgoing BBC chair David Clementi is a “done deal,” while Johnson “wooed” Dacre for the Ofcom job over drinks at Downing Street in February. But speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Dowden denied that any decisions have been made prior to the government launching a formal recruitment … [Read more...] about UK Government Denies Offering Powerful Media Jobs To Ferocious BBC Critics Paul Dacre & Charles Moore

More than 300 leading figures from the French film and TV world have gotten behind a petition decrying controversial pension reforms spearheaded by the government of President Emmanuel Macron . French stars Juliette Binoche , Audrey Fleurot, Camille Cottin , Swann Arlaud, Jeanne Balibar, Bérenice Béjo, Laure Calamy, Camille Cottin, Pierre Deladonchamps and Noémie Merlant; directors Michel Hazanavicius , Alice Diop , Kim Chapiron, Maimouna Doucouré, Robert Guédiguian and Alain Guiraudie, as well as producer Saïd Ben Saïd were among the signatories. “It is high time to make our voices heard, because cinema, theater, culture, even if they sometimes offer dreams and a means of escape, above all speak of our world,” read an open letter to Macron accompanying the petition. The petition was launched under the banner of the Cinema Entertainment Collective on the Liberation newspaper website on Thursday afternoon, as a national strike brought public services to a … [Read more...] about French Film & TV Stars Get Behind Petition Decrying Macron Pension Reforms; King Charles State Visit Postponed Due To Unrest

Walt Disney World workers have reached a tentative agreement with Disney for a pay raise to $18/hour for existing workers by the end of this year. The union will now recommend workers vote to approve the agreement. The agreement comes after union members rejected an offer last month of $17 per hour as the minimum wage. “Securing an $18 minimum hourly rate this year, increasing the overall economic value of Disney’s original offer, and ensuring full back pay for every worker are the priorities union members were determined to fight for,” said Matt Hollis, president of the Services Trades Council Union (STCU), in a statement Thursday. The deal will give all theme park workers a raise, according to the union and the company. The union said raises will range from $5.50 to $8.60 an hour by the end of the contract. The company said the contract would guarantee a minimum of $17 an hour for new and existing employees upon ratification, and at least $18 an hour by the end of … [Read more...] about Walt Disney World Workers Reach Tentative Agreement For Raise, Child Bonding Leave

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the Season 5 premiere of Freeform ’s Good Trouble . Maia Mitchell has returned to The Coterie — but not under happy circumstances. The Season 5 premiere of Good Trouble ends with Mariana ( Cierra Ramirez ) and Callie reuniting in their old shared bedroom at the co-living space after Mariana spent the night at the hospital with her former flame (and boss) Evan Speck. The episode picked up right where Season 4 left off, with Mariana trying to escape from a cult while saving Joaquin’s sister, Jenna. Joaquin (Bryan Craig) was tipped off that Mariana was missing by a concerned Evan (T.J. Linnard), who tags along to rescue the women. In the opening minutes of the episode, someone fires a gun in an attempt to stop the group from escaping, and the bullet hits Evan in the chest. They rush him to the hospital, where Mariana spends the night with him. In the morning, she learns from Evan’s lawyer that he named her his … [Read more...] about ‘Good Trouble’ Boss Talks Maia Mitchell’s Return, Evan’s Fate & More From Season 5 Premiere

EXCLUSIVE : The BBC raised concerns about the way the government was going about appointing its new Chairman before the controversial hire of Richard Sharp . Sir David Clementi, the BBC’s former Chairman, wrote to the government in October 2020 to complain about the recruitment process for his successor. The UK government is responsible for appointing the BBC’s Chairman, while ministers also play a role in hiring four other board members. The procedure has become increasingly divisive, with concerns about ministers installing political candidates, leaving the BBC open to the accusation that its non-executive directors are too close to the government. Clementi’s letter to Oliver Dowden, the former Culture Secretary, could fuel suspicions that the government played politics with the BBC’s board amid a wider agenda against the broadcaster. In the letter, disclosed by the BBC under a Freedom of Information request, Clementi raised questions about the Chairman … [Read more...] about BBC Complained To Government About Chairman Appointment Process Ahead Of Richard Sharp Hire

