Shecky Greene, the legendary standup comedian known for his long tenure as a Las Vegas headliner and for working with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, died Dec. 31 at his home in the city. He was 97.
Greene’s wife of 41 years, Marie Musso Greene, confirmed his death to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Greene was a regular on the TV talk show and guest star circuit in his 1960s and ’70s heyday, when he often sported a comb-over haircut and wide-lapel suits. Earlier in his career, he came to represent the epitome of the Rat Pack-adjacent comedian in a tux, delivering lightly risque or edgy anecdotal stories and zingers on stage.
Greene was known for his many appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and for working as the opening act for Sinatra in Miami and Presley in Las Vegas. During the 1962-63 season, he played a recurring character on the...
Greene’s wife of 41 years, Marie Musso Greene, confirmed his death to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Greene was a regular on the TV talk show and guest star circuit in his 1960s and ’70s heyday, when he often sported a comb-over haircut and wide-lapel suits. Earlier in his career, he came to represent the epitome of the Rat Pack-adjacent comedian in a tux, delivering lightly risque or edgy anecdotal stories and zingers on stage.
Greene was known for his many appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and for working as the opening act for Sinatra in Miami and Presley in Las Vegas. During the 1962-63 season, he played a recurring character on the...
- 12/31/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were essential figures in the counterculture movement of the 1970s. Not only did their music embrace the avant-garde, but they also performed several publicity stunts, like the anti-war protest bed-ins. Lennon and Ono were seen as controversial figures on certain sides of the political aisle, and many were not pleased when the couple “hijacked” an American TV show in 1972.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on several episodes of ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ in 1972
After The Beatles ended in 1970, Lennon fully committed to voicing his politics in his music. While he had more subtle, calmer songs like “Imagine”, he also had more provocative and uncompromising songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Power to the People”.
This made Lennon a not-so-popular figure with certain politicians, who didn’t want his counterculture brand to infect the youth. However, audiences were given a healthy dose of Lennon and...
John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared on several episodes of ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ in 1972
After The Beatles ended in 1970, Lennon fully committed to voicing his politics in his music. While he had more subtle, calmer songs like “Imagine”, he also had more provocative and uncompromising songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Power to the People”.
This made Lennon a not-so-popular figure with certain politicians, who didn’t want his counterculture brand to infect the youth. However, audiences were given a healthy dose of Lennon and...
- 7/23/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
At a time when daytime talk shows reigned on television, Yoko Ono and John Lennon co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show for a week in 1972. Daytime Revolution, a documentary about their time on the Philadelphia-based talk show with Douglas, has been approved by Ono and her son Sean Lennon, Variety reports.
It was the most popular show on daily television and watched by about 40 million people a week. The pair joined the show a few months following the release of their single “Happy Christmas (War Is Over).” As hosts, Ono and...
It was the most popular show on daily television and watched by about 40 million people a week. The pair joined the show a few months following the release of their single “Happy Christmas (War Is Over).” As hosts, Ono and...
- 2/16/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon have authorized “Daytime Revolution,” a documentary about the week John Lennon and Ono co-hosted “The Mike Douglas Show” in early 1972, a few months after the release of their single “Happy Christmas (War Is Over).”
The Shout! Studios, Creative Differences, and CBS Media Ventures feature docu uses archival footage from each of the five 70-minute shows as well as interviews with six surviving guests, including Ralph Nader, to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the unprecedented week. While Ono and her son did not participate on camera, the duo approved and creatively consulted on the project. Directed by Erik Nelson, the 108-minute docu recently wrapped production and is looking for a distributor as Ono prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday Feb. 18.
“It’s become a cliche that Woodstock was the defining moment of the counterculture,” Nelson says, but “when I watched these broadcasts in their entirety, I realized that,...
The Shout! Studios, Creative Differences, and CBS Media Ventures feature docu uses archival footage from each of the five 70-minute shows as well as interviews with six surviving guests, including Ralph Nader, to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the unprecedented week. While Ono and her son did not participate on camera, the duo approved and creatively consulted on the project. Directed by Erik Nelson, the 108-minute docu recently wrapped production and is looking for a distributor as Ono prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday Feb. 18.
“It’s become a cliche that Woodstock was the defining moment of the counterculture,” Nelson says, but “when I watched these broadcasts in their entirety, I realized that,...
- 2/15/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Two years ago to this very day, Seth Rudetsky, the Broadway composer, musician, podcaster, host of a show on SiriusXM radio, fundraiser, musical cruise host, conveyer of pop culture trivia and, now, “source music consultant,” received a text from Craig Mazin, the screenwriter, director and producer. Mazin was friends with Ted Griffin, who is married to Sutton Foster, who knows, as does seemingly everybody else in musical theater, Rudetsky.
“I get this text,” Sudetsky remembers, “in all capital letters, saying It’S Emmy And Golden Globe Award Winning Craig Mazin. Stop What You’Re Doing. I Need Your Help.”
Specifically, Mazin needed a song for a TV episode he was working on, a show tune along the lines of “I Miss The Music” from the 2006 Kander & Ebb musical Curtains, only older.
If you’ve seen the third episode of HBO’s The Last Of Us, the post-apocalyptic drama created by...
“I get this text,” Sudetsky remembers, “in all capital letters, saying It’S Emmy And Golden Globe Award Winning Craig Mazin. Stop What You’Re Doing. I Need Your Help.”
Specifically, Mazin needed a song for a TV episode he was working on, a show tune along the lines of “I Miss The Music” from the 2006 Kander & Ebb musical Curtains, only older.
If you’ve seen the third episode of HBO’s The Last Of Us, the post-apocalyptic drama created by...
- 2/3/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Veteran actor and comedian Scoey Mitchell, who starred in the groundbreaking TV adaptation of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, has died. He was 92. Mitchell passed away on Saturday (March 19) from kidney failure at a health care facility in Torrance, CA. His brother, the jazz pianist Billy Mitchell, confirmed the news on Facebook, writing, “[Scoey] had a very successful and colorful career during 70s and 80s as an actor, writer and film director. He sacrificed much in the struggle to get blacks behind the camera, into production and into positions that are taken for granted today.” Born on March 12, 1930, in Newburgh, New York, Mitchell (sometimes spelled Mitchlll) began his showbusiness career on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. Throughout the late 60s, he made several appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Mike Douglas Show, performing stand-up comedy. His acting career started...
- 3/25/2022
- TV Insider
Scoey Mitchell, the comedian and actor whose busy television career in the 1970s including a co-starring role in a groundbreaking comedy series adaptation of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, died March 19 at a health care facility in Torrance, California. He was 92.
His death was announced by his brother, the jazz pianist Billy Mitchell, who posted the news on Facebook. “He had a very successful and colorful career during 70s and 80s as an actor, writer and film director,” Billy Mitchell wrote. “He sacrificed much in the struggle to get blacks behind the camera, into production and into positions that are taken for granted today. Its important to remember those few that opened up the doors for so many!”
Mitchell, who sometimes used the family spelling “Mitchlll,” was already familiar to TV viewers from his late-1960s stand-up, talk show and variety show appearances on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,...
His death was announced by his brother, the jazz pianist Billy Mitchell, who posted the news on Facebook. “He had a very successful and colorful career during 70s and 80s as an actor, writer and film director,” Billy Mitchell wrote. “He sacrificed much in the struggle to get blacks behind the camera, into production and into positions that are taken for granted today. Its important to remember those few that opened up the doors for so many!”
