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CW Taps Cover Girl to Lend ‘Riverdale’ Characters New Accents
1 hour ago
The modern “Riverdale” as seen on CW is filled with illicit romance, intrigue – and, as it turns out, a specific brand of makeup.
Cover Girl, the cosmetics unit of Coty Inc., has struck a season-long deal with the CW that gives its lipstick, mascara and other beauty supplies a heightened presence in the new drama, a modern and sometimes shocking update of the time-worn Archie comics. Viewers who tune in tonight will notice a brief announcement at the start of the show underscoring Cover Girl’s affiliation with the show, and, later on, a 45-second vignette revealing how Cover Girl products help actress Madelaine Petsch transform herself into the character Cheryl Blossom.
The advertising alliance shows the CW pushing to work more closely with sponsors seeking a female audience. When the network launched in 2006, it was seen as a haven for Madison Avenue residents eager to reach young women, thanks to programs like “Gossip Girl” and “90210.” Now »
- Brian Steinberg
Arnold Schwarzenegger Responds to Trump ‘Apprentice’ Diss: ‘Why Don’t We Switch Jobs’
1 hour ago
Arnold Schwarzenegger was quick to respond after President Donald Trump mocked him and the “Apprentice” ratings while speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday morning.
“Hey Donald, I have a great idea: Why don’t we switch jobs?” Schwarzenegger suggested in a video posted to Twitter. “You take over TV because you’re such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job, so then people can finally sleep comfortably again.”
Schwarzenegger’s message was in response to Trump saying that when he ran for president “they hired a big, big movie star” to take his place on “The Apprentice.”
“And we know how that turned out,” he said also calling out producer Mark Burnett. “The ratings went right now the tubes, it’s been a total disaster. And Mark [Burnett] will never, ever bet against Trump again.”
Trump said with a laugh, “I want to just pray for Arnold if we can — for those ratings.”
As »
- Seth Kelley
A+E Networks, National Women’s Soccer League Ink Major Deal
1 hour ago
Women’s soccer is coming to Lifetime.
A+E Networks, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Hearst, has taken an equity stake in the National Women’s Soccer League (Nwsl). The two will launch a joint venture, Nwsl Media, which will oversee the league’s global broadcast and sponsorship rights, production of league game telecasts, as well as live streaming and digital platforms.
As part of the deal, A+E Networks channel Lifetime will become an official sponsor of the League and an official broadcast partner. Nwsl games will begin airing on Lifetime in April, marking the first time in Nwsl’s history that a league game will be broadcast on television every weekend of the season. Under the three-year deal, the “Nwsl Game of the Week on Lifetime” will air every Saturday on the channel at 4 p.m. Et, with a pre-game show at 3:30 p.m »
- Oriana Schwindt
‘Nobel’ Screenwriters Mette M. Bølstad, Stephen Uhlander Win Goteborg’s TV Drama Script Award
3 hours ago
Mette M. Bølstad and Stephen Uhlander, the writers of hit Norwegian drama series “Nobel,” have scooped the inaugural Nordic prize for TV drama script at the Göteborg Film Festival.
The prize, worth SEK200,000 ($22,840), was given by a jury composed of Lars Blomgren (managing director at Filmlance in Sweden), Isabelle Péchou (international drama consultant in Denmark/France), Leena Virtanen (film and TV critic in Finland) and Gudrun Giddings (producer at U.S.-based G4C Innovation) during the festival’s TV Drama Vision showcase.
“This is a strong, unpredictable drama with a sense of fresh realism. The story was thrilling and worked well also as a metaphor of the global instability between war and peace,” said the jury.
The panel also noted that the script’s multilayered characters and family themes could appeal to global and diverse audiences.
Directed by Per-Olav Sorensen and produced by Monster Scripted, “Nobel” is a contemporary drama exploring Norway’s military involvement in Afghanistan »
- Elsa Keslassy
‘The Crown’ Writer Peter Morgan to Receive British Film Institute Honor
4 hours ago
The British Film Institute is to award its highest honor, the BFI Fellowship, to screenwriter Peter Morgan, who was Oscar-nominated for “The Queen” and “Frost/Nixon,” and wrote Netflix series “The Crown.”
Morgan, whose credits include “The Last King of Scotland” and “Rush,” will receive his award at the annual BFI chairman’s dinner, hosted by BFI chair Josh Berger, on Feb. 21.
“I couldn’t be more surprised, thrilled or proud to receive this honor — and look forward to being suitably teased and abused on the night,” Morgan said.
Berger said he was thrilled to honor “one of our most feted and accomplished screenwriters,” whose career spans almost 30 years.
