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Judge Orders ‘Making a Murderer’s’ Brendan Dassey Be Released From Prison
3 hours ago
A judge ordered Monday that “Making a Murderer” subject Brendan Dassey be released from prison, under supervision, following the overturning of his conviction, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Dassey, 27, has been serving a life sentence since 2007 after he was convicted on accusations of helping his uncle, Steven Avery, kill 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. Avery remains in prison.
The order, issued by U.S. District Judge William Duffin, comes with several conditions, including that Dassey may not travel beyond the court’s Eastern District of Wisconsin, he may not obtain a passport, and he may not possess a gun or any controlled substances. He is also prohibited from contacting Avery, as well as the family of Halbach.
Dassey will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office. It was not clear whether Dassey will be released immediately, or if his release could be delayed if the State of Wisconsin files an appeal.
A »
- Alex Stedman
TV’s New Matter-of-Fact Abortion Subplots
3 hours ago
In Friday’s episode of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” a mother of two who dreams of law school chooses to get an abortion — and the twist is that it’s not really that big of a deal. Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin), already a mother of two, discovers she’s pregnant just days after applying to law school — a lifelong dream, finally realized. After nearly giving up law school to have the baby, she’s so bowled over by early admission and high praise from a judge that she chooses to terminate her pregnancy, with the support of her husband. In the final moments of the episode, she nearly tells her best friend Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) about it, but ultimately doesn’t even lend the decision that much weight: “I just … you know, I had a thing, I figured it out.”
“Paula is a woman trying to pursue her dreams,” co-creator and showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna told Variety. “One »
- Sonia Saraiya
Mexico’s Labodigital, Colombia’s Onset Labs Create Joint Venture For Colombia (Exclusive)
3 hours ago
Los Cabos, Mexico — Mexico-based Labodigital, a leading, ambitious and highly diversified Latin American film services group, is expanding into Colombia, teaming with Bogota-based Onset Labs, to launch the joint venture Labodigital Colombia.
A Labodigital office in Brazil is also under negotiation, Charles Barthe, Labodigital CEO, said at Los Cabos Film Festival where Labodigital was one of the festival’s main sponsors, backing a string of post-production and distribution awards.
Founded in 2006, Labodigital currently operates three business lines: Post-production services; Dcp duplication and provision to distributors; exhibition services, including screen calibration and quality systems, digital integration, and image and sound for festivals; film library and heritage feature restoration.
Onset Labs is Colombia’s leading on-set data management servicing company. Its clients include MGM.
The consolidation of the Labodigital’s Colombia business is just one instance of a company exploring the multiple opportunities that have opened up for companies in a post 35mm world, here »
- John Hopewell
Bernie Sanders: Trump ‘Touched a Nerve,’ FBI Involvement ‘Unacceptable’
3 hours ago
Bernie Sanders appeared on “The View” Monday to discuss the outcome of the presidential election and Donald Trump’s victory.
The Vermont senator, who lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton, said Trump was able to connect with the working class in a way the Democratic Party could not.
“Trump touched a nerve on the part of millions of people,” Sanders explained. “You have a middle class for the last forty years that has been shrinking … You got millions of people living in extraordinary economic anxiety, and meanwhile, the very richest people and largest corporations are doing phenomenally well. And people are saying all over this country — black and white and Latino — ‘What about me? Whose going to stand up for me?,'” Sanders said. “In my view, the Democratic Party has not been as strong as it should be in saying it will stand with the working people.”
Joy Behar asked Sanders what he thought about »
- Lawrence Yee
Gwen Ifill, Longtime PBS Journalist, Dies at 61
4 hours ago
Veteran television journalist Gwen Ifill, the longtime host of PBS’ “Washington Week” and co-anchor of “PBS NewsHour,” has died. She was 61.
A PBS spokesperson confirmed that Ifill passed away Monday after a months-long battle with cancer.
“Gwen was a standard bearer for courage, fairness and integrity in an industry going through seismic change,” Sara Just, “PBS NewsHour” executive producer and Weta SVP, said in a statement. “She was a mentor to so many across the industry and her professionalism was respected across the political spectrum. She was a journalist’s journalist and set an example for all around her. So many people in the audience felt that they knew and adored her. She had a tremendous combination of warmth and authority. She was stopped on the street routinely by people who just wanted to give her a hug and considered her a friend after years of seeing her on TV. We »
- Daniel Holloway
Adult Swim Regular Brett Gelman Says He Won’t Work With Network Over Treatment of Women
4 hours ago
Brett Gelman, a comic actor who has appeared on Adult Swim programs including “Eagleheart” and “Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America,” said via Twitter that he is cutting ties with the Time Warner-owned outlet over some comments made by a network executive and the network’s decision to run “Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Police,” a series that has many fans with conservative leanings.
