| | | | | | What's news: Karla Sofía Gascón has apologized for past offensive tweets. Federal prosecutors have revised the indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Trump is considering a pardon for rapper Pras Michel. Apple Services revenue hit $26.3b. A remake of The Faculty is in the works. Lionsgate is moving ahead with Den of Thieves 3. — Abid Rahman
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Music Stars Come Together for FireAid Concert ►Unforgettable. It was a night of big surprises as the music world came together for FireAid on Thursday night, the starry benefit concert for the victims of the devastating L.A. wildfires. There was a Nirvana reunion with surviving members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, along with help from St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett, as well as Dave’s daughter Violet. There was also a reunion of Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. Live Nation, AEG and the Azoff Company partnered with the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Inglewood to host the benefit show, described as an evening of music and solidarity. The event attracted a slew of entertainment industry figures, and Kamala Harris was spotted in the crowd too. Lady Gaga closed out the spectacular night with a song she co-wrote for the show with her fiancé, Michael Polansky. The recap.
—Revised indictment. Federal prosecutors have issued a bolstered version of an indictment accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of directing a vast criminal enterprise through which he assaulted and trafficked women with the help of his various businesses. The revised indictment, issued in federal court in New York on Thursday, represents an attempt by prosecutors to strengthen their case by detailing new accusations in the alleged racketeering conspiracy, including by specifying that there were three victims that the rap mogul allegedly forced to engage in commercial sex acts. It doesn’t contain any additional charges. The story.
—"We remain optimistic about potential paths forward." THR's Gary Baum has the scoop on Donald Trump considering a pardon for Pras Michel, the hip-hop legend facing 22 years in prison in a federal conspiracy and corruption case. The U.S. Justice Department prosecuted Michel — the Grammy-winning rapper-producer best known as a member of The Fugees — for his part in a multibillion-dollar, globe-spanning scandal that the FBI deemed the “largest kleptocracy case to date.” The saga has brought down the Malaysian prime minister, a top Goldman Sachs banker and a key first-term Trump fundraiser. It’s also ensnared other high-profile Hollywood players, including Leonardo DiCaprio, who’d become close to the saga’s alleged criminal mastermind. The story.
—Chugging along. Apple reported its best quarter ever for the three months at the end of 2024, with quarterly revenue of $124.3b, up 4 percent year-over-year, and quarterly diluted earnings per share of $2.40, up 10 percent year-over-year. Apple Services revenue, which includes the App Store, Apple Pay and Apple Card; subscription services such as Apple TV+, Apple Music and iCloud as well as advertising, reached $26.3b, which is also an all-time record, up from $23.1b in the year-earlier period. The results. |
'Emilia Pérez' Star's Past Offensive Tweets Cause Backlash ►Not good. On the heels of a dust-up with supporters of fellow best actress Oscars nominee Fernanda Torres, Karla Sofía Gascón is catching heat for fiery takes she posted online in recent years about everything from Islam to George Floyd. The Emilia Pérez star’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) started to make the rounds early Thursday morning with multiple users sharing screenshots and critical takes of Gascón’s opinions. Gascón also shared thoughts on the 2021 Oscar telecast, which saw the best picture prize going to Nomadland : “More and more the #Oscars are looking like a ceremony for independent and protest films, I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M. Apart from that, an ugly, ugly gala.” The story.
—The apology. Gascón apologized on Thursday for the controversial tweets. “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” Gascón said. “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.” The story. |
Final Grammy Predictions ►Ladies night. The Los Angeles wildfires may have muted the music business’ usual weeklong celebration leading to the 67th annual Grammy Awards, but maybe that’s served to shine a brighter spotlight on music’s biggest night and its nominated artists? For THR, Lori Majewski projects that top female talents, including Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish, will prevail in the big four categories: album, record and song of the year and best new artist. The predictions.
—Extra little job. Taylor Swift is set to present at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. It’s unknown for which category the superstar will appear, but Swift’s album, The Tortured Poets Department, is also nominated for album of the year and best pop vocal album, with her song “Fortnight” up for song of the year and record of the year. Swift is also nominated for best pop duo performance for her collaboration with Gracie Abrams, “us.” Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and Shakira will perform at the Grammys, as will several best new artist contenders including Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Benson Boone, Doechii, RAYE and Teddy Swims are also set to take the stage. The story. |
What Happened to Those Streaming Bonuses? ►Anticlimactic, so far. It was a key win of Hollywood’s 2023 double strikes: a bonus that promised to allow workers to share in some of the spoils of successful streaming series and movies. After a grueling cumulative six-month work stoppage and talking points about entertainment workers falling behind, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA — as well as, retroactively, the DGA — wrote additional residuals beyond existing payments into their deals with media companies for top-rated projects. Despite the hard fought concessions, THR's Rick Porter and Katie Kilkenny report that not many projects appear to have hit the threshold for payments. The story.
—Love them or hate them, they ain't going away. Fresh off their visit to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Jake Paul, 28, and brother Logan Paul, 29, are next appearing together in a reality show for Max debuting March 27. The show, Paul American, is surprisingly the siblings’ first foray into reality television. They’ve previously broken records on social media platforms and, most recently, in live-streaming, where Jake’s Nov. 15 bout with Mike Tyson drew 108m global viewers on Netflix. The story.
—Insane lineup. NBCUniversal’s celebration of Saturday Night Live's 50 years on the air continues to grow. Peacock announced Thursday that it will livestream a star-packed concert special celebrating SNL's musical legacy. Jimmy Fallon will host the event, titled SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, from Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 14. The lineup for the show will feature performers who have appeared on SNL throughout its five-decades. Those booked so far include: Arcade Fire, The B-52s, Backstreet Boys, Bad Bunny, David Byrne, Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus, DEVO, Brittany Howard, Jelly Roll, Lady Gaga, Chris Martin, Mumford & Sons, Post Malone, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bonnie Raitt, Robyn, The Roots, Eddie Vedder and Jack White. The story.
—Fake it to make it. Peacock is diving into the world of counterfeit luxury goods with its latest series pickup. The streamer has ordered a crime drama called Superfakes from writer and showrunner Alice Ju (Poker Face, Beef). Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie are also among the executive producers; A24 and Universal Studio Group’s UCP are producing. Superfakes will follow a “small-time Chinatown luxury counterfeit dealer,” per the show’s description, who becomes involved in a dangerous black market in order to fund a life of suburban respectability for her family. The story.
—Tassie noir! Netflix's forthcoming Tasmania-set mystery series The Survivors, based on the bestselling book by Australian author Jane Harper, has revealed its key cast and a pair of first-look images. Showrun and co-written by Aussie screen veteran Tony Ayres, the show will be released by Netflix later this year. A crime-mystery miniseries set in a Tasmanian seaside town, The Suvivors explores the impact of unresolved grief. It is directed by Cherie Nowlan and Ben C. Lucas. The key cast includes Charlie Vickers, Yerin Ha, Robyn Malcolm, Damien Garvey, Thom Green, George Mason, Jessica De Gouw, Miriama Smith, Johnny Carr, Martin Sacks, Julian Weeks, Shannon Berry, Catherine McClements, and Don Hany. The story.
—Moving forward. Netflix is set to move ahead with the talent discovery show Building the Band, despite the untimely death of series judge Liam Payne. The talent competition series from Remarkable Entertainment, which is part of Banijay UK, aims to form the next great music group sight unseen. The studio show was shot in summer 2024 in the U.K., well before Payne fell to his death from the balcony of a hotel room in Buenos Aires in October 2024. Before his tragic death, Payne served as part of the judging panel that included Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland. The story.
—Landman grab. Paramount+’s Landman continued its upward trajectory in the first few days of 2025, hitting its best viewing-time mark so far in Nielsen’s streaming rankings. Squid Game had a second straight huge week for Netflix as well. The Korean hit drew just under 4.6b minutes of viewing in the U.S. for the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 5, topping the 4b mark again a week after its season two premiere. The series fell by less than 7 percent week-to-week from the 4.92b minutes it had for its long-awaited return. Landman snagged 1.3b minutes of watch time in the week leading up to its ninth episode. The streaming rankings. |
'The Faculty' Remake Set at Miramax ►School's out. A remake of the 1998 sci-fi thriller The Faculty is in the works at Miramax. Robert Rodriguez, who directed the original horror film written by Kevin Williamson that starred Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood and Shawn Hatosy, will produce the remake. The original Faculty featured a news editor and film critic played by Wood seeing the murder of a nurse. After she seemingly lives again, he decides to investigate the bizarre happenings. Drew Hancock is on board to pen the screenplay for the updated version. Hancock also wrote and directed Companion, a sci-fi thriller set for a release this weekend by Warner Bros. Pictures. The story.
—Yessssss!!!! Lionsgate is moving forward with a third Den of Thieves movie, with the decision coming swiftly after the release of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, which has grossed $32m domestically and hit PVOD Tuesday. Gerard Butler is expected to return to star and produce via his G-Base banner, which he runs with Alan Siegel. Tucker Tooley Entertainment will produce the next installment in the action-heist franchise as well, after financing and producing the first film and bringing it to Lionsgate and STX. Tucker Tooley will also produce. The story.
