Archiving Entertainment: A VIP+ Special Report

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDisney is throwing a pass at spring football.The entertainment giant said it struk a multi- year rights deal with the XFL, tte start-up football league led by actor Dwayne Johnson. The pact will put XFL games on ESPN, FX and ABC and gives Disney more footfall just as rivals Fox and NBC play up games from the USF, in which Fox is an investor.“We have entered into an exclusive multi year deal with our partners with Walt Disney to produce and distribute all of our games,’ Johnson told attendees at Disney’s upfront presentation Tuesday.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAttendees at the Disney upfront could have played a drinking game by taking a sip everytime someone referred to the company as “unrivaled.” The message to advertisers: You’ve heard from other congloms this week, but no company offers such a wide range of storytelling options than the Walt Disney Co.’s suite of offerings.After an embattled several months atop the helm, Disney CEO Bob Chapek didn’t address any of the recent arrows pointed at him and the company, instead opening the presentation by calling the Walt Disney Company “the most powerful force in the industry” and noting how he started his career in advertising.“Now, as many of you know, Disney will be celebrating our 100th anniversary later this year and that is an incredible milestone,” he said. “I can’t help but think about this moment in the context of what this company has always been, what it is today, and what it will be.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefDirector Robert Connolly and star Eric Bana are reuniting for a detective film based on the novel “Force of Nature,” set in the Australian wilderness.Connolly and Bana were previously teamed on Australian smash hit movie “The Dry,” which like “Force of Nature” was adapted from a novel by Jane Harper. They also worked together on “Blueback,” a family-friendly, ecologically activist celebration of the natural world, adapted from a Tim Winton novella.“Force of Nature” sees five women take part in a corporate hiking retreat, with only four coming out on the other side.

A Rutherglen barber has proven to be a cut above after raising money for a cancer charity.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek opened Disney’s upfront in New York by telling the crowd of advertisers in attendance that the company “the most powerful force in the industry” and “the most enduring and beloved name in entertainment.”

Archewell has named public relations vet Ashley Momtaheni as EVP of Global Communications. She starts May 30.

EXCLUSIVE: Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy), Gian Franco Rodriguez (Halston), Rumer Willis (Sorority Row), Billy Budinich (Frank and Penelope) and newcomer Isabella Feliciana will star in the social impact film Maya from director Julia Verdin (Angie: Lost Girls), which has entered production in Los Angeles.

It was a weekend of celebration for Biggar Rugby Football Club after their ladies' team won a huge competition at Murrayfield.

Third time’s the charm! Bachelor and Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer has been announced as the new host of Bachelor in Paradise.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Rupert Murdoch and other top executives of Fox Corp. and Fox News to stop the “reckless amplification” of the “great replacement theory” by some of the news channel’s hosts.

The original stars of “The View” are back together again.

Candy, but it looks like she was unconsciously channeling his old hair too. "It did look so similar," the actor told when comparing her look on the show to her husband's iconic ‘90s ’do. “And then, [Justin] was like, ‘Well, wait a minute, you kinda look like my mom from the '80s.' And I said, ‘I kind of look like my grandmother from the '80s.' The perms were big.”A quick look at Candy's trailer tells you all you need to know about the ‘80s murder drama, which was inspired by true events.

COVID-19 relief program for shuttered music venues, The US Small Business Administration is facing more than 60 lawsuits from business owners.With litigation pending and venues still dealing with show cancellations, health risks, and revenue loss due to the ongoing pandemic, NME spoke to concert promoters, the SBA, and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) about issues with the program’s aid rollout.The $16.25billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was signed into law in December of 2020 and applications for the funding opened in April of 2021. The funds were to be dispersed to independent venues, promoters, talent agencies, movie theatres and other cultural centres who could prove they lost 90 per cent of their revenue due to the pandemic.Venue owners who have taken their cases to court, however, said that although they met eligibility requirements their requests for aid were denied by the agency without explanation.

A24 and Plan B Entertainment are teaming again for “Wizards!,” the new film from acclaimed Australian writer and director David Michôd (“The King,” “Animal Kingdom”), which has Pete Davidson, Franz Rogowski, Naomi Scott and Sean Harris set to star, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.The screenplay is written by David Michôd, based on a story by Joel Edgerton and David Michôd.Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Plan B Entertainment will produce the film alongside Liz Watts.“Wizards! centers on two hapless pothead beach-bar operators played by Davidson and Rogowski, who run into trouble when they stumble across stolen loot that they really should have just left alone.“Wizards!’ marks the fourth collaboration between A24 and Plan B Entertainment following films as “Moonlight,” “Minari” and “The Last Black Man” in San Francisco. This is Plan B Entertainment’s third collaboration with Michôd after “War Machine” and “The King.” “Wizards!” will also reteam Michôd and Watts with A24 for the first time since 2014’s “The Rover.” Watts recently joined See-Saw Films who she will be producing the film through.A24 will handle the global release of the film.“Wizards!” will be filmed in Queensland, with the support of AUD$3.6 million from the Morrison Government’s Location Incentive program and the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.Davidson is repped by ICM Partners, Scott is repped by WME and M88, Rogowski is repped by CAA and B-Side Management and Harris is repped by B-Side Management and Management 360.

Tom Brady is about to get roasted.

AMC Networks has appointed industry vet Len Fogge as its head of marketing and also expanded the purview of streaming chief Miguel Penella, who will now also oversee the company’s international portfolio.

Legendary designer Bob Mackie — who actually had a hand in making Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 dress that Kim Kardashian wore at the Met Gala this year — has reacted to the reality star’s controversial decision to don the dress for the fashion event. And he ain’t beaming with pride.

