‘Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart’ Is Lifetime’s Most Watched Movie in a Year
“Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart” drew 3.6 million total viewers on Saturday night, according to Nielsen data, making it the most watched Lifetime original movie in more than a year. Starring Lex Scott...
View Article‘Black-ish’ Writer’s Comedy Pilot Ordered by ABC
ABC has given pilot orders to two single-camera comedies. “Square Roots” focuses on a man from a family of logic driven engineers is determined to use his “gift” to help the people he loves with their...
View Article‘Vampire Diaries,’‘Underworld’ Producers Land Pilot Orders From Fox
Fox has ordered pilots for two dramas set in the world of law enforcement. “A.P.B.” from writer and executive producer David Slack, tells the story of a tech billionaire who purchases purchases a...
View ArticleHere’s Every Change Hollywood Has Made Since #OscarsSoWhite
Since #OscarsSoWhite began trending, all of Hollywood has been very concerned with appearing concerned about diversity. But how much has the entertainment industry actually done? The biggest real...
View ArticleHere’s Every Change Hollywood Hasn’t Made Since #OscarsSoWhite
In the wake of #OscarsSoWhite, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences made sweeping changes to encourage more diverse membership among Oscar voters. The move is a bold change. It is also the...
View ArticleInside Fox News’ Feud With Donald Trump – Who’s Winning and Why
Donald Trump and Fox News both know the value of a good feud. Trump likes a fight — real or not — so much that he once deigned to do battle with the WWE’s Vince McMahon. Fox News’ relationship with...
View ArticleReese Witherspoon Pilot Ordered by ABC
Reese Witherspoon and Kevin Williamson are among the producers of four new drama pilots ordered by ABC. Witherspoon will executive produce an untitled project from writer and executive producer Meaghan...
View ArticleWhat Oscars Can Learn From the Baseball Hall of Fame
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hopes that fewer Oscar voters will lead to more diverse nominees. The organization announced last week the plan to modernize its voting ranks — part one...
View ArticleFox News GOP Debate Crushes Trump Event in Ratings
In the battle between Donald Trump and Fox News, the network just scored a big point in the ratings department. Fox News’ broadcast of the Republican presidential debate crushed Donald Trump’s campaign...
View ArticleIBM Finalizes Deal for Weather Channel Product and Tech Business
IBM has finalized an agreement to acquire the Weather Channel’s product and technology business. The Weather Channel’s cable network will continue to be a separate entity owned by NBCUniversal, the...
View ArticleArchie Panjabi Set to Star in ABC Pilot ‘The Jury’
“The Good Wife Star” will star in the upcoming ABC drama pilot “The Jury.” The pilot sets up a potential anthology series for ABC, with each season focusing on an individual murder trial. Panjabi has...
View Article‘Star Wars’ Actress Gwendoline Christie to Return for ‘Episode VIII’
Gwendoline Christie will be back in her chrome-plated stormtrooper armor for “Star Wars: Episode VIII.” “I will be in the next ‘Star Wars’ movie,” the actress told People. Christie, best known for her...
View ArticleWill ‘Grease: Live’ Get Rained Out?
As the song says, it neve rains in Southern California — except today. Will that be bad news for “Grease: Live”? Los Angeles was hit with rare showers this morning, part of what metereologists have...
View ArticleFox Cuts $250 Million in TV, Film Staff With Buyouts
Media giant 21st Century Fox is looking to cut spending on film and television staff by $250 million this year through buyouts. The voluntary buyout program will impact employees at Fox Networks Group...
View ArticleWill Fox’s Yuge Downsizing Lead to an Even Bigger Deal?
There is downsizing and then there’s downsizing. Which one 21st Century Fox is engaged in — the kind made for its own sake or the kind made before a big move — remains to be seen. The one certainty is...
View Article‘Manhattan’ Canceled by WGN America
WGN America has canceled “Manhattan,” the cable network announced Wednesday. The drama series, which ended its second season Dec. 15, was the second original drama series in the network’s history. The...
View ArticleLeslie Moonves Replaces Sumner Redstone as Chairman of CBS
Leslie Moonves has been named chairman of CBS Corp, replacing executive chairman Sumner Redstone as the head of the company’s board. Redstone has been named chairman emeritus. His daughter Shari...
View ArticleActivist Viacom Investor: Whatever You Do, Don’t Name Philippe Dauman Chairman
Hedge fund SpringOwl Asset Management, a small investor in Viacom, has asked the company not to name current CEO Philippe Dauman chairman. The fund released a statement condemning Dauman Wednesday...
View ArticleViacom’s Board Gets Ready for Clash Between Shari Redstone and CEO Philippe...
Leslie Moonves’ ascendance to the head of CBS’ board Wednesday was typical CBS — tightly game-planned and, timing aside, not that surprising. What happens Thursday at CBS’ corporate sibling Viacom will...
View ArticleNews Corp Revenue Falls for Fourth Straight Quarter
News Corp. reported mixed earnings results Thursday for the second quarter of 2016. The company reported earnings of $0.20 per share Thursday on $2.16 billion in revenue. According to consensus...
