Todd Spangler Ny: Celebs Rumors

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Google is showering Velma with confetti and gay-pride flags after the longtime member of the “Scooby-Doo” crew has officially been confirmed as a lesbian. In a new Easter egg that appeared Wednesday, Google Search queries for “Velma,” “Velma Scooby-Doo” “Velma Dinkley” (the character’s full name) and even “Dinkley” yield a regular search-results page — along with a cascade of multicolored confetti and various LGBTQ flags. The Google Search page then pops up two buttons at the bottom of the page: one to replay the animation, and another to share the search result via Facebook, Twitter or email (along with a trio of gay pride flag icons).

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Yahoo announced the appointment of Kat Downs Mulder, a 14-year veteran of the Washington Post, as senior VP and GM of Yahoo News, one of the biggest news and information sites in the U.S. At the Washington Post, Downs Mulder most recently served as chief product officer and managing editor of the publication, which is now owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Downs Mulder as GM of Yahoo News will oversee global products, editorial and strategy for the content vertical, which including the Yahoo homepage, news, entertainment and lifestyle content. She reports to Yahoo president of home ecosystem Matt Sanchez.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Elon Musk looks ready to get his hands on Twitter: The world’s richest person has agreed to his original $44 billion acquisition of his favorite social network, after a three-month legal fight trying to nix the deal. And that has renewed worries among some that he’s going to make drastic changes to Twitter’s content-moderation policies — and unleash a flood of right-wing misinformation and harassment. Musk informed Twitter on Oct. 3 that he will go forward with the takeover at $54.20 per share. The deal could close as soon as Friday, CNBC reported. When he announced his $44 billion deal for Twitter, Musk said he was primarily interested in protecting “free speech” on the platform, and he has criticized the company for allegedly having a left-leaning political bias.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Has Peacock regained its forward momentum? NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell claimed the media company’s flagship streamer notched healthy growth in the third quarter — thanks to a strong content lineup, including Peacock’s reclaiming day-after-air rights to episodes of NBCU shows from Hulu. Shell, in an appearance Tuesday on CNBC, said Peacock added more than 2 million paid subscribers in Q3, to top 15 million. Overall, Peacock’s active user accounts is now at 30 million, he said, up more than 3 million in the September quarter. “If you have the right content, and you offer a broad distribution platform, your consumers are going to find you — and that’s what we’re doing with Peacock,” Shell said.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor J Eatedali has exited Twitch to join UTA as an executive in the company’s gaming and esports department. Prior to joining UTA, Eatedali served as the co-head of creator acquisitions, retention and programs at Amazon-owned Twitch (alongside Toby Berlin), where he and the team were responsible for contract negotiations for the livestreaming platform’s top creators. Eatedali will be based in UTA’s Los Angeles headquarters and will report to Damon Lau, head of gaming and esports at the global talent, entertainment and sports company. In the position, Eatedali will lead the team’s gaming advisory business by helping existing UTA brand clients including Apple’s Beats by Dre and L’Oreal “navigate the rapidly evolving gaming landscape,” according to the company. He also will be tasked with bringing on new clients, including gaming and non-gaming-endemic brands.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Kim Kardashian agreed to pay $1.26 million to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission that she touted a crypto asset security without disclosing the payment she received for the promotion, the agency said. Under the settlement, without “admitting or denying the SEC’s findings,” Kardashian also agreed to not promote any crypto asset securities for three years, per the agency. According to the SEC’s order, Kardashian failed to disclose that she was paid $250,000 to publish a post on her Instagram account about EMAX tokens, the crypto asset security being offered by EthereumMax. Kardashian’s post linked to the EthereumMax website, which provided instructions for potential investors to purchase EMAX tokens.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor More than two years after Kim Kardashian inked an exclusive deal with Spotify for a podcast series focused on criminal-justice reform, the series is finally out. On Monday, Spotify released the first two episodes of original podcast “Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith,” available worldwide. Following the series premiere, new episodes will be released each Monday thereafter. The eight-episode podcast is narrated by Kardashian alongside veteran true-crime producer Lori Rothschild Ansaldi, produced by Spotify and Tenderfoot TV. It follows the story of Keith, an Ohio man convicted of triple homicide who — for nearly three decades — has been working alongside his family to prove he was wrongly accused.