Post-Dramatic Stress: Ex-Students Decry Nightmare Acting Coach

►"You just craved that validation from her. It was bizarre." Veteran acting teacher Gloria Gifford claims her brash style and the intense devotion she demands at her L.A. conservatory, The Gloria Gifford Conservatory for the Performing Arts, are in service to the craft. But now more than 20 former students tell THR's Gary Baum that they were subject to intimidation, humiliation — and retribution if they tried to leave. The story. 

—"I made a phone call." Johnny Depp on Wednesday testified in his defamation trial against Amber Heard that he helped secure for his ex-wife her breakthrough role as Mera in Aquaman by talking to Warner Bros. executives who were concerned about Heard’s legal troubles in Australia, where the movie was shot. The story.

—Disputed. Also on Wednesday at the Heard-Depp trial, supermodel Kate Moss disputed a story that Johnny Depp had pushed her down the stairs decades earlier, undercutting Amber Heard’s third-party account of the incident. The story.

—Another one. Hipgnosis Song Management has acquired the song catalog of Justin Timberlake. Financial details of the deal weren’t disclosed. The London-based company has been buying music publishing catalogs or stakes in them, including a 50 percent stake in Neil Young’s catalog, as well as hits performed by Rihanna and Shakira, among others. The story.

—Félicitations! Andrés Ramírez Pulido’s Colombian drama La Jauria nabbed two trophies in the Critics’ Week sidebar at Cannes, including the top Grand Prize award. Elsewhere, the French Touch jury prize went to Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun. The winners.

Kimmel Breaks Down Discussing Texas School Shooting

►"These are our children." An emotional Jimmy Kimmel addressed the Texas school shooting on Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, beginning his monologue in a mournful and resigned manner by saying “here we are again, on another day of mourning in this country.” Visibly shaken by sorrow and anger, Kimmel appeared without a studio audience and addressed the camera directly. The late-night host called on Americans to "get loud" about gun control and vote out politicians who oppose it. The story.

—"On this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world." James Corden delivered an emotional speech expressing his sadness for those affected by the “unfathomable” tragedy in Uvalde. The Late Late Show host also expressed frustration about the frequency of such events in the United States. The story. 

—"We’re not okay. This country is rotting our brains." Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson is making it clear that the ABC comedy will not feature a school shooting storyline in a future episode. In multiple tweets posted Wednesday, Brunson reacted to how “wild” it is that she’s been asked for a school shooting plot in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde. The story.

—"Our deepest sympathies are with the families affected." Hulu canceled The Orville: New Horizons’ red carpet press line scheduled for Wednesday night, in the wake of Tuesday’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The Los Angeles event, timed to the show’s upcoming third season, was to take place at the California Science Center. The story.

'Demimonde' on the Bubble as WBD Puts Pressure on J.J. Abrams  

►Not great. J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi drama Demimonde is on the bubble at HBO as sources say Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is frustrated by the lack of output from Bad Robot’s $250m overall deal. Sources tell THR's Lesley Goldberg that the budget for Demimonde — which has been in the works since 2018 — is a source of contention as Bad Robot is eyeing a spend north of $200m. By comparison, the budget for House of the Dragon is less than $200m. The story.  

—Meanwhile... It's not all bad news for Bad Robot! The company is set to exec produce a live-action scripted TV series based on Speed Racer the beloved manga and animated show. The show stems from Abrams and Bad Robot’s overall deal with Warner Bros. TV and has landed at Apple TV+. Hiram Martinez is set to co-write the project and serve as showrunner. The story. 

—Tears of joy. This Is Us closed on a high note — emotionally and in the Nielsen ratings. The NBC series finale led Tuesday’s broadcast offerings with the highest adults 18-49 rating for any network drama this season, 1.27. It’s only the second time this season a drama has scored above a 1.0 in same-day ratings — the other was This Is Us’ season premiere in January, which came in at 1.05. The ratings. 

—Back off the mat. Boxing drama Flint Strong will resume production next week after getting sidelined two years ago due to a Covid shutdown and a switching of studios. The film, starring Ryan Destiny and directed by Rachel Morrison, is also adding Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry to the production, which now has MGM on board to produce and distribute. The story. 

Ellen DeGeneres on Ending Talk Show's 19-Year Run and What's Next 

►"It was my choice, and it’s the right choice." After 19 seasons and more than 3,200 episodes, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is signing off. A week before the series finale, which airs today, DeGeneres opened up to THR's Lacey Rose, revealing she was “crying every day” as the end of neared, the advice she received from Oprah Winfrey and why this is the right time to sign off. The interview. 

