Keely's Korner

Jeff Zucker, WarnerMedia news and sports chief and head of CNN, yesterday addressed reports he’s next in line to become CEO of WarnerMedia now that John Stankey has been elevated to the No. 2 role at parent AT&T. Talking with CNN’s Brian Stelter at the CNN-sponsored Citizen event in NY, Zucker said, “There were a lot of stories that I was going to get fired, too. I didn’t believe those and I don’t believe these.” Zucker also said he’s “very open” to talking with Shepard Smith, who abruptly exited Fox News a few weeks ago, about a role at CNN.
(Source: Cynopsis)Fox revealed midseason premiere dates for the net’s new and returning series. Season 8 of Last Man Standing, dislodged from its Friday night slot by WWE SmackDown, returns with back-to-back eps January 2 at 8p, followed by the series premiere of cop drama Deputy at 9p. New family comedy Outmatched joins the lineup Thursday, January 7 at 8:30p. Thus far missing from the schedule is drama Almost Family, about which Fox hasn’t yet made an official decision.
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The Hollywood Radio and Television Society unveiled its first-ever Diversity Guide, aimed at supporting marginalized communities in the industry. Announced during the HRTS’ second annual “How Inclusion, Representation, and Diversity Drive Innovation” event, the guide outlines TV industry programs designed to promote inclusion, equality and representation. It will be available to all HRTS members on the org’s website.
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It’s a triple play for the Daytime Emmy Awards, which next year will add a third night to its evenings celebrating daytime programming. The 2020 events will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 12-14.
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Dakota Johnson and former Netflix development exec Ro Donnelly launched TeaTime Pictures. The venture, which will develop television and film projects, includes a first-look TV deal with Platform One Media with a YA musical as the first title under the pact.
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Barry Levinson’s The Levinson Fontana Co. is on board with interactive video company eko for a live-action drama series in which the viewer decides the course of the story. The Jury Room (wt), to be directed by Levinson, is pegged for release in 2020 on eko’s platform. Script takes place in the trial of a domestic terror event, in which viewers take on the role of one of the jurors.
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It’s happening. The long-awaited prequel to the CW’s The 100 got a backdoor pilot production order at the network. From Jason Rothenberg, The 100 exec producer/showrunner, potential prequel is set 97 years before the events of the original series and is will be intro’d in the upcoming final season of The 100.
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Exec producers Lashan Browning (Love & Hip Hop Atlanta), Adam Gonzalez (Teyana and Iman, America’s Next Top Model) and Tiffany Lea Williams (Are You the One?, Teen Mom franchise) all scored overall deals at MTV Studios.
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HBO Max greenlit four original unscripted projects from CNN. Four-part Heaven’s Gate explores the religious movement and circumstances that culminated in the biggest mass suicide to ever take place on US soil; Generation Hustle (wt) is a 10-part series about the lengths young people will go to for fame, fortune, and power; feature The Scoop (wt) follows the lives of CNN’s female political reporters as they cover the most unpredictable presidential campaign in American history; and feature Persona (wt) probes the unexpected origin story of America’s obsession with personality testing.
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Also at the WarnerMedia streaming service, the second season of Rooster Teeth’s animated series gen:Lock is headed to HBO Max. Starring Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther),  series focuses on a near-future dystopia undergoing a tech-driven world war.
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Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions is getting into the ring with sports streaming outlet DAZN. The new partnership will see an initial series of feature docs under the banner One Night.
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Lightbridge Entertainment and writer Ron Bass (Rain Man) are adapting Evan Thomas’ best-selling biography Being Nixon: A Man Divided for the small screen. Bass will pen the six-hour series and serve as an exec producer alongside Lightbridge Entertainment founder and CEO Terry Botwick.
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Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring boarded the third season of Amazon thriller series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan as exec producer and showrunner. Season 2 of the series premieres November 1. Carlton Cuse, who served as showrunner on the first two seasons, stepped back from daily duties in March.
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The Dodo will be the anchor animal brand for Quibi’s Daily Essentials programming suite. Built around The Dodo’s audience insights, show will offer unique animal stories emotionally tailored to what people need on each day of the week.
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Disney is developing a reboot of 1993 cult classic feature Hocus Pocus for streaming platform Disney+. The project would be written by Jen D’Angelo (Happy Together, LA to Vegas, Workaholics) and is a strong nod to the original film, which starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy.
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Oggy Oggy, a CGI remake of 21-year-old kids cartoon Oggy And The Cockroaches, will be Netflix’s first original animated series from France. The service ordered the title from Paris-based animation house Xilam Animation. New incarnation follows cat Oggy, who after being freed from the tyranny of the cockroaches sets off on new adventures with other felines.
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Eric Rochant, the creative force behind French TV series The Bureau (Le Bureau Des Legendes), signed with Brillstein Entertainment. The creator, showrunner and director of the acclaimed show recently wrapped its fifth and final season, and is now looking to mine similar roles in the US market.
(Source: Cynopsis)A couple new series bows are headed to Acorn TV on Monday, November 4. Long-running UK dramedy Mount Pleasant depicts the lives of a tightly knit family in Manchester, including their everyday struggles and hurdles. Then, Slings & Arrows chronicles the backstage shenanigans of a troubled theater company as they embark on a production of Hamlet at a Shakespeare festival.
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Court Cam, an eight-ep series that gives viewers a seat on the bench for some outrageous moments in America’s courtrooms, will debut Thursday, December 5 at 9p on A&E. Series hails from Live PD host Dan Abrams and Law & Crime Productions.
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Showtime dropped the official poster and trailer for The L Word: Generation Q, premiering Sunday, December 8 at 10p. Sequel to The L Word continues to follow the intermingled lives of original crew and introduces some new characters as they experience love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in LA.
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Limited drama series Forgiven, starring Ferinaz Mousavi and Carl Jackson, will debut in spring 2020 on Tubi and TheGrid Network. The story unfolds as a coveted career advancement sets unfavorable circumstances between two workplace friends.
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Ricky Martin will join Roselyn Sanchez and Paz Vega to host the 20th annual Latin Grammy Awards. Event will be broadcast live on Univision on Thursday, November 14 at 8p.
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Kristin Stewart will host the November 2 episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Coldplay. Harry Styles will double as host and musical guest on November 16.
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PBS is decorating its holiday schedule with traditional fare including Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Christmas at Belmont, annual fan fave Call the Midwife Holiday Special and a month of Great Performanes dedicated to “Broadway’s Best” every Friday night in November.
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Crackle original series Going From Broke, from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and Matador Content, reached 1 million views in just five days. Series, which debuted on ad-supported Crackle on October 17, puts a spotlight on the student loan epidemic.
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Nickelodeon will celebrate 20 years of SpongeBob SquarePants with a new balloon at the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Nick will also have a new float inspired by new preschool series Blue’s Clues & You!, which premieres November 11 at 1p.
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Amber Gray, Tony Award-nominated star of Hadestown, landed a supporting role in Amazon’s upcoming limited series The Underground Railroad… FX drama pilot The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges, added cast members Leem Lubany and E.J. Bonilla… Maureen McCormick (A Very Brady Renovation) will join Alison Victoria (Windy City Rehab) to co-host special White House Christmas 2019, for HGTV… Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Jake Thomas are set to reprise their roles as Jo, Sam and Matt McGuire, joining previously announced Hilary Duff as Lizzie, in the Disney+ revival Lizzie McGuire.
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Tyler Perry’s The Oval and Tyler Perry’s Sistas scored a combined 2.9 million total viewers across BET, BET Her and VH1 during premiere night Wednesday, October 23 from 9pm-11p.  Engagement was at an all-time high on BET, with  Sistas retaining more than 85% of its lead in series, The Oval.
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