Mitchell, who sometimes used the family spelling “Mitchlll,” was already familiar to TV viewers from his late-1960s stand-up, talk show and variety show appearances on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,...
- 3/24/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
La Lupe never seemed to second-guess herself onstage. The Afro-Cuban singer — who died 30 years ago this week, on Feb. 29, 1992 — was infinitely watchable, unafraid to kick and howl and twitch, as if the music were sending electric jolts throughout her body. In Cuba, where she headlined nightclubs in the early 1960s, she enthralled novelists like Ernest Hemingway and Guillermo Cabrera, both of whom wrote about the rhapsodic fury that seemed to overtake her when she sang. Her first husband Eulogio Reyes once said that the first time he saw her perform,...
- 2/28/2022
- by Julyssa Lopez
- Rollingstone.com
Jay Black, the musician who sang the most iconic version of the classic “This Magic Moment,” penned by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, as frontman for American rock group Jay and the Americans, has died. He was 82.
His passing was confirmed in a post published on Saturday to the band’s official Facebook page. “Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer,” a spokesperson wrote. “We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”
The artist born in Brooklyn on November 2, 1938 as David Blatt joined Jay and the Americans as lead singer in 1962, stepping into the role previously occupied by John “Jay” Traynor. With them, he...
His passing was confirmed in a post published on Saturday to the band’s official Facebook page. “Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer,” a spokesperson wrote. “We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”
The artist born in Brooklyn on November 2, 1938 as David Blatt joined Jay and the Americans as lead singer in 1962, stepping into the role previously occupied by John “Jay” Traynor. With them, he...
- 10/24/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
There is a heartbreaking scene near the end of episode three of HBO Max’s acclaimed comedy series “Hacks.” Young writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbender), who has been hired to create new material for veteran stand-up comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), is watching an old VHS tape of a young Deborah’s unaired TV pilot for a late-night talk show. She is fresh-faced, funny and hopeful. She thanks her husband, her sister and her young daughter.
If the show had succeeded, Deborah would have been the first woman to headline late-night. But it didn’t happen. Her ex-husband ran off with her sister and she has a less than wonderful relationship with her daughter. Instead of challenging herself, she has had a longtime residency at a Las Vegas casino. But she’s been told that her dates are being cut back to make way for new talent.
Despite the fact...
If the show had succeeded, Deborah would have been the first woman to headline late-night. But it didn’t happen. Her ex-husband ran off with her sister and she has a less than wonderful relationship with her daughter. Instead of challenging herself, she has had a longtime residency at a Las Vegas casino. But she’s been told that her dates are being cut back to make way for new talent.
Despite the fact...
- 7/16/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The always delightful Doctor Z hangs with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante while discussing a few of his favorite monkey movies.
Dr. Z – Tmtmm Pod Mentions
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Planet of the Apes (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Escape From The Planet of the Apes (1971)
Battle For The Planet of the Apes (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
Any Which Way You Can (1980)
The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
Schindler’s List (1993)
Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)
King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
King Kong (1933)
Conan The Barbarian (1982)
Godzilla (1954) – Don Coscarelli’s trailer commentary
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Stalag 17 (1953)
In The Heat Of The Night (1967) – Michael Schlesinger’s trailer commentary
King Kong Escapes (1967)
Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)
The Sorrow And The Pity (1972)
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
It Came From Beneath The Sea...
Dr. Z – Tmtmm Pod Mentions
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Planet of the Apes (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Escape From The Planet of the Apes (1971)
Battle For The Planet of the Apes (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
Any Which Way You Can (1980)
The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
Schindler’s List (1993)
Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)
King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
King Kong (1933)
Conan The Barbarian (1982)
Godzilla (1954) – Don Coscarelli’s trailer commentary
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Stalag 17 (1953)
In The Heat Of The Night (1967) – Michael Schlesinger’s trailer commentary
King Kong Escapes (1967)
Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)
The Sorrow And The Pity (1972)
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
It Came From Beneath The Sea...
- 6/15/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
John Gabriel, the actor known for his turn in ABC soap opera Ryan’s Hope, has died. The Daytime Emmy nominee was 90 years old.
While no details were immediately available regarding a cause of death, Gabriel’s passing was confirmed on Instagram today by his daughter, actress Andrea Gabriel (Lost).
“It is with an unspeakably heavy heart that I share the news of my father’s passing,” she wrote. “John Gabriel was my hero, my role model, and my champion, but above all, my daddy… I will love you forever.”
Born on May 25, 1931 in Niagara Falls, New York, Gabriel portrayed Ryan’s Hopes‘ controlling Dr. Seneca Beaulac between 1975 and 1985, and then between 1988 and ’89.
During his decades as an actor, he gathered nearly 60 screen credits, receiving his first and only Emmy nomination in 1980. The actor is also known to have played the Professor—the role that ultimately went to Russell Johnson—in the original,...
While no details were immediately available regarding a cause of death, Gabriel’s passing was confirmed on Instagram today by his daughter, actress Andrea Gabriel (Lost).
“It is with an unspeakably heavy heart that I share the news of my father’s passing,” she wrote. “John Gabriel was my hero, my role model, and my champion, but above all, my daddy… I will love you forever.”
Born on May 25, 1931 in Niagara Falls, New York, Gabriel portrayed Ryan’s Hopes‘ controlling Dr. Seneca Beaulac between 1975 and 1985, and then between 1988 and ’89.
During his decades as an actor, he gathered nearly 60 screen credits, receiving his first and only Emmy nomination in 1980. The actor is also known to have played the Professor—the role that ultimately went to Russell Johnson—in the original,...
- 6/14/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Back to the Future is a classic comedy, one of the most popular films in motion picture history. Almost every laugh line lands with a perfectly executed punch. Every skateboard flip is a motion picture wonder. It’s one of those films which is broadly silly yet still has heart, and it’s a treasure of commercial cinema. But when Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly straps on a cherry red Gibson Es-345 he plunders the golden oldies right out of the fingers of the true original. Ignore the bit where “Marvin Berry” calls his cousin on the phone. Chuck Berry didn’t just write “Johnny B. Goode,” he was Johnny B. Goode.
The song about the country boy who could play guitar like ringing a bell could have referred to any number of musicians, from Buddy Holly to Bo Diddley or Ricky Nelson. But the singer-songwriting guitarist who penned...
The song about the country boy who could play guitar like ringing a bell could have referred to any number of musicians, from Buddy Holly to Bo Diddley or Ricky Nelson. But the singer-songwriting guitarist who penned...
- 5/1/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Word came down this week that Kiss have signed a deal with Netflix to create a biopic about their formative years. According to reports, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales director Joachim Rønning will helm the film and Ole Sanders will write the screenplay.
“The project is on a fast track,” reads a report in Deadline. “There is every reason to imagine Netflix and Kiss will use the synergy of a big rock biopic to memorialize their final days on stage, more than 50 years after Simmons and Stanley first got together.
“The project is on a fast track,” reads a report in Deadline. “There is every reason to imagine Netflix and Kiss will use the synergy of a big rock biopic to memorialize their final days on stage, more than 50 years after Simmons and Stanley first got together.
- 4/22/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Carmel Quinn, an entertainer whose Irish songs and stories made her a Carnegie Hall staple on St. Patrick’s day for a quarter century, died from pneumonia March 6 at her home in Leonia, N.J. She was 95 and her death was confirmed by her family.
Born and raised in Dublin, Quinn won an audition Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a star-making vehicle of the 1950s whose alumni included Pat Boone, Tony Bennett and Connie Francis. She later moved to the television show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, and also appeared on The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show and other top variety programs of the day. Much later, she showed up on Live With Regis and Kathie Lee.
Quinn was famous for her songs and tales of the auld sod, with a snappy patter of anecdotes about her relatives and life. Quinn became a...
Born and raised in Dublin, Quinn won an audition Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a star-making vehicle of the 1950s whose alumni included Pat Boone, Tony Bennett and Connie Francis. She later moved to the television show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, and also appeared on The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show and other top variety programs of the day. Much later, she showed up on Live With Regis and Kathie Lee.
Quinn was famous for her songs and tales of the auld sod, with a snappy patter of anecdotes about her relatives and life. Quinn became a...
- 3/14/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Video Version of this Article Photo/Video: Ben Stiller at the 71st Annual Directors Guild of America Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom/Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock/Hollywood Insider YouTube Channel Many times the expression ‘jack of all trades’ is followed with ‘master of none’ but this could not be further from the truth when referring to the legendary actor, writer, comedian, producer, and director, Ben Stiller. He’s been delivering impressive artistic projects for over four decades and is one of the most recognized names and faces in the entertainment industry. The son of iconic comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Stiller was around showbusiness his entire life. He and his sister Amy were well-known in the comedy circuit at places like The Improv and ‘The Mike Douglas Show’. He would later enroll as a film student at University of California, Los Angeles, but dropped out after nine months...
- 3/6/2021
- by Armando Brigham
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Henry Aaron, the slugger known as “Hammerin’ Hank” who cemented himself in baseball lore when he broke Babe Ruth’s career home run mark in 1974, died Friday. He was 86. His daughter confirmed the news to media outlets.
The Hall of Famer played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and finished his Major League career with two seasons on the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975-76. A 21-time All-Star, he topped Ruth’s treasured mark with his 715th homer — a blast against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on April 8, 1974. It remains among baseball’s most-played clips of all time.
He finished with 755 home runs, a career record that stood until Barry Bonds beat it in 2007 during MLB’s “steroids era.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms paid tribute to the local hero in a statement Friday:
“Derek, our family and I join the nation in sending heartfelt condolences to Mrs.
The Hall of Famer played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and finished his Major League career with two seasons on the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975-76. A 21-time All-Star, he topped Ruth’s treasured mark with his 715th homer — a blast against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on April 8, 1974. It remains among baseball’s most-played clips of all time.
He finished with 755 home runs, a career record that stood until Barry Bonds beat it in 2007 during MLB’s “steroids era.”
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms paid tribute to the local hero in a statement Friday:
“Derek, our family and I join the nation in sending heartfelt condolences to Mrs.
- 1/22/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Patricia Loud, best known as the matriarch from the PBS docuseries An American Family, died Sunday. She was 94. The news was confirmed by her family on their shared Facebook page.
“With inconsolable sorrow, we are sad to share the news with friends and family that on Sunday, January 10 at 1:55pm Pt, Pat Loud passed away peacefully in her sleep of natural causes,” the Loud family wrote. “She was snuggled up safe in her comfy home, attended by loving children Michele, Delilah, Kevin and Grant.”
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“With inconsolable sorrow, we are sad to share the news with friends and family that on Sunday, January 10 at 1:55pm Pt, Pat Loud passed away peacefully in her sleep of natural causes,” the Loud family wrote. “She was snuggled up safe in her comfy home, attended by loving children Michele, Delilah, Kevin and Grant.”
More from TVLineJohn Reilly, General Hospital and Passions Vet, Dead at 86Watch Alex Trebek's Final Jeopardy!
- 1/11/2021
- by Nick Caruso
- TVLine.com
Patricia Loud, the matriarch of the Loud family in the TV documentary An American Family died on Sunday from natural causes. She was 94.
The news of Loud’s death was confirmed on the official Loud Facebook page. “With inconsolable sorrow, we are sad to share the news with friends and family that on Sunday January 10 at 1:55pm Pt, Pat Loud passed away peacefully in her sleep of natural causes. She was snuggled up safe in her comfy home, attended by loving children Michele, Delilah, Kevin and Grant.”
Loud was born on October 4, 1926 in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated from Stanford University in 1948 where she studied World History and English Literature. Upon returning to her hometown she met William Loud and they would go on marry in Mexico City. Their first son, Alanson “Lance” Russell Loud was born in June 1951.
She and her family entered the spotlight as the subjects of...
The news of Loud’s death was confirmed on the official Loud Facebook page. “With inconsolable sorrow, we are sad to share the news with friends and family that on Sunday January 10 at 1:55pm Pt, Pat Loud passed away peacefully in her sleep of natural causes. She was snuggled up safe in her comfy home, attended by loving children Michele, Delilah, Kevin and Grant.”
Loud was born on October 4, 1926 in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated from Stanford University in 1948 where she studied World History and English Literature. Upon returning to her hometown she met William Loud and they would go on marry in Mexico City. Their first son, Alanson “Lance” Russell Loud was born in June 1951.
She and her family entered the spotlight as the subjects of...
- 1/11/2021
- by Erik Pedersen and Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
“If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry,’” John Lennon proclaimed on The Mike Douglas Show in 1972. “In the 1950s, a whole generation worshipped his music, and when you see him today, past and present all come together, and the message is Hail, Hail Rock and Roll.’” The two idols then kicked off into Berry’s song “Memphis, Tennessee.” Chuck Berry: The Original King Of Rock ‘N’ Roll is the first-ever feature-length documentary on the duck-walking electric guitarist and songwriter. It’s been playing, like any good rock and roll film, at special drive-in events across the country. The film will be available on VOD platforms and on Blu-ray on November 27.
In the same class as James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, “The first-ever Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee crossed...
In the same class as James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, “The first-ever Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee crossed...
- 11/10/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Carol Arthur, an actress known for appearing in Hot Stuff, Intrepid and Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles and the widow of Dom DeLuise has died. She was 85.
The actress died Sunday at the Mary Pickford House at the Motion Picture & Television Fund senior home in Woodland Hills, the retirement center confirmed.
Born in Hackensack, N.J., in 1935, Arthur kicked off her acting career in 1971 as Christina in David Swift’s television series Arnie. After Making It and Emergency!, came her time as Harriett Johnson in Brooks’ Oscar-nominated comedy Blazing Saddles. In the film, starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little, Arthur’s Harriett expresses “extreme displeasure” towards Little’s Sheriff Bart in a strongly worded letter.
“The fact that you have sent him here just goes to prove that you are the leading asshole in the state,” Harriett reads to an approving crowd. She also has a famous line when Little was...
The actress died Sunday at the Mary Pickford House at the Motion Picture & Television Fund senior home in Woodland Hills, the retirement center confirmed.
Born in Hackensack, N.J., in 1935, Arthur kicked off her acting career in 1971 as Christina in David Swift’s television series Arnie. After Making It and Emergency!, came her time as Harriett Johnson in Brooks’ Oscar-nominated comedy Blazing Saddles. In the film, starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little, Arthur’s Harriett expresses “extreme displeasure” towards Little’s Sheriff Bart in a strongly worded letter.
