President Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

The star-studded 2023 Essence Festival of Culture line-up celebrates hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.

BreAnna Bell BET has announced its upcoming docuseries special from Gabrielle Union titled, “My Journey to 50.” The two-part special serves as Union’s first project to come from her overall deal with the company, which was announced last June. The documentary follows the “L.A.’s Finest” alum as she jets off with her husband Dwyane Wade, family, friends and loved ones on a journey across Africa from the island of Zanzibar to the coast of Ghana to the parks of Namibia and the nightlife of South Africa in celebration of her 50th birthday. “We join Gabrielle, along with her family and closest friends, as she embarks on a journey that sheds light on the woman she once was and honors who she is in the present while discovering the deeply rooted, badass that she has always been. On this journey, she’ll walk the path of her heritage, gain wisdom and shed what no longer works for her while welcoming others to relearn, rediscover and reconnect as we collectively celebrate our most authentic selves,” reads the show’s official synopsis, per BET.

Having a moment. Queen Consort Camilla honored both the late Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II with her jewelry choices while visiting Berlin.

Ahead of the April 6th release of his Netflix dark comedy Beef, Lee Sung Jin has stepped in as screenwriter for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, taking over for Black Widow‘s Eric Pearson, Deadline can confirm.

The iconic concert venue at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas has a new name and Kelly Clarkson is the first artist to book a residency following the announcement!

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, were dressed in their Royal best for a luxurious state banquet during the first night of their official visit to Germany on Wednesday evening.The monarch and his wife opted for seriously special evening wear as they put on a united front to meet and greet various important figures including former State Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the dinner, which was hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.The King was suited and booted in his Royal tuxedo, complete with military medals and a red sash as he arrived at Bellevue Palace. And Camilla looked incredibly elegant in a black long-sleeved gown adorned in thousands of white decorative vines.The royal wore her blonde tresses in her signature blowdried style, and chose a stunning all-diamond crown for the evening.

With news reports about his ailing health, many people are asking: is the Pope dead?

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav’s pay package topped $39 million in 2022, down considerably from the staggering figure he hit in the year prior, thanks to a massive $203 million stock option. In a Wednesday Securities and Exchange Commission filing, WBD stated that president and CEO Zaslav’s exec comp package totaled $39.3 million last year. $3.1 million of that sum was his salary, with the rest being stock awards ($12 million), stock option awards ($1.4 million), non-equity incentive plan comp ($21.8 million) and “all other” compensation ($925,489). While Zaslav’s pay is down considerably from 2021, it’s important to note the reason behind this major dip is an unprecedented $203 million stock option grant that inflated his total 2021 compensation package to a staggering $246.6 million. (To give you a more reasonable idea of what Zaslav’s pay has been in recent years, his 2020 haul was a mere $37.7 million.)

Disney has let go SVP and Chief Compliance Officer Alicia Schwarz, Deadline has learned, amid a major retrenchment at the company.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Oleg Stavitsky is co-founder and CEO of Endel, a sound wellness company that utilizes generative AI and science-backed research. Today, when the music industry cautiously expresses enthusiasm for AI, it focuses primarily on AI as a new tool that producers and artists can use in the studio. The rest of generative AI’s capabilities are seen as a threat, or as RIAA President Mitch Glazer put it in a recent op-ed, as “empty knock offs and chatbot impersonations,” from which true, human-made music must be protected.  Meanwhile, The U.S. Copyright Office has put forward new requirements when registering copyright for AI-generated content: they will consider the extent to which the human had creative control over the work’s expression and “actually formed” the traditional elements of authorship. Both perspectives draw a hard line between human creativity and AI activity, rather than looking at ways the two can collaborate and co-create. 

The adventures of the crime-fighting Reagan family will continue.

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have officially kicked off their new reign as Britain's monarchs, touching down in Germany for their first foreign trip. The king and his wife were greeted with a 21-gun salute and two flyover jets upon their arrival.They were also met by supporters as they descended from their plane, making their way to their vehicle.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Night Agent” has earned a speedy Season 2 renewal at Netflix, Variety has learned. The action thriller series debuted on the streaming service less than a week ago, on March 23. It proved to be popular immediately, rocketing up to the top of Netflix’s weekly Top 10 chart with 168.71 million hours viewed. The second season will consist of 10 episodes. “The last week has been a whirlwind as we’ve finally been able to share ‘The Night Agent’ with the world,” said series creator Shawn Ryan. “To see the tremendous reaction to the show has been a great joy and is a credit to our cast, our writers, our directors, our crew and our partners at Sony Pictures Television and Netflix. We couldn’t be any prouder or more excited to get cracking on Season 2 to share the further adventures of Night Action with our newfound fans.”

