Soleil Moon Frye, Melissa Joan Hart Team Up for Lifetime’s Latest Bid to Blow Up Commercial Breaks

More details have emerged regarding Brad Pitt‘s Formula 1 feature film, Apex, which is currently filming at the British Grand Prix on Silverstone Circuit in England.

James Trafford predicted his European Under-21 Championship heroics, with the Manchester City star saving a last gasp penalty as England beat Spain 1-0 in the final.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Kevin Hart and his entertainment company Hartbeat are bringing back BET’s “Comic View” stand-up comedy franchise after a nine-year hiatus as part of a four-day weekend event in Las Vegas celebrating his 44th birthday. The actor, comedian, producer and entrepreneur’s Hartbeat is teaming with Paramount Global’s BET to relaunch “Comic View” for Hartbeat Weekend, taking place in Las Vegas from July 6-9 and timed for Hart’s birthday (July 6). Hosted by Mike Epps, the all-new episodes of “Comic View” will be recorded on location in front of a live audience throughout the four-day event with performances by Tommy Davidson, Tacarra Williams, Tony T. Roberts, Bresha Webb, D.C. Young Fly and rapper Tip “T.I.” Harris (in what will mark his televised stand-up comedy debut).

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Welcome to one of the strangest battles in all of Hollywood’s earth-scorched streaming wars. Tune into TNT or Discovery Channel and chances are you might come upon an ad for a new streaming selection on Peacock or Netflix. Stream something on Max — also owned by the TV networks’ parent, Warner Bros. Discovery — and you’ll see no such thing. Nor are you likely to see commercials for something new from Amazon’s Prime Video on Disney+ or Hulu, though it’s certainly possible such promotions might turn up on some of the TV networks also owned by Disney, such as ABC or ESPN. And chances are virtually nil at the current moment that you’ll see anything touting Paramount+ or Tubi on the new ad-supported tier backed by Netflix.

IMAX is partnering with Beach House Pictures and China Review Studio on feature documentary The Elephant Odyssey. The film will chronicle the epic adventure of the wandering Asian elephants that captivated viewers around the world in 2020 and explore the rarely seen world of Yunnan, China where the elephants live. Filmed with IMAX cameras and slated for release across the IMAX network in 2024, the 90-minute film is currently in production in China. Alice Gu (The Donut King) is directing with Clair Popkin (Free Solo) serving as DP.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos are now part of the Protect Our Planet challenge.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Fox News agreed to pay $12 million to Abby Grossberg, a former producer for Tucker Carlson and Maria Bartiromo, who alleged the Fox Corp.-backed outlet had coerced her into providing false testimony in a deposition related to a recent defamation suit levied by Dominion Voting Systems as well as operating a hostile and discriminatory workplace. In her suit, filed in the Southern District of the State of New York earlier this year, Grossberg alleged she was harassed and forced to give inaccurate information in the Dominion matter, which Fox agreed to settle for $787.5 million in April. Parisis G. Filippatos, an attorney for Grossberg, did not respond immediately to a query seeking comment. “We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation,” Fox News said in a statement.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Geraldo Rivera has called Fox News his home since leaving CNBC in 2001 to join as the cable outlet’s ostensible war correspondent. He appears to have a lost a recent battle. After being ousted from a rotation on “The Five,” Rivera said in a video post on Twitter Thursday, he is leaving Fox News. “I’ve been fired from ‘The Five,’ and as a result, I quit Fox,” the veteran TV personality said, while riding a boat. He said he might appear on “Fox & Friends” Friday to offer more comment, but would not be appearing on “The Five” one last time, as he had previously indicated he would. Fox News was unable to offer immediate comment.

Emiliano De Pablos Banijay’s Shine Iberia and Mexican studio Dopamine are joining forces with renowned Spanish composer Lucas Vidal (“Elite,” “Fast & Furious 6”) on musical interview travel series “Tu vida en 3 minutos” (“Your Life in 3 Minutes”). Created by Shine Iberia’s Begoña Marín in partnership with Dopamine’s writers-directors Xevi Aranda and Sebastián Reyes, “Your Life in 3 Minutes” is one of the four projects selected at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment 2023’s Pitch Feelgood Formats sidebar. The seventh edition of Conecta Fiction runs June 26-29 in Toledo, the capital of Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha. 

Emmerdale have confirmed how Naomi Walters' will leave the ITV soap - and it's a sad storyline.

