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Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Watching “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” I realized that the movie, a standard overly busy and mediocre blockbuster with a pretty awesome wow of a clash-of-the-titans climax, was demonstrating one of the essential principles of Hollywood movie culture today. Namely: All blockbuster movies are now connected! Kong, living in the Hollow Earth, where most of the film is set (the Hollow Earth is a place I’ve never much liked the idea of, since it seems like Earth’s version of a storage basement), is supposedly the last of his kind, but he discovers a child ape who actually looks like an homage to the cuddly creature in the 1967 Japanese film “Son of Godzilla.” This kid gorilla leads Kong to a tribe of scraggly hostile apes who are living in a slave society presided over by the Skar King, an evil ape with blotchy red hair who’s as tall as Kong and wields a skeletal bone whip that looks like it was fashioned out of the spine of a sea serpent.

BAFTA-nominated film producer Ileen Maisel has died at 68.Her sister and Hollywood publicist Cheryl Maisel announced that she had passed away from cancer at her home in London on February 16, 2024.The producer was behind films such as The Golden Compass, Ripley’s Game, and Onegin, the last of which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film.Maisel began her career at the age of 15, working for entertainment journalist Rona Barrett. In 1980, she became the Head of Development at Frank Yablans’ (former president of Paramount Pictures) independent production company.When Yablans became vice Chairman and COO of MGM/United Artists a few years later, Maisel joined him at the company.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and other unions representing film and TV writers and journalists sent a letter to Congress Thursday urging protections for their industries in any legislation regarding Artificial Intelligence. Addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the letter was co-signed by the NewsGuild-CWA, Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), and National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET-CWA).

Hollywood and other industries are still grappling with how to integrate AI into their workflow, but the Biden administration today started putting up concrete guardrails around the technology that could literally change everything.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday named Bridgette Wilder as its first Chief People and Culture Officer, a position that combines the AMPAS and Academy Museum’s human resources teams.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade is realigning the company’s content and business operations into three groups, the Fox Television Network, Fox Entertainment Studios and sales arm Fox Entertainment Global.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox Entertainment is restructuring its operations into three divisions: network, studios and sales. As part of this re-org, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade has promoted Michael Thorn to president of Fox Television Network and upped Fernando Szew to head of Fox Entertainment Studios.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” has been renewed for Season 5 at Starz. The series is currently filming its fourth season in New York, while the third season aired its finale in February. “We know that our fans can’t get enough of ‘Raising Kanan.’ As the inevitable evolution of this young man into a killer plays out, we knew we had much more backstory to share in this ever-escalating family saga,” said Kathryn Busby, president of original programming for Starz.

Jaden Thompson The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has appointed Bridgette Wilder to the newly established position of chief people and culture officer. Wilder will report to Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Ariana DeBose will host the Tony Awards for the third consecutive year. Broadway‘s biggest night will take place on June 16 in New York City at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

William Earl Disney Entertainment Television marketing president Shannon Ryan has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Variety Entertainment Marketing Icon Award, to be presented April 24 as part of Variety’s Entertainment Marketing Summit, presented by Deloitte, in Los Angeles. Ryan is being recognized for her long track record of innovative marketing and promotional campaigns during her long tenure at Fox and Disney.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Disney has reached a truce in its fight with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the special district that governs Walt Disney World.

Disney’s streaming bundle combining Hulu and Disney+ in one service officially launched Wednesday morning, ending a three-month beta period described by the company as a success.

Superman & Lois is returning for a fourth season on The CW in 2024!

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CAA, the agency that helped broker the recent deal that brought former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel to NBC News as a political analyst, has parted ways with her, according to a person familiar with the matter, as she wrangles with the media outlet over appropriate terms for an exit. McDaniel has been advised to seek an attorney to represent her, this person said. A representative for CAA did not respond immediately to a query seeking comment.

Thania Garcia Rostrum Records, the Los Angles-based, Pittsburgh-born indie label that helped launch the careers of stars Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller, is experiencing a rebirth. The imprint has had a strong run since its founding in 2003. In November 2011, Miller, a then 19-year-old from Pittsburgh, and Rostrum made chart history when his debut album “Blue Slide Park” opened at No.

Three more KMR Talent agents, Harold Augenstein, Vice President and Head of LA Theatrical; as well as LA theatrical agents Jodie Bowman and Sam Sherry, have left the agency whose franchise with SAG-AFTRA was suspended on Friday following weeks of mounting problems with client payment delays.

