Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 17th to 23rd, 2023 - Update #12

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning legend, Michael Caine, is retiring again.  He says that his upcoming film, "The Great Escaper," is his final film before retiring.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Deadline:  Saban Films has released a trailer for Amber Heard's first film since 2021. Entitled "In the Fire," the film is set in late 19th century Columbia and finds a New York doctor (played by Heard) taking on misogyny, small-town superstition, and maybe the Devil.

TECH - From Variety:  Indian actor Anil Kapoor ("Slumdog Millionaire) has won a landmark judgement against artificial intelligence (AI).  He had filed a suit in the Delhi High Court through his lawyer Ameet Naik for protection of his personality rights including his name, image, likeness, voice and other attributes of his personality against any misuse including on digital media. The suit also provided various instances of misuse of his attributes.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  AMC has renewed its crime drama, "Dark Winds," for a third season, just a few weeks after the second season concluded.  The third season is scheduled to arrive in early 2025, instead of Summer 2024, likely because of the ongoing strikes.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  FXX's animated series, "Archer," which is now in its 14th and final season, will also air on the cable network, FX.  Customers of the Spectrum cable service had lost access to FXX.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/15 to 917/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "The Nun II" with an estimated take of 14.7 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO has cancelled the acclaimed series, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," after two seasons.

TIFF - From Deadline:  Director Cord Jefferson's film, "American Fiction," has won "The People's Choice" award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.  The film, starring Jeffrey Wright, is a satire of the American publishing industry its treatment of serious works by Black authors.

MUSIC/FILM - From RollingStone:  Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese offers a tribute to his friend and collaborator, Robbie Robertson, the Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and recording artist who died this past August (2023).

AI - From Deadline:  English actor, comedian, and writer, Stephen Fry, says that he has discovered that a historical documentary is using an AI version of his voice as the film's narrator - without his permission.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Peacock has released a trailer for "John Carpenter's Suburban Screams." John Carpenter, the director of "Halloween" and "The Fog," returns to the director’s chair for the first time in 13 years with this six-episode unscripted horror anthology series.  It premieres Friday, October 13, on Peacock and is an exploration of true tales of terror that took place in seemingly perfect American hometowns.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Television director and producer, Stan Harris, has died at the age of 92, Monday, September 18, 2023.  Harris was known for directing and producing live and recorded television specials for recording artists such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton, to name a few.  His TV episodes and events for Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, and the Smother Brothers, to name a few.  He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work.

From Deadline:  American television and soap opera actor, Billy Miller, has died at the age of 43, Friday, September 15, 2023. He was best known for his roles on the ABC soap, "General Hospital" and CBS' "The Young and the Restless."  Miller had received six Daytime Emmy Award nominations and won three of them.

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WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  A meeting between leading television showrunners, including Kenya Barris and Noah Hawley, and WGA leadership has been cancelled.

From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  The AMPTP says that the Writers Guild's claims that their is division in the ranks of the studios about the strike are false.

From Deadline:  The WGA (Writers Guild of America) told its members Friday (Sept. 8th) that despite the united front the streamers and studios (via the AMPTP) have shown in public during the guild’s 130-day strike, several of the legacy companies privately have expressed “both the desire and willingness to negotiate an agreement that adequately addresses writers’ issues.”

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  The writers of MTV’s "Ridiculousness" are coming closer to being unionized. The show’s writing team, which was behind over 230 episodes last year, has been going through the process to unionize over the last few months, hoping to join the WGA.

From THR:  As talks with the Writers Guild of America stall, the studio trade association, AMPTP, has retained D.C.-based firm, The Levinson Group, to pursue a fresh messaging strategy.

From Deadline:  Regarding the Hollywood writers strike, the AMPTP (representing the studios) released the details of a proposed labor agreement that it made to the WGA (the Writers Guild) on August 11th.

From Deadline:  A pair of former production assistants-turned-assistant directors have created a nonprofit in hopes of providing financial aid to PAs (production assistants) who’ve been put out of work due to the strike.

From Deadline:  Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline:  Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 13th to 19th, 2023 - Update #14

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Variety:  Michael Cera talks about how he was cast in director Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."