“The fact that you have sent him here just goes to prove that you are the leading asshole in the state,” Harriett reads to an approving crowd. She also has a famous line when Little was...
- 11/3/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Johnny Nash, the angel-voiced reggae-pop singer-songwriter who had U.S. hits with “I Can See Clearly Now,” “Stir It Up” and “Hold Me Tight,” died Tuesday at his home in Houston. He was 80. No cause of death was revealed.
Nash scored a pop smash in 1972 with his self-penned “I Can See Clearly Now,” which spent a month at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He followed up that success with a cover of reggae legend Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” that just missed the top 10. Nash’s first big pop hit was “Hold Me Tight,” which reached No. 5 in 1968.
But he remains best known for “I Can See Clearly Now,” the islands-tinged soft-rock classic that has been featured in dozens of films anf TV shows and famously was covered by reggae icon Jimmy Cliff for the 1993 John Candy movie Cool Runnings (watch the video of Cliff’s cover below). That...
Nash scored a pop smash in 1972 with his self-penned “I Can See Clearly Now,” which spent a month at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He followed up that success with a cover of reggae legend Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” that just missed the top 10. Nash’s first big pop hit was “Hold Me Tight,” which reached No. 5 in 1968.
But he remains best known for “I Can See Clearly Now,” the islands-tinged soft-rock classic that has been featured in dozens of films anf TV shows and famously was covered by reggae icon Jimmy Cliff for the 1993 John Candy movie Cool Runnings (watch the video of Cliff’s cover below). That...
- 10/7/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Larry Rosen, a producer of The Partridge Family, the Sally Field sitcom The Girl With Something Extra and The Mike Douglas Show, died Sept. 14 in Los Angeles of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 84.
His death was announced by his family.
A native of Newark, New Jersey, Larry Rosen started his television career in Youngstown, Ohio, later moving to Philadelphia where he worked as a producer on the Emmy-nominated The Mike Douglas Show.
After moving to California, Rosen worked for Screen Gems, Columbia Pictures TV, and dick clark productions. Rosen produced ABC’s hit sitcom The Partridge Family from 1971-73 before leaving to produce another Bernard Slade creation The Girl With Something Extra, starring Sally Field as a woman with Esp and John Davidson as her hapless husband. Despite the popularity of its stars, the sitcom lasted for only one season – 1973-74 – at the tail-end of the Bewitched-i Dream of Jeannie supernatural craze.
His death was announced by his family.
A native of Newark, New Jersey, Larry Rosen started his television career in Youngstown, Ohio, later moving to Philadelphia where he worked as a producer on the Emmy-nominated The Mike Douglas Show.
After moving to California, Rosen worked for Screen Gems, Columbia Pictures TV, and dick clark productions. Rosen produced ABC’s hit sitcom The Partridge Family from 1971-73 before leaving to produce another Bernard Slade creation The Girl With Something Extra, starring Sally Field as a woman with Esp and John Davidson as her hapless husband. Despite the popularity of its stars, the sitcom lasted for only one season – 1973-74 – at the tail-end of the Bewitched-i Dream of Jeannie supernatural craze.
- 10/1/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Larry Rosen, an Emmy-nominated producer who worked on programs including The Partridge Family and The Mike Douglas Show, died Sept. 14 in Los Angeles of complications from pancreatic cancer, his family announced. He was 84.
Working with Larry Tucker, the onetime writing partner of Paul Mazursky, Rosen also created the short-lived sitcoms Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, an adaptation of the 1969 movie; Mr. Merlin, starring Barnard Hughes as the legendary wizard living in present-day San Francisco; Jennifer Slept Here, with Ann Jillian playing a screen legend who returns as a ghost; and Stir Crazy, featuring Larry Riley and Joseph Guzaldo as prison escapees....
Working with Larry Tucker, the onetime writing partner of Paul Mazursky, Rosen also created the short-lived sitcoms Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, an adaptation of the 1969 movie; Mr. Merlin, starring Barnard Hughes as the legendary wizard living in present-day San Francisco; Jennifer Slept Here, with Ann Jillian playing a screen legend who returns as a ghost; and Stir Crazy, featuring Larry Riley and Joseph Guzaldo as prison escapees....
- 10/1/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Larry Rosen, an Emmy-nominated producer who worked on programs including The Partridge Family and The Mike Douglas Show, died Sept. 14 in Los Angeles of complications from pancreatic cancer, his family announced. He was 84.
Working with Larry Tucker, the onetime writing partner of Paul Mazursky, Rosen also created the short-lived sitcoms Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, an adaptation of the 1969 movie; Mr. Merlin, starring Barnard Hughes as the legendary wizard living in present-day San Francisco; Jennifer Slept Here, with Ann Jillian playing a screen legend who returns as a ghost; and Stir Crazy, featuring Larry Riley and Joseph Guzaldo as prison escapees....
Working with Larry Tucker, the onetime writing partner of Paul Mazursky, Rosen also created the short-lived sitcoms Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, an adaptation of the 1969 movie; Mr. Merlin, starring Barnard Hughes as the legendary wizard living in present-day San Francisco; Jennifer Slept Here, with Ann Jillian playing a screen legend who returns as a ghost; and Stir Crazy, featuring Larry Riley and Joseph Guzaldo as prison escapees....
- 10/1/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Edwin T. Vane, a former ABC television executive and president of Group W Productions, died of natural causes on June 26 in Los Angeles. He was 93.
A Fordham University graduate, Vane started his career as a page at NBC. After working his way up to become a daytime television executive, he was pitched a game show idea by Merv Griffin in 1963 that was intriguing, but lacked form. Vane suggested a three-stage structure, each with increasing value, capped by a final round that gave trailing contestants a chance to win. Thus, Jeopardy! was created and debuted in March 1964.
In 1965, Vane became VP of daytime programming at ABC. Under his leadership, ABC introduced such shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Let’s Make a Deal, One Life To Live and Good Morning America. He also developed The Beatles cartoon series, which became the highest-rated show in the history of Saturday morning television.
A Fordham University graduate, Vane started his career as a page at NBC. After working his way up to become a daytime television executive, he was pitched a game show idea by Merv Griffin in 1963 that was intriguing, but lacked form. Vane suggested a three-stage structure, each with increasing value, capped by a final round that gave trailing contestants a chance to win. Thus, Jeopardy! was created and debuted in March 1964.
In 1965, Vane became VP of daytime programming at ABC. Under his leadership, ABC introduced such shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Let’s Make a Deal, One Life To Live and Good Morning America. He also developed The Beatles cartoon series, which became the highest-rated show in the history of Saturday morning television.
- 7/5/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Like so many other women, I have uttered the phrase, “I’m not a feminist, but …” When I was younger, the word had been politicized to mean so many other things — man-hater, ballbuster, b—h. A friend of mine cured me of my ignorance, and by the ’90s I was a proud feminist reading Susan Faludi’s “Backlash” and listening to riot grrrl bands. I was vaguely aware of Phyllis Schlafly, but when I saw a segment about her in a PBS documentary, during the summer before the 2016 election, I began to think about telling the story of the fight over the Equal Rights Amendment.
