Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY May 13, 2021.

Where for a mere $9 Million you can hold onto as many nights as you want at the new home of Richard Marx and Daisy Fuentes (how did I not know they were married??) in Hidden Hills, CA.

ALSO: The NFL season will kick-off Thu Sept 9th with DALLAS vs TOMPA BAY, and “Sunday Night Football” will start at SoFi in LA with da BEARS coming to town to play the RAMS on Sun Sept 12. Entire 17 game NFL 2021-22 schedule here.

And just putting this here if helpful:

📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

LIONSGATE adds Robert DeNiro to Sebastian Maniscalco family comedy

Called “About My Father”, co-written by Sebastian and loosely based on his life.

Centers on his Italian immigrant father who insists on spending a weekend with the soon to be in-laws of Sebastian’s fiancee. Will shoot later in the year. /Variety

In our new daily NETFLIX “Knives Out 2” casting section: Janelle Monae is your latest addition

Again no character or plot details… begins shooting this Summ- eh honestly I’m boring myself now. Was there no group discount rate on the casting news for this movie? /THR

APPLE TV+ picks up A24 Denzel / Frances McDormand movie “The Tragedy of Macbeth”

Directed by Joel Coen solo, based on the graphic novel by William Shakespeare. Will get theatrical release via A24 late this year, hit APPLE TV+ in 2022. /Deadline

ALSO IN MOVIES

NETFLIX picks up “Pray Away” docu from Exec Producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum. Centers on the “pray away the gay” conversion movement. Will premiere in August, also screening at TRIBECA this June. /Variety

📺 THE TV SET

“Ellen” talk show ending after next season (as I’m sure you’ve seen)

Finale should be circa this time next year, which is the end of her current contract. THR has an interview with her in the story headline link above if inclined. /THR

ELLEN ratings were down 40% this year as of March… though I haven’t seen an updated number through May.

“This is Us” also ending after next season

The plan all along was to finish up after the 6th season. /THR

But the people who will miss it most… are the NBC Ad Sales team. The show has the highest ad rates of all network shows except primetime NFL games. /Ad Age

PEACOCK continues to double down on the unscripted, announces 3 new projects

“Paris In Love” : If you ever wanted to see what Paris Hilton would be like as a bride-to-be… well that’s kinda odd, but PEACOCK doesn’t judge and will give you thirteen episodes worth 😳.
“The Siwa Dance Pop Revolution” – Jojo Siwa and her mom do the Making the Band thing. I mean, it worked out great for Diddy so why not?
“True Story” – from Ed Helms & Randall Park. Remake of Australian format – everyday people tell extroardinary stories from their lives, which are re-enacted by comedians and actors. So – “Drunk History” without the booze, but with stories about people who were… probably not sober 🍻. /Variety

HBOMAX orders family-comedy series directed by Eva Longoria, produced by Zoe Saldana

Called “Gordita Chronicles”, a 12-year-old Dominican girl struggles to fit into 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American dream. /Variety

ALSO IN TV

HBO rounds out cast for their Woody Harrelson / Justin Theroux WATERGATE limited series “The White House Plumbers”. Including Kiernan Shipka, Ike Barinholtz and David Krumholtz. Currently shooting. /Variety
NBC’s December live musical event will be “Annie”. Former NBC Entertainment head Bob Greenblatt among the producers. /Variety
AMAZON cancels the already ordered series “The Bankers Wife” due to covid production challenges. Globetrotting show based on the best-selling book was set to shoot across 5 countries… just as the pandemic started last March. /Deadline

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

Dax Sheppard making his popular podcast “Armchair Expert” a SPOTIFY exclusive

It’s a multi-year licensing agreement (a la Joe Rogan), starting July 1. Price not disclosed. Pod will still be free, no subscription aspects mentioned. /Variety

FUNNY OR DIE sold to Philanthropist / Architect, Henry Munoz III

No price disclosed, FOD was owned by AMC Networks, TURNER, and SEQUOIA CAPITAL. Includes pretty much everything – brand, library, development slate etc. They previously sold their Branded Content division to ROKU.

Current execs expected to stay on, Will Ferrell will be an ‘advisor’ to the company. /Variety

ALSO IN MEDIA

AMAZON sets a multi-year deal to stream 16 WNBA games per season. First game is May 29. /THR
UK’s PREMIERE LEAGUE soccer extends current UK TV deals with SKY, AMAZON and BT for 4 years at… the same price 🤔 ($7 Billion total). Covid shutdowns/reduced ticket sales hit the league’s teams hard, and while not explicitly related here…The SUPER LEAGUE disaster still having unsettling reverberations across European sports. /THR
Podcast Ad revenue growth slowed to 19% in 2020, hitting $842 Million. Will take until 2023 to hit $2 Billion. Other pod ad fun facts in the IAC/PwC report for anyone inclined.
VAX LIVE concert raised $302 Million last weekend (through corporate and philanthropic giving). /ABC News

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

Kind of a crap day on Wall Street yesterday due to inflation fears, but no big drops in the media sector per se.

But today: DISNEY reports earnings… and updated DISNEY+ subscriber numbers after the Wall Street bell late afternoon.

👩‍💻 NEW TO WATCH:

CBS “Mom” – Series Finale at 9p

HBOMAX “Hacks” – Jean Smart as a legendary Vegas Comedian paired with a struggling GenY writer to freshen up her material. This trailer looked really great (link here) – And you can catch the first 2 episodes on HBOMAX here.

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

UNIVERSAL PICTURES “The Forever Purge” trailer. Hits theaters Fri July 2.

AMAZON PRIME “PINK All I Know So Far” documentary trailer. If I made something with that title, it’d definitely be a short film. Ok fine a TIK TOK. Premieres next Fri May 21.

APPLE TV+ “Trying” Season 2 trailer. Premieres next Fri May 21.

STARZ “Blindspotting” series trailer. Based on where the 2018 Daveed Diggs movie left off, Single mother moves into the home of her now incarcerated partner’s mother (played by Helen Hunt), while entering the world of her lively half-sister. Premieres Sun June 13.