| | | | | | What's news: A state of emergency has been declared as wildfires continue to ravage several L.A. suburbs. Scarlett Johansson will guest co-host Today with Jenna & Friends. The Bachelor cast has been revealed for S29. Discovery+ is raising prices. Jacob Elordi is in early negotiations to replace Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars. — Abid Rahman
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Thousands Flee L.A. Wildfires ►Horrific. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as a number of uncontrollable wildfires continue to ravage several Los Angeles suburbs. Nearly 50,000 people have been told to evacuate effected areas. The fires have torn through Pacific Palisades, one of the L.A.'s toniest neighborhoods. Among the residents who call the area home are Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Eugene Levy, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler, Michael Keaton, Miles Teller, Michael Mann, Ann Sarnoff, Carol Lombardini, Alan Bergman, Kathleen Kennedy, James Woods and Steve Guttenberg. The story.
—"This is a really important time for us to remember … we are one big community." Steve Guttenberg says the blaze that is burning through his community is “the most unbelievable I’ve ever seen.” The Police Academy actor, who appeared on CNN on Tuesday night, described the daytime scene, saying that due to the smoke, he said, "The sky was dark, like it was nighttime. "Guttenberg spoke about helping people who were trying to evacuate the area, echoing comments he’d made earlier to KTLA. On the Pacific Coast Highway, he got out of his car to help people. The story.
—"Most horrific fire since ’93." Mark Hamill is among the people who have evacuated Malibu. The Star Wars actor shared on Instagram how he and his family left their home amid the spreading fire. Other Hollywood stars have also spoken out about the blaze and its impact. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, as well as James Woods shared on social media that they lost their homes. The reaction.
—Tragedy. The Palisades Fire engulfed Palisades Charter High School on Tuesday, a school that has long been a popular location for Hollywood productions. The fires spread through several structures at the PCHS campus, and had all but destroyed the adjacent Theater Palisades. PCHS is a popular location for Hollywood productions. The school has featured prominently in films, most notably Brian De Palma’s 1976 horror classic Carrie. The school also featured heavily in Danny Steinmann’s Savage Streets, the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday, the Teen Wolf TV series, Nima Nourizadeh’s 2012 film Project X and the 2001 teen rom-com Crazy/Beautiful. The story.
—Devastating. THR has put together a gallery of photos that captures some of the ongoing devastation from the fires ravaging Los Angeles. The gallery. |
Baldoni's Lawyer Says They'll Show Lively's "Pattern of Bullying" ►"We are releasing all of the evidence which will show a pattern of bullying and threats to take over the movie." Justin Baldoni‘s legal team is responding to a new statement from Blake Lively‘s legal team. Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman — in a Tuesday comment confirmed by THR —teased additional forthcoming information about the It Ends with Us star, presumably as part of an upcoming countersuit. “It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of weaponizing the media when her own team orchestrated this vicious attack by sending The New York Times grossly edited documents prior to even filing the complaint,” he said. The story.
—Moving home. Miramax has found its new headquarters and is on the move from Century City to West Hollywood. The production company, co-owned by Paramount Global and Qatar-based beIN Media Group, inked a new, long-term lease to move its office to The Lot at Formosa. Miramax will settle into a new 16,000 square foot space on the campus along Santa Monica Boulevard and North Formosa Avenue. Employees are set to make the move by the end of January. Miramax, led by CEO Jonathan Glickman since his hiring last year, had been located in the 20-story Douglas Emmett-owned building at 1901 Avenue of the Stars in Century City. The story.
—Moving up. NBCUniversal has a new chief financial officer, with Randy Culbertson being elevated to oversee the entertainment company’s finances. Culbertson’s promotion was announced in a memo to staff Tuesday by NBCU COO Adam Miller and Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong. Culbertson, who currently works as CFO and executive VP of operations for NBCU ad sales, will succeed Anand Kiri, who is exiting the role to become CFO of Comcast’s cable SpinCo, which is set to split from the company later this year. Mark Lazarus will be CEO of the new venture, while Miller is taking on an expanded role at NBCU as COO. The story.
—Moving on. UTA partner and chief communications officer Richard Siklos is exiting the agency. UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said in a memo to staff that Siklos is leaving “to pursue new opportunities,” and that he will stick around for a transition period while the agency searches for a successor. Siklos, a former journalist for The New York Times and Fortune, previously worked in comms at Time Warner, and later served as vp of communications at Netflix, before exiting in 2021. He joined UTA the following year. The story.
