Keely's Korner

CELEBRITY NEWS: AUGUST 31, 2023
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Ryan Kelley (MTV’s Teen Wolf) – 37 years old
Joe Budden (Rapper/ VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: New York) – 43 years old
Shar Jackson (Moesha) – 47 years old
Sara Ramirez (And Just Like That…/ Grey’s Anatomy) – 48 years old
Chris Tucker (“Rush Hour” movies) – 52 years old
Deborah Gibson (Pop Singer) – 53 years old
Queen Raina of Jordan  – 53 years old
Julie Brown (“Camp Rock”/ “Clueless”) – 65 years old
Richard Gere (“Pretty Woman”/ “An Officer and a Gentleman”) – 74 years old
Tom Coughlin (NFL Coach) – 77 years old
Van Morrison (Rock Singer) – 78 years old
Itzhak Perlman (Violinist) – 78 years old

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

ON TELEVISION (THURSDAY 8/31/23)
HULU: Spellbound (Premiere)
MAX: Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (Premiere)
NETFLIX: One Piece (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Karate Sheep (Premiere)
SUNDANCE NOW: The Pact (Premiere)

CNN has a new leader. Mark Thompson, former chief executive of The New York Times and former Director General of the BBC, has been appointed Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, effective October 9. “There isn’t a more experienced, respected or capable executive in the news business today than Mark,” said David Zaslav, CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Mark is a true innovator who has transformed for the digital age two of the world’s most respected news organizations.” Thompson replaces Chris Licht, who was let go in June.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“We face pressure from every direction – structural, political, cultural, you name it,” said Thompson in his first note to CNN staff. “Like many other media organizations, CNN has recently felt some of the uncertainty and heartache that comes with all of that. There’s no magic wand that I or anyone else can wield to make this disruption go away. But what I can say is that where others see threat, I see opportunity – especially given CNN’s great brand and the strength of its journalism.” As for his leadership style, Thompson wrote, “It won’t be my plan that wins the day but our plan, the plan we devise and implement together.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

There’s a new chief at NBCUniversal, too – Mark Marshall has been promoted to the role of Chairman, Global Advertising and Partnerships. Marshall has served as interim Chairman since May, when Linda Yaccarino decamped for Twitter/X days before the company’s Upfront presentation. “Mark stepped into this role on an interim basis at one of the most critical times of year for the ad sales business, and over the past three months he has more than proven himself to be the leader NBCU needs to guide this team into the future,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group. “Mark’s relationships are second to none, and coupled with his transformative vision, I have no doubt that under his leadership we will continue to reinvent and innovate the sales business while super-serving our clients and partners.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Hulu has canceled “The Great” after three seasons. The critically acclaimed period comedy drama starred Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Happier news for fans of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which has been renewed for a third season at Netflix. “The audience response to the show has been so gratifying and wonderful, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to dive back into Michael Connelly’s universe and bring Mickey Haller and his world to the screen again,” said Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez, co-showrunners and executive producers.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Woodcut Media explores female heroism in three-part history docuseries “World War II: Women on the Frontline,” currently in production. The series has been pre-sold to Channel 4 in the UK, and SBS (Australia).
(Source: Cynopsis)

A docuseries about stunt performers from 87North and Universal Pictures Content Group is in post-production. The six-parter follows the everyday lives of performers and features behind-the-scenes access to Hollywood movie sets.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Invisible Boys,” based on the book by Holden Sheppard, has been commissioned for production in Geraldton and Perth, Western Australia. Stan commissioned the series following a Stan and Screenwest joint development initiative, designed to foster local talent and spark the development of new series in WA. Banijay Rights will handle international distribution for the series.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Gary R. Benz, CEO of GRB Studios and Sophie Ferron, CEO of Media Ranch have entered into a joint venture partnership to create a distribution organization. The new entity, GRB Media Ranch, will combine the companies’ content catalogs for a portfolio that includes over 5,000 hours of factual, unscripted, and scripted programming as well as formats in all genres.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Discovery’s “Gold Rush” is back for a new season on Friday, September 29 at 8p, with 28-year-old mining prodigy Parker Schnabel at a crossroads. Does he play it safe and scale back his operation, or risk it all on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire historically gold-rich virgin ground?
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBC has tweaked its Wednesday lineup. Starting October 4, “Quantum Leap” will kick off the night at 8p, followed by “Magnum P.I.” at 9p and “Chicago” encores at 10p. Previously, the network had “Chicago” encores set for 8p, followed by “Quantum” and “Magnum.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season three of Circle Network’s “Landmarks: The Stages of Country Music” will feature country music stars including Jelly Roll, Ernest, Elle King, Priscilla Block, Maggie Rose, Ricky Skaggs, Jon Randall and more. The new season kicks off Sunday, September 6 at 11:30.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Also headed for a third season is Starz drama “BMF,” starting Friday, March 1. The series was inspired by brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory(Demetrius Flenory, Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi), who established one of the most infamous crime families in the country known as, Black Mafia Family.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Our Flag Means Death” returns to Max for season two on Thursday, October 5. The comedy is very, very loosely based on the true story of 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet, who finds love with the infamous Captain Blackbeard.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” returns this fall on WOW Presents Plus in the US and select territories worldwide, day-and-date with its local airing on BBC3 in the UK. Among this year’s nine guest judges are Cush Jumbo (“The Good Wife”), supermodel Kristen Mcmenamy, and Yasmin Finney (“Heartstopper”).
(Source: Cynopsis)

