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Dolly Parton on Turning Down the Super Bowl; SAG-AFTRA Waiting on Studio Responses; Inside Gerry's Season of 'Golden Bachelor'; 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves' Review

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November 03, 2023

What's news: The Matthew Perry Foundation has been established. Live Nation has sold a record 140m tickets in 2023 so far. Paramount Global hit 63m streaming subscribers. Hulu is developing a new iteration of Prison Break and has renewed Futurama. The fourth season of The CW's Superman & Lois will be its last. — Abid Rahman

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Dolly on Turning Down Super Bowl and Her New Rock Album

►"I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts — all within my own family. I know and love them all, and I do not judge." THR's Mesfin Fekadu landed a dream interview with Dolly Parton, and the Queen of Country didn't disappoint. In a wide-ranging interview, the icon, who releases her new album Rockstar on Nov. 17, talks about Jason Aldean, cancel culture, transgender rights, why AI is "the mark of the beast" and more, while Taylor Swift opines on her as a "legendary empath." The interview.

—"She’s special because she came from a bare-bones, hard life. She survived. She improvised. She persevered. She followed her dreams." As Dolly Parton readies the release of her new album, Cyndi Lauper, Carrie Underwood, Gloria Estefan, Debbie Harry and Dionne Warwick tell THR why the singer is an American treasure. The tributes.

SAG-AFTRA Says It's Waiting on Studio Responses

►Still waiting. SAG-AFTRA said on Thursday that it is waiting on Hollywood studios to respond to several proposals as negotiations over a new three-year labor contract continue. The union previously stated that it had sent its latest AI proposal to the studio side on Wednesday and a “comprehensive” proposal package on Saturday; as of Thursday evening, union negotiators were still awaiting responses, according to the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee. Work will resume on the contract on Friday. The story.

—Anonymous strike diary. THR's series of frank accounts of the writers strike continues, although perhaps for not much longer. The Eastside Warrior returns and discusses his back-to-work hangover, and cheers on SAG-AFTRA as it nears a deal: "What's holding it up? Short answer: Studio stupidity over AI." The diary entry.

—Lasting legacy. The Matthew Perry Foundation has been established to continue the late actor’s commitment to helping others struggling with addiction. The foundation said it will honor Perry’s “legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible.” Perry had been open about his decades-long battle with addiction, detailing his struggles at length in his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. The story.

Live Nation Sells Record 140M Tickets in 2023 So Far

►Bey and Taylor FTW. Live Nation reported its biggest quarter ever, with revenue up 32 percent year-over-year and a record number of tickets sold year-to-date. In Q3, which is typically the strongest quarter of the year, the company reported revenue of $8.2b and operating income of $619m, up 22 percent compared to last year. Live Nation reported 140m tickets sold for shows so far this year, up 17 percent year-over-year and above the full year 2022 total of 121m. Concert revenue was up 32 percent in Q3, reaching $7b. The results.

—Still growing. Paramount Global hit 63m global streaming subscribers in the latest quarter (up from 61m as of the end of June) and kept narrowing losses in its direct-to-consumer segment to $238m. Overall, Paramount reported $621m in operating income profit for the third-quarter, up 10 percent from the same frame a year ago. The company also disclosed “nearly $60m of strike-related idle costs” in its latest quarter. The results.

—Marginal gains. AMC Networks — the company behind cable channels AMC, IFC and Sundance TV and streamers AMC+, Acorn TV and Shudder — reported an 18 percent drop in Q3 U.S. ad revenue, but returned to streaming subscriber growth. The firm disclosed that its streaming subscribers grew by 100,000 to 11.1m as of the end of September from 11.0m as of the end of Q2, returning to growth after recent declines. The results.

—Cash pile keeps growing. Apple reported a blowout quarterly earnings report, with its serviced division (which includes Apple TV+, Apple Music and other media-related offerings) hitting another new record with $22.3b in revenue. That was up from $19.2b a year ago, and from $21.2b in its last quarter. The results.

Inside Gerry's Season of 'The Golden Bachelor'

►From first kiss to "knockin' boots" in the Fantasy Suites. THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to The Golden Bachelor's executive producers Jason Ehrlich, Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner about Gerry Turner's season of the ABC series. The trio discuss casting "America's dad" among the thousands submitted, not being able to predict the ending and status of The Golden Bachelorette. The interview.

—"It’s a symbol of hope." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to prolific British screenwriter Steven Knight about his new show, Netflix's adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s 2014 Pulitzer-winning war novel All the Light We Cannot See. Knight discusses the four-part drama, which counts Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie among its cast, and considers the elements in the project an example of "art becoming life" amid its release during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The interview.

—"When you put on a Sofia Coppola movie, you know it’s a Sofia Copolla movie, and it’s hard to find those confident, distinct visions with filmmakers." THR's Brian Davids spoke to rising talent Cailee Spaeny about her star-making turn as Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. The actor recounts the moment that made the real-life Presley gasp during the hours they spent together in preparation for the movie and discusses winning best actress prize at the Venice Film Festival this year. The interview.

—"It seemed like a good time to focus my attention on a Christmas album." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Matt Rogers about his new festival album Have You Heard of Christmas? The actor-writer channels his heartbreak and humor into a new record — and reflects on I Love That For You being canceled and removed from streamer Paramount+. The interview.

Casey Bloys Talks Strike Impact on Slate and Budgets

►"I just don’t see it affecting the kinds of shows we make." The Hollywood strikes are having an impact on the content slates for HBO and Max, but Casey Bloys, the chairman and CEO of the division, does not seem too concerned. THR's Alex Weprin reports that Bloys said at a press gathering on Thursday that while the resolution of the strikes will affect the cost of programming, they are unlikely to change any specific green lights. That being said, he also acknowledged that his company and others are trying to figure out what the “right” amount of money to spend in streaming is. The story.

