SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the ninth episode of Season 24 of “The Bachelor” And then there were three. Last week, titular bachelor Peter Weber survived a round-robin of meet the parents, and chose to continue his journey with three women: Madison Prewett, Hannah Ann Sluss and Victoria Fuller. After
Television
Fox’s drama pilot “The Big Leap” has added four series regulars. Matt Lucas, Ser’Darius Blain, Ray Cham, and Teri Polo have all joined the one-hour project, which centers on a group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a
Spoiler alert for a few plot lines and scenes from the first two episodes of “Hollywood.” Netflix hosted a sneak peek of Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood,” a seven-episode series for Netflix, on Sunday night at the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood. Without giving away too many spoilers, the show takes place in post-WWII Hollywood. David
Ana Gasteyer has signed on for lead role in the NBC single-camera comedy pilot “American Auto.” The project hails from Justin Spitzer, the creator of NBC’s well-received comedy series “Superstore.” It is set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit where a floundering group of executives try to rediscover the company
In today’s TV news roundup, FX released a trailer of “The Most Dangerous Animal of All” and Quibi announced Megan Rapinoe as the host of the new docuseries “Prodigy.” CASTING Megan Rapinoe will host new documentary series “Prodigy,“ Quibi announced. As a host, Rapinoe will provide on camera commentary and her perspective on the eight
February 24, 2020 3:00PM PT Seann William Scott has signed on to the half-hour Fox pilot based on the British comedy series “This Country.” The American version follows a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly and Shrub
Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, delivered one of the most raw and powerful speeches at Kobe Bryant’s public memorial on Monday. He also evoked the most laughter. After fondly remembering his “little brother” Bryant, a visibly upset Jordan suddenly pivoted, like only Mike could, to some much-needed humor. “Now I’ll have
Fans who miss Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn’s presence on their television screens can now take a first sneak peek at their upcoming fashion design competition series on Amazon, “Making the Cut,” which debuts on Prime Video on March 27. The former “Project Runway” host and mentor are giving 12 designers and entrepreneurs the chance
Oliver Hudson and Malin Akerman have been cast in two of the lead roles in the CBS comedy pilot “The Three of Us,” Variety has learned. The multi-camera comedy follows adult siblings who are children of divorce who must circle the wagons when their sister’s husband unexpectedly announces he wants to call it quits on their
February 24, 2020 12:15PM PT ABC marketing chief Rebecca Daugherty has announced she is leaving the network after 33 years. Daugherty was promoted to executive VP of marketing for ABC Entertainment back in 2017, and oversaw marketing campaigns for a slew of ABC’s biggest shows including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and “The Conners.” “Becky has worked
Validation, relief, gratitude and pride — those were some of the emotions expressed by a group of women who came forward with allegations of sexual assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein in response to the disgraced producer’s conviction on Monday for rape and sexual assault. The group of more than 20 women held a
Shepard Smith hasn’t greeted TV-news viewers since leaving Fox News Channel in October of last year. He may have a new chance to connect with them as the 2020 election draws near. Smith continues to discuss possibilities with MSNBC and other media outlets, according to five people familiar with parts of the talks, which may
Barely holding back tears, host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant and the other victims of the helicopter crash that took their lives last month. “I don’t think any of us could have imagined this,” he said. “Everywhere you go, you see his face, his number, Gigi’s face, Gigi’s number at
The planned “Love, Simon” TV series is on the move. The show was originally set to air on Disney Plus but will now launch on Hulu instead. In addition, it will now be titled “Love, Victor.” It focuses on Victor (Michael Cimino), a new student at Creekwood High School — the same high school as
Beyonce kicked off Monday’s public memorial for Kobe Bryant with an emotional medley of her songs “XO” and “Halo.” “I’m here because I love Kobe, and this is one of his favorite songs,” she said before launching into a special rendition of “XO.” She was accompanied by singers and a string quartet, and wore a
February 24, 2020 10:32AM PT [embedded content] Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the seven other people killed in last month’s helicopter crash will be honored Monday in a public memorial at Staples Center. The ceremony, called “A Celebration of Life,” will begin at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Over 20,000 people are expected to