The season premiere of AXS TV’s “Parking Lot Payday” airs Tuesday, October 3 at 8:30p, with shock rocker Alice Cooper sitting in the hot seat.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The US Copyright Office is undertaking a study of the copyright law and policy issues raised by generative AI and is assessing whether legislative or regulatory steps are warranted, part of its AI initiative. “We launched this initiative at the beginning of the year to focus on the increasingly complex issues raised by generative AI. This notice of inquiry and the public comments we will receive represent a critical next step,” said Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and director of the US Copyright Office. “We look forward to continuing to examine these issues of vital importance to the evolution of technology and the future of human creativity.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

FOX News Media’s Stuart Varney and Dana Perino and Univision’s Ilia Calderón will co-moderate the second Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election. Broadcast on FOX Business Network and Univision, the debate will take place on Wednesday, September 27 at 9p at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA.
(Source: Cynopsis)

NBCUniversal is going big with coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, taking place August 28-September 8, 2024. More than 140 hours of Paris Paralympic television coverage across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC will be presented, including daily live coverage of every competition day on USA Network and CNBC; nine hours of programming on NBC; and 1500 hours of coverage on Peacock.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Netflix announced its fall streaming release schedule for films. First up are documentary “Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America” on September 6, and rom-com “Love at First Sight” and dark comedy “El Conde” on September 15.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Super Bowl champ and ESPN regular Ryan Clark has signed on to host The CW’s weekly series “Inside the NFL,” kicking off Tuesday, September 5. “I dreamed of being a host, but not even in my wildest dreams did I think it would be the host of ‘Inside the NFL’,” said Clark. “I played against all the analysts who will be with me on Tuesday nights and always admired the way they approached the game of football. I’m excited to see that same passion poured into the new ‘Inside the NFL’ now that we are all on the same team.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

The third season of live NHL on TNT coverage will include a 62-game regular season schedule, starting with the TNT debut of rookie Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks as part of a marquee opening week doubleheader on Wednesday, October 11. Additional highlights include the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, regular live game coverage on Wednesday nights and live Sunday afternoon games starting in February 2024.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Africa’s highest ranked football clubs will compete in the Inaugural African Football League (“AFL”), designed to showcase the best of African club football. The competition starts with knock-out quarter finals and will be followed by the semi-finals and the final, all of which will be played over two legs. The first match takes place on October 20 in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.
(Source: Cynopsis)

SailGP has expanded its collaboration with T-Mobile for Business for seasons four and five spanning 2023 through 2025. SailGP will leverage a 5G Hybrid Mobile Network from T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions (5G ANS) portfolio to further elevate fan experience with immersive views of live race action and provide SailGP athletes advanced on-water performance analysis.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The Association of Pickleball Players has partnered with Pickleball Australia to become the promoting partner of the country’s premier event, now titled The 2023 GemLife Australian Pickleball Championships powered by The APP, held September 29 through October 2 in Sydney. With more than 600 players expected to compete, it will be the largest-ever competitive pickleball event in the southern hemisphere.
(Source: Cynopsis)

FOX News Channel finished August 2023 as cable television’s most-watched network across both primetime and total day viewership and second in the 25-54 demo with total day behind ESPN, according to Nielsen. In total day, FNC delivered 1.2 million viewers and 144,000 among A25-54 demo. In primetime, FNC netted 1.9 million viewers and 226,000 in the demo. Month over month, FNC posted a 22% increase in total viewers and 54% in the 25-54 demo.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Hallmark Channel was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable network in Weekend Primetime throughout its “Summer Night” month-long stunt among Households, Women and Persons 18+, and Total Viewers, reaching 20 million Unduplicated Viewers throughout the month of August.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Production designer and art director Chip Dox died August 15. He was 80. Dox was best known for his Emmy-winning work on daytime soap operas “Days of Our Lives” and “General Hospital.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

