Broadcast Pilot Buzz – Summer 2024 Edition

Manchester isn’t a city famed for glorious weather, which means as the mercury rises with heat waves predicted to hit in the coming weeks, few households are prepared for the warmer temperatures. Without air conditioning, it can feel impossible to cool down when it’s humid and muggy, but I’ve found a gadget under £25 on Amazon that’s been helping me beat the heat for a second summer in a row.

Roy Keane and Gary Neville have landed a new role on television ahead of England's clash against Slovakia in the Euro 2024 round of 16 on Sunday afternoon. The duo have featured alongside one other on ITV this summer as Euro 2024 unfolds in Germany.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Black Bear‘s management arm has signed Mikko Mäkelä, the Finnish-British writer and director of “Sebastian.” Mäkelä is a rising force in international queer cinema having made movies that explore sexuality and identity. Mäkelä’s directorial debut “A Moment in the Reeds” premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and screened at nearly a hundred festivals worldwide, including Göteborg Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and Frameline in San Francisco.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large AMC is heading back to Silicon Valley, this time via an untitled drama series from “Succession” and “Bad Sisters” writer Jonathan Glatzer. The project, from AMC Studios, has been given a greenlight by AMC and sister streamer AMC+.

Selome Hailu On April 25, 2014, TMZ released recordings of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling criticizing his assistant V. Stiviano for “associating with Black people.” The following week, Stiviano, a biracial Black woman, sat across from Barbara Walters on ABC News and called herself Sterling’s “confidant,” “best friend” and, most bizarrely, his “silly rabbit.” In a moment that has since been memed into oblivion, Walters asked for a little clarification: “His what?” Stiviano repeated herself, but when Walters asked, “His silly rabbit? Is that what he calls you?” Stiviano gave a quiet, “No.” Cleopatra Coleman has her own understanding of the nickname. “Obviously, he does call her that,” says the actor, who plays V.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer SAG-AFTRA is launching a fourth tier of its proposed indie video game contract that covers game developers’ projects in the $15 million to $30 million budget range. The news comes amid ongoing negotiations between the union and gaming giants including Activision, EA, WB Games, Disney and Take Two, among others.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Christy Hall was a playwright living in New York City — which means she had several side jobs, including walking dogs and bartending. “There’s a great quote saying, ‘you can make a killing in theater, but you can’t make a living,’” she notes. She had always dreamed of working in film and television, but it never felt completely realistic to her.Today, Hall is the writer-director of “Daddio,” an acclaimed two-hander starring Sean Penn as a taxi driver named Clark and Dakota Johnson as his passenger, known only as Girlie.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix cut the ribbon on its newly expanded studios facility in Albuquerque at a grand-opening event Thursday in New Mexico. Netflix acquired ABQ Studios in 2018 for a relative steal in a deal worth $30 million and the company scored additional state and local funding as well as production tax credits.

Jack Dunn When assistant fight coordinator Lu Junchang conducted lightsaber training for “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” the actors often demanded “more danger” from the stunt team, urging them to swing the prop sabers faster and closer to their faces. “Some actors will say, ‘Get closer, I want more danger.’ [Lee Jung-jae] on set always said, ‘More danger, please,'” Junchang recalls. “I get worried because if we get too close it’s not safe but, he kept saying, ‘More, more, more.'” For Junchang and the rest of “The Acolyte” stunt team, taking the cast from Jar Jar Binks to Jedi Master was no easy feat.

Michael Alex Michael Michael Alex joined MTV News in 1989, where he produced hundreds of segments of “The Week in Rock,” the Peabody-winning “Choose or Lose” series, documentaries and over a thousand daily news television reports. He founded and led MTV News’ digital organization from 1994 until 2007. Variety welcomes responsible commentary — contact music@variety.com if interested. Twenty five years of entertainment history, as reported by MTV News, disappeared from the internet a few days ago, when its parent company, Paramount, removed the site’s archives, along with those of CMT and other outlets — without warning, explanation or comment.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. A Saint Laurent leapard print knee-length coat; An electric blue two-piece suit; Gucci loafers bedazzled with the words “Suck Me”; a royal blue Versace tracksuit — these are just some of the one-of-the-kind designer pieces from Elton John’s legendary wardrobe now available to shop on eBay as part of an auction supporting the singer’s AIDS Foundation.

FKA Twigs is reportedly seeking $10million (£7.9million) in damages from ex Shia Labeouf and has accused him of improperly seeking her private records.The singer-songwriter (real name Tahliah Barnett) originally brought the abuse lawsuit against the actor in 2020, where she accused LaBeouf of “relentless abuse”. Amongst claims of physical and mental abuse, Barnett also alleged LaBeouf knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease, and would deprive her of sleep.His lawyers responded at the time by saying he did not cause her harm, and the actor has said he denied “each and every allegation” raised against him.Now, ahead of her trial with LaBeouf on October 14, news has broken that Barnett is seeking $10million in damages from the actor.

