‘Los Espookys’ Co-Creator Julio Torres Signs First-Look Deal With HBO and HBO Max

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBC briefly misidentified singer Mickey Guyton as Jhene Aiko during a preshow performance at Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.As seen in the video below, the broadcast network first panned over Guyton with a chyron that labeled her as “Jhene Aiko” during Aiko’s performance of “America the Beautiful.” A few seconds later, the incorrect name disappeared under Guyton and cameras shifted to Aiko, who was singing, and a new chyron correctly identified her as “Jhene Aiko.”When Aiko concluded her performance of “America the Beauitful,” Guyton sang the National Anthem ahead of the kickoff for the big game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.Representatives for NBC Sports did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment on the error Sunday. More to come…@NBCNews #SuperBowlLVI ummm… who confused Jhene Aiko and Mickey Guyton? Its tone deaf….

EXCLUSIVE: Emerging filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, whose narrative feature debut We’re All Going to the World’s Fair premiered in the NEXT section of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, has signed with CAA for representation.

Will art imitate life? Luke Kirby teased how The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will pay homage to Lenny Bruce’s real life — and how his potential onscreen relationship with Midge plays out.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“9-1-1: Lone Star” has already featured guest appearances by two “Angel” alums, Julie Benz and Amy Acker, during the first few episodes of its currently airing third season. And if showrunner Tim Minear — who was a writer and executive producer on “Angel” and brought in Gina Torres, a vet of the WB series, as a lead on “Lone Star” at the start of Season 2 — is down for it, an actress from one of Minear’s other beloved series would love to make another reunion happen: “Firefly” star Morena Baccarin.“Oh, that would be fun! I haven’t seen those guys in forever,” Baccarin told Variety Friday, during an interview for her upcoming NBC drama “The Endgame.” “I love Tim.

Ellise Shafer Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and “West Side Story” star Mike Faist are set to star in Luca Guadagnino’s new romantic drama “Challengers” at MGM.“Spider-Man: No Way Home” producer Amy Pascal is producing the film via her Pascal Pictures alongside Zendaya and Guadagnino. Playwright Justin Kuritzkes is penning the script.The film centers on the competitive world of tennis, in which player-turned-coach Tashi (Zendaya) has transformed her husband Art (Faist) into a grand-slam champion.

Stella McCartney suit and this is what she will be wearing in the new piece of art. Despite the good news that Zendaya will be revealed at the tourist attraction many people took to social media to complain about the waxwork and wonder if it looked “anything like” her. READ MORE: Holly Willoughby posts video of new perfume but fans are all complaining about the price Multiple people criticised the image and even said the waxwork made Zendaya look “mean”.

The first phase of plans to redevelop Piccadilly Gardens has been revealed.

Former Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres, co-creator and star of HBO’s Los Espookys, has signed a first-look deal with HBO and HBO Max. Under the two-year pact, he has two half-hour comedies in the works: Little Films (working title), written, executive produced and headlined by Torres, which has received a series order by HBO; and Lucky, co-written and executive produced by Torres, which is in development at HBO.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterFormer NBC drama development exec Lisa Roos has been named head of television at Keshet Studios, the U.S.-based production arm of Keshet International.In her new role, Roos will focus on developing original IP to bolster Keshet Studios’ ambitious lineup of limited and returning series. She will report to Keshet Studios president Peter Traugott.Roos comes to Keshet from NBC, where she was most recently senior vice president of drama development.

Teddi Mellencamp is opening up about her dad John Mellencamp‘s former relationship with Meg Ryan!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will not require Oscar ceremony attendees to be vaccinated, Deadline has confirmed with a source close to the situation. Attendees will only need to show a recent negative Covid test. The Academy has not responded to Deadline’s requests for comment.

Zack Sharf Zack Snyder’s science-fiction epic “Rebel Moon” has announced its full cast. Joining Sofia Boutella in Snyder’s next Netflix-backed tentpole are Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher, Doona Bae, Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E.

