How HBO Kept ‘House of the Dragon’ Costs Under $20 Million per Episode (EXCLUSIVE)

Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard is set to resume Monday after a weeklong recess. When the trial reconvenes May 16 in Fairfax, Virginia, Depp's legal team will cross-examine Heard about her tumultuous 15-month marriage to Depp.

Helen Skelton stunned fans last month when she confirmed the end of her eight-year marriage to rugby player Richie Myler.The couple had been married since 2013 and had only just welcomed their third child together, baby daughter Elise, on 28 December. WATCH: Helen Skelton reveals the reality of raising three young childrenFollowing their shock split, Richie has seemingly started a new romance – and has decided to cut public ties with Helen by unfollowing her on Instagram. He does, however, follow rumoured girlfriend, Stephanie Thirkhill, whose account has been set to private.Helen continues to follow her husband on the social media site.

Big Brother star Chanelle Hayes is overwhelmed with joy as OK! can reveal that she is now engaged to her boyfriend Dan Bingham. Chanelle is said to be “over the moon” after her boyfriend popped the question, with her pal telling OK!: “She’s been dreaming of this for such a long time.” Chanelle’s partner Dan Bingham asked her to marry him in April and the delighted former Big Brother star “said yes straight away”. “Chanelle has really been through it when it comes to relationships and this time it really feels like she’s found The One,” her friend told us.

Former Hollyoaks star Stephanie Davis has exclusively showed off her new body in our glamorous photo shoot, after getting a boob job, liposuction and her teeth done.The doting mum admitted that after having her son, Caben-Albi, she felt like her body had changed and even said that when she looked in the mirror she was "repulsed" by her reflection.

This week we were lucky enough to get an exclusive chat with Sarah, Duchess of York to discuss the paperback launch of her best-selling Mills & Boon novel for adults, Her Heart for a Compass. Scroll down for her fabulous short story, written just for us, and read on here for more about her role as loving granny to the youngest generation of royals, August Brooksbank and Sienna Mapelli Mozzi… Vivacious, warm and charmingly self-deprecating, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York is rarely out of the headlines, whether that’s for her numerous charitable causes, her fashion choices, soul-searching or, naturally, her royal links.

All eyes were on Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy last week as their highly-anticipated Wagatha Christie trial kicked off. But things soon took a very unexpected turn when Peter Andre – and his manhood – was dragged into the court case. Pete’s name took centre stage in the trial after Rebekah’s historic interview about their alleged night together was brought up in the courtroom, in which she talked about “having had sex” with the star and that he was “hung like a miniature chipolata”.

Sam Ryder said he felt “fantastic” and that he would have a family curry as soon as he arrived home as he touched down in the UK a day after coming second in the Eurovision Song Contest.

More than half of the UK's slowest growing economies by the end of next year will be in the North of England, new research suggests.

A Lanarkshire club that provides a vital service for disabled people is in danger of closing, after a health group suspended its transport – to review the bus' impact on the climate.

It was a night of redemption at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night.First, there was country star Morgan Wallen — who had been banned from performing at the Grammys and the Country Music Association Awards for a video that surfaced in early 2021 of him using the N-word — getting the chance to take the stage at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. He milked the opportunity by going gospel for maximum sympathy with his song “Don’t Think Jesus.” Then there was Travis Scott performing publicly for the first time since last December’s Astroworld tragedy that killed 10 concertgoers.

CBS reports, a large group of attendees at the R&B and hip hop-oriented festival fled the venue after there were reports of gunfire being heard nearby at around 10pm.Festival organisers paused the show for approximately 45 minutes. During that time, they displayed a message on big screens at the venue saying that a “security incident” was underway and that authorities were investigating, urging festivalgoers to remain in place.

EXCLUSIVE: Even before the pandemic, the foreign sales market became mired down with some risky bets, i.e. the over exorbitant Roland Emmerich sci-fi disaster title Moonfall which carried a $140M production cost (resulting in a $44.3M WW gross), and Simon Kinberg’s femme spy ensemble The 355 at a $75M cost (which grossed just under $28M WW).