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ari Emanuel, the legendary Hollywood agent who is CEO of Endeavor, reportedly got involved in the dispute between Twitter and Elon Musk over Musk’s attempt to nix his takeover of the company — but it’s not exactly clear why. Within the “past few weeks,” Emanuel had reached out to Twitter board member Egon Durban to suggest the social network work with Musk to “find a solution” to their legal fight ahead of a trial scheduled to commence Oct. 17 in Delaware Chancery Court, according to a report by Bloomberg Law citing anonymous sources. Emanuel has ties to both Durban and Musk. Durban, co-CEO of tech investment firm Silver Lake, currently sits on Endeavor’s board. Musk had been on Endeavor’s board of directors before resigning in March 2022.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Alisa Bowen has been named president of Disney+, in a promotion for the exec who has overseen global business operations for Disney’s streaming platforms, including Disney+ since its launch in 2019. Bowen most recently served as EVP of global business operations for Disney Streaming, overseeing global content and business operations for the company’s direct-to-consumer video streaming businesses, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Star+. That included cross-functional leadership of the global Disney+ rollout in 154 markets worldwide. Her appointment is effective immediately. Bowen will continue to report to Michael Paull, president, direct to consumer, Disney Media Entertainment & Distribution.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor After three years, Google Stadia is exiting the arena. The internet search giant, which launched the streaming games service in November 2019, announced that Google Stadia will be winding down over the next few months. Players will continue to have access to their games library and be able to play through Jan. 18, 2023. Google said it will refund all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, as well as all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store. While Stadia’s approach to streaming games “was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” Phil Harrison, VP and GM of Stadia, wrote in a blog post Thursday about the decision.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The three remaining members of the Try Guys need time to process the events that led the popular YouTube comedy troupe to kick out their friend and co-founder Ned Fulmer, after he confessed to having a workplace extramarital affair. The Try Guys trio — former BuzzFeed staffers Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld and Eugene Lee Yang — said they will take a one-week break from their regular podcast release to “formulate our thoughts” given the announcement Tuesday that Fulmer is no longer part of the group. The next episode of the TryPod is slated for next Thursday, Oct. 6. “The TryPod will be taking a week off, and returning next week on Oct 6. We wanted to take some time to formulate our thoughts before recording the episode,” the group tweeted late Wednesday. “Thanks for being patient.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Pornhub, the embattled adult-content site, lashed out at the decision by Instagram to permanently ban its account on the social network, citing Instagram’s practice of allowing celebrities like Kim Kardashian to post photos with nudity as an example of a double standard. In a letter addressed to senior execs at Meta, Instagram’s parent company, Pornhub — along with adult-industry trade group Free Speech Coalition, the Adult Performance Artists Guild and more than 60 adult performers — implored Instagram to “end all discrimination toward those involved in the adult industry” and to “immediately reinstate all accounts, including Pornhub, that have not violated any of Instagram’s Terms of Services.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Kickstarter announced that marketing exec and entrepreneur Everette Taylor has been named CEO of the crowdfunding platform company.  Taylor most recently served as chief marketing officer for Artsy, an online marketplace for buying and selling fine art. He takes over as CEO of Kickstarter from COO Sean Leow, who served as interim CEO since former chief exec Aziz Hasan announced earlier this year that he was stepping down after three years at the helm. “I am humbled to take on the role of CEO of Kickstarter at a very transformative time for the company,” Taylor said in a statement. “Kickstarter has made such a positive impact on the world, and I’m honored to continue the mission of bringing creative projects to life and support amazing creators across the globe.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Lionsgate is now looking at spinning off its studio business — rather than kicking out the Starz premium network and streaming business. The company, in an SEC filing Wednesday, said that “Despite the volatile market environment” Lionsgate remains “on a path to separating our Starz and studio businesses.” However, Lionsgate is increasingly focused on divesting the studio side of the house. “As negotiations progress, we have increased our focus on the possibility of spinning our studio business, creating a number of financial and strategic benefits,” the company said in an SEC filing Wednesday. “In that regard, we are continuing productive negotiations with prospective strategic and financial partners on both sides of our business.