POWER creator leaves STARZ for huge NETFLIX deal
POWER creator leaves STARZ for huge NETFLIX deal
Anthony Mason out at CBS THIS MORNING / DISNEY+ India biz approaching crossroad / TORONTO FILM FEST requiring Talent & Media to mask up
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY August 12, 2021.
Where I was just $14.6 Million short on my bid for NETFLIX Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos’s Malibu house #soClose. But hey - let’s have our Thursday morning coffee on that chaise lounge chair anyway, as Ted’s accountant works on how to classify the $4.5 Million profit Ted made since buying the house from David Spade in 2013.
Plus - it comes with a plunge pool and a stone Buddah all included.
ALSO: Beanie Feldstein is going to star in a Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” - the first time the show’s been done on Broadway since Streisand’s version in 1964. Will premiere Spring 2022.
AND: Here are your MTV VMA nominees for anyone inclined, but warning - lotta Biebs... Show is in a month on Sun Sept 12 live from Brooklyn’s BARCLAYS CENTER, up against the premiere of NBC “Sunday Night Football”.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
UNIVERSAL sets Andre Braugher as NY TIMES editor Dean Baquet for “She Said” Weinstein movie
Movie is currently shooting, with Maria Schrader (“Unorthodox”) directing. Will hit theaters next November. /Variety
TORONTO FILM FEST requiring everyone to mask up, including talent
Only exceptions are when On-Stage at screenings and on Red Carpets. Vaxx already required to enter Canada, and they’ll also be covid testing talent & media upon arrival, and every 48 hours they’re there. /THR
ALSO: NBCU joins the postpone-to-October return to office policy, sets new return date of Oct 18, and mandatory vaxx for all returning at that point. /WSJ
ALSO IN MOVIES
AFI FESTIVAL will open with Lin Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut “tick tick… BOOM!” on November 10 in LA. Autobiographical musical from “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson, who tragically died of an undiagnosed aortic dissection before “Rent” opened. Movie hits theaters on Nov 12, and NETFLIX on Nov 19. /Deadline
📺 THE TV SET
NETFLIX steals away STARZ’s “Power” creator Courtney Kemp with a $70 - $90 Million deal
4-year deal described as “upper 8 figures”, with bonuses that would push it over $100 Million. Well ya know, before taxes.
She had been at STARZ parent company LIONSGATE since 2015 (who also made a large offer to retain her talents), and she will still be “involved creatively” in the… quadrant (?) of “Power” shows going on at STARZ, but will focus on creating new shows for NETFLIX going forward. /Deadline
Anthony Mason out at“CBS This Morning” - former NFL player Nate Burleson takes the 3rd seat
Hosts will be Gayle, Tony Dokoupil, and Nate as of September. He was a guest host in May when Tony was out on paternity leave, and is also an analyst on CBS’s “NFL Today” show on Fall Sundays, a job he’ll continue to do. So basically - the Strahan plan. Nate was also a special correspondent on “Extra” but that’s now dunzo.
Anthony will return to culture reporting across CBS NEWS after a 2 year tenure in the host job.
The show is moving into the old TRL studio in Times Square this Fall… right across the way from Strahan and GMA #awkward. Tiki Barber checking to see if he still has his “Today Show” ID somewhere or other. /THR and more details at LA Times here for the inclined
ALSO IN TV
“Jeopardy” Exec Producer Mike Richards gets the official nod as the show’s new host. His first episodes will begin Mon Sept 13. Mayim Bialik will also host some primetime special versions of the show and a college tournament. /THR
ABC orders drama “Promised Land”, starring John Ortiz and Christina Ochoa that centers on 2 powerful Latino families in Sonoma Valley’s wine industry. No word on a premiere timeline. /Deadline
NBC adds Tituss Burgess to “Annie Live!” musical in December. Will play “Rooster Hannigan”, brother of “Miss Hannigan” played by Taraji P. Henson. /Deadline
HBOMAX renews “Wahl Street” for a 2nd season.
ABC SIGNATURE Head of Comedy, Melanie Frankel is departing. No next destination indicated. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
A dive into India’s key, growing role in the future of DISNEY+
DISNEY+ will announce updated subscriber numbers later today, so I figured it’s a good time to do a dive into the 2nd biggest country for DIS+ subscribers: India.
