“Smelly Cat” is undoubtedly one of the most iconic musical moments of modern classic sitcom “Friends” and now, thanks to the HBO Max reunion special, the ditty has been updated for a whole new generation of fans. It wasn’t quite a remix, but Lady Gaga added her signature belt to the closest thing to a
Television
Apple TV Plus released a trailer for its upcoming dark comedy “Physical” starring Rose Byrne. The 10-episode series, which premieres globally on June 18, follows Byrne’s character Sheila as she transitions from being a housewife to a radical female lifestyle guru after getting hooked on aerobics. “After just one class you can feel it happening.
Marking the biggest Spanish-language literary adaptation deal of the year, Telemundo Global Studios has signed with Spain’s Planeta for exclusive rights to the complete library of all time best-selling Spanish-language writer Corín Tellado, which reaches nearly 4,000 titles. The deal signals another big swing by Telemundo Global Studios, the domestic and international scripted unit of
After so many years — and episode re-watches — could there BE anything left to learn about “Friends”? As the highly-anticipated, almost two-hour reunion special for HBO Max shows (and with apologies to Matthew Perry for continuing to borrow his lines), “Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.” One thing that we didn’t need to learn
“The Killing Kind,” the latest novel from best-selling author Jane Casey, has been optioned by Sony Pictures Television-backed Eleventh Hour Films. The thriller, which is published Thursday by HarperCollins, will be adapted into a limited series by screenwriters Zara Hayes (“Showtrial”) and Jonathan Stewart (“Meet You in Hell”). Hayes will also direct while Casey has
Amazon Prime Video is stepping up scripted production in Italy with green lights for two new original series: dark Mafia comedy “The Bad Guy,” and young adult coming-of-age drama “Prisma,” which is about twin brothers who go against gender norms in different ways. The new Italian Amazon Original skeins were announced at a Prime Video
The International Icon Interview with Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner Whoopi Goldberg will be one of the highlights of the 2021 Edinburgh TV Festival. Goldberg, a recent Variety cover star, is expected to talk candidly about her life on and off screen and her experiences as a multi-award winning artist, producer, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian,
Paul Rudnick‘s “Playing The Palace” has been years in the making. The novel follows a New York City event planner named Carter Ogden who unexpectedly sparks a love affair with Edgar, the openly gay Crown Prince of England. After working on the first draft for almost a year, Rudnick revealed that he spent many months
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5, Episode 13 finale of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 26 on Fox. Nick Lachey is hogging “The Masked Singer” spotlight. Disguised as the Piglet, the 98 Degrees star is taking home the bacon as Season 5’s big winner. Also revealed on
“The Bold Type,” which airs its fifth and final season premiere Wednesday night, might not have ever happened if it weren’t for Katy Perry. Former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles recalls the genesis of the series, inspired by her life at the top of the masthead, as stemming from a cover shoot with the pop singer
Amazon’s announcement of its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM emphasized the value of the MGM movie library to the Amazon Prime streaming service. But the transaction raises big questions about what will become of existing MGM’s television group, headed by Mark Burnett. Burnett is already a big winner in the deal as he is poised
Who will Greg Gutfeld yell at now? Juan Williams, the resident liberal member of the popular Fox News panel show “The Five” is leaving the program for which he has worked since 2015. He expressed a desire on air Wednesday to stay near his family in Washington D.C. Williams commuted to New York before the
Netflix’s new “High on the Hog” isn’t just a food show or a history show or a travel show. It’s a joyful combination of all of those genres, shot through with a deep reverence for the people and places that were formative to creating African American food — which in turn became simply American food.
Parker Posey will star alongside Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Juliette Binoche and Rosemarie DeWitt in the HBO Max limited series “The Staircase.” The eight-parter is based on the docuseries of the same name and various books and reports on the Michael Peterson (Firth) case. Peterson was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen (Collette), in 2001. He
“Firefly Lane” has been renewed for Season 2 at Netflix. Season 1 of the series debuted in February. The series stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke and is based on the novel of the same name by Kristin Hannah. Both Heigl and Chalke will return for Season 2, which is slated to debut in 2022.