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s not a dream: The third installment of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” audio drama on Audible is now available. All 19 episodes of “The Sandman: Act III,” with James McAvoy again lending his voice to the title role, are now available exclusively on Audible. It’s a surprise release for the third seasons of the popular series that brings to aural life the world of Gaiman’s best-selling fantasy graphic novels published by DC. The third installment is again adapted and directed by co-executive producer Dirk Maggs and narrated by Gaiman, who also returns as creative director and co-executive producer. “The Sandman: Act III” also features an original score from BAFTA-winning composer James Hannigan.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ed Helms has managed to find the amusing parts of impending nuclear Armageddon. The actor, writer and comedian hosts “Snafu,” a nonfiction comedy series in which he’ll dissect some of history’s most notorious screw-ups. In the inaugural season, set to premiere Oct. 5 on major podcast platforms, Helms tells the story of Able Archer 83, the NATO military exercise that may have almost triggered a real nuclear war in November 1983. “It kind of felt like a story that needed to be told, and it also seemed like a story that would be fun to tell – it’s loaded with drama and spy-thriller intrigue,” Helms told Variety. “There’s a lot of comedy baked in. But ultimately it’s an intense and somewhat mortifying chain of events.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Marcus Mabry, a six-year veteran of CNN, has been promoted to SVP of digital editorial and programming at the news outlet. In the role, Mabry will lead CNN’s digital global programming, features and visuals teams, including Opinion, CNN Style and CNN Travel. He will report to CNN’s chief digital officer — a role that has remained vacant after Andrew Morse exited the company earlier this year, following the shutdown of the CNN+ subscription streaming service. Mabry comes aboard amid other high-level exits from CNN Digital, the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery. Those include Courtney Coupe, most recently SVP of content strategy and operations for CNN Digital, who exited to join LinkedIn, and CNN Digital editor in chief Meredith Artley.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor OnlyFans has become synonymous with sexually explicit content and providing a way for adult creators to earn money online. Now the social-media platform wants to tickle some funny bones, as well. OnlyFans announced the launch of its Creative Fund: Comedy Edition, which will let creators in the U.K. and Ireland compete for the chance to win a total of £100,000 — more than $100,000 at current exchange rates — and appear in a reality-competition series on OFTV, its non-pornographic streaming service. While continuing to support adult performers, London-based OnlyFans stepped up efforts to recruit mainstream celebrities to its platform and expand into non-sexual genres. It recently ordered a reality show, slated to stream on OFTV, from British reality TV stars Chloe, Demi and Frankie Sims after their exit from “The Only Way Is Essex.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor For Dude Perfect super-fans, it may be the equivalent of Disney World. The five-member comedy and sports YouTube creators — who have a massive following of more than 58 million subscribers on the platform — are planning a new Dude Perfect headquarters and “family-friendly” entertainment destination. The new three-story HQ building will feature a 330-foot “trick-shot tower,” a Dude Perfect museum, mini golf, a merch store, restaurants and 2 acres of outdoor space. The facility could cost as much as $100 million to build, the group told the Dallas Morning News.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix is establishing an internal games studio in Helsinki, Finland, announcing that it will be led by former Zynga and Electronic Arts exec Marko Lastikka as studio director. “This is another step in our vision to build a world-class games studio that will bring a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games — with no ads and no in-app purchases — to our hundreds of millions of members around the world,” Amir Rahimi, Netflix’s VP of game studios, wrote in a blog post announcing the studio’s launch. Rahimi joined Netflix in November 2021, after serving as president of games for Scopely; before that, he was SVP and GM of FoxNext.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Brett Favre’s weekly NFL show for SiriusXM has been put on hold, a company spokesman confirmed to Variety. It’s the latest business deal in jeopardy over the pro QB’s involvement in a welfare fraud case in Mississippi. The SiriusXM rep declined to provide further comment. Favre, who retired from the NFL in 2010 after 20 years in the league, first began co-hosting the SiriusXM show in 2018. The former Green Bay Packers QB has appeared on “The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray” on Tuesdays on the satellite radio and audio streamer’s services, most recently Sept. 13. SiriusXM’s pausing of Favre’s show comes as ESPN Milwaukee said it was temporarily suspending the ex-football star’s weekly “The Brett Favre Show” recapping Packers games, NBC Sports reported.