FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 1/10/19)
A&E: The First 48 Presents: Homicide Squad Atlanta (Premiere) at 9pm
CBS: Fam (Premiere) at 9:30pm
FOX: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Premiere) at 9pm
LIFETIME: The Rap Game (Premiere) at 9pm
WE TV: Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition (Premiere) at 10pm
ID: The Night That Didn’t End (Finale) at 10pm
“I want everyone to know I’m done with it,” Kevin Hart said on Good Morning America yesterday, ending speculation over whether he might host the Oscars after all. Hart had accepted an offer by the Academy to man the mic, then bowed out amid backlash over old anti-gay tweets. On her talker last week, Ellen DeGeneres urged Hart to reconsider, but he told GMA’s Michael Strahan, “The Academy, they’re amazing people, the offer was made, it was received. I was excited this happened. It didn’t work out the way it should have. Right now from a time perspective, I don’t really have time.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Showtime Networks announced the official opening of its new 50,000-square-foot West Coast headquarters at The Lot Studios in West Hollywood. The three-story space features workspaces for employees, with leading-edge entertainment technology, interactive meeting areas and a central social hub café. “It was important for us to build a space that inspires employees to do their best work and encourages collaboration,” said Jana Winograde, President of Business Operations, West Coast. “The move to our new and improved location is a welcome change for Showtime providing an environment conducive to interaction and innovation.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
A former booker and producer at Fox News has filed a lawsuit over her portrayal in Showtime’s upcoming miniseries starring Russell Crowe as former Fox News head Roger Ailes. Laurie Luhn alleges the network, producer Blumhouse and Gabriel Blum, author of the biography on which the series is based, are using her likeness to promote the project without her permission because she was not aware her interviews for the book would be used in other works. Luhn is seeking over $250 million in general damages and over $500 million in punitive damages, plus the ability to see the series and halt use of her likeness.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Self-driving cars will be a boon to the entertainment industry, said Viacom CEO Bob Bakish at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday. Bakish explained that when commuters have extra time on their hands, “a hell of a lot more people are going to be entertained in their cars.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Sarah Silverman’s late-night show on Hulu, I Love You, America, was canceled after two seasons. “We’re all pretty damn heartbroken,” tweeted the comedian. “… So in traditional twitter funeral style, I’ll be RTing the love.” In addition to hosting the critical hit, Silverman exec-produced.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney Channel ordered a second season of Star Wars Resistance, to launch in fall 2019. Animated series continues its freshman run on Sunday, January 13, at 10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
WE tv’s Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition makes its debut tonight, January 10, at 10p. What can we expect from this particular permutation? “We are constantly evolving this franchise, and from season to season, our team leaves no stone unturned in tailoring the program to the specific relationships and needs of our new cast,” said Adam Reed, Thinkfactory Media CEO and Boot Camp EP. “That said, this season introduces an entirely new dynamic, in that the stars featured are all from the same world – hip hop. Many of them have similar backgrounds and experiences, and it was exciting to see the new opportunities and challenges that element brought to their boot camp journeys.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Rob Lowe is playing mind games. Mental Samurai, hosted by and exec-produced by Code Black star, premieres Tuesday, February 26, at 9p on Fox. Competition series is described as “the first-ever obstacle course for the mind.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
The series premiere of Travel Channel’s Lost Gold, on Monday, January 14, at 10p, follows the trail of a bank robber from 1880 whose loot has never been recovered.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nickelodeon’s new original movie, Bixler High Private Eye, premieres Monday, January 21, at 7p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Comedy Central has big plans for one-hour stand-up special Chris Distefano: Size 38 Waist, debuting January 18 at 11p as part of the net’s Stand-Up Month. The special, which features a scripted opening with Chazz Palminteri, will be accompanied by a digital album and exclusive linear and digital companion content. The album will be released on all digital retailers and streaming services on the day the special premieres, and Distefano will appear as a guest the same evening on his own show, Comedy Central’s Friday-night interstitial series, Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Twenty years after the groundbreaking HBO drama premiered, HBO2 will air a marathon of all episodes of the sixth and final season of The Sopranos, tonight, January 10, at noon.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The second halves of 20 NBA games on TNT this season will be live-streamed on Twitter with the feed focused on a single player. Fans can vote on which player they want to see featured as part of the new partnership between the NBA, Turner Sports and Twitter. Live streams begin during the All-Star Game on Sunday, February 17.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to hold public discussions about the future of technology and the role it plays in people’s lives. In a blog post, Zuckerberg said he will experiment with different formats and meet with experts as well as everyday folks every few weeks. “I’m an engineer, and I used to just build out my ideas and hope they’d mostly speak for themselves,” said Zuckerberg. “But given the importance of what we do, that doesn’t cut it anymore.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Ringer, home of Game of Thrones Twitter aftershow #TalkTheThrones, is taking on HBO’s Big Little Lies. “Television superfans live on Twitter, which makes it the perfect place for The Ringer’s post-show series,” said Kay Madati, Global VP and Head of Content Partnerships at Twitter. “There is no one better than The Ringer to bring their expert analysis and insights to the dialogue right after the programs end and the discussion heats up.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
In addition to airing on MotorTrend, collector car auction Barrett-Jackson Live kicks off Tuesday, January 15, at 6p for the first time on the MotorTrend App. Included in exclusive in-app content is coverage hosted by Jonny Lieberman (Head 2 Head) and Jayson “Shag” Arrington (Iron Resurrection).
(Source: Cynopsis)
Henry Goodman (Snatch), Ulrich Thomsen (Counterpart) and Massimo Ghini (Tea With Mussolini) join the returning cast members of HBO limited series The New Pope, starring Jude Law and John Malkovich.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Returning to originals, ABC saw improvement for The Conners and The Kids Are Alright ahead of Tuesday’s Presidential address. The Conners rose +3% over its last first-run telecast, to 6.9 million viewers, while Kids rose +12%, to 4.7 million.
(Source: Cynopsis)
BBC America’s Doctor Who holiday special on January 1 drew an average 1.4 million viewers and 552,000 among A18-49, according to Nielsen Live+3 data. That’s down from 1.7 viewers and 778,000 for the last holiday special, which aired on Christmas Day 2017.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Keely's Korner 