Keely's Korner

CELEBRITY NEWS: JANUARY 30, 2024
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (Rapper) – 40 years old
Wilmer Valderrama (That 70’s Show) – 44 years old
Josh Kelley (Singer, married to Katherine Heigl) – 44 years old
Andy Milonakis (MTV’s The Andy Milonakis Show) – 48 years old
Christian Bale (“American Hustle”/ “The Dark Knight”) – 50 years old
Jalen Rose (former NBA Player) – 51 years old
Norbert Leo Butz (Broadway Actor) – 57 years old
Julie McCullough (“Sharknado”/ Growing Pains) – 59 years old
Jody Watley (R&B Singer) – 65 years old
Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire) – 66 years old
Phil Collins (Pop Singer) – 73 years old
Charles Dutton (Roc) – 73 years old
Vanessa Redgrave (“Mission: Impossible”) – 87 years old
Gene Hackman (“The Royal Tenenbaums”/“Enemy of the State”) – 94 years old

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (TUESDAY 1/30/24)
BRAVO: ravo: Vanderpump Rules (Premiere) at 8pm
NASCAR: Full Speed (Premiere)

Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” was the most-watched streaming original in 2023, with 16.9 billion minutes across 24 episodes, reports Nielsen. USA Network’s 2011-19 legal drama “Suits” was the most-watched title overall, with 57.7 billion minutes.
(Source: Cynopsis)

CNN has added three on-air correspondents, who will continue as part of a group of rotating panelists on “The Chris Wallace Show” as well as appear across the network. On board are Joan Coaston, opinion writer at The New Yorker; Lulu Garcia-Navarro, from The New York Times Magazine; and Reiham Salam, President of the Manhattan Institute.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Paramount Global has sold out ad inventory tied to its kids-and-family version of the Super Bowl on Nickelodeon, reports Variety. While most Super Bowl spots will air across CBS, Nick and Paramount+, those deemed inappropriate for kids (beer, R-rated movies) will be replaced by different spots.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Allen Media Group has set Wednesday, April 24 as the date for its second annual AMG Upfront, from noon-2p at Avra Rockefeller Center. “The continued steady growth and expansion of Allen Media Group is phenomenal,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Our strong portfolio and innovative advertising solutions deliver immense value to our clients, and we are incredibly excited to showcase our unparalleled programming, events and technology to advertisers.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Nominees for Outstanding Drama Series for the 55th Annual NAACP Image Awards include Peacock’s “Bel-Air,” Hulu’s “Black Cake,” NBC’s “Found,” Netflix’s “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”; and FX’s “Snowfall.” Up for Comedy Series are ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” Prime Video’s “Harlem,” Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest,” CBS’ “The Neighborhood,” and Hulu’s “UnPrisoned.” The ceremony airs Saturday, March 16 at 8p on CBS; for a complete list of nominees, go here.
(Source: Cynopsis)

FilmRise greenlit season two of “Killers: Caught on Camera.” “Season 1 performed very well for us in the global market and we are excited to take the second season out to our international buyers,” said Ben Barrett, Global Head of Content Financing & Partnerships, Unscripted, Blue Ant Studios.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Also renewed for a second season is newsmagazine “America in Black,” featured on BET, Paramount+ and CBS News Streaming Network. Hopping aboard this go-round are BET News anchor Ed Gordon, “CBS Mornings” host Vladimir Duthiers and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Cream Productions is partnering with investigative journalist CarolynOssorio for “Imperfect Witness,” a four-part docuseries on serial murderer Gary Ridgway, aka the Green River Killer. Ossorio created and hosted the true crime podcast “The Shadow Girls.” 
(Source: Cynopsis)

Mormon wives who are swingers are the subject of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” The reality series is in development for Hulu at Jeff Jenkins Productions. Rob Mills, EVP, Unscripted & Alternative Entertainment at Walt Disney Television, broke the news at a Realscreen event.
(Source: Cynopsis)

BBC Arts has commissioned docuseries “Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar” (w/t). Kim Kardashian is among the executive producers, along with Kari Lia and Hamish Fergusson. The three-parter, a box set series for BBC Two and iPlayer, is being shopped by Fremantle.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Casting notes: Kayla Wallace (“When Calls The Heart”), James Jordan (“Yellowstone”), Mark Collie (“Nashville”) and Paulina Chávez (“The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia”) have joined the cast of Paramount+’s latest Taylor Sheridan drama, “Landman,” as series regulars. They join series star Billy Bob Thornton …. Jennifer Nettles (“The Exorcist”) will play the ex-wife of Kevin Bacon’s character in upcoming Prime Video action series “The Bondsman.”…Checking in to ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” for season three are Josh Segarra (“The Big Door Prize”), Kimia Behpoornia (“Hacks”) and Benjamin Norris (“Never Have I Ever”) in recurring roles.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of HGTV’s “Lil Jon Wants To Do What?” launches Monday, February 12 at 10p. The renovation series delivered over 12.7 million total viewers its first season.
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBC’s “Password” starts its sophomore season on Tuesday, March 12 at 10p. Joining hosts Jimmy Fallon and Keke Palmer will be celebrity guests Chance the Rapper, Laverne Cox, Nikki & Brie Garcia, Lauren Graham, Wiz Khalifa, Jimmy Kimmel, Johnny Knoxville, Liza Koshy, Howie Mandel, Joe Manganiello, Joel McHale, Meghan Trainor, Lindsey Vonn and Roy Wood Jr. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Is It Cake?”, Netflix’s baking show starring “SNL’s” Mikey Day, is back for season three on Friday, March 29. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

TBS is kicking off a five-city “Stupid Pet Tricks” tour on February 3. The goal: find guests for the network’s Sarah Silverman-hosted show, premiering with a sneak peek across TBS, Discovery, truTV and Animal Planet on Sunday, February 11 at 5p. New episodes will debut on TBS every Monday at 9p beginning February 12.
(Source: Cynopsis)

PBS Masterpiece has picked up buzzy UK drama “Mr Bates vs The Post Office.” The ITV four-parter dramatizes the miscarriage of justice when the Post Office blamed local branch managers for missing money, accusing hundreds of theft and fraud, when in fact the problem was caused by errors in the Post Office’s computer system. The show is averaging 13.1 million viewers per episode across the pond. “The producers of this powerful drama have reignited the public interest in the Subpostmasters’ 20-year quest for justice,” said Susanne Simpson, Masterpiece EP. “I’m incredibly proud that we will bring this story to the American audience.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

ESPN will present the 2024 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida, featuring NFL stars competing in ten made-for-television skills highlighted by a 7-on-7 Flag Football Game. “The Pro Bowl Skills Show” will air on Thursday, February 1, at 7p. On Sunday afternoon, the Pro Bowl Games will include the Flag Football Game, with four additional skills competitions intertwined within the telecast, airing on ESPN, ABC, Disney XD and ESPN+ (February 4, 3-6p). A Spanish-language edition of both days’ events will be available on ESPN Deportes.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has formed a joint venture with Fuel TV to create FUEL TV branded SVOD and FAST channels. The companies will combine their respective content catalogs for for Fuel TV Surf and Fuel TV Snow, and create two new channels, Fuel TV Skate and Fuel TV Bike. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

CNN’s “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” returns Sunday, February 4 at 8p with “What Whales Tell Us.” CNN’s Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir follows the humpback whale migratory journey from Antarctica to the coast of Colombia.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Far Haven” makes its cable debut on INSP on Sunday, April 14 at 9p. The western drama stars a wrongfully accused man released from prison only to have to take on corrupt forces in his town.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Kemba,” based on the true story of a sheltered college student who falls in love with a man who turns out to be a drug dealing kingpin, premieres Thursday, February 22 on BET+.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The NFC Championship Game on Fox drew 56,691,000 viewers, the network’s best NFC Championship Game performance since 2012, and the fourth most-watched non-Super Bowl telecast in network history.
(Source: Cynopsis)

After the game, the season three premiere of “Next Level Chef” delivered 7.2 million total viewers and a 2.1 Live + SD rating among A18-49, television’s most-watched and highest-rated unscripted series telecast since its season two post-Super Bowl LVII premiere last year. “Next Level Chef” will make its time period premiere on Thursday, February 1 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Advertising and ad agency executive Ben Jankowski died January 27. He was 63. Jankowski, who retired as Group Head of Global Media at MasterCard in in 2021, held senior roles at OMD, MPG and BBDO, after starting his career at Grey Advertising in 1982.
(Source: Cynopsis)

MEGA MILLIONS
Today’s Jackpot is $311 million.

