Disney Elevates Sonia Coleman To Chief Human Resources Officer, Succeeding Paul Richardson

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has been “overwhelmed and touched” by donations from the public which have passed £100,000 after the unexpected death of the charity’s ambassador Paul O’Grady, aged 67.

Disney’s former head of communications Zenia Mucha is advising TikTok as the beleagued company fights calls to shut it down in the U.S. on security concerns, Deadline has confirmed. It’s already banned across the Federal government with President Biden recently ramping up demands that the global app’s Chinese parent sell the U.S. business to a company Stateside, or see it vanish.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Zenia Mucha, formerly Disney’s top spokesperson for almost two decades, was recruited to be part of the team that coached TikTok’s CEO for his congressional hearing earlier this month, according to a new report. In addition to Mucha, TikTok tapped former Obama advisers David Plouffe and Jim Messina to prep Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, for more than a month before Chew’s March 23 appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which observers said only reinforced anti-TikTok attitudes among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers concerned about the app’s Chinese ownership by parent company ByteDance. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mucha could not be reached for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Baena and Ludovica Frasca have joined the cast of Josh Webber’s family holiday film Athena Saves Christmas, which is currently shooting in California’s Lake Arrowhead area for a late 2023 release.

John Leguizamo has plans for his future roles in Hollywood. In an appearance on The Daily Show, Leguizamo talked about representation and Latino actors, and how it’s still common for white actors to still take Latino parts.

Eva Mendes knows that traveling and staying in a hotel or a rental home can be difficult to adjust to. In a new Instagram video, she shared her tips for making locations feel homier, and what she personally does to feel better when she’s not home. Eva Mendes talks about the relationship she wants to have with her daughtersEva Mendes shares a child’s story who is fighting a rare and aggressive brain cancerA post shared by Eva Mendes (@evamendes)The clip shows Mendes talking to the camera and pulling various items from her bag.

Disney has let go SVP and Chief Compliance Officer Alicia Schwarz, Deadline has learned, amid a major retrenchment at the company.

Good Morning Britain paid tribute to Paul O’Grady on Wednesday's show after the star died at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio announced in a statement.The TV star, also known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, died "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday evening, a statement shared with the PA news agency via a representative said. Mr Portasio said in his statement: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening. “We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.

EXCLUSIVE: Roku is promoting a number of execs in its originals team following a shakeup last week.

Schiffer added. The forced reduction or ending of remote work is becoming a higher priority not only for Apple but for a range of entertainment and media companies – from Disney, where Bob Iger’s return heralded more demands to get bodies back at desks four days a week, to Amazon, which has told staffers they must show up three days a week starting May 1, to Warner Bros.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Three projects pitched at CPH:FORUM – the industry program of CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen-based documentary festival – have been awarded cash prizes. They are Robin Petré’s “Only on Earth,” Iryna Tsilyk’s “Red Zone” and Yegor Troyanovsky’s “Cuba & Alaska.” The filmmakers were awarded at a ceremony in the Danish capital on Thursday. Petré’s “Only on Earth” garnered the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award worth €20,000 for best pitch. The docu, produced by Signe Skov Thomsen, and Malene Flindt Pedersen, depicts a journey deep into one of Europe’s hottest fire zones, Galicia, where wild horses roam the mountains under the watch of local cowboys. These horses are excellent at fire prevention, but now they are vanishing in the clash between humans and nature.

EXCLUSIVE: Cranked Up Films has acquired North American rights to the comedy The Country Club starring John Higgins of SNL trio Please Don’t Destroy, with Archstone Entertainment taking foreign rights. The film marking the directorial debut of Fiona Robert, who also stars, is set for release in June. 

Former Inter Milan and Brazil defender Miranda has admitted he would have liked to have played for Manchester United during his professional career.

The post-parade Cape Town Pride Mardi Gras was a colourful climax to the annual Cape Town Pride Festival with a spirited celebration of the rainbow community.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Sonia Coleman, a 15-year Disney veteran, is taking on a new role as head of human resources. The Mouse House named Coleman as senior executive vice president and chief human resources officer of the Walt Disney Co., effective April 8. She most recently has served as SVP of human resources for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Coleman takes over the the top HR job at Disney from Paul Richardson, who is leaving the company after more than 15 years. As head of HR, Coleman will report directly to Bob Iger, who is serving as interim CEO for a two-year term. Coleman will oversee Disney’s HR strategy, global talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational design and cultural development, employee education and development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, and global security.

Brazilian-born, Manchester-dwelling chef Caroline Martins is set to bring a flavour of South American pub food to the city. Her new project Rio-Mex is to open at Hatch, the food court under the Mancunian Way.

The annual Cape Town Pride Parade took to the streets of the Mother City to celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community and the freedom to be our authentic selves.

Ferne McCann and her fiancé Lorri Haines are expecting their first child together and they couldn't be happier to be expanding their growing family. After announcing her pregnancy to the world, Ferne, 32, and Lorri, 31, took on OK!'s Mr and Mrs challenge, which includes the couple answering several questions about their parenting skills. Ferne - who is already mum to her five year old daughter Sunday with ex Arthur Collins - and Lorri were asked: "Who is the most strict parent?" to which the former TOWIE star didn't hold back.

Genesis guitarist and bassist Mike Rutherford has updated fans on the state of Phil Collins’ health.Collins has experienced issues with his health since suffering a spinal injury in 2007, which damaged vertebrae in his upper neck and also left him with nerve damage. The injury has impacted his ability to perform, and at Genesis’ last ever show in March 2022, he performed in a wheelchair.Now, Rutherford has spoken about Collins’ health in an interview on BBC Breakfast to promote his upcoming tour with Mike + The Mechanics, in which Collins’ son Nic will be playing drums.Speaking about Collins’ condition, Rutherford said: “As you know, Phil is a bit… He’s much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits.