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‘The Gilded Age’ Gets Season 2 Premiere Date At HBO; Trailer & First-Look Photos Unveiled

The series is set during the titular Gilden Age in America, a period of immense economic change, of great conflict between the old ways and brand new systems and of huge fortunes made and lost.

Season 2 of The Gilded Age begins on Easter morning 1883, with the news that Bertha Russell’s (Carrie Coon) bid for a box at the Academy of Music has been rejected. Throughout the season, Bertha challenges Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) and the old system and works to not only gain a foothold in Society but to potentially take a leading role in it.

George Russell (Morgan Spector) takes on his own battle with a growing union at his steel plant in Pittsburgh. In the Brook House, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) continues her journey to find her way in the world secretly teaching at a girls’ school while much to everyone’s surprise Ada (Cynthia Nixon) begins a new courtship. Of course, Agnes (Christine Baranski) approves of none of it.

In Brooklyn, the Scott family begins to heal from a shocking discovery, and Peggy (Denée Benton) taps into her activist spirit through her work with T. Thomas Fortune at the NY Globe.

Julian Fellowes serves as the period drama’s creator/writer/executive producer. Bob Greenblatt, Gareth Neame, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and David Crockett also EP alongside director, Michael Engler; writer Sonja Warfield. The Gilded Age is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Kin Shriner and Marcus Coloma Interview - General Hospital, Two D's

Just how did the two guys come up with their hilarious comedy series, "Two Dicks" featuring so many GH favorite? What's the plan as their second season just dropped on their new You Tube channel? Find out!

This coming weekend on Saturday August 19th, the two are hosting a very original 'Murder Mystery' fan event, and they'll give fans a preview of what to expect.

Join them for a very fun and enlightening chat with Kin and Marcus, on Wednesday, August 16th beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT on the Michael Fairman Channel (Link Above).

Trailer for Praise Petey

Television Critics Association Award Nominations

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Christine Baranski, The Good Fight – Paramount+
Kieran Culkin, Succession – HBO | Max
Dominique Fishback, Swarm – Prime Video
Betty Gilpin, Mrs. Davis – Peacock
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us – HBO | Max
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us – HBO | Max
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul – AMC
Sarah Snook, Succession – HBO | Max
Jeremy Strong, Succession – HBO | Max.

Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben & Utkarsh Ambudkar Board Veteran Dramedy ‘My Dead Friend Zoe’

The film delving into the lives of military veterans, to highlight both their triumphs and challenges upon returning home, will have the trio starring alongside the previously announced Ed Harris, Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales.

Written by Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez, My Dead Friend Zoe is based on Merit x Zoe, a short that Hausmann-Stokes co-wrote and directed last year, which draws on his personal experience during and after the military, as a Bronze Star combat veteran. The film tells the story of a female veteran (Martin-Green) engaged in a mysterious but comfortable friendship with her wise-cracking (and dead) best friend from the Army (Morales). When the vet is summoned to the remote lake house of her estranged Vietnam vet grandfather (Harris), she is tasked with providing the one thing he refuses…help.

Producers on the project include Paul Scanlan and Terri Lubaroff of Legion M, as well as Richard Silverman of ReCre8 Entertainment, Ray Maiello and Mike Field of Radiant Media Studios, and Robert Paschall Jr. Legion M’s Jeff Annison, David Baxter and Brandi Plants are exec producing alongside Jordan Dykstra, Chris Boshuizen, and Nancy and Joseph Masterson. Co-producers on the pic, cast by Jamie Castro, include Liz Manashil, Maury Sterling, Martin Masterson, Steve Rodosky, Rao Meka and Chris Marvin.

“It’s rare that one of us (veterans) gets the opportunity to tell our own story. Morgan is a fellow vet (Air Force) and I’m honored, humbled for him to join our amazing cast and help us tell this important story,” said Hausmann-Stokes. “Adding Gloria Reuben’s depth and versatility and Utkarsh Ambudkar’s vibrant energy and comedic chops perfectly aligns with my goal to make a more universal and accessible kind of film about the military and veterans; one with as much levity and humor as heart and gravity.”

“The caliber of this all-star cast is a reflection of the quality of the script and the story. We’re thrilled with this gifted team coming together and we’re moved by their profound engagement to the story and purpose,” added Legion M Co-Founder and CEO, Scanlan. “This project, imbued with universal themes, strikes a chord in everyone. We’re also energized by the enthusiastic support from our Legion M community, and reinforced by the embrace of the underserved veteran community – both audiences longing for authentic, relatable narratives told in a compelling way.”

An Academy Award winner known for turns in classic films like The Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby, Freeman most recently starred opposite Florence Pugh in Zach Braff’s drama A Good Person, released by MGM in March. Among the actor’s other upcoming projects is the spy thriller series Special Ops: Lioness from Taylor Sheridan, which has him starring opposite Zoe Saldana and is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ July 23.

Reuben is known for roles on such series as City on a Hill, Mr. Robot, Cloak & Dagger, Saints & Sinners and ER, among others. The Golden Globe and two-time Emmy nominee has most recently been seen on the film side in titles like Firestarter, The Jesus Rolls and Who We Are Now.

Currently starring opposite Rose McIver on the hit CBS comedy series Ghosts, Ambudkar has previously been seen in notable roles on shows like Never Have I Ever and The Mindy Project. He’ll appear in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and has been seen on the film side in the Jennifer Lopez starrer Marry Me, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick… BOOM!, Ryan Reynolds starrer Free Guy, Sundance darling Brittany Runs a Marathon and more.

Freeman is repped by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Reuben by TalentWorks, Echo Lake Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; and Ambudkar by Gersh, 3 Arts Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ Paramount+ Series Gets Premiere Date, First Trailer

Starring Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Michael Kelly, Morgan Freeman and Nicole Kidman, Special Ops: Lioness is inspired by an actual US Military program. It follows the life of Joe (Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

Series also stars Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur and Hannah Love Lanier.

The series is executive produced by Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Saldaña, Kidman, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone and John Hillcoat. Special Ops: Lioness is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios for Paramount+.

Check out the trailer above.

Kin Shriner Announces Scott Has Been Written Out of GENERAL HOSPITAL

“I just found out Scotty was written out,” he wrote. “I thank you GH fans for decades of supporting me!”

While some fans wondered if the actor’s Twitter account had been hacked, others noted that he has made these kinds of statements before. In fact, back in December 2021, Shriner tweeted that “Scotty’s run is done, so heading to Florida to ride Vespa around the tropics!” And as we all know, Scott eventually returned to our screens.

The character of Scotty Baldwin first appeared back in the mid-‘60s played by child actor Johnny Whitaker and after a series of young actors was aged to an adult in 1977 when Shriner took over the role. He has come and gone numerous times from GH over the decades, so this could just be another visit to the backburner until Scott’s story heats back up again.

Recently, Scott found himself in a relationship with Liesl Obrecht that has become a fan favorite. Unfortunately, his defending Liz in court upset Obrecht and she has thus far found it difficult to forgive him. While it would seem more in character for Scott to continue trying to win Obrecht back, perhaps he’s going to go lick his wounds and wait for her to come around on her own.

“African-American” And “Black History Month” Are Insulting Terms, Says Morgan Freeman

Speaking to The Times in London on the eve of his new film A Good Person, Freeman said:

“Black History Month is an insult. You’re going to relegate my history to a month?”

And he added:

“Also ‘African-American’ is an insult. I don’t subscribe to that title. Black people have had different titles all the way back to then-word and I do not know how these things get such a grip, but everyone uses ‘African-American’. What does it really mean? Most black people in this part of the world are mongrels. And you say Africa as if it’s a country when it’s a continent, like Europe.”

Freeman told The Times that he had been inspired growing up by seeing Sidney Poitier on screen, only years later to talk to the veteran actor in person. Freeman revealed: “I spoke with Sidney way back. He said, ‘I wanted to be like you.’”

For Freeman, the man he would have liked to be is his friend Denzel Washington. “I am so very envious of Denzel’s career, because he’s doing what I wanted to do.”

He added: “Generationally, though, I do think we’re moving ahead in leaps and bounds… LGBTQ, Asians, black, white, interracial marriages, interracial relationships. All represented. You see them all on screen now and that is a huge jump.”

It is a few years now from the glory days of Freeman’s career, including The Shawshank Redemption, Unforgiven, Glory, Invictus, Driving Miss Daisy, Seven and Million Dollar Baby, which brought him his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2004.

By contrast, the actor, now 85, played down the success of his career in recent years, reflecting:

I’ve done much in the last ten years that was much different. Driving Miss Daisy and Glory were different. Now? It’s just . . . me. The character will adapt itself to you rather than the other way round, so I do what piques my interest. Sometimes it’s just the money alone.”

Sharon Acker Dies: Veteran Film (‘Point Blank’) And TV (‘Perry Mason’) Actress Was 87

Acker had a long and varied resume in film, television, and the stage. In 1956, she played the teacher Mrs. Stacey on a CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. She then joined the Stratford Shakespeare Festival company, starring as Anne Page opposite future Star Trek costar William Shatner in a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

In addition to Point Blank, her film credits include Lucky Jim (1957). Acker also was in Don’t Let the Angels Fall (1969), which played in competition at Cannes. She was selected by the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Canada as their Film Star of Tomorrow that year,

Her memorable TV roles included a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing the wife of Mitchell Ryan‘s Dan Walling. She later appeared in the 1973 reboot of Perry Mason, which lasted 15 episodes.

She also appeared on the CBC series Festival, and in 1961 portrayed Lady MacDuff on an adaptation of Macbeth.

Rounding out her TV career, she was on episodes of The Wild Wild West, Get Smart, It Takes a Thief, Lancer, Alias Smith and Jones, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Mod Squad, Marcus Welby, M.D., Cannon, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, The Rockford Files, Police Story and Quincy, M.E.

She was last seen in the horror film Happy Birthday to Me (1981), and her final TV appearance came on The Young and the Restless in 1992. She retired from acting in 1994.

Survivors include her children, Kim and Gillian; granddaughter Alexis; great-granddaughter Berkeley; and stepchildren Kim and Caitlin.

Muhammad Ali Event Series From Kevin Willmott, Regé-Jean Page & Morgan Freeman In Works At Peacock

The project hails from Oscar-winning BlackKklansman co-writer Kevin Willmott, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment, Bridgerton alum Regé-Jean Page and Emily Brown. Page is executive producing, but there currently is no deal in place for him to star as Ali. CBS Studios and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, serve as the studios. Eig is producing.

Written by Willmott, the series chronicles eight distinct and defining moments in Ali’s iconic life. Each episode will be framed by one of his fights, but the essence of the episode, what it’s really about, is the internal fight – the drama outside the ring. It will explore the struggle going on in the heart and mind of one of the most consequential and controversial figures of the 20th century.

Willmott executive produces with Freeman and McCreary for Revelations Entertainment, Page and Brown. Eig serves as producer.

This has been a longtime passion project for Revelations and a priority for CBS Studios, where the company is based. They teamed to acquire Eig’s book shortly after it was published in October 2017 and set out to develop it as an event series. A different version of the project with writer Dan Kay landed at CBS All Access in a competitive situation in the spring of 2018.

The pitch since has been revamped, with Willmott joining as a writer/executive producer and Bridgerton and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves star Page as executive producer.

Willmott is an Academy Award-winning film director and screenwriter and professor of film at the University of Kansas. He is known for work focusing on the Black experience in such projects as BlackKklansman, Da 5 Bloods, The 24th, Chi-Raq and Jayhawkers. He’s repped by Gersh.l

‘Lioness’: Morgan Freeman Joins Taylor Sheridan’s Series For Paramount+

Freeman will play Edwin Mullins, the United States Secretary of State in the show, from Taylor Sheridan, MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios.

Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (De Oliveira), a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Saldaña will play Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.

Lioness‘ series regular cast also includes Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur and Hannah Love Lanier. The series is executive produced by Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Saldaña, Kidman, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone and John Hillcoat.

Freeman was recently seen in his Emmy-nominated guest star role on The Kominsky Method, the sci-fi anthology series Solos and movies Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Paradise Highway and The Minute You Wake Up Dead. He also recently hosted and produced a nonfiction series Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman.

‘A Good Person’ Trailer: Florence Pugh And Morgan Freeman Star In Zach Braff Family Drama

The film will follow Allison (Pugh), whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident. In the following years, it is the unlikely relationship she forms with her would-be father-in-law (Freeman) that helps her live a life worth living.

Braff writes and directs A Good Person which reunites him with Freeman, who starred in Braff’s last film Going In Style. The Warner Bros movie remake took $85M at the global box office in 2017. Braff most recently directed on Apple hit Ted Lasso. Se7en and Million Dollar Baby star Freeman is in post on action-comedy The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

Freeman is represented by CAA. Pugh is represented by CAA, manager George Freeman, Curtis Brown Group in the UK, and attorney Greg Slewett at Ziffren Brittenham. Braff is represented by CAA and Management 360 and attorney Ken Richman at Hansen Jacobson.

Critics Choice TV Nominations

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
Laura Linney – Ozark (Netflix)
Mandy Moore – This Is Us (NBC)
Kelly Reilly – Yellowstone (Paramount Network)
Zendaya – Euphoria (HBO)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
Renée Elise Goldsberry – Girls5eva (Peacock)
Devery Jacobs – Reservation Dogs (FX)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Julia Garner – Inventing Anna (Netflix)
Lily James – Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Amber Midthunder – Prey (Hulu)
Julia Roberts – Gaslit (Starz)
Michelle Pfeiffer – The First Lady (Showtime)
Amanda Seyfried – The Dropout (Hulu)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Murray Bartlett – Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu)
Domhnall Gleeson – The Patient (FX)
Matthew Goode – The Offer (Paramount+)
Paul Walter Hauser – Black Bird (Apple TV+)
Ray Liotta – Black Bird (Apple TV+)
Shea Whigham – Gaslit (Starz).

Morgan Freeman appears at World Cup opening ceremony with a message of inclusion

It wasn’t the biggest moment of Sunday’s seven-act World Cup opening ceremony ahead of the match between host country Qatar and Ecuador. The largest cheers were reserved for the Mideast and African leaders watching from their luxury suites in Bedouin-tent inspired Al Bayt Stadium.

In fact, it was Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who drew a thunderous applause in a short speech delivered in Arabic from the suite. He was seated between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who secured the World Cup for the tiny gulf nation 12 years ago.

“How beautiful it is for people to put aside what divides them in order to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together at the same time,” Sheikh Tamim said, his words translated into English on a video screen inside the stadium.

“I wish all the participating teams a magnificent football performance, high sportsmanship, and a time full of joy, excitement and delight for you all,” he continued. “And let there be days that are inspiring with goodness and hope.”

He then said, “I welcome you and good luck to all,” in his only words spoken in English.

Sheikh Hamad, viewed as the modernizer of Qatar during his 18 years as ruler, further delighted the crowd by autographing an official World Cup shirt handed to him by his son. He then held the shirt up to the crowd.

Qatar, home to 3 million people, most of them migrant workers, has spent more than $200 billion on preparation for the World Cup. Seven new stadiums were built, including the 60,000-seat Al Bayt Stadium north of Doha.

The opening ceremony was meant to introduce Qatar to the world through its culture with a theme of “bridging distances.” Creative director Ahmad Al Baker wanted the ceremony to signify “a gathering for all mankind, an invitation to come together as one, bridging all differences with humanity, respect and inclusion.”

It hit the mark when Sheikh Tamim was joined in the stadium suite by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, two leaders who had boycotted Qatar for years. Not present were the leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, the two other nations involved in the boycott.