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Charlie Collier, after more than two decades in broadcasting and cable TV, has jumped ship from the traditional television biz — betting that TV’s future is all about streaming. As first reported by Variety, Collier is leaving his post as CEO of Fox Entertainment, departing from the Murdochs’ fiefdom to head up Roku Media, where he’ll oversee content and ad sales for the Roku Channel starting next month. For Roku, recruiting the high-profile TV exec who brought such hits as “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” to the small screen can be viewed as a shift toward more strategic — rather than tactical — spending on original content. Not incidentally, Collier also is familiar with the content economics of the free-streaming space: Fox Corp. spent $440 million to buy Tubi in 2020, which has served as a monetization outlet for Fox TV programming.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It seems like everyone is launching a podcast these days — and now comes the Central Intelligence Agency. But don’t expect any major revelations from CIA’s “The Langley Files,” which is really a PR-outreach initiative to burnish the agency’s image as well as dispel notions that it’s a glamorous line of work as sometimes portrayed in popular entertainment. As the agency explains, “The mission of ‘The Langley Files: A CIA Podcast’ is to educate and connect with the general public, sharing insight into the Agency’s core mission, capabilities and agility as an intelligence leader…and to share some interesting stories along the way!”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Instagram is working on a way to let users block unsolicited nude photos that they’re sent via direct messages — using a “nudity protection” filter to screen out and hide such pics. The social media giant confirmed the development of the feature but did not provide a timeline for when it would become available. “We’re working closely with experts to ensure these new features preserve people’s privacy, while giving them control over the messages they receive,” a spokesperson for Meta, Instagram’s parent company, said in a statement. According to Instagram, the “nudity protection” feature will be optional. It’s similar to Hidden Words, an opt-in feature Instagram launched last year that automatically filters out abusive DM requests based on keywords and diverts them into a hidden folder so users never have to see them.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The iconic music video for R.E.M.’s 1991 hit “Losing My Religion” has surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube — one of only a few songs from the decade to hit the milestone. The alternative band’s official video for “Losing My Religion” has averaged more than 300,000 views globally per day across YouTube so far this year, according to the video platform. It was first uploaded to YouTube in July 2011. Other videos from the ’90s in the YouTube Billion Views Club are Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain” (1992); Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991); and The Cranberries’ “Zombie” (1994).

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TikTok can add jet fuel to entertainment marketers’ messages — but they have to learn how to speak the language of the platform to effectively harness the creativity of its creators. That was one of the key takeaways from the Variety/TikTok Culture Catalysts Dinner, held in West Hollywood on Sept. 20. Paramount Pictures’ approach with its TikTok campaign for blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” — 2022’s top-grossing movie at the box office so far — was to introduce the nearly 40-year-old flyboy franchise to Gen Z, said Danielle De Palma, EVP of global marketing for the studio. With TikTok, its biggest goal was to reach “younger audiences that didn’t have that same emotional, nostalgic connection to the film that so many of the older audiences did,” De Palma said.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Kevin Hart’s “Die Hart” action-hero spoof is bringing in some fresh faces for Season 2 of the Roku original comedy: John Cena, Ben Schwartz and Paula Pell have joined the cast of “Die Hart 2: Die Harter,” the streaming company announced. In addition to the new cast, Nathalie Emmanuel will reprise her role in Season 2. Eric Appel returns to direct with Tripper Clancy returning as writer. Production of “Die Hart 2: Die Harter” has begun in Atlanta. The series will stream free (with ads) on the Roku Channel but a premiere date has not been set. In “Die Hart” Season 1, which co-starred John Travolta, Hart played a fictionalized version of himself who ultimately achieved his dream of becoming a bona-fide action hero. In the second season, Hart now wants to cement his legacy as the greatest action star of all time. He’s developed a concept for a revolutionary movie where the action is so unscripted and unexpected that even Kevin won’t know what’s coming next. But Kevin’s vision comes with a blind spot, and he soon finds himself the victim of an evil revenge plot, orchestrated by someone from his past. To survive, Hart must enlist the help of his favorite co-star, Jordan King (Emmanuel), his overeager assistant Andre (Schwartz), Andre’s mom Cynthia (Pell) and legendary Hollywood stuntman Mr. 206 (Cena).

