Can ‘Midnight Mass’ Entice Emmy Voters Into Horror?

Batman is heading to Mexico.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Women in Entertainment (WIE) Summit will return with its sixth annual event this June, taking place for the first time since 2019, Variety has learned exclusively.Founded by Renee Rossi (Relativity Ventures) and Gretchen McCourt, WIE aims to bring together women and men who are “dedicated to celebrating the empowerment of women in all areas of the entertainment industry.” Held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California on June 22, the 2022 summit with panel topics including “how creatives keep a beloved story relevant to up and coming audiences, how media companies are expanding their offerings to meet the needs of today’s consumers, how to negotiate deals within the IP and talent rights space, and much more.” The current lineup of speakers for WIE Summit 2022 include:Erika Anderson, West Coast Director, The Slate GroupCasey Kriley, Co-CEO of Magical Elves (Top Chef, Nailed It)Anjali Midha, CEO & Co-Founder of Diesel LabsTeri Weiss, Executive VP, Television Development, DreamWorks Animation;Anastasia Puglisi, Senior Vice President at Wolf Entertainment (FBI: Most Wanted, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)Dana Block, Senior Vice President of Digital Entertainment and Consumer Technology at Metro Public RelationsAlexandra Moore, Global Strategic Initiatives Leader at Amazon MusicJess Kessler, Head of Content & Creator Marketing at AudibleJennifer Brunsweiger, Senior Director of Content Marketing at ShutterstockKaitlyn Powell, VP of Talent at BrightLisa Guerrero, Investigative Journalist at Inside EditionJeanne Mau, Senior Vice President, TV Programming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NBCUniversalIram Bilal, Filmmaker (I’ll Meet You There)Zakiyyah Alexander, Executive

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large“Music has always been a part of the storytelling process,” she points out. Even in the broadcast era.We may not remember these moments because, in many cases, songs that aired on TV episodes then were cleared for one-time use and stripped out of repeats.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterPlenty of newbies will be breaking into the comedy category this Emmys season, but two leading rivals for the title will be actual competitors for the first time: “Atlanta” and “Ted Lasso.”As wildly different series that fall into the same genre in the awards competition, their performances in this race will likely lead to a discussion about the industry’s relationship with feel-good TV.“Those shows are going to have interesting moments, both with Donald Glover having been out of the spotlight for a minute, intentionally, taking a detour with a music career that was more successful than I think a lot of people expected,” a Hollywood industry insider told Variety, “while there’s been probably more publicity than I think Apple would like on the fact that the upcoming third season is likely the last season of ‘Ted Lasso.’” The Jason Sudeikis-led Apple TV+ comedy is the reigning champ and has never aired in an “Atlanta”-less world, while Donald Glover’s show is a twice-nominated FX series that has lost twice, first to HBO’s “Veep” in Season 1 and then to Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in Season 2.And just as “Ted Lasso” has been a topic of joyful conversation continuously for almost two years, the very idea of when “Atlanta’s” Europe-set Season 3 would finally premiere — following a four-year wait since Season 2 — has also been a much-discussed event.“I’d anticipate that if ‘Atlanta’ was gone for so long and came back as the exact same thing, it probably would have less of a chance,” another industry insider says.

The stars of Father of the Bride are bringing their new movie to Mexico!

Tribeca Festival, the event that wants to offer something for everyone, returns Wednesday with its sprawling collection of features and shorts, live music, TV, podcasts, games, and AR/VR. The annual New York City-set fest has moved mostly back indoors this year, but will feature nods to 2021 like free outdoor screenings and an online edition, Tribeca At Home. A rich documentary slate tackles abortion, press freedom and the rise of social media. There’s a first-time award for environmental impact and a series of talks with Blackhouse Foundation centered on POC storytelling.

Phoenix have released the music video for their new single ‘Alpha Zulu‘ alongside news of North American and European tour dates.The Pascal Teixeira-directed video, the concept of which came from the band and also saw contributions from Emma Besson and Louis Bes, was shared today (June 7). Watch below.It comes as the French band announce a new tour with some dates supported by Porches.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterZendaya made history in 2020 when, at age 24, the “Euphoria” star became the youngest actor to win the Emmy for lead actress in a drama for her role on the first sea- son of the HBO show. The victory was a highly celebrated upset that proved acclaim for a show centered on teens is possible when on the rare occasion it breaks through with older audiences.While “Euphoria” is still in the game, Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” has also buzzed its way into the awards conversation, and roughly 50% of that is thanks to the show’s younger stars.“‘Yellowjackets’ is so unique in showing just how complicated and messy humans are, never mind teenagers,” says Samantha Hanratty, who plays teen Misty vs.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAlexis Bledel will not return for “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5, Variety has learned exclusively.Bledel, who has played the key character of Emily/Ofglen on the Hulu drama since its first season debuted in 2017, said in a statement Friday: “After much thought, I felt I had to step away from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at this time. I am forever grateful to Bruce Miller for writing such truthful and resonant scenes for Emily, and to Hulu, MGM, the cast and crew for their support.”During her four-year run on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Bledel received four Emmy nominations and one win for her performance in the Bruce Miller-created TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s iconic novel.Aside from “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Bledel is best known for her starring role as Rory Gilmore alongside Lauren Graham’s Lorelai Gilmore on “Gilmore Girls” and the revival “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” as well as her parts in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” franchise and “Mad Men.” Airing its fourth season from April to June 2021, “The Handmaid’s Tale” follows June (Elisabeth Moss) while she strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader, but the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges.