STREAMING - From Deadline:  For the fourth week in a row, the former USA Network legal drama, "Suits" (2011-19), leads the streaming charts, according to tracking service, Nielsen.  The series, which also featured Meghan Markle a.k.a. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on its first seven seasons, also continues to set Nielsen records and currently streams on both Netflix and Peacock.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "American Horror Story: Delicate" will launch Wednesday, Sept. 30th on FX.  It's spinoff, "American Horror Stories," will launch a four-episode event on Hulu, starting Oct. 26th.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Director Greta Gerwig's comedy, "Barbie," starring Margot Robbie, has now grossed 537.5 million dollars at the domestic box office. That makes it the highest-grossing domestic release in Warner Bros.'s history, surpassing the 536 million dollars "The Dark Knight" grossed in 2008.

From Variety:  Some people wonder why its so hard to hear some dialogue in "Oppenheimer."  Well, director Christopher Nolan refuses to "record ADR."

SCANDAL - From Variety:  Actor-producer Alec Baldwin may once again face manslaughter charges related to the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Film financier, TSG, is suing Disney for what it claims are unpaid profits from films in which it co-financed with Disney.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Tom Hanks was so concerned for Austin Butler’s mental health after his starring role in "Elvis" that he offered Butler a next role (starring in Apple TV+'s "Masters of the Air") immediately to prevent "emotional whiplash."  Hanks co-starred in the 2022 Elvis Presley biopic with Butler as Elvis' manager, Col. Tom Parker.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix has released the first official trailer for "Maestro."  Bradley Cooper directs and stars in the film about late conductor Leonard Bernstein's 25-year marriage to Felicia Montealegre.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Margot Robbie is the star and producer of Summer 2023's biggest hit, "Barbie."  Now, Robbie could make as much as 50 million dollars in salary and bonuses.

CELEBRITY/ECO - From THR:  A new species of snake discovered in Peru, South America has been named in honor of Hollywood icon, Harrison Ford.  The snake is called "Tachymenoides harrisonfordi."

SPORTS/MOVIES - From ESPN:  Former NFL player, Michael Oher, was the subject of the 2009 Oscar-winning film, "The Blind Side." Now, he's suing the real-life couple, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, because they lied to him and stole from him.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/11 to 8/13/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Barbie" with an estimated take of 33.7 million dollars.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Adam Sandler's daughters, Sunny and Sadie, have joined their father in the Netflix film, "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah." Netflix has released a trailer for the film, which is due August 25th.

OBITS:

From THR:  American music executive, business, and film producer, Clarence Avant, has died at the age of 92, Sunday, August 13, 2023.  Nicknamed "the Godfather of Black Music," he was a manager, advisor, mentor, and behind-the-scenes force in so many music deals.  He was the manager of jazz legend, Sarah Vaugh.  Avant brokered the sale of Stax Records and co-promoted the late Michael Jackson's first solo world tour, "Bad."  Avant advised countless music producers, executives, and recording artists, including Quincy Jones, David Geffen, Irving Azoff, Jay Z, Pharrell Williams, and Queen Latifah, to name a few.

From Deadline:  The American rapper and recording artist, Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, has died at the age of 50, Sunday, August 13, 2023.  He was best known for his collaboration with rapper/producer, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley.  The two formed the rap duo, "Timbaland & Magoo," which released three albums, including the platinum certified, "Welcome to Our World" (1997).  Magoo also made guest appearances and collaborated with several other recording artists, including Bubba Sparxxx, Ginuwine, and Missy Elliot.  He also recorded on Timbaland's solo projects.

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline:  Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 16th to 22nd, 2023 - Update #18

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

CELEBRITY - From THR:  For the first time since his medical emergency, Jamie Foxx speaks publicly, releasing a video on his "Instagram" page.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  FX's "Aliens" television series has begun filming in Thailand, but are filming scenes that don't include SAG-AFTRA actors.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Antonio Banderas recalls Steven Spielberg's prescient words about CGI on the set of his film, "The Mask of Zorro" (1998). This is the 25th anniversary of the film's release.

MUSIC - From Deadline:  Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and recording artist, Sheryl Crow, calls out country singer Jason Aldean over his violent and obviously racist song, "Try That in a Small Town."

OPPENHEIMER - From Deadline:  Actor Cillian Murphy talks about his starring role in "Oppenheimer" and about working with Christopher Nolan again.

From Variety:  Matt Damon had told his wife he was taking a break from acting unless director Christopher Nolan called. Then, Nolan called about "Oppenheimer"...

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Paramount+ has unveiled a first look at "Pet Sematary: Bloodlines," a prequel to Stephen King's 1983 novel. "Pet Sematary."

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Lionsgate seems to be in the lead to buy the film and television entertainment company eOne (Entertainment One) from Hasbro.

STREAMING - From Variety:  NBCUniversal's streaming service, "Peacock," has raised its prices for the first time since its launch.

BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/14 to 7/16/2023 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" with an estimated take of 56.2 million dollars.

From Here:  A review of "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" by Leroy Douresseaux

From Deadline:  Director Christopher McQuarrie considered using the "de-aging" process for Tom Cruise in order to create a young Ethan Hunt, but ultimately chose not to go with it.

OBITS:

From Deadline:   Legendary American singer, Tony Bennett, has died at the age of 96, Friday, July 21, 2023.  He career spanned decades and generations. He made his first recordings in 1949.  He had his first hit in 1951 ("Because of You").  He recorded his first album in 1952 ("Because of You"), which would be one of over 100 albums released.  Younger audiences discovered Bennett in the early 1990s and continue to do so, listening to his catalog of jazz, traditional pop, show tunes, and big band, to name a few of the genres of music in which he has performed. He won 19 Grammy Awards and received the Grammy "Lifetime Achievement Award."

From Deadline:  American actress Josephine Chaplin has died at the age of 74, Thursday, July 13, 2023.  The daughter of legendary filmmaker and actor, Charlie Chaplin, and British actress, Oona O'Neill, Josephine made an appearance as a child actor in her father's Oscar-winning film, "Limelight."  Her other roles include "Canterbury Tales" (1972), "Jack the Ripper," and "A Countess from Hong Kong" (1967), which was also her father's final film.

From Deadline:  Film and television producer and director, Robert Lieberman, has died at the age of 77, Saturday, July 1, 2023. As a film director, his best known work is the science fiction cult classic, "Fire in the Sky" (1993). As a TV director, he helmed numerous series, including multiple episodes of USA Network's "The Dead Zone" and Syfy's "The Expanse."  Lieberman directed over two thousand TV commercials and in 1980, he won the first Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards for "Best Commercial Director," one of two that he won in that category.

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 9th to 15th, 2023 - Update #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette have joined Clint Eastwood's next film, "Juror #2."

STREAMING - From Variety:  HBO Max has officially announced it has officially ordered a "Harry Potter" television series.  The cast will be entirely new.

From Deadline:  There is more information on HBO Max's recently announced "Harry Potter" TV series, including that its debut is set for 2025-26.

From Variety:  Chuck Lorre is developing a second spinoff of his former CBS hit TV series, "The Big Bang Theory" for HBO Max (soon to be known simply as "Max").  The first spinoff, "Young Sheldon," is currenly airing on CBS.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  Jamie Foxx has been hospitalized in Atlanta following a “medical complication” his family revealed late Wednesday evening.

From CNN:  Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx remains hospitalized in Atlanta (possibly due to a stroke), while his current film, "Back in Action," is expected to wrap production within the week.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Emmy Award-winning actress. Julie Bowen, ("Modern Family") will star in Peacock’s "satanic panic," coming-of-age thriller, "Hysteria!"

NETFLIX/ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Netflix has approved an animated series set in the world of its hit series, "Stranger Things."  The series currently does not have a title.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 4/7 to 4/9/2023 Easter weekend box office is Universal/Illumination Entertainment's "Super Mario Bros. Movie" with an estimated take of 146.3 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director James Mangold says that Timothée Chalamet, the star of his upcoming biopic of the legendary singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan, will be doing his own singing.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actress Elizabeth Hubbard has died at the age of 89, Saturday, April 8, 2023.  She was best known for her roles in two daytime soap opera television series.  She was "Dr. Althea Davis" in former NBC series, "The Doctors," and also "Lucinda Walsh" in the former CBS series, "As the World Turns."  She won a Daytime Emmy Award for "The Doctors." From 1986-1999, she was nominated for lead actress Daytime Emmy eight times for "As the World Turns."  She won an additional Daytime Emmy in 1976 for her role in the daytime TV movie, "First Ladies Diaries: Edith Wilson."  Her final Daytime Emmy nomination was for her role in the YouTube daytime soap opera, "Anacostia."

From Variety:  The film and television actor, Michael Lerner, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, April 8, 2023.  Lerner appeared in numerous films, including "Eight Men Out" (1988), "Elf" (2003), and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014).  He received a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar nomination for his role in the Coen Bros.'s 1991 film, "Barton Fink." Lerner was also a recurring character on the former NBC drama, "Hill Street Blues" and the former ABC/UPN sitcom, "Clueless," to name a few.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 8th to 14th, 2023 - Update #20

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "Snowpiercer," TNT's last remaining original scripted drama, is also leaving the cable network.  Season 4 of "Snowpiercer" has been completed and was to be the series' finale.  It will be shopped around to other networks.

MOVIES - From Variety:  "Variety" has a revealing Q&A with the great horror and science fiction filmmaker, John Carpenter ("Halloween," "They Live," "The Fog").

MOVIES - From ScreenGeek:  Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again ... and visit movie theater comes word that Mel Gibson will begin filming the sequel to his 2004 mega-hit, "The Passion of the Christ," sometime this coming spring.  The title is apparently "The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection."

GOLDEN GLOBES - From Deadline:  For those who care (and I don't care as much as I once did), the winners of the 2023 / 80th Golden Globes Awards were announced last night (Tues., Jan. 10th).  "The Fabelmans" won for "Best Motion Picture-Drama" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" won for "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 80th Annual Golden Globes on Tuesday night (Jan. 10th). Murphy ended his speech with the “blueprint” for up-and-coming actors to achieve success in the industry.  “I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind,” he said. “There’s a blueprint and I followed it my whole career. It’s very simple.” Murphy continued, “Just do these three things: Pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f*cking mouth.”

NETFLIX - From THR:  Netflix debuts a trailer for "You People," the new film from Kenya Barris, the creator of ABC's former sitcom hit, "black-ish."  The film stars Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, and Jonah Hill.

MOVIES - From THR:  Halfway through its production in Atlanta, Georgia, director Francis Ford Coppola's new film, "Megalopolis," is in trouble with the loss of key creative talent and the exit of its entire visual effects team.

From Deadline:  Hold up, boo!  Francis Ford Coppola says that there is no truth to the rumors of "Megalopolis" being in trouble.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: TV super-producer, Greg Berlanti, has signed a new four-year exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.  Berlanti was the architect of DC Comics' live-action TV series on The CW broadcast network.

MOVIES - From THR:   Actor Tim Blake Nelson has joined director Denis Villleneuve's "Dune: Part 2."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/6/2023 to 1/8/2023 weekend box office is "Avatar: The Way of Water" with an estimated take of 45 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Avatar: The Way of Water."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Eli Roth has not been fired as the director of Lionsgate's "Borderlands," a film based on the video game.  Instead Roth has hand reshoot duties on the film to director Tim Miller ("Deadpool") so that he can begin work on his next film, "Thanksgiving."

STREAMING - From Variety:   After premiering on Dec. 22, 2022, “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” became NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock’s first original project to make it onto Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings.  It is at #5 in an early version of the Dec. 19th to 25th, 2022 chart.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Singer-songwriter, Lisa Marie Presley, has died at the age of 54, Thursday, January 12, 2023.  She was the only child of rock 'n' roll icon, Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.  Presley recorded three studios albums, including the gold-certified "To Whom it May Concern" (2003).

From BBC:  English rock guitarist, Jeff Beck, has died at the age of 78, Tuesday, January 10, 2023.  One of the most influential rock guitarists ever, Beck was best known for his association with the bands, "The Yardbirds" and "The Jeff Beck Group."  He was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards and won eight of them.

From Deadline:  The great American cinematographer, Owen Roizman, has died at the age of 86, Friday, January 6, 2023.  He received five "Best Cinematography" Oscar nominations, including for his work on "The French Connection" (1971) and "The Exorcist" (1973).  He received the "Academy Honorary Award" in 2017.

From Variety:  Film and television actor and voice performer, Earl Boen, has died at the age of 81, Thursday, January 5, 2023.  Boen was best known for playing criminal psychologist, Dr. Peter Silberman, in three film in the "Terminator" film series, beginning with 1984's "The Terminator."  However, Boen appeared in numerous other films, including "9 to 5" (1980) and "To Be or Not to Be" (1983).  Boen also appeared in guest roles on multiple TV series, including "Seinfeld," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and "The West Wing," to name a few.  From 1988 to 2004, Boen was a voice actor, performing in almost 40 animated TV series in various genres.

AWARDS:

From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2023 / 34th Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced in both film and TV categories.  The winners will be announced Sat. Feb. 25th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 26th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The National Society of Film Critics has named "Tar" its "Best Picture" of 2023 and its star, Cate Blanchette, as "Best Actress."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "The Woman King" have tied for the lead in nominations with 14 apiece.  The winners will be announced February 6, 2023.

From Deadline:  The Black Film Critics Circle named "The Woman King" the "Best Film" of 2022.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tar" tie for "Best Picture" award.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 80th annual Golden Globes Awards were announced today (Mon., Dec. 12th).  "The Banshees of Inisherin" led the film field with eight nominations. ABC's "Abbot Elementary" lead the TV side with five nominations.  The winners will be announced January 10, 2023.

From Deadline:  The American Film Institute (AFI) has named its "AFI Awards Film" list of "Top 10 Films of 2022."  The list includes "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "The Woman King."

From THR:  The African-American Film Critics Association name "The Woman King" the "Best Film of 2022."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the "2023 Critics Choice Awards" in the television categories have been announced.  ABC's sitcom, "Abbot Elementary" leads the nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, January 15, 2023 and broadcast on The CW.

From Variety:  The 2022 / 88th Annual New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards have been announced.  Todd Field's "Tar" wins "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Cate Blanchett).  Keke Palmer wins "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in "Nope."

From Deadline:  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the "Best Feature" award at the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, one of two wins for the film.

From IndieWire:  The nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.   "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leads with eight nominations.  The winners will be announced March 4th, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards were announced a month ago.  Todd Field's "Tar" leads with five nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, November 28th.

---------------

BRITTNEY GRINER:

From CBSNews:  WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from her Russian imprisonment in a one-for-one prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 1st to 5th, 2022 - Update #9

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO will not give "Westworld" a fifth season, but it will pay the "main cast" anyway.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Television has let go (fired) seven executives across different divisions of the TV studio.

MOVIES - From THR:  The magazine's feature story is on Steven Spielberg and his "origin story," his new movie, "The Fabelmans."

CRYSTAL LAKE - From EW:  Pro basketball player turned actor Dane DiLiegro plays the "Predator" in Hulu's spinoff film, "Prey."  Now, he wants to be Jason Voorhees in A24 and executive producer Bryan Fuller's "Friday the 13th" TV series, "Crystal Lake" for streamer Peacock.

From Fangoria:  Showrunner Bryan Fuller says that the "Friday the 13th prequel, "Crystal Lake," can use everything from the film franchise.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lupita Nyong'o will star in "A Quiet Place: Day One," the first spinoff movie from the "A Quiet Place" franchise.

MOVIES - From Variety:   Streaming service, Peacock, for "Crystal Lake," a prequel to the "Friday the 13th" film service.

DISNEY - From THR:   "Avatar: The Way of Water" will run three hours and 10 minutes long.

OBITS:

From Variety:  The American rapper, recording artist, and songwriter, Takeoff, has died at the age of 28, Tuesday, November 1, 2022, shot and killed in Houston Texas.  Takeoff was best known as a member of the hip hop trio, "Migos," with an uncle and first cousin as the other members. As a member of Migos, Takeoff was best known for his work on the trio's "Culture" trilogy of albums.  He also received two Grammy Award nominations as a member of Migos.

From Deadline:  The author and blogger, Julie Powell, has died at the age of 49, Wednesday, October 26, 2022.  Her 2005 book, "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen," was adapted into the 2009 film, "Julie & Julia."

----------------

BRITTNEY GRINER:

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 25th to 31st, 2021 - Update #22

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   Disney's "Jungle Cruise" looking to lead the weekend box office with an estimated 30+ million dollars grossed in its debut weekend.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Bryan Lourd, Scarlett Johansson's agent, harshly responds to The Walt Disney Company's response to Scarlett Johansson's breach of contract lawsuit against Disney over her compensation for "Black Widow."

From Deadline:  Women in Film, ReFrame and Time’s Up have weighed in, call out Disney for its response to Scarlett Johansson and her "Black Widow" lawsuit.

MOVIES - From Gizmodo:   The acclaimed science fiction novel, "Parable of the Sower," by the late Octavia Butler will be a film.  A24 has won the film rights.

DISNEY - From Deadline:   The Walt Disney Co. has fired back at Scarlett Johansson over her "Black Widow" lawsuit, which concerns her compensation and the streaming of "Black Widow" on Disney+.  Disney says that Johansson has already made 20 million dollars off the film...

TELEVISION - From Variety:  After 25 seasons, PBS is cancelling "Arthur."  It is the longest-running children's animated series in the history of American television.  The show will wrap up its last season in Winter 2022. 

MOVIES - From THR:  The site has an extensive interview with screenwriter, David S. Goyer ("Blade" and "Batman" films).

JAN. 6 RIOT - From YahooEntertainment:   This voice mail message left on the phone of a Washington D.C. police officer who testified yesterday (July 27th) at the House committee hearings investigating the Jan. 6th insurrection epitomizes much of "Trump base."

TELEVISION - From Variety:   With ratings for the 2021 Olympics on the decline, NBCUniversal and its advertisers are feeling anxious about "make goods" and other forms of reimbursement.

MOVIES - From Variety:   Universal is spending 400 million dollars on a new trilogy of films based on the legendary horror film, "The Exorcist."  Oscar-winning actress, Ellen Burstyn, will reprise her role as "Chris MacNeil" from the 1973 original film.  The first film in the trilogy will arrive in theaters in 2023, while the second and third films likely will debut on Universal's "Peacock" streaming platform.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   Actor Bob Odenkirk has been hospitalized after collapsing on the set of the AMC series, "Better Call Saul," which is currently filming its sixth and final season.

From YahooEntertainment:  Former "Batwoman" actress, Ruby Rose, had to return to the hospital recently due to surgical complications ... but she had trouble finding an ER that would take her.

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Lucy Liu talks about her infamous clash with actor Bill Murray on the set of "Charlie's Angels" (2000).

STAR TREK - From Space:   The first official trailer for the much-anticipated Nickelodeon and Paramount+ animated series, "Star Trek: Prodigy," arrives.  We hear Capt. Janeway's voice and get a release date, Fall 2021.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   LeVar Burton begins his stint as a “Jeopardy!” guest host today, Monday, July 26th.

BOX OFFICE - Variety:   The winner of the 7/23 to 7/25/2021 weekend box office is "Old" with an estimated gross of 16.5 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdaine" tops the specialty box office.

MUSIC - From Deadline:  The estate of the late singer, Grammy-winner James Brown, has been settled after nearly 15 years of legal battles.  The estate had been in dispute since Brown died Christmas Day 2006.

NETFLIX - From Variety:   The site has a huge piece on Kevin Smith, the development of Netflix's "Master of the Universe" animated series, and about online fan backlash against the series.

CELEBRITY - From YahooPeople:    Judge John Ouderkirk, the judge involved in Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's ongoing custody case, will be disqualified after he was found to have "violated his ethical obligations," according to an opinion submitted by three appellate judges on Friday.