A spokesperson for Adult Swim said the network declined to comment.
On Twitter, Gelman cited recent remarks by Mike Lazzo, an Adult Swim executive vice president, about the absence of female creators associated with the network, as a reason for why he planned to “sever ties” with Adult Swim. On Redding, Lazzo recently noted that “women don’t tend to like conflict, comedy often comes from conflict, so that’s probably why we (or others) have so few female projects.” But he also acknowledged that “this was a dumb answer to a good »
- Variety Staff
‘Entertainment Tonight’ Names Sharon Hoffman Executive Producer
4 hours ago
Veteran CBS News producer Sharon Hoffman has been named executive producer of “Entertainment Tonight.” Hoffman was previously the executive producer for CBS News’ weekend editions, and in addition to her “Et” duties will also serve as exec producer for “Et” sibling show “The Insider.” She was also part of the team that re-launched “CBS This Morning” in 2012.
Hoffman takes the reins several months after the departure of top producer Brad Bessey, whose contract went unrenewed prior to the start of the new season in September. Co-executive producer Rick Joyce had been manning the helm at the show since Bessey left.
From the start of the season through the week of Oct. 24, “Et” is averaging 4.63 million viewers a night, up about 8% from the previous year period and handily beating the rest of the entertainment magazine field. While viewership among women 18-49 and 25-54 is off 1% from the previous year, that’s also a far less precipitous drop than »
- Oriana Schwindt
HBO Renews ‘Westworld,’ ‘Divorce,’ ‘Insecure’ for Second Seasons
5 hours ago
HBO has given second season pickups to its trio of new fall series — fantasy drama “Westworld” and comedies “Insecure” and “Divorce.”
The renewals are a welcome relief for HBO and its new programming president, Casey Bloys, after a tough year in which HBO suffered a big miss with the period drama “Vinyl,” amid internal changes. “Westworld” in particular had a lot riding on its success as HBO looks to restock its drama series bench with its tentpole original “Game of Thrones” now heading into its final two seasons, starting next summer.
“It’s fantastic to have a broad-based cultural and ratings hit to build from,” Bloys said of “Westworld.” “That’s a great, great luxury.”
“Westworld” has quickly developed a fanatical following among viewers who parse every detail of the show described as a puzzle-within-a-puzzle set in a resort where humanized robots cater to the out-there whims of high-end patrons. Bloys »
- Cynthia Littleton
Scripps Networks Ups Allison Page, Julie Taylor, Shannon Jamieson Driver
6 hours ago
Scripps Networks Interactive said it elevated three executives to larger roles in an attempt to centralize oversight of programming, scheduling and marketing across its portfolio of media outlets.
Allison Page was named to the new position of general manager of U.S. programming. Julie Taylor was named to a new position as senior vice president of program planning and strategy of the company’s U.S. networks. And Shannon Jamieson Driver, who already leads marketing efforts for all six networks, was named general manager of U.S. brand marketing and will add support to the company’s digital outlets along with her responsibilities for its TV networks. They will report to Kathleen Finch, Scripps Networks Interactive’s Chief Programming, Content & Brand Officer (pictured, above).
The move sees Page add leadership of programming for Food Network and Cooking Channel to her existing responsibility for Hgtv, Travel Channel, Diy Network and Great American Country.
Didi »
- Brian Steinberg
CBS Gives Full-Season Orders to ‘Man With a Plan’ and ‘The Great Indoors’
6 hours ago
CBS has given full season orders to Matt LeBlanc’s “Man With A Plan” and Joel McHale’s “The Great Indoors,” picking up an additional six episodes of each of the freshman comedies, Variety has learned.
With the additional episode orders, now all five of CBS’s new fall series have landed full-season orders, joining “Kevin Can Wait,” “Bull” and “MacGyver,” which were all recently picked up with 22 episodes. “Man With A Plan” and “The Great Indoors” will have slightly shorter first seasons with a total of 19 episodes for each.
Additionally, CBS has also given a shortened full season order for medical drama “Code Black” for its second season, ordering three more episodes for a total of 16 for Season 2.
A favorite of the network, “Code Black’s” numbers have fallen from its first season, but is averaging 7.94 million viewers and a 1.5 in its Wednesday night time slot in the adults 18-49 demo. The »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
TV Ratings: ‘60 Minutes’ Trump Interview, Seahawks-Patriots Game Score
6 hours ago
CBS’ “60 Minutes” scored the first televised interview with president-elect Donald J. Trump Sunday night, but the telecast was delayed nearly half an hour in several large markets (including New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago), making Nielsen’s preliminary numbers subject to at least some adjustment in the finals. The initial results put the interview at a 3.2 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and 18.77 million viewers. In the more-relevant-for-“60 Minutes” news demographic of 25-54, it drew a 4.3 rating.
NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” didn’t compete directly with “60 Minutes,” but it did draw more than double the demo audience (a 6.5 rating) and 19.24 million viewers, from 8:30-11 p.m. (The game didn’t end until around 11:45 p.m. on the East Coast.) The numbers, the best “Snf” ratings since the first week of the season, are at least a little encouraging for broadcast execs wondering whether NFL ratings would spend the rest of the season in »
- Oriana Schwindt
Meghan McCain Will Co-Host Fox News Channel’s ‘Outnumbered’
7 hours ago
Meghan McCain, the Senator’s daughter who has won some fame as a blogger and TV host, is moving to a regular slot at Fox News Channel, after being named a contributor there in July of 2015.
The 21st Century Fox-owned cable-news outlet said Monday that McCain would start, effective today as a co-host of “Outnumbered,” the daytime hour that features four female co-hosts discussing the issues of the day with a male guest dubbed “one lucky guy.” Other regular panelists on the program, which typically airs at noon eastern, include Harris Faulkner and Sandra Smith.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my unique perspective with viewers on a now daily basis,” McCain said in a prepared statement.
McCain’s arrival on the program shows Fox News moving forward in much the same direction it had under Roger Ailes, who built a news outlet with programming that tends to resonate with viewers who have conservative political »
- Brian Steinberg
Review: MTV’s ‘Sweet/Vicious’
7 hours ago
“Sweet/Vicious” is almost exactly the kind of sprightly and shaggy show you’d expect from MTV. It’s set on a college campus, it has an intelligently sarcastic vibe, and one character smokes pot with a six foot-long device nicknamed “LeBong James.”
Many other elements of the show are unexpected and surprisingly successful. Despite the low-key and occasionally goofy tone you’d expect from a semi-comedic saga about mismatched new friends, the core concern of “Sweet/Vicious” is the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses. The main accomplishment of the promising show is that it never loses sight of the issues surrounding rape culture, violation, and consent. But it’s not an “eat your vegetables” kind of program — it’s essentially an enjoyable superhero saga.
Whoever cast “Sweet/Vicious” deserves a bonus (or at least a keg of beer): The show revolves around an extremely watchable and winning core duo: Eliza Bennett plays Jules »
- Maureen Ryan
BBC Wants More Shows Starring ‘The Great British Bake Off’s’ Mary Berry
9 hours ago
The BBC is keeping Mary Berry, until recently a judge on the U.K.’s most-popular show, “The Great British Bake Off,” tied to its apron strings with yet another starring role in a food-themed series.
The U.K. public broadcaster has commissioned Endemol-Shine’s Sidney Street to produce “Mary Berry Everyday,” which celebrates traditional British cuisine. The BBC previously ordered the same production company to serve up “Mary Berry’s Absolute Favorites” and “Mary Berry’s Foolproof Cooking.” Earlier this month, the broadcaster commissioned “Mary Berry’s Secrets From Britain’s Great Houses” from Shine TV, which follows the company’s “Mary Berry’s Easter Feast” last year.
In “Mary Berry Everyday,” the culinary guru will “celebrate the food and ingredients she turns to most as she proves that you don’t need an exotic larder or a chef’s repertoire to create delicious dishes every night of the week,” according »
- Leo Barraclough
Diablo Cody-Tig Notaro Comedy ‘One Mississippi’ Renewed at Amazon
9 hours ago
“One Mississippi” is getting a second season on Amazon Prime. Season 2 of the critically acclaimed comedy will premiere in 2017 on Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan.
Created by Oscar winner Diablo Cody and Emmy nominated comedian Tig Notaro, “One Mississippi” follows a fictionalized version of Notaro as she returns to her Mississippi hometown after her mother suddenly passes away. Kate Robin (“Six Feet Under”) serves as showrunner.
“Making a show as comic and tragic as ‘One Mississippi’ is a risk. Pulling it off with such intelligence and nuance is rare,” said Joe Lewis, Amazon Studios’ head of comedy and drama. “We’re grateful for the audience response and we’re excited to bring them more of Tig and Kate’s brilliance in Season 2.”
Variety‘s Maureen Ryan offered effusive praise for the series when it first hit Amazon Prime in September. “The cumulative power of “One Mississippi” is almost breathtaking, given »
- Oriana Schwindt
Leonardo DiCaprio Producing History Documentary Series ‘Frontiersmen’
9 hours ago
History has greenlit an eight-part documentary series from executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio, Variety has learned.