Eminem has listened to Kendrick Lamar‘s fifth studio album, ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, and shouted out the rapper’s colossal effort.Em took to Twitter to share his thoughts, tagging Dr. Dre – who has served as a mentor to both Eminem and Lamar.

Doja Cat has been cleaning up at awards shows recently, and Sunday's Billboard Music Awards was no exception!The «Kiss Me More” songstress took home multiple awards during the big show, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. During her second acceptance speech of the night, she drew attention from fans by first downing a drink she had before taking to the stage after her name was called.Speaking with ET's Cassie DiLaura after the show, Doja Cat explained that it was because she wasn't really expecting to win — or even aware of what was going on at that exact moment.»I'm briefed on things, like there's things that I know, like when I'm nominated and things like that.

Wilson Chapman editorSpoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven’t watched “all the sauces,” the fourth episode of Season 3 of “Barry,” streaming now on HBO Max.The first two seasons of Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s “Barry” followed the title character (played by Hader) as he barely maintained a double life between his hitman career and his newfound pursuit of acting. The character was able to keep these two worlds separate less because of any actions on his part than because of the self-absorption of the people he surrounded himself with — chief among them his love interest, Sally Reed.

Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo are teaming up for a new show!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe mainland China box office remained moribund over the latest weekend, lacking direction or new releases and achieving nationwide revenue of just $11.4 million.The country is continuing to suffer from clusters of COVID infections that have caused mass lockdowns in some cities and the temporary closure of many cinemas. Even as there is now talk of easing restrictions in Shanghai, which had been locked down for five weeks, there is the prospect of new restrictions in capital city Beijing. The government has also imposed a blanket ban on all but essential overseas travel.U.S.

David Beckham spent a lovely Sunday with his mum Sandra Beckham and couldn't help but share a sweet picture taken during their time together with his 73 million Instagram followers.MORE: David and Victoria Beckham – a look inside their 20-year marriageThe rare snap inside Sandra's kitchen shows the former footballer and his mum enjoying a delicious homemade meal, with both of them sitting side by side and smiling for the camera.WATCH: David Beckham mocks daughter Harper during school run"Can't beat dinner with mum. Gammon, chips, pineapple, fried egg, coleslaw & mushy peas.

She's been involved in some of the soap's most harrowing storylines as Coronation Street's Faye Windass. So her followers on social media were pleased to see actress Ellie Leach a world away from the Weatherfield drama as she enjoyed a sunshine break with her boyfriend Reagan Pettman.

Gallery: They followed their passion until their very last day. . . The stars who died doing exactly what they loved! (BANG Showbiz)"It breaks my heart that my son isn't here to see it.

Ant and Dec are set to snatch a £30million golden handcuffs deal with ITV, according to a new report.  The alleged contract would see the famous presenting duo, both 46, stay at the network for another three years, with their current arrangement set to end next year. Per The Sun, ITV are keen to keep bids from streaming giants Netflix and Amazon at bay, as the successful duo remain a huge hit at the helm of I'm a Celebrity.

Billboard Music Awards are here, which means the red carpet is filling up with some of the most interesting outfits of awards season. This year, the awards show will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Sean “Diddy” Combs set to host. Ahead of the awards ceremony, and performances by Florence + the Machine, and ââMachine Gun Kelly and Dan + Shay, celebrities have already begun arriving on the red carpet.

BBC dancing show. Helen previously appeared on the Strictly Come Dancing festive special back in 2012 and now 10 years later bosses are keen to get her on board. READ MORE: Helen Skelton wows in first red carpet appearance since split from Richie Myler An insider revealed to The Sun : "Helen has been on the Strictly wishlist since she did the Christmas special, but the timing has never been quite right for her to sign up.

