Highlights From Variety and Lifetime’s ‘Power of Women: The Changemakers’ Special

The Great British Bake Off viewers were left raging after noticing an 'evil' move from Dame Prue Leith in the latest episode.

When we created this list six years ago, we were determined to recognize the new faces of storytellers, executives and entrepreneurs who were reinventing New York. A lot has changed since then, but the city’s can-do spirit is as potent as ever.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” concludes its inaugural season, Amazon Prime Video debuted a fiery new trailer for the season finale that promises “all will be revealed.”  The trailer — which first screened at New York Comic-Con on Friday, as part of Prime Video’s panel for “The Rings of Power” — was light on new footage from the finale, save for a telling glimpse at what appears to be Celebrimbor’s forge, where the titular Rings of Power will eventually be created. Otherwise, the trailer recaps many of the biggest developments through the first season, while promising that while Mordor is rising, at lease some heroes “will fall” — and Sauron’s true identity will finally be revealed.

Jennifer Salke entered the Second Age in London. The head of Amazon Studios spent the 72 hours leading up to the launch of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” in a whirlwind, traveling from the series’ global premiere event in London’s Leicester Square to her Manhattan apartment to watch the early returns arrive via reports from Amazon’s formidable consumer research department. The “Rings” team was exhausted, having had no chance to recover from the grueling worldwide promotional campaign for the Amazon Prime Video series that is an enormous bet for the tech giant, being the most expensive television series ever produced. For most of launch day, Sept. 1, Salke and key members of her executive team, many members of the large ensemble cast and executive producers J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay and Lindsey Weber gathered together for hours in virtual “war rooms,” bone tired but energized, to wait for the world’s reaction.

NPR.The voting tech company argues that by questioning Pirro, it reaches the legal requirement in proving that Fox showed “actual malice” when it repeatedly broadcast and amplified rumors and lies made by Donald Trump, other right-wing personalities and far-right QAnon conspiracy theorists that Dominion tried to throw the presidential race to Joe Biden.“Discovery has revealed that…Fox News host Jeanine Pirro help[ed] spread the verifiably false yet devastating lies against Dominion,” according to documents filed Thursday in a Delaware court by Dominion lawyers. Pirro, however, is not being named as a defendant in the suit against Fox Corp.According to an Aug.

Editors note: The death of Mahsa Amini earlier this month after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab according to official dictates has sparked outrage and protests within the Islamic Republic and around the world, with Global Day of Action for Iran set for Saturday with rallies around the globe (more information below). Currently seen as one of the stars of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Iran-born actress and Amnesty International UK ambassador Nazanin Boniadi reflects on Amini’s tragic death and the potentially pivotal time for her homeland.

Variety‘s Power of Women dinner on Wednesday, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton spoke, and the former secretary of state took the Iranian government to task. “I could not stand up here tonight without also recognizing the brave women in Iran who are standing up for their rights, their freedom against a horrific regime who stays in power in large measure because they oppress women,” Clinton said. “And I could not stand here without thinking about the women in Afghanistan who are being deprived of education, or the women on the front lines in Ukraine who are trying to defend their country against the barbarity of Putin’s invasion.” “So we have a lot of work to do,” she continued. “It’s work in our own country to keep our progress going and not let the clock be turned back, and it’s also caring about the rest of the world.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Lima-based Apus Animation Studio has pacted with Spanish and Brazilian shingles to co-produce its projects, among them TV series “Chek & Chan” with Valencia-based Hampa Animation Studio and Apus’ first animation feature, “Nimuendajú: El Hombre que Encontró su Camino,” with Brazil’s Anaya Films. Apus presents “La Orquestita,” co-produced with Barcelona-based Mago Prods., at the inaugural Co-Production and Financing Forum hosted by the Iberseries & Platino Industria TV event in Madrid (Sept.27-30). Directed by Uruguayan Juan Carve, founder of chucho.tv, the kids animated series teaches kids about the mystery behind music, how it’s composed, why it move us. The 26-part, 11-minute episode series has already been sold to Argentina’s Pakapaka, TV3 Catalonia, Señal Colombia and pubcaster TVE, said Bonilla.

Prince Harry was NOT happy about how things went down prior to his decision to walk away from the royal family.

Tom Cruise‘s complex relationship with the Church of Scientology is getting exposed!

A woman allegedly pushed her 3-year-old nephew off of a pier in Chicago and watched him struggle as he sank below the surface.

William Earl The “On the Carpet” pre-show powered by DIRECTV at Variety Power of Women presented by Lifetime will be livestreamed on Variety.com and Variety’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages starting at 6:45 p.m. PT on Sept. 28. The red carpet will feature this year’s honorees: Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, Malala and Elizabeth Olsen. Presenters include Kathryn Hahn, Sandra Oh, Quinta Brunson and Diane Guerrero. Halsey will give a special musical performance to kick-off the night. Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson and senior TV features editor Emily Longeretta will host the carpet with commentary provided by senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin and senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, live from the Variety HQ Studio.

Norman Lear celebrated his 100th birthday over the summer and ABC is continuing the celebration with the special, Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter.

Joao Gomes is one of the new names to keep an eye out for in future transfer markets.