“Frontiersmen” will follow stories of iconic pioneers, including Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Tecumseh, Davy Crocket and Andrew Jackson as they set forth across untamed land. The series will span across the first 75 years from the post-revolutionary war colonies through the California Gold Rush, highlighting a formative period in U.S. history that helped shape us from colonists into today’s Americans.
“During these years, America went from the opportunity of land to the land of opportunity and it was a bloody struggle throughout,” said Paul Cabana, History’s Evp and head of programming. “From Crockett to Boone, we’ll tell the bold stories of these adventurous trailblazers who explored the uncharted wilderness and became the icons we know today.”
DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions is behind the docuseries, along with Stephen David Entertainment. DiCaprio and his producing partner Jennifer Davisson will »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
NBC Taps ‘Voice,’ ‘Blindspot’ in Promotional Blitz for ‘Thursday Night Football’
9 hours ago
On NBC this week, the casts of popular shows like “Superstore,” “Law & Order: Svu” and “The Voice”will suddenly seem to have a yen for football.
The actors in those programs, as well as “The Blacklist,” “Blindspot” and NBC’s troika of Dick Wolf “Chicago” procedurals, will all take part in promotions tailored to their series that aim to drive viewership to a new slate of “Thursday Night Football” games that will appear on NBC for the first time starting this week. In a separate vignette, animated characters from the new NBCUniversal-owned Illumination Entertainment-created feature “Sing.”
“This is a huge company priority,” said Jenny Storms, chief marketing officer of NBC Sports, in an interview.
NBC launches its “Thursday Night Football” package as new questions surface about the ability of NFL football broadcasts, the most-watched properties onTV, to keep their audience. With the rise of new technologies that allow consumers access to streaming video, even »
- Brian Steinberg
David Attenborough’s ‘Planet Earth II’ Watched by 10.6 Million Brits
10 hours ago
The latest installment in the BBC’s nature series “Planet Earth II,” narrated by David Attenborough, nabbed a 40.2% share of the U.K. audience on Sunday with 10.6 million homo sapiens tuning in from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The show’s second episode, which was devoted to mountain dwellers like snow leopards, grizzly bears and golden eagles, was up almost 1.5 million on its debut last week, when creatures living on remote islands were the stars. Next week it looks at jungle life.
Attenborough, 90, is one of Britain’s most beloved, well-known, and respected public figures, and has been working for the BBC off and on for more than 60 years. The first “Planet Earth” series was broadcast in 2006.
Sunday’s season opener for ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here,” which aired 9 p.m. to 10.45 p.m., was another of the evening’s 800-pound gorillas with an audience of 10.7 million, delivering »
- Leo Barraclough
Mexico’s Imcine Bows Soft Money Schemes for TV Series, Latin American Distribution
14 hours ago
Los Cabos, Mexico — As Mexico’s burgeoning Svod sector turns to its film industry to create much of it premium content, the Mexican Film Institute, Imcine, is turning to TV – launching a new subsidy line to address the major challenge of scripted TV production: Development and writing.
From Tuesday, producers in Mexico can apply for funding for drama series and mini-series development, be that fiction, documentaries and animation.
The initiative takes a TV fiction bull by the horns. In Svod series production, Mexico leads Latin America. Televisa’s Blim, which launched in February, plans five-to-seven original series a year. This May, cut-price ClaroVideo, owned by Carlos Slim’s American Movil, presented its second original series production, psychological thriller “The Brotherhood, co-produced with Colombia’s 11:11 Films. Netflix has made three original series orders from Mexico: “Club de Cuervos.” “Ingobernable,” and now an untitled dark dysfunctional family comedy from movie director Manolo Caro.
With »
- John Hopewell
‘Westworld’ Showrunners Talk Episode 7’s Shocking Host Reveal
17 hours ago
Spoiler alert: Do not read until you’ve watched “Westworld” episode 7, titled “Trompe L’Oeil.”
Sunday night’s episode of “Westworld” is, to use a technical term, a humdinger. The seventh chapter in the show’s first season, “Trompe L’Oeil” wraps with a revelation that some fans speculated about but few could honestly say they saw coming — that Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) is in fact a robot host created by Ford (Anthony Hopkins). The episode ends with Bernard, at Ford’s order, killing Theresa (Sidse Babett Knudsen). It also features a big moment for actress Angela Sarafyan, whose Clementine earlier in the episode is rigged to attack and kill another host as part of a conspiracy against Ford by Theresa and the park’s corporate overlords.
Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy spoke with Variety about Bernard, Clementine, and how “Westworld” is relevant post-presidential election.
When did you first tell Jeffrey Wright that Bernard was actually a »
- Daniel Holloway
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