—Updates galore. At Thursday's event, Bloys offered more details on when House of the Dragon will return — along with several other popular HBO titles. The second season of the acclaimed Game of Thrones prequel will air in “early summer” of 2024. Season two will consist of eight episodes, two fewer than the first. Bloys also gave release updates on GOT spinoff The Hedge Knight, season two of The Last of Us and season three of The White Lotus, the It prequel series, and more. The story.

—Repeat offenders. Hulu is in the early stages of development on a new iteration of the former Fox series Prison Break with Mayans MC showrunner Elgin James. The potential series would not follow the central characters from the original show, played by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell, but would be set in the same world. The project comes from 20th Television, which produced the original and where James has an overall deal. James will write the script and serve as EP alongside Dawn Olmstead, Paul Scheuring, Marty Adelstein and Neal Moritz. The story.

'Superman & Lois' to Conclude With S4

►End of an era. The CW announced that the upcoming fourth season of the DC Comics drama Superman & Lois will be its final run. The 10-episode final season will air sometime in 2024. The decision comes as producers Warner Bros. TV is clearing the decks of its DC Comics shows that fall outside the universe currently being constructed by James Gunn. Greg Berlanti, who launched The CW back into the superhero space with the Arrowverse, laid the foundation for what became a full slate of shows that helped to redefine the network under former CEO Mark Pedowitz. The story.

—Good news everyone! Futurama, which Hulu revived (for the second time in the show’s life) earlier this year, will extend its run on the streamer. Hulu has ordered two more seasons — 20 episodes’ worth — of the animated series from creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. The streamer’s initial pickup of the show in 2022 was also for two seasons and 20 episodes, so the new order will take Futurama through season 14. Season 12 is set to premiere in 2024. The story.

—Superhero fatigue strikes! The return of Loki to Disney+ didn’t cause quite as big a stir as the show’s debut. Season two of the Marvel series premiered Oct. 5, and it gathered 446m minutes of viewing time over its first three days and change, according to Nielsen’s streaming rankings. That’s about 39 percent lower than the 731m minutes of viewing for Loki’s series premiere week in June 2021. The streaming rankings.

TV Review: 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves'

►"An epic life gets respectful but drab treatment." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Paramount+'s Lawmen: Bass Reeves. The legendary U.S. Marshal gets heroic biopic treatment in this limited series from the Taylor Sheridan stable, with David Oyelowo as Reeves and guest stars including Shea Whigham, Dennis Quaid, Donald Sutherland, Garrett Hedlund and Barry Pepper. The review.

—"B-movie material elevated by A-level performances." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Neil Burger's The Marsh King's Daughter. Starring Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn, the feature is an adaptation of Karen Dionne’s 2017 best-selling novel about a woman whose father kidnapped her mother decades earlier. The review.

Thank Pod It's Friday

► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.

—TV's Top 5. THR's Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week's episode begins with the TV headlines including news on Futurama, Prison Break, Yellowstone, Stephen Colbert and Casey Bloys and his Twitter scandal. There's a special section dedicated to the late Matthew Perry. There's a preview of November TV. Married creators/showrunners Amber Noizumi and Michael Green drop by to discuss Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai . And Dan reviews Paramount+'s Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Amazon’s Invincible and Blue Eye Samurai. Listen here.

In other news...

—FX's Shōgun trailer: Hiroyuki Sanada plays an embattled warlord in epic series

—Ryan Gosling is bruised and beaten in Fall Guy trailer

—Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer teases franchise’s latest battle

—Godzilla Minus One trailer sees kaiju destroy post-war Japan

—Lionsgate extends Helen Lee-Kim’s contract in international motion picture group

—Imax inks deal with EVT for 5 theater locations in Australia, Germany

What else we're reading...

—Diego Nicolás Argüello talks to the dedicated Swifties in Argentina who have been camping outside a venue in Buenos Aires for five (5!) months to make sure they are front row for Taylor Swift's shows [Pitchfork]

—Bit late on this, but Anna Peele goes inside the Real Housewives reckoning that is rocking Bravo right now [VF]

—As Sean Young returns to the New York stage in Ode to the Wasp Woman, Alexis Soloski talks to the actress about her career highs and lows [NYT]

—Wajahat Ali wonders whether Amy Schumer will face any career consequences for sharing content on social media that has been criticized for dehumanizing "Palestinians and Muslims in America" [Daily Beast]

—Here's your Friday list: "All 214 Beatles songs, including "Now and Then," ranked from worst to best" [Vulture]

Today...

...in 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen arrived in theaters with Borat, a surprise hit that nabbed more than $120m at the box office. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Dolph Lundgren (66), Kendall Jenner (28), Antonia Thomas (37), Kate Capshaw (70), Tom Savini (77), Gary Ross (67), Brian Henson (60), Davis Guggenheim (60), Trevor Einhorn (33), Jim Cummings (71), Diana Silvers (26), Ian Wright (60) Jefferson White (34), Whoopie Van Raam (35), Ever Anderson (16), Fina Strazza (18), Bert Kreischer (51), Gemma Ward (36), Sticky Fingaz (50), Lee Montgomery (62), Emily Woo Zeller (40), Kathy Kinney (69), Carson Rowland (26), Stephanie Czajkowski (50), Dylan Moran (52), Loryn Locklin (55), Lynn Gilmartin (39), Hal Hartley (64)

Peter S. Fischer, the late-blooming TV writer and producer who co-created Murder, She Wrote after serving on such other crime-solving series as Columbo, Baretta and Ellery Queen, has died. He was 88. The obituary.

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Written by José Vizcarra
on Friday, November 03, 2023 at 7:01 AM.

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