First-time mum Amy Hart has delighted fans with a series of bikini snaps, three months after giving birth to her little boy Stanley.The former Love Island favourite, 30 - who welcomed her first child with long-term beau Sam Rason on 7 March - has spent the last few days spending quality time with her new family at David Lloyd Gym and Fitness centre in Worthing. She's shared heart-warming videos of her new tot relishing some mother-sun time in the pool as Amy introduced him to the water, as well as post-personal training snaps and mouth-watering photos of her and Sam's meals.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Anheuser-Busch InBev is getting ready to pour cold beer on a brewing controversy. After getting tangled in the nation’s culture wars with a Bud Light social-media promotion that included transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — a move that unexpectedly resulted in boycotts, diminished sales and a decision to put on leave two marketing executives who oversaw the marketing effort — the company hopes to move on with a new ad campaign that focuses on the many summer activities that present an appropriate moment for the beer, one of the best-known beverages in the United States. “Good Times,” the sunny 1978 hit by the dance-music group Chic, plays throughout.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Washington, D.C., needs to get set for a Monumental overhaul of its TV-sports traditions. In September, fans who once flocked to NBC Sports Washington will find they’ve landed at a new venue. Monumental Sports Network will soon serve as the area home of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming. All the properties are held by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, a company led by former AOL executive Ted Leonsis. The company bought NBCUniversal’s 67% stake in the business last year, and will spend a chunk of 2023 putting its own stamp on operations.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Fox is granting new status to one of its veteran research chiefs. Michael Mulvihill will take on the role of president of insights and analytics at Fox Corp., expanding his purview from Fox Sports, where he had held forth for years, to Fox Entertainment and the Tubi streaming-video hub. Mulvihill will continue to report to Mark Silverman, president and COO of Fox Sports, while additionally now reporting into the leadership of Fox Entertainment and Tubi. He will not have oversight over any functions at Fox News Media, “Mike has been an unbelievable asset to the FOX Sports team, providing unmatched insightful analysis, and helping us grow our business to new heights,” said Silverman. “We are thrilled to see Mike expand his portfolio and bring his unique talents to our Fox Entertainment Group and Tubi.”

Tom Cruise and director/co-writer Christopher McQuarrie introduced the world premiere of Paramount/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in Rome on Monday evening. 

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor NBCUniversal is, for a quick moment, taking “Live, from New York” to a lounge found in a beach-side resort in France. Fresh episodes of “Saturday Night Live” have been in short supply in the U.S. due to the Hollywood writers strike, but NBC’s late-night mainstay could generate some interest on Wednesday at the Cannes Lions advertising festival. In a showcase led by NBC News’ Willie Geist, “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels will hold forth with cast members Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, Mikey Day and Ego Nwodim as part of a broader bid by NBCUniversal to get Madison Avenue to align itself with the program at it nears its 50th season in the fall of 2024.

Tyler Hynes and Kristoffer Polaha cap off just one section of a giant group photo of Hallmark Channel stars!

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Carolines Entertainment has tapped Horizon Sports & Experiences as its agency of record to develop sponsorship, brand activation, experiential and hospitality strategies to engage audiences across a variety of platforms on behalf of the 2023 New York Comedy Festival. HS&E, part of Horizon Media, will provide sponsors its full suite of data and analytics services and solutions. The 19th annual festival is slated to return in November. In an era when a writers strike has advertisers wringing their hands about how to align their brand messages with new comedy content, the festival, which started in 2004, may provide an alternative, says Neal Gluckman, HS&E’s senior vice president and head of sales, in an interview. “Brands still need to be out there,” he says, and the festival attracts a young, engaged base and also generates a lot of social-media content as comedians, venues and fans share their expereinces.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show, “Sherri,” is shaking up its executive ranks, setting a new senior producing team ahead of its second season. The inaugural season of the top-rated freshman show carried over the production staff from “The Wendy Williams Show,” which was replaced in its time slot on the Fox stations by “Sherri” when Williams’ show ended in 2022. Now, Shepherd’s show has parted ways with some of Williams’ top producers, who helped launch “Sherri,” which has been renewed through 2025. “Sherri” hails from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the same company that was behind “The Wendy Williams Show” for its 13-year run.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Al Roker is tackling a subject that might not be at the center of his activities on NBC’s “Today.” The morning-news veteran, through his Al Roker Entertainment production company, is releasing a new documentary underwritten by farming-equipment manufacturer Deere & Co. that examines the state of Black farming in the U.S. — and some of the struggles the farmers in question must often navigate. “Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land,” was created in partnership with director Eternal Polk, and looks at how landowners are working to reclaim agricultural rights. Many Black farmers often work land that has been passed down over generations via inheritance, but without a clear title, leaving the landholders unable in many instances to qualify for government assistance, equipment financing or agriculture programs. Many of them have lost their land over the years, marking a loss of generational wealth.