“Peter has an uncanny knack for getting under the skin of prominent figures to portray an eclectic range of real-life personalities, retelling the most iconic moments in our recent history and the individuals at the heart of them, to make engaging, elegant »
- Leo Barraclough
‘Vikings’ Season 4 Finale: Michael Hirst on Shocking Deaths, Series’ Possible End (Spoilers)
13 hours ago
Spoilers for those who haven’t seen Wednesday night’s Season 4 finale of “Vikings.”
The sons of Ragnar, different and yet all so like their father, have been united by a single purpose these last few episodes of Season 4: to avenge their father’s death at the hands of King Aelle and, by proxy, King Ecbert (Linus Roache). But they all seem to have different ideas about what to do next — settle down in East Anglia, go back to raiding, sail to yet further shores. And it’s all complicated by Ivar (Alex Høgh) throwing an axe into his brother Sigurd (David Lindström), bringing the finale’s main character body count up to three. “Vikings” creator Michael Hirst called up Variety to talk about what’s next.
Will anything happen to Ivar? One would think kinslaying would be a pretty serious deal.
Ivar’s in a special position, he always has been. I »
- Oriana Schwindt
TV Review: ‘Superior Donuts’ on CBS
14 hours ago
Few things are more reliable these days than the arrival of complaint-driven comedies that have no love for millennials, kale and man-buns. “Superior Donuts” slides very easily into that category with an air of confidence that is not backed up by its warmed-over jokes or by the stale assumptions that it peddles.
The problem starts with the premise: Jermaine Fowler plays Franco, an aspiring artist who goes to work at a doughnut shop owned by the grumpy Arthur (Judd Hirsch) in a gentrifying Chicago neighborhood. Franco’s ideas about how to market the shop are greeted with hostility by Arthur, and the first three episodes revolve around Franco’s unceasing efforts to drum up business for Superior Donuts while also keeping the shop owner safe from crime, which remains a problem in the neighborhood. Why the energetic Franco would expend this much effort for a sour man who is financially solvent and content to grumble, sell »
- Maureen Ryan
‘NCIS: La’ Will Pay Tribute to Miguel Ferrer
14 hours ago
“NCIS: Los Angeles” will pay tribute to the late actor Miguel Ferrer next March. Ferrer, who starred for seven seasons on the CBS drama, died last month at the age of 61 of throat cancer.
The March 5 episode of “NCIS: Los Angeles” will feature a version of the Bob Dylan song “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” performed by Ferrer’s band the Jenerators and sung by Ferrer. A title card remembering Ferrer will be displayed at the episode’s end.
Ferrer was the son of singer Rosemary Clooney and actor Jose Ferrer, and also first cousin to George Clooney.
In a statement last month following Ferrer’s death, “NCIS: Los Angeles” showrunner R. Scott Gemmill said, “Today, ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ lost a beloved family member. Miguel was a man of tremendous talent who had a powerful dramatic presence on screen, a wicked sense of humor, and a huge heart.”
Ferrer’s other live-action TV roles included “Twin Peaks,” “Shannon »
- Daniel Holloway
ABC Orders ‘Las Reinas’ Drama Pilot
14 hours ago
ABC has ordered a pilot for the female-driven drama “Las Reinas,” Variety has learned.
“Las Reinas” centers around detective Sonya De La Reina, who is forced to confront her past when a case compels her to reconnect with her estranged family — the most powerful criminal outfit in Miami. Thrust back into the world she thought she had left behind, Sonya must walk the murky line between the law and her family, and question her true destiny as a De La Reina.
The hourlong drama hails from “Lara Croft Tomb Raider” writer Dean Georgaris, who will executive produce with Mark Gordon and Nicholas Pepper. ABC Studios is producing with Mark Gordon Co., which is behind ABC’s “Designated Survivor,” “Quantico” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
The pilot order is the third today for ABC, following the pickups for two comedies: “Charlie Foxtrot” from producer Aaron Kaplan and “Splitting Up Together” from Ellen DeGeneres.
According »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
ABC Picks Up Comedy Pilots From Ellen DeGeneres, Aaron Kaplan
15 hours ago
ABC has greenlit another pair of comedy pilots, both from heavy players.
The network has picked up pilots for “Charlie Foxtrot” and “Splitting Up Together,” Variety has learned.
“Charlie Foxtrot” hails from scribe Sam Sklaver, a writer/producer on ABC’s “American Housewife.” Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor of Kapital Entertainment are serving as executive producers. ABC Studios is producing.
The single-camera comedy follows Captain Charlie Taylor, a cautious, lovable dentist stationed at Fort Bragg, who promises to look after his brother’s impulsive fiancée and her two misfit teens while his brother is deployed in Iraq.
“Splitting Up Together” hails from “Suburgatory” and “Selfie” creator Emily Kapnek, who penned the pilot. Ellen DeGeneres is exec producing through her company, A Very Good Production.