—Moving to London. After helping to restore Disney‘s standing at the box office, Tony Chambers is getting a bigger role. He’s exiting his perch as head of global distribution to return to London, where he’ll serve as president of the conglomerate’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Chambers’ move comes as Disney restructures how it runs its entertainment businesses in the region to ensure further unification of the company’s global strategy. Chambers’ replacement will be named in the near future. The story. |
Keeping Up With the Kerkorians ►Pulling back the curtain. The late Hollywood tycoon Kirk Kerkorian, who long owned MGM, was an established part of Los Angeles' uppermost crust. THR's Gary Baum reports that the mogul’s heir Linda, husband Ross Kemper and their socialite-influencer daughter have all the trappings of a successful Hollywood dynasty, from the Malibu beach house to their own cosmetics line, but behind the scenes is something amiss? The story.
—🤝 New labor deal 🤝 Canada’s actors’ union has reached a tentative deal with indie film and TV producers. ACTRA, representing around 22,000 performers, announced the new Independent Production Agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association, representing indie producers, the Association Québécoise de la Production Médiatique, the Quebec counterpart, and representatives of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which reps the the major Hollywood studios. The story.
—Going solo. After three years together, Piers Morgan has split from Rupert Murdoch‘s News U.K., part of his media giant News Corp, to focus on expanding his Uncensored YouTube channel. Morgan’s production company Wake Up Productions Ltd. will acquire the Piers Morgan Uncensored business with a view to grow and diversify the brand, initially in the U.S. market. The story.
—First mover. Warner Bros. Discovery is the first media company to raise the price of a streaming service in 2025, hiking the cost of Discovery+ by $1 to $5.99 for the ad-supported plan and $9.99 for the ad-free plan. The price hike is effective immediately for new subscribers, with existing D+ subscribers getting a 30 day advance notice. The story. |
31 Most Anticipated Scripted TV Shows of 2025 ►Andor! Yellowjackets! Stranger Things! The after-effects of media conglomerate cost-cutting and 2023’s labor strikes showed up in noticeable ways for TV viewers last year. Networks and streamers made fewer shows — the Peak TV era truly seems to have passed for now — and those that did make it to people’s screens, especially on broadcast networks, tended to have shorter seasons than usual. The good news? Long-delayed returning favorites and several intriguing new titles are on tap for this year. THR has compiled 31 series — new and old, across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms — we’re most looking forward to seeing unspool in 2025. The list.
—All set. The Bachelor cast has been revealed for season 29. Grant Ellis, 30, a contestant from last season’s The Bachelorette with Jenn Tran, is the Bachelor handing out roses when ABC’s veteran reality dating series returns on Jan. 27. His women looking for love range from aged 21 to 31 and hail from Puerto Rico, Canada, Texas and New York, among other locations, with their professions ranging from pediatrician, venture capitalist and boxing trainer to social media manager. The story.
—Wait, what? Scarlett Johansson is set to join Jenna Bush Hager on NBC's morning show Today with Jenna & Friends as a guest co-host on Jan. 21 for a week-long gig. Hager broke the news to on Tuesday, gushing about booking the A-list star, who is one of several rotation celebrity guest co-hosts who will join her to fill the void left by Hoda Kotb’s departure; in addition to Johansson, stars already set for co-hosting slots are Taraji P. Henson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer. The story.
—🏆 Usual suspects 🏆 The Directors Guild of America has announced its TV, documentary and commercial award nominations for the 2025 DGA Awards. Shogun, The Penguin and The Bear led the TV categories with three nods each, while other notable nominees included Ripley, Disclaimer, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks and The Diplomat. In the variety/talk/news/sports categories, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver received nods. The nominations.
—🎭 Familiar faces 🎭 The next Dexter spinoff is filling in its ranks. David Zayas, James Remar and Jack Alcott will all be joining Michael C. Hall in Dexter: Resurrection, the next spinoff in the Paramount+ with Showtime franchise that will be releasing this summer. Zayas played Detective Angel Batista, friend and coworker to Dexter, and James Remar played his deceased father Harry Morgan in the original series that ran for eight seasons and ended in 2013. Alcott then played Dexter’s son, Harrison Morgan, in the 2021 Dexter revival series, Dexter: New Blood. The story.
