Todd Spangler Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Reddit was encountering technical problems that made the popular discussion site inaccessible for many users Wednesday. A message on Reddit’s status page posted at 1:58 p.m.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s official: Disney shareholders shot down activist investor Nelson Peltz‘s effort to win seats on the Mouse House’s board of directors. Investors voted to reelect all 12 of the company-backed board members, including CEO Bob Iger, ending the most expensive corporate proxy fight in history.

William Earl Variety veteran Todd Spangler has been promoted to Business Editor, overseeing coverage of corporate and financial news, mergers and acquisitions and other deal activity for media and entertainment’s largest conglomerates. Spangler will also continue to drive Variety‘s coverage of digital media and Silicon Valley tech giants. Based in New York, Spangler is a pillar of daily breaking news coverage.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor How big was the Taylor Swift effect on the Super Bowl? Her impact on viewership of CBS’s Super Bowl LVIII telecast will continue to be debated even after ratings for TV’s biggest event of the year come out. But it’s undeniable that Swift — who jetted from Tokyo to Las Vegas to cheer on beau Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl — has ratcheted up interest in the NFL and is responsible for recruiting a new cadre of fans to pro football.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix is not going to change up its movie strategy in the wake of the exit of film chairman Scott Stuber, according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Sarandos did not directly address Stuber’s departure, news of which came out Monday. But, asked on the streamer’s fourth-quarter 2023 earnings interview about whether “recent management departures” might signal a shift away from original movies, Sarandos replied, “We do not plan to change our strategy or the mix [of licensed and original films].

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Attending the Consumer Electronics Show is an eye-opening experience that offers intriguing glimpses into the future and an overwhelming amount of information about how the media, entertainment and tech industries are evolving in the present day. For the past decade, Variety has partnered with the Consumer Technology Association to help Hollywood players navigate a fast-changing marketplace with an entertainment business-focused track of programming at the big show.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece “1984” is getting a new audio-only treatment from Audible. The Audible original audio drama, set to premiere April 4, stars Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick…Boom,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”) as Winston alongside Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked,” “Harriet”) as Julia. They are joined by Tom Hardy (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises”) as the voice of Big Brother and Andrew Scott (“All of Us Strangers,” “Fleabag”), who plays the mysterious and dangerous O’Brien.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Spotify said chief financial officer Paul Vogel will leave the company next year and that it has launched a search to find a replacement. Vogel’s last day at Spotify will be March 31, 2024.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor After activist investor Nelson Peltz announced his intention to renew his proxy battle to secure seats on Disney’s board, the company responded by alleging former Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter — who is in league with Peltz’s Trian Fund Management — has a personal grudge against Disney chief Bob Iger. In a statement responding to Trian’s announcement, Disney said that Perlmutter “was terminated from his employment by Disney earlier this year and has voiced his longstanding personal agenda against Disney’s CEO, Robert A.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor After a flurry of weekend negotiations, Microsoft said it hired Sam Altman — just two days after the board of OpenAI ousted him as CEO — while OpenAI recruited Emmett Shear, most recently chief executive of livestreaming platform Twitch, to step in as interim CEO. Altman will lead a new artificial-intelligence research team at Microsoft, alongside former OpenAI president Greg Brockman (who had quit after Altman was fired on Nov. 17), Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced in a post Sunday night.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor “La Vie en robots”? More than 60 years after her death, legendary French singer Edith Piaf will come to life in a new biopic that will use AI to recreate her voice and image. Warner Music Group announced that it has partnered with Piaf’s estate for “Edith,” set to be a 90-minute film set in Paris and New York from the 1920s to the ’60s.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A federal jury convicted Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of failed cryptocurrency company FTX, on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. The charges carry a maximum prison term of 110 years, per the New York Times. The jury verdict Thursday came after a trial of a little over a month in federal court in New York City.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Marketers, mark you calendar: Google is bringing YouTube‘s Brandcast back to New York City during TV’s upfront ad-sales season for 2024 for a third year running. Next year’s YouTube Brandcast will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.

Sophia Scorziello editor The “Breakthrough Tech – Media Trendsetters” panel at Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit brought together industry leaders Vibol Hou, EVP and chief technology officer of Paramount Streaming; Shalini Govil-Pai, VP at Google TV; Erin Oremland, GM of AgilLink at City National Bank; Soumya Sriraman, president of streaming at Qurate Retail Group; and Will Cady, global brand ambassador at Reddit to talk about innovation in media technology. The conversation was moderated by Variety digital editor Todd Spangler. Oremland said City National Bank’s AgiLink embraces innovation in the ways it partners with clients, which includes family offices, business managers, sports professional firms and the like.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Popular podcaster and entrepreneur Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” fame announced The Unwell Network, pitched as a production shingle for catering to Gen Z audiences with “unique voices that embrace social challenges and personal insecurities through honest conversation.” The Unwell Network’s initial talent signings include top creators and influencers Alix Earle and Madeline Argy, who will work with Cooper and the Unwell team to “develop a variety of multiplatform concepts and projects.” The Unwell Network will produce content and experiences for talent across categories including pop-culture, beauty, fashion, lifestyle. The Unwell Network is a subsidiary of Tending, the media company Cooper founded this summer with her fiancé, Matt Kaplan of ACE Entertainment.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who was ousted by the network this spring, took aim at colleagues of his former employer for not stepping up to defend the free-speech rights of Alex Jones. On the latest episode of his show on X (formerly Twitter), Carlson hosted Tristan Tate, who along with his brother Andrew Tate was arrested in March 2023 by Romanian authorities.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple delivered solid financial results for the June 2023 quarter that beat Wall Street estimates, even as top-line revenue dipped 1.4% on lower-than-expected iPhone sales. CEO Tim Cook boasted of a new milestone for the world’s biggest tech company: It now has more than 1 billion paid subscriptions across all apps and services, up 150 million year over year. During the quarter, sales in Apple’s services unit grew 8.2%, to $21.21 billion.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Alexa will no longer swear a blue streak for you in the voice of Samuel L. Jackson. Amazon has discontinued sales of the special Alexa celebrity-voice add-on packs from Jackson, Melissa McCarthy and Shaquille O’Neal, which have been able to tell jokes, report on the weather and deliver other responses to users of Alexa-enabled devices. According to notices on Amazon’s site, the trio of Alexa celebrity voice “personalities” are no longer available for purchase. The Alexa celebrity voice packs had cost $4.99 each. For customers who already bought them, the Alexa voices for McCarthy and Shaq are set to expire on Sept. 30, 2023, while the Jackson voice add-on for Alexa was deactivated as of April 30.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor That was the week that was, and last week was an upfronts week like no other. Variety’s team of New York-based television and digital reporters offer a debrief on the 2023 programming presentations in New York on the latest episode of Variety weekly podcast “Strictly Business.” The drama roiling the industry was evident in all the Writers Guild of America picket signs that swarmed around the major events held from May 15 to May 17. That added to the general madness of the week that is a television and advertising industry tradition but is starting to feel anachronistic in the streaming era. But the upfronts are still a hard habit to break. Netflix even crashed the party this year, albeit virtually.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Shares of Netflix jumped more than 10% Thursday on news that the streamer had signed up almost 5 million customers for its ad-supported plan within six months of launch. At Netflix’s first-ever upfronts event Wednesday — held virtually — the company touted that it had signed up nearly 5 million global monthly active users following its initial introduction in early November 2022. About 80% of viewing by subscribers on the ad plan is on a TV, and the median viewer age of 34, according to the company. In addition, Netflix said more than 25% of new customer signups are now choosing the ad plan in the 12 countries where it has been rolled out, including the U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Shares of Disney slipped as much as 9% in trading Thursday after the media conglomerate reported earnings for the first three months of 2023. Disney’s earnings report showed progress on the cost-cutting front — with streaming losses narrowing for the quarter — but analysts cited a weak advertising outlook and uncertainty over when its streaming business can contribute to the bottom line. As of 11:30 a.m. ET, Disney’s stock price was $92.86/share, down 8.2%, and off its 52-week high of $126.48. Disney+ lost 4 million subscribers for the quarter ended April 1, including a loss of 300,000 in the U.S./Canada. But the company narrowed its streaming losses by $400 million, down 26% year over year, and Disney said it would remove content from Disney+ to cut costs while also expecting to raise prices on the ad-free Disney+ tier. In addition, CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would launch an integrated Disney+/Hulu “one-app experience” in the U.S. by the end of 2023 — indicating Disney’s desire to hold on to Hulu.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Filmmaker siblings Anthony Russo and Joe Russo are calling their deep-dish interview series, “Pizza Film School,” back into session after a nearly three-year break. In Season 2 of the video podcast, the Russo brothers sit down with fellow directors to talk about their favorite films, discuss the craft of making movies — and chow down on a couple slices of pies from local pizzerias. Guests for the second season include Zack Snyder, Nia DaCosta, Justin Chon, R.J. Cutler, Justin Lin and Emerald Fennell. The series is produced by their production company, AGBO. Season 2 will premiered April 11 with new two-part episodes dropping weekly exclusively on AGBO’s YouTube channel.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Twitter had said it was going to start removing the blue check-marks of legacy verified users starting April 1, so that only people who paid Elon Musk’s company $8 or $11 per month would have the badge going forward. On Sunday, Twitter did something different: It updated the language in the description of verified users so that now you can’t tell who is paying Musk for the blue check-mark — and who isn’t. The text for both Twitter Blue subscribers and legacy verified accounts now reads, “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.” Previously, the verification badge for those who paid for Twitter Blue had a description that said, “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue.” In addition, accounts verified under Twitter’s previous regime — as being considered notable and authentic — had formerly said, “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable,” which was wording Musk boasted he’d come up with himself.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor As it tries to reverse a tide of red ink, FuboTV is rebranding its internet pay-TV service Fubo — and the company unveiled a new brand campaign co-produced with Maximum Effort, the advertising and production company headed by Ryan Reynolds, who’s an investor in Fubo. Fubo’s new nationwide ad campaign features NBA champion and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett (pictured above) and former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, with the tagline, “If Sports Fans Built a Streaming Service.” The multiplatform campaign comprises a series of 15- and 30-second TV spots and digital display ads. Maximum Effort, co-founded by Reynolds and George Dewey, owns $10 million worth of shares in Fubo under a multiyear, first-look deal for unscripted content the production company inked with Fubo.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Sonia Coleman, a 15-year Disney veteran, is taking on a new role as head of human resources. The Mouse House named Coleman as senior executive vice president and chief human resources officer of the Walt Disney Co., effective April 8. She most recently has served as SVP of human resources for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Coleman takes over the the top HR job at Disney from Paul Richardson, who is leaving the company after more than 15 years. As head of HR, Coleman will report directly to Bob Iger, who is serving as interim CEO for a two-year term. Coleman will oversee Disney’s HR strategy, global talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational design and cultural development, employee education and development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, and global security.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Fanatical collectors of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” will get the chance to buy limited-edition multimedia nonfungible token (NFT) versions of the fantasy epic. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is teaming with blockchain company Eluvio to launch “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (Extended Version) Web3 Movie Experience, which will be available in two different editions that drop Friday, Oct. 21 at web3.wb.com. It’s the first time a major studio is releasing a movie as NFTs, which are unique identifiers that verify ownership of digital content. “The Fellowship of the Ring” NFTs are the first ones to be available in the “WB Movieverse,” a new marketplace that will in the future include other titles from the studio. Jessica Schell, GM and EVP, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, said future releases are yet to be determined. On the platform, fans will be able to buy, sell and trade movie NFTs.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Sex and relationship talk show “Call Her Daddy,” hosted by Alex Cooper, shot to the top of Spotify’s podcast charts following last week’s debut of Season 2. The premiere episode, released as a video podcast, featured an in-depth interview with Hailey Bieber. After the Season 2 premiere of “Call Her Daddy” on Sept. 28, the podcast hit No. 1 on the Spotify charts in English-speaking countries worldwide. As of Tuesday (Oct. 4), it’s the top Spotify podcast in the United States, Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. In the U.S., Cooper’s show is currently ahead of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the perennial chart-topper on the streaming service.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney+ was first launched three years ago with the “pretty absurd” low price point of $6.99 per month, CEO Bob Chapek admitted. Now the company is gearing up to raise prices again on the flagship streamer — but Disney+ still offers a better price/value equation than competitors, he said. “I think we’re way underpriced relative to the value we provide,” Chapek said, noting that the core Disney+ service without ads will continue to be priced below several competitors. The CEO was speaking Wednesday at Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia + Technology Conference 2022. Amid rising inflation, Disney has announced price increases coming in the fourth quarter of 2022 for Disney+ and Hulu, as well as a December launch for the ad-supported Disney+ tier in the U.S. Disney+ Basic, the name of the plan with ads, will launch Dec. 8 in the U.S. for $7.99/month. That’s the price of the current ad-free version of Disney+, which at that time will bump up to $10.99/month, a 38% increase, and will be known as Disney+ Premium.