Dan Rather: Celebs Rumors

While California Governor Gavin Newsom has been somewhat reluctant to discuss debating the man running against him this fall, he offered a detailed proposal for a debate with a different politician 2,500 miles away.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Netflix has acquired “Rather,” the documentary about veteran journalist Dan Rather‘s landmark career in news. The film, which premieres April 24 on the streamer, utilizes the story of of Rather’s life on television to also explore the evolution of broadcast journalism, the troubles a free press now faces, along with the slide of American society from hard-fought advances in social justice and democratic freedoms.

Richard Leibner, a pioneering talent agent who represented such notable broadcast news journalists as Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, Andy Rooney, Norah O’Donnell, Ed Bradley, Morley Safer and Fareed Zakaria, died today at his home in New York City. He was 85.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Richard Leibner, a celebrated talent agent who represented some of the best-known anchors in TV news, first at a firm he helped build and then for UTA, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 85 years old. In his time, Leibner served as an agent and adviser to Dan Rather, Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, Morley Safer, Bob Simon, Steve Kroft, Bill Whitaker, Diane Sawyer, Chuck Scarborough, Paula Zahn, Brian Stelter and Fareed Zakaria, among others.

CNN, Vice, and the New York Times were among the big winners on the first of two nights for the 44th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. CNN led the news portion of the Emmys with ten wins, with trailing Vice winning nine and the New York Times with five.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will celebrate its 2023 Gold and Silver Circle Inductees at the 44th Annual News & Documentary Awards on September 27-28 in New York.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has tapped broadcast journalist icon Dan Rather, as well as veteran network correspondents John Quiñones and David Martin to be inducted into its annual Gold Circle honor society. NATAS’ 2023 Gold and Silver Circle inductees will be recognized at the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmys on Sept.

“Any controversial story one does, involving powerful people… Eventually you’re going to have to face the furnace and take the heat,” Dan Rather explains early in Frank Marshall’s bio-documentary “Rather.” “And unless you’re prepared to do that, then you’re going to have to get another line of work.” It’s an inspiring notion—and a pointed one, based on how Rather first made his reputation and then lost it. He’s now 91 years old, an elder statesman of American journalism and a jocular presence on social media, where his down-home wisdom and pointed criticism have earned him a new generation of fans.

Tribeca Film Festival, is about a man who shaped the historical stories of the recent past: news anchor Dan Rather. “I like telling stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations,” Marshall told TheWrap. “It’s so interesting to see how these people who are inspired and then passionate about what they want to do, how they achieve that success.” In this case, Marshall wanted to track Rather’s 60-year career in news and how he’s become just as embraced by the TikTok generation as he was when he did “60 Minutes.”“I go in completely open-minded,” Marshall said when discussing whether he approached Rather’s story with any preconceived notions.

Addie Morfoot Contributor While gender, race and politically-themed documentaries are once again prevalent at Tribeca Festival, celebrity-driven docus dominate this year’s nonfiction lineup.David Gelb’s “Stan Lee,” Stephen Kijak’s “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed,” Luke Korem’s “Milli Vanilli,” Frank Marshall’s “Rather,” Betsy Schechter’s “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive,” and Fernando Villena’s Oscar De La Hoya doc “The Golden Boy” are among the nonfiction titles focused on a bold face name screening at Tribeca, which kicks off on June 7.Marshall calls “Rather,” about longtime news anchor Dan Rather, a “very personal project.”“The collection of stories (Rather) has covered, it’s my history and the history of our country over the past 60 years,” says Marshall. “Dan dreamed of being a reporter and spent a large part of his career in journalism at CBS, including anchoring the CBS Evening News for twenty-four years, so it seemed natural to come to New York City and celebrate the world premiere of our film at Tribeca.”For director Michael Selditch, Tribeca Festival was also the perfect location for the world premiere of his latest docu “Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field,” about the iconic costume designer known best for her work on “Sex and the City.”“Tribeca seemed to make a lot of sense because it is a New York story and Patricia is a New York icon,” says Selditch.The director originally asked Field to be the subject of a documentary in 2019, but she declined.

We know we are deep into the trenches of the 2023 film festival season, but it is hard to believe we are already in June and preparing for the upcoming Tribeca. Much like all of the other festivals, there is something for everyone at Tribeca, regardless of genre preference, length, or country of origin.

EXCLUSIVE: A story about a Fiji surf paradise gone wrong by David Kushner, the journalist behind A24’s Zola, is to be turned into a documentary.

The Peabody Awards said Thursday that Lily Tomlin has won the Peabody Career Achievement Award, and Issa Rae the Peabody Trailblazer Award. The honors will be bestowed during a ceremony for the 83rd annual Peabody Awards on June 11 in Los Angeles.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Tribeca Festival has announced the lineup of its 2023 festival, which includes new films from actors Chelsea Peretti and David Duchovny and documentaries about Rock Hudson and news anchor Dan Rather. This year’s event, which takes place from June 7-18, will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres. Among the lineup, there are offerings from 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. For the first time, more than half of feature films in competition (68%) are directed by women, while 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women. Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by BIPOC filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.

EXCLUSIVE: Reginald Hudlin and Byron Phillips have struck a first-look deal with Original Productions after teaming up on Amazon documentary series Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy.

FX’s breakout series Reservation Dogs, Hulu’s limited series Dopesick and socially impactful content from PBS, Netflix, NPR and Vice News are among the first winners of the 2022 Peabody Awards, which are being rolled out this week.

Dan Rather, whose broadcast journalism career has spanned six decades including being anchor of CBS Evening News from 1982-2006, has been given the Peabody Career Achievement Award.

He faced off with Rocky Balboa onscreen and teamed up with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania, and now Mr. T is taking on the coronavirus.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDon Roy King, the veteran “Saturday Night Live” director who has helped guide the show behind the scenes since 2006, is set to retire and will be replaced by Liz Patrick, who has directed Ellen DeGeneres’ long-running talk show.An NBC spokeswoman for “SNL” confirmed details of the switch. King is just the fourth director in the history of the venerable late-night program, which is set to launch its 47th season this weekend.

Don Roy King, who has won eleven Emmys for directing Saturday Night Live, is retiring and is set to be replaced by The Ellen DeGeneres Show director Liz Patrick.

EXCLUSIVE: A feature documentary about legendary media figure Dan Rather is in the works.

Mitchell Krauss, a Middle East correspondent for CBS News who was wounded in the 1981 assassination of Egypt president Anwar Sadat, died Jan. 27 of kidney failure in a hospital in Rhinebeck, New York.

The University of Texas was ridiculed Wednesday after its communications school announced a series of journalism awards named after disgraced former "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather. UT's Moody College of Communication tweeted Wednesday that it was introducing "the Dan Rather Medals for News and Guts to recognize collegiate and professional journalists who overcome obstacles like stonewalling and harassment to speak truth to power." "Dan Rather is not only a legend -- he’s the namesake of new awards honoring his career and the work of today’s journalists," Moody College of Communication Dean Jay Bernhardt tweeted.

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson has reassured fans he isn’t close to death after he was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease.

Bill Small, the former Washington bureau chief for CBS News and president of NBC News, died Sunday in a New York hospital after a brief illness unrelated to the coronavirus, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced. He was 93.

is mourning the loss of William Small after his death Sunday following a brief illness unrelated to coronavirus. He was 93. Small served as the network's Washington Bureau Chief from 1962 to 1974 and brought together a team of journalists that would go on to dominate political coverage throughout the turbulent time of the Vietnam War and Watergate. 

By Alex Stedman