There have been many projects about the women’s movement, but none from the perspective of its spoiler. We began this project, “Mrs. America,” with the idea that our nation was on the brink of having its first female president. There is a direct link...
There have been many projects about the women’s movement, but none from the perspective of its spoiler. We began this project, “Mrs. America,” with the idea that our nation was on the brink of having its first female president. There is a direct link...
- 4/9/2020
- by Stacey Sher
- Variety Film + TV
Cathy Crawford Lalonde, daughter of Hollywood legend Joan Crawford, died Friday at her home in Pennsylvania after a long battle with lung cancer, her family confirmed to Deadline. She was 72.
Cathy and her twin sister Cynthia (Cindy) were adopted by Crawford in 1947, after their biological mother’s death in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
The Academy Award-winning actress moved the twins to Brentwood, where they began their new life. Cathy attended Vernon Court Junior College and the Fashion Institute of Technology before marrying in 1968. Cathy and her husband separated in 1984 and eventually divorced. She reconnected with her biological family in Tennessee in the 1990s.
Cathy had a bit part in the 1979 film Roller Boogie as a featured skater. She also made cameos on The Mike Douglas Show and What’s My Line? in the 1960s.
Screen star Joan Crawford adopted a total of five children. After her death, daughter Christina released the controversial memoir...
Cathy and her twin sister Cynthia (Cindy) were adopted by Crawford in 1947, after their biological mother’s death in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
The Academy Award-winning actress moved the twins to Brentwood, where they began their new life. Cathy attended Vernon Court Junior College and the Fashion Institute of Technology before marrying in 1968. Cathy and her husband separated in 1984 and eventually divorced. She reconnected with her biological family in Tennessee in the 1990s.
Cathy had a bit part in the 1979 film Roller Boogie as a featured skater. She also made cameos on The Mike Douglas Show and What’s My Line? in the 1960s.
Screen star Joan Crawford adopted a total of five children. After her death, daughter Christina released the controversial memoir...
- 1/12/2020
- by Anita Bennett
- Deadline Film + TV
Rick Ludwin, an NBC stalwart of three decades who proved his value to the network both as a trusted liaison to Johnny Carson and an early champion of Jerry Seinfeld, died Sunday in Los Angeles, according to the network. He was 71.
Ludwin launched his show-biz odyssey with one legendary funnyman — the future executive did some joke-writing for Bob Hope — and later cemented his legacy with another comedy icon by supporting the game-changing Seinfeld when other executives at NBC were skeptical of airing a show that was infamously “about nothing.”
Seinfled (1989-1998) became one of the most lucrative primetime ventures in television history but Ludwin’s primary focus at NBC was guiding the network’s specials and late-night programming. Taking over the speciality in 1989, Ludwin held the high-profile post through 2011. That 22-year tenure made him a linchpin figure for Saturday Night Live — it also put him in the crossfire of the...
Ludwin launched his show-biz odyssey with one legendary funnyman — the future executive did some joke-writing for Bob Hope — and later cemented his legacy with another comedy icon by supporting the game-changing Seinfeld when other executives at NBC were skeptical of airing a show that was infamously “about nothing.”
Seinfled (1989-1998) became one of the most lucrative primetime ventures in television history but Ludwin’s primary focus at NBC was guiding the network’s specials and late-night programming. Taking over the speciality in 1989, Ludwin held the high-profile post through 2011. That 22-year tenure made him a linchpin figure for Saturday Night Live — it also put him in the crossfire of the...
- 11/11/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
Rip Taylor, one of Televisions most flamboyant personalities known as "The Crying Comedian" and "The King of Camp and Confetti" has passed away. He was 84.
Taylor died on Sunday in Beverly Hills, publicist Harlan Boll confirmed, reports variety.com.
Also Read:?Chrissy Teigen flaunts her new tattoo
Taylor, whose high-energy personality and confetti-throwing antics quickly made him a mainstay on Television, made appearances on everything from sitcoms to talk shows, including "The Gong Show", "Password", "The Merv Griffin Show", "The Mike Douglas Show", "The Tonight Show", and "Late Night with David Letterman" in addition to a hosting stint for "The $1.98 Beauty Show" -- a parody of beauty contests whose big prize was a bouquet of rotten vegetables.
He saw even more success outside of game shows and late-night TV, headlining Las Vegas' The Flamingo Hotel's Rockettes Extravaganza -- where he won Entertainer of the Year three consecutive times --...
Taylor died on Sunday in Beverly Hills, publicist Harlan Boll confirmed, reports variety.com.
Also Read:?Chrissy Teigen flaunts her new tattoo
Taylor, whose high-energy personality and confetti-throwing antics quickly made him a mainstay on Television, made appearances on everything from sitcoms to talk shows, including "The Gong Show", "Password", "The Merv Griffin Show", "The Mike Douglas Show", "The Tonight Show", and "Late Night with David Letterman" in addition to a hosting stint for "The $1.98 Beauty Show" -- a parody of beauty contests whose big prize was a bouquet of rotten vegetables.
He saw even more success outside of game shows and late-night TV, headlining Las Vegas' The Flamingo Hotel's Rockettes Extravaganza -- where he won Entertainer of the Year three consecutive times --...
- 10/7/2019
- GlamSham
Comedian Rip Taylor, whose myriad TV credits include dozens of appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Mike Douglas Show, died on Sunday at the age of 84.
Taylor was the self-proclaimed “King of Confetti.” He was known for dousing his audience with colorful streamers at all of his performances.
More from TVLineWho Is A Million Little Things' Mystery Man? Jason Ritter Weighs InThe Conners Sneak Peek: Watch Dan 'Rescue' Katey Sagal's Louise9-1-1 Sneak Peek: Buck's Search for Christopher Takes a Devastating Turn
He racked up over 2,000 (!) small-screen credits over a career that spanned six decades.
Taylor was the self-proclaimed “King of Confetti.” He was known for dousing his audience with colorful streamers at all of his performances.
More from TVLineWho Is A Million Little Things' Mystery Man? Jason Ritter Weighs InThe Conners Sneak Peek: Watch Dan 'Rescue' Katey Sagal's Louise9-1-1 Sneak Peek: Buck's Search for Christopher Takes a Devastating Turn
He racked up over 2,000 (!) small-screen credits over a career that spanned six decades.
- 10/6/2019
- TVLine.com
Rip Taylor, one of Television’s most flamboyant personalities known as “The Crying Comedian” and “The King of Camp and Confetti,” died Sunday in Beverly Hills, publicist Harlan Boll confirmed. He was 84.
Taylor, whose high-energy personality and confetti-throwing antics quickly made him a mainstay on television, made appearances on everything from sitcoms to talk shows, including “The Gong Show,” “Password,” “The Merv Griffin Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with David Letterman” in addition to a hosting stint for “The $1.98 Beauty Show” — a parody of beauty contests whose big prize was a bouquet of rotten vegetables.
Taylor saw even more success outside of game shows and late-night TV, headlining Las Vegas’ The Flamingo Hotel’s Rockettes Extravaganza — where he won Entertainer of the Year three consecutive times — and touring the country in lead roles for productions such as “Sugar Babies,” “Anything Goes, Oliver,” “Peter Pan” and...
Taylor, whose high-energy personality and confetti-throwing antics quickly made him a mainstay on television, made appearances on everything from sitcoms to talk shows, including “The Gong Show,” “Password,” “The Merv Griffin Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “Late Night with David Letterman” in addition to a hosting stint for “The $1.98 Beauty Show” — a parody of beauty contests whose big prize was a bouquet of rotten vegetables.
Taylor saw even more success outside of game shows and late-night TV, headlining Las Vegas’ The Flamingo Hotel’s Rockettes Extravaganza — where he won Entertainer of the Year three consecutive times — and touring the country in lead roles for productions such as “Sugar Babies,” “Anything Goes, Oliver,” “Peter Pan” and...
- 10/6/2019
- by Nate Nickolai
- Variety Film + TV
Imagine someone in the news business, a television producer, who wasn’t concerned about truth. That apparent anomaly describes Roger Ailes, the late Fox News chief, according to filmmaker Alexis Bloom.
“He never said truth was important to him, in terms of Fox News. It was all about entertainment and messaging,” Bloom tells Deadline. “He never said ‘factual accuracy is what we’re all about.’ He didn’t.”
Bloom delved deeply into Ailes’ life and impact on news media and politics for her Emmy-contending documentary Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes. The film from A&e is nominated for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, an exclusive category determined by select members of the TV Academy’s Nonfiction Peer Group.
To understand Ailes’ conservative worldview, Bloom dialed back to his childhood in small town Warren, Ohio.
“Growing up where he did inculcated in him a sense of patriotism and American...
“He never said truth was important to him, in terms of Fox News. It was all about entertainment and messaging,” Bloom tells Deadline. “He never said ‘factual accuracy is what we’re all about.’ He didn’t.”
Bloom delved deeply into Ailes’ life and impact on news media and politics for her Emmy-contending documentary Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes. The film from A&e is nominated for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, an exclusive category determined by select members of the TV Academy’s Nonfiction Peer Group.
To understand Ailes’ conservative worldview, Bloom dialed back to his childhood in small town Warren, Ohio.
“Growing up where he did inculcated in him a sense of patriotism and American...
- 8/15/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
At the heart of Showtime's The Loudest Voice is the shadowy Roger Ailes, who notoriously turned Fox News into a profit machine and fell from power after multiple sexual harassment allegations. Russell Crowe plays the Summer series' central villain in nearly unrecognizable makeup and prosthetics, reminiscent of Christian Bale's transformation in Vice. Alongside Crowe is a cream-of-the-crop cast, including Sienna Miller, Seth MacFarlane, and Naomi Watts. While the project mostly centers on Ailes's time at Fox News, the media mogul has actually influenced American media and politics for much longer.
Ailes broke into the TV industry by rising the ranks at The Mike Douglas Show, a syndicated daytime variety show where he eventually became an executive producer in 1967. There, he got his foot into politics when he met Richard Nixon, eventually becoming an advisor to the then-presidential nominee. His work with Nixon didn't go unrecognized - he'd later...
Ailes broke into the TV industry by rising the ranks at The Mike Douglas Show, a syndicated daytime variety show where he eventually became an executive producer in 1967. There, he got his foot into politics when he met Richard Nixon, eventually becoming an advisor to the then-presidential nominee. His work with Nixon didn't go unrecognized - he'd later...
- 7/30/2019
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
Roger Ailes, the late Fox News chief and one of the most consequential figures in the history of media, saw and used two seemingly incompatible sides of television. A traditionalist entertainer who came up in the industry at “The Mike Douglas Show,” Ailes rooted himself in certain rock-solid fundamentals of attracting and retaining audience attention; a forward thinker driven by ambition and rage, he also pushed the medium to new heights of flash and new depths of contempt, meeting a segment of his cable audience where it was and pushing them yet further. He was the mind that created, and that animated, a network that is at once cable’s most popular and something more powerful still: The ideological engine behind the contemporary Republican party.
It makes for a fascinating character, and — one might expect — a potentially intriguing character study. Certainly, on “The Loudest Voice,” Russell Crowe is putting in the work,...
It makes for a fascinating character, and — one might expect — a potentially intriguing character study. Certainly, on “The Loudest Voice,” Russell Crowe is putting in the work,...
- 6/26/2019
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
The specific ingredients of Jacques Pépin’s Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at this year’s Daytime Emmys are unknown, but count on a dash or two of modesty.
The world-famous chef says he was deeply touched when he was told the honor — the first to go to someone in the cooking genre — was being bestowed upon him.
“It’s amazing because the food world has not been recognized much at this level,” Pépin says. “When I spoke to David Michaels [the senior vice president of daytime at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences], I told him I’d like to thank whoever nominated me. I was flabbergasted.”
Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, in 1935, Pépin developed a passion and respect for cooking after his mother, Jeannette, opened a restaurant, Le Pélican. As a young man, he worked at Le Plaza Athénée in Paris where a chef pal regaled Pépin with stories of life in Washington, D.C.
In 1959, his dream of visiting America came true.
The world-famous chef says he was deeply touched when he was told the honor — the first to go to someone in the cooking genre — was being bestowed upon him.
“It’s amazing because the food world has not been recognized much at this level,” Pépin says. “When I spoke to David Michaels [the senior vice president of daytime at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences], I told him I’d like to thank whoever nominated me. I was flabbergasted.”
Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, in 1935, Pépin developed a passion and respect for cooking after his mother, Jeannette, opened a restaurant, Le Pélican. As a young man, he worked at Le Plaza Athénée in Paris where a chef pal regaled Pépin with stories of life in Washington, D.C.
In 1959, his dream of visiting America came true.
- 5/3/2019
- by Michael Maloney
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Good Wife alum Josh Charles is set for a recurring role opposite Naomi Watts in The Loudest Voice, Showtime’s upcoming limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes, played by Russell Crowe.
A Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, The Loudest Voice (fka Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes) is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling book The Loudest Voice in the Room and his extensive reporting for New York magazine about the sordid allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the late Ailes’ ouster at Fox News. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with Spotlight scribe Tom McCarthy, who executive produces with Jason Blum. Production is currently underway in New York City.
Charles will play Casey Close, husband of former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson (Watts) and a well-known sports agent, who tries to comfort his rattled wife and reassure her that her situation at Fox...
A Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, The Loudest Voice (fka Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes) is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling book The Loudest Voice in the Room and his extensive reporting for New York magazine about the sordid allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the late Ailes’ ouster at Fox News. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with Spotlight scribe Tom McCarthy, who executive produces with Jason Blum. Production is currently underway in New York City.
Charles will play Casey Close, husband of former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson (Watts) and a well-known sports agent, who tries to comfort his rattled wife and reassure her that her situation at Fox...
- 3/21/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Former 7th Heaven star Barry Watson is set to recur as Lachlan Murdoch in The Loudest Voice, Showtime’s upcoming eight-episode limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes, played by Russell Crowe.
A Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, The Loudest Voice (fka Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes) is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling book The Loudest Voice in the Room and his extensive reporting for New York magazine about the sordid allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the late Ailes’ ouster at Fox News. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with Spotlight scribe Tom McCarthy, who executive produces with Jason Blum.
Watson’s Lachlan Murdoch is the son of Rupert Murdoch (and the heir apparent) – educated, polite and business savvy, he is not in agreement with Roger’s managerial practices.
The series focuses primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the...
A Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, The Loudest Voice (fka Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes) is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling book The Loudest Voice in the Room and his extensive reporting for New York magazine about the sordid allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the late Ailes’ ouster at Fox News. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with Spotlight scribe Tom McCarthy, who executive produces with Jason Blum.
