FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news
ON TELEVISION (FRIDAY 2/9/24)
NETFLIX: Alpha Males (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Ashes (Premiere)
NETFLIX: A Killer Paradox (Premiere)
WE TV: Mama June: Family in Crisis (Premiere) at 9pm
HISTORY: The UnBelievable With Dan Aykroyd (Finale) at 10pm
NBC: Transplant (Finale) at 8pm
STARZ: Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Finale) at 8pm
(SATURDAY 2/10/24)
ADULT SWIM: Ninja Kamui (Premiere) at 12 Midnight
MAX: The Accidental Influencer (Premiere)
(SUNDAY 2/11/24)
CBS: The NFL Today at 2pm
CBS: Super Bowl LVIII (58) Kickoff Show at 6pm
CBS: Super Bowl LVIII (58) at 6:30pm
CBS: Tracker (Premiere) at 10pm
TBS: Stupid Pet Tricks (Premiere) at 5pm
PBS: Miss Scarlet and the Duke (Finale) at 8pm
PBS: Funny Woman (Finale) at 10pm
Disney is investing $1.5 billion for an equity stake in gaming studio Epic Games, home of Fortnite. The companies aim to create an expansive and open games and entertainment universe in which consumers can “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more,” said Disney in a statement. “We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways,” said Epic’s founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. “We’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open, and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Crucial negotiations are at an advanced stage” between News Corpand AI firms to license the use of New Corp’s news content, reports News Corp-owned New York Post, quoting CEO Robert Thomson. “We are wooing, not suing,” said Thomson during an earnings call. “But let’s be clear: in my view, those who are repurposing our content without approval are stealing, they are undermining creativity. Counterfeiting is not creating, and the AI world is replete with content counterfeiters.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
BritBox has expanded its deal with BAFTA to continue its broadcast of the EE BAFTA Film Awards on February 18, while also expanding its agreement to include coverage of the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises, taking place on May 12. The deal covers exclusive simulcast streaming for both awards ceremonies in 2024 and 2025 for BritBox audiences.
(Source: Cynopsis)
CBS News Digital writers and editors have unionized with the Writers Guild of America East, and has asked CBS News management to voluntarily recognize their union. “We are seeing unprecedented mergers, consolidation and layoffs in the news industry,” said Kathy McGee, WGAE Vice President of Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News and a writer/producer at CBS News New York, in a statement. “Journalists are telling stories and lifting voices in communities that are often ignored. The most responsible thing media workers can do is to form a union to win critical workplace protection.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Hallmark Media is staying in business with Nielsen. “Our renewal extends our partnership with Nielsen to continue to utilize their authoritative suite of services to provide analytics and insights for our company,” said Hallmark Media’s SVP of Revenue and Strategic Research, Tom Ziangas. “As viewing patterns continue to evolve and fractionalize across the industry, this partnership will allow us to understand the interaction of our widely beloved brand of content across platforms and meet the needs of our advertisers and viewers alike.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Food Network serves up a fresh take on cooking competitions with “Wildcard Kitchen,” featuring fan-favorite chefs who create dishes based on poker games. “’Wildcard Kitchen’ makes viewers feel like they are behind-the-scenes for an exclusive late-night poker game with their favorite chefs,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. “The competition and good-natured trash talk is fierce, funny and unlike anything Food Network has offered.” The series premieres Tuesday, March 12 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix is developing a series about the life of Julio Iglesias, with collaboration from the singer – and all it took was a letter from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “After many speculations, books and documentaries in which I have not been involved, for the first time I have decided to tell the truth about my life to a universal company like Netflix,” said Iglesias. “After much deliberation, finally, a very touching letter sent to me by Bela Bajaria was enough to convince me that Netflix was the ideal company to develop this project.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Kevin Willliamson has four projects in development with Universal Television via his Outerbanks Entertainment, reports Deadline. In the works are a reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock film “Rear Window”; “The It Girl,” based on the book by Ruth Ware; “The Game,” based on the David Fincher film; and original concept “On the Waterfront.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Asylum Entertainment Group is making a strategic investment in Soho Studios Entertainment. Asylum’s stake in the production house, established in 2022, is aimed at accelerating Asylum’s international strategy and fuel the growth and evolution of both businesses.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Banijay announced Banijay Bootcamp, a program for scripted talent. Led by Steve Matthews, Content Executive at Banijay, Banijay Bootcamp starts this week in Prague, with two residencies across three months. Five Banijay development executives from Mexico, Spain, France, Israel, and the Netherlands, will each be mentored with a writer to develop an idea, storyline, plot and script.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Casting notes: Beau Bridges (“Lessons in Chemistry”) has taken a major recurring role opposite Kathy Baker in CBS’ upcoming reimagined “Matlock.” Bridges replaces Jamey Sheridan, who played the role in the pilot…. James Marsden (“Jury Duty”) landed the lead opposite Sterling K. Brown Hulu’s upcoming drama from “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman. Also joining the show as series regulars are Julianne Nicholson (“Mare of Easttown”) and Sarah Sahi (“Sex/Life”)….Season three of Prime Video’s “Reacher” will include Anthony Michael Hall (“Bosch: Legacy”) and Sonya Cassidy (“The Man Who Fell to Earth”) as series regulars….Luke Hemsworth (“Westworld”) has joined the cast of Prime Video’s “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” in a recurring role.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Netflix’s “The Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War” launches Tuesday, March 12, exploring how the Cold War impacted world history. The series expands on the streamer’s 2021 series, “The Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
A trailer for ID’S “Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” includes allegations of a toxic environment – including child pornography and child sexual abuse –on the sets of Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon shows. Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider in 2018 amid reports of abusive behavior. The four-parter kicks off Sunday, March 17 at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season four of HBO’s “We’re Here” launches Friday, April 26 at 9p. This go-round, drag queens Sasha Velour, Priyanka, Jaida Essence Hall, and Latrice Royale work with participants in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Tulsa, Oklahoma, to look at recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and the effect it has had on the community.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The back half of season six of “The Chi” kicks off Friday, May 10 on Paramount+ with Showtime, landing on linear on Sunday, May 12 at 9p. The drama’s season six debut was one of the Showtime premieres ever in streaming viewership.