—In the works. Spooky Pictures, the company run by Steven Schneider and Roy Lee, has teamed up with IDW Entertainment to adapt Dungeon, the horror comic by Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman. Schneider and Lee will produce the adaptation along with Daniel Kendrick of IDW Entertainment, the screen arm of IDW Publishing. The option deal comes as Snyder and Sherman have become among the top commodities in the comics field. Spooky also produced Late Night with the Devil, last year’s supernatural horror thriller that starred David Dastmalchian. The story. |
Film Review: 'Plainclothes' ►"Remains riveting despite its fussy directorial flourishes." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Carmen Emmi's Sundance U.S. dramatic competition entry, Plainclothes. Set in Syracuse, New York, in the mid ‘90s, Emmi’s debut feature stars Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey and revolves around a young cop assigned to a sting operation that forces him to confront his sexuality. The review.
—"A wicked spin on the fame game." David reviews Alex Russell's Lurker. The first-time director, a writer and producer on The Bear and Beef, traces the oily path from sycophant to puppet master in an All About Eve for Generation Instagram. The review.
—"Touching, despite a clumsy third act." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Cherien Dabis' All That's Left of You. In her third feature, which premiered at Sundance, the Amreeka director tells a multigenerational story of a family expelled from Jaffa in 1948. The review.
—"Inspiring and sometimes innovative." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim's Deaf President Now! Premiering at Sundance, the documentary film looks at the protests surrounding the hiring of a new president at Gallaudet University in 1988. The review.
—"Fun enough but familiar to a fault." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Josh Ruben's Heart Eyes. A masked killer attacks couples every Valentine's Day in Ruben's slasher movie starring Mason Gooding, Jordana Brewster and Olivia Holt. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to A Real Pain filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg. The actor/writer/director reflects on why he, a socially-awkward kid, became a child actor, how the explosion of his acting profile (he was Oscar-nominated for The Social Network) coincided with his increased interest in writing and why, for his second outing as a director, he cast Kieran Culkin in the role that he originally intended to play himself. Listen here.
In other news...
—Running Point trailer: Kate Hudson becomes president of basketball franchise in Netflix comedy series
—The Residence teaser: Uzo Aduba attempts to solve a murder at the White House in Shondaland series
—Adam Sandler, Bad Bunny hit the links in new look at Happy Gilmore 2
—Adobe’s Scott Belsky to join A24 as partner
—AMC Theatres ups Nikkole Denson-Randolph to U.S. chief content officer
—Disney hires Meta exec to lead product engineering group for entertainment, ESPN
—Wheelhouse names Courtney White president, Glenn Hugill upped to chief content officer
—David Beckham strips down for steamy Boss campaign
—Dick Button, icon of Olympic figure skating, dies at 95
—Ben Vaughn, Nashville music publishing veteran, dies at 49
What else we're reading...
—Philip Bump writes that Trump's air-crash response shows how deep he sits in the right-wing bubble [WaPo]
—Lauren Hirsch, James B. Stewart and Michael M. Grynbaum report that Paramount is in settlement talks with Trump over 60 Minutes lawsuit [NYT]
—Bethy Squires has a timeline of all the missteps and controversies dogging Emilia Perez this awards season (there's a lot!) [Vulture]
—Ava Benny-Morrison reports that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents are exploring seeking a pardon for their son from Trump [Bloomberg]
—Here's your Friday list: "The 10 worst second seasons in TV, ranked" [Collider]
Today...
...in 1999, Fox introduced Peter Griffin and Co. to America as Seth MacFarlane’s animated Family Guy series premiered. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kerry Washington (48), Jonathan Banks (78), Justin Timberlake (44), Portia de Rossi (52), Bobby Moynihan (48), Minnie Driver (55), Kelly Lynch (66), Dexter Fletcher (59), Anthony LaPaglia (66), Colby Minifie (33), Paul Scheer (49), Matt King (57), Glynn Turman (78), Mallory James Mahoney (20), Lily Mo Sheen (26), Tom Choi (45), Emmett J Scanlan (46), Patricia Velasquez (54), Louisa Harland (32), Joel Courtney (29), Cristine Rose (74), Anna Silk (51), Tyler Ritter (40), Daniel Moder (56), James Adomian (45), Lincoln Younes (33) |
| Marianne Faithfull, the British singer who scored hits including “As Tears Go By” and “Broken English” as she went from a highly publicized romantic relationship with Mick Jagger to worldwide fame in her own right, has died. She was 78. The obituary. |
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