OBITS:

From NPR:   Civil rights activist, Robert Parris "Bob" Moses, has died at the age of 86, Sunday, July 25, 2021.  Moses was known for his work as a leader of the "Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee" (SNCC) on voter education and registration in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement.  He was also known for co-founding of the "Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party."  Moses was shot at and endured beatings and jail while leading Black voter registration drives in the American South during the 1960s.  He later helped improve minority education in math.

From Deadline:  The actor Mike Mitchell has died at the age of 65, Friday, July 23, 2021.  Mitchell was a former "Mr. Universe" and won several "World Fitness Federation World Championships."  He appeared in such films as "Braveheart" (1995) and "Gladiator" (2000).

TRAILERS:

From THR:  "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" drops a new trailer (July 27th) and has a release date, November 11th, 2021.

WWE to Welcome the New Year (2022) from State Farm Arena in Atlanta

WWE® Kicks off 2022 in Atlanta

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WWE® (NYSE: WWE) will kick off the new year at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday, January 1, 2022, marking the first time in history that a WWE pay-per-view event will be held on New Year’s Day. The event will stream live on the night of New Year’s Day at 8 pm ET exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.

    “I don’t know about you but I think New Year’s Trae would be a great name for the event, and I can’t think of a better way to bring in 2022 than with the WWE Universe”

“I don’t know about you but I think New Year’s Trae would be a great name for the event, and I can’t think of a better way to bring in 2022 than with the WWE Universe,” said Atlanta Hawks All-Star Point Guard Trae Young, who exclusively announced the New Year’s Day event during tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown.

“State Farm Arena is a phenomenal venue with a long history of hosting world-class events,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development. “We’re excited to deliver this pay-per-view to the people of Atlanta and the many that travel to the city to celebrate New Year’s.”

Tickets for the New Year’s Day pay-per-view event go on sale Friday, August 27, 2021 at 10 AM ET via Ticketmaster.com. The event will feature Superstars from both SmackDown and Raw including WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Raw Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H, WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, United States Champion Sheamus, Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina, Drew McIntyre, Charlotte Flair, Randy Orton, Riddle, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss and many more.


About WWE:
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 900 million homes worldwide in 28 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, BT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. The Company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Dubai, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Riyadh, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business, results of operations and financial condition; entering, maintaining and renewing major distribution agreements; a rapidly evolving media landscape; WWE Network (including the risk that we are unable to attract, retain and renew subscribers); our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; the possibility of a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets including possible disruptions and reputational risks; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including without limitation, claims alleging traumatic brain injury; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; privacy norms and regulations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our indebtedness including our convertible notes; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercises control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the volatility of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

---------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 1st to 9th, 2020- Update #26

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BLACK AMERICA AND COVID-19 - Crisis or... :

From YahooNews:  A tale of two parks: Enjoying the sun in wealthy Manhattan, social distancing under police scrutiny in the Bronx

From YahooGMA: (4/28) - Rana Zoe Mungin, a 30-year-old teacher from Brooklyn, died on Monday, April 27th for COVID-19.  She had twice been denied a test for the coronavirus after showing symptoms.  Her family and friends blame racial disparity in the health care system.

From RSNWashPost:  How COVID-19 is a perfect storm for Black Americans.

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS - Hollywood and Beyond:

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From YahooNews:  The U.S. Secret Service has 11 positive cases of COVID-19.

From CNN:  One of President Donald's personal valet has test positive for COVID-19.

From YahooNews:  Academy Award-winning actress and humanitarian, Angelina Jolie, has written a letter to top officials in the U.S. Congress asking them to increase SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in the next coronavirus legislation.  She said many children are going hungry due to job loss and not being in school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From YahooNews:  Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Laurie Garrett, who has been predicting the global spread of contagious pathogens for decades sees dark times ahead of us because of COVID-19 and no medical miracle arriving anytime soon.

From YahooNews:  As states push ahead with reopening, CDC warns coronavirus cases and deaths are set to soar

From Deadline: (4/30) - Broadway actor, Nick Cordero, has taken a turn for the worse in his battle against COVID-19, including having tremendous lung damage.

From YahooFinance:  Sixteen prominent health officials have proposed giving American $50 a day to self-isolate until testing and treatment for COVID-19 is under control.