Bad Bunny will not compromise.

Selome Hailu Apple TV+ has ordered ten episodes of “Las Azules,” a crime drama starring Bárbara Mori and created by Fernando Rovzar and Pablo Aramendi.The Spanish-language series, set in 1970 and inspired by true events, follows four women who join Mexico’s first female police force only to discover that their squad is a publicity stunt to distract the media from a brutal serial killer. María (Mori), whose determination to catch the killer becomes an obsession; Gabina, an aspiring officer; Ángeles, a fingerprint analyst; and Valentina, a young rebel, set up a secret investigation as the body count grows, hoping to achieve what male officers haven’t and catch the killer.“Las Azules” is currently in pre-production in Mexico City.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterKevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media has acquired Spanish-language producer Exile Content Studio.Per Candle Media, “Exile’s mission is to create content featuring the experiences and voices of diverse Spanish-speaking communities from around the world.”The company was founded in 2019 by Isaac Lee, formerly the chief content officer for Univision and Televisa. The production company specializes in feature films, scripted and unscripted television, music and audio storytelling and commerce activities for digital media.Exile, which is has its headquarters in Los Angeles and offices in Mexico City, Madrid, and Miami, will continue to be overseen by Lee and Exile’s senior management team for day-to-day operations.

Salma Hayek had an emotional moment during her last filming day of Magic Mike 3. The Mexican actress was captured hugging, cheering, and saying her goodbyes to the crew members while in London.The Oscar-winning actress began filming in April after taking over the role of Thandiwe Newton —who was previously confirmed in the leading role opposite Channing Tatum.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Supernatural” alums Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins made the crowd go wild at the CW network’s upfront presentation Thursday, when the trio walked out on stage together to “pitch” network boss Mark Pedowitz some reunion ideas.Padalecki was there repping “Walker” and upcoming prequel “Walker, Independence,” Ackles had come out for “Supernatural” prequel series “The Winchesters,” and Collins was present for “Gotham Knights” — but all they could think about was finding a way for the three of them to work together again.More to come…

Thania Garcia Amazon Music has officially launched its Gen Mex initiative to spotlight the growing regional Mexican genre’s evolving style and renewed popularity as it begins to reach global audiences.The regional Mexican category has historically been used as a catch-all term that spans banda, grupero, norteño and other folk formats — but as more artists begin to experiment with Mexican music in new ways, the market for it has exponentially expanded.“Música Mexicana has its own categories in not only the Latin Grammys but the mainstream Grammys, an entire radio industry built around it and is quickly outpacing reggaetón as the most-streamed genre of Spanish-language music,” Rocio Guerrero, global head of Latin at Amazon Music, tells Variety.  “At Amazon Music, música Mexicana listening has increased 140% YOY…This revolution is unstoppable and it will continue to reach new heights.”What Gen Mex aims to do, is provide a hub for the dynamic genre while “trying to find the right ways to honor its [tradition], but looking ahead and being a catalyst for its reinvention.”As a part of this catapult into the limelight, Gen Mex promises to include new Mexican music programming and editorial content in the form of Amazon Originals. The first of which comes as a collaboration with Christian Nodal who stars in a short yet cinematic introductory video for Gen Mex.

EXCLUSIVE: MTV Entertainment Studios has greenlit the docuseries De La Calle from creator and host Nick Barili in partnership with Zero Point Zero Productions.

Kate Moss appeared to be enjoying some much-needed time off as she escaped for a sunny getaway with a group of female friends.READ: Lila and Kate Moss' most stylish momentsShe looked utterly zen as she bronzed herself on board a boat wearing a sunshine yellow bikini along with polarised sunglasses.WATCH: Kate Moss looks flawless in bridal-inspired gownThe young model seemed to be enjoying herself with a group of friends as they all posed inside a Jeep Wrangler parked stationary on a white, sandy beach. She captioned the photos: "Mexiloco" alongside an ice cream emoji.READ: Everything you need to know about Kate Moss' daughterREAD: Kate Moss' daughter Lila is her double at Paris Fashion WeekLila's fans were quick to jump to the comments section in awe of her photos, with one commenting: "Purrr queen." A second added: "Sending love to all the gang." Lila looked to be enjoying herself on holidayIn another outfit photo, Lila looked effortlessly cool in a bodycon dress with bright swirls of raspberry and lemon.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterABC has ordered new primetime “Jeopardy!” spinoff series “Celebrity Jeopardy!” The series is set to premiere as part of the Disney-owned broadcaster’s fall slate, airing alongside “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” on Sundays.Notably included in the announcement for “Celebrity Jeopardy!,” which came alongside ABC’s reveal of its Fall 2022-2023 schedule Tuesday, was this line: “A host will be announced at a later date.”Craig Erwich says he “wouldn’t read anything into” the inclusion of this bit and the exclusion of Mayim Bialik’s name, as last year she was announced as the host of primetime “Jeopardy!” specials when the now-ousted Mike Richards was chosen as the full-time host. Bialik has been trading off hosting duties with Ken Jennings on the main syndicated series for several months now as the series looks for a permanent full-time replacement for Alex Trebek following his passing.