Jack Sussman: Celebs Rumors

CBS and Pluto TV will partner to present The Tony Awards: Act One, a pre-show of live, exclusive content leading into the 76th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 11.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large CBS has firmed up its unscripted and specials oversight as Jack Sussman, the Eye net’s exec VP of specials, music, live events and alternative programming, departs next month. Mitch Graham, who has been running unscripted under Sussman, will continue to do so, while Mackenzie Mitchell will head up specials as VP of that division.

CBS has unveiled its new structure for unscripted and specials following the departure of Jack Sussman.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Jack Sussman is exiting CBS after more than 25 years. The exec, who first joined CBS in 1998 as head of CBS Specials, has served as executive vice president of specials, music and live events at CBS Entertainment since March 2006, adding responsibility for all alternative programming in 2020. He won’t be straying too far from the Eye network, however: Moving forward, Sussman will segue into a role as EP for The Tony Awards and The Kennedy Center Honors starting in 2024.

The Tony Awards broadcast this Sunday will feature performances from the casts of Tony Award nominated best musicals and revivals including Camelot, Into The Woods, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, New York, New York, Parade, Shucked, Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Carson Burton Mackenzie Mitchell has been promoted to vice president of specials, music and live events for CBS Entertainment, Jack Sussman — executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming — announced Friday.In her new role, Mitchell will oversee a significant portion of the specials programming production and development for CBS Entertainment’s lineup. The executive started at the network eight years ago as a temporary assistant in the specials and live events programming department.“Mackenzie literally started as a temp at CBS, answering phones and scheduling meetings, but her passion, intellect, creative instincts and keen eye for material has helped her to become one of the finest event programming executives working in television today,” Sussman said.

CBS is bolstering its specials division.

Mackenzie Mitchell has been promoted to vice president of specials, music and live events for CBS Entertainment, announced Jack Sussman, EVP of specials, music, live events and alternative programming, to whom she will continue to report.Mitchell began her tenure at CBS as a temporary assistant in the specials and live events programming department eight years ago. In her new role, she will oversee a significant portion of the specials programming production and development for CBS Entertainment’s lineup.“Mackenzie literally started as a temp at CBS, answering phones and scheduling meetings, but her passion, intellect, creative instincts and keen eye for material has helped her to become one of the finest event programming executives working in television today,” Sussman said in a statement.

She’s back on Broadway! Ariana DeBose, who got her start acting on the Great White Way, has since become a massive movie star — even winning an Oscar. Now, she’s returning to her theatrical roots as the host of the 75th annual Tony Awards.

Academy Award winner will take to the stage at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 12, to host the show on CBS (it’s also streaming live on Paramount+).“I’m coming home! I’m so honored to celebrate 75 years of excellence in theater, but more importantly every member of this community who poured themselves into making sure the lights of Broadway have the opportunity to shine brightly once again! This is a dream come true, and I’m excited to see you all on June 12,” DeBose said in a statement.DeBose recently won the Oscar for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic musical “West Side Story.” She was nominated for a Tony in 2018 for playing mid-career Disco Donna in “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” She was also in the cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s megahit “Hamilton” in 2015.“We are thrilled to have Ariana DeBose, who has captivated audiences with her inspirational roles on stage and in film and television, host this year’s Tony Awards,” Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming at CBS, said in a statement. “After the challenging last two years, there is no one better to bring the theater community together on this important night honoring the best of Broadway and share the joys of live performing once again than this extraordinarily talented artist.”Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren and Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry will announce nominations for this year’s awards on Monday, May 9.The show is produced by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment.

Ariana DeBose will host this year’s Tony Awards, organizers announced today.

passed way at 50 just last Friday.“This was the moment in the show when I was supposed to be introducing the Foo Fighters,” host Trevor Noah announced before launching an extended intro tribute to the beloved rock musician. “We would have been celebrating with them as they won three Grammy awards earlier today.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorEven in the years when the Grammys have seemed predictable, they rarely are — anyone remember Soy Bomb?And in an era when all bets already seemed to be unprecedentedly off, in the past days we’ve seen Kanye West disinvited from performing — although sources say talks are still ongoing with him, as well as Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and others — Foo Fighters cancel their scheduled performance due to drummer Taylor Hawkins’ tragic and untimely death on March 25; and of course Will Smith’s smack heard ‘round the world has changed how organizers approach major awards shows forever. Thus, we’re going into Grammy Weekend with a roll-with-it spirit that seems to extend to the organizers of the show as well. “It’s live television.

slated to perform at the event before his unexpected death last Friday.“We will honor his memory in some way,” Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive vice president of specials, music, and live events, confirmed in a statement to Variety. “We want to figure out what is the right thing to do that is respectful to everyone involved.

Grammys will pay tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins during their 2022 ceremony on Sunday (April 3).This year’s Grammys are set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this weekend, and Foo Fighters were previously announced as one of the live performers on the night.The band have since cancelled all of their upcoming live gigs “in light of the staggering loss of our brother” Hawkins, who passed away last Friday (March 25) in Bogotá, Colombia at the age of 50.Speaking to Variety in a new interview, Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive vice president of specials, music and live events, has now said that Hawkins’ memory will be honoured during this year’s Grammys.“We will honour his memory in some way,” Sussman said. “We want to figure out what is the right thing to do that is respectful to everyone involved.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorJohn Legend, Carrie Underwood, J Balvin with Maria Becerra and just-announced Silk Sonic are among the performers added to Sunday’s Grammy Awards, where producers will also highlight three musical genres — gospel/Christian, tropical Latin and bluegrass — that are not traditionally part of the show. The ceremony will also feature a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer who died March 25 at the age of 50.The list of artists set to appear on the live CBS telecast from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas also include Maverick City Music, Aymée Nuviola and Billy Strings, who are lined up for “special segments that showcase Las Vegas and spotlight genres not historically represented on the Grammy Awards telecast,” per the Grammys.

Just because the Grammys is a far different show than the Oscars doesn’t mean the producers and suits behind it think they’re immune to the kind of incident that happened Sunday with Will Smith. So says Jack Sussman, CBS’ head of specials who’s preparing for the 64th Annual Grammys this Sunday in Las Vegas.

CBS and CMT have set a new April air date and venue for the 2022 CMT Music Awards. CBS’ inaugural broadcast of country music’s entirely fan-voted awards show will now take place live on Monday, April 11 from 8-11 PM Live ET/delayed PT from Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium, and various locations in and around the city. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe CMT Music Awards, which agreed to move their date and venue when the 2022 Grammy Awards announced their relocation to Las Vegas, have unveiled the new date and venue for their inaugural broadcast on CBS: The show will now broadcast live from Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium on Monday, April 11, from 8 p.m – 11 p.m. ET; the West Coast broadcast will be delayed, although the show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.“The biggest and best moments in music are coming to CBS this April,” said Jack Sussman, executive vice president, specials, music, live events & alternative programming for CBS.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterGloria Medel Solomons has joined CBS as vice president of alternative and specials, Variety has learned.In her new role, Medel Solomons will oversee portions of alternative and specials programming for the primetime lineup of CBS Entertainment. She will report to Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive vice president of specials, music, and live events/alternative and reality.“Gloria has demonstrated a gift for producing across multiple genres,” said Sussman. “She has a stellar reputation, substantial relationships in the creative community and an obvious passion for television.

CBS is bulking up its non-scripted and specials team.

The 2022 Grammys have been rescheduled for April 3 and will take place in Las Vegas instead of Los Angeles, the Recording Academy said Tuesday. Trevor Noah is still set as the host, and the 64th Annual Grammys will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.The awards were previously scheduled for Jan.

The Adore You singer Harry Styles will be kicking off the 2021 Grammys! Variety recently confirmed that the 27-year-old singer will be the opening performance at the upcoming awards show airing this weekend. “You don’t want to miss the top of the show,” Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive VP of specials, music and live events shared via Variety.

Harry Styles is to open the Grammy Awards this Sunday. The Watermelon Sugar singer will be the first performance of the evening, Jack Sussman, CBS' executive VP of specials, music and live events, told Variety.

Harry Styles is set to open the 2021 GRAMMY Awards!The 27-year-old singer will kick off Sunday's awards ceremony with a mega performance, Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive VP of specials, music and live events, confirmed on Wednesday. ET has reached out to CBS for comment.«You don’t want to miss the top of the show,” Sussman told “It’s going to be music coming at you heavy and hard like you’ve not seen it before.

Harry Styles will be kicking off the 2021 Grammys!

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorSunday’s Grammy Awards telecast is set to open with a performance by Harry Styles, who is nominated for three awards on music’s biggest night.“You don’t want to miss the top of the show,” Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive VP of specials, music and live events, tells Variety. “It’s going to be music coming at you heavy and hard like you’ve not seen it before.

Naman Ramachandran Iconic basketball-themed game “NBA Jam” will be the focus of a new documentary.Initially released more than 25 years ago as an arcade game, it shattered records by earning more than $1 billion in quarters, becoming a memorable piece of pop culture.BestCrosses Studios, the production arm of the basketball-themed social media platform BestCrosses created by Jack Sussman, has optioned Reyan Ali’s book “NBA Jam” to produce a feature documentary about the history and success of the game.Emmy-nominated Sean Menard, who has several sports documentaries to his credit, including the acclaimed “The Carter Effect” about now-retired NBA superstar Vince Carter, will develop and direct.The book, released by Boss Fight Books in October

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe announcement Tuesday that the Grammy Awards will be moved from January 31 to March 14 took many people by surprise but did not come as a shock: The show is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, which has seen a dramatic spike in Covid-19 patients and is currently ranked by FEMA as the most dangerous county in the U.S.“The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” said a statement signed by interim Grammy chief Harvey Mason jr., CBS Executive VP Jack Sussman and the show’s executive producer, Ben

Nellie Andreeva, Peter White EXCLUSIVE: CBS Entertainment has combined the network’s specials and alternative programming units under Jack Sussman, a 22-year CBS veteran who has overseen the network’s specials since 1998, most recently as EVP, Specials, Music and Live Events. In the new setup, Sussman will take on additional responsibilities and head the combined department.The restructuring comes three months after Sharon Vuong exited CBS as SVP and head of alternative.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are hosting another concert straight from their home studio, Studio G – and this time it will be on television!