John Lennon music video for ‘Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)’ has featured intimate home video footage shot by the musician himself – watch it down below.‘Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)’ was originally released on Lennon’s solo album ‘Mind Games’, which was shared by The Beatles guitarist in 1973.The brand new video has been released to accompany the song’s fresh ‘ultimate mix’, which will appear on the upcoming ‘Mind Games’ box set that’s due out on July 12. It’s set to contain ‘ultimate mixes’ of every song on the albums, along with a variety of alternate mixes.Now, fans can watch Lennon’s directing skills with home video footage shot by the musician on a Sony Portapak in 1973.

Saweetie has taken to social media to wish fans well after a stampede occurred during her set at this year’s Vegandale Festival in Chicago.Over the weekend, the Bay Area rapper performed at the food and music event alongside 2 Chainz, NLE Choppa, Jadakiss, Fabolous, and more. However, while she was on stage, Saweetie saw a fight and called those involved out, saying: “I hope y’all ain’t doing what I think y’all doing.”Once the rapper said that, hundreds of people in the crowd started to scramble and get as far away from the fight as possible.

Crazy Town – cause of death has now been revealed.The singer, whose real name is Seth Binzer, was found in his Los Angeles home earlier this week. He passed at the age of 49. The reports were shared by various outlets including Kerrang! and NewsWeek, with the Los Angeles coroner’s office confirming that Shellshock died at his home on Monday (June 24).Now, it has been revealed that the cause of his death was an accidental drug overdose.

Machine Gun Kelly has continued his pivot to country by covering Zach Bryan’s ‘Sun To Me’ – watch it down below.Following in the footsteps of other pop artists turning to country such as Beyoncé, Post Malone, and Lana Del Rey, Machine Gun Kelly (now mgk) has covered Oklahoma’s Zach Bryan from his living room, dubbed ‘Cheshire Cottage’.After starting his career in rap with 2012 debut album ‘Lace Up’, he would then go on to transition into emo and pop-punk beginning with 2020’s ‘Tickets To My Downfall‘. But it appears as though mgk is now entering a new era of country, having covered The Chicks’ ‘There’s Your Trouble’ at CMA Fest earlier this month.Now, the rapper and singer (real name Colson Baker) has chosen to sing Bryan’s ‘Sun To Me’, which was released on his 2022 album ‘American Heartbreak’.

CMAT has performed a rendition of Kate Bush‘s ‘Wuthering Heights’ while performing at one of her shows in London.The Irish singer – real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – took over London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town last month while on her California Or Bust tour. Midway through her set, she took the time to cover Bush’s 1978 debut single.CMAT shared a snippet of the live performance on her official X/Twitter account. “‘Wuthering Heights’ from kentish town forum !! i’ve wanted to do this since i was about 14 years old.

Clairo, Blood Orange, King Krule and more have been announced as performers for Mustafa‘s London Edition of his Artists For Aid Benefit gig.The concert will focus on benefitting humanitarian efforts in both Palestine and Sudan. Other acts set to perform include Bint Mbareh, Daniel Caesar, Earl Sweatshirt, Nicolás Jaar, Ramy Youssef, and Yasiin Bey.The Artists for Aid show will take place at the Troxy in London on Thursday July 4. The gig is in partnership with War Child UK and follows the first edition that took place in New Jersey at the beginning of this year.

Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s album ‘Opus’ will be receiving a posthumous release.‘Opus’ is set for release on August 9 via Milan Records (pre-order/pre-save here). Along with the announcement of the posthumous release, the LP’s lead single ‘Tong Poo’ has been released. The track is a rendition of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s song from their 1978 self-titled debut album.

Jackass star Bam Margera reportedly pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with a family altercation that took place at his home last year, and is due to spend six months on probation.The 44-year-old was charged with assaulting his brother, as well as threatening other members of the family, during a two-week visit to his home near Philadelphia. Jess reportedly suffered a ruptured eardrum following the altercation.

Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard has spoken to NME about the band’s upcoming London shows, his side project Painted Shield, his love of IDLES, and the band’s plans for this year’s US Presidential election.Currently touring to support their 12th album ‘Dark Matter’, the Seattle legends play two shows at the stadium this weekend (June 29 and 30), which Gossard promised us would bring mixture of favourites and surprises.“We’ll probably try to sprinkle in some new stuff every night, and we’re playing some of the hits as well,” he said. “It’s a good show.