The single-cam comedy tells the story of a couple whose marriage is reignited by their divorce.
The pilot is based on the original Danish series, created by Mette Heeno, who »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
TV News Roundup: ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ Comes to Showtime, ‘Shannara Chronicles’ Adds Season 2 Cast
17 hours ago
In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime makes “Twin Peaks” prequel film “Fire Walk With Me” available on its streaming service, Miss America gets an airdate, MTV’s “Shannara Chronicles” adds to its cast, and more.
Dates
To further hype the forthcoming 18 new episodes of “Twin Peaks,” Showtime will be adding David Lynch’s prequel film “Fire Walk With Me” to its streaming and on-demand library on March 1. The network will also have a linear premiere for the movie that same day, at 8/7c. The addition of the film, which tracks the seven days leading up to the brutal murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), to the original TV series on Showtime’s platforms means the “Twin Peaks” uninitiated have the opportunity to binge the entirety of the “Twin Peaks” oeuvre ahead of the new “Twin Peaks” debut on May 21.
The 97th Miss America Competition will air Sept. 10 on ABC at 9/8c. The »
- Sarah Ahern
Donald Trump White House Breaks CNN Boycott
19 hours ago
President Donald Trump’s White House ended its freeze-out of CNN Wednesday. Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president, appeared during the 4 p.m. Et hour on “The Lead With Jake Tapper.” Gorka appeared to speak with Tapper about administration policy toward Iran.
Fewer than two weeks into the Trump presidency, CNN had yet to book an administration official as a guest on any of its show — an absence that, according to a Politico report Tuesday citing unnamed sources, was an intentional snub of the network by a White House and President who viewed the cable network’s coverage as hostile. Trump campaign representatives had appeared frequently on CNN during the presidential race and in the weeks leading up to the inauguration. But prior to Gorka, no administration official had been booked on the network since Trump took the oath of office.
Administration officials have, since the inauguration, answered questions from administration officials. But »
- Daniel Holloway
‘Girls’ Cast to Appear on ‘Inside the Actors Studio’ Ahead of Final HBO Season
19 hours ago
Bravo’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio” will gather the cast of HBO’s “Girls” on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. Host James Lipton will sit down with creator, co-executive producer and star Lena Dunham, as well as stars Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet and Allison Williams to discuss their experiences just a few days ahead of the start of the comedy’s sixth and final season, premiering on HBO Sunday, Feb. 12 at 10 p.m.
In the episode, the cast to touches on topics ranging from their own individual backgrounds to the intimate journey the cast members have experienced as a group both on and off screen. The episode will also feature a special message delivered by producer Judd Apatow, surprising Dunham, as well as Williams gracing the audience with her singing abilities. Kirke will reveal her difficult decision to become a full-time actress, and Mamet shares an ancestral story that not even her co-stars were aware of »
- Sarah Ahern
‘Page Six TV’ Adds Station Affiliates for Fall Launch
20 hours ago
“Page Six TV” is on its way to a national launch in the fall as the entertainment news program has lined up station affiliates in markets covering 60% of U.S. TV households.
Fox’s Twentieth Television is distributing the half-hour strip from Endemol Shine North America. The series will draw on the resources of the New York Post’s Page Six gossip franchise to cover entertainment and celebrity news and pop culture trends. The Fox O&Os are its anchor station group.
Twentieth is aiming high in trying to land access time periods for “Page Six.” It’s unclear how many of the non-Fox stations have cleared the show in the lucrative hour leading into primetime. Twentieth said the show is now cleared in nine of the top 10 markets and has added affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Meredith, Scripps and Mission. The show has also struck a deal with the CW100+ platform that covers a good »
- Cynthia Littleton
Tamron Hall to Leave NBC News, MSNBC
20 hours ago
Tamron Hall, an anchor best known for her time on MSNBC and the 9 a.m. hour of “Today,” will leave NBC News, which recently announced plans to accommodate a new morning program featuring Megyn Kelly.
NBC News said it had been in discussions with Hall, who was nearing the end of her contract. Executives “hopes that she would decide to stay,” the NBCUniversal unit said in a prepared sattement issued Wednesday. “We are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, but we wish her all the best.” NBC News said her broadcasts on “Today” and MSNBC yesterday would be her final ones, and that she is expected to leave formally at the end of February.
The current format of NBC’s 9 a.m. hour, currently part of its “Today” morning franchise, is expected to be scrapped in the fall, part of plans recently disclosed by people familiar with the matter to carve out time for Megyn Kelly. The »
- Brian Steinberg
Viacom Shifts Oversight of TV Land, Cmt to Spike’s Kevin Kay
21 hours ago
Viacom CEO Bob Bakish has shifted oversight of TV Land and Cmt to Spike chief Kevin Kay, who will lead the three networks as head of the company’s Global Entertainment Group. The move continues the reorganization of Viacom’s cable brands under Bakish, who was named permanent Viacom CEO in December.