—Heading back to Broadway. Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo is joining the cast of Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway this summer. The actor will play Jared Kleinman, the sarcastic (and slightly inappropriate) friend of titular character Evan Hansen, on July 19. The story. 

—Overwhelmingly in favor. Film and TV casting directors and associate members of the Teamsters Local 399 and Local 817 have voted to ratify a new three-year agreement with the major studios and streamers. Ninety percent of members from both Locals supported a tentative deal reached the previous week in a vote that concluded on Wednesday. The story. 

—"What’s the matter guys, too challenging for you?’" Ricky Gervais’ new Netflix special SuperNature caused predictable outrage due to the comedian’s jokes aimed at transgender people, but now a clip from fellow Brit funnyman James Acaster has begun to trend on social media in which “edgy comics” like Gervais are mocked for punching down on vulnerable groups. The story. 

Film Review: 'Elvis'     

►"A hunk, a hunk of burning spectacle." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. The King of Rock and Roll gets the suitably electrified biopic treatment in this kinetic vision of Elvis Presley's life and career through the eyes of the financial abuser who controlled him, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. The review.

—"A major misfire." David reviews Claire Denis' Cannes Competition entry Stars at Noon. Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn and Benny Safdie star in a contemporary adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novel about an American woman stranded in Central America during the 1984 Nicaraguan Revolution. The review. 

—"Ambitious, but won't speak to everyone." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Agnieszka Smoczyńska's Cannes Un Certain Regard selection The Silent Twins. Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance star as June and Jennifer Gibbons, twins who closed the door on the rest of the world with a self-imposed vow of silence but ended up being cruelly served by the judicial system. The review. 

—"War was ever thus." Leslie reviews Sergei Loznitsa's The Natural History of Destruction. The Ukrainian director of In the Fog and Donbass returns to the Croisette with his latest documentary about the bombing of civilian targets during World War II. The review.

—"This wheel's on fire." THR critic Sheri Linden reviews Lola Quivoron’s Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Rodeo. The French filmmaker's debut feature is set in the motocross culture of the Paris suburbs, where a fearless female rider shakes up the boys’ club. The review.

—"A sprawling, passionately performed social drama." THR film critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Saeed Roustaee's Cannes Competition entry Leila’s Brothers. The Iranian writer-director's third feature follows a family struggling to stay afloat in a society marred by corruption and economic strife. The review. 

—"For anyone who misses spending their days on Zoom." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews Rick Dugdale's Zero Contact. Anthony Hopkins stars in this pandemic-produced thriller, shot almost entirely on Zoom, that is also the first feature film NFT. The review.

In other news...

—Gregg Sulkin boards World War II drama World on Fire

—Simu Liu to host Time 100 Gala TV special for ABC 

—Former reality TV star Josh Duggar sentenced to 12 years in child porn case

—Jordan Firstman signs with WME, IMG Models 

—Cannes: Mads Mikkelsen reunites with A Royal Affair director for King’s Land

—Promax CEO Steve Kazanjian steps down

—Twitter to pay $150m in settlement with FTC, DOJ for allegedly misusing data

—Mort Janklow, pioneering literary agent, dies at 91

What else we're reading...

—Mark Zuckerberg’s says Meta's metaverse plans are set to lose "significant" money in the near term [Bloomberg]

—Kate Abbott eulogizes This Is Us, describing it as a shameless schmaltzfest that we all needed [Guardian]

—Critic James Poniewozik on the comic freshness of The Kids in the Hall gang who return to TV after 27 years [NYT]

—Anthony Breznican's latest Star Wars piece, this time a great interview with Mandalorian star and all round nice guy Pedro Pascal [VF]

—Dan Reilly on how Top Gun’s famous volleyball scene led Kenny Loggins to the "Danger Zone" [Vulture]

Today...  

...in 1982, Steven Spielberg unveiled E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial at the Cannes Film Festival. The sci-fi classic would become a summer smash en route to four Oscar wins at the 55th Academy Awards. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Lauryn Hill (47), Stevie Nicks (74), Pam Grier (73), Matt Stone (51), Alex Garland (52), Helena Bonham Carter (56), Margaret Colin (64), Bobcat Goldthwait (60), Lenny Kravitz (58), Tarsem Singh (61), Philip Michael Thomas (73), Josh Thomas (35), Marcus Nispel (59), John Hamburg (52), Matthew Robinson (44), Ned Dowd (72), Brandi Cyrus (35)