Robert Kennedy Jr. has selected attorney Nicole Shanahan, a contributor to his campaign, as his running made.

The judge presiding over Donald Trump‘s upcoming New York criminal trial has imposed a gag order on what the former president can say about potential witnesses, attorneys and court staffers in the case, as well as potential jurors.

EXCLUSIVE: Director Sean McNamara‘s Reagan, the first full-length feature on the 40th U.S. President, starring Dennis Quaid, has been picked up for North American distribution by ShowBiz Direct.

were raided as part of an ongoing investigation, . The raids were carried out simultaneously in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25.Per CNN, it is unclear whether Combs himself was specifically targeted; a source told the outlet that they were unable to reveal more information given the sensitive nature of the investigation.It’s a fast-moving story, but here is a timeline of everything we know so far.November 16, 2023: files a lawsuit accusing Combs of physical and sexual abuse that lasted for years, (AP).

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Thania Garcia Teddy Swims, the singer-songwriter behind “Lose Control,” has signed a new global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. The RIAA platinum-certified single “Lose Control” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the latest tracking week after spending 32 weeks on the chart.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Advertisers plan to increase spend on in-video-game advertising by 40% this year, according to a new study, with total ad spend set to reach $8.5 billion in 2024 and increase to $11.5 billion by 2027. In IAB‘s “Changing the Game: How Games Advertising Powers Performance” report, which was revealed Tuesday, 86% of advertisers surveyed said gaming ad spend is “brand safe” and 85% are confident in their ability to measure the reach of games advertising.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel has only appeared once on NBC News programming in her new capacity as a political news contributor, and already, senior executives are gathering to conduct a review. Top executives from NBC News were expected to meet Tuesday to hash out the growing controversy around her recent hire, according to two people familiar with the matter, in a bid to stop a growing insurrection by the NBCUniversal unit’s editorial staff.

ReachTV, the largest streaming television network for travelers, is adding two major executives to the company.

Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele will perform at Joe Biden‘s Thursday night fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor A long line of MSNBC‘s most popular anchors spent Monday calling out the network’s corporate sibling, NBC News, for its hire of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel in a stunning display of internal rifts laid bare on the TV screen. The hire of McDaniel as a contributor is “inexplicable,” Rachel Maddow said on MSNBC Monday night as part of a half-hour commercial-free monologue that painted the former politico as one in a line of fascists and would-be usurpers who have tried to take over America’s political process.

EXCLUSIVE: Two more senior KMR Talent agents, Doug Kesten and Tracey Goldblum, Vice Presidents and Co-Heads of New York On-Camera Commercials, have left the agency, whose franchise with SAG-AFTRA was suspended on Friday following weeks of mounting problems with client payment delays.

Katcy Stephan Universal Pictures has pre-emptively landed an adaptation of Mark A. Bradley’s “Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America,”with newly-minted Oscar winner Cillian Murphy attached to star and produce. Jez Butterworth (“Spectre,” “Ford v Ferrari”) and John-Henry Butterworth (“Get On Up,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) will adapt the screenplay.

EXCLUSIVE: Former A3 Artists Agency Partner and President Brian Cho has started Arise Artists Agency, with former A3 agents Ashley Partington, Abbie Waters and Nic Frascino joining the newly launched company. The news comes a month and a half after the abrupt shutdown of A3 Artists Agency last month.  

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Paula Weinstein, the respected producer of films including “The Perfect Storm,” “Analyze This,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and “Blood Diamond,” and former chief content officer at Tribeca Enterprises, died Monday in New York. She was 78.

Donald Trump‘s first criminal trial is now scheduled to start on April 15.

Kanye West has claimed that his name is a “slave name” and demanded to be called ‘Ye’ from now on.Back in 2021, West’s petition to legally change his name to his mononym Ye was approved in a Los Angeles court.Since then, the US rapper’s names in the press and public have often been used interchangeably.But West’s chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, has since demanded that the rapper be referred to as Ye in an open letter obtained by Page Six. “Ye is one of the most recognizable people in the world, on par with presidents and popes,” the letter read.“He didn’t take the decision to change his name, potentially sacrificing some of the immense value captured by the brand of ‘Kanye West,’ lightly.

Selome Hailu The Golden Globes will air on CBS and livestream on Paramount+ for another five years, per a new deal with Dick Clark Productions that also puts the American Music Awards on the Eye Network. The agreement kicks off with the January 2025 telecast of the Golden Globes.

MSNBC‘s Morning Joe co-anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski called on NBC News to reconsider its decision to hire former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor.