Keshet Studios Hires Rebecca Mayer as EVP of Unscripted

EXCLUSIVE: On the third day of its first strike in 15 years, the Writers Guild of America closed down Wall Street drama Billions for several hours Thursday.

Thania Garcia Miami is a networking hub for a new generation of multicultural talent, and SiriusXM is claiming major real estate in the epicenter of the action with the launch of their “next-level” studios in South Beach. The audio entertainment company officially opened the new broadcast center earlier this week and announced a full itinerary of exclusive interviews and performances to celebrate. Everyone from Carrie Underwood to Pitbull, Anitta, Andy Cohen, Bon Jovi, Bailey Zimmerman, Carlos Vives and content creators like TikTok’s Alix Earle and Tinx have already made their rounds at the new studios that boast “super video capabilities.” “It’s just one studio, that’s meant for everybody, with a ton of possibilities,” says Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s resident and chief content officer. “We really tried our best to look at what the artists that live here are doing and we observed how they do what they do and how the big ones do it well.”

The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the eight members of the main Competition jury, who will join its previously announced president Ruben Östlund at the 76th edition, running May 16 to 27

The Masked Singer is back!

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 12 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 3 on Fox. Former Miss USA and Miss Universe Olivia Culpo was the next celebrity to be revealed on Fox’s “The Masked Singer.” Culpo was unmasked as UFO on Thursday’s show, which also doubled as the Season 9 quarterfinals. Culpo, a model and Internet star, sang Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own” on the episode, having previously sang “Yellow” by Coldplay. “I was really nervous when I sang my first song,” Culpo said in her pre-tape package. “But I’m really excited to have made it this far. This experience has exemplified going out of my comfort zone and being more vulnerable than I ever have before. So much of my career is based on the way I look physically, so adding value through my energy or my singing, it feels like there is more that I have to offer. And I’m getting older, so I have to hold on to something. Joking!”

Dune: Part Two has been released – you can watch it above.In 2021’s Dune, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) travelled to Arrakis, the universe’s most dangerous and sandy planet, to ensure the future of his family and people as evil forces exploded into conflict. The Denis Villeneuve sci-fi epic, adapted from Frank Herbert’s novel, was nominated for 10 Oscars and won six.In the sequel – which will be released in cinemas on November 3 – Paul unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.The official synopsis adds: “Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, Paul must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.”In the trailer, we’re given our first glimpse of Paul riding one of the giant sandworms that inhabit the planet.

May is yet another big month for new releases (not to mention finales as we excitedly await the end of “Barry” and “Succession” on the same night.) HBO might not yet have another surefire hit on its hands to emulate the success of the aforementioned two, but they have plenty of miniseries and comedy favorites. Elsewhere the world of “Bridgerton” continues its reign with a new spinoff series, just one of two Netflix series spinoffs with “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” getting similar treatment with “XO, Kitty.”  READ MORE: Summer 2023 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Shows To Watch Apple TV+ has a number of highly anticipated series coming out — as the streamer also contends with the nearing ending of “Ted Lasso” — with Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne teaming up again and Rebecca Ferguson making a strong impression on this week’s release of “Silo.” Elsewhere, we’re getting the return of fan favorites such as Hulu’s “The Great” and Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave.”  “White House Plumbers”Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Domnhall Gleeson, and Lena Heady star in HBO’s “White House Plumbers” from director David Mandel.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku is reinvesting in — and bulking up — its originals lineup, announcing a new season of “The Great American Baking Show” and an unscripted comedy featuring singer-songwriter Charlie Puth among the shows coming to the Roku Channel. Notably, the content announcements at Roku’s 2023 NewFronts presentation — coming on Day One of the WGA writers strike — were unscripted/reality formats. Also at the event in New York Tuesday, the streaming platform unveiled a suite of new ad solutions, including sponsorships for its popular Roku City screensaver. The company announced that it has renewed reality competition series “The Great American Baking Show” for Season 2. The news came ahead of the premiere Friday, May 5, of the new six-episode run of the show featuring Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry (pictured above, left) on the Roku Channel. “The Great American Baking Show,” produced by Love Productions USA, ran for five seasons on ABC as a spinoff of original hit “The Great British Baking Show” before it was picked up last year by Roku. The streaming company previously acquired U.S. rights to dozens of episodes in the “Great Baking Show” franchise for a FAST channel. Roku will also bring back the holiday special of “The Great American Baking Show,” which will feature all-new celebrity bakers and debut this upcoming holiday season.