Global brand events veteran Diana Ruiz has been named Executive Vice President, Experiences and Design at Fox Entertainment, the media company announced on Wednesday. She will report to Fox Entertainment and Fox Sports Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Acosta. “With more than 20 years in the global events arena, Diana possesses considerable, proven creativity, discipline and operational excellence,” said Acosta.

Fox Entertainment has tapped Diana Ruiz as Executive Vice President, Experiences and Design.

McKinley Franklin author Fox has named Diana Ruiz as its new executive vice president of experiences and design. Ruiz will report to Fox Entertainment and Fox Sports chief financial officer, Jeff Acosta. “With more than 20 years in the global events arena, Diana possesses considerable, proven creativity, discipline and operational excellence,” said Acosta. “Her unique skill set will be invaluable as Fox leverages differentiated, measurable impact-driven events and experiences to continue expanding its leadership position within the worldwide media and content creation landscape.” Responsible for the development and execution of marketing, publicity, sales, hospitality and corporate events and experiences, Ruiz will lead Fox’s global events team while working cross-functionally across their portfolio of businesses. Ruiz will lead prominent projects including Fox Network premieres, the Upfronts, Comic Con and sporting events such as The Super Bowl, Men’s and Women’s World Cup, and The MLB All-Star Game, among others. 

BreAnna Bell CBS has renewed its hit drama “Blue Bloods” for the 2023-2024 season, marking the show’s 14th year on the network. “’Blue Bloods’ has dominated Friday nights since its premiere and remained an important anchor for CBS’ winning lineup,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Led by the outstanding Tom Selleck, and an incredible cast and creative team, viewers continue to embrace the Reagan’s, their law enforcement family, and the series’ dramatic storytelling. We can’t wait to pull a chair up to the Reagan family dinner table for another fantastic season.” CBS boasts the series as Friday night’s No. 1 primetime program and the third ranked broadcast drama with 9.54 million total viewers. “Blue Bloods” records more than 11 million viewers an episode on Paramount+ and CBS TV according to live +35 day multiplatform viewing figures. The series is also a top 10 program on Paramount+ based on total minutes viewed. Year to date in 2023, “Blue Bloods” ranks as the sixth most viewed channel on Pluto TV.

Yellowjackets has returned to our screens for a second season, with the mystery thriller continuing its intense, traumatic and compelling dual timeline narrative.The second instalment of the Showtime series kicked off last week (March 24), with new episodes set to air weekly until May 14.A synopsis for season two of Yellowjackets reads: “The Yellowjackets barely made it through summer, but now as winter begins to bite, we’ll see if hunger and desperation turn into full-on psychosis.“Meanwhile, 25 years later, each survivor must determine if the darkness is coming for them or from them.”Yellowjackets airs on Showtime in the US, but viewers in the UK can watch the show on Paramount+.You can watch the second season premiere episode of Yellowjackets, titled ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen’, on the streaming service now, along with every episode of the first season of the series, which originally aired between November 2021 and January 2022.Paramount+, which is the current home of Yellowjackets, costs £6.99 a month.There was good news for fans of Yellowjackets back in December when it was confirmed that the show had already been renewed for a third season.“With Yellowjackets’ runaway success in season one and the pent-up anticipation for season two, we wanted to maximise the momentum by fast tracking season three now,” Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media Networks, said in a statement.“The show’s ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredible creative team behind it, including Ashley, Bart, Jonathan, eOne and the Showtime team, for turning this into such a success.”

CNN News Central, the network’s new daytime programming blocks, will begin its roll out next week.

EXCLUSIVE: Looks like everyones favorite wisecracking superhero is being joined in the MCU by some old friends as sources tell Deadline Karan Soni and Leslie Uggams are joining star Ryan Reynolds in the next Deadpool sequel for Marvel. Soni and Uggams played fan favorites Dopinder and Blind Al that were in the first two installments of the blockbuster series. They join Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and the newest additions of the cast Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen.

A Disney spokesperson has confirmed to Deadline that Ike Perlmutter is out at the company. Note, Permutter oversaw the consumer products division of Marvel, and isn’t part of the Kevin Feige-led Marvel Studios.

WME is teaming with Inevitable Foundation, the non-profit helping disabled screenwriters to reach their full commercial and creative potential, on a new initiative to empower them.

On Tuesday’s “The Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert unsurprisingly took a moment to lay into Donald Trump’s Monday night Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, playing clips of the former president’s “rambling” answers and his refusal to play along with some of Hannity’s soft-ball questions. When it came to answering to the photo he posted to Truth Social depicting himself holding a baseball bat over Manhattan DA Alvin Brigg’s head, Trump’s response didn’t satisfy Colbert.

