FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 3/9/20)
FOOD NETWORK: Spring Baking Championship (Premiere) at 9pm
NAT. GEO.: Cosmos: Possible Worlds (Premiere) at 8pm
SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL: Secrets Unlocked (Premiere) at 8pm
BRAVO: Spy Game (Finale) at 10pm
CW: All American (Finale) at 8pm
CW: Black Lightning (Finale) at 9pm
FOX: 9-1-1: Lone Star (Finale) at 8pm
HBO: The New Pope (Finale) at 9pm
HBO: McMillion$ (Finale) at 10:10pm
ID: Stranger Among Us (Finale) at 10pm
The national board of the Directors Guild of America voted to approve a new three-year contract that includes major gains in streaming residuals. “As streaming continues to overtake other forms of distribution and expand in scope, the DGA’s negotiations priorities were again focused squarely on SVOD,” said the guild. The agreement includes a nearly 50% increase in residuals for members working on original SVOD series.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The SXSW festival, scheduled for March 13-22, has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns – and insurance won’t cover the loss. The city of Austin made the call to cancel, and the tech, film, TV and music extravaganza “will faithfully follow the City’s directions,” said SXSW in a tweet, adding, “We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.” Companies including Facebook, Twitter and Intel had already pulled out.“We have a lot of insurance (terrorism, injury, property destruction, weather),” SXSW co-founder and CEO Roland Swenson told the Austin Chronicle, “however, bacterial infections, communicable diseases, viruses and pandemics are not covered.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
The American Film Institute’s tribute to Julie Andrews, scheduled for April 25, has been postponed “in response to the rapidly evolving nature of current events,” said the AFI. The celebration is slated to air as a special on TNT.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is thinking twice about his plans to spend six months in Africa – a decision that has drawn criticism from investors, but that’s not the reason he’s reconsidering. “I had been working on my plans where I’d work decentralized, as my team and I do when we travel, but in light of COVID-19 and everything else going on, I need to re-evaluate,” Dorsey said at a Morgan Stanley conference. “Either way we’ll continue to pursue opportunities in Africa.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
A coronavirus diagnosis for one of its employees prompted Facebook to close its three London offices over the weekend. The infected employee is based in the Singapore office, but had visited the London outpost at the end of February. Employees worked from home as the office underwent a deep clean.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Facebook is temporarily banning commerce listings and advertisements for medical face masks, part of an attempt to limit exploitation of the COVID-19 outbreak. The company is also limiting ads for medical products that create a sense of urgency among buyers, as well as ads promising virus cures or prevention. Coronavirus-themed groups and pages will be blocked from Facebook’s algorithmic recommendations.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In related news, televangelist Jim Bakker was handed a cease-and-desist order from the New York Attorney General telling him to stop pitching an alleged cure for COVID-19. The February 12 episode of The Jim Bakker Show suggested that Silver Solution products (price tag: $125+) could treat the virus.
(Source: Cynopsis)
And then there were two. It looks like Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden will be the only Democratic candidates left standing for the CNN- and Univision-hosted debate on March 15 in Phoenix. New qualification criteria call for participants to have collected at least 20% of all pledged delegates up to that point, a bar remaining candidate Tulsi Gabbard is unlikely to reach. Jake Tapper, Dana Basha and Jorge Ramos will moderate the debate, held ahead of March 17 primaries in Florida, Illinois and Ohio.