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is not going to say how many HBO and HBO Max customers it has.In the second quarter, the media conglomerate said HBO Max, HBO and Discovery+ subscribers combined were 92.1 million, up about 1.6 million from 90.4 million the prior quarter. That’s up 22% 75.8 million on a pro-forma basis versus a year earlier.However, WBD’s streaming businesses lost subscribers domestically in Q2, dropping 300,000 — falling from 53.3 million in the first quarter to 53.0 million as of June 30.For Q1, AT&T — the prior owner of WarnerMedia and HBO Max — had reported 76.8 million total HBO and HBO Max subscribers worldwide, including 48.6 million domestically.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix is acquiring Australian animation studio Animal Logic, which is producing films for the streamer including “The Magician’s Elephant,” directed by Wendy Rogers, and “The Shrinking of the Treehorns,”  directed by Ron Howard.Animal Logic has about 800 employees, mostly based in Sydney and Vancouver. The acquisition “will help us accelerate the development of our animation production capabilities and reinforces our commitment to build a world-class animation studio,” Netflix said in its Q2 letter to shareholders.Click here to sign up for Variety‘s free Strictly Business newsletter covering earnings, financial and investment news, and more.The company did not disclose the purchase price for Animal Logic but said it will fund the acquisition from cash on hand.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorQuinta Brunson channels her inner talk-show host to portray Oprah Winfrey in Roku’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” starring Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, as the frizzy-haired musical parodist.The movie is billed as “the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time.” “Weird,” which has a runtime of 108 minutes, is slated to premiere on the free, ad-supported Roku Channel this fall.Brunson is the latest cast member announced for “Weird,” which in addition to Radcliffe stars Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna; Rainn Wilson as radio broadcaster Dr. Demento; and Julianne Nicholson and Toby Huss as Yankovic’s parents, Mary and Nick.Brunson recently made Primetime Emmy Awards history with three nominations — for comedy series, lead actress in a comedy and writing for a comedy series — for ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” which she created, executive produces and stars in.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTrailblazing trans actor Hari Nef will headline “Lina’s Song,” a new scripted podcast from executive producer Mark Duplass, set in the ’80s punk scene of East Berlin.“Lina’s Song” is set to premiere on Spotify and Apple Podcasts on Aug. 19.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorStudio71 has dramatically stepped up Facebook video distribution efforts — with the digital content studio and network claiming its efforts have already produced more than 1 billion views on the platform.In addition, the company announced that it has signed several top creators to its roster, including Whitney Port; Epic Meal Time, the cooking show hosted by Harley Morenstein; and drag queen Trixie Mattel.Historically focused on YouTube, Studio71 last year formed a dedicated Facebook division. The company says it’s been publishing more than 1,000 videos per month on its creators’ Facebook pages, which have amassed over 50 million followers.Whitney Port, a vlogger, fashion designer, entrepreneur and an alum of MTV’s “The Hills,” has a bigger following on Facebook (430,000-plus followers) than on YouTube (178,000 subscribers).

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix has tapped longtime finance executive Ken Barker in a new role as principal accounting officer, assuming the duties from CFO Spencer Neumann.Netflix revealed the hiring of Barker in an SEC filing Monday. Barker starts at Netflix on June 27, reporting to Neumann, who continues to serve as the company’s chief financial officer and principal financial officer.Barker, 55, comes from games company Electronic Arts, most recently as senior VP finance since August 2021, and as SVP and chief accounting officer from June 2003 to August 2021.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorElon Musk is getting a little help from billionaire friends for his $44 billion Twitter takeover.According to an SEC filing Thursday, Musk has secured $7.14 billion in new financing commitments for the Twitter bid, including $1 billion from Larry Ellison. Ellison, co-founder and CTO of software giant Oracle, also sits on the board of Tesla, which Musk heads as CEO.In addition, Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia committed to retain the equity he owns in Twitter — his 35 million shares are worth $1.9 billion at Musk’s buyout offer — instead of receiving a cash payout, per the filing.Musk “will continue to have… discussions with certain existing holders” of Twitter stock, including ex-CEO Jack Dorsey, to contribute their shares toward his bid, according to the filing.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorRoku is super-sizing its cooking entertainment lineup.The streaming platform announced co-production deals with Marquee Brands and Milk Street Studios to develop seven original series starring lifestyle and culinary personalities Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and Christopher Kimball.The new programming was unveiled as part of Roku’s 2022 NewFronts presentation for marketers. The shows, to premiere exclusively on the Roku Channel, are “Martha Cooks,” “Martha Holidays” (working title), and “Martha Gardens” from Martha Stewart; “Emeril Cooks,” “Emeril Tailgates” from Lagasse: and “Milk Street’s Cooking School” and “Milk Street’s My Family Recipe” from Christopher Kimball.In addition to the all-new original series, the deals will bring complete past seasons of Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and Christopher Kimball series to the Roku Channel — comprising more than 3,000 episodes from the vault for free.