Disney-Owned National Geographic Lays Off Last of Its Staff Writers

McKinley Franklin editor Laird Koenig, who wrote “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane,” died in Santa Barbara on June 30, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s collaborator Peter L. Dixon, told Variety. He was 95. Koenig was an American author and screenwriter whose novel was adapted into the 1976 Jodie Foster-led horror movie “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.”  He was born on Sept. 14, 1927, in Seattle, and would go on to attend the University of Washington. Koenig worked in advertising before being approached by Peter L. Dixon, whom he would collaborate with extensively throughout his career, and went on to write for the adventure television series “Flipper.” 

Taylor Swift ‘Era.’On July 22-23, Swift is heading to Seattle’s Lumen Field for two huge concerts with high-profile special guests HAIM and Gracie Abrams as part of her mega, globe-trotting ‘Eras Tour.’As expected, ticket prices aren’t exactly a bargain.At the time of publication, the cheapest tickets we could find were going for $1197 before fees on Vivid Seats.While that may seem quite pricey, our past coverage on last-minute Taylor Swift tickets indicates that prices should drop later in the week.In fact, it’s happened in Denver, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and virtually every other stop on the tour.Therefore, we recommend returning to this story and refreshing this link all week.You just may find a surprising deal.Looking for more information before committing to seeing Swift in Seattle?Keep reading.We’ve got everything you need to know and more below.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A complete breakdown of all the best prices on upper-deck, lower-level and floor seats for each of Taylor’s pair of Denver gigs can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

Searchlight Pictures’ Sundance-winning original comedy Theater Camp will take in an estimated $281,172 or $46.9k per theater at six locations opening weekend — the best limited opening for the distributor since Jojo Rabbit in the fall of 2019 ($349k in five locations). That’s after the A CinemaScore film on Sunday pulled ahead of Searchlight’s The Banshees Of Inisherin four-theater debut last year.

The New York Jets aren’t happy that they’re being showcased as part of HBO’s series, “Hard Knocks.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Steven Portnoy, who has made a name for himself in recent years as a White House correspondent for CBS News Radio, is returning to ABC News to work as a national correspondent for its audio operations. Portnoy got his start at ABC News, joining in 2002 as an intern for the White House unit of “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.” In 2006, he was named Washington correspondent for ABC News Radio, providing in-depth coverage of the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden. At CBS News Radio, he covered the Trump and Biden administrations, as well as the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and the Jan. 6 insurrection. He also reported on the prisoner swap that led to the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russia. Portnoy served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association from 2021 to 2022.

PGA officials were in the hot seat on Tuesday as they faced lawmakers questions about the tour’s abrupt reversal that led to a deal with Saudi-backed rival LIV, despite months of criticism over the human rights record of the Saudi gpvernment.

Randall Stephenson, the former chairman and CEO of AT&T and architect of the telecom giant’s ill-fated acquisition of Time Warner, has resigned from the policy board of the Professional Golf Association at a critical moment.

EXCLUSIVE: A documentary now in production will examine the UPS workforce and its union, even as the package shipping company faces the possibility of a strike that could impact the entire U.S. economy.

ESPN has let go of a handful of on-air personalities, according to Variety.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kayle Tausche, who has enjoyed a prominent role at CNBC over the past decade, is leaving the NBCUniversal-backed business-news outlet. “After nearly 13 years at CNBC, it’s time for a new adventure. As a wide-eyed cub reporter, I never could have imagined the experiences these years would bring and all the pinch-me moments I’d encounter. I’m so grateful for it all,” the journalist posted on Twitter Thursday. She added: “As for what’s next, I’ll have more to say on that soon. For now, I’m going to take some downtime — with no deadlines looming — for the first time in too long.” “We thank Kayla for her many contributions during her time at CNBC,” the network said in a statement. “We wish her the best.”

The Sundance Institute has undergone a round of layoffs, TheWrap has confirmed. CEO Joana Vicente made the announcement to staff on Wednesday, and the staff cuts will impact 11 employees across multiple departments or 6% of the 180-person organization.

The famed National Geographic magazine has become the latest victim of those painful Disney cuts: the remaining writers of the already picked-over publication were laid off Wednesday.

Stephen Flynn has slammed "near billionaire" Rishi Sunak for having "patronised the public" over mortgage rate rises during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. The SNP Westminster leader said that the Prime Minister was "out of touch" and asked him "when was the last time he struggled to pay a bill".

Idris Elba has said he’s been put off from playing James Bond after responses to his potential casting “became about race”.The actor, known for starring in Luther and The Wire, has often been mentioned as a favourite to take over from Daniel Craig in the role of 007.Speaking on the SmartLess podcast (via The Telegraph) with hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, Elba explained that any interest in playing the character was soured due to some of the “disgusting” reactions to the rumours.“The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said. “James Bond… it’s one of those coveted [roles].“Being asked to be James Bond was like ‘OK, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle’.

Ed Sheeran fans got double the performance on Saturday night.

EXCLUSIVE: Hasbro-owned Entertainment One is undergoing a round of layoffs sources tell Deadline. The reduction is said to impact about 20% of the indie studio’s film and television staff.

World-class climber and Free Solo star Alex Honnold is mapping out his summer plans, and naturally they call for adventure.

National Geographic has announced a documentary special with the working title of “The Cancer Vaccine.”The documentary special will follow Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci – the husband-and-wife team who built German biotechnology giant BioNTech and created the Pfizer BioNTech COVID Vaccine — as they compete in the race to find a cure for cancer.The film will chronicle Şahin and Türeci’s creation of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine, which came out of mRNA technology that, for years, had been considered useless. The couple has their own team, with whom they face competitors, skeptics, government officials and the disease itself.

Naman Ramachandran The creators of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will take on cancer in National Geographic documentary “The Cancer Vaccine” (working title). The documentary will follow Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci – the husband-and-wife team who built German biotechnology giant BioNTech – as they and their team race competitors, skeptics, governments and cancer itself to create an entirely new class of medicines that use the body’s own defenses to defeat cancer. The documentary posits a world where a cancer diagnosis – even the most aggressive kind – no longer means brutal chemotherapy or a death sentence and a world where every individual cancer patient gets a bespoke drug, individually tailored to the unique genetics of their tumor, which could keep patients cancer-free for the rest of their lives. It aims to take viewers to the frontlines of breakthrough science alongside the scientists, researchers and patients at the heart of this endeavor.

The impact of the ongoing writers strike on the talent agencies continue. APA has laid off a number of assistants. Junior agents, primarily in the lit department, which is the most affected by the work stoppage, have been asked to share assistants, sources tell Deadline.