Watson’s Lachlan Murdoch is the son of Rupert Murdoch (and the heir apparent) – educated, polite and business savvy, he is not in agreement with Roger’s managerial practices.
The series focuses primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the...
- 2/5/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Kaye Ballard, a comic actress and singer who was a regular presence on TV for decades and starred in the late-’60s NBC comedy The Mothers-in-Law, has died. Palm Springs-area paper The Desert Sun reported that the star also known for The Girl Most Likely and a half-dozen Broadway musicals died Monday at her home in Rancho Mirage.
Ballard had appeared on a couple of TV programs when she was cast as Marge opposite Jane Powell and Cliff Robertson in the 1958 big-screen musical comedy remake of The Girl Most Likely. She would appear in a handful of movies in the ensuing decades, but TV was her go-to medium.
In 1967 she starred with Eve Arden in The Mothers-in-Law, playing half of an unconventional couple, the Buells, who was best friends with their very-straight suburban neighbors the Hubbards (Arden and Herbert Rudley). The series struggled to lure viewers in its 8:30 Sunday...
Ballard had appeared on a couple of TV programs when she was cast as Marge opposite Jane Powell and Cliff Robertson in the 1958 big-screen musical comedy remake of The Girl Most Likely. She would appear in a handful of movies in the ensuing decades, but TV was her go-to medium.
In 1967 she starred with Eve Arden in The Mothers-in-Law, playing half of an unconventional couple, the Buells, who was best friends with their very-straight suburban neighbors the Hubbards (Arden and Herbert Rudley). The series struggled to lure viewers in its 8:30 Sunday...
- 1/22/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Would you like to blame Bill Gates for Roger Ailes creating Fox News? You could harbor that grudge if you so desired after watching Alexis Bloom’s bracing biopic documentary “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes,” because it’s one of the fascinating tidbits of speculative psychology in the grand narrative of a dark-hearted, power-thirsty mogul’s stranglehold on our divisive political discourse.
It seems that in the mid-90s, flush from his many years helping Republican candidates like Mitch McConnell get elected, Ailes was content to be a talk-show magnate, running his brainchild America’s Talking, a CNBC spinoff network that was the first real attempt to launch an all-chat-show channel with a wide audience reach.
But when NBC partnered with Bill Gates to start MSNBC, they gave the software billionaire the transponder used for America’s Talking, effectively ending Ailes’ baby. Steamed and spiteful, according to the documentary,...
It seems that in the mid-90s, flush from his many years helping Republican candidates like Mitch McConnell get elected, Ailes was content to be a talk-show magnate, running his brainchild America’s Talking, a CNBC spinoff network that was the first real attempt to launch an all-chat-show channel with a wide audience reach.
But when NBC partnered with Bill Gates to start MSNBC, they gave the software billionaire the transponder used for America’s Talking, effectively ending Ailes’ baby. Steamed and spiteful, according to the documentary,...
- 12/6/2018
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
It was a really light week for trailers last week (the main event, i.e. an official full trailer for True Detective‘s Season Three, did not drop until late on Friday) — then, starting last Monday, came the deluge. Prepare to catch up on: a sneak peek at the now-in-theaters, soon-to-be-streaming-on-Netflix Coen brothers Western anthology; a doc on the late, not-great-at-all Fox News head Roger Ailes; peeks at some 2019 sci-fi for both the big and the small screen; a new live-action take on The Jungle Book from Gollum himself,...
- 11/10/2018
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The blast radius from allegations of sexual harassment by Home and Family creator Woody Fraser just legally expanded for Hallmark Channel owner Crown Media Family Networks in a wrongful-termination and harassment suit from a former chef on the homespun show.
Longtime food stylist and chef Shanti Hinojos asserts in an 11-claim complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 22 that she was incorrectly kicked out the door of “wholesome” Hf in December 2017 for “subpar job performance” by allies of alleged serial harasser and ex-ep Fraser. To put in context, this follows a wrongful termination suit against Crown Media and others by ex-hf co-host Mark Steines last month over his firing earlier this year for what the ex-Entertainment Tonight frontman says was sticking up for women on the show who had alleged harassment by Fraser.
“The years of sexual harassment by Defendants Fraser and Fraser Productions created a hostile,...
Longtime food stylist and chef Shanti Hinojos asserts in an 11-claim complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 22 that she was incorrectly kicked out the door of “wholesome” Hf in December 2017 for “subpar job performance” by allies of alleged serial harasser and ex-ep Fraser. To put in context, this follows a wrongful termination suit against Crown Media and others by ex-hf co-host Mark Steines last month over his firing earlier this year for what the ex-Entertainment Tonight frontman says was sticking up for women on the show who had alleged harassment by Fraser.
“The years of sexual harassment by Defendants Fraser and Fraser Productions created a hostile,...
- 10/26/2018
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Boardwalk Empire alum Aleksa Palladino is set for a lead role opposite Russell Crowe in Showtime’s upcoming eight-episode limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes, played by Crowe.
A Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, the untitled series of 3dot Productions, who recently joined as executive producer.
RelatedFall Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming
The series focuses primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in Ailes’ life, including an initial meeting with Richard Nixon on the set of The Mike Douglas Show that gave birth to Ailes’ political career and the sexual harassment accusations and settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end. Told through multiple points of view, the limited series aims to shed light on the psychology that drives the political process from the top down.
Palladino is best known for her roles on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire. She recurs on CBS All Access’ mystery thriller drama series $1 and will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. Palladino is repped by Gersh.
Related2018 Showtime Pilots & Series Orders...
A Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, the untitled series of 3dot Productions, who recently joined as executive producer.
RelatedFall Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming
The series focuses primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in Ailes’ life, including an initial meeting with Richard Nixon on the set of The Mike Douglas Show that gave birth to Ailes’ political career and the sexual harassment accusations and settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end. Told through multiple points of view, the limited series aims to shed light on the psychology that drives the political process from the top down.
Palladino is best known for her roles on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire. She recurs on CBS All Access’ mystery thriller drama series $1 and will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. Palladino is repped by Gersh.
Related2018 Showtime Pilots & Series Orders...
- 10/26/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Showtime is filling out the cast list for its upcoming limited series on former Fox News chief Roger Ailes, adding Seth MacFarlane, Sienna Miller, Simon McBurney and Annabelle Wallis.
The project is based on New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman’s best-selling book, “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” which details Ailes’ rise to power and how he built Fox News into a cable news behemoth. The series will also address the sexual harassment accusations and monetary settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end. Ailes’ tenure at the network ended in July 2016 in disgrace following a lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlson, who accused Ailes of sexual harassment. More women followed Carlson with similar accusations against Ailes. He died in May 2017 at the age of 77.
McBurney will play legendary media titan Rupert Murdoch, who initially hired Ailes to build what would become Fox News.
Also Read: Naomi Watts...
The project is based on New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman’s best-selling book, “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” which details Ailes’ rise to power and how he built Fox News into a cable news behemoth. The series will also address the sexual harassment accusations and monetary settlements that brought his Fox News reign to an end. Ailes’ tenure at the network ended in July 2016 in disgrace following a lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlson, who accused Ailes of sexual harassment. More women followed Carlson with similar accusations against Ailes. He died in May 2017 at the age of 77.