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Twitch said that, starting next month, it will ban the streaming of certain gambling websites that aren’t licensed in the U.S. or “other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection.” The move by the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform, most popular among game creators, comes after reports that a streamer called ItsSliker had scammed fellow Twitch creators out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to support a “gambling addiction,” as the Verge reported. In a tweet Tuesday, Twitch announced that as of Oct. 18, it will ban livestreaming sites that provide dice games, slots and roulette. It identified four sites that will be banned — Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com and Roobet.com — and said “we may identify others as we move forward.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor YouTube has spent two years building up YouTube Shorts, its TikTok-style feature for short form video clips. Now it’s about to throw the switch to monetize that content — and share the revenue with creators. Starting in early 2023, YouTube Shorts-focused creators can apply to be part of the platform’s revenue-sharing program if they have at least 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. The new partners “will enjoy all the benefits our program offers, including the various ways to make money like ads on long-form and Fan Funding,” according to Amjad Hanif, VP of creator products at YouTube. YouTube also announced a new way for creators to license music for their videos — and still get paid for their video views under the ad-revenue sharing program.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ryan Spicer, after more than 14 years with WarnerMedia and Turner Broadcasting, is joining Atmosphere, which operates a national out-of-home streaming news and entertainment network, to lead ad sales in the role of chief revenue officer. Most recently, Spicer served as VP of sales and partnerships for WarnerMedia Digital, which is now part of Warner Bros. Discovery, covering the CNN Digital portfolio as well as the HBO Max with ads streaming platform. Prior to joining Turner Digital in 2008, he worked as a sales exec at MTV Networks. At Atmosphere, Spicer reports to chief operating officer Blake Sabatinelli. Spicer officially started in the role on Sept. 6.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Courtney Coupe, most recently SVP of content strategy and operations for CNN Digital, is joining LinkedIn as the company’s first head of original programming. In the new role, Coupe reports to LinkedIn editor in chief Dan Roth. She will oversee the strategy, development and production of all original video and audio content at the business-oriented social media platform. LinkedIn has been investing in original content for a decade and is now bringing those efforts together under a newly formed original programming team, led by Coupe. “Courtney has spent her career creating high-quality, economy and career-focused audio and video content for some of the top brands in media,” Roth said in announcing her hire. “We’re excited that she’s bringing her talent for developing groundbreaking content to LinkedIn and helping us deliver insights that drive conversation.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Spotify wants to give Audible, Amazon’s market-leading audiobook marketplace, a run for its money. Starting Tuesday, Spotify users in the U.S. are able to purchase and listen to more than 300,000 audiobook titles. The streamer is introducing a new user interface designed specifically for audiobook listening, alongside Spotify’s features for music and podcasts. At launch, Spotify is selling audiobooks à la carte, without any ads. But the company is exploring new business models that could include subscriptions or ad-supported formats, according to Nir Zicherman, Spotify’s VP and global head of audiobooks and gated content. Spotify plans to roll out audiobook sales in additional markets following the initial U.S. debut.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A judge has overturned the murder conviction of Adnan Syed — whose case was the focus of the viral “Serial” podcast back in 2014 — and the Baltimore man has been released from prison after serving more than 22 years behind bars. The ruling Monday by Judge Melissa Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court vacated Syed’s murder conviction, after she found that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that could have helped Syed at trial — specifically, evidence that two other suspects may have been involved in committing the crime. “At this time, we will remove the shackles from Mr. Syed,” Judge Phinn said after announcing the decision, according to the New York Times.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Over the weekend, a hacker illegally obtained and leaked unreleased footage from “Grand Theft Auto VI,” the upcoming installment in Rockstar Games’ hit franchise, the studio acknowledged Monday. A user on the GTA Forums posted a 3-gigabyte file — which included 90 videos with “GTA VI” footage, PC Gamer reported. According to the report, the hacker said they may “leak more data soon,” including “GTA V” and “GTA VI” source code, assets and test builds. Rockstar on Monday confirmed the “GTA 6” leak, saying it was “extremely disappointed” about the event. “We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and download confidential information from our systems, including early development footage from the next ‘Grand Theft Auto,'” the company said in a tweet.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Chrissy Teigen expected vicious online attacks after she announced that she had an abortion to save her life two years ago — and had a message for the trolls: “I’ve already seen you do your worst.” The model, TV personality and influencer on Thursday revealed that the loss of her unborn son in September 2020 with husband John Legend had ended in an abortion; she had previously said the pregnancy had ended with a miscarriage. Teigen said she was speaking out after the Supreme Court this summer struck down Roe v. Wade, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion and prompted a number of states to drastically roll back abortion rights.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Yara Shahidi will kick it with celebrity peers in a new show premiering on Facebook Watch later this month. The actor, model, activist and self-proclaimed “music nerd” — best known for starring on “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” — stars in and executive produces Facebook Watch original series “Yara Shahidi’s Day Off.” In each episode, Shahidi will participate in a range of activities with her celeb guests that reflect “their authentic interests outside of their fame,” spanning horseback riding, gymnastics, golfing, soccer and game night. “Yara Shahidi’s Day Off” premieres Thursday, Sept. 29, at 9 a.m. PT, on Facebook Watch, Shahidi’s Facebook page (2.2 million followers) and her Instagram page (7.6 million followers).