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
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Al Michaels Says Patriots Can Win Without Brady, Hopes Collinsworth Stays Put
TMZSports.com Al Michaels thinks the Pats have what it takes to beat the Jags and make it to another Super Bowl ... with or without their legendary quarterback. We got one of the voices of 'Sunday Night Football' at Madeo Restaurant in Weho Friday night, and talked shop about some NFL matters. Al suggests it's no sure thing Tom Brady plays Sunday due to his hand injury, but even if he's out New England can prevail ... because there's no 'Tom' in 'team.' Michaels also chats with us about Brady's former backup, Jimmy Garoppolo , and says he'll be happy for whoever replaces Jon Gruden in the booth for 'MNF' ... as long as it's not his 'SNF' partner. … [Read more...] about Al Michaels Says Patriots Can Win Without Brady, Hopes Collinsworth Stays Put
Tyrese Gibson And Harvey Keitel To Star In Action Thriller ‘The Wrecker’
EXCLUSIVE: Tyrese Gibson ( The Fast and Furious franchise) and Harvey Keitel ( Reservoir Dogs ) have signed on to star in the action thriller The Wrecker . The pic is currently shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Filmmaker Art Camacho is directing from an original screenplay by Niko Foster, who also stars in the pic. The film’s plot follows a dishonorably discharged ex-marine named Tony, now turned car mechanic, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his reckless brother makes a bad decision gaining the unwanted attention of a notorious crime boss. Foster produces for Chasing Butterflies Pictures alongside Al Bravo for Al Bravo Films. Additional producers include Colin Bates, Eduard Osipov, Michael Pizzimenti, and Hemdee Kiwanuka. Stuart Alson, Nicole Holland, and Elias Axume, Premiere Entertainment CEO, serve as executive producers. Jiarui Guo and Michelle Wang Deppe co-produce. Camacho recently directed the action film Ruthless , starring Dermot Mulroney … [Read more...] about Tyrese Gibson And Harvey Keitel To Star In Action Thriller ‘The Wrecker’
Roku’s Colin Davis Named Head Of Comedy Development At Sony Pictures Television Studios; Other Recent Hires & Promotions Revealed
EXCLUSIVE : Colin Davis , Head of Scripted Originals for the Roku Channel, is leaving Roku’s free ad-supported streaming service to join Sony as EVP Comedy Development at Sony Pictures Television Studios . Davis, who starts May 1, will oversee development of comedies for all platforms, reporting to Jason Clodfelter, co-president of Sony Pictures Television Studios. Davis succeeds Glenn Adilman, who exited as EVP and head of comedy development in the studio’s November executive restructuring under new Sony Pictures TV Studios president Katherine Pope. Based on the Culver City lot, Davis will lead a team that includes Jennifer Gerstenblatt, Frank Ochoa and Jackie Wertheimer who serve as SVP Comedy Development, VP Animation, and Manager of Comedy Development, respectively. “We are thrilled to have Colin join our Sony Pictures Television Studios family,” said Clodfelter. “His passion and understanding of television are infectious, and he embodies an entrepreneurial … [Read more...] about Roku’s Colin Davis Named Head Of Comedy Development At Sony Pictures Television Studios; Other Recent Hires & Promotions Revealed
Martin Luther King III: My Father Is “Spinning In His Grave” Over Voting Rights Attacks — SXSW
Martin Luther King Jr. would be stunned by the rollback of voting rights in this country and efforts to suppress the teaching of the struggle for civil rights, according to his eldest son, Martin Luther King III . “People ask me, what do you think your father is doing? He’s not just turning over — he’s spinning in his grave,” MLK III told Deadline in a conversation at the SXSW Conference and Festivals. He imagines his late father thinking, “’What the heck is going on? Me, my team, we opened doors that should never be closed.’ And yet we’re going, it feels backwards — at least temporarily. Which is interesting because he prophetically wrote in his last book, Where Do We Go Here: Chaos or Community? , obviously he wanted us to revert to community, but we are seeing chaos constantly. Every day something else comes out that’s more extreme than the last thing. And, so, our work is cut out for us.” King and his wife Arndrea Waters King were among the panelists at an SXSW … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King III: My Father Is “Spinning In His Grave” Over Voting Rights Attacks — SXSW
Andrew Lloyd Webber Super Chill About King Charles’ Coronation Music
Getty You'd think Andrew Lloyd Webber would be feeling the pressure of having to craft King Charles ' coronation music -- but the dude is pretty relaxed ... hilariously so, in fact. The Broadway legend -- responsible for the numbers heard in "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera" and others -- dished to WaPo about the Royal assignment he agreed to about a month ago ... namely, composing THE musical piece that'll be playing while KC gets crowned in May. Getty It's quite the task, and yet ... ALW sounds super chill about it. His interview here makes it seem like the gig is just another day in the office. He says, "I have written quite a lot of choral music. [M]y father was a very distinguished church organist and choirmaster and the choral tradition is not something that is new to me in a way, because it’s been there all my life." In other words, he's been there ... done that. Now, he's just doing it for the King. As WaPo notes, Lloyd … [Read more...] about Andrew Lloyd Webber Super Chill About King Charles’ Coronation Music