Teddi Mellencamp was starstruck by Meg Ryan.

mxmtoon has released ‘mona lisa’, a new single from her sophomore album that will be released later this year. The artist known as Maia has also announced North American tour dates – find those below.The single was released on streaming platforms on February 8 alongside art depicting the singer as the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting.The ukulele-driven song invites the listener to daydream, mxmtoon checking off references to several famous artists, including William Shakespeare and Frida Kahlo, as she sings: “I wanna be a Mona Lisa / The kinda girl that you can dream of”.Listen to mxmtoon’s ‘mona lisa’ below.The single is taken from mxmtoon’s upcoming sophomore album, which has yet to be given a release date.In a statement, she said, “As someone who usually writes songs about other people, one of my ongoing questions is ‘will anyone ever write songs about me?’”“‘mona lisa’ is about wanting to be the subject of the art for once instead of being the creator.

In a move that came on the same day that Oscar nominations were announced, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed plans to resume in-person screenings for members in Los Angeles. The screenings, in the past a central part of every awards season for L.A.-based Oscar voters, were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they will start up again on Monday, Feb.

Boy George has announced the launch of an NFT collection titled CryptoQueenz, which has been created to mark the release of seven new songs.As reported by Rolling Stone, the musician will be unveiling 9,999 unique non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the CryptoQueenz site and OpenSea from March 1. Each NFT will include the face of the famous Boy George artwork ‘Scarman’, combined with his renowned hat collection.Sales from each of the NFTs will also support the LGBTQ+ community, with two per cent of the proceeds going to the Elton John Aids Foundation and Shelter.

The race to the 94th Oscars kick into high gear Tuesday when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reveals nominations in a global live stream hosted by Leslie Jordan and Tracee Ellis Ross. The ceremony begins at 8:18 a.m. ET/5:18 a.m. PT.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has signed an overall deal with Leah Fong, co-creator and executive producer on the streamer’s upcoming horror/thriller drama The Midnight Club. Under the multi-year pact, Fong will write and produce new series and other projects.

Annika Pham Versatile Finnish helmer A.J. Annila (“Sauna,” “Shadow Lines,” “Peacemaker”) is on board to direct the thriller series with a working title of “ID” which marks HBO Max’s first commission of a Finnish premium TV show.Set in the art fraud world, the six-part series is co-created by seasoned writer Aleksi Bardy (“Tom of Finland,” “Moscow Noir”) and Mia Ylönen (“Bad Apples,” “Moscow Noir”) for Finnish production powerhouse Helsinki-Filmi, a subsidiary of Finland’s Aurora Studios.“ID” revolves around art fraud investigator Emma who goes undercover to infiltrate an auction house in Stockholm in order to investigate the firm’s connection to a notorious money launderer known as Blanko.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBC has placed drama pilot orders for “The Brave” creator Dean Georgaris’ “Blank Slate” and an adaptation of the novel “Predictably Irrational.”Written by Georgaris, “Blank Slate” follows Special Agent Alexander McCoy, a legend in law enforcement, the agent we all hope is out there, the agent we’d all like to be, per the project’s official logline. The only issue is … he doesn’t actually exist.

The Worst Person in the World. The , now in theaters, kicks off with Julie (Renate Reinsve) diving headfirst into a quarter-life crisis. A student in Oslo, Norway, she switches from surgery to psychology to photography, changing up her hair color with every shift. We are told via voice over—the film is divided up into “chapters” that telegraph the stages of her growth—that Julie was once a hard-working, straight-A type, but that the macro issues of the world (The news! The environment!) and the micro-distractions of cell phones and social media have set her somewhat adrift.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“The Boondocks” reboot series has been scrapped at HBO Max, Variety has learned.In September 2019, HBO Max ordered a two-season revival of the animated series before the WarnerMedia-owned streaming service had even launched.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterEsports is the biggest opportunity in TV that nobody’s talking about — yet.That’s the view from video game industry veterans who see esports — or the exploding world of live video gaming competitions, complete with crowds of virtual fans cheering them on — as poised to explode in the coming years.Riot Games and Activision Blizzard are among the gaming giants making big investments to juice the burgeoning market for esports TV rights deals. A new round of consolidation and fresh capital coming into gaming, as evidenced by Microsoft’s pending $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, will raise the stakes, as esports content is a clear growth engine for gaming.“We don’t necessarily see obstacles in front of us — we see opportunity,” Brandon Snow, head of Activision Blizzard esports, tells Variety.

first met his partner Lisa Liberati on the set of the film Split, casually confirmed he’s tied the knot during a chat with The Guardian. Asked if he’s now an honorary Philadelphian due to Lisa hailing from the American city, he responded: ‘Yeah, it’s like a second home for me. ’However, the  42-year-old star declined to comment further on their relationship.