(Source: Cynopsis)
All six episodes of “Sonic the Hedgehog” spinoff “Knuckles” drop Friday, April 26 on Paramount+. Idris Elba (“Hijack”) stars in the title role.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season four of “Blown Away” premieres Friday, March 8 on Netflix. Hunter March (“Sugar Rush”) joins as the new host of the glassblowing competition series.
(Source: Cynopsis)
As it forges ahead with AI, Google is also joining an effort to develop credentials for digital content that identifies when and how it was produced or altered. Adobe, the BBC, Microsoft and Sony are also onboard to improve standards.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Paul Rudd (“Only Murders in the Building”) will narrate Nat Geo’s“Secrets of the Octopus,” the third installment of the “Secrets Of…” franchise from James Cameron.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Comedy special “Rory Scovel: Religion, Sex and a Few Things In Between” debuts Thursday, February 22 on Max. The special is executive produced by Conan O’Brien and Conaco.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Great American Rescue Bowl” airs Super Bowl Sunday, February 11 at 12p on Great American Family. While all 102 furry participants have been adopted (yay!), North Shore Animal League America will be conducting shelter watch parties with their shelter partners throughout all weekend leading into the Big Game.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The Africa Channel is celebrating Black History Month with two curated collections, “Topical & Trending on TAC,” a collection of documentaries exploring modern Black legends, and “Viewer Favorite Classic Series.” Series “History of Africa,” diving into pivotal moments in Africa’s history, airs Mondays and Fridays from 8p-10p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
DJ Tiësto, who was scheduled to perform during breaks in the Super Bowl in the 3-3:30p timeslot, has canceled. “Me and my team have been preparing something truly special for months, but a personal family emergency is forcing me to return home Sunday morning,” Tiësto posted on social. “It was a tough decision to miss the game, but family always comes first.” The Dutch DJ would have been the first in-game DJ at the Super Bowl.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Telemundo’s coverage of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2024 Dubai™ kicks off Thursday, February 15 at 6a with a pregame show and matches airing live on Telemundo, Universo and the Telemundo app.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Who needs Christmas? Hallmark Channel’s “Paging Mr. Darcy,” the first of the net’s four Jane Austen-inspired films for its Loveuary stunt, reached 2.3 million unduplicated total viewers. It was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Saturday among Households, Total Viewers, Women 18-49, and Women/Persons 18+, helping elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 entertainment cable network in Weekend Prime among Households, Total Viewers, and Women and Persons 18+.
(Source: Cynopsis)
The US cable premiere episodes of the “Hudson & Rex” have more than tripled the network’s Th 8p hour average and hit new highs on February 1, ranking # 17 in HH coverage ratings among all cable networks in the time period.
(Source: Cynopsis)
MOVIES
Lisa Frankenstein – Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Jenna Davis, Trina LaFargue, Paola Andino, Joshua Montes, Chris Greening, Mae Anglim, Joey Harris, Henry Eikenberry, Jennifer Pierce Mathus, Luke Sexton, Ayla Miller, Jailyn Rae, Bryce Romero, Carla Gugino, Joe Christ
Lola (Limited Release) – Virginia Madsen, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Stephanie Erb, Will Peltz, Raven Goodwin, Trevor Long, Richie Merritt, Luke David Blume, Anthony Molinari, Betsy Baker, James AaronOliver, Lena Georgas, Vincent Foster, Kevin Thomas
MEGA MILLIONS
Today’s Jackpot is $394 million.
You can now play in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
POWERBALL
Saturday’s Jackpot is $248 million.
Powerball is played in 43 states.
Keely's Korner 