Will Mr. Big return for HBO Max’s “And Just Like That…”? Abso-fucking-lutely. Despite early reports to the contrary, Chris Noth will indeed be reprising his role as Carrie Bradshaw’s beau in the 10-episode “Sex and the City” revival, which is scheduled to begin production in New York this summer. “I’m thrilled to be working with
“WandaVision” head writer Jac Schaeffer has signed a three-year overall deal TV deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Television. Under the deal, Schaeffer will develop projects for both Marvel Studios and 20th Television. Projects for Marvel Studios will go to Disney Plus, while projects for 20th TV will be developed for all platforms. Schaeffer created
Writer-producer-director Eric Kripke has been working in genre television for almost 20 years. His long-running “Supernatural” featured dramatic, awards-bait themes such as chosen family, religion, addiction and working through trauma (in addition to demon-hunting), but only picked up three Emmy noms, all in Creative Arts categories (two for sound editing and one for music composition).
“Holy mother of DVD extras! The private footage of a TV billionaire is going to belong to an actual billionaire!” In the wake of Amazon’s $8.45 billion acquisition of MGM, Stephen Colbert urged Jeff Bezos to release outtakes from Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice.” “Someday soon, Bezos may release the most racist thing in the MGM
At this year’s virtual Golden Globes, Kaley Cuoco channeled Cinderella in an Oscar de la Renta ball gown and Cynthia Erivo caught eyes in neon Valentino Couture. But at the very same show, Jason Sudeikis donned a tie-dyed hoodie and Jodie Foster accepted her award clad in Prada pajamas. The dichotomy continued at the SAG
Rory Cochrane, Danny Burstein, Austin Aaron, Ta’Nika Gibson, Edwin Hodge, Terence Davis and Ja’Quan Cole have joined HBO’s upcoming sports drama series about the Los Angeles Lakers. The seven actors join an increasingly high-profile and star-studded series cast. The untitled project, ordered at HBO in December 2019, is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book “Showtime: Magic,
In today’s Global Bulletin, Steve Coogan takes Alan Partridge on the road; Another Screen offers a free, month-long selection of films from Palestinian women filmmakers; Spain gets a “Temptation Island” spinoff show; the Gulf Cooperation Council launches a campaign to bring audiences back to the cinema post-COVID; VIS makes its first reality format deal in
The cast of “The Sandman” series at Netflix continues to grow, with 12 new additions to the cast being announced. Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Jenna Coleman, Niamh Walsh, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Kyo Ra, Stephen Fry, Razane Jammal, Sandra James Young, and Patton Oswalt will all join the show. They join previously
The popular mobile game “Temple Run” could soon be coming to TV, with unscripted juggernaut A. Smith & Co. Productions teaming with video game company Imangi Studios to develop a competition series based on the game. The series will give contestants the chance to run the “Temple Run” course in real life. Additional details, including
Seventeen years after “The Last One,” Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc are returning to Warner Bros.’ Stage 24 for “Friends: The Reunion.” The reunion special will stream on Thursday, exclusively on HBO Max. On May 26, HBO Max will host “Friends Reunite for Friends” screening events in
Hockey great Wayne Gretzky was made an analyst for Turner Sports’ new NHL coverage, part of a quick ramp-up in talent as the WarnerMedia unit prepares to handle a new seven-year deal with the league it hopes will expand its professional-sports presence and draw new viewers to cable outlets like TNT and TBS. Gretzky is
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the fifth season finale of “This Is Us.” Mandy Moore has a proposal for the final season of This Is Us: a destination wedding. When the NBC drama returns in 2022 for its sixth season, the series will spend a great deal of time filling
Discovery’s CEO feels a combination of WarnerMedia and his company will create a new media company that is “uniquely competitive with Netflix and Disney,” and articulated the need to have a global footprint in the future in order to compete in the entertainment industry’s streaming wars. Discovery last week stuck a pact with AT&T to
An investigative three-part docuseries centered on British socialist Ghislaine Maxwell, known for her association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is coming to NBCUniversal-owned streaming service Peacock on June 24. The original documentary, produced by Blue Ant Studios, is described as investigating the “powerful, connected, and mysterious Ghislaine Maxwell, who was once the heiress to
Discovery-backed channel GB News will launch June 13 in the U.K. with a special program “Welcome to GB News.” The channel will be available on Freeview channel 236, Sky HD, Virgin Media HD, YouView channel 236 and Freesat channel 216, besides mobile and online. GB News is backed by Discovery and several other mostly non-British