McBurney will play legendary media titan Rupert Murdoch, who initially hired Ailes to build what would become Fox News.
Also Read: Naomi Watts...
- 10/12/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Seth MacFarlane (The Orville), Sienna Miller (Live by Night), Simon McBurney (The Theory of Everything) and Annabelle Wallis(Peaky Blinders) are set to star opposite Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts in Showtime’s upcoming eight-episode limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes, played by Crowe.
All four will play key figures in the Ailes real-life saga: MacFarlane will portray Ailes’ former confidant Brian Lewis, McBurney will play Fox head Rupert Murdoch, Miller is Ailes’ ex-wife Beth, while Wallis is former Fox News exec Laurie Luhn.
This is a rare drama acting gig for MacFarlane who stars on his latest series, Fox’s The Orville, and voices characters on some of his animated series, most notably Family Guy. It took weeks of trying to make the deal for the Showtime limited series work around his busy schedule on The Orville, which he also showruns, writes for and directs. In June,...
All four will play key figures in the Ailes real-life saga: MacFarlane will portray Ailes’ former confidant Brian Lewis, McBurney will play Fox head Rupert Murdoch, Miller is Ailes’ ex-wife Beth, while Wallis is former Fox News exec Laurie Luhn.
This is a rare drama acting gig for MacFarlane who stars on his latest series, Fox’s The Orville, and voices characters on some of his animated series, most notably Family Guy. It took weeks of trying to make the deal for the Showtime limited series work around his busy schedule on The Orville, which he also showruns, writes for and directs. In June,...
- 10/12/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Showtime has cast Naomi Watts to play Gretchen Carlson in its upcoming limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes.
Watts joins Russell Crowe, who will play Ailes, in the eight-episode limited series.
The project is based on New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman’s best-selling book on Ailes, “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” which details Ailes’ rise to power and how he built Fox News into a cable news behemoth. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy, who will executive produce alongside Jason Blum. “Handmaid’s Tale” alum Kari Skogland will direct the first two episodes.
Also Read: Russell Crowe Cast as Roger Ailes in Showtime Limited Series
Carlson rose to prominence over a decade ago at Fox News, from a co-anchor at “Fox and Friends” to anchoring her own show, “The Real Story.” As the first woman to file a sexual harassment suit against...
Watts joins Russell Crowe, who will play Ailes, in the eight-episode limited series.
The project is based on New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman’s best-selling book on Ailes, “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” which details Ailes’ rise to power and how he built Fox News into a cable news behemoth. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy, who will executive produce alongside Jason Blum. “Handmaid’s Tale” alum Kari Skogland will direct the first two episodes.
Also Read: Russell Crowe Cast as Roger Ailes in Showtime Limited Series
Carlson rose to prominence over a decade ago at Fox News, from a co-anchor at “Fox and Friends” to anchoring her own show, “The Real Story.” As the first woman to file a sexual harassment suit against...
- 10/5/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts is set to star as anchor Gretchen Carlson opposite her longtime friend Russell Crowe in Showtime’s upcoming limited series about Fox News founder Roger Ailes. Oscar winner Crowe plays Ailes in the project, which is set to start production next month. Emmy nominee Kari Skogland (The Handmaid’s Tale) will direct the first two episodes.
The as-yet untitled series (fka Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes), a Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling book The Loudest Voice in the Room and his extensive reporting for New York magazine about the sordid allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the late Ailes’ ouster at Fox News. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with Spotlight writer Tom McCarthy, who executive produces with Jason Blum.
Watts will portray journalist Carlson, who rose to prominence over a decade ago at Fox News...
The as-yet untitled series (fka Secure and Hold: The Last Days of Roger Ailes), a Blumhouse Television and Showtime co-production, is based on Gabriel Sherman’s bestselling book The Loudest Voice in the Room and his extensive reporting for New York magazine about the sordid allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the late Ailes’ ouster at Fox News. Sherman co-wrote the first episode with Spotlight writer Tom McCarthy, who executive produces with Jason Blum.
Watts will portray journalist Carlson, who rose to prominence over a decade ago at Fox News...
- 10/5/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Roger Ailes — presidential media consultant, creator and guru of Fox News, serial sexual harasser brought low by his ruthless appetites — may have been the most revolutionary image maker in the history of American politics. His legacy is there every time someone in the political arena or the media kaleidoscope tells a lie so shameless you wonder how they sleep at night and a shockingly sizable percentage of the public laps up that lie as if it were ice cream on a summer’s day. That’s called “the way America now works,” and if Roger Ailes didn’t invent it…well, why nitpick his dark achievement? He more or less did invent it, or perfect it, or bring it to a new pitch of down-is-up Orwellian malevolence. There have been many hucksters in the history of this country, but Ailes, who died in 2017, was the visionary of attack dogs, the...
- 9/29/2018
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with Crown Media Family Networks statement: Mark Steines has filed a lawsuit against Hallmark Channel owner Crown Media, four months after he was abruptly removed as co-host of the network’s flagship series Home and Family. His four-claim suit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that his exit came after he stood up in support of two women on the show’s staff who had accused the show’s then-executive producer Woody Fraser of sexual harassment, and he was eventually fired for his stance.
The suit (read it here) names Crown Media Family Networks and Crown Media Holdings as defendants and accuses them of retaliation and wrongful termination. It says Steines “through his representatives regularly warned and alerted Defendants that Executive Producer Woody Fraser harassed and verbally abused producers on the show. Defendants took no action on his complaints.”
Eventually, the suit claims, Steines supported two female...
The suit (read it here) names Crown Media Family Networks and Crown Media Holdings as defendants and accuses them of retaliation and wrongful termination. It says Steines “through his representatives regularly warned and alerted Defendants that Executive Producer Woody Fraser harassed and verbally abused producers on the show. Defendants took no action on his complaints.”
Eventually, the suit claims, Steines supported two female...
- 9/21/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
A former Hallmark Channel host sued the network on Thursday, alleging that he was fired after he supported two women who made sexual harassment claims.
Mark Steines, the ex-host of “Home & Family,” says that he repeatedly complained about Woody Fraser, the 83-year-old executive producer of the show. Fraser is veteran of daytime television, having launched “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Good Morning America,” and served as an early mentor to Roger Ailes.
According to Steines, Fraser harassed and abused staffers on the show, and displayed misogynistic behavior. Steines also accuses Fraser of making lewd comments in his earpiece while he was interviewing attractive guests, such as “Can you see up her skirt (or down her shirt) from there?” or “Wouldn’t you love to turn her around and bend her over and do her from behind?”
Employees would go to Steines with complaints about Fraser, and he would relay them to management,...
Mark Steines, the ex-host of “Home & Family,” says that he repeatedly complained about Woody Fraser, the 83-year-old executive producer of the show. Fraser is veteran of daytime television, having launched “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Good Morning America,” and served as an early mentor to Roger Ailes.
According to Steines, Fraser harassed and abused staffers on the show, and displayed misogynistic behavior. Steines also accuses Fraser of making lewd comments in his earpiece while he was interviewing attractive guests, such as “Can you see up her skirt (or down her shirt) from there?” or “Wouldn’t you love to turn her around and bend her over and do her from behind?”
Employees would go to Steines with complaints about Fraser, and he would relay them to management,...
- 9/20/2018
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
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