Erik Pedersen Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorPaula Pell (A.P. Bio, SNL) has joined the band in Girls5eva, Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and Meredith Scardino’s original series for NBCU’s Peacock.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorDunna-dunna-dunna-dunna Batwheels! Warner Bros Animation has tooned up a new preschooler series featuring the most heroic and iconic vehicles from the DC Comics universe.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorEpix has greenlighted Fiasco, a docuseries from Leon Neyfakh based on his podcast about America’s most pivotal historical events.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorAudible has inked a global multi-project, first-look development and production deal with Team Coco.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorA former longtime Warner Bros marketing executive has sued the company, claiming that she was fired in retaliation for making allegations of gender discrimination and harassment by men in senior management.Susan Steen seeks unspecified damages for wrongful termination, gender discrimination, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, retaliation and harassment and fair-pay violation.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorTwo days after Disney announced some 28,000 layoffs in its U.S. parks business, chairman Bob Iger has resigned from California Gov.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorUPDATED, 3:01 PM: Seagram’s heiress Clare Bronfman has been sentenced to more than 6 1/2 years in prison and a half-million-dollar fine for her role in the “Nxivm” sex cult case.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorHelen Reddy, the Australian singer whose global hit “I Am Woman” became a feminist anthem and who was the subject of a 2019 biopic of the same title, died today in Los Angeles. She was 78.“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles,” her children Traci Donat and Jordan Sommers said in a statement.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorRefresh for updates… The first presidential debate of 2020 in under way, and people in Hollywood already are sharing their opinions, frustrations and plaudits.Moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, the 90-minute tussle started at 9 p.m. ET from Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorNickelodeon has bolstered its toon team with the hire of Conrad Montgomery as VP Current Series, Animation, and three promotions: Dana Cluverius to SVP Current Series Animation, Claudia Spinelli as SVP Animation Development and Kelley Gardner as VP Current Series Animation.“I am incredibly excited to see Conrad, Dana, Claudia and Kelley take on these roles as we grow our original and franchise animation slate,” said Ramsey Naito, President of Nickelodeon Animation.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorThere’s a little TV event taking place tonight that you might have heard about. President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden will square off in their first debate of the 2020 election season.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorThe WGA has penciled in the dates for its 2021 Writers Guild Awards and set the timeline for TV and film nominations, submission deadlines, voting and nominee panels.The 73rd annual dual-coast Writers Guild Awards will be held Sunday, March 21, in separate ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. The scribes’ TV nominees — along with those for New Media, News, Radio/Audio and Promotional Writing — are set to be revealed Wednesday, February 3.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorEXCLUSIVE: There’s some new brass as Cartuna, The Brooklyn-based animation house behind Loafy and the upcoming Magical Girl Friendship Squad has hired Mike Flavin as SVP, Head of Development.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorTwo Louisville Metro Police officers were shot tonight as protests broke out in response the grand jury’s decision not to charge three of the city’s officers involved in the March 13 killing of Breonna Taylor.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group today unveiled its First Time Directors program with a slew of high-profile executive producer deals. The initiative aims to provide opportunities for the next generation of female and BIPOC filmmakers to find the stars of tomorrow in front of and behind the cameraAngela Bassett, Idris Elba, Salma Hayek, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, John Leguizamo, Eva Longoria and Courtney B.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorThe News and Documentary Emmy Awards have a new two-night format this year, and CNN is the leader in the clubhouse with seven wins after Night 1. See the list of winners here.PBS is second overall with five trophies, followed by HBO and CBS with three each.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorMichael Chapman, a two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer for Raging Bull and The Fugitive whose dozens of credits also include fellow Best Picture nominees The Godfather, Taxi Driver and Jaws, has died. He was 84.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorCall this “The One with the Diverse Cast.” Sterling K. Brown, Uzo Aduba, Ryan Bathe, Aisha Hinds, Kendrick Sampson and Jeremy Pope are set for an online Friends table read Tuesday.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorHBO dominated the drama and limited series categories during the televised Primetime Emmy Awards, running away from trophy-rival Netflix after the two were tied following this week’s five nights of Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorHBO scored a leading 11 trophies at the virtual 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night. The premium cabler divided its wins among five shows — Succession, Watchmen, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Euphoria and I Know This Much Is True.Runner-up Pop TV got all seven of its awards from the now-ended Schitt’s Creek.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorThe 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards — and, ideally, the first and only virtual Emmys — are being handed out tonight. Deadline is updating the winners list as they are announced, so refresh for the latest.The Television Academy will hand out statuettes in 23 categories tonight, following the Creative Arts Emmy Awards being doled out over five night this week.

