‘Muppets Haunted Mansion,’ ‘Carpool Karaoke,’ ‘For All Mankind’ Win Early PGA Awards

“Carpool Karaoke” is back after two years and with the help of Nicki Minaj.

Angelique Jackson Academy Award-nominee Eddie Murphy is in talks to play funk legend and Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton in an upcoming biopic.Dubbed the Godfather of Funk, Clinton is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and widely regarded as one of the most important innovators of the musical genre, along with James Brown and Sly Stone.The developing project is said to chronicle Clinton’s life and legacy, from his childhood in 1940s North Carolina, to the formation of his groundbreaking bands Parliament and Funkadelic in the late 1960s. The movie will also explore Clinton and the bands’ impact of the future of hip-hop and artists like Tupac Shakur, Dr.

In today’s episode of Bingeworthy, our revitalized TV and streaming podcast co-hosts Mike DeAngelo and Rodrigo Perez dig into the rise and trend of tech grifter television which is all the rage at this very moment. Specifically, we discuss Apple TV+’s new series “WeCrashed,” which tells the true story of Adam and Rebecca Neumann (played by Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway, respectively), founders of WeWork, which grew from a single co-working space in New York to a global brand worth $47 billion in under a decade — until disaster struck.

“CODA” won the top prize at Saturday night’s Producers Guild Awards, giving momentum to the possibility that the small film could have a big night at next week’s Oscars.

LOS ANGELES -- “CODA” won the top prize at Saturday night's Producers Guild Awards, giving momentum to the possibility that the small film could have a big night at next week's Oscars.The story of three adult family members who are deaf and a fourth who is not and seeks a singing career beat out bigger contenders including “The Power of the Dog,” “Dune” and “West Side Story" to take an award that — more often than not — goes on to win the Academy Award for best picture.“This movie has been an amazing ride, it was such a special one to make, there was so much love and so much heart put into it,” said Fabrice Gianfermi as he accepted the award with his “CODA” co-producers Philippe Rousselet and Patrick Wachsberger at the 33rd PGA Awards.An American Sign Language translator, who had been off to one side of the stage throughout the night’s speeches, stood front and center during the “CODA” acceptance and another stood in front of the stage to translate for the three actors from the film who are deaf: Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant.“CODA,” an acronym for “children of deaf adults,” is nominated for three Oscars at the March 27 ceremony, including best adapted screenplay for writer-director Sian Heder and best supporting actor for Kotsur, who is expected by most to become the first actor who is deaf since Matlin in 1987 to win an Oscar.After it won best ensemble at last month's Screen Actors Guild Awards it began to appear “CODA” could get real consideration for best picture. The odds may be getting better.

Apple Original Films’ CODA has won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at PGA Awards tonigtht, making a Best Picture win at Oscar next Sunday highly likely — while also making history as the first ever streaming film to win this award at the Producers Guild Awards.

In accepting the Stanley Kramer Award at the PGAs tonight, EGOT winner and West Side Story actress Rita Moreno, reflected on the time she first heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech near the Lincoln monument in Washington D.C. She was invited to the event by Harry Belafonte.

The PGA Awards is always one of the longest awards ceremonies. This year, however, there was joy in the room as it returned to an in-person event and fine career honoring acceptance speeches by Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Greg Berlanti, and Issa Rae.

On Saturday night, Greg Berlanti used his PGA acceptance speech as a platform to widely criticize the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida.

“Season 4 everyone knew that we were heading toward a tournament, season 5, no one knows where we are headed,” said Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz.

Belfast writer-director Kenneth Branagh and actor Ciarán Hinds have tested positive for Covid-19 and missed the Producers Guild Awards ceremony Saturday, where the film is up for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.

While not specifically calling out Disney’s recent debacle surrounding Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy made it known that she and her fellow PGA Milestone Award recipient George Lucas are on the right side of history, giving a shout-out to the impact of diverse, female and LGBTQ artists in the motion picture industry.

Before Dune wins any one of its ten Oscars, filmmaker Denise Villeneuve is already in prep on the second half of the Frank Herbert classic.

Clayton Davis Ahead of tonight’s Producers Guild of America awards ceremony, the annual breakfast with the nominees for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award at the Skirball Cultural Center.The theme of the panel, moderated by PGA president Lisa Fisher, was Steven Spielberg, nominated as one of the producers for his musical “West Side Story.”During the conversation, the two-time Oscar-winning director — for “Schindler’s List” (1993) and “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) — shared with the audience that he’ll never direct another musical in his career, although he’ll be involved as a producer on some. He’s currently co-producing the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” with Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks in the lead roles.

Steven Spielberg cited the hit Netflix Korean drama Squid Game as a game changer for the industry. Spielberg was among the nominated producers for the PGA Awards Zanuck Award speaking on a panel Saturday Morning at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.

Sasha Urban editorIn one of the most star-studded lineups of this year’s awards season, Serena Williams, Nick Jonas and Oscar nominees Kristen Stewart and Ciaran Hinds have been tapped as presenters at the 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards Saturday evening, Variety has learned exclusively.They will be joined at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel by Josh Brolin, Rachel Brosnahan, Daniel Durant, Alana Haim, Jude Hill, Chris Pine, Daniel Dae Kim, Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Ryan Murphy, Simon Rex and Kerry Washington, as well as previously announced presenters Meryl Streep, Casey Bloys, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh, Aunjanue Ellis, Jung Ho-yeon, Linda Lavin, David Alvarez, Jessica Chastain, Denis Villeneuve, Troy Kotsur, Andrew Garfield, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Steven Spielberg. The PGA Awards are known to be a strong predictor of which film will take home best picture at the Academy Awards, which will be held on March 27.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA scripted series about legendary rock band U2 is in early development at Netflix, Variety has confirmed with sources.J.J. Abrams is attached to executive produce the project under his Bad Robot banner, with “Bohemian Rhapsody” writer Anthony McCarten onboard to write the script.

Clayton Davis A weekend trio of big wins for Netflix at the DGA, BAFTA and Critics Choice awards has given Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” the gas required to make it over the finish line. That’s if it can keep its closest competitors — “Belfast” from Kenneth Branagh and “CODA” from Siân Heder — at bay.The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, which is the top prize from the PGA Awards, has been one of the most vital and telling precursors from all major guilds.