too frightened of her new role in “American Horror Story: Delicate.”The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star, 42, will appear in the 12th season of Ryan Murphy’s scary anthology series later this year — and she hired an acting coach to help hone her skills for the show.“We start shooting my stuff at the end of this month. But production has already started and I’m so excited,” the reality TV personality told Variety at the Met Gala on Monday night.“I’m so excited for the experience,” the Skims founder said of returning to television — outside of the reality realm — after her 2021 “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig.“It’s a challenge.

Behind-the-scenes secrets! Meghan Trainor revealed that she and Charlie Puth made out nearly a decade ago while recording a duet.

EXCLUSIVE: Tye Sheridan (The Tender Bar) has closed a deal to star alongside Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult in AGC Studios‘ crime thriller The Order from director Justin Kurzel (Assassin’s Creed, Macbeth), which is heading into production in Alberta, Canada on May 11th.

EXCLUSIVE: The invitation list to Amazon’s Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon wedding comedy, You’re Cordially Invited, continues to expand with Celia Weston, Jimmy Tatro, Leanne Morgan, and Keyla Monterroso Mejia joining the Nick Stoller directed and written feature.

The 1619 Project, according to one description, “illuminates the legacy of slavery in the contemporary United States, and highlights the contributions of Black Americans to every aspect of American society.” Nothing controversial there, right? Wrong.

Few authors have established as powerful a bond with their fans as Judy Blume. That incredible connection first manifested with the publication of her debut novel for young adults, 1970’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which shattered taboos by candidly addressing subjects like menstruation and masturbation.  

When the late Sidney Poitier embarked on a movie career in the early 1950s, he entered an industry with a history of depicting Black people in the most negative fashion. The Birth of a Nation, the seminal 1915 silent film, had set the template – portraying African American characters as sex-crazed and subhuman. 

BreAnna Bell FX’s latest docuseries opened on a high note, the network reveals. According to multi-platform ratings, the “Dear Mama” debut scored FX’s most watched premiere for an unscripted series ever. The show opened on FX on April 21 and became available to stream the following day on Hulu, which combined for the record setting performance. From director Allen Hughes, the five-part docuseries explores the lives and legacies of mother and son, Afeni and Tupac Shakur. A renowned revolutionary, Afeni became a feminist figure of the ’70s, a female leader in the movement amidst the macho milieu of the Black Panther Party. Tupac, a rapper and poet, also became a political visionary, philosopher and one of the greatest rap artists of all time. “Their story chronicles the possibilities and contradictions of the United States from a time of revolutionary fervor to Hip Hop culture’s most ostentatious decade,” reads the official description.

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Morgan’s Talaria Media has launched development on Arigato Tokyo, a new drama set in the world of women’s professional wrestling, after acquiring a feature pitch by Daytime Emmy winner Mark Blutman (Ghostwriter, Boy Meets World). Jamie Anderson is on board to direct the pic, with Morgan to exec produce.

Hulu has ordered Mastermind, a documentary series about a member of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit who revolutionized the way law enforcement investigates serial killers. 

Koala Man and the upcoming series “Hazbin Hotel” (platform TBD and co-produced with A24). December 2022 saw Bent Box enter a multi-year production service agreement with leading Irish animation studio Boulder Media, which includes “Krapopolis” and “Grimsburg.”In 2021, Bento Box and Fox formed BCL, which launched Web3 platforms for unscripted series like “The Masked Singer,” “Krapopolis,” the United States Football League (USFL), Fox Deportes, SXSW, Dolly Parton and WWE.Daniel Weidenfeld, senior vice president of Animation at Fox Entertainment, will transition over to Bento Box, where he will be involved in development, working closely with creative Director Ben Jones.  They will jointly report to Coker.

EXCLUSIVE: 20th Century Studios has acquired Naughty, an original feature pitch from Siena East (Clone High) conceived as a starring vehicle for Amber Midthunder (Prey), multiple sources tell Deadline.