February 24, 2020 10:54AM PT Attorneys for Vanessa Bryant have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters, the company that operated the helicopter that crashed last month, resulting in the deaths of husband Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant in late January. The suit alleges that pilot Ara Zobayan was negligent and
Bob Cobert, the Grammy- and Emmy-nominated composer of television’s “Dark Shadows” and “The Winds of War,” died of pneumonia Feb. 19, in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 95. Cobert’s themes for the 1960s Gothic horror soap “Dark Shadows” – “great spook music,” he once called it – were his most popular compositions, and “Quentin’s Theme”
For the next several weeks, John Legend’s favorite snack is likely to be a bag of Lay’s Potato Chips. Viewers of NBC’s “The Voice” will see the famous musician in an assortment of videos telling them about a range of new flavors for the snack that range from cheddar jalapeno, sea salt and vinegar Poppable
BERLIN — Constantin Film, the No. 1 German independent behind the “Resident Evil” franchise, is teaming with German public broadcaster ZDF to produce “The Palace,” (“Friedrichstadt-Palast”) a period drama set at the celebrated Berlin music hall. Global Screen will handle international distribution. “Last Exit to Brooklyn’s” Uli Edel will re-team with Constantin Television, directing the
BERLIN — Slowly but surely, Madrid-based Telefonica’s original production drive is building on the other side of the Atlantic. The first Latin American series to be seen in Europe is “Ruido capital,” a Colombian six-episode series, a coming of age story that follows a group of misfit teenagers as they battle to form a rock
Inspired by the victims of violent crackdowns by Chilean police, filmmaker Hernán Caffiero is looking to tell their story. Caffiero is currently developing two series about human rights crimes and the effects of police brutality in Chile, one a four-part documentary, the other a follow-up to his Intl. Emmy-winning “The Suspended Mourning,” a dramatized collection
Inspired by the victims of violent crackdowns by Chilean police, filmmaker Hernán Caffiero is looking to tell their story. Caffiero is currently developing two series about human rights crimes and the effects of police brutality in Chile, one a four-part documentary, the other a follow-up to his Intl. Emmy-winning “The Suspended Mourning,” a dramatized collection
Finland’s top streaming service Elisa Viihde has ordered “Summer of Sorrow,” a high-concept mystery thriller series that’s being produced by Rabbit Films and will be sold by Keshet Intl. around the world. The 10-episode show, created Jani Volanen (“M/S Romantic”) and set in the early 1980s, takes place in an idyllic Finnish suburb of Munkkivuori
BERLIN — Germany’s Beta Film is driving into Young Adult scripted, acquiring international distribution rights and co-financing four high-profile fiction series, three set up at top European regional SVOD players: Germany’s Joyn and Telekom and Scandinavia’s Viaplay. Many also involve top European production houses as well. To be unveiled at the Berlinale Series Market’s German
Since launching in Serbia in 2018, Belgrade-based Firefly Prods. has not only quickly become a major producer of scripted series, it’s also raising the country’s profile as a film location with its plans to build a major studio complex this year. Headed by former BBC news producer Ivana Mikovic, Firefly has a fast-growing slate of
2007• Raul Berdonés founds the Secuoya Group on Dec. 11. 2008• First outsourcing services deal is with broadcaster Antena 3. 2009• Launches TV content production as part of early diversification. 2011• Debuts on Spain’s MAB Alternative Stock Market on July 28. Strategic expansion plan envisages the development of Ciudad de la Tele, then Secuoya Studios,
Sexual exploration, indigenous perspectives and refugees of all stripes characterize much of this year’s selections at the Berlin Film Festival’s Berlinale Series showcase. It’s the first edition under Julia Fidel, who took over as the section’s head from Solmaz Azizi last year, and while she’s not shaking things up, she’s is looking to put her
The Secuoya Group became Netflix’s exclusive production services partner in 2018, a recent milestone for one of the most diversified and growing media companies in Spain. Launched by Raúl Berdonés 10 years earlier, as Spain plunged toward a recession, Secuoya found its market niche in production services and business process outsourcing, sectors in which it
Two of the most critical issues in the SVOD age are production facilities and talent. That’s what Madrid Content City, conceived as an ambitious production hub by Spain’s Secuoya Group, is bringing to the table in Tres Cantos, a dormitory village near the capital, its integration of industry and university aiming to satisfy ever stronger