(Source: Cynopsis)
RuPaul Charles series AJ and the Queen has been canceled by Netflix after one season. “Netflix has decided to not extend our trip across America,” tweeted Charles, who starred as a down-on-her-luck drag queen who traveled with an orphaned stowaway, on Friday. “Thank you for all the love & support. We’re so very proud of the work.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
In more RuPaul news, contestant Sherry Pie (real name: Joey Gugliemelli) was disqualified from VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race for alleged sexual misconduct after claims from at least five men that she sent them fetish videos and promised acting opportunities. The season will air as planned, said VH1, but Gugliemelli will not be in the finale.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Advertising Week and Laugh Out Loud, the comedy brand founded by comedian Kevin Hart, have forged a multi-year alliance that includes the launch of a B2B podcast focused on comedy and culture; a new LOL-branded content studio; and the delivery of LOL talent to AW events. The deal includes Hart keynoting at Advertising Week in NYC in October. The AW/LOL alliance will also extend to London and Sydney in 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Warner Bros. Animation and writer/director/producer Ava DuVernay are developing a high-end serialized animated family television seriesbased on fantasy book series Wings of Fire, from author Tui T. Sutherland. WBA is producing the project with DuVernay, who serves as executive producer through her ARRAY Filmworks production company. Dan Milano (Glitch Techs), Christa Starr, Tui T. Sutherland and WBA’s Sam Register (Teen Tians Go!) are also onboard as executive producers.
(Source: Cynopsis)
A Beauty & The Beast prequel series is in development at Disney+. Six-episode musical event would star the film’s Josh Gad and Luke Evans.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Science Channel ordered Attila’s Forbidden Tomb, a two-hour special from France’s Pernel Media, co-produced by France 5. Doc explores the story of the brutal 5th Century warrior with the help of new archaeological evidence from the Hun’s lost tomb.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nathaniel Halpern (Legion, Tales From the Loop) signed an overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios calling for him to create, develop and produce series. “Nathaniel’s work on Legion is unlike anything being produced right now and we can’t wait for the rest of the world to experience his Tales From the Loop on Amazon Prime,” said Bert Salke, President of Fox 21 Television Studios. “He’s quite simply one of the most imaginative and original creators we’ve ever seen, and exactly the kind of visionary we want to be in business with at Fox 21.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Showtime released all episodes of season two of The Trade to its subscribers. Four-part docu-series reports on the shadow industries of smugglers and human traffickers.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fox News is hosting its second town hall with Bernie Sanders tonight at 6:30p, the eve of the Michigan primary. It’s FNC’s eleventh town hall this election season, and tenth with a Democratic candidate.
(Source: Cynopsis)
John Krasinski (The Office) is set as host of NBC’s Saturday Night Live on March 28, joined by musical guest Dua Lipa. It will be Krasinski’s first hosting gig, and Lipa’s second appearance.
(Source: Cynopsis)
From Thursday, March 12 through Pi day, March 14, AccuWeather Network and accuweather.com content will have a STEM/STEAM in celebration of #DressforSTEM movement to raise awareness and encourage girls and women to pursue education and careers in STEM fields. The coverage will include stories related to people and events in those disciplines.
(Source: Cynopsis)
With Modern Family wrapping, Julie Bowen will star in CBS comedy pilot Raised By Wolves, focused on a crisis manager who adopts an 11-year-old girl…Kayla Compton, who plays Allegra Garcia on CW’s The Flash, has been upped to season regular for season seven…Josh Segarra (AJ and the Queen) landed the male lead in NBC comedy pilot Night School, based on the 2018 film…Ramon Rodriguez (Gang Related) will play the male lead in Fox’s untitled drama pilot about students remaking the 1985 movie The Goonies…Vanessa Lengies (Glee) has boarded Disney+’s Turner & Hooch reboot.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Actor Roscoe Born passed away March 3 at age 69. Born starred in soap operas including Ryan’s Hope, All My Children, One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Actor Nicholas Tucci died March 3 at the Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven. He was 38. Tucci starred in Syfy’s Channel Zero. “Nick chose to keep his illness private so that he could continue to pursue his professional and artistic dreams for as long as possible,” said his Facebook page.
(Source: Cynopsis)
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Onward – $40 million
The Invisible Man – $15.2 million
The Way Back – $8.5 million
Sonic The Hedgehog – $8 million
The Call of the Wild – $7 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
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