Oscars Producers Talk “I’m Just Ken”, Nude John Cena & Bob Iger Making The Call To Start Late – Contenders TV: Doc + Unscripted

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Thursday’s nights Academy of Country Music Awards program will provide further evidence that we are entering a Post country music period. But not as in “post-country,” let’s be clear… we’re talking about a Post Malone country era.

In July of 2023, recently returned Disney CEO Bob Iger shocked the media industry by indicating he might be open to divesting the company’s declining  linear assets. By last fall, he’d changed his mind, declaring them not for sale. On interviews and earnings calls since, he’s explained why — most recently at the MoffettNathanson media conference, and in the midst of annual upfront presentations to advertisers.

Walt Disney will cut its investment in programming for traditional television networks “pretty dramatically” as the company navigates the consumer shift to streaming, Chief Executive Bob Iger said Wednesday.Iger said linear channels such as ABC still serve as an important marketing tool and reach older viewers who are not watching series such as “Abbott Elementary” on Disney’s streaming platforms.Still, the goal is to “reduce pretty dramatically our investment in content specifically aimed at those traditional networks,” Iger said at the MoffettNathanson’s 2024 Media, Internet and Communications Conference in New York.On Disney’s theme parks business, Iger said he expected continued growth but perhaps not at the same rate as in recent years.“We’ve had double-digit revenue growth in that business for quite some time, and that’s extraordinary,” he said.

John Cena has been tapped as this year’s host of Shark Week, Discovery Channel‘s annual summer celebration of All Things Shark. The week-long event kicks off on Sunday, July 7. The announcement was made Wednesday during Warner Bros. Discovery’s upfront in New York City.

After a two-year absence from the upfront stage, Jimmy Kimmel was back Tuesday to take aim at Bob Iger, P Diddy, CBS and the new Golden Bachelorette.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The theme of Disney‘s 2024 upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday was “connections” — and not just because of the running bit started by “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Rob McElhenney, which involved their constant replaying of a five-second ad spot that said “Connections!” with a Disneyified logo and voiceover. No, the symbol of unity across Disney’s brands was made up of a slew of announcements from Marvel, and about such other high-wattage projects as “Star Wars,” “The Bear,” “Only Murders in the Building,” the “Wizards of Waverly Place” sequel series, “9-1-1,” Ryan Murphy’s new slate of FX titles and more franchises with intersecting talent. Disney kicked off the event when Oscar-winning “Poor Things” star Emma Stone introduced the Mouse House’s big boss, Bob Iger — a job like that would traditionally go to a top ABC star.

“I am deeply optimistic about our company, and in a world that is so in need of entertainment is a true privilege,” said Disney boss Bob Iger today in a rare appearance on stage at the start of the media giant’s upfront presentation in New York City. “To run a company that is the embodiment of creative excellence, of great and bold storytelling, of quality, and of innovation.”

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Mathew Rhys has been an “unabashed” fan of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas for as long as he can remember. He cemented his love of the writer — best known for his poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” — when he portrayed him in the 2008 biopic “The Edge of Love.” “When you tell most English people that you love Dylan Thomas, they go, ‘Grrr,’ because it’s such a cliché,” Rhys says. “But I’m unabashed that I’m a lifer.” He’ll play Thomas once again on May 14 in a one-night only stage reading of “Dear Mr.

during a quarterly earnings call on Tuesday. “The team is one that I have tremendous confidence in,” he began.

Anya Taylor-Joy learned on the set of George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel “Furiosa.” Under heavy coats of makeup, shooting in the Australian winter when daylight was scarce, Taylor-Joy wished she could have stayed in bed at least through the crack of dawn. Instead, she’d rise up in the middle of the night, ready to do battle. “I had the earliest call time of my life: 1:45 a.m.,” the 28-year-old actress says on a recent Los Angeles afternoon.

Disney will add select live games and studio shows from ESPN to its flagship streaming service Disney+ by the end of 2024, CEO Bob Iger announced this morning.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company will limit its output of Marvel movies to “two good films” a year — three maximum — from about four and also cut the numbers of TV series spinoffs for the franchise.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney CEO Bob Iger says the company is shrinking the MCU with a new mission to drop the number of Marvel TV series to two a year and the film output to no more than three movies per year. Iger said this is part of Disney’s overall strategy to reduce output and focus on quality, a strategy “that’s particularly true with Marvel.” On the TV side, Iger says that a portion of the upcoming series set for release are “a vestige of basically a desire in the past to increase volume.” “We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three.

Kris Jenner is giving royalty!

Mrs. Doubtfire has revealed that Robin Williams wrote a letter to her school to try to get her expulsion overturned.Lisa Jakub, who played the elder daughter Lydia in the 1993 comedy-drama, had been informed by her high school that she was no longer welcome after taking time off to star in the film, when Williams took it upon himself to try to help.Jakub shared the story during an appearance on the Brotherly Love podcast, where she was reunited with her film siblings Mara Wilson and Matthew Lawrence after 31 years.“I got thrown out of high school on Doubtfire,” Jakub said. “I’m Canadian.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Hannah Marks started acting when she was 6 years old, after seeing her mother’s acting reel. And she’s pretty much worked nonstop, from roles in the films “Accepted” and “The Runaways” to the cast of “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.” In fact, just last year she took her first vacation — though she confesses to recording several self-tapes during it.

Jessica Rothe is sharing an update on a third installment of Happy Death Day, and the star of the horror franchise is ready to face off with the Bayfield Babyface Killer once again.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is a mainstay of ABC’s schedule, its late-night anchor and frequent Emmy nominee. Joining me for a conversation for Deadline’s Contenders TV: Doc + Unscripted event were executive producer/co-head writer Molly McNearney, co-head writer/supervising producer Danny Ricker and supervising producer/writer Gary Greenberg.

The strikes are behind us, Emmy season is upon us, and it’s time to hear from the creatives and talent behind some of the TV season’s most talked-about nonfiction programs. Deadline’s daylong Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event will offer just that this weekend, giving awards-watchers a chance to kick back at home and take in the tales.

All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words” (St. Martin’s Press), an illuminating page turner from former band aide Peter Brown and best-selling author Steven Gaines.The extensive oral history is made up of candid interviews with Gaines, captured in 1980-1981; a scheduled sit-down with Lennon never happened before his Dec.