View ArticleJennifer Lopez Drama ‘Shades of Blue’ Renewed by NBC
NBC has renewed freshman drama “Shades of Blue” for a second season. Starring Jennifer Lopez as a New York cop collaborating with internal affairs to inform on her unit, the series is the second new...
View ArticleBernie Sanders Makes ‘Yuge’‘SNL’ Cameo (Video)
How big was Bernie Sanders’ appearance on “Saturday Night Live”? Yuge. The Democratic presidential candidate made his debut on the NBC late-night show Saturday, popping into a sketch in which host...
View Article21st Century Fox Cable Operations Lift Q2 Earnings Despite Drop in Film Revenue
Media giant 21st Century Fox reported mixed earnings results for second quarter 2016 Monday, reporting $0.44 earnings per share on $7.38 billion in revenue. Analyst expectations for the company had...
View ArticleFox Chief Hints at More Downsizing to Come
The current wave of downsizing at 21st Century Fox may not be the last. Speaking to investors Monday following the release of the company’s second-quarter 2016 earnings, CEO James Murdoch indicated...
View ArticleNBCUniversal Cable Shakes Up Executive Team
NBCUniversal is once again making changes to the executive structure of its cable business. USA president Chris McCumber has gained oversight of Syfy and smaller networks Chiller and Cloo. Syfy...
View Article‘Star Wars’ Lifts Disney Q1 Earnings Beyond Expectations
The Walt Disney Co. reported first quarter 2016 earnings of $1.63 per share on $15.24 billion of revenue, exceeding analyst expectations. According to Thomson Reuters, analysts had expected the company...
View ArticleESPN Subscribers Growing, Disney Chief Bob Iger Claims
Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger defended embattled cable flagship ESPN Tueday, saying that the sports network has added subscribers. “We’ve seen an uptick recently in ESPN subs,” Iger told CNBC’s...
View ArticleWhy Viceland Doesn’t Want You to See Its Ratings
When Vice’s new cable channel launches later this month, it will offer shows from the likes of Ellen Page, Eddie Huang and Action Bronson. But it will not offer any transparency about who is watching...
View ArticleFox News Tops New Hampshire Primary Ratings
Fox News was the ratings leader for New Hampshire primary coverage Tuesday night. From 8-11 p.m., the network averaged 4.17 million total viewers and 991,768 viewers age 25-54 — the demo that matters...
View ArticleWhy Chris Rock Is the Right Oscar Host at the Right Moment
This story first ran in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s Oscar magazine. The #OscarsSoWhite debacle has been a crisis for the people who dole out the Academy Awards. But for the producers of the...
View Article‘SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay Supports Kesha: ‘Speaking Out Is the Hardest Part’
Mariska Hargitay has added herself to the chorus of entertainment professionals voicing support for Kesha. The “Law & Order: SVU” star tweeted Monday, “For many survivors, speaking out is the...
View ArticleWarner Bros to Buy Streaming Company DramaFever from SoftBank
Warner Bros. has reached an agreement to buy DramaFever, a U.S.-based company that operates subscription and on-demand streaming-video services. The acquisition includes the company’s...
View ArticleJimmy Kimmel in Talks to Host Emmys
Jimmy Kimmel is nearing a deal to host the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC. The late-night host is currently in discussions with the network to take on the emcee duties for the second time in his...
View Article‘Riverdale’ Casts Archie, Josie for CW Pilot
New Zealand actor K.J. Apa has been cast to play the lead in “Riverdale,” the CW’s drama pilot adaptation of the long-running Archie comics series. Apa will play Archie Andrews, the teen-boy...
View ArticleSarah Michelle Gellar Joins ‘Cruel Intentions’ Pilot
Sarah Michelle Gellar has joined the NBC pilot for “Cruel Intentions,” the TV adaptation of the 1999 film in which she starred. The actress announced over Instagram: “#cruelintentions. That’s right...
View ArticleAmazon Cancels Drama Series ‘Mad Dogs’ After One Season
Amazon has canceled drama series “Mad Dogs” after one season, according to the show’s showrunner and executive producer. Shawn Ryan announced the series’ end Sunday on Twitter. “Wanted to report that a...
View ArticleTed Cruz Accuses Donald Trump of Mob Ties (Video)
What bombshell is Donald Trump hiding in his unreleased tax returns? Ted Cruz thinks he knows. The Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate took to NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning to...
View ArticleMelissa Harris-Perry Officially Out at MSNBC
Melissa Harris-Perry is officially out at MSNBC, two days after telling her staff that she would refuse to continue hosting her MSNBC show. A network spokesperson confirmed Harris-Perry’s departure to...
View ArticleJack Lindquist, Longtime Disney Parks Executive, Dies at 88
Jack Lindquist, a longtime employee of the Walt Disney Co. who played a key role in the initial marketing of Disneyland, has died. He was 88 years old. The cause of death was not immediately known....
View ArticleHow Chris Rock’s Oscars Opener Could Lift Show to Huge Ratings
With #OscarsSoWhite more talked about than any of the nominees, Chris Rock‘s opening bit at the 2016 Academy Awards Sunday night will be among the most anticipated in the show’s history. But how much...
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