Netflix Making $8 Million Deal For Lily Collins-Keanu Reeves Drama ‘To The Bone’
EXCLUSIVE : I can’t recall a Sundance with this many solid sales at the midpoint of the Park City festival. Netflix is moving toward a deal to pay $8 million for world rights for To the Bone , the drama written and directed by Marti Noxon . Starring Lily Collins , Keanu Reeves , Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp and Liana Liberato, the pic premiered Sunday in the U.S. Dramatic section at Eccles. In a last-ditch effort to battle her severe anorexia, 20-year-old Ellen (Collins) enters a group recovery home. With the help of an unconventional doctor, Ellen and the other residents go on a sometimes-funny, sometimes-harrowing journey that leads to the ultimate question: Is life worth living? The film is an incredibly personal undertaking for Noxon who makes her feature directing debut after writing and producing for years such TV series as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy , and Glee . When she was younger Noxon battled eating disorders for … [Read more...] about Netflix Making $8 Million Deal For Lily Collins-Keanu Reeves Drama ‘To The Bone’
The Black List And Women In Film Set 2023 Episodic Lab Writers
EXCLUSIVE: The Black List and Women in Film said Monday that they have set the participants for their 2023 Episodic Lab, with seven television pilots from eight writers selected. Now in its seventh year, the lab focuses on preparing women writers and writers of underrepresented genders for careers in writing for TV. More than 40 scribes have participated since its launch in 2016, with the organizations saying half currently have jobs in the industry. This year’s list features Bev Chukwu, Deanna Esposito, Eudie Pak, Laura Malatos & Helen Sun, Katherine Ruppe, Lorin Williams and Thea Rodgers. The lab, supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Shivhans Pictures, meets twice a week in March for sessions that include masterclasses, pitch workshops and lectures from guest mentors. This year’s mentors list includes Monica Beletsky ( Parenthood ), Jane Becker ( Ted Lasso ), Glen Mazzara ( The Dark Tower ), Sono Patel ( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ) … [Read more...] about The Black List And Women In Film Set 2023 Episodic Lab Writers
New Documentary Shows How American Evangelicals Are ‘Praying For Armageddon’ And Pulling The Levers Of Power To Achieve It – CPH:DOX
Imagine not only believing the world is coming to an end, but wanting it to happen. Eagerly. Then, take it a step further and imagine people with such a mentality engineering American politics and foreign policy to bring about the very thing they seek — the apocalypse. It may sound outlandish, but there are many well organized fundamentalist Christian leaders and their followers working hard to make this doomsday scenario a reality, an alarming movement explored in the documentary Praying for Armageddon . The film directed by Norwegian filmmaker Tonje Hessen Schei and co-directed by Michael Rowley makes its world premiere Monday night at the prestigious CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen. “What they are really pushing for is the destruction of our civilization. It’s quite outrageous and mind blowing, really,” Schei tells Deadline as we sit at a café in Copenhagen. “And I don’t think a lot of Americans realize that the sort of hidden end time Armageddon lobby… that … [Read more...] about New Documentary Shows How American Evangelicals Are ‘Praying For Armageddon’ And Pulling The Levers Of Power To Achieve It – CPH:DOX
Tom Cavanagh To Host ‘Hey Yahoo!’ For Game Show Network
EXCLUSIVE: Actor/director Tom Cavanagh is into gaming now — specifically, one that involves what you are searching for on Yahoo these days. The star from Ed and The Flash is set to host Hey Yahoo! , a new show for the Game Show Network that’s set to premiere early this summer. The half-hour game features two teams of three players which compete to guess what millions of people are searching for on Yahoo. Contestants are given the first half of a search, and then have to fill in the blank based on what they think America is searching for. For each correct answer, the dollar value of that answer is added to the team’s bank. At the end of three rounds of play, the team with the most money wins and will go on to the bonus round for a chance to add an extra $10,000 to their winnings. “With Hey Yahoo! we’re bringing together friends and family to fill in the blank with a modern twist, based on the billions of searches a year happening on Yahoo Search,” said … [Read more...] about Tom Cavanagh To Host ‘Hey Yahoo!’ For Game Show Network