Tag: NBC

  • Kenan Thompson to host annual Emmy ceremony

    By Express News Service

    Actor-comedian Kenan Thompson, known for his work in the late-night comedy show, Saturday Night Live, is set to host the 74th edition of the Emmy Awards.

    In a statement, Thompson said, “Being a part of this incredible evening where we honour the best of the television community is ridiculously exciting and to do it on NBC ‘my longtime network family’ makes it even more special. Like all TV fans, I can’t wait to see the stars from my favourite shows.”

    “Kenan is well-regarded as one of the funniest, likeable and accomplished performers of the last two decades and his tenure on Saturday Night Live speaks for itself. We know he’ll bring excitement and professionalism to the Emmy Awards that a show of this stature deserves,” said Jen Neal, Executive Vice President of Live Events for NBC.

    The 2022 Emmy Awards will be telecast from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on NBC. It will stream on Peacock, and the show will be available for the Indian audiences on Lionsgate Play from 5.30 am onwards on September 13. 

    Actor-comedian Kenan Thompson, known for his work in the late-night comedy show, Saturday Night Live, is set to host the 74th edition of the Emmy Awards.

    In a statement, Thompson said, “Being a part of this incredible evening where we honour the best of the television community is ridiculously exciting and to do it on NBC ‘my longtime network family’ makes it even more special. Like all TV fans, I can’t wait to see the stars from my favourite shows.”

    “Kenan is well-regarded as one of the funniest, likeable and accomplished performers of the last two decades and his tenure on Saturday Night Live speaks for itself. We know he’ll bring excitement and professionalism to the Emmy Awards that a show of this stature deserves,” said Jen Neal, Executive Vice President of Live Events for NBC.

    The 2022 Emmy Awards will be telecast from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on NBC. It will stream on Peacock, and the show will be available for the Indian audiences on Lionsgate Play from 5.30 am onwards on September 13.
     

  • Amber Heard to appeal jury verdict; attorney says verdict influenced by social media

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Elaine Bredehoft, Amber Heard’s attorney in her defamation trial against Johnny Depp, opened up about the verdict in a no-hold-barred conversation with Savannah Guthrie on the NBC network’s ‘Today’ show.She said Heard will “absolutely” want to appeal the jury’s decision that was in favour of Depp. “She has some excellent grounds for it,” Bredehoft added, according to ‘Variety’.”She was demonised here,” Bredehoft added about Heard. “A number of things were allowed in this court that should not have been allowed, and it caused the jury to be confused. We weren’t allowed to tell them about the U.K. judgment.”The attorney was referring to the libel case Depp lost in the United Kingdom. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor sued the popular British red-top tabloid, ‘The Sun’, for calling him a “wife beater” but lost the case.Bredehoft also shared her belief that the vitriol Heard received on social media during the course of the high-profile trial most likely impacted the jury, reports ‘Variety’. Social media was largely on Depp’s side, according to the attorney, as was evident from the viral TikTok trend in which users widely mocked Heard’s testimonies.When asked if social media impacted the jury, Bredehoft replied: “Absolutely. Jurors [weren’t supposed to be looking at social media], but how can you not [be aware]? They went home every night. They have families. Their families are on social media. We had a 10-day break in the middle because of the judicial conference. There is no way they couldn’t have been influenced.”

  • HBO renews ‘The Gilded Age’ for season two

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Historical drama “The Gilded Age” will be back for a second season, HBO has announced.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the news comes three weeks after the New York-set period drama premiered on the WarnerMedia-backed premium cable network.

    Created by Julian Fellowes, the series was previously in development for nearly a decade at NBC.

    “Julian Fellowes and the entire Gilded Age family have thoroughly captivated us with their tale of late 19th century New York City extravagance. Along with our partners at Universal Television, we couldn’t be prouder to embark on a season two journey with this extraordinarily talented team,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president programming at HBO Max.

    According to the network, the nine-episode series was HBO’s best Monday night debut since the Emmy-winning limited series “Chernobyl” and also streams on its HBO Max.

    The first season of “The Gilded Age” is the beginning of an epic story that introduces a fascinating world full of intriguing characters, said UTV president Erin Underhill.

    “The scope of Julian’s vision is ambitious, and we’re thrilled to continue to explore the depths of this fascinating era with HBO,” Underhill added.

    The star cast of “The Gilded Age” includes Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denee Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel and Jack Gilpin, with Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski.

    The series was originally bought by former NBC entertainment president Bob Greenblatt, who ended up buying the show a second time during his tenure at WarnerMedia as it moved homes to HBO.

    The final episode of the first season will air on March 21.

  • NBC drama series ‘Good Girls’ cancelled after four seasons 

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Network NBC has cancelled the drama series “Good Girls” after four seasons.

    Starring Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman, the show will end after the network airs its five remaining episodes in July.

    According to Variety, the series will not be shopped elsewhere by studio Universal Television despite being a decent draw on Netflix.

    Created by Jenna Bans, the series also starred Reno Wilson, Lidya Jewett, Isaiah Stannard, and Matthew Lillard.

    Bill Krebs and Carla Banks-Waddles served as co-showrunners and executive producers alongside Bans, Mark Wilding and Michael Weaver.

    NBC also recently axed the dramas “Manifest”, “Debris”, and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

  • Amid outcry, NBC says it will not air Golden Globes in 2022

    By Associated Press
    NEW YORK: Amid growing pressure on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association from studios, stars and large swaths of the film industry, NBC said Monday that will not air the Golden Globes in 2022, putting in doubt the viability of one of Hollywood’s oldest and most-watched award shows.

    Criticism of the HFPA, which puts on the Globes and has been denounced for a lack of diversity and for ethical impropriates, reached such a pitch Monday that Tom Cruise returned his three Globes to the press association’s headquarters, according to a person who was granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the decision.

    In a statement, NBC said it believes the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which is facing possible boycotts over the inclusiveness of its membership from Netflix, Warner Bros. and many Hollywood actors — is committed to reform. But change can’t come quickly enough for next year’s Globes.

    “However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right,” the network said. “As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”

    The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, long a subject of ridicule from even its own telecast hosts, has come under fire following an investigative report in February by The Los Angeles Times that recounted the organization’s questionable record on diversity — including, presently, no Black members among its roughly 90 voting members.

    The press association has pledged to thoroughly reform, and last week approved a plan to, among other things, diversity its membership. But that hasn’t stopped several studios from threatening to pull out of the Globes.

    Last week, Netflix and Amazon Studios both said they would cut ties with the HFPA if it didn’t swiftly enact more drastic changes.

    “We don’t believe these proposed new policies — particularly around the size and speed of membership growth — will tackle the HFPA’s systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate,” Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos wrote in a letter to the group.

    In a letter sent Sunday and shared with reporters Monday, WarnerMedia said it would cease holding screenings and other events for the HFPA until it made more substantial changes.

    “For far too long, demands for perks, special favors and unprofessional requests have been made to our teams and to others across the industry,” WarnerMedia executives said in a letter. “We regret that as an industry, we have complained, but largely tolerated this behavior until now.”

    The outcry against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has gathered force over the last six weeks, as a film industry where racial and gender inequity long went unchecked has grown newly intolerant of the ways of the group, made up of mostly little-known journalists who profit considerably from the annual telecast.

    Increasingly, Hollywood has abandoned the HFPA. A group of 100 entertainment publicity firms has said they would urge their clients to skip HFPA functions. Mark Ruffalo, a winner this year, recently said he “cannot feel proud or happy about being a recipient of this award” any longer. Scarlett Johansson said HFPA press conferences for her “meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment.”

    The Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t address the 2022 telecast in responding to NBC’s decision, but board members of the group laid out its schedule of reforms — ultimately leading to a revamped membership and board by early August, as well as numerous other policy changes.

    “Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly – and as thoughtfully – as possible remains the top priority for our organization,” the group said in a statement. “We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large.”

    Last week, the press association ratified plans to add at least 20 new members this year “with a specific focus on recruiting Black members” and with a goal of increasing membership 50% over the next 18 months.

    For some, that timeline wasn’t aggressive enough. In the next few months, several potential awards contending films are set to premiere at film festivals and elsewhere. Tina Tchen, president and chief executive of Time’s Up, called the HFPA’s pledges “window-dressing platitudes.”

    “These measures ensure that the current membership of the HFPA will remain in the majority and that the next Golden Globe Awards will be decided with the same fundamental problems that have existed for years,” said Tchen.

    The Globes, produced by dick clark productions, have suffered ratings drops in recent years but still rank among the most-watched award shows — usually third to the Oscars and the Grammys. The 78th Golden Globes, held Feb. 28, attracted 6.9 million viewers, a 63% drop from the 2020 telecast, watched by 18.4 million.

  • Superstore finale to release on March 25 on NBC

    By Express News Service
    NBC’s sitcom Superstore is all set to air its finale episode next month on March 25. Superstore was created by Justin Spitzer and premiered in 2015. The workplace comedy-drama is about the employees of a big box store called Cloud 9, as they cope with the joys of working in retail.

    Superstore is known for mirroring real-life topics. In fact, the show is currently focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.

    The two back-to-back finale episodes will aim at closing out the current storylines of the Cloud 9 workers as they tackle the pandemic and their ongoing personal trials and tribulations.

    After the exit of star America Ferrera at the end of season 5, and after production delays due to coronavirus, NBC announced that Superstore would end after its current sixth season.