5 th UPDATE – FINAL: (See McHale and Obama videos here and here ) If last year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner with headliner Conan O’Brien was white bread bland, tonight’s event was just painful. In way way over his head, Joel McHale stumbled and sputtered through a routine that got more moans and groans from the packed Washington Hilton ballroom than laughs. With failed one-liners about runaway production, Robert De Niro ’s career choices, Jessica Simpson ’s historical knowledge, the Kardashians’ sex lives, George Clooney ’s political affiliations, Bill Clinton’s qualifications as a grandfather and a slew of other poorly conceived and badly executed jokes, the Community star left the stage after 30-minutes to weak applause from the 2,600 guests. At least he made President Obama ’s speech and his now standard swipes at cable news look good in comparison. Obama’s sharpest line of the night came courtesy of Netflix when Obama sympathized with … [Read more...] about Obama Rips Cable News & Joel McHale Bombs At White House Correspondents’ Dinner

EXCLUSIVE : Flight attendant-turned-tyro author T.J. Newman has been set to write the script for her debut bestselling novel Falling for Universal and Working Title. Now, her follow-up manuscript has leaked around town and could be the next hot auction title. The new one is Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 , and it will be shopped imminently. A plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean six minutes after takeoff and is flooded after an explosion during evacuation. A dozen survivors sink in a sealed part of the aircraft as it perches precariously on an undersea cliff 200 feet below the surface. Among them is an engineer and his 11-year-old daughter. His estranged wife and the girl’s mother is part of the elite rescue team that races to save the passengers before their air runs out. Newman is the flight attendant who filled the down time on flights scribbling an aviation thriller, only to see her get rejected by 41 agents before Shane Salerno and The Story Factory … [Read more...] about As T.J. Newman Is Set To Adapt Debut Novel ‘Falling’, Her Follow-up ‘Drowning: The Rescue Of Flight 1421’ Drops In Hollywood

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the first three episodes of Apple TV+’s Extrapolations . Daveed Diggs plays a rabbi grappling with the realities of the climate crisis in Scott Z. Burns ’ series Extrapolations for Apple TV+. When audiences first meet him, Rabbi Marshall Zucker is newly ordained and set on serving a congregation in Tel Aviv. He’s passionate about his religion and also about saving the world, specifically from the climate crisis. But in Episode 3, which is set 10 years later, things clearly haven’t worked out as planned. Now, he’s back in his hometown of Miami. He’s doing much less saving the world and more pandering to the Department of Sea Level Mitigation, hoping that they will zone the synagogue to be saved from sea-level rise and flooding — and his sermons are noticeably less passionate than they used to be. That’s when he meets Alana Goldblatt (Neska Rose), who is preparing for her bat mitzvah with Rabbi Zucker. But Alana … [Read more...] about Daveed Diggs Talks Exploring The Climate Crisis Through A Faith-Based Lens In Apple TV+’s ‘Extrapolations’

As he accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Adam Sander peered at the bronze bust of the legendary humorist and, per the AP, said, “As I look at this goofy award I’m holding, I can’t help but think that one day it might be the weapon used to bludgeon me in my sleep by a disgruntled intruder or possibly Mr. Rob Schneider.” Sandler is the latest comic and former Saturday Night Live alum to get the honor, on a night that was part roast, part tribute and part politically charged humor. Chris Rock noted the big news of the weekend: The potential arrest of Donald Trump in New York, as the former president has called on his supporters to protest. “Are you guys really going to arrest Trump? Do you know that this is only going to make him more popular? It is like arresting Tupac. He’s just going to sell more records. Are you stupid? He slept with a porn star and paid off someone so his wife wouldn’t find out. That’s romantic.” Also appearing were Dana Carvey, … [Read more...] about Chris Rock Riffs On Potential Donald Trump Arrest At Mark Twain Prize Ceremony For Adam Sandler

Pulling back the curtain, History Channel announced this morning it will work with the White House Correspondents’ Association to produce a special video commemorating the centennial celebration of the organization as well as its annual White House Correspondents Dinner . The video will be screened at that annual Beltway bash/Hollywood petting zoo, which will again be held at Washington’s Hinckley Hilton on Saturday, May 3. President Obama and former President Clinton will participate in the video chronicling the origin of the WHCA in 1914 and its evolution over the century. Related: Joel McHale To Host White House Correspondents’ Dinner In addition to Obama and Clinton, among those scheduled to be interviewed include historians; press secretaries Marlin Fitzwater, Mike McCurry, and Dana Perino; and the WHC Dinner’s past and current celebrity hosts. In theory the latter means Stephen Colbert , who scorched the ballroom with his in-character indictment of … [Read more...] about White House Correspondents Enlist History Channel To Produce Documentary About Journalists Organization