From YahooNews:  Anti-vaccination activists (or anti-vaxxers) have joined and in some cases have led the protests against COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

CULTURE - From PulitzerPrizes:  The 2020 Pulitzer Prize Winners have been announced.

DISNEY+ - From Deadline:  Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is working on a TV series reboot of his Disney hit film series, "National Treasure."

STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  Director Spike Lee's next film, "Da 5 Bloods," will debut on Netflix June 12th.

POLITICS - From HuffPost:  Veteran Democratic strategist and political consultant, James Carville, warns President Donald about his "grifter campaign.

MOVIES - From RottenTomatoes:  Neve Campbell, who played the central character "Sidney Prescott" in the first four "Scream" films, may return for "Scream 5."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  CBS has renewed 18 more of its TV series, bringing the total of renewed series to 23.  The network has cancelled four including Patricia Heaton's "Carol's Second Act."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has named former Netflix executive, Sarah Bremner, as president of her ARRAY Filmworks.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  NASA, Tom Cruise, and crazy rich guy Elon Musk are working on a project that would be the first movie (an action-adventure) shot in outer space.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  The streaming service, "Peacock" (Universal), has chosen a showrunner for its reboot (the second) of "Battlestar Galactica."  It's Michael Lesslie, who was the lead writer and showrunner of AMC's "The Little Drummer Girl."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  MGM has won an auction for a production commitment to director Ron Howard's film, "Thirteen Lives," 2018 Thai cave rescue true story.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Because you asked for it... I guess... Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are rebooting the "G.I. Joe" film franchise.  This new film would be a follow-up to "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins," which is still due October 23rd.

CELEBRITY - From YahooE:  Legendary actor Harrison Ford is once again the subject of an FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) investigation over his actions as pilot of a airplane.  He has been investigated several times, the most infamous being after he crashed a World War II era plane in 2015 that left Ford with a head wound.

ANIMATION - From THR:  Fox claims this is the real reason they fired TV music composer, Alf Clausen, from his job composing music for its long-running animated series, "The Simpson."

OBITS:

From RollingStone:  One of the founding fathers of rock and roll music, Little Richard, has died at the age of 87, Saturday, May 9, 2020.  He combined blues and gospel music to create a thrilling new sound, and his flamboyant and gender-bending persona helped to create the sound and spirit of a new art form, rock and roll or rock 'n' roll music.  His best known recordings included "Tutti Frutti" (1955), "Long Tall Song" (1956), and "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (1958).  In 1986, Little Richard was among the first inductees of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

From RollingStone:  Music executive and record label founder, Andre Harrell, has died at the age of 59, Friday, May 8, 2020.  In 1986, he founded the highly influential music label, "Uptown Record," which was the home of artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Heavy D & The Boyz, and Jodeci, to name a few.  Although they would eventually fall out, Harrell was also instrumental in the development of the career of Sean "Diddy" Combs.

From ESPN - Legendary NFL coach, Don Shula, has died at the age of 90, Monday, May 4, 2020.  Shula was the coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1969, where he lead them to the 1968 NFL Championship (now called NFC Champion), before losing to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.  He is best known for his stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins (1970 to 1995), where he lead them to victories in Super Bowls VII and VIII and appearances in Super Bowls XVII and XIX.  The 1972 Dolphins finished the regular season 14-0 and won all their postseason games, including the Super Bowl, finishing 17-0, the only NFL team to finish the season with a perfect season.

From THR:  The actor Sam Lloyd has died at the age of 56, Friday, May 1, 2020.  Lloyd was best known for playing the role of "Ted Buckland" on the NBC-ABC sitcom, "Scrubs" (2001o2010), for 95 episodes.  Lloyd was also the nephew of actor Christopher Lloyd.

From Deadline:  The film and television director and writer, John Lafia, has died at the age of 63, Wednesday, April 29, 2020, reportedly by suicide.  Lafia was best known for co-writing the classic horror film, "Child's Play " (1988) and for directing its sequel "Child's Play" (1990).  He also wrote and directed the popular NBC disaster miniseries, "10.5" (2004) and "10.5: Apocalypse" (2006).