It makes up about 1/3 of the total DIS+ subscriber base, and is also a place where a year of DISNEY+ costs about the same as a month in the US & EUROPE. Not to mention their huge battle for Cricket rights that’s on the immediate horizon.
So - if up for getting a little more in the know about the global DISNEY+ business before you hear the huge numbers bandied about in headlines later today/tomorrow, click here for a 3 minute read (ok fine I didn’t time it, but figure it’s about 1/3 a cup of coffee’s worth. We all know I love to be thematic).
SALESFORCE launching its own free streaming service SALESFORCE+
Looks like it’ll be content mostly around entrepreneurialism, sales / business growth, leadership and professional inspiration.
Launching in September with 6 original shows, and 4 channels streaming content from previous conferences, which will also eventually feature live-streams from new SALESFORCE conferences.
The service plans to also eventually incorporate some user-generated content (pre-approved by SALESFORCE).
So - kinda LINKED IN: The streaming service? Although why this has to be a dedicated streaming service I need to download and/or specifically visit, as opposed to a well supported YOUTUBE channel isn’t too apparent to me personally. /Axios
ALSO IN MEDIA
AT&T’s pricetag for TMZ sale to FOX is in the $100-$125 Million range. So - this is really more about paring down WARNER MEDIA before the DISCOVERY merger vs. raising big $$. Negotiations ongoing. /WSJ
Another NBC NEWS departure for CNN+, this time it’s the Exec Producer of “NBC Nightly News”, Jenn Suozzo. She was at NBC for over 2 decades. /Variety
INSTAGRAM increasing DM filtering capabilities / tools to help block hateful and unwanted messages, mostly for celebs and high profile accounts. Although will also certainly make DM’s a bit less of a successful / reliable communication medium for those celebs who use it for correspondence. /Variety
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
VIMEO took another 5%-ish hit, closing the day at $33 / share. It went public in May at $52 a share.
Otherwise a pretty quiet day.
👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
FOX “Field of Dreams” MLB game - Yankees play the White Sox on a field in Iowa where the movie was shot, 8p.
NBC “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” final season premiere. 8p, 2 episodes
PEACOCK “Ex Rated” - Andy Cohen hosted dating show where Ex’s rate each other on aspects of their relationships. Ok yes mostly about their sex lives. Watch or Add to your List here
HULU “Homeroom” docu - Sundance movie Exec Prod by Ryan Coogler, looking at Oakland High School’s class of 2020. Watch or Add to your List here
DISCOVERY+ “Well Done with Sebastian Maniscalco” - First 3 eps go up today, other 4 will roll out weekly. DISC+ still hasn’t gotten to the “easily Googlable link” thing yet… so gotta find it on your own.
BET+ “The Ms. Pat Show” - same issue as DISC+
PARAMOUNT+ “Lower Decks” - New season premieres, Watch ep 1 here
If you were sent this newsletter or… just kinda found it:
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
SONY PICTURES “A Journal For Jordan” teaser trailer. Based on a true story of a soldier who writes a book / journal for his unborn son, directed by Denzel Washington. Hits theaters at Christmas.
SHOWTIME “Gossip” trailer. Docuseries on gossip columns and tabloid journalism, with a lotta talk about Rupert Murdoch. Also features Cindy Adams, Perez Hilton, and Maury Povitch to name a few. Premieres Sun Aug 22
HBOMAX “The Other Two” Season 2 trailer. Premieres Thu Aug 26
EPIX “Fiasco” docuseries trailer. 6 Episodes on the mid 80’s Iran-Contra Affair. Remember when we used to call scandals “affairs”? That was weird, but guessing that will not be an episode topic. Premeires Sun Sept 19.
NETFLIX “Clickbait” limited series trailer. Adrien Grenier as a loving husband to Zoe Kazan’s character, who is then kidnapped for ransom, and episodes take different perspectives on the situation from a different character’s POV. Premieres Wed Aug 25
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
SAM FENDER “Seventeen Going Under” - Kinda gives me fun 80’s UK / Rock-Pop vibes.
If you need new tunes:
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-Sean McNulty
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