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has contributed his cover of ‘Save It For Later’ by The Beat (or The English Beat) to season three of The Bear.The third season of the Emmy-winning restaurant drama aired yesterday (June 26) and received a mixed reaction from critics.As well as the award-winning acting, impressive shots of downtown Chicago and gripping storylines, the show has gained a reputation for its soundtracks.Featuring tracks from Radiohead to Genesis and Taylor Swift, the show’s varied themes are often represented by its diverse soundtrack.While there has been some repetition of artists used for the soundtrack, including Pearl Jam, whose songs ‘Animal’ and ‘Come Back’ made it into previous seasons, Vedder makes his debut solo feature on the show.It also marks his first official studio release of the cover. In the past, he has performed the song with Pearl Jam as part of a ‘Better Man’ live medley.The track also appeared in the background of a teaser trailer released earlier this month, which showed Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri’s characters preparing to open their new restaurant, now named ‘The Bear’.In a glowing four-star review of the series, NME wrote about the show’s music choices: “Musically, the first few episodes hold back on the show’s traditional juicy needle-drops, although Radiohead’s ‘Nice Dream’ plays (a second appearance for the British band in the show).But as later EPs drop, so do the tracks, including a glorious use of Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’.

Coldplay are set to play a secret Glastonbury warm-up show at a nearby music venue.The band are set to return to Worthy Farm to headline the Pyramid Stage for a fifth time on Saturday (June 29). Now, fans are speculating whether or not they might be preparing for a surprise last-minute intimate gig at Cheese & Grain in Frome after large stage trucks and the band’s gear was spotted at the venue.

Glastonbury 2024 today (Thursday June 27), performing classic songs from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra on the Park Stage. Find photos of the moment below.The festival co-founder, now aged 88, has made it an annual tradition to perform a brief set on the eve of Glasto, and break out several old-school hits with a backing band to warm up the stage ahead of the weekend.This time, he appeared on The Park at 4.30pm in a wheelchair and performed with his band.

British TikToker Paul Arnott, known for his Down the Rapids page with more than 153,000 followers, has joined the search for missing teen Jay Slater and is set to meet with the lad's family today. Arnott, who shelled out £400 for a flight from Fort William to Tenerife on Saturday to help in the search, has been in touch with the mum of Bradley Hargreaves, a mate of Jay's who was also holidaying with him and Lucy Mae Law.The 29 year old shared: "I'm meeting the family today.They said they wanted to meet me.They said they're really proud of what I'm doing.

There's always plenty of drama in the Love Island villa and this year's series is shaping up to be one of the most action-packed. From love triangles to tense recouplings, there's been a lot happening on the dating show. In Wednesday's (26 June) episode, a game of Never Have I Ever proved to be especially awkward, as Ciaran decided to voice his thoughts about Harriet.

Essence Festival has outdone itself.From July 5-7, the annual festival will bring in some of the biggest names in music to New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome for three fun-filled days of Hip-Hop, R&B and good times.Headliners at this year’s extravaganza include Usher, Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes, Keke Palmer and Big Boi.They’ll be joined by T-Pain, The Roots, Victoria Monét, SWV and Jagged Edge.If you ask us though, we’re most excited to see “SNL” cast member Punkie Johnson handle hosting duties on Friday, July 5.Plus, we won’t be skipping out on Method Man, Sheila E. and Tank and the Bangas, either.Sound like the festival for you?As of now, it isn’t too late to scoop up last-minute tickets.At the time of publication, three-day general admission passes start at $691 before fees on Vivid Seats.Single-day passes can be found for as low as $70 before fees.In fact, if you’re planning on attending, it might be wise to make three separate single-day ticket purchases instead of buying the three-day pass.

Meghan Markle's latest venture into the world of artisan jam with her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand has royal insiders and fans alike buzzing with relief, according to commentators.The Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram to announce the launch, sending out 50 jars of her luxury jam to celebrity friends for a social media showcase.This move marks a departure from the anticipated "tell-all" book that Royal watchers were expecting Meghan to release. Emma Clifton, writer for Australian Women's Weekly, hinted that this new business direction is likely a welcome development for the Royal Family.

Aaron Carter was in a dark place in the years leading up to his death. A very, VERY dark place. The I Want Candy singer’s twin sister

Did Nick Viall‘s wife Natalie Joy cheat on him?!? This tea is HOT! Since last month, there’s been some online speculation about the newlywed’s relationship. But it just skyrocketed to new heights thanks to reality TV star Harry Jowsey!

Oh, Travis Kelce, you’re never beating the dumb jock stereotype. LOLz!

Kris Jenner is facing a major medical scare, and to deal with it, she’s rallying family around her for support.

Move over, North West! There’s another very young star in the making in the KarJenner clan!

The post Sorry, J Lo Haters! appeared first on Perez Hilton.

It was a long and tragic road leading up to Aaron Carter’s death… but his twin sadly saw the signs on the side of the highway.

Kenya Moore is burning bridges on her way out of The Real Housewives of Atlanta!