You can now play in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

NYLottery.NY.gov

CELEBRITY NEWS: JANUARY 29, 2024
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Rory “Rag’N’Bone Man” Graham (Pop Singer) – 39 years old
Adam Lambert (Singer, American Idol) – 42 years old
Riff Raff (Rapper) – 42 years old
Andrew Keegan (“10 Things I Hate About You”) – 45 years old
Justin Hartley (This Is Us) – 47 years old
Sam Jaeger (NBC’s Parenthood) – 47 years old
Sara Gilbert (The Conners) – 49 years old
Sharif Atkins (White Collar/ ER) – 49 years old
Andrea Lee-Kelly (VH1’s Hollywood Exes, ex-wife of R. Kelly) – 50 years old
Heather Graham (“The Hangover” movies) – 54 years old
Edward Burns (“Saving Private Ryan”/ “The Brothers McMullen”) – 56 years old
Greg Louganis (Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer) – 64 years old
Oprah Winfrey (TV Show Host) – 70 years old
Charlie Wilson (R&B Singer) – 71 years old
Ann Jillian (It’s A Living) – 74 years old
Cristina Saralegui (Cristina) – 76 years old
Tom Selleck (Magnum, P.I.) – 79 years old
Katherine Ross (“The Graduate”) – 84 years old

FIRST LOOK
http://www.eonline.com/news

ON TELEVISION (MONDAY 1/29/24)
ACORN TV: The Claremont Murders (Premiere)
HISTORY: History’s Greatest Mysteries (Premiere) at 9pm
NETFLIX: Mighty Bheem’s Playtime (Premiere)
PEACOCK: Love Island: All-Stars (Premiere)
CBS: Yellowstone (Finale) at 10pm

With their carriage agreement set to expire on February 2 and no deal in sight, Cox Media Group sent out a press release last week calling on DirecTV not to block its customers’ access to programming provided by CMG’s local TV stations. “We’re dismayed that DirecTV is trying to force a deal that would harm local journalism and broadcast stations,” said Marian Pittman, EVP of CMG. 
(Source: Cynopsis)

Vince McMahon resigned Friday as executive chairman of the board of WWE parent company TKO Group, a day after a former employee filed a sexual abuse and trafficking suit against him and former executive John Laurinaitis. According to several reports, McMahon denied the allegations in the lawsuit and said in a statement he would defend himself “vigorously.” But, he continued, out of respect for the company, its employees and constituents, “I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Dancer, singer, author and actress JoJo Siwa returns to the judging panel of “So You Think You Can Dance,” stepping in for departed Nigel Lythgoe when the dance competition series makes its season 18 debut March 4 at 9p on FOX. The new season will have a new format reflecting the experience of building a dance career, with each contestant competing in new challenges each week. Fresh storytelling elements also will be introduced, including a documentary-style inside look at the contestants, following them on their competitive journeys.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Outdoor enthusiasts got another reason to leave the house after MyOutdoorTV launched its streaming service MOTV on Xumo devices, including the Xumo Stream Box and Xumo TV on January 29. MOTV says the launch should expand its potential audience to “millions more consumers nationwide,” adding that its robust library can be viewed in-home or by phone “on a bass boat or a tree stand in the woods.” 
(Source: Cynopsis)

Fans of the Disney+ original series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” can get another fix after the season finale with a documentary special, “A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” featuring stars from the show as well as author Rick Riordan and the creative team. The eight-episode series, which Disney+ says has garnered more than 26 million views for its first episode, concludes its season on January 30.
(Source: Cynopsis)

AMC Networks dropped the latest trailer for its third “The Walking Dead” spin-off (“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live”) on January 25 and according to the network it had more than 16 million views across various platforms including its social accounts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in its first 24 hours. The new series, which premieres on AMC and AMC+ on February 25, is set in Philadelphia and focuses on the characters Rick (Andy Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) and their love and search for each other.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Winners in television categories for the 26th Annual Family Film and TV Awards include Cedric the Entertainer (“The Neighborhood”) for Outstanding Actor in a Series; “Full House” for Iconic Classic Series; “The Amazing Race” for Entertainment Series; and “The Price Is Right” for Game Show. For a complete list of winners, go here.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Discovery Channel has added eight new series to its original slate, more than 50 hours of programming set to premiere in the first half of 2024. “Big Little Brawlers” was first out of the blocks on January 9, followed by “Hustlers, Gamblers and Crooks” on January 19. Other shows expected to premiere in the next several weeks are “America’s Backyard Gold;” Caught! Wild & Weird America;” “Eye of the Storm;” “Mud Wild;” “Untitled Expedition Show;” and “Vegas Tow.” “Each of our new series are character-driven stories that tap into America’s mainstream obsessions,” said Discovery Networks president Howard Lee.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Peacock is the exclusive US streaming home for UK reality dating series “Love Island: All Stars,” with the first three episodes premiering today, January 29. Peacock’s “Love Island” library also includes “Love Island USA,” recently renewed for two more seasons; “Love Island Games”; “Love Island South Africa”; and “Love Island Spain.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season five of The History Channel’s non-fiction series “The Food That Built America” returns February 25 at 9p with all origin stories of iconic American foods and the pioneers who created them.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Magnolia Network will premiere season 5 of design show “In With The Old” on cable on February 7 at 8p, followed by the cable and streaming premiere of Season 2 of “Artfully Designed” on February 10 at 1p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

VH1’s unscripted series, “My True Crime Story” is back, following ordinary people entangled in extraordinary schemes.
(Source: Cynopsis)

AXS TV will present rock icons REO Speedwagon in a 2010 concert on“Live at Moondance Jam,” February 4 at 7:30p. The channel also is conducting a “Sweetheart Deal” giveaway on its social media platforms from February 4-18, with the winner to receive a prize including two VIP tickets to “An Evening of Hi Infidelity…And More” at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas on May 11.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Ubisoft and Blast released details for the first Blast Rainbow 6 Major esports tournament of season 2024, scheduled for May 16-26 in Manchester UK. Teams from nine regions of BLAST R6 will vie to become one of the 20 clubs that will qualify for the Manchester Major, competing for $750,000 in prize money and points to qualify for the Six Invitational in 2025. The event will be held at Manchester’s B.E.C. Arena.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Peacock’s “The Traitors” has become the #1 unscripted series in the US across all streaming platforms, according to Nielsen. The reality competition series also ranked as the #9 streaming original series for overall minutes viewed in its first full week on the platform. Streaming reach is up 75% from season 1. That’s on the heels of Peacock drawing an average audience of 23 million for the AFC Wild Card game, setting a record with 30% of all Internet use being used to watch the game.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season 2 of Hallmark Channel’s “The Way Home” premiered as the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Sunday among Households; Total Viewers; Women/Persons 18+ and 55+, according to Nielsen. The premiere was also the #2 most-watched entertainment cable program among women 18+ and 55+, second to Hallmark Channel’s original movie premiere, “Betty’s Bad Luck in Love.” As a result, Hallmark became the #1 entertainment cable network in Weekend Total Day among Households; Total Viewers, Women 25-54; and Women/Persons 18+-55+.
(Source: Cynopsis)

POWERBALL
Today’s Jackpot is $174 million. 

Powerball is played in 43 states.

NYLottery.NY.gov

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
The Beekeeper – $7.4 million
Mean Girls – $7.3 million
Wonka – $5.9 million
Migration – $5.2 million
Anyone But You – $4.8 million
(Source: Box Office Mojo)