Reese Witherspoon
A Not So Clueless Blonde
Walk The Line - Legally Blonde - Sweet Home Alabama
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Reese Witherspoon
Height: 5' 2"
Birth Name: Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon
Birth Date: March 22, 1976
Birth Place: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Husband: Jim Toth
Production Company: Hello Sunshine

"You know, I'm just trying to matter, and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody." - Reese Witherspoon, winner of best actress for Walk the Line.

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  • Blu-Ray- Water for Elephants
  • DVD- Water for Elephants
  • DVD- Walk The Line (Two-Disc Special Edition)
  • DVD- Walk The Line (Widescreen)
  • DVD- Walk The Line (Full-screen)
  • DVD- Just Like Heaven (DVD)
  • CD- Walk the Line [SOUNDTRACK]
  • NEWS

    (Click Here to submit news, articles & rumors)

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine & iHeartPodcasts Team On Daily Pod ‘The Bright Side’

    (3/8/24) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has teamed with iHeartPodcasts to launch The Bright Side, a daily podcast co-hosted by journalist and TV host Danielle Robay and Emmy-nominated news and entertainment broadcaster Simone Boyce.

    Witherspoon will serve as executive producer on the pod alongside Maureen Polo and Natalie Tulloch for Hello Sunshine and Ali Perry and Conal Byrne for iHeartPodcasts.

    Debuting on March 25, the two companies said Robay and Boyce will deliver a 30-minute “daily morning show-style podcast” aimed at creating a community of listeners through a “daily dose of entertainment, culture, wellness, fashion, and books.”

    “We have found that our audience makes it a point to seek out positivity in their personal and digital lives, with 59% of female consumers agreeing that they want content that makes them feel joyful,” said Maureen Polo, Head of Direct-to-Consumer at Hello Sunshine. “Podcasting offers a level of thoughtful engagement you can’t get in other media types, which is why it is such a perfect medium to launch ‘The Bright Side.’ We have been tracking the exploding podcast medium for a while – seeing new audiences, formats, and genres every day – and know that iHeartPodcasts is the best partner given its unmatched production, marketing, and sales acumen at a level few others in media can deliver.”

    The Bright Side will be distributed by iHeartPodcasts through the iHeartRadio app.

    Will Pearson, President of iHeartPodcasts added: “Hello Sunshine is the perfect partner for this ambitious project, given their incredible sense of cultural issues and trends, and their astute, highly engaged fanbase. Podcasting has managed to reinvent a few genres now – from fiction to sports to health and wellness – and we believe it can also innovate on this idea of a daily “morning show,” a format that is prevalent in TV but is still missing in the podcast medium. With Reese and her team at the creative helm, we are excited to launch this show together.”

    A+E’s Home.Made.Nation Orders ‘Country House Hunters’ Under Deal With Hello Sunshine

    (3/6/24) A+E Networks has signed a development deal with Reese Witherspoon‘s Hello Sunshine for lifestyle series which will air as part of A+E’s Home.Made.Nation multi-platform content hub. The first series from the partnership will be Country House Hunters, a co-production between Hello Sunshine and Abode Entertainment, which will premiere in the summer of 2024 on A&E.

    The announcement was made during A+E Networks’ upfront presentation where the Home.Made.Nation. also unveiled a greenlight for another house-hunting series, 48 Hours to Buy, as well as host for the upcoming Property Virgins reboot. Both shows will debut March 30.

    Under A+E Networks’ pact, Hello Sunshine, a part of Candle Media, is expected to focus on series spanning historic home renovations, house hunting, renovating, flipping inherited family homes, helping homeowners navigate renovation disasters, and more. The series will be distributed globally by A+E Networks.

    The 20 x 30-minute episode Country House Hunters, an extension of Abode’s Country House Hunters Canada, Country House Hunters Australia and Country House Hunters New Zealand, follows couples as they search for the perfect country home. Witherspoon, Sara Rea, and Sue Kinkead are Executive Producers on behalf of Hello Sunshine. Gary Takle is Executive Producer for Abode Entertainment. Teri Kennedy and Jordan Harman are Executive Producers for Home.Made.Nation.

    48 Hours to Buy profiles couples who are in a housing pressure cooker – whether they’re relocating unexpectedly for work, or compelled by a personal situation, their relocation is coming up and they need to find a house fast. The series is produced by Lusid Media.

    The new incarnation of Property Virgins will be hosted by Wendy Wolfe, a radio and TV personality and a Toronto realtors.

    The update of the former HGTV real estate staple, which was previously hosted by Sandra Rinomato and Egypt Sherrod, portrays the experiences of first-time home buyers, or “property virgins” as they set out to find their dream homes. The series is produced by Cineflix Productions.

    Home.Made.Nation is A+E Networks’ cross-network, cross-platform hub for lifestyle programming, currently available on A&E, FYI and A+E’s FAST channels.

    A+E Networks recently acquired a 50% stake in Rachael Ray’s new production company Free Food Studios. As part of the deal, A+E Networks has ordered 278 new episodes of programming over the next two years from Free Food Studios, featuring Ray and other talent. The content will air in A+E’s Home.Made.Nation lifestyle programming block, FYI and all other platforms distributed globally by A+E Networks.

    People’s Choice Awards

    (1/11/24) Voting opens today at www.votepca.com and runs through Friday, Jan. 19, at 11:59 pm ET.

    THE DRAMA TV STAR OF THE YEAR
    Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
    Chase Stokes, Outer Banks
    Ice-T, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
    Kieran Culkin, Succession
    Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
    Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show

    2024 SAG Awards Nominations

    (1/10/24) Winners in SAG’s 15 categories will be announced Saturday, February 24 at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles in a ceremony streaming live on Netflix.

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

    THE CROWN
    KHALID ABDALLA / Dodi Fayed
    SEBASTIAN BLUNT / Prince Edward
    BERTIE CARVEL / Tony Blair
    SALIM DAW / Mohamed Al Fayed
    ELIZABETH DEBICKI / Princess Diana
    LUTHER FORD / Prince Harry
    CLAUDIA HARRISON / Princess Anne
    LESLEY MANVILLE / Princess Margaret
    ED MCVEY / Prince William
    JAMES MURRAY / Prince Andrew
    JONATHAN PRYCE / Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
    IMELDA STAUNTON / Queen Elizabeth II
    MARCIA WARREN / Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
    DOMINIC WEST / Prince Charles
    OLIVIA WILLIAMS / Camilla Parker Bowles

    THE GILDED AGE
    BEN AHLERS / Jack
    ASHLIE ATKINSON / Mamie Fish
    CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Agnes van Rhijn
    DENÉE BENTON / Peggy Scott
    NICOLE BRYDON BLOOM / Maud Beaton
    MICHAEL CERVERIS / Watson
    CARRIE COON / Bertha Russell
    KELLEY CURRAN / Mrs. Winterton
    TAISSA FARMIGA / Gladys Russell
    DAVID FURR / Dashiell Montgomery
    JACK GILPIN / Church
    WARD HORTON / Charles Fane
    LOUISA JACOBSON / Marian Brook
    SIMON JONES / Bannister
    SULLIVAN JONES / T. Thomas Fortune
    CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER / Mrs. Bruce
    NATHAN LANE / Ward McAllister
    MATILDA LAWLER / Frances Montgomery
    ROBERT SEAN LEONARD / Luke Forte
    AUDRA MCDONALD / Dorothy Scott
    DEBRA MONK / Armstrong
    DONNA MURPHY / Mrs. Astor
    KRISTINE NIELSEN / Mrs. Bauer
    CYNTHIA NIXON / Ada Brook
    KELLI O’HARA / Aurora Fane
    PATRICK PAGE / Richard Clay
    HARRY RICHARDSON / Larry Russell
    TAYLOR RICHARDSON / Bridget
    BLAKE RITSON / Oscar van Rhijn
    JEREMY SHAMOS / Mr. Gilbert
    DOUGLAS SILLS / Borden
    MORGAN SPECTOR / George Russell
    JOHN DOUGLAS THOMPSON / Arthur Scott
    ERIN WILHELMI / Adelheid

    THE LAST OF US
    PEDRO PASCAL / Joel
    BELLA RAMSEY / Ellie

    THE MORNING SHOW
    JENNIFER ANISTON / Alex Levy
    NICOLE BEHARIE / Christina Hunter
    SHARI BELAFONTE / Julia
    NESTOR CARBONELL / Yanko Flores
    BILLY CRUDUP / Cory Ellison
    MARK DUPLASS / Chip Black
    JON HAMM / Paul Marks
    THEO IYER / Kyle
    HANNAH LEDER / Isabella
    GRETA LEE / Stella Bak
    JULIANNA MARGULIES / Laura Peterson
    TIG NOTARO / Amanda Robinson
    KAREN PITTMAN / Mia Jordan
    REESE WITHERSPOON / Bradley Jackson

    SUCCESSION
    NICHOLAS BRAUN / Greg Hirsch
    JULIANA CANFIELD / Jess Jordan
    BRIAN COX / Logan Roy
    KIERAN CULKIN / Roman Roy
    DAGMARA DOMINCZYK / Karolina Novotney
    PETER FRIEDMAN / Frank Vernon
    JUSTINE LUPE / Willa
    MATTHEW MACFADYEN / Tom Wambsgans
    ARIAN MOAYED / Stewy Hosseini
    SCOTT NICHOLSON / Colin Stiles
    DAVID RASCHE / Karl Muller
    ALAN RUCK / Connor Roy
    ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD / Lukas Matsson
    J. SMITH-CAMERON / Gerri Kellman
    SARAH SNOOK / Shiv Roy
    FISHER STEVENS / Hugo Baker
    JEREMY STRONG / Kendall Roy
    ZOË WINTERS / Kerry Castellabate.

    Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations

    (12/5/23) The hardware will be handed out during Critics Choice Awards gala on Sunday, January 14. Chelsea Handler will host the ceremony that airs live from 7-10 p.m. in the East on The CW and delayed in the West.

    BEST DRAMA SERIES
    The Crown (Netflix)
    The Diplomat (Netflix)
    The Last of Us (HBO | Max)
    Loki (Disney+)
    The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
    Succession (HBO | Max)
    Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO | Max)

    BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
    Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
    Aunjanue Ellis – Justified: City Primeval (FX)
    Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO | Max)
    Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
    Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO | Max)