Selome Hailu 10Len Fogge has been named president of marketing at AMC Networks. Additionally, streaming services president Miquel Penella is taking on an expanded role and will now oversee the company’s global division, AMC Networks International.

Carson Burton Cannes is bringing the metaverse to the film industry.The first-ever NFTCannes Summit will take place at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This annual event is designed to connect leading minds from the media and entertainment industry to innovators, creators and investors in web3.Officially kicking off on May 23 at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, the summit is run by a coalition of groups, including production studio Electromagnetic Productions (EMP), global cryptocurrency financial management company Galaxy Interactive, NFT app OP3N, leading blockchain platform Avalanche and private investing platform Republic.

ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy continues to rewrite TV history books as it heads off to its 19th season, while The Goldbergs just entered the exclusive double-digit run club for a broadcast comedy.

EXCLUSIVE: A24 and Plan B Entertainment re-team for Wizards! the new film from acclaimed Australian writer and director David Michôd with Pete Davidson, Franz Rogowski, Naomi Scott and Sean Harris starring. Michôd also penned the script, which is based on a story by Joel Edgerton and Michôd. Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Plan B Entertainment will produce alongside Liz Watts.

As its title suggests, Women of the Movement was conceived as an anthology chronicling the civil rights movement as told by the women behind it. ABC in 2020 greenlighted a six-episode first installment that tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Adrienne Warren), who risked her life to find justice after her son Emmett (Cedric Joe) was brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South in 1955.

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie as well as host Ryan Seacrest are all expected to be back on American Idol next season.

Jesse Palmer is expanding his Bachelor duties at ABC.

In Squid Game, lead character Seong Gi-hun is a down-on-his-luck gambling addict given a dangerous opportunity to win a fortune and turn his life around by playing deadly children’s games against 456 other cash-strapped no-hopers. Lee Jung-jae, who plays Seong, has almost nothing in common with his alter-ego: he is one of South Korea’s biggest stars through films such as Deliver Us from Evil and the Along with the Gods franchise and shows Chief of Staff and Triple.

Bob Mackie had some choice words regarding Kim Kardashian's choice to wear Marilyn Monroe's custom 1962 Jean Louis gown. Kardashian wore the historic dress for a brief time at the 2022 Met Gala and changed into a replica after posing on the red carpet. "I thought it was a big mistake," Mackie, who drew the original sketch of the dress, told Entertainment Weekly.

K.J. Yossman Andy Armstrong’s directorial feature debut, “Squealer,” is set to launch sales in Cannes.VMI Worldwide are handling international rights on the feature, which was produced by Walk Like A Duck Entertainment’s Jason Armstrong and Rob Goodrich, Shaun Sanghani of SSS Entertainment and Walk Like a Duck’s Cameron Goodrich.Paradigm are repping North American sales.As well as directing “Squealer,” Andy Armstrong co-wrote the screenplay with Danielle Burgio.

“Deadpool 2” star Julian Dennison is set to star in “One Winter,” a coming-of-age drama set in his native New Zealand during a period of racial unrest in the 1980s.Dennison will lead a cast that also includes Minnie Driver, James Rolleston and Erana James and that is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett. Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and introducing the film in Cannes, which kicks off today.

The debate regarding Kim Kardashian’s 2022 Met Gala look continues. Bob Mackie, who sketched Marilyn Monroe’s infamous “Happy Birthday” dress, has made it clear he isn’t happy the Kardashians star borrowed the gown for the fundraiser earlier this month.

Variety was first to report the news of Brady’s roast.

Sasha Urban editorHBO released the trailer for its upcoming limited series “Irma Vep,” from writer-director Olivier Assayas, based on his 1996 film of the same name. Starring Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina”) and produced in partnership with A24, the series premieres June 6 on HBO and HBO Max.Vikander plays Mira, an American film star fresh out of a relationship and disillusioned by her career.

It turns out Samuel L. Jackson isn’t banned from “Saturday Night Live”, after all.

Stacey Solomon has teased fans with a 'special project' she has coming up.

Ellise Shafer As TikTok has become more ingrained in the fabric of today’s society, the line between the social media world and the entertainment industry is growing increasingly blurred. With millions of followers to their name, TikTok creators are now an undeniable force in Hollywood, making their presence known in film, television and music.In celebration of this fact, TikTok has unveiled their inaugural Showbiz List, showcasing 34 creators who are making serious waves in the entertainment industry.

1996s “Irma Vep” saw Olivier Assayas contribute to a rich tapestry of meta cinema stretching back to Federico Fellini’s 1963 masterpiece “8½.” Itself drawing upon François Truffaut’s metafictional “Day For Night” as a direct source, the film followed René Vidal, an over-the-hill film director whose recent output has descended into alienating pseudo-intellectualism, and his attempt to remake the classic French film serial, “Les Vampires.” Introducing veteran of Hong Kong cinema, Maggie Cheung, to a western audience, playing herself as an actress cast in the fictional director’s film as Irma (keeping up?), Assayas’ film contemplated the nature of the creative process, using its verité aesthetic to capture the mania of a film set while also providing a broader meditation on the state of modern French cinema.

Carson Burton “Wheel of Fortune” is going on its first-ever live tour. “Wheel of Fortune Live!” is set to travel across North America for a tour of over 60 dates starting on September 8, offering fans a unique experience of the massively popular game show.The tour, which is produced by Right Angle Entertainment, marks a new partnership between Sony and Right Angle.