—Sheridanverse still going strong. Netflix’s The Madness stayed atop the U.S. streaming charts in the first week of December. The thriller series starring Colman Domingo grabbed 1.48b minutes of viewing time for the week of Dec. 2-8, Nielsen says, marking its second week as the No. 1 overall title. The Madness and Bluey (1.01b minutes of viewing on Disney+) were the only two streaming shows to top a billion minutes for the week. Paramount+ continued to get strong showings from Landman — whose 773m minutes of viewing are a high so far — and Lioness , which hit a series high of 692m viewing minutes in the week leading up to its Dec. 8 season finale. The two shows ranked third and fourth among original series for the week, while Tulsa King (385m) placed ninth among originals, hanging in the top 10 two-plus weeks after its season ended. The ratings. |
The Doc Oscar Race's 'Will' Wild Card ►What's the deal? Can the Oscar-shortlisted Netflix documentary feature Will & Harper overcome the doc branch's strange aversion to celeb-related projects? THR's executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg weighs in. The analysis.
—🎭 Worthy substitute 🎭 Ridley Scott's thriller feature The Dog Stars has found a new leading man. Jacob Elordi is in early negotiations to replace Paul Mescal, who had been previously set to star in the 20th Century Studios movie. Mark L. Smith and Christopher Wilkinson wrote the script, adapting Peter Heller’s 2012 apocalyptic novel of the same name. The Dog Stars centers on a civilian pilot living on an abandoned airbase with his dog and an ex-Marine amid a devastating pandemic. A random transmission picked up by the pilot’s radio from his 1956 Cessna offers hope for a better life. THR reported last month that Scott revealed that Mescal would likely drop out of The Dog Stars due to the actor being busy with Sam Mendes’ four-film Beatles project. The story.
—🤝 First-look deal 🤝 Glen Powell, the actor who had a breakout Hollywood year in 2024, is continuing his hot streak into the new year. The actor and his production banner Barnstorm have signed a first-look film deal with Universal Pictures, for whom the actor starred in last year’s surprise hit Twisters. The deal comes on the heels of Powell finding the executive tasked with running his banner. Dan Cohen, who was a principal at Shawn Levy’s prolific production company 21 Laps, will help run Barnstorm as Powell’s partner. The story. |
TV Review: 'Shifting Gears' ►"Capable stars, mediocre vehicle." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews ABC's Shifting Gears. Yep, it's another story of a conservative father and a somewhat more liberal daughter having to end a lengthy estrangement, starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. The review.
In other news...
—Roy Wood Jr. pokes fun at modern life in Lonely Flowers trailer
—Mo Amer is stranded in Mexico in Mo S2 trailer
—European Film Awards moving to Athens for 2027 gala
—Daniel Craig to receive London Film Critics’ Circle top honor
—Louis Vuitton opens NYC pop-up to mark 20th anniversary of Murakami collab
—Regal Cineworld names Kelly Dowdy chief digital officer, Adam Snow strategy chief
—Richard Cohen, journalist and husband of Meredith Vieira, dies at 76
What else we're reading...
—Rebecca Jennings confesses she can’t stop watching MrBeast’s new game show, and it's making her hate herself [Vox]
—Jim Newell thinks he knows why Trump is so obsessed with annexing Greenland (and Canada) [Slate]
—Corbin Bolies reports that The Washington Post has laid off nearly its entire public relations department [Daily Beast]
—Andy Steiner looks into the the "gamification of pop music" in the streaming era that has seen fandoms try to work the system to lift up their idols [Ringer]
—John Herrman offers his take on Mark Zuckerberg's rather lurid embrace of Trump and his eternal apology tour [Intelligencer]
Today...
...in 2010, Lionsgate released Peter and Michael Spierig's Daybreakers in theaters. The sci-fi action horror vampire film starred Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe and was a modest box office success. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Cynthia Erivo (38), Sarah Polley (46), Sam Riley (45), Karan Soni (36), Sam Levinson (40), Gaby Hoffmann (43), Rachel Nichols (45), Stuart Martin (39), Michelle Forbes (60), Freddie Stroma (38), Lauren Hammersley (44), Harriet Sansom Harris (70), Genevieve Padalecki (44), Christopher Russell (42), Ryan Destiny (30), John McTiernan (74), Jenny Lewis (49), Amber Benson (48), Bella Dayne (37), Maria Pitillo (59), Ami Dolenz (56), Rachel Cook (30), Lily Gibson (37), Josh Meyers (49), Noah Cyrus (25), Damián Alcázar (72), Katlyn Carlson (42) | | Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86. The obituary. |
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