CELEBRITY NEWS: AUGUST 30, 2023
http://www.imdb.com/news/celebrity

Bleta “Bebe” Rexha (Pop Singer) – 34 years old
Andy Roddick (Tennis Player) – 41 years old
Gabriel Aubry (Model, Father to Halle Berry’s daughter) – 47 years old
Lisa Ling (TV Journalist for CNN/ The View) – 50 years old
Jermaine “Maino” Coleman (Rapper) – 50 years old
Cameron Diaz (“Shrek” movies/ “There’s Something About Mary”) – 51 years old
Frederique Van Der Wal (Model) – 56 years old
Michael Michele (ER/ “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days”) – 57 years old
Michael Chiklis (American Horror Story/ The Shield) – 60 years old
Lewis Black (Comedian) – 75 years old
Warren Buffett (Stock Market Genius) – 93 years old

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

ON TELEVISION (WEDNESDAY 8/30/23)
DISCOVERY: Expedition Bigfoot (Premiere) at 10pm
DISNEY+: NCT 127: The Lost Boys (Premiere)
FXX: Archer (Premiere) at 10pm
HGTV: Bargain Block (Premiere) at 9pm
MAGNOLIA: In with the Old (Premiere) at 8pm
MAGNOLIA: Design Down Under (Premiere) at 9pm
NETFLIX: Miss Adrenaline: A Tale of Twins (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (Premiere)
NETFLIX: Heart of Invictus (Premiere)
PBS: Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland (Finale) at 10pm

X is going to start accepting political ads, which have been banned from the platform since November 2019, when it was known as Twitter. “We’ll continue to apply specific policies to paid-for promoted political posts,” said the company in a blog post. “This will include prohibiting the promotion of false or misleading content, including false or misleading information intended to undermine public confidence in an election, while seeking to preserve free and open political discourse.” The company added it will provide a global advertising transparency center so anyone can review political posts being promoted on X, in addition to “robust screening processes” to ensure only eligible groups and campaigns are able to advertise.
(Source: Cynopsis)

A one-hour special honoring the late Bob Barker is set for tomorrow, August 31 at 8p on CBS. “The Price Is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker” will he hosted by Barker’s successor, Drew Carey, who took over hosting duties in 2007. “This tribute to the legendary Bob Barker will bring back great memories for generations of ‘The Price is Right’ fans who loved Bob, his humor, his ability to connect with contestants and his innate talent for making the most out of every moment,” said Daytime Programs SVP Margot Wain. Barker died August 26 at age 99.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Disney has been hit with another lawsuit for making “materially misleading statements and/or omissions” regarding the financial state of Disney+. In an August 23 filing, Disney is accused by a shareholder of engaging in “a fraudulent scheme designed to hide the extent of Disney+ losses and to make the growth trajectory of Disney+ subscribers appear sustainable and 2024 Disney+ targets appear achievable when they were not.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

A Univision news crew was robbed at gunpoint in Chicago while they were working on a series of live shots about recent armed robberies. The reporter, who told Block Club Chicago his story is “total irony,” and an accompanying photographer were unharmed; all that was taken that was of value was a video camera.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Late night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver are teaming for a limited series podcast, “Strike Force Five,” launching today on Spotify. The proceeds of the show will go to late night staffers impacted by the writers’ strike.
(Source: Cynopsis)

HBO canceled controversial drama “The Idol” after one season. “’The Idol’ was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response,” said an HBO rep. “After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers, have decided not to move forward with a second season.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Amazon is sticking to its back-to-the-office policy, despite complaints from employees – and a petition signed by thousands – about the company’s approach. At a recent internal event, CEO Andy Jassy told staffers to comply with the return-to-office plan or consider employment elsewhere, reports CNN. “We are going back to the office at least three days a week,” Jassy reportedly said at the meeting.
(Source: Cynopsis)