Erik Pedersen, Brandon Choe America lost a pioneering champion for human rights today when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at 87. Click on the image above to see a photo gallery on her incomparable career.Ginsburg was the first nominee to the high court by President Bill Clinton, who was less than five months into his first term at the time.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorWith just seven weeks until Election Day, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is launching a voter-information campaign with a  series of state-by-state videos featuring the CBS late-night host.Dubbed “Better Know a Ballot,” the initiative by mid-October will include customized messages from Stephen Colbert for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., that explain how to register, vote early by mail or vote in person.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorAs wildfires continue to rage across the West Coast states, a two-game MLB series between the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners set to start today at T-Mobile Park in Seattle has been postponed over “very unhealthy” air quality.Both games are expected to be made up later this week at the Giants’ Oracle Park in the Bay Area.The news comes a day after the Oakland A’s and Mariners played a doubleheader at T-Mobile Park and the visiting team raised complaints

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorNight 1 of five in a row for the 2020 Creative Arts Emmys is in the books, and here is a look at the first winners by program and network.Netflix is the early leader in the clubhouse with five trophies spanning four programs — Cheer won twice — and CNN and National Geographic are tied for second with three apiece.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorStephen Colbert got a scoop tonight for his CBS late-night show. Veteran journalist and Rage author Bob Woodward brought along what he calls a “quite revealing” exclusive recording of President Donald Trump from five months ago saying of the coronavirus, “Bob, it’s so easily transmissible, you wouldn’t even believe it.”Woodward tells Colbert and us that the recording was made April 13 during a call made from the Oval Office.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorDr. Oz is returning for a new season today — and he’ll be back for at least two more.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorNBC is doing a little fall schedule shuffling, moving the premiere of its game show revival The Weakest Link back by a day, adding a second night of Dateline NBC and making a few other minor tweaks.The Jane Lynch-hosted Weakest Link now will premiere at 9 p.m. Tuesday, September 29; it had been set to bow the night before.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorBruce Williamson, who sang lead for legendary Motown group the Temptations in more recent years, has died. He was 49.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorHome & Family is headed back home. Hallmark Channel’s flagship daytime lifestyle series has returned to production at its Universal Studios set, and Season 9 will premiere at 10 a.m.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorPicture this: You’re in the Biggest Little City in the World. There’s trouble.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorDwayne Johnson took to social media today to reveal that he, his wife and two young daughters have tested positive for coronavirus, but “we are on the other side, we are no longer contagious,” he said.“I wanted to give you guys a little health update on some of the things that I have been going through on my end for the past 2 1/2 to 3 weeks now,” the Fast & Furious and Jumanji franchise star said in an Instagram video (see it below).

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorTyler Perry’s Sistas has a Season 2 premiere date on BET. The first series filmed in the “quarantine bubble’ introduced by Tyler Perry at his Atlanta studios this summer will return with back-to-back episodes starting at 9 p.m.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorDierks Bentley is set to star in and executive produce Hot Country Knights, a mockumentary series about the parody group he has fronted since 2015 with members of his road band.

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorThe NBA and its players union said today that the playoffs will resume Saturday after a three-day pause in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.After a meeting among players, coaches and team officials, the league has committed to “further our collective efforts and actions in support of social justice and racial equality.”“We had a candid, impassioned and productive conversation yesterday between NBA players, coaches and team governors

Erik Pedersen Managing EditorThe NHL has postponed its Stanley Cup Playoffs games set for tonight and Friday, joining the NBA and other pro sports leagues and teams in protesting the latest police shooting of a Black man.