FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 8/23/21)
ABC: The Ultimate Surfer (Premiere) at 10pm
DISCOVERY+: Celebrity IOU: Joyride (Premiere)
HGTV: Curb Appeal Xtreme (Premiere) at 9pm
MTV: Messyness (Premiere) at 7pm
PEACOCK: Born for Business (Premiere)
UNIVISION: La Desalmada (Premiere) at 10pm
VH1: Love & Hip Hop: Miami (Premiere) at 9pm
Mike Richards has stepped down as host of “Jeopardy!”, following a report of sexist and offensive comments made during his 2013-14 podcast, “The Randumb Show.” It was the second strike for Richards, who had earlier apologize for comments he allegedly made while he was a producer at “The Price Is Right.” “We were surprised this week to learn of Mike’s 2013/2014 podcast and the offensive language he used in the past,” said a Sony Pictures Television spokesperson on Friday. Richards will continue as executive producer of “Jeopardy!”, and guest hosts will fill in until a new host is named.
(Source: Cynopsis)
And who has the best shot at replacing the imcomparable Alex Trebek? The game show’s G.O.A.T. and consulting producer, Ken Jennings, was the most-viewed host during his guest stint, according to an analysis by LG Ads. Jennings was followed by Richards and Katie Couric. Though if vocal fans – including Ryan Reynolds – have their way, LeVar Burton (“Reading Rainbow”), whose ratings were likely impacted by the Olympics, will take the podium.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nextstar Media is buying political news site The Hill for $130 million.“The combined digital network offers an extremely valuable, brand-safe environment for issue and other advertisers to reach a growing digital audience of informed, intent-oriented consumers,” said Karen Brophy, Nexstar Media, inc. President, Digita. “As the nation’s largest local broadcast and media company, Nexstar is ideally positioned to accelerate The Hill’s growth and further penetrate the massive political news market to grow audience share and drive increased content monetization.” The Hill had 48 million average monthly users and 2.2 billion total pageviews in 2020, according to Comscore.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Actress Briana Thomas has filed a lawsuit against Sony Pictures Television alleging she was sexually harassed by “The Young and the Restless” producer Anthony Morina, and fired when she rejected his advances. Thomas, who appeared in a background role in 2018 and 2019, also claims Morina complained about having to attend sexual harassment seminars.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Carrie Ann Inaba is leaving CBS daytimer “The Talk.” Inaba had been on a hiatus since April. “Carrie Ann’s authenticity and openness created a special connection and relationship with our audience,” said Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews, executive producers of the show. “We will always be grateful for her contributions here at ‘The Talk’ over the last 3 seasons.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Tamron Hall,” syndicated by Disney since its launch in fall 2019, is moving to ABC News. “Their thought-provoking segments have provided daytime viewers with entertainment, news and information, delivered by a distinguished and celebrated broadcast journalist,” said ABC News President Kim Godwin in a memo to staff. “Given that, and the fact that Tamron’s show is produced in our building, moving it to ABC News will create great opportunities for collaboration and partnership.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Schitt’s Creek: The Farewell Tour” has been canceled due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. Tweeted Dan and Eugene Levy to fans, “Despite our best efforts to reschedule while keeping your health and safety at the forefront, we’ve found that state and local mandates vary too widely to do so in the near future. So, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all tour dates that were scheduled pre-pandemic.” The tour, intended to celebrate the 2015-20 sitcom, was first announced in March 2020.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Also canceled in the US is VidCon, the ViacomCBS event for digital creators, platform innovators and fans. “Unfortunately, due to the recent increases in COVID-19 cases and evolving health and safety mandates, we have come to the difficult but right decision to cancel VidCon this October,” said VidCon GM Jim Louderback. The show will return in 2022.
(Source: Cynopsis)
And as the pandemic worsens and children remain unvaccinated,MGM/United Artists Releasing shifted plans for family film “Addams Family 2.” The sequel will be available both in theaters and on PVOD on Friday, October 1.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Crackle Plus has partnered with APX Content Ventures to serve as the co-production and brand-integration partner for the new Crackle original interview series, “Inside the Black Box,” featuring BIPOC artists reflecting on how their skin tone influenced their journey to success. Hosted by Joe Morton (“Scandal”) acting coach Tracey Moore and produced by Landmark Studio Group, the show is slated to begin production in October with an anticipated 1Q22 premiere date on Crackle.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Chloë Sevigny (“We Are Who We Are”) will star in Hulu’s “The Girl From Plainfield” alongside Elle Fanning and Colton Ryan. The limited series is based on an Esquire article about a controversial “texting-suicide” case.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Renee Zellweger will be joined by Josh Duhamel (“Las Vegas”) in NBC’s “The Thing About Pam.” The limited series is based on the true crime story of the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria featured “Dateline NBC.” Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Zellweger’s Big Picture Co. are producing.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Orange Is the New Black” star Kate Mulgrew will recur in a key role on Showtime drama “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” based on the 1976 film starring David Bowie. Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing and executive producing the series and will serve as showrunners along with executive producer John Hlavin.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Syfy’s “Day of the Dead” debuts Friday, October 15 at 10p. The zombie apocalypse series follows a group of strangers struggling to survive the first 24 hours of an invasion of the undead.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Comedy Central’s “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” returned for season two to a 0.31 rating among A18-49 in Live+SD Nielsens, up 20% versus the P4W time period average.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Discovery had 4 of the top 5 cable networks in Total Day among W25-54 and W18-49 (HGTV, ID, TLC & Food), the week of August 8, led by HGTV (#1 cable net in Total Day among W25-54/18-49) and TLC (#1 cable net in Prime among P25-54/18-49 and W25-54/18-49/18-34) in Nielsen Live+3 data.
(Source: Cynopsis)
HGTV’s “Battle on the Beach” was watched by more than 13 million viewers, averaging a .64 Live+s rating among P25-54 and a .78 Live+3 rating among W25-54-, a 26% increase over the prior six weeks for both demos. The six-episode series also garnered a .74 Live+3 rating among upscale P25-54, a 37% lift over the previous six weeks.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Cable TV pioneer Nickolas “Nick” Davatzes, CEO Emeritus of A+E Networks, died August 21 at the age of 79. Davatzes served as President and CEO of A+E from December 1983 to April 2005, and was a leader in advocating for education and public affairs initiatives in the cable industry. In November 2006, President George W. Bush presented Davatzes with the National Humanities Medal in recognition of his contributions to the humanities.
(Source: Cynopsis)
POWERBALL
Today’s Jackpot is $293 million.
Powerball is played in 43 states.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Free Guy – $18.8 million
PAW Patrol: The Movie – $13 million
Jungle Cruise – $6.2 million
Don’t Breathe 2 – $5.1 million
Respect – $3.8 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)
Keely's Korner 