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the 2023 Gold and Silver Circle Inductees who will be feted at the 44th Annual News & Documentary Awards on September 27 and September 28 in New York. Gold circle News inductees include David Martin, National Security Correspondent, CBS News; John Quiñones, ABC News Correspondent, “20/20,” “Nightline,” “Good Morning America” and Anchor, “What Would You Do,” ABC News; and Dan Rather, Anchor, Journalist, Founder, News and Guts. Gold Circle Documentary inductees include Jon Alpert, Documentarian, Journalist, Cofounder of DCTV and Keiko Tsuno, Documentarian, Journalist, CoFounder of DCTV.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Vornado Realty Trust is closer to its achieving its years-long goal to redevelop Pier 94 on Manhattan’s West Side. Hudson Pacific Properties and Blackstone are backing a project to transform the space into a film and TV studio, joining the City of New York and New York City Economic Development Corporation. Sunset Pier 94 Studios is being billed as a “home to both state-of-the-art film and production technology.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Mass FX Media (“The Social Dilemma,” “Jewel Thief”) is moving to a custom-built studio that will expand the company’s post-production capabilities while bringing the Colorado film community access to the region’s premier Dolby Atmos theater for sound mixing, color grading and QC screenings.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Vanessa James has joined “Tamron Hall” as the talker’s promo voicefor season five. Most recently James voiced promos for the CW’s “Run the Burbs” and CBS’s “Superfan.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Romantic drama “Vuelve a Mi” kicks off Monday, October 9 at 9p on Telemundo. The show follows a woman of humble means, who begins a relationship with a man unaware he is one of the owners of the company where she works to support her son and sister.
(Source: Cynopsis)

Season two of Circle Network’s “Austin City Limits: Country” premieres Wednesday, September 6 at 9p. “The city of Austin and the iconic ‘Austin City Limits’ program is dear to my heart and has been a steady part of my career in music,” said host Ray Benson. “Anyone who’s a fan of the last several generations of country music won’t want to miss this.”
(Source: Cynopsis)

Paramount+ drama “The Gold,” commissioned in partnership with the BBC, will debut in the US on Sunday, September 17, with two episodes. The series is inspired by the real-life events that took place on November 26, 1983, when six armed men broke into the Brink’s-Mat security depot near London’s Heathrow Airport and inadvertently stumbled across gold bullion worth £26m.
(Source: Cynopsis)

“Nature” returns for season 42 on PBS on Wednesday, October 18 at 8p (check local listings). “Our ever changing and increasingly complex relationship with the natural world is on full display this season on ‘Nature’,” said Fred Kaufman, executive producer.
(Source: Cynopsis)

PBS also welcomes back two dramas for fourth seasons. January 7 brings “Miss Scarlet and the Duke” at 8p, followed by “All Creatures Great and Small” at 9p.
(Source: Cynopsis)

And season two of “Alma’s Way” debuts Monday, September 18 on PBS Kids. Among the first week of episodes is one which features Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer as herself.

Will Arnett, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Bethenny Frankel, JB Smooove, Christie Brinkley and Adam DeVine are among the celebrity guest advisors on Fox game show “Snake Oil,” premiering Wednesday, September 27 at 9p. David Spade hosts and produces; Arnett is executive producer.

Google announced it will add AI tools from Meta, Anthropic and more to its cloud platform, part of the company’s news this week about new user benefits from generative AI and cloud technologies That includes advanced AI-optimized infrastructure for companies to train and serve models; developer tools to build models and AI-powered applications, with major advancements to Vertex AI for creating custom models and building custom Search and Conversation apps with enterprise data; and Duet AI, an AI collaborator that is deeply integrated in Google Workspace and Google Cloud. “We are in an entirely new era of digital transformation, fueled by gen AI,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, in a blog post.

ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” streaming exclusively on Disney+ since leaving Netflix, will also stream on Hulu starting September 1. It won’t be the fairytale drama’s first stop on Hulu – the show streamed there during its run on ABC.

COMING UP

Mexican cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules will receive the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award at the “2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards,” where they will also perform. The ceremony will broadcast live on Thursday, October 5 on Telemundo, beginning at 7p.

HBO Documentary Films has acquired US and Canada television and streaming rights to “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” from directors and producers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson (“Stateless”), producer Tommy Oliver (“40 Years A Prisoner”), and executive producers Taraji P. Henson and Codie Elaine Oliver. The film will be available in theaters this fall ahead of its debut in 2024 on HBO and Max.

“Driven: The Tony Pearson Story” premieres Friday, October 6 on streaming platforms including Apple, Amazon, Google Play and VUDU. The feature film details the life and career of legendary bodybuilder Tony Pearson.

RATINGS

The premiere of Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” delivered 14 million views, reports the streamer, making it the most-watched title on Disney+ for the week. A view for Disney+ is defined as total stream time divided by runtime available.

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