Tipping Point contestant took a cheeky swipe at the Prime Minister during the latest episode of Tipping Point. Ben Shephard was back asking the questions as the celebrity spin-off of the popular ITV game show returned on Sunday (May 15) evening.

Gallery: ‘It’s a badge I've worn proudly’. The stars who admit to being prudes. . . (BANG Showbiz)"I say it all the time and I will never stop… in the words of auntie Drew, I was born the day you were born.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterCartoon Network Studios and NFL alumnus Trevor Pryce’s animation studio have teamed up on a content development deal designed to discover emerging creators and artists from underrepresented communities, Variety has learned exclusively.Pryce’s Mid-Atlantic-region-focused Outlook Company will host the initiative out of its recently formed animated projects incubator Neru Projects. The program will launch with six local participants who will have creative executives at Cartoon Network Studios and Neru Projects to shepherd their ideas from concept to pitch through the development of a series bible.Per Cartoon Network Studios, “At least one project will be selected to begin formal development at Cartoon Network Studios and Outlook Company but, through the program, all participants will learn how to collaborate with creative partners to develop and package their original animated series ideas.” The inaugural group for the development program includes these six individuals, who “represent diversity in race, gender, and age and will use their unique perspectives to shine a light on their homes, communities, and personal experiences through animation”:“Elevating original and diverse creative voices is one of our top priorities at Cartoon Network Studios,” Sam Register, president of Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterGeekWire co-founder Jonathan Sposato has launched JoySauce Network, a new ad-supported multimedia platform aimed at the “American Asian” audience and its allies, Variety has learned exclusively.The site, which went live Wednesday morning, boasts “multiple channels of vibrant digital programming dedicated to celebrating both new and established American Asian talent.” JoySauce Network notes the use of “American Asian rather than Asian American” is its way of “shifting the center of gravity, while recognizing that each of us chooses how the pieces of our identities fit together.”Per JoySauce Network, “Viewers can expect unscripted and scripted streaming shows, licensed movies from respected directors and writers in the Asian diaspora, stand-up comedy specials from emerging talent, documentaries, and more in a weekly episode format. The site will also publish original editorial from some of the community’s most talented writers, aiming to represent the full spectrum of American Asian narratives, covering culturally relevant topics in lifestyle, food, entertainment, pop culture, education, romance and more.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterEntertainment-focused private investment firm Coral Tree Partners has closed its inaugural round of funding with committed capital of approximately $470 million, well above the initial target of $350 million.Per Coral Tree, inaugural fund was “significantly oversubscribed above its original hard cap” and “received strong support from a range of high‐quality institutional investors, including endowments, foundations, insurance companies, pension plans, institutional family offices and funds‐of‐funds.”Founded by former Shamrock Capital Advisors partners Will Wynperle and Alan Resnikoff, Coral Tree Partners is focused on investments in the media, entertainment, marketing services, and communications industries, lower middle market buyouts, and late state growth equity investments. Currently, the Los Angeles-based company has two investments to its name: Loaded, a Santa Monica, Calif.‐based global talent management and marketing firm that works in the gaming influencer market, and Subject Matter, a Washington, D.C.‐based strategic communications, creative content, advertising and government relations firm.Along with Wynperle and Resnikoff, the Coral Tree Partners team includes Mike DiLorenzo, Matt Greenzang and Jake Simons, who have worked with the founders previously, as well as a group of executive advisors comprised of several CEOs, including the former CEOs of Giant Creative, Learfield Sports, MarketCast and Questex.“Our investment experience in our sectors combined with our lower middle market focus differentiates us in the market,” Wynperle said.