Wilson Chapman editorPeacock has unveiled the official trailer for its new miniseries “Joe vs. Carole,” starring John Cameron Mitchell and Kate McKinnon.Based on the Robert Moor-hosted Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic,” “Joe vs. Carole” focuses on the bitter rivalry between big cat zookeeper Joe Exotic (Mitchell) and animal sanctuary CEO Carole Baskin (McKinnon), which was immortalized in the first season of the popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.” In addition to Mitchell and McKinnon, the miniseries also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Brian Van Holt, Sam Keeley, Nat Wolf, Marlo Kelly, William Fichtner, Dean Winters and David Wenham.The trailer depicts McKinnon and Mitchell in character, as Baskin and her husband (MacLachlan) set out to take down Exotic for his abuse of his animals and breeding of big cats for profit.

EXCLUSIVE: The Art Directors Guild has sketched out a career honor for Donna Cline. The concept artist whose credits include Bones, Chicago Med and The Big Bang Theory will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illustrators and Matte Artists at the 26th annual ADG Awards.

Related: Bold eyeliner look takes Paris haute couture shows by storm Fox is the latest muse, and also girlfriend, of Kanye West – or Ye as he now prefers to be called. But the line between relationship and art project has been consistently blurred since the pair met on New Year’s Eve in Miami, where they had an “instant connection”. Fox is technically an interview subject in these Interview Magazine columns, yet it is clear that she’s the one calling the shots.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterStarz dropped the first teaser for its Sean Penn and Julia Roberts-led Watergate limited series “Gaslit” on Wednesday, revealing the actors’ on-screen transformations into Attorney General John Mitchell, President Richard Nixon’s most trusted advisor and best friend, and his whistleblower wife Martha Mitchell.Also announced was the show’s premiere date, which Starz has set for Sunday, April 24 at 9 p.m., the pay TV channel said during its Wednesday presentation at the virtual Television Critics Association press tour.Executive produced by Sam Esmail, “Gaslit” is a modern take on Watergate that focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal — from Nixon’s bumbling and opportunistic subordinates, to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes, to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down, per Starz. Along with Penn (who rattled production with his insistence on strict enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on set) and Roberts, “Gaslit” also stars Dan Stevens (who replaced Armie Hammer on the series) as John Dean, Betty Gilpin as Mo Dean, Shea Whigham as G.

Hulu has unveiled first-look photos from the new comedy series Life & Beth, written, directed, executive produced by and starring Amy Schumer, announcing that all 10 episodes in its first season will debut exclusively on the streamer on March 18.

Angelique Jackson The popular YouTube Originals series “Super Sema,” starring and executive produced by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, has appointed UTA as its North American licensing and publishing agency.UTA will work alongside global toy licensee Just Play to focus on retail initiatives and key partnerships in publishing, apparel, home and accessories for the program, which is the world’s first children’s animated series focused on an African kid superhero.The series follows the world-changing adventures of an extraordinary young African girl, Sema, and her twin brother MB, who are on a mission to protect their town Dunia from the villainous Tobor. Fueled by STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) superpowers, Sema knows that with determination and creativity, anything is possible.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 on Sunday to clinch the NFC Championship in a Fox primetime broadcast that drew more than 50 million viewers. That makes it the most-watched NFC Championship since 2014.A total of 50,420,000 viewers tuned in across Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports streaming platforms, NFL Digital and Yahoo! Sports properties for the telecast. Viewership for the game peaked at 55,218,000 from 9:15-9:30 p.m.