TV Land and Cmt had been part of Viacom’s Kids and Family Group, led by Cyma Zarghami.
“Consolidating all three under Kevin’s leadership will strengthen these brands even further and will allow Geg to connect more deeply with our adult audience — which is well over 180 million viewers across Viacom brands globally,” Bakish said Wednesday in a memo to staff.
Bakish went to quick work reorganizing Viacom’s brands after taking the full-time reins at Viacom last month. Just one week after Bakish was named permanent CEO, longtime Viacom exec Doug Herzog, who had overseen Comedy Central, MTV »
- Daniel Holloway
CBS Orders Redeveloped Comedy Pilot From ‘Himym’ Team
23 hours ago
CBS has ordered comedy pilot “Real Life” from “How I Met Your Mother” writer Hilary Winston and executive producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, Variety has learned.
Originally based on a web series from Avital Ash, the project had been ordered to pilot last season, but redeveloped for this year. The hybrid comedy chronicles the relationship of two 20-somethings who go from being co-workers on opposite coasts to working in the same office. Sony Pictures Television will produce in association with CBS Television Studios. Winston will serve as writer and executive producer alongside exec producers Bays and Thomas.
Winston had previously created the short-lived TV adaptation of the “Bad Teacher” film for CBS, with Ari Graynor in the lead role. This development season, Bays and Thomas also landed another comedy project at CBS with writer Chris Distefano. The family sitcom landed an initial hefty pilot production commitment — however, it still has yet to receive a formal pilot »
- Oriana Schwindt and Elizabeth Wagmeister
TV Ratings: Trump’s Scotus Pick Press Conference Causes Chaos in the Nielsen Rankings
23 hours ago
Updated: President Donald Trump’s press conference announcing his nominee for the vacant Supreme Court seat — Neil Gorsuch, in case you somehow missed the news — caused chaos in the Nielsen ratings for Tuesday night’s 8 o’clock hour.
Unlike President Barack Obama’s first primetime news conference, which ran from 8 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2009, and was a more general address to the American public, this press conference lasted just 17 minutes, since its aim was merely to reveal the Gorsuch pick. Obama’s hourlong news conference brought in 49.5 million viewers across ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Univision, CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC.
All told, the reality-show-esque unveiling of the President’s Scotus pick pulled in 32.42 million viewers across CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, Fox News Channel, CNN, and MSNBC, per Nielsen’s final ratings released Wednesday afternoon. CBS accounted for 7.97 million; NBC for 5.91 million; ABC for 5.18 million; Fox for 2.2 million; Fox News for 7.56 million; CNN for 2.03 million; and »
- Oriana Schwindt
Oxygen Surrenders to Crime Wave in Programming Strategy Revamp
23 hours ago
Oxygen is giving in to the crime wave sweeping across the television dial.
Starting this summer, the NBCUniversal cabler will revamp its programming strategy to focus its entire schedule on crime-related programming with appeal to young women.
The plan has been under consideration for some time, ever since the cabler’s Friday-Monday “Crime Time” programming block began to show real signs of life in the ratings. Oxygen’s felonious makeover comes as middle-tier cable networks are under pressure to grow or run the risk of losing carriage on major MVPDs. Confirmation of the refurbishing plan for Oxygen also comes on the heels of NBCU’s decision to shutter Esquire Network as a linear cable channel in favor of a digital-only strategy.
Among the original unscripted series planned for new-model Oxygen is a revival of “Cold Justice,” the true-crime series from producer Dick Wolf and Magical Elves (“Top Chef”) that ran on TNT from 2013-2015. Oxygen is also »
- Cynthia Littleton
Bill O’Reilly Faces Super Bowl Challenge: Tackling President Trump
1 February 2017 8:36 AM, PST
Bill O’Reilly has tangled with celebrities and Congressional representatives, usually without apology. But even the Fox News veteran might feel pressure this weekend.
The longtime host of “The O’Reilly Factor” will sit down with President Donald Trump in a taped interview set to run as part of the pre-game proceedings during Fox Broadcasting’s telecast of Super Bowl Li. O’Reilly, who says he won’t carry a set of written questions with him so he can concentrate more directly on the conversation, is gearing up for a challenge.
“I would say it’s the most important interview of my life,” O’Reilly noted during a recent conversation. “There is so much happening and so much controversy and so many things in play. I need to get to the heart of the matter, and I will.”
The Fox News mainstay is no stranger to what is, for TV-news anchors, a »
- Brian Steinberg
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