” strategy…) Anyway, when a new one comes around, who are we not to delve straight in and figure out how it could impact us and our love lives. So, into today's dating trends lesson, we bring you: workout wooing. Yep, it's basically exactly what it says.

, you probably spend more time dissecting the voices of famous—and infamous—women than you realize. In 2022, the internet dedicated  to picking apart Julia Garner’s accent when she played Russian turned “German”  in Inventing Anna. As part of the larger bimbohood reclamation, Paris Hilton recently  that her syrupy baby voice—the subject of decades of tabloid fixation—was part of a “perfect-life Barbie doll character” she created as a .

EXCLUSIVE: After months of upheaval following the close last April of WarnerMedia and Discovery’s $43 billion merger, Michael Ouweleen sees a much more settled operating environment taking shape in 2023.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-TV group Wowow.

A cyclathon challenge is being held to raise funds for Prostate Buddies Dumfries and Galloway.

Barbie Bassett has not been on air for the NBC affiliate WLBT since March 8, when she and other employees were discussing Snoop Dogg’s addition to his wine line on air.

For years, Los Angeles-based Hillsong Church had been a popular place of worship for celebrities, attracting the likes of Justin Bieber, Chris Pratt and Kendall Jenner — until now-disgraced pastor Carl Lentz was hit with multiple scandals, including the revelation of an affair, accusations of covering up child sexual abuse, and embezzling church funds.

Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham have made Fox News’ witness list for its defamation trial against Dominion Voting Systems. On Tuesday, a legal filing submitted by the network revealed a slew of people for it submitted as potential witnesses in the $1.6 billion lawsuit against the network. Among them were several Fox News other personalities including Bret Baier, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Lou Dobbs. Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox News president Jay Wallace also made the list.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Fox News is about to have one of its biggest events in years, and everyone from CEO Suzanne Scott to prominent anchors like Tucker Carlson and Maria Bartiromo to primetime chief Meade Cooper is likely to attend some part of it. If Fox’s parent company has its way, however, Rupert Murdoch, the guiding force behind much of Fox Corporation, will not. Starting as soon as April 17, Fox Corp. could square off in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware and face allegations of defamation from Dominion Voting Systems in a whopping $1.6 billion-dollar suit that is sure to generate headlines. Before any of that can start, however, the two sides appear to locked in a battle over whether the Fox Corp. executive chairman, and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, should be present in court to give testimony.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Thomas Haden Church was one of the many Spider-Man alum who returned for Marvel’s 2021 blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Church reprised his role of Flint Marko/Sandman from Sam Raimi’s 2007 “Spider-Man 3,” but his screen-time in “No Way Home” was fairly limited when compared to fellow returning villains like Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina). In a new interview with The DisInsider, Church said conversations are taking place about future big screen appearances for Sandman. “We had a whole story involving his his daughter, for ‘No Way Home,'” Church said about the character. “And it just ended up [cut]. There was just so much going on…Amy [Pascal] and Kevin [Feige], we all had a lot of conversations. And I would say that conversations have been had about the possibility of Sandman coming into an a future iteration of it.”

Marvel Studios has been the very model of a modern mini studio. Chief creative officer Kevin Feige and his small stable of executives have reliably delivered an unbroken string of global blockbusters to theaters and, starting in 2021, smash TV shows for Disney+. And they’ve done so while keeping virtually all their behind-the-scenes drama from spilling over into public view. It took just a week for that impeccable reputation to all but collapse, when Disney, Marvel’s parent company, fired Feige’s most high-profile lieutenant, Victoria Alonso, after 17 years with the company, most recently as the president of physical, postproduction, visual effects and animation.

“We should think a lot more about what women can do,” Sharon Stone told a packed ballroom Tuesday in NYC, speaking passionately about her early career; women in film; and Basic Instinct, the 1992 project that was ground breaking and traumatizing for actor.

Diane Garrett With Women’s History Month well underway, Variety asked female leaders in Hollywood a simple question: Are we better off today than we were five years ago? More pointedly, how many gains have there really been in the battle for gender equality since the industry’s great #MeToo reckoning – and what is the outlook for further change? Lately, there have been mixed signals: Time’s Up faded away in January after a series of missteps, and high-profile female Oscar contenders ended up empty handed once again in traditionally male-dominated categories earlier this month. Harvey Weinstein is in jail but new reports of sexual misconduct by other men in positions of authority continue to pop up with unsettling frequency. Recent academic studies have not given those fighting for gender equality much to cheer about either.