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBCUniversal Television and Streaming has promoted Orit Blankrot to senior vice president of entertainment business and legal affairs, Variety has learned exclusively.In her new role, Blankrot, who most recently served as vice president of entertainment business and legal affairs for NBCU’s TV and streaming arm, has increased oversight of business and legal affairs for NBCUniversal’s syndication studios. This includes Stamford (Conn.) Media Center’s first-run programming, E! News and co-productions for distribution on both internal and external platforms.As SVP of the department, she will report to Inge Van Herle, the head of entertainment business and legal affairs for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAfrican American-founded, faith-based channel Impact Network is making a big push into entertainment and lifestyle content with the ramping up of its Saturday programming slate, the hiring of a new chief creative officer and executive producer of original content, and the launch of a 6,000-foot production facility in Detroit with a music division, Variety has learned exclusively.The privately owned Impact Network has a reach of 80 million homes and distribution deals with DirecTV, Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum, Verizon Fios, Frontier, Cable Bahamas, Cox and Altice USA. Founder and CEO Bishop Wayne T.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Abbott Elementary” got an A+ from ABC on its season finale, tripling its ratings with seven days of delayed viewing across DVRs, Hulu and other digital platforms, Variety has learned exclusively.The 9 o’clock on Tuesdays freshman comedy managed an initial 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 2.8 million total viewers for its April 12 finale, according to Live + Same Day data from Nielsen. Adding in a week of multiplatform viewing, the episode jumped 200% to a 1.8 rating, tying the show’s series high, and added 3.1 million viewers to reach 5.9 million total, per ABC.In looking at this same week-out metric, the “Abbott Elementary” finale’s key demo rating is up 50% from the show’s Dec.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery+ is set to launch a new docuseries focused on Black food history in America from producer Viola Davis, featuring scholar and cookbook author Caroline Randall Williams as host, Variety has learned exclusively.The four-episode show, titled “Hungry for Answers,” will follow Williams as she travels the country, “uncovering the fascinating, essential, and often untold Black stories behind some of America’s classic and emblematic food and spirits,” per the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWhip Media has hired Disney global integration and digital distribution operation’s strategy executive Artin Nazarian as vice president of global enterprise account management, Variety has learned exclusively.In his newly created role, Nazarian will develop and grow the company’s enterprise platform customer relationships worldwide, including focusing on strategy, product adoption and revenue.Whip brings Nazarian on board on the heels of  the commercial launch of the Whip Media Exchange, described by the company as “a first-of-its-kind global licensing and research platform for film and TV content.” Whip will model the product, along with the company’s CVM and CVMi platforms, at the 2022 NAB Show next week in Las Vegas. Prior to joining Whip, Nazarian spent nearly two decades at Disney, where he most recently served as head of global integration and digital distribution operation’s strategy.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix reported its first-quarter 2022 earnings Tuesday, revealing how the company did in terms of subscriber signups and financial growth in the three-month period that included the debuts of “Bridgerton” Season 2 and “The Adam Project.”The streaming service lost 200,000 subscribers in Q1 and said it expects to lose another 2 million in the current second quarter. In January, Netflix reported it had 221.84 million subscribers at the end of 2021. The new total is 221.64 million subs.Netflix previously forecast 2.5 million paid net adds in Q1 while Wall Street analysts expected Netflix to add 2.8 million new subscribers worldwide in the first quarter vs.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterHBO’s “Winning Time” has landed a series high for the third week in a row, drawing 1.4 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max on Sunday.Per HBO, Episode 7 of the Los Angeles Lakers drama was up up 11% vs. last week’s episode and 59% above the season premiere.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“All Rise” has won the 2022 SeeHer Programming Award, which will be presented to the show’s new home channel Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) during the fourth annual SeeHer SheFront Tuesday, Variety has learned exclusively.The Simone Missick-led series is a courthouse drama that follows the lives of its judges, prosecutors, and public defenders, as they work with bailiffs, clerks and police to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal system. “All Rise,” which was canceled at CBS after two seasons last May and then revived by OWN in September, will debut its third season in June. OWN is airing the first two seasons ahead of the Season 3 premiere.Missick, who plays Judge Lola Carmichael, executive produces alongside showrunner Dee Harris-Lawrence, Michael M.