There were no major Western leaders in attendance, as Qatar is under intense scrutiny for its treatment of the migrant workers who prepped the nation for the World Cup, as well as the LGBTQ community. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar.

But among those who did attend the opening match were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Kuwait’s crown prince came, along with the director-general of the World Health Organization and Djibouti’s president. Also present was Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

They listened as BTS’ Jung Kook, while Qatari singer and producer Fahad Al Kubaisi debuted the single “Dreamers,” produced specifically for the World Cup.

Then came remarks from Infantino, who spoke in Arabic, Spanish and finally English to officially open the tournament.

“Dear friends, welcome, welcome, to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” Infantino said in English. “Welcome to celebrate football because football unites the world. And now let’s welcome the teams and let the show begin.”

As “The Business” by Tiesto blasted over the speakers, Qatar and Ecuador took to the field and the World Cup officially began.

Kevin Costner & Morgan Freeman Team To Produce Civil War Spy Series ‘The Gray House’ For Paramount

Both actors’ production shingles are partnering with Big Dreams Entertainment’s founder Leslie Greif, to tell the story of the three women General Ulysses S. Grant credited as helping the North win the Civil War. Costner is revisiting the Civil War era with his New Line ensemble western Horizon which he is currently shooting. Costner’s 7x Oscar winning movie, Dances With Wolves, was set during the Civil War frame, that pic earning the multihyphenate Best Picture and Best Director trophies.

Much like the women in the 2017 film Hidden Figures, in which Costner co-starred, The Gray House focuses on the unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil War in favor of the North. A Richmond Socialite and her daughter, a formerly enslaved African-American, and a courtesan build the first successful female spy ring, operating right under the noses of the Confederate High Command. They risk life and liberty to help win the war and preserve American Democracy.

The Gray House is based on an original script by Greif and Darrell Fetty (The Offer, Texas Rising) and Oscar-nominated John Sayles (Lonestar, 8 Men Out). Oscar-nominated Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields, The Mission, Texas Rising) is set to direct the series which will shoot in the spring.

Costner will serve as EP, with Rod Lake and Howard Kaplan producing for Territory Pictures. Alex Kerr produces for Big Dreams Entertainment. The limited series will be distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Said Costner, “The Gray House is an untold true story of three amazingly brave abolitionist heroes of the Civil War, who just happened to be women. Having a passion for history, it’s always personally fulfilling to share richly layered stories about America’s unsung heroes. I’m delighted to join forces with my friends Leslie Greif and Morgan Freeman with whom I’ve had great success to produce this important, epic saga.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to partner with our friends and industry legends Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman,” said Dan Cohen, Chief Content Licensing Officer, Paramount Global. “Their taste in material is second to none. Couple that with a chance to once again work with Leslie Greif, who Developed and Executive-Produced the Paramount+ series hit The Offer, and this is a project we are very much looking forward to bringing to a worldwide audience.”

Freeman and his Revelations Entertainment Partner Lori McCreary said, “Morgan and I are thrilled to bring to life the story of Mary Bowser, who volunteered to be placed in the ‘Confederate White House’ (aka The Gray House), posing as an enslaved person. She was thought by everyone to be illiterate and so they spoke freely in front of her, and with her photographic memory, she was able to send battle and secret information to the Union Army and help turn the tide of the Civil War. Revelations is all about revealing truth and this is a truth that needs to be revealed!”

Greif said, “I’ve found tremendous success in exploring subjects that audiences have heard of, but maybe don’t know the whole story as with The Offer, The Hatfields & The McCoys and Sun Records. The Gray House fits that mold – everyone knows the Civil War, but don’t know the impact that many women had on the outcome. I’m so thrilled and fortunate that Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary have put their passion, clout and heart into getting this miniseries greenlit. In addition, having the power and reach that Paramount put into launching The Offer ensures The Gray House is in stellar hands.”

Joffe said, “I’m exhilarated as a director to bring these women of historical consequence to the screen. They are women of fire and courage; decision-makers and fighters who faced incredible obstacles and dared to change the world. It’s rare to find material with such richly complicated, layered characters. I can’t wait to bring these 4 diverse ladies to life for today’s audience.”

Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment filmography includes CBS’ Madam Secretary TV series, and the movie productions Invictus, 5 Flights Up and the documentary film about cancer, The C Word. Recent accolades include an Emmy nomination for The Story of God With Morgan Freeman, three Emmy award nominations for Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman, a Peabody Award for the ESPN 30 for 30 episode “The 16th Man”. Freeman won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby.

Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary, and Revelations are represented by Fred Specktor of CAA and Jason Sloane of Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern and Schuyler M. Moore of Greenberg Glusker.

Most recently, Greif and Big Dreams developed, co-wrote and executive produced the 10-hour event series The Offer for Paramount+. Greif and Big Dreams produced the two-part event documentary Kisstory for A&E, which premiered opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival. As a follow up to 2019’s Egypt Live special, which aired in 95 countries, Big Dreams is once again partnering with Discovery for a two-hour special on the 100th anniversary of Howard Carter’s King Tut find. Greif previously produced under his Thinkfactory label, the Costner award-winning limited series Hatfields & McCoys.

Christine Baranski: 'I Was Stunned' to Learn The Good Fight Was Ending

“I had finished a marvelous workday with John Slattery and Gary Cole — I didn’t know what was coming,” the actress behind Diane Lockhart recalls to TVLine. “By the time I got home, [series co-creators] Robert and Michelle [King] called me and told me it’s going to be the end… I was stunned. My heart dropped… I tried to be sanguine and understand the reasoning for it, but it was a loss of so many things: the consistency of the work; the marvelous group of people that constitute the show; the marvelous writing.

“I don’t think I ever took for granted just how lucky I was to be on such a quality show,” Baranski adds. “I started enjoying the work more than ever in my final few seasons.”

The Emmy winner says the Kings proceeded to explain that there were “several reasons” behind the decision to conclude the show with Season 6 (which premieres Sept. 8 on Paramount+). “Robert and Michelle wanted to end it while they could still control the narrative, and [there was a sense] that… perhaps, Paramount[+] did not want our [show], which was left over from CBS [All Access]. And Robert and Michelle didn’t want to learn that the show was being pulled without having the narrative control to bring it to an end. Which can often happen. You finish a season and then you find out it’s been cancelled and the characters are left dangling without that proper push toward a solid narrative conclusion. My concern was that we didn’t have enough narrative real estate to actually do a proper ending, because the decision to end the show was made halfway through [shooting Season 6].” (Reps for Paramount+ and CBS Studios declined to comment for this story.)

Another factor that set the end date news in motion involved fear of repetition (an issue the Kings raised back in May). “It’s a hard show to write because it’s about what’s going on in the world, and I think Robert… didn’t want to risk repeating himself,” Baranski shares. “And I certainly never wanted to risk repeating myself, playing over and over that I was angry or exasperated. It’s possible we had taken Diane’s psychology about being maxed out about what was going on and her inability to cope with it as far as it could go.”

Recalling the final day of shooting, a choked up Baranski shares, “The hardest part was hearing, ‘That’s a series wrap on Christine Baranski,’ and then everyone gathering around and me addressing everybody with whom I had worked… It was very emotional. What I said to everybody was, ‘I haven’t processed this… ‘ And I hadn’t, because it happened rather abruptly. I was also shooting Gilded Age [simultaneously] and my head was full of [dialogue from both shows]. So it wasn’t like I had a lot of time to take long walks and think about it and ruminate. But I’m sure at some point that will happen.

“I’m already tearing up,” she continues, before adding with a chuckle, “I think there’s a lot of feeling there that has to be processed.”

After all, as Baranski points out, she was walking away from a character she had embodied for more than a decade. “It was 13 years,” she marvels of her time on both The Good Wife and The Good Fight. “A lot of life happens to you in those 13 years. My daughter got married. I now have three grandsons. My husband passed away… You don’t get that very often in show business. You usually jump from one job to another. So if you get a long run like this you’re unbelievably lucky.”

Asked if she envisions ever playing Diane again, Baranski muses, “I suppose so. At the moment I’m going to finish up on Gilded Age. And then I’m going to take a vacation. But never say never.”

Talk Show Appearance

Tuesday, September 6: Christine Baranski (The Good Fight)

Dorian TV Awards Winners: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics

Bass Reeves Series ‘Twin Territories’ From Morgan Freeman’s Revelations & ‘Hand Of God’ Creator Ben Watkins In Works At Amazon

The Revelations and The 51-produced series in development at the streamer is based on a novel by preeminent Reeves scholar Art T. Burton. While most people have heard of The Lone Ranger, few know the true story of the man behind the legend, who in his time was arguably the greatest lawman west of the Mississippi. As the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal, Reeves all but tamed The Wild West single-handedly, bringing well over 3,000 dangerous criminals to justice in his 32 years as a federal peace officer under “Hanging” Judge Parker.

Twin Territories will follow America’s #1 lawman as he and the brash Irishman Chauncey Lee are faced with the almost impossible task of imposing the rule of law in the most dangerous place on earth, contending with outlaw bandits so bold they post their own wanted posters; thriving native cultures pushed to the brink; and hordes of illegal settlers with nothing to lose, in a titanic battle for the future of a state, and a nation. The show will examine the methods Reeves used to bring justice to the Indian Territories, and the pivotal role he played in birthing the state of Oklahoma.

Freeman began exploring the possibility of a Bass Reeves project around 30 years ago, alongside Academy Award winner Neil Travis. After digging into research on the historic figure at the University of Oklahoma, he would explore multiple iterations of the project with assorted writers, before connecting with Hand of God creator Ben Watkins and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Malcolm Spellman. Watkins explains that he and his longtime friend began exploring their own iteration of the Bass Reeves story around 2010 and, like Freeman and producing partner McCreary, became fascinated with not just the story of the lawman, but “the whole story of America redefining itself at that time.” By 2017, he says, “divine intervention” had kicked in, with the two teams of creatives joining forces.

Amazon bought Twin Territories in 2019. The streamer commenced a mini-room off the strength of a pilot script written by Watkins and Josef Sawyer, ordering two backup scripts and a series format. Spellman, who developed the initial take on the story with Watkins, has joined the show’s writers’ room, with Watkins and Leonard Chang (Snowfall, Justified) to serve as showrunners. Executive producers on the series will include Freeman, McCreary, Watkins, Spellman, James Pickens Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy) and Scott Frank (Godless).

When Freeman notes that he was going to portray Reeves if he’d been able to get the show off the ground back in the ’90s, Watkins offers assurance that a new and equally rich Twin Territories role has been created for the actor. “We haven’t told him all the details of this role, so some of this is a surprise for him,” says the co-showrunner, “but we’ve created a great role for him that is sort of a connection between the pre-Civil War and post-Civil War. He’s a mentor figure for whoever plays Bass Reeves.”

Freeman says he views Twin Territories as having the potential to be “a game-changer for movies, for history,” given the little-known true events that it will bring to light and the errors it will make up for, as far as the depiction of historical events on screen. “I grew up in the movies watching everything, particularly Westerns, and one of the things that really busted me up was the fact that if you were Black in one of these Westerns, you’d better be a comedian. You’d better be funny,” he says. “There were no [Black] heroes, and that’s not American history at all, so here’s a chance to redo that, to straighten out some of the kinks in history.”

“I think if you grow up Black in America and you start doing any little bit of your own research, you start coming face to face with a really unfortunate realization that Black Americans have been misportrayed or completely left out of American history in many cases,” remarks Watkins. “So, when you come across a story like Bass Reeves’ where you’re talking about an iconic Black American whose story has never been properly told, who really should be a folk hero, whose name is known by every little kid growing up in America—and in this case, who I had never even heard of when I was 40 years old—then you can understand why it becomes more than just a passion project. It becomes a mission to tell that story, and tell it the right way.”

Interestingly, Watkins and Freemans’ isn’t the only Bass Reeves project in the works at the moment. Just last week, we broke the news of the six-part limited series 1883: Bass Reeves starring David Oyelowo, for which Yellowstone‘s Taylor Sheridan will direct the pilot. But ultimately, Watkins says, news of this project is of no concern to the team behind Twin Territories. “I think we all agree Bass Reeves was a hero who deserves all the stories to be told. There should be a hundred versions of Bass Reeves out already, and we’ve never looked at the fact that there are other projects out there as a bad thing,” he says. “We think he is a historical figure that deserves that type of recognition across the board, but we also know that our particular way of telling it is going to be very authentic and very rooted in the Black American experience. So, we feel like it holds a special place.”

Freeman is represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; McCreary by CAA; Watkins by WME and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum; Spellman by CAA, Industry Entertainment and Del Shaw Moonves; Sawyer by UTA, Industry Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Chang by Brant Rose Agency; Pickens by Artists & Representatives, Wright Entertainment and Meyer & Downs; and Frank by CAA and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.

Performers, Special Guests Finalized For Naomi Judd Memorial Service Airing Live & Commercial Free Sunday On CMT

Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts is hosting the event, titled Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, which will take place at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. CMT will exclusively televise the memorial as a commercial-free special tomorrow at 6 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT.

Previously announced musicians set to perform include Ashley McBride, Brandi Carlile, the duo of Emmylou Harris & Allison Russell, Gaither Vocal Band and Little Big Town. Bono, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey and Salma Hayek will also deliver special messages, with additional speakers to include Naomi’s daughters Ashley and Wynonna Judd, and singer-songwriter Martina McBride.

Naomi Judd died last week, aged 76. More information on her upcoming memorial service can be found below.

PREVIOUSLY, MAY 11: A public memorial service for 5-time Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Naomi Judd, who died last week at 76, will air live on CMT this weekend.

The event is being called Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration after the Judds’ fifth studio album and its song of the same name. It will take place Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and is meant to “to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of country music icon Naomi Judd.”

Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration is being produced by CMT and Sandbox Live in partnership with the Judd family. CMT will exclusively televise the public memorial service as a commercial-free special on Sunday, May 15th at 6 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT.

“We are sincerely privileged to work alongside Wynonna, Ashley and Larry to present this live celebration of life for their mother and wife Naomi. While we all continue to deeply mourn the loss of such a legendary artist, we are honored to commemorate her legacy alongside the country community, her friends, family and legions of fans across the world at the perfect venue: The Mother Church of Country Music. This special will celebrate her timeless voice, unforgettable spirit and the immense impact she left on our genre through the best form of healing we have – music,” said CMT in a statement.

Additional details on the public memorial service, performers and special appearances to be announced in the coming days.

Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration is a co-production from CMT and Sandbox Live; Margaret Comeaux (CMT), Leslie Fram (CMT), Jason Owen (Sandbox) and Patrizia DiMaria (Ladypants Productions) are Executive Producers.

The Gilded Age’ Sets Season 2 Cast With 13 Recurring Upped To Series Regulars; Thomas Cocquerel Exits

They join returning 11 returning series regulars: Christine Baranski as Agnes Van Rhijn, Cynthia Nixon as Ada Brook, Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook, Blake Ritson as Oscar Van Rhijn, Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell, Morgan Spector as George Russell, Taissa Farmiga as Gladys Russell, Harry Richardson as Larry Russell, Denée Benton as Peggy Scott, Simon Jones as Van Rhijns’ butler Bannister, and Jack Gilpin as Russels’ butler Church.

As foreshadowed in the season finale (read our post-mortem and Q&A here), not returning is Season 1 series regular Thomas Cocquerel who played Tom Raikes, the opportunistic young lawyer and Marian’s love interest last season.

Returning in their recurring roles for Season 2 are Audra McDonald as Peggy’s mom Dorothy Scott, Nathan Lane as social powerhouse Ward McAllister, John Douglas Thompson as Peggy’s dad Arthur Scott, Ashlie Atkinson as socialite Mamie Fish, Claybourne Elder as Oscar’s secret lover John Adams, and Ward Horton as Aurora’s husband Charles Fane.

With the promotions, The Gilded Age more closely resembles Fellowes’ mega-hit Downton Abbey, having a more even distribution between rich characters and servants in the main cast. Only two out of 12 series regulars in Season 1 played servants; in Season 2, the ratio is 11 out of 24. This was a natural evolution as the downstairs stories — and characters — grew and developed as Season 1 progressed.

The promotions also hint at some potential Season 2 storylines. As fans of the show have suspected, Curran’s Turner is not done scheming after her dismissal by the Russells and could become a formidable foe as she seeks to exact revenge.

There have been sparks between publisher T. Thomas Fortune and Peggy that could develop into a relationship. Also a possibility is a friendship between former adversaries Bertha and Mrs. Astor as predicted by Bertha at the end in the season finale. And Watson’s secret may finally be revealed.

Season 1 recurring actors who are not listed as recurring for Season 2 include some familiar characters: Jeanne Tripplehorn as Sylvia Chamberlain, Katie Finneran as Anne Morris, Amy Forsyth as Carrie Astor, John Sanders as architect Stanford White, and Linda Emond as Clara Barton.

The Gilded Age, a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, is an epic drama that follows the millionaire titans of New York City in the 1880s.

Here is the Season 2 official description: The Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and of fierce rivalry between old money and new. Nowhere is that rivalry more apparent than on East 61st Street, where Marian Brook and her thoroughly old money aunts, Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, live opposite the stupendously rich George and Bertha Russell. The Russells are both fiercely ambitious, he financially, she socially, and they are determined to reach the highest echelons of New York. Meanwhile in Brooklyn, Marian’s friend and confidant Peggy Scott forges her own path in the world of the Black elite. In this glittering world on the brink of the modern age, will the established rules of society prevail, or will the game change entirely?

The Gilded Age is created, written and exec produced by Fellowes with Gareth Neame and David Crockett also exec producing. Michael Engler directs and executive produces with Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Bob Greenblatt. Sonja Warfield is a writer and co-executive producer and Erica Dunbar serves as historical consultant and co-executive producer.

Kin Shriner Interview 3/21/22

In 1997, Kin joined the cast of the General Hospital spin-off Port Charles bringing the character of Scotty along with him. In addition to Scotty, Kin has played roles on Texas (Jeb Hampton), Rituals (Mike Gallagher), The Bold and the Beautiful (Dr. Brian Carrey), The Young and the Restless (Harrison Bartlett) and As the World Turns (Keith Morrissey).

Wendie Malick recurs on Young Sheldon 3/3/22

RECURRING CAST: Wallace Shawn (Dr. Sturgis), Ed Begley, Jr. (Dr. Linkletter), Craig T. Nelson (Dale), Wendie Malick (President Hagemeyer), Emily Osment (Mandy)

‘The Gilded Age’ Renewed For Season 2 By HBO

The series’ January 24 premiere was HBO’s best Monday night debut since Chernobyl.

The nine-episode drama series stars an ensemble cast of Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, Jack Gilpin, with Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. The season one finale will air March 21.

The show, which is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, is an epic drama that follows the millionaire titans of New York City in the 1880s.

The series begins in 1882 with young Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) moving from rural Pennsylvania to New York City after the death of her father to live with her thoroughly old money aunts Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon). Accompanied by Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), an aspiring writer seeking a fresh start, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife, George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). Exposed to a world on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path?

Additional cast includes Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Claybourne Elder, Linda Emond, Katie Finneran, Amy Forsyth, Michel Gill, Ward Horton, Bill Irwin, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, John Douglas Thompson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Erin Wilhelmi

“Julian Fellowes and the entire Gilded Age family have thoroughly captivated us with their tale of late 19th century New York City extravagance,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming. “Along with our partners at Universal Television, we couldn’t be prouder to embark on a season two journey with this extraordinarily talented team.”

Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television said: “The first season of The Gilded Age is the beginning of an epic story that introduced a fascinating world full of intriguing characters. The scope of Julian’s vision is ambitious, and we’re thrilled to continue to explore the depths of this fascinating era with HBO.”

The Gilded Age was created, written and exec produced by Fellowes with Gareth Neame and David Crockett also exec producing. Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield are directors and exec producers with Sonja Warfield as writer and co-exec producer.

Morgan Freeman & Josh Hutcherson Starring In Sci-Fi Thriller ‘57 Seconds’

Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood) is directing, the screenplay was written by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), based on the story by British author E.C. Tubbs.

The film follows a tech blogger (Hutcherson) who lands a career-defining interview with a visionary technology guru (Freeman). After thwarting an attack against the celebrated technophile, the blogger picks up a mysterious ring that allows its possessor to travel 57 seconds into the past.

Principal photography is set to start in April on location in Louisiana.

A Curmudgeon Films and Revelations Entertainment production, 57 Seconds is produced by Griff Furst (Where All Light Tends to Go), Lori McCreary (Invictus), Gary Lucchesi (Million Dollar Baby) and Thomas P. Vitale (Slasher). The film is executive produced by Ford Corbett, Som Kohanzadeh, Yoram Kohanzadeh and Miguel Sandoval.

57 Seconds is co-financed by Highland Film Group, which is representing international rights to the film and will launch sales at the upcoming European Film Market. CAA Media Finance is representing domestic rights.

Morgan Freeman, Cole Hauser & Jaimie Alexander Set For Thriller ‘The Minute You Wake Up Dead’

Milestone Studios is producing the film, which follows a stockbroker (Hauser) in a small southern town who gets embroiled in an insurance scam with a next-door neighbor (Alexander) that leads to multiple murders when a host of other people want in on the plot. Sheriff Thurmond Fowler (Freeman), the by-the-book town sheriff for over four decades, works earnestly to try and unravel the town’s mystery and winds up getting more than he bargained for.

Pic is an original screenplay by Timothy Holland, directed by Michael Mailer (Heart Of Champions) and produced by Hollywood vet Andrew Stevens (The Whole Nine Yards). Dawn Bursteen and Alan B. Bursteen of Milestone Studios are executive producers.

Freeman is in post on Lionsgate’s Paradise Highway with Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo and Cameron Monaghan, and MGM’s A Good Person with Florence Pugh, Celeste O’Connor, and Molly Shannon.

Hauser’s ratings hit Yellowstone was recently SAG nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Alexander recently wrapped filming Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love And Thunder with Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Russell Crowe, and she also is post on action thriller Chase opposite Gerard Butler.

Milestone’s Dawn Bursteen and Alan B. Bursteen said jointly: “We couldn’t be more excited to have such a stellar cast with unique talents on board. Morgan Freeman is one of the most acclaimed and respected actors globally, paired with the terrifically versatile and talented Cole Hauser and the wonderfully gifted actress Jaimie Alexander is an extraordinary and ideal cast for the film. In addition, we are thrilled to be working with visionary director Michael Mailer and veteran producer, Andrew Stevens on this clever suspense thriller.”

Freeman is represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern, Hauser by APA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich & Gellman, and Alexander by Atlas Artists, United Talent Agency and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.

Donald May Dies: ‘The Edge Of Night’, ‘Falcon Crest’ Actor Was 92

His death was announced by his family on a Facebook page devoted to The Edge of Night.

From 1967 to 1977, May played the good-guy attorney Adam Drake, first making his mark on the soap in a notable 1968 episode during which May delivered the episode’s only dialogue: a 22-minute trial summation in which he argued for the innocence of his client, a singer accused of murder. The jury found the client guilty and sentence her to be hanged, but Drake went into detective mode to find the real killer, saving the singer at the last minute.

May joined The Edge of Night following a steady TV career that began in 1956 with a starring role in the short-lived drama series West Point. Guest appearances in episodic TV followed, including roles on Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Sugarfoot, Colt .45, Surfside 6, Combat, The FBI and others.

Following his 10-year tenure at Edge of Night, May returned to guesting on episodic TV in the late ’70s (Fantasy Island, Barnaby Jones, The Facts of Life, eventually landing a regular role on the early ’80s NBC daytime soap Texas. During his 1981-82 Texas stint, May co-starred with wife Carla Borelli. The two would also appear together on the programs Falcon Crest and O.C. and Stiggs.

In addition to other soap appearances (As the World Turns, All My Children and One Life to Live), May appeared in various stage productions in both New York and Los Angeles over the years.

In addition to Borelli, May is survived by sons Douglas and Christopher, an actor whose credits include The Afterparty, American Crime Story, General Hospital and Selena: The Series.

Talk Show Appearance

Wednesday, Jan. 19

Christine Baranski

Soap Opera Directors Interview - Bruce Barry, Sonia Blangiardo, Scott McKinsey, Phideaux Xavier

These four talented directors have brought to life some of your favorite stories, characters and moments in daytime television history over the last few decades. The shows they have worked on include All My Children, Another World, As the World Turns, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, Guiding Light, Love of Life, Passions, Search for Tomorrow, Sunset Beach, Texas and The Young and the Restless to name a few.

Golden Globes Nominations

LEONARDO DICAPRIO - DON’T LOOK UP
PETER DINKLAGE - CYRANO
ANDREW GARFIELD - TICK, TICK…BOOM!
COOPER HOFFMAN - LICORICE PIZZA
ANTHONY RAMOS - IN THE HEIGHTS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

UZO ADUBA - IN TREATMENT
JENNIFER ANISTON - THE MORNING SHOWCHRISTINE BARANSKI - THE GOOD FIGHT
ELISABETH MOSS - THE HANDMAID’S TALE
MICHAELA JAÉ RODRIGUEZ - POSE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

BRIAN COX - SUCCESSION
LEE JUNG-JAE - SQUID GAMEBILLY PORTER - POSE
JEREMY STRONG - SUCCESSION
OMAR SY - LUPIN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

HANNAH EINBINDER - HACKS
ELLE FANNING - THE GREAT
ISSA RAE - INSECURE
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS - BLACK-ISHJEAN SMART - HACKS

The Gilded Age Trailer: 'Anything Is Possible' for Well-to-Do New Yorkers in Julian Fellowes' Downton Follow-Up

“New York is a collection of villages. The old have been in charge since before the revolution… ’til the new people invaded,” Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn explains to her niece Marian (played by Louisa Jacobson) at the start of the preview, which HBO released Monday.

“Well, I’m new. I’ve only just arrived,” Marian points out, only to have Agnes swiftly correct her: “You are my niece, and you belong to old New York.”

Indeed, that social divide is at the heart of both Julian Fellowes’ (Downton Abbey) upcoming HBO series and its trailer, which gives us a good sense of the period drama’s key players. Among them are George Russell (The Plot Against America‘s Morgan Spector) and wife Bertha (The Leftovers‘ Carrie Coon), whose entry into polite society is met with scorn and some serious side-eye; Peggy Scott (UnREAL‘s Denée Benton), an aspiring writer who befriends Marian; Dorothy Scott (The Good Fight‘s Audra McDonald, who in the trailer is suspicious of the hospitality bestowed upon Peggy; and Ada Brook (Sex and the City‘s Cynthia Nixon), Agnes’ kind but dim sister, Per the official logline for the drama: “The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of great conflict between the old ways and brand-new systems, and of huge fortunes made and lost. Against the backdrop of this transformation, [the show] begins in 1882 with young Marian Brook moving from rural Pennsylvania to New York City after the death of her father to live with her thoroughly old-money aunts.

“Accompanied by Peggy Scott, an aspiring writer seeking a fresh start, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war,” it continues, “between one of her aunts, a scion of the old-money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife. Exposed to a world on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path?”

The Gilded Age will premiere on Monday, Jan. 24 (at 9/8c), on HBO.

Annie Murphy, John Cho & Christine Baranski Star In Animated Series ‘Praise Petey’ From Anna Drezen For Freeform As Network Takes Another Crack At Genre

The youth-skewing network has handed Praise Petey (w/t) from SNL head writer Anna Drezen, who created the series, and exec producers including Monica Padrick, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels a series order.

It comes as the Disney-owned network takes another crack at animation, having previously developed a number of series in this space.

Praise Petey follows Petey, voiced by Schitt’s Creek star Murphy, a New York City “it” girl who has it all until her life comes crashing down around her. As luck would have it, a mysterious gift from her father gives her a new lease on life: she’s going to lean into modernizing his small-town cult.

Cowboy Bebop star Cho voices Bandit, a potential love interest for Petey and a cult member since childhood whose mother was a high-ranking member. The Good Fight’s Baranski voices White, Petey’s mother, a magazine editor, Manhattan society woman and a terrifying perfectionist who’s never eaten, tasted or seen ketchup.

The Flash’s Kiersey Clemons voices Eliza, a bartender at the local bar and reluctant BFF to Petey, working at her new cult. Magnum P.I.’s Amy Hill voices Mae Mae, Bandit’s Southern mama oozing with Southern hospitality who happens to be the right-hand woman of a cult leader. Barry’s Stephen Root voices Petey’s loving father, a charming, homespun, stone-cold cult leader with some pretty unique ideas about meditation, space, jumping up and down in a field, and how his bloodline is necessary for the salvation of mankind. He may or may not be dead.

Praise Petey will begin production in early 2022.

It is exec produced by Central Park’s Monica Padrick, along with Bandera Entertainment’s Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis, and ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico. The series is produced by 20th Television Animation, with animation by ShadowMachine.

Anna Drezen said, “I can’t believe I get to make this show with so many funny and smart people. Getting to work with Monica, Bandera, Freeform, ShadowMachine, 20th Television Animation and this amazing cast has been a blast and dream — a bleam. This rules.”

Jamila Hunter, EVP Programming & Development, Freeform, told Deadline, “It’s kind of the A-team. It was a spec script that we bought and Annie Murphy got attached early on. We’ve had such a great opportunity to attract talent because Anna [Drezen’ is so incredibly funny and smart. Animation has a great opportunity to be funny and thought provoking. That’s what we love about it.”

The network also has two other animated projects in development – SupaShawty Girls, Funkamatic BangBang and Wallflower.

SupaShawty Girls, Funkamatic BangBang comes from newcomer writers and executive producers Adamma and Adanne Ebo, and exec producers Tiffany Haddish and Melanie Clark.

It follows Yeze and Tule when a freak laboratory accident turns the twin college students into dopeass superheroes, and they must learn to manage their brand new super-powered lives with the growing pains of adulthood. Unfortunately for humanity, they’d actually rather kick it than kick butt & save the world.

Wallflower comes from writers and executive producers Ben 10 writer Julia Edelman, Solar Opposites co-exec producer Danielle Uhlarik, and New Yorker cartoonist Olivia de Recat.

It follows Ren, a quick-witted introvert who has the power to communicate with her houseplants. With the misguided help of her charming, but dysfunctional ensemble of greenery, Ren clumsily navigates the many anxieties of being in your twenties.

Both projects are produced by 20th Television Animation.

Hunter has said that animation is an area that has done well with its core demo of younger viewers. “We are not solely doing things that are female-focused but the animation space does tend to be dominated by male protagonists so the fact that the first three things that we have coming up in the animatic stage, they do all have young female protagonists, there definitely not your traditional leading women, that’s something we’re very excited about, because I hope it’s something that can make a bit of noise in this landscape.”

Freeform has dabbled in animation development before. In 2019, it was working on millennial comedy Betches, written by Rachel Koller and produced by Emma Roberts, and Woman World, based on a graphic novel, written by Aminder Dhaliwal and exec produced by The Guild’s Felicia Day. Neither project ended up going to series.

Hunter expects these new projects to be the first of many. “We do have a slate of others that aren’t yet at the steps of animatics and artwork and we’re continuing to buy. The goal is for this to continue to be its own pipeline of Gen Z and millennial stories for the Freeform brand,” she said. “We’ve been very aggressive about going out to the town to procure more projects.”

Former Soap Stars Get Critics Choice TV Nominations

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Mike Colter – Evil (Paramount+)
Brian Cox – Succession (HBO)
Lee Jung-jae – Squid Game (Netflix)
Billy Porter – Pose (FX)
Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Uzo Aduba – In Treatment (HBO)
Chiara Aurelia – Cruel Summer (Freeform)
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (Paramount+)
Katja Herbers – Evil (Paramount+)
Melanie Lynskey – Yellowjackets (Showtime)
MJ Rodriguez – Pose (FX)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicholas Braun – Succession (HBO)
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Kieran Culkin – Succession (HBO)
Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin – The Good Fight (Paramount+)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Elle Fanning – The Great (Hulu)
Renée Elise Goldsberry – Girls5eva (Peacock)
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Sandra Oh – The Chair (Netflix)
Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Murray Bartlett – The White Lotus (HBO)
Zach Gilford – Midnight Mass (Netflix)
William Jackson Harper – The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)
Evan Peters – Mare of Easttown (HBO)
Christian Slater – Dr. Death (Peacock)
Courtney B. Vance – Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus (HBO)
Kaitlyn Dever – Dopesick (Hulu)
Kathryn Hahn – WandaVision (Disney+)
Melissa McCarthy – Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu)
Julianne Nicholson – Mare of Easttown (HBO)
Jean Smart – Mare of Easttown (HBO)

‘The Gilded Age’: HBO Unveils First-Look Teaser & Sets Premiere For Julian Fellowes Period Drama

HBO has set the premiere for the series and unveiled first-look photos of the big-budget drama with images and a trailer (which you can see above).

The series, which is written by Fellowes and Sonja Warfield and directed by Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, will launch on Monday January 24 at 9pm.

The nine-part series stars, which was first greenlit to series by NBC in 2018, before HBO took it on in early 2019, stars Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, Jack Gilpin, with Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski.

The show, which is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, is an epic drama that follows the millionaire titans of New York City in the 1880s.

The story begins in 1882 — introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Union general, who moves into the New York City home of her thoroughly old-money aunts Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook. Accompanied by Peggy Scott, an accomplished African-American woman, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old-money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife, George and Bertha Russell. In this exciting new world that is on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society or forge her own path?

Exec producers include Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Michael Engler, David Crockett, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield.

Geoff Pierson & Clark Backo Join ‘The List’

They’ll appear alongside previously announced cast members Halston Sage, Christian Navarro, Gregg Sulkin, Jonah Platt, Chrissie Fitt, Will Peltz and Zach Reino.

The film written by Rob Lederer and Steve Vitolo centers on Abby (Sage), a woman who is about to get married, for whom everything is perfect. Until she finds out her fiancé Matt (Platt) has slept with a celebrity from his “free pass” list. To get her mind off things, Abby and her best friend Chloe (Fit) come up with a crazy idea: Abby should pursue a celebrity from her own list. But things become complicated when she meets Jake (Navarro), a sweet and charming waiter at a neighborhood cafe, who gives her a fresh perspective. Pierson will play New York City Mayor Capozzi. On the verge of announcing his bid to run for president, Capozzi has a special, paternal relationship with Abby, who’s been his speechwriter for the last five years. Backo will portray Kenzie Burke, the rising star who sleeps with Abby’s fiancé.

Tobias Weymar, Annie Mahoney and Mark Fasano are producing for Nickel City Pictures, with Sage exec producing alongside Lederer, Vitolo, Eric B. Fleischman and Maurice Fadida, and New Legend Entertainment financing.

Pierson is perhaps best known for his turn as the doomed President John Keeler on 24, and will next be seen opposite Chris Pratt in upcoming Amazon series, The Terminal List. The actor has also appeared on the TV side in Designated Survivor, Splitting Up Together, Castle, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, The West Wing and more. He recently appeared on the film side in Tyler Spindel’s Netflix pic The Wrong Missy, previously featuring in the casts of J. Edgar, World’s Greatest Dad, Get Smart, Changeling and other titles.

Backo is an actor, writer and activist who has appeared on the TV side in Hulu’s Letterkenny and The Handmaid’s Tale, Nat Geo’s The Hot Zone, The CW’s Supernatural, Designated Survivor and other series. She’s appeared on the film side in Blumhouse and Netflix’s Seven in Heaven and Jay Baruchel’s Random Acts of Violence, among other titles. The actress will next be seen in Amazon Studios’ rom-com I Want You Back, starring alongside Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, and Gina Rodriguez.

Pierson is repped by Artists & Representatives, Edna Talent Management and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller. Backo is with A3 Artists Agency and Ambition Talent.

Patrick Mulcahey Interview 11/11/21

Patrick has written for Another World (briefly), Texas, Guiding Light (twice), Loving, Santa Barbara, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful, two short-lived primetime series, and two Movies of the Week. Patrick earned his first Emmy win at Guiding Light working where he was working side by side with Douglas Marland until Douglas left the show. 40 years after his start at Search for Tomorrow, Patrick left The Bold and the Beautiful at the end of 2019 and in his post-soap pandemic shutdown life, he’s writing plays nobody’s seen (no eyeballs in shutdown theaters), submitting to contests nobody’s heard of (won three of them, though), and enjoying the wilds of the North Cascade Mountains in Washington state, where he lives quietly and happily with his husband, who’s also named Patrick Mulcahey, to the amusement of everyone but the TSA. (In Patrick's words)

Christine Baranski guests on The Simpsons 11/21/21

Voice Cast: Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson; Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson; Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson and Nelson; Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson; Hank Azaria as Moe; Harry Shearer as Skinner; Tress MacNeille as Dolph; Pamela Hayden as Milhouse; Harry Shearer as Flanders

Guest Voice Cast: Victor Garber as Michael, Christine Baranski as herself, Christian Siriano as himself

Morgan Freeman: “I Am Not In The Least Bit For Defunding The Police”

“I am not in the least bit for defunding the police,” Freeman said to Black Enterprise’s Selena Hill in an interview posted on Instagram. “Police work is, aside from all the negativity around it, it is very necessary for us to have them and most of them are guys that are doing their job. They’re going about their day-to-day jobs. There are some police that would never pull their guns except in range, that sort of thing.”

Freeman made the remarks while promoting his new film with actor Frankie Faison (The Wire), The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, which is based on the real-life murder of a 68-year-old Black veteran who was fatally shot by police inside his home in White Plains, NY.

The true life story is about a former Marine with bipolar disorder who was killed in 2011 by police after accidentally triggering his medical alert device, leading to a confrontation with police that led to his death.

Freeman, who has said he is not treated like an average Black man because of his celebrity status, is funding a program at the University of Mississippi for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.

Faison, who plays Chamberlain in the film, also was not in favor of defunding.

“Well, I agree with Morgan,” Faison told Hill. “I’m certainly not in favor of defunding the policemen.”

Morgan Freeman & Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment Team With Lesley-Ann Brandt For Drama Series ‘Hanover Street’

Brandt, who will star and produce with Adrian Cunningham of D6 Entertainment, said: “We are thrilled to have partnered with Lori, Morgan and the team at Revelations to bring the beauty and tragedy of District Six to life. It’s such a personal story to me, my family and the people of the Cape Flats. While the barbarity of the apartheid regime has featured onscreen before, Hanover Street will lean into the joy and solidarity that the community shared in the face of repression.”

Home to 60K residents of all ethnicities and creeds, along with a thriving LGBTQIA+ community, District Six in South Africa’s second-largest city stood as a symbol of defiance against everything that apartheid stood for. In 1966, the regime designated it a whites-only area. By 1982 its entire population had been forcibly removed, and the neighborhood destroyed.

Revelations has a history of telling stories set within South Africa during the apartheid period. Bopha!, Freeman’s feature directorial debut, and Clint Eastwood’s Invictus, in which Freeman was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela, both were developed and produced by McCreary and highlighted impactful stories within the country during and post-apartheid.

McCreary added: “There’s a definite correlation between the racial reconciliation that has gone about in South Africa — and continues today — and the important conversations happening today in America. Bopha! explores police violence and Invictus, racial reconciliation. We find it sometimes easier to reflect on stories in another country to learn more about ourselves.”

Brandt is repped by ICM Partners, while she and Cunningham are repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Goodman Genow Schenkman. Freeman, McCreary, and Revelations are repped by CAA and Sloane Offer.

Christopher Goutman Interview 9/24/21

Chris has spent most of his career working as a director, producer, and writer. He started his career as an actor appearing on The Doctors, Search for Tomorrow, The Edge of Night and Texas. Chris served as the Executive Producer for Another World and As the World Turns as well as directed episodes from nine different daytime dramas.

He created and produced two web series, In Turn and L.A. Diaries, which he also directed, as well as promotional campaigns for network television, commercial movie theater trailers, and an award-winning Presidential campaign ad. For his work in television, he has shot on locations all over the world. He also wrote, produced, and directed two short films, The Square Root of Three and Visions of Joanna, both of which received extensive exposure on the independent film circuit. In theatre, he has directed in New York, Philadelphia and Florida, including productions at EST, NYC Fringe, the Harold Clurman Theatre and the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. His plays have been performed at L.A. Stage and Film Company, the Barrow Group and EST. He has five Emmy Awards for his work as a producer and director and a Directors Guild of America Award.

Chris currently serves as the Artistic Director, Associate Professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Video Interview: Writers Carolyn and Richard Culliton

Morgan Freeman & Cole Hauser To Lead George Gallo Action-Thriller ‘Muti’; The Exchange To Handle Sales

The film will follow Detective Boyd (Hauser), who, unable to process the death of his daughter, embarks on a hunt for a serial killer who murders according to a brutal tribal ritual: Muti. The only person who can help Boyd is Professor Mackles (Freeman), an anthropologist who hides an unspeakable secret. The line between sanity and madness thins as Boyd goes deeper into the killer’s world.

The supporting cast will include Peter Stormare (Fargo) and former NFL tight end-turned-actor Vernon Davis, a Super Bowl winner and two-time Pro Bowler.

Filming is due to take place in Mississippi and Italy. The Exchange will introduce the project to international buyers during TIFF.

The screenplay was written by Bob Bowersox, Jennifer Lemmon, Francesco Cinquemani, Giorgia Iannone, Luca Giliberto and Ferdinando Dell’Omo. It is based on a story by Joe Lemmon and Cinquemani.

Producers are Joe Lemmon of Black Diamond Films, Andrea Iervolino, Monika Bacardi and Danielle Maloni of Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment SPA, and Bret Saxon of Wonderfilm Media.

Executive producers are March on Productions’ Richard Salvatore, David E. Ornston, Nate Adams, Jeff Bowler and Luca Matrundola.

Screenwriter, director and painter Gallo is best known for the scripts for the original Bad Boys movie and action-comedy Midnight Run. He most recently directed Freeman in movies The Comeback Trail, which also starred Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones, and 2021 thriller Vanquish, which also starred Ruby Rose.

Said Iervolino: “A high level of intelligence and sophistication underpins the tension and intensity of Muti. Having Morgan and Cole playing off one another keeps the dial up in unrelenting fashion throughout the twisting ride. We’re happy to make this a unique multinational collaboration, shooting in Mississippi and Italy.”

Freeman is represented by CAA and Sloane Offer. Hauser is repped by Brillstein Entertainment, Agency for the Performing Arts (APA) and Morris Yorn Barnes.

Soap Opera Writers Interview: Carolyn and Richard Culliton

This talented duo met when they were both students at Northwestern University. Carolyn grew up watching soaps and Richard had never seen one. Fate intervened in 1978 when a family friend offered to make some introductions to an executive Procter & Gamble Productions. The rest is history.

Carolyn’s first job in the daytime industry was working as Paul Rauch’s assistant at Another World and Richard’s first job was as a script writer on Texas. From that moment forward this duo worked non-stop as breakdown writers, script writers and as head writers on almost every soap opera on the air. Together this duo created the General Hospital spin-off Port Charles while serving as head writers for the first few months of the show’s run.

They are the recipient of numerous Daytime Emmy Awards and Writer’s Guild Awards for their work. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Emily who is an adjunct professor of creative writing at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn, and Kathleen a journalist. Emily published her first novel In 2017, "The Misfortune of Marion Palm" was published by Knopf.

Looks like the writing gene is a strong one in the Culliton family.

‘The Good Fight’ Renewed For Season 6 By Paramount+

Four episodes of The Good Fight‘s current season are available to watch right now with new episodes of the remaining six to be released on Thursdays exclusively for Paramount+ subscribers.

“The Good Fight’s provocative, whip-smart, and no-holds-barred world remains as relevant as ever, continuing to entice new audiences as one of Paramount+’s top performing original series and acquisition drivers,” Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue The Good Fight’s enduring legacy with a sixth season and can’t wait to see what the brilliant minds behind the series, Robert and Michelle King, tackle next.”

Season 5 saw the departures of Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) and Adrian Boseman (Delroy Lindo) and the ascension of Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) to partner—of an African American law firm—alongside Liz Reddick (Audra McDonald). Meanwhile, Marissa (Sarah Steele) and the firm become entangled with Hal Wackner (Mandy Patinkin), a regular Chicagoan who decides to open his own courtroom in the back of a copy shop.

The Good Fight has earned two Emmy Award nominations in 2017 and 2018 for Outstanding Original Main Title Music and Outstanding Music and Lyrics, respectively.

2021 Primetime Emmy Nominations

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Bridgerton
Netflix • A Netflix Original Series in association with shondalandmedia
Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset

The Crown
Netflix • Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television for Netflix
Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles

Lovecraft Country
HBO • HBO in association with afemme, Monkeypaw, Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. Television
Jonathan Majors as Atticus Freeman

Perry Mason
HBO • HBO in association with Team Downey, Dwight Street Book Club, and Inflatable Moose
Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason

Pose
FX Networks • FX Productions in association with 20th Century Television
Billy Porter as Pray Tell

This Is Us
NBC • 20th Television
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Black-ish
ABC • ABC Signature
Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson

The Flight Attendant
HBO Max • HBO Max in association with Berlanti Productions, Yes, Norman Productions, and Warner Bros. Television
Kaley Cuoco as Cassie Bowden

Hacks
HBO Max • Universal Television in association with Paulilu, First Thought Productions, Fremulon Productions, 3 Arts Entertainment
Jean Smart as Deborah Vance

Mom
CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television
Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett

Shrill
Hulu • Hulu, Warner Bros. Television, Broadway Video, Brownstone Productions, A. Rushfield Productions
Aidy Bryant as Annie Easton

Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology/Movie

Hamilton
Disney+ • Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nevis Productions LLC, Old 320 Sycamore, and RadicalMedia
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler

Hamilton • Disney+ • Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nevis Productions LLC, Old 320 Sycamore, and RadicalMedia
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton

Mare Of Easttown
HBO • HBO in association with wiip Studios, The Low Dweller Productions, Juggle Productions, Mayhem and Zobot Projects
Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross

Mare Of Easttown • HBO • HBO in association with wiip Studios, The Low Dweller Productions, Juggle Productions, Mayhem and Zobot Projects
Jean Smart as Helen

The Queen’s Gambit
Netflix • Netflix Moses Ingram as Jolene

WandaVision
Disney+ • Marvel Studios
Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness / Agnes The Nosy Neighbor

Guest Actor In A Comedy Series

The Kominsky Method • Chapter 20. The Round Toes, Of The High Shoes
Netflix • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television
Morgan Freeman as Morgan Freeman

Saturday Night Live • Host: Daniel Kaluuya
NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video
Daniel Kaluuya as Host

Saturday Night Live • Host: Dave Chappelle
NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video
Alec Baldwin as President Donald Trump

Saturday Night Live • Host: Dave Chappelle
NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video
Dave Chappelle as Host

Saturday Night Live • Host: Dan Levy
NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video
Dan Levy as Host

Guest Actress In A Drama Series

The Crown • 48:1
Netflix • Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television for Netflix
Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II

The Handmaid’s Tale • Pigs
Hulu • Hulu, MGM, Daniel Wilson Productions, The Littlefield Company, White Oak Pictures
McKenna Grace as Esther Keyes

The Handmaid’s Tale • Testimony
Hulu • Hulu, MGM, Daniel Wilson Productions, The Littlefield Company, White Oak Pictures
Alexis Bledel as Emily

Ratched • The Dance
Netflix • A Fox21 Television Studios Production for Netflix
Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte Wells

This Is Us • I’ve Got This
NBC • 20th Television
Phylicia Rashad as Carol “Mama C” Clarke

Talk Show Appearance

Wednesday, June 23

Christine Baranski

‘The Good Fight’: Diane Lockhart Faces Shifting Dynamics In Season 5 Trailer

On Friday Paramount+ unveiled the trailer and key art for the legal drama’s latest season, which will see a shift in dynamics for both Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) and Liz Lawrence (Audra McDonald). In the fifth season, Diane is forced to question whether it’s appropriate for her to help run a Black law firm with Liz when the firm loses two top lawyers.

The trailer also teases Mandy Patinkin’s Hal Wackner, a regular Chicagoan who decides to open his own courtroom in the back of a copy shop. The upcoming season will take on anti-Black discrimination and lack of diversity in the work place, the economic aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and more. Season five, which will drop on Paramount+ Thursday, June 24, also features Sarah Steele, Michael Boatman, Nyambi Nyambi, Zach Grenier and Charmaine Bingwa. New episodes of the 10-episode long season will drop weekly on Thursday.

Robert and Michelle King serve as showrunners and executive producers of the series, which they co-created with Phil Alden Robinson. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Brooke Kennedy, Liz Glotzer, William Finkelstein, Jonathan Tolins and Jacquelyn Reingold also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions. The series is distributed worldwide by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

Watch the trailer above.

Video: Soap Con Live Presents: General Hospital "Love & Tragedy"

Video: Guiding Light Reunion - Ellen Dolan, Harley Jane Kozak and Michael Woods

Guiding Light Reunion 4/21/21 - Ellen Dolan, Harley Jane Kozak and Michael Woods

Morgan Freeman, Alfre Woodard, Trevor Jackson, Common & More Set For Revelations’ ‘Hate To See You Go’

The Ben Tishler directed feature, which he co-wrote with Rob Stone, tells the story of Sonny Bell (Freeman), an aging Chicago Blues musician, who refuses to retire and defiantly hits the road with his band for one last long-shot to keep doing the only thing that makes them all feel truly alive––play Blues. The story is inspired by Stone’s experiences touring and playing harmonica with many of blues music’s most revered artists.

Freeman will produce with his longtime Revelations Entertainment partner Lori McCreary and Gary Lucchesi of Revelations along with Shelby Stone and Derek Dudley of ID8 Multimedia and Jon Levin of Sustainable Imagination. Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Entertainment have also joined forces to executive produce.

Tishler is a Sports Emmy Award-winning doc director of 2008’s Calzaghe/Jones 24/7 and he’ll be making his feature directorial debut here. He is repped by manager Jon Levin.

Freeman won an Oscar for his Supporting Actor turn in Clint Eastwood’s 2004 movie Million Dollar Baby. He counts five Oscar nominations overall, a Golden Globe Best actor drama win for Driving Miss Daisy, as well as the 2012 Cecil B. DeMille Award and is two-time Primetime Emmy nominee. Freeman is repped by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

Woodard, who is repped by ICM, Circle of Confusion, and Gochman Law, received a Supporting Actress nomination for 1983’s Cross Creek. She’s a three-time Golden Globe nominee who won for 1997’s Miss Evers’ Boys in the Best Actress TV Miniseries/Movie category, and a 17 Emmy nominated and four-time winner. Recent feature credits include Clemency, Disney’s $1.65 billion-grossing The Lion King, Captain America: Civil War, Annabelle, 12 Years a Slave, Sony/Netflix’s upcoming Fatherhood and on the TV side Marvel’s Luke Cage and Fox’s Empire.

Trevor Jackson plays Aaron Jackson on the comedy series Grown-ish and Black-ish. He starred in such movies as Burning Sands, Superfly, and Juveniles. He is repped by CAA, Management 360, and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light.

Common won an Oscar for his song “Glory”, which he shared with John Legend, from the 2014 movie Selma. His recent feature credits include Ocean’s Eight, Girls Trip, Suicide Squad, John Wick: Chapter 2, The Informer, and he’ll star in the upcoming movies El Tonto, Alice, and Nine Lives. He is repped by UTA, Grandview, and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light. Stand-up comedian, podcaster and actor Bill Burr created and stars in the Netflix animated comedy series F Is For Family, played Patrick Kuby in AMC’s Breaking Bad and bounty hunter Migs Mayfeld in Disney+ hit series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. He starred in Judd Apatow’s King of Staten Island last summer and can be seen next in Antoine Fuqua’s The Guilty.

Freeman and McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment produced the hit CBS Sunday night series Madam Secretary, starring Tea Leoni and Tim Daly.? Revelations’ film credits include the Award-winning Invictus, 5 Flights Up and the groundbreaking documentary film about cancer, The C Word.? Recent accolades include an Emmy nomination for?The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, three Emmy award nominations for Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, a Peabody Award for the ESPN 30 for 30 episode The 16th Man and two Oscar nominations for Invictus.

Florence Pugh & Morgan Freeman To Star In Zach Braff-Directed ‘A Good Person’, Rocket Science & CAA Launch Sales

The film will follow Allison (Pugh), whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident. In the following years, it is the unlikely relationship she forms with her would-be father-in-law (Freeman) that helps her live a life worth living.

CAA Media Finance is arranging financing and will represent domestic rights. Rocket Science is handling international sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming virtual Berlin market.

The film reunites Braff with screen icon Freeman, who starred in the actor-filmmaker’s last directorial outing, Going In Style. The Warner Bros movie remake took $85M at the global box office in 2017. Braff most recently directed on Apple hit Ted Lasso. Se7en and Million Dollar Baby star Freeman is in post on action-comedy The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

In-demand actress Pugh is coming off Little Women and Midsommar and has a string of buzz projects coming up including Disney+’s Hawkeye series, Marvel’s Black Widow and Olivia Wilde’s New Line thriller Don’t Worry Darling.

Freeman is represented by CAA. Pugh is represented by CAA, manager George Freeman, Curtis Brown Group in the UK, and attorney Greg Slewett at Ziffren Brittenham. Braff is represented by CAA and Management 360 and attorney Ken Richman at Hansen Jacobson.

Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Uzo Aduba Among 8 Cast In David Weil’s Amazon Series ‘Solos’

The previously untitled project had been in the works for awhile when it was given a series order in October 2020.

Solos is a dramatic and thought-provoking seven-part anthology series that explores the deeper meaning of human connection, as explored through the lens of the individual. Solos will tell unique character-driven stories, each from a different perspective and moment in time, that illuminate that even during our most seemingly isolated moments, in the most disparate of circumstances, we are all connected through the human experience.

Aduba will play Sasha; Beharie will portray Nera; Freeman is Stuart; Hathaway portrays Leah; Mackie is Tom; Mirren will play Peg; Stevens portrays Otto and Wu will play Jenny.

Weil executive produces with Sam Taylor-Johnson (Gypsy) and former Alcon TV Group president Laura Lancaster (The Expanse), with Pixie Wespiser serving as a producer. Taylor-Johnson direct two episodes alongside Weil, who will be making his directorial debut on the show. Additional directors include Zach Braff and Tiffany Johnson.

“I am beyond thrilled to be bringing Solos to life alongside this group of artists who I so deeply admire. I created this piece with a desire to capture stories about connection, hope and the search for that common hum of humanity that binds us all. I’m immensely grateful to Jennifer Salke and my incredible partners at Amazon for their unwavering support and collaboration on this special project,” said Weil.

Stars Of ABC’s ‘All My Children’, ‘One Life To Live’ & ‘General Hospital’ Reunite For Streaming Concert Benefit

ABC Daytime: Back on Broadway will gather musical performances by soap stars including Susan Lucci, Anthony Geary and Eva La Rue during the seven annual benefit concerts staged in New York from 2005-11. The daytime actors will revisit the performances in new interviews as part of the special.

The special will stream free of charge on February 11. See viewing options below. The lineup of performers includes Bobbie Eakes, Melissa Claire Egan, Vincent Irizarry, Eva La Rue, Susan Lucci, Cameron Mathison, Eden Riegel, Chrishell Stause and Walt Willey (from All My Children); Kristen Alderson, BethAnn Fuenmayor, Kathy Brier, Kassie DePaiva, David Gregory, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Catherine Hickland, Mark Lawson, Hillary B. Smith, Jason Tam and Brittany Underwood (One Life To Live); and Bradford Anderson, Brandon Barash and Anthony Geary (General Hospital).

“There are no fans like ABC Daytime fans,” said Lucci in a statement. “Their love and support continue to astonish us. We can’t wait to share these special performances with them and help raise money for so many in need during this difficult time.”

The concerts were staged at New York City’s Town Hall, and included production numbers, Broadway show tunes, ballads and comedy skits. The concert series began in 2005 as a one-night-only benefit to mark the 35th anniversary of All My Children, but fan support prompted ABC to stage the annual event for another six years. Over its seven-year run, ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares raised $1.85 million.

Tom Viola, Broadway Cares Executive Director, said, “We are so thankful to the stars from ABC Daytime for joining us again as we relive moments from this delightful tradition, while helping to provide lifesaving medication, healthy meals and emergency support to those struggling during this ongoing pandemic.”

This free streamed event can be viewed beginning Feb. 11, 8 pm ET, here, as well as on Broadway Cares’ YouTube channel, across ABC Owned Television Stations’ 32 connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku and each of the eight station’s websites around the country, including abc7ny.com in New York; and on Good Morning America’s Facebook page.

While the stream is free, donations will be accepted for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, with all proceeds to provide people affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses with healthy meals, lifesaving medication, emergency financial assistance, housing, counseling and more. The donations also support and champion organizations focused on social justice and anti-racism.

Ryan's Hope - Reunion 12/10/20

Ryan's Hope - Reunion 12/10/20

Video: Beverlee McKinsey Tribute Chat 11/16/20

Beverlee McKinsey Tribute Chat 11/16/20

Capitol - Reunion with Catherine Hickland, Nicholas Walker and Constance Towers

Capitol - Reunion 10/29/20

‘Great Escapes With Morgan Freeman’: New History Series To Look Back At Infamous Jailbreaks

The six-episode, one-hour series will be hosted and executive produced by the Oscar-winning Freeman, who will produce with Revelations Entertainment partner Lori McCreary.

Each episode will feature dramatic re-creations and cutting-edge visual effects, unearthing every step of an inmate’s meticulous plan, their escape route and the intense manhunt that followed.

The announcement was made as part of A+E Networks Mipcom upfront presentation today.

“I’ve been inside the minds of prisoners in my acting career, and I’m looking forward to stepping inside the most notorious prisons in the world, like Alcatraz, Sing Sing, Rikers Island and Leavenworth. Audiences will feel like they’re making the escapes themselves as I walk them into a virtual world and through the greatest escapes in history,” said Freeman, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, in which he played a wise, patient and optimistic inmate.

“The History channel is honored to partner with Morgan and his production team, Revelations Entertainment, to deliver context and backstory to some of history’s infamous prison escapes,” said Eli Lehrer, EVP and General Manager for History. “Morgan’s gravitas will help ground this series and drive the drama in a way no other face or voice can.”

McCreary, James Younger and Kelly Mendelsohn will executive produce for Revelations Entertainment. Mary E. Donahue and Max Micallef are EPs for History.

The A+E Networks Mipcom upfront presentation, which touts a catalog of 800-plus fresh hours, includes such new programs as History’s Greatest Mysteries, hosted by Laurence Fishburne, and Assembly Required, with Tim Allen. Talent from sister networks A&E and Lifetime including Robin Givens, director of Lifetime’s Ann Rule movie adaptation A Murder to Remember; Wendy Williams, EP of Lifetime’s biopic Wendy Williams: The Hot Topic and its accompanying feature-length documentary on Williams; and Sharon Osbourne, EP of The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, part of A&E Network’s Emmy-winning Biography banner.

Morgan Freeman, Laurie Metcalf, Ellen Burstyn, Laura Linney, Matthew Broderick Among All-Star Lineup For Virtual Broadway Play Series

Producer Jeffrey Richards announced the new line-up of the weekly Spotlight On Plays, a web series at the recently launched Broadway’s Best Shows website. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Actor’s Fund, with the livestreamed events available for a strictly limited amount of time.

Productions are all-new and performed remotely, with directors including Mamet, Phylicia Rashad and Daniel Sullivan given leeway in how to present their shows.

The series, which follows last May’s production of Love Letters with Bryan Cranston and Sally Field, will run from Oct 14 – December 10, with a new show premiering weekly. Tickets are sold at a “Pay What You Can” rate starting at $5.

First up is Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, directed by Michael Wilson and featuring an all-star ensemble headed by Freeman, Broderick, Malkovich, Quinto, and Phylicia Rashad.

Next is Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth, starring Hedges, Normal People‘s Mescal and The Meyerowitz Stories’ Grace Van Patten. Lila Neugebauer directs.

Week #3 brings David Mamet’s Race, with David Alan Grier and Richard Thomas returning from the original Broadway 2009 cast. Also starring will be Ed O’Neill and Alicia Stith, with Phylicia Rashad directing.

Mamet’s Boston Marriage follows the next week, with the playwright directing Patti LuPone, Rebecca Pidgeon and Sophia Macy.

Next up is Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, adapted by Neil LaBute, headed up by Alan Cumming, Constance Wu and Ellen Burstyn. Directed by Danya Taymor.

The series continues with Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still, with Daniel Sullivan directing a reunion of the original 2010 Broadway cast: Eric Bogosian, Brian d’Arcy James, Laura Linney, Alicia Silverstone.

The final show in the series is Robert O’Hara’s Barbecue, headed up by Metcalf, David Morse, S. Epatha Merkerson, Carrie Coon and Colman Domingo, with Robert O’Hara directing.

The Spotlight on Plays series is created and Executive Produced by Jeffrey Richards and Produced by Patty Baker/Good Productions, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman, Iris Smith with Jim Glaub and Jacob Soroken Porter. Select productions in the series are also produced by Ken Greiner, Louise L. Gund, Terry Schnuck, Ted Snowdon and The Shubert Organization.

Here’s the complete line-up. All performances begin at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

Gore Vidal’s THE BEST MAN
October 14, 2020
Starring in Alphabetical Order Elizabeth Ashley, Reed Birney, Matthew Broderick, Katie Finneran, Morgan Freeman, Julie Halston, Stacy Keach, Robert Krulwich, John Malkovich, Zachary Quinto, Phylicia Rashad, Robert Sella, Lee Wilkof, Vanessa Williams, Whitney Winfield with Sean Close, Travoye Joyner, Jered McLenigan, TJ Wagner. Directed by Michael Wilson.

Kenneth Lonergan’s THIS IS OUR YOUTH
October 20, 2020
Starring Lucas Hedges, Paul Mescal, Grace Van Patten. Directed by Lila Neugebauer.

David Mamet’s RACE
October 29, 2020
Starring David Alan Grier, Ed O’Neill, Alicia Stith, and Richard Thomas. Directed by Phylicia Rashad.

David Mamet’s BOSTON MARRIAGE
November 12, 2020
Starring Patti LuPone, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sophia Macy. Directed by David Mamet.

Anton Chekhov’s UNCLE VANYA
November 19, 2020
Starring Alan Cumming, Samira Wiley, Constance Wu, Ellen Burstyn, Manik Choksi, K. Todd Freeman, Mia Katigbak, Anson Mount. Narrated by Gabriel Ebert. Directed by Danya Taymor. Adapted by Neil LaBute.

Donald Margulies’ TIME STANDS STILL
December 3, 2020
Starring the Original Broadway Cast: Eric Bogosian, Brian d’Arcy James, Laura Linney, Alicia Silverstone. Directed by Daniel Sullivan

Robert O’Hara’s BARBECUE
December 10, 2020
Starring Carrie Coon, Colman Domingo, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Annie McNamara, S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurie Metcalf, David Morse, Kristine Nielsen, Tamberla Perry, Heather Simms. Directed by Robert O’Hara.

Video: Guiding Light - Reunion -Jay Hammer and Susan Pratt

Emmy Awards: Sterling K. Brown, Laverne Cox, Jason Bateman Among Additional Talent For Virtual Ceremony

Broad City alumna Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson will join the celebration of TV’s best performances and accomplishments along with Randall Park, RuPaul, Patrick Stewart, Jason Sudeikis, D-Nice and Sesame Street’s Count Von Count.

While the lineup of Emmy appearances may seem loaded, the Television Academy said the annual awards show will also feature even more surprises and guests.

Morgan Freeman & Ruby Rose Lead Cast In Action-Thriller ‘Vanquish’, Capstone Launches Pic Currently Shooting In Mississippi

In the movie, Freeman plays a retired police commissioner who blackmails his caretaker (Ruby Rose) by kidnapping her daughter, forcing her into helping him double cross his team of dirty detectives in an attempt to clean up the city.

Bad Boys and Midnight Run writer Gallo is directing from a screenplay he wrote alongside Samuel Bartlett from Bartlett’s original story. Capstone’s Blue Box International banner is launching world sales this week during the Toronto Film Festival.

The film, previously known as The Longest Night, is produced by March On Productions’ Richard Salvatore and David E Ornston, and Chassy Media’s Nate Adams. Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group is co-financing alongside Gary Leff’s Southland Equity. Mercuri and Leff will serve as executive producers.

Supporting cast includes Nick Vallelonga, Miles Doleac, Patrick Muldoon, Juju Journey Brener and Julie Lott.

“With the state of the COVID world, we set out to make a contained thriller that could be made with the new protocols and wound up creating a non-stop action thriller with two amazing actors that are bringing our characters to life in a way we never had dreamed was possible,“ said Salvatore.

“As Indie filmmakers for the last 25 years, we thought we’ve faced every obstacle we could. But as seems to be the case…there is always a new challenge. COVID has made us rethink every aspect of our shoot. What has remained intact is a great cast, director and crew all co-operating as a team to make this terrific film,” commented Ornston.

“I have always wanted to do a tight and stylish action thriller. This is going to be a real fun ride and with performances by Morgan Freeman and Ruby Rose, the film is elevated to a higher level,” added Gallo.

‘Fast Times At Ridgemont High’ Live Table Read Sets Totally Awesome Cast With Sean Penn, Morgan Freeman And More

The movie was authentic and raw when it came to teen comedies and is hailed as a pop culture touchstone — and the teen comedy celebrates its 38th anniversary today. The virtual live table read will be unrehearsed which means it will be a glorious anything-goes event with an all-star roster including Cook, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf and Spicoli himself, Sean Penn (although he won’t be playing the stoner surfer — more on that later). Heckerling and Crowe will make a special introduction at the top of the event while additional casting will be unveiled shortly. To find out who will be playing who, viewers will have to tune into the live event.

The event will take place on August 20 at 9pm ET/6pm PT on CORE’s official Facebook page and TikTok. The event will benefit the emergency relief nonprofit CORE, the humanitarian organization co-founded by Penn and CEO Ann Lee, currently on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 providing testing and relief services in the United States. The event will also support the REFORM Alliance, which is focused on passing laws to reform the criminal justice system and protecting the incarcerated population from the spread of COVID-19. The livestreams will feature a donate button with all proceeds benefiting CORE as well as REFORM Alliance.

“I’m honored that so many talented, wonderful people are willing to get together to celebrate our movie, and to create their own special version of it,” said Heckerling. “And I’m a huge fan of Sean. He has such a big heart and I fully support CORE and all of his causes.”

Crowe added, “Sean brought magic to us on day one, and he is still bringing that magic to the world. We are so excited to be a part of this 2020 take on Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Thank you to this cast, and to Sean, for always honoring the best things in life, love and creativity. It is, as a great man once said, totally awesome.”

“On behalf of our dedicated team at CORE, I’m so appreciative of the support Dane has given and continues to give to our work,” said Penn. “I’m always game for a giggle. So, to gather remotely for a night of laughs with so many talented folks while providing CORE with much-needed resources to continue our vital work, then consider us fully onboard to play!”

Surprisingly Penn won’t be playing Spicolo, but he said that he is “very confident in the new guy.”

Executive produced by Cook and Ivan Dudynsky, Feelin’ A-Live, a virtual live table read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is presented in association with Deviants Media Inc. and JWP.

Watch the teaser here.

Video: One Life to Live - The Rappaports 7/16/20

Download the Emmys App to Watch Past, Present, and Future Shows!

“Television programming and its underlying technology have each gone through immense change over the more than seven decades the Emmys have recognized excellence in both facets of our industry,” said Adam Sharp, NATAS President & CEO. “Our awards have adapted through each of these transitions. Working with Vimeo, we now bring our celebration of this dynamic community of creators to all of the devices the audience uses to watch the television programming they love.”

The platform will allow fans to watch behind the scenes interviews, clips of memorable moments, and past Emmy ceremonies. Plus, you’ll be able to watch the upcoming shows live as they happen, because this year’s Daytime Emmys were split up into multiple shows to separate out the categories. Here’s what’s coming up:

Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. ET: The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards – Digital Dramas
Sunday, July 26, at 8 p.m. ET: The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards – Children’s, Lifestyle, and Animation
Tuesday, August 11, at 8 p.m. ET: The 41st Annual Sports Emmy Awards
September 2020: The 41st Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards

The app is completely free and all you have to do is sign up. Watch The Emmys is available on the web, as well as for iOS, Android, Amazon FireTV, and Roku.

Mary Pat Gleason, Prolific Character Actress With 100+ TV Roles, Dead at 70

Per a post on Gleason’s official Facebook page, she passed away after a long illness from cancer.

Though you may not have known Gleason’s name, it’s likely that her face is familiar: Her acting resume contains more than 100 television credits, usually for one-off-but-memorable roles on popular broadcast series in the past 40 years. She was Madame Oeuf, Saved By the Bell‘s French teacher. She was Lucille, the stern yet kindly dressing-room attendant who hugged a grieving Miranda in Sex and the City. She was Mrs. Butters, the no-nonsense elementary school teacher who dealt with Lynette and Susan’s kids in Desperate Housewives. She was Sally, the homeless woman who may or may not have known the president on NBC on Will & Grace.

Her list of TV appearances also includes roles on Quantum Leap, Highway to Heaven, Night Court, Blossom, ER, NCIS, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, How to Get Away With Murder, NCIS and The Blacklist.

In 2014, she started the recurring role of Mary, an Alcoholics Anonymous member, on CBS’ Mom. Gleason appeared on the comedy a number of times over the years, and her character was killed off in Season 7 when Mary died of a brain aneurysm during an AA meeting.

Morgan Freeman & Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment Developing Western TV Series About African American Lawman Bass Reeves

Reeves was a notable lawman, a ‘Lone Ranger’ before there ever was one, whose legend has largely been ignored by history. Reeves captured 3K criminals –more than Pat Garrett, Wild Bill Hickok, and Wyatt Earp– with the use of flamboyant detective skills that were ahead of their time, i.e. sting operations to dressing up in disguises. His story unfurled against the backdrop of the birth of statehood and the foundation of Oklahoma. He partnered with a brash Irishman named Chauncey Lee, and together they were tasked with the impossible: impose the rule of law in the most dangerous place on Earth. Reeves’ story is described as 48 Hours meets Game of Thrones, set in the Wild West.

The Civil War gave Bass Reeves an opportunity to flee from his master William S. Reeves, who made Bass accompany his son, George Reeves, to fight for the Confederacy. During that time, Bass fled to Native American Territory (which is known today as Oklahoma). Bass learned the customs of the Seminole and Creek tribes. Following the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865 abolishing slavery, Bass became a free man. He married, returned to Arkansas, but was soon recruited by U.S. Marshal James Fagan to cuff criminals in the chaotic West. Possessing a strict moral compass, Bass even arrested one of his 11 sons for murdering his wife.

“When Morgan and I were editing the film he was directing Bopha! back in the early ’90s, Bass Reeves’ story was brought to our attention. Morgan is so well read on U.S. and world history, yet both of us had never heard of him. We decided we had to figure out how to tell Bass’ story,” McCreary tells Deadline. The feature project was originally set up at Castle Rock with Freeman attached to play Reeves.

“Back then we couldn’t quite crack the story, which was why we were thrilled when Malcom and Ben came in and opened up this world. Bass Reeves’ story speaks to what we are going through now in this country,” adds the Revelations CEO and producer.

Revelations optioned Burton’s book Black, Red & Deadly, but recently re-optioned it again along with the author’s Black Gun, Silver Star. Pickens was also fascinated with Reeves’ story, and after seeing Freeman speak about the legend in a TV interview, the two partnered up to develop a series. With the new iteration of the Reeves project, it hasn’t been determined yet whether Freeman will star and direct an episode.

Freeman and McCreary are repped by CAA. Freeman is also repped by Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Pickens Jr. is repped by Artists & Representatives, Wright Entertainment and Meyer & Downs. Empire producer Spellman is repped by CAA, Industry Entertainment, and Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano. Burn Notice and Hand of God producer Watkins is repped by WME and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.

Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo Lead ‘Panama’ Action Film From Daniel Adams – Toronto

Set in wild 1989 Panama, the plot follows James Becker (Grillo), a rugged, decorated ex-marine, who is sent undercover by his former commander Stark (Freeman) to execute a high-value deal with untrustworthy adversaries. While navigating through the chaos of the local civil war, Becker must fight assassins, court femmes fatales and negotiate with the enemy in order to complete his mission. With Stark always by his side, Becker perseveres against all odds in hopes of making it home alive.

Filming is slated to commence in November. Highland Film Group will handle worldwide sales, which will launch at the Toronto International Film Festival. Barber serves as executive producer.

Grillo’s upcoming project slate includes Screen Gems’ Black and Blue with Naomie Harris, the Lionsgate sequel The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, and Boss Level with Mel Gibson and Naomi Watts.

Freeman, who won an Oscar for his performance in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, can be seen starring in Angel Has Fallen, the third film in the Olympus Has Fallen trilogy, which is currently sitting at number 1 on the domestic box office chart. Next, he’ll also appear in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard as well as George Gallo’s The Comeback Trail with Robert De Niro.

Adams’ directorial credits include The Lightkeepers starring Richard Dreyfuss, Bruce Dern, Mamie Gummer and Blythe Danner, The Golden Boys starring Dern and David Carradine, and most recently An L.A. Minute with Gabriel Byrne and Kiersey Clemons.

Freeman is repped by CAA; Grillo by CAA and Management 360; Adams by Claire Best & Associates.

Dishing with Digest - 4/19/19 - Kin Shriner

Kin Shriner looks back on 40-plus years as GH’s Scott Baldwin, his roles on other soaps, his daytime pals, favorite memories and so much more with Digest’s Stephanie Sloane and Mara Levinsky. We also debate the pros and cons of ripped-from-the-headlines stories.

Morgan Freeman Joins Ryan Reynolds & Samuel L. Jackson In ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ Sequel

The latest installment, which is slated to begin filming this month, will follow Michael Bryce (Reynolds) who joins Darius (Jackson) and his wife Sonia (Hayek) on a mission along the Amalfi Coast.

The 2017 original grossed close to $80M domestic for Lionsgate and more than $180M worldwide.

Freeman was last seen on the big screen in Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and up next stars in the Lionsgate Olympus Has Fallen sequel Angel Has Fallen. He also serves as the host of National Geographic Channel’s The Story of God which follows Freeman as he travels to cities deemed the world’s holiest, and speak with religious leaders, scientists, historians, and archaeologists.

Freeman is repped by CAA.

Nat Geo Moves Forward With Season 3 of ‘The Story of God’ Following Investigation Into Morgan Freeman Misconduct Claims

The future of the popular series came into question in May in the wake of a report in which eight women came forward to accuse the Oscar-winning actor of inappropriate behavior. None of the allegations pertained to Freeman’s work on The Story of God.

Nevertheless, Nat Geo at the time paused pre-production on Season 3, which had been greenlighted in January, with its parent company Fox launching an investigation.

“The results of this investigation revealed no incidents of concern during any of our work with Mr. Freeman,” Nat Geo said today in a statement to Deadline. “We have now made the decision to move forward with the production of season three of The Story of God. This series has expanded our understanding of religion and culture around the world and has touched many of our fans, and along with Morgan and the team at Revelations Entertainment, we look forward to resuming pre-production this September. As a company, we take all issues of harassment very seriously and we’re confidently assured by the results of the investigation. The new season will premiere globally on National Geographic Channels in 2019.”

The third season of the series will again follow Freeman on an international journey as he discovers the power of religion and how it touches all of our lives. Freeman will travel to some of the world’s holiest sites and speak with religious leaders, scientists, historians and archaeologists to try to shed light on questions about the puzzle of the divine laws. Each episode will focus on a different topic about the divine to help shed light on the questions that inspired mankind.

In the first two seasons, Freeman traveled to Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, India’s Bodhi Tree, Mayan temples in Guatemala, the pyramids of Egypt, New Mexico to observe ancient Navajo rituals and the banks of the Ganges River.

As part of the series’ Season 3 renewal, National Geographic also signed an exclusive first-look partnership deal with Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment to expand the series franchise by developing more nonfiction content.

The news of The Story Of God‘s third season going forward was revealed earlier today by Courteney Monroe, CEO of National Geographic Global Networks, in an internal memo.

Here is Nat Geo’s full statement:

Through production on critically acclaimed series “The Story of God” and “The Story of Us,” we have valued a longstanding relationship with Morgan Freeman. When we learned of recent allegations surrounding Mr. Freeman completely unrelated to our work with him, as a precaution we paused production on our new season in order to complete a thorough investigation led by our parent company Fox, executed through an independent investigator. The results of this investigation revealed no incidents of concern during any of our work with Mr. Freeman. We have now made the decision to move forward with the production of season three of “The Story of God.” This series has expanded our understanding of religion and culture around the world and has touched many of our fans, and along with Morgan and the team at Revelations Entertainment, we look forward to resuming pre-production this September. As a company, we take all issues of harassment very seriously and we’re confidently assured by the results of the investigation. The new season will premiere globally on National Geographic Channels in 2019.

Morgan Freeman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shailene Woodley To Be Feted At France’s Deauville Film Fest

Oscar-winner Freeman will receive a career homage while Sex And The City star Parker will get Deauville’s Talent prize. Cannes Palme d’Or winner Jacques Audiard, who will be at the festival with Joaquin Phoenix and John C Reilly to introduce their Western The Sisters Brothers, will receive an honorary award.

Parker will join Kate Beckinsale and Jason Clarke as honorees for the festival’s Talent prize. Elle Fanning and Shailene Woodley will receive this year’s Rising Star award while writer John Grisham is getting the event’s literary prize.

Freeman’s honor comes just months after CNN ran a story in which eight women accused him of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment. The Oscar-winning actor has denied all charges and has threatened to sue the network.

Deauville, which focuses on U.S. movies and talent, also revealed its Competition lineup today, with movies including Bart Layton’s heist drama American Animals, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s police violence drama Monsters And Men, A.J. Edward’s Friday’s Child, Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, Marc Turtletaub’s Puzzle, Sara Colangelo’s The Kindergarten Teacher, and Jennifer Fox’s The Tale.

The event will wrap with Chris Weitz’s Operation Finale with Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley in attendance. Fest jury is headed by actress Sandrine Kiberlain with jury member comprising directors Stephane Brize, Xavier Legrand and Pierre Salvadori; actresses Leila Bekhti, Sabine Azema and Sara Giraudeau, singer Alex Beaupain and novelist Leila Slimani.

GH’s Kin Shriner Guest Hosts New Game App

Morgan Freeman Demands CNN Retract and Apologize for Sexual Harassment Allegations Story

The actor and Madam Secretary executive producer is looking into legal action against CNN, which on May 24 published a report of Freeman’s alleged harassment of eight women. The behavior reportedly included unwanted touching and offensive public comments about women’s clothing or bodies.

A letter Freeman’s attorneys sent to the cable news network Monday characterized the story, reported by CNN’s Chloe Melas and An Phung, as “journalistic malpractice” that included “falsehoods” and “malicious intent.”

The letter calls for CNN to retract the story and issue a public apology to Freeman, who has lost work — including his role as the voice of Visa — as a result of the allegations.

Among other criticisms, the letter alleges that Melas, who also was a source in the story after encountering what she described as “inappropriate behavior” on Freeman’s part during a press junket for his film Going in Style, misinterpreted Freeman’s comment about a story told by co-star Michael Caine. In the CNN story, Melas said that Morgan said “I wish I was there” in regard to her then-six-months-pregnant body. Freeman’s lawyers say the comment was directed at an anecdote Caine had just shared, not at Melas. (Melas maintains that Freeman also said she was “ripe,” and that the observations made her so uncomfortable that she reported them to her supervisors and CNN’s human resources department.)

A CNN spokesperson issued the following statement to TVLine:

The unfounded accusations made by Mr. Freeman’s lawyer are disappointing and are difficult to reconcile with Mr. Freeman’s own public statements in the aftermath of the story. CNN stands by its reporting and will respond forcefully to any attempt by Mr. Freeman or his representatives to intimidate us from covering this important public issue.

The New York Times‘ Sopan Deb tweeted Freeman’s lawyers’ letter Tuesday; you can read it in its entirety here.

Soon after CNN’s story was published on May 24, Freeman issued a statement saying, “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”

Then, on May 26, he released a second statement in which he said he was “devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports” and that “it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor.”

Morgan Freeman “Devastated” Over Allegations, Says “I Did Not Assault Women” In New Statement

“I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports,” he said about the accusations that came in a report from CNN. The allegations included unwanted touching and inappropriate comments including asking a woman if she was wearing underwear.

He added tonight: “I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false.”

On Thursday, Freeman issued a shorter statement: “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy, he said. “I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”

In the wake of the reports, Visa cut ties with Freeman who had been the longtime voice behind the company’s ad campaigns. SAG-AFTRA, which presented him with its lifetime achievement honor this year at the SAG Awards, said it was reviewing possible “corrective actions.”

Here’s his full statement tonight:

“I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports.

All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor.

I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women—and men—feel appreciated and at ease around me. As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way.

Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologized Thursday and will continue to apologize to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally.

But I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false.”

— Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman: SAG Reviewing Possible “Corrective Actions” Against Its Lifetime Achievement Honoree

Here is the union’s statement:

“These are compelling and devastating allegations which are absolutely contrary to all the steps that we are taking to insure a safe work environment for the professionals in this industry.

“Any accused person has the right to due process, but it is our starting point to believe the courageous voices who come forward to report incidents of harassment.

“Given Mr. Freeman recently received one of our union’s most prestigious honors recognizing his body of work, we are therefore reviewing what corrective actions may be warranted at this time.”

The Oscar winner was the 54th recipient of the award this past January. Rita Moreno, who has known Freeman for decades going back to their work together on the PBS kids program Electric Company, presented Freeman with the award calling him “a national treasure.”

Freeman began acting at age 12, has appeared in nearly 100 films, which together have earned over $4.5 billion at the box office. His credits include Million Dollar Baby, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar; Unforgiven, and The Shawshank Redemption, for which he received Best Actor nominations for a SAG Award and an Oscar. With one of the world’s most recognizable voices, Freeman was also the voice of two Oscar-winning documentaries: The March of the Penguins and The Long Way Home.

Morgan Freeman: VISA Pulls Marketing As Sexual Harassment Fallout Continues

In a just released statement from VISA, a spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the allegations that have been made against Mr. Freeman. At this point, Visa will be suspending our marketing in which the actor is featured.”

This comes after Vancouver-based transit system TransLink backed away as well. It had been featuring a Morgan Freeman voiceover for a VISA ad campaign to promote TransLink’s VISA credit card and mobile payments on its buses and at its automated rapid transit system SkyTrain.

The transit system issued a statement earlier today, stating: “In light of information we’ve learned through news stories this morning of serious allegations against actor Morgan Freeman, TransLink has decided to pause his voice announcements as part of a VISA ad campaign on the transit system,” the transit authority said this morning, in a statement.

The allegations, reported by CNN’s investigative team, also has also given pause to his union, SAG-AFTRA which award him with its highest honor in January with its Lifetime Achievement Award. They are now reviewing the situation but stated today: “Any accused person has the right to due process, but it is our starting point to believe the courageous voices who come forward to report incidents of harassment.”

The move by VISA is not without precedent in Corporate America. In the past, companies have stepped away from Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan after scandals hit; the same happened with Subway when its spokesman Jared Fogle was found with child porn.

So, it’s not unusual for companies to distance themselves when a spokesman is in the middle of a media firestorm of such a negative nature. Morgan Freeman, who apologized this AM “to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected” is just the latest.

Morgan Freeman apologizes after sexual harassment allegations

The 80-year-old Oscar winner is being accused by at least eight women of sexually inappropriate behaviour, CNN has revealed.

In his decades-long career, Freeman has starred in Driving Miss Daisy, Shawshank Redemption, Se7en and Million Dollar Baby with pal Clint Eastwood.

In addition, he has become a popular voiceover actor. On Wednesday, he was named as the voice on Vancouver’s Translink but that decision has now been put on hold.

Freeman apologized Thursday afternoon, saying he was sorry for making women feel “uneasy.”

“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy,” Freeman said in a statement obtained by Variety.

“I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”

One young production assistant told CNN she thought she’d snared the job of her dreams in Going In Style, starring Freeman, Sir Michael Caine and Alan Arkin.

It turned into months of harassment from Freeman lifting her skirt along with other bad behaviours. Arkin even told the star to stop, she says.

It was a similar story on the set of Now You See Me.

“He did comment on our bodies … We knew that if he was coming by … not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that (were) fitted,” a production assistant told CNN.

At his production company, Revelations Entertainment, it was a similar story.

But because of Freeman’s iconic status in the film world at large and Hollywood in particular, the women never reported his hijinks.

Six former staffers at his production company claimed to have witnessed Freeman’s creepy behaviour.

“He looked me up and down,” one said, and then he asked her, “How do you feel about sexual harassment?”

“I was stunned,” she told CNN. “This is the person that I worked for, this is his company, I didn’t expect it at all … I said timidly, ‘I love it’ in a sarcastic way hoping to make light of the situation because I was so confused and then he turned to the guys on the crew … and he said, ‘See guys, this is how you do it.’”

Freeman also allegedly made unwanted advances to at least three entertainment reporters.

Morgan Freeman Accused Of Inappropriate Behavior By Multiple Women

The cable news organization says eight women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. CNN interviewed 16 people for its report, including some who said they witnessed the behavior.

One production assistant said she was subjected to unwanted touching and comments about her figure and clothing on a nearly daily basis, including one incident in which the 80-year-old actor allegedly “kept trying to lift up my skirt” while inquiring if she was wearing underwear.

The accusers, most of whom CNN does not identify, describe a climate of harassment and inappropriate behavior at Revelations Entertainment. Freeman’s co-founder, Lori McCreary, allegedly witnessed one such incident, CNN reports.

This alleged misconduct is not limited to Freeman’s work on set or within his company.

CNN reports that three entertainment writers recounted inappropriate remarks made to them during press junkets. One of these women, CNN’s Chloe Melas, described an encounter when she was six months pregnant when she interviewed him during a promotional tour for the 2017 movie Going in Style. He allegedly looked her up and down and made suggestive remarks including, “You look so ripe.”

The allegations could not be independently verified by Deadline.

Freeman has had an enduring career in Hollywood, collecting an Oscar for supporting actor for Million Dollar Baby, and nominations for his roles in Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Street Smart. This year, he collected the SAG Awards’ highest honor, for lifetime achievement.

Freeman’s next film, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, is due out November 2. Disney is distributing the movie, which is a Mark Gordon Co. production. He also is working on Angel Has Fallen, the next installment of the Olympus Has Fallen franchise, and also is attached to star in Cold Warriors, which is in development with producer Avi Lerner and targeting a 2019 release.

“Morgan is 80 years old, and he is a lovely man.” said Lerner, who has worked with the actor on set on multiple movies. “I don’t believe it’s going to affect my movies. I have to tell you that I’ve been with him on the set for many movies over 15 years, and I’ve never seen one inappropriate thing in my life.”

Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter hinted at relations in texts before death

As Radar reported, rumors the Oscar winner had a secret sexual affair with Edena Hines date back nearly a decade. Now, during the trial over her murder, text messages hinting at the illicit relationship have been revealed.

On July 3, 2015, about six weeks before she was killed outside her apartment building in Washington Heights, N.Y., Hines texted her boyfriend and alleged killer, rapper Lamar Davenport, to discuss some problems she was having with an older gentleman.

“I dont ask him for advice,” Hines wrote. “He was calling to ask me . . . I blocked him for myself not for you because men who equal grandpa feelings dont need to be in my life at all.”

At the time, Hines, 33, was discussing the future of her rocky relationship with Davenport, and the outside influence of another man.

In response, Davenport, 33, wrote, “When it comes to…your grandfather, there’s a submissive love that will always be there.”

At Davenport’s trial in Manhattan Supreme Court on April 20, lawyers went a step further, asserting that Hines “disclosed to Lamar Davenport and others that her grandfather engaged in a sexually inappropriate relationship with her.”

It’s news Radar first broke years ago, when a family friend revealed the affair between The Shawshank Redemption star and his 45-years-younger granddaughter.

The insider told Radar when Harris was a teenager “she and Morgan went to dinner at a friend’s house one evening. Both had been drinking, and when they returned home, Morgan attempted to have sex with her.”

Their affair allegedly continued until Freeman began dating a stunning Los Angeles accountant named Ellie in 2012. It was that year when both Hines and the star publicly denied an affair amid the marriage reports.

Hines said, “These stories about me and my grandfather are not only untrue, they are also hurtful to me and my family.”

At the time, Freeman noted, “The recent reports of any pending marriage or romantic relationship of me to anyone are defamatory fabrications from the tabloid media designed to sell papers. What is even more alarming is that these fabrications are now being picked up by the legitimate press as well.”

Hines was the biological daughter of Deena Dair, whom Freeman and his first wife adopted as a child. They were not related by blood. The two have always vehemently denied any affair or sexual encounters.

According to police, Hines was stabbed 25 times in the neck, back and chest outside her home on August 16, 2015, at 2:50 a.m.

Davenport’s attorneys argue he is not guilty of the violent crime by reason of insanity because he was in the throes of a PCP-induced psychosis when the attack occurred.

Lin Bolen Dies: First Female VP Of Programming At A Network Was 76

Bolen worked for NBC in the 1970s and was responsible for commissioning the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. She also is credited with bringing long-form narrative to soap operas, expanding them to hour-long formats.

It was long rumored that the ruthless Faye Dunaway character of Diana Christiansen in the 1976 satrical film Network was based on Bolen, something Bolen denied.

She was appointed VP of daytime programming at NBC in 1972, rising to become the VP of programming in Sept. 1975. NBC thrived under her leadership, becoming the No. 1 network in ratings.

Some of her moves were controversial. Bolen ended the 11-year run for Jeopardy!, citing its older demographics and stodgy host Art Fleming, and also killed the 15-year-old game show Concentration. Instead, she pivoted to a new concept from creator/producer Merv Griffin, a casino-like game called Wheel of Fortune that debuted in 1976. It became a huge hit.

Merv Griffin remembered Bolen in his Simon & Schuster memoir, Merv: Making The Good Life Last. He described her as a “hard-driving” and “difficult” woman, with whom he had many “bitter fights.” Still, he noted, “I developed a gruding respect for her talent and determination. She wanted to put her own stamp on NBC’s daytime lineup, and if that meant throwing out a few babies along with the bathwater, then so be it.”

Bolen left NBC in 1976 to form her own, self-named producion company focused on creating and developing game shows, movies of the week, and theatrical films for networks and studios. Among its show was Stumpers!, hosted by Allen Ludden (which lasted 13 weeks before cancellation), and W.E.B., a show that looked seriously at the men who ran network television. It, too, was canceled after 13 weeks, done in by its slot against the ABC hit Charlie’s Angels.

She fared better in television movies. The Christmas Coal Mine Miracle, starring Kurt Russell and Melissa Gilbert, was the highest-rated movie of the year for NBC.

Survivors include a son, Jason Wendkos. No details on memorial services have been made public.

SAG Awards Nominations

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
MARY J. BLIGE / Florence Jackson – “MUDBOUND” (Netflix)
HONG CHAU / Ngoc Lan Tran – “DOWNSIZING” (Paramount Pictures)
HOLLY HUNTER / Beth – “THE BIG SICK” (Amazon Studios/Lionsgate)
ALLISON JANNEY / LaVona Golden – “I, TONYA” (Neon/30West)
LAURIE METCALF / Marion McPherson – “LADY BIRD” (A24)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
LAURA DERN / Renata Klein – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)
NICOLE KIDMAN / Celeste Wright – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)
JESSICA LANGE / Joan Crawford – “FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN” (FX Networks)
SUSAN SARANDON / Bette Davis – “FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN” (FX Networks)
REESE WITHERSPOON / Madeline MacKenzie – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN / Eleven – “STRANGER THINGS” (Netflix)
CLAIRE FOY / Queen Elizabeth II – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)
LAURA LINNEY / Wendy Byrde – “OZARK” (Netflix)
ELISABETH MOSS / Offred/June – “THE HANDMAID’S TALE” (Hulu)
ROBIN WRIGHT / Claire Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ANTHONY ANDERSON / Andre “Dre” Johnson – “BLACK-ISH” (ABC)
AZIZ ANSARI / Dev – “MASTER OF NONE” (Netflix)
LARRY DAVID / Himself – “CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM” (HBO)
SEAN HAYES / Jack McFarland – “WILL & GRACE” (NBC)
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank Gallagher – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)
MARC MARON / Sam Sylvia – “GLOW” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THE CROWN (Netflix)
CLAIRE FOY / Queen Elizabeth II
VICTORIA HAMILTON / Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
VANESSA KIRBY / Princess Margaret
ANTON LESSER / Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
MATT SMITH / Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
ALFIE ALLEN / Theon Greyjoy
JACOB ANDERSON / Grey Worm
PILOU ASBÆK / Euron Greyjoy
HAFÞÓR JÚLÍUS BJÖRNSSON / The Mountain
JOHN BRADLEY / Samwell Tarly
JIM BROADBENT / Archmaester Ebrose
GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE / Brienne
EMILIA CLARKE / Daenerys Targaryen
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU / Jaime Lannister
LIAM CUNNINGHAM / Davos Seaworth
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister
RICHARD DORMER / Beric Dondarrion
NATHALIE EMMANUEL / Missandei
JAMES FAULKNER / Randyll Tarly
JEROME FLYNN / Bronn
AIDAN GILLEN / Petyr Baelish
IAIN GLEN / Jorah Mormont
KIT HARINGTON / Jon Snow
LENA HEADEY / Cersei Lannister
ISAAC HEMPSTEAD WRIGHT / Bran Stark
CONLETH HILL / Varys
KRISTOFER HIVJU / Tormund Giantsbane
TOM HOPPER / Dickon Tarly
ANTON LESSER / Qyburn
RORY McCANN / The Hound
STAZ NAIR / Qhono
RICHARD RYCROFT / Maester Wolkan
SOPHIE TURNER / Sansa Stark
RUPERT VANSITTART / Yohn Royce
MAISIE WILLIAMS / Arya Stark

THE HANDMAID’S TALE (Hulu)
MADELINE BREWER / Janine/Ofwarren/Ofdaniel
AMANDA BRUGEL / Rita
ANN DOWD / Aunt Lydia
O-T FAGBENLE / Luke
JOSEPH FIENNES / Commander Waterford
TATTIAWNA JONES / Ofglen #2
MAX MINGHELLA / Nick Blaine
ELISABETH MOSS / Offred/June
YVONNE STRAHOVSKI / Serena Joy
SAMIRA WILEY / Moira

STRANGER THINGS (Netflix)
SEAN ASTIN / Bob Newby
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN / Eleven
CARA BUONO / Karen Wheeler
JOE CHREST / Ted Wheeler
CATHERINE CURTIN / Claudia Henderson (Dustin’s Mom)
NATALIA DYER / Nancy Wheeler
DAVID HARBOUR / Jim Hopper
CHARLIE HEATON / Jonathan Byers
JOE KEERY / Steve Harrington
GATEN MATARAZZO / Dustin Henderson
CALEB McLAUGHLIN / Lucas Sinclair
DACRE MONTGOMERY / Billy
PAUL REISER / Dr. Owens
WINONA RYDER / Joyce Byers
NOAH SCHNAPP / Will Byers
SADIE SINK / Max
FINN WOLFHARD / Mike Wheeler

THIS IS US (NBC)
ERIS BAKER / Tess Pearson
ALEXANDRA BRECKENRIDGE / Sophie
STERLING K. BROWN / Randall Pearson
LONNIE CHAVIS / Young Randall
JUSTIN HARTLEY / Kevin Pearson
FAITHE HERMAN / Annie Pearson
RON CEPHAS JONES / William Hill
CHRISSY METZ / Kate Pearson
MANDY MOORE / Rebecca Pearson
CHRIS SULLIVAN / Toby Damon
MILO VENTIMIGLIA / Jack Pearson
SUSAN KELECHI WATSON / Beth Pearson
HANNAH ZEILE / Teenage Kate

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
BLACK-ISH (ABC)
ANTHONY ANDERSON / Andre “Dre” Johnson
MILES BROWN / Jack Johnson
DEON COLE / Charlie Telphy
LAURENCE FISHBURNE / Pops
JENIFER LEWIS / Ruby
PETER MACKENZIE / Mr. Stevens
MARSAI MARTIN / Diane Johnson
JEFF MEACHAM / Josh
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS / Dr. Rainbow Johnson
MARCUS SCRIBNER / Andre Johnson, Jr.
YARA SHAHIDI / Zoey Johnson

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (HBO)
TED DANSON / Himself
LARRY DAVID / Himself
SUSIE ESSMAN / Susie Greene
JEFF GARLIN / Jeff Greene
CHERYL HINES / Cheryl David
JB SMOOVE / Leon Black

GLOW (Netflix)
BRITT BARON / Justine Biagi
ALISON BRIE / Ruth Wilder
KIMMY GATEWOOD / Stacey Beswick
BETTY GILPIN / Debbie Eagan
REBEKKA JOHNSON / Dawn Rivecca
CHRIS LOWELL / Bash
SUNITA MANI / Arthie Premkumar
MARC MARON / Sam Sylvia
KATE NASH / Rhonda Richardson
SYDELLE NOEL / Cherry Bang
MARIANNA PALKA / Reggie Walsh
GAYLE RANKIN / Sheila the She-Wolf
BASHIR SALAHUDDIN / Keith
RICH SOMMER / Mark
KIA STEVENS / Tammé Dawson
JACKIE TOHN / Melanie Rosen
ELLEN WONG / Jenny Chey
BRITNEY YOUNG / Carmen Wade

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
EMILY ALTHAUS / Maureen Kukudio
DANIELLE BROOKS / Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
ROSAL COLÓN / Ouija
JACKIE CRUZ / Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales
FRANCESCA CURRAN / Helen Van Maele
DANIELLA DE JESÚS / Zirconia
LEA DeLARIA / Big Boo
NICK DILLENBURG / CO Blake
ASIA KATE DILLON / Brandy Epps
BETH DOVER / Linda Ferguson
KIMIKO GLENN / Brook Soso
ANNIE GOLDEN / Norma Romano
LAURA GÓMEZ / Blanca Flores
DIANE GUERRERO / Maritza Ramos
EVAN ARTHUR HALL / CO Stratman
MICHAEL J. HARNEY / Sam Healy
BRAD WILLIAM HENKE / Desi Piscatella
MIKE HOUSTON / CO Lee Dixon
VICKY JEUDY / Janae Watson
KELLY KARBACZ / Kasey Sankey
JULIE LAKE / Angie Rice
SELENIS LEYVA / Gloria Mendoza
NATASHA LYONNE / Nicky Nichols
TARYN MANNING / Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett
ADRIENNE C. MOORE / Cindy Hayes
MIRIAM MORALES / Pidge
KATE MULGREW / Galina “Red” Reznikov
EMMA MYLES / Leanne Taylor
JOHN PALLADINO / Josh
MATT PETERS / Joel Luschek
JESSICA PIMENTEL / Maria Ruiz
DASCHA POLANCO / Dayanara Diaz
LAURA PREPON / Alex Vause
JOLENE PURDY / Stephanie Hapakuka
ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ / Aleida Diaz
NICK SANDOW / Joe Caputo
ABIGAIL SAVAGE / Gina Murphy
TAYLOR SCHILLING / Piper Chapman
CONSTANCE SHULMAN / Yoga Jones
DALE SOULES / Frieda Berlin
YAEL STONE / Lorna Morello
EMILY TARVER / CO Artesian McCullough
MICHAEL TORPEY / CO Thomas Humphrey
LIN TUCCI / Anita DeMarco

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Morgan Freeman

Tom Wiggin & Saundra Santiago on Madam Secretary

GUEST CAST includes: Ephraim Ware (Clifton Davis), Saundra Santiago (Margarita Garcia), Tom Wiggin (Ash Mackey).

Morgan Freeman set to play Colin Powell in biopic

The film will focus on Powell’s 2003 speech to the United Nations to seek support for the Bush administration’s plan to forcibly remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, based on intelligence — later discredited — that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons. Powell later described the event as a low point in his career.

Reginald Hudlin is attached to direct “Powell” with Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment and Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment as the production companies. Producers are Amritraj and Lori McCreary, Freeman’s partner at Revelations.

Hudlin will direct from a script by Ed Whitworth, which was on the 2011 Black List. The project will focus on Powell’s tenure as the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position.

Executive producers are Hyde Park’s Priya Amritraj and Addison Mehr, along with Freeman and Revelation’s Kelly Mendelsohn.

Freeman recently starred in New Line’s remake of “Going in Style” and will appear in Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.” Hudlin directed “Marshall,” starring Chadwick Boseman and Josh Gad.

Freeman starred in the 2009 historical biopic “Invictus,” portraying South African President Nelson Mandela. He received his fifth Oscar nomination for the role.

Both Freeman and Hudlin are represented by CAA.

Talk Show Appearance

Thursday, Oct. 5 - Morgan Freeman

‘Just Getting Started’ Trailer: Morgan Freeman & Tommy Lee Jones Are Rivals-Turned-Partners

They compete at poker, golf, ping-pong and for the new arrival. Sounds like a good old-fashioned alpha male battle tale, right? But don’t price it yet.

Here’s the first trailer for Just Getting Started, which takes a turn around the midpoint. Seems someone wants Duke dead. “Get me the hell out of here,” he urges Leo. “Why would I do that for you?” is the reasonable reply. “I’ve got a big secret,” Duke confesses. He was a star witness against the mob and now isn’t exactly laying low in witness protection.

Meanwhile at the resort, there’s a camel, an exploding golf cart, an assault on Santa, lots of limbo and even more libido. Co-stars include Glenne Headly, Joe Pantoliano, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Elizabeth Ashley.

Ron Shelton wrote and directed the action comedy formerly known as Villa Capri, which Broad Green Pictures opens wide December 8.

Morgan Freeman Recurs & Directs Madam Secretary 10/8/17

Morgan Freeman To Receive SAG Life Achievement Award

“I am thrilled to announce Morgan Freeman as this year’s recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award. Some actors spend their entire careers waiting for the perfect role. Morgan showed us that true perfection is what a performer brings to the part,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “He is innovative, fearless and completely unbound by expectations. As a chauffeur, convicted murderer, boxing gym attendant, pimp or president, Morgan fully realized every character, baring their souls and showcasing their humanity. It has been a privilege to see his genius at work.”

Freeman, who began acting at age 12, has appeared in nearly 100 films, which together have earned over $4.5 billion at the box office. His credits include Million Dollar Baby, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar; Unforgiven, and The Shawshank Redemption, for which he received Best Actor nominations for a SAG Award, Oscar and a Golden Globe. Other credits include Street Smart, his 1987 breakthrough role, Invictus, The Dark Knight, The Bucket List, Glory, Lean on Me, Se7en, Amistad, Bruce Almighty, and Along Came a Spider. He most recently starred in Warner Bros.’ Going In Style, Paramount Pictures’ Ben-Hur, Summit Entertainment’s Now You See Me 2 and Focus Features’ London Has Fallen. Freeman’s upcoming films include Broad Green Pictures’ Villa Capri and Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

With one of the world’s most recognizable voices, Freeman was the voice of two Oscar-winning documentaries: The March of the Penguins and The Long Way Home.

Freeman first became nationally known in 1971 when he starred in the Children’s Television Workshop’s The Electric Company, for which he created characters including the iconic Easy Reader. He is currently an executive producer of Madam Secretary for CBS, and hosts and is an executive producer for the Science Channel series Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, which recently completed its seventh season. He also hosted the event series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman on the National Geographic Channel, and will next host The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, which premieres October 11 on the National Geographic Channel.

His philanthropic work includes support for Artists for a New South Africa and the Campaign for Female Education – organizations working to create hope and better lives for thousands of people. In 1973, he co-founded the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop, now in its 37th season, which supports and nurtures promising African American playwrights to ensure those voices can be heard.

Clifton James Dies: ‘James Bond’ Sheriff Was 96

James’ death was reported by the Associated Press, with his daughter Lynn James confirming he died at another daughter’s home in Gladstone, Oregon.

The actor played Sheriff J.W. Pepper in the Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), but was a familiar face from scores of appearances, including in such films as Cool Hand Luke, Silver Streak, Eight Men Out and The Bonfire of the Vanities, The New Centurions, The Chase and The Happening.

Likely from his roles as a prison guard in 1967’s Cool Hand Luke and a sheriff in 1969’s The Reivers, the Spokane-born lifelong Northwesterner often played Southern law types, sometimes for laughs, as in Superman II, Silver Streak, Dukes of Hazzard and the Bond films.

He is survived by five children and an extended family.

Talk Show Appearance

Fr 9/30: Morgan Freeman

Talk Show Appearance

Th 9/29: Morgan Freeman, Judith Light

Talk Show Appearance

Th 9/29: Morgan Freeman

Tom Wiggin & Christina Bennett Lind on Persons of Interest

Guest Cast Includes: Purva Bedi (Maggie), Christina Bennett Lind (Karen), Tom Wiggin (Kent).

Humbert Allen Astredo Dies: ‘Dark Shadows’ Actor Was 86

After performing for Joseph Papp’s free Shakespeare in the Park and in various Off-Broadway productions, Astredo joined Shadows in 1968 in his primary role Nicholas Blair, a demon-summoning warlock and foe of witch hunters. The role was at the center of a brief controversy in ’68 when real-life Christian groups protested a plotline in which Astredo’s character seemed to be gearing up for an encounter with Satan himself. The show’s writers — in what was either a real reaction or a publicity stunt — renamed the devil character Diablos and outfitted him in generic Grim Reaper garb.

Humbert served in the Korean War before studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, working in local L.A. theaters and establishing the classical theater company the Hollywood Center Theatre. He played Sergius in Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Shaw’s Arms And The Man. He also performed with James Earl Jones in Othello. After Shadows, he toured nationally with both Langella and Martin Landau in Dracula. On Broadway he performed in Gore Vidal’s An Evening With Richard Nixon, Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs and the world tour of Little Foxes with Elizabeth Taylor.

Before retiring to Connecticut in the 1980s, he appeared on soaps Another World, The Edge Of Night, For Richer, For Poorer, Guiding Light, Love Of Life, Loving, One Life To Live, Somerset and Texas. He was predeceased by his daughter Jennifer.

ATWT ALUM RELEASES NOVEL

The Client's Wife: an Emma Charles Mystery

Emma Charles is the 30 year old granddaughter of Nick and Nora Charles, the high society sleuthing couple immortalized in “The Thin Man” movies of the 1930s. Emma's dream of following in her grandparents’ footsteps has started to come true: she has opened her own private investigation agency and secured her first case with a high profile client.

The second part of Emma’s dream is more elusive: enjoying the kind of romance that Nick and Nora made famous. Emma’s devotion to her grandparents’ Swing Era culture has made it impossible to find a contemporary man who can match her wit, taste and love of jazz music and gin martinis. But as Emma tackles her first case, which has unexpectedly implicated her client’s wife, she meets Dash Moran, a jazz pianist who has big dreams of his own and also harbors a deep appreciation for that bygone era.

In this stylish mystery/romance that races from the posh Upper East Side of Manhattan to funky Harlem and out to the glittering mansions of the Hamptons, Emma joins forces with Dash and an unforgettable cast of characters to solve a series of murders that threaten to make Emma and her client’s wife the final victims.

The History and Influence of Soap Operas

Now there are only four soap operas left – drawn out, dramatic stories that used to be sponsored by soap manufacturers, and now are struggling to maintain relevance to house wives who have a lot more options in the middle of the day. We'll talk about this slice of Americana with those in the industry, and a professor who co-directs “Project Daytime.”

GUESTS:

Barbara Irwin - Professor of Communication Studies at Canisius College, co-director of Project Daytime
Ken Barnett - Actor
Mara Levinsky - Senior Editor at Soap Opera Digest
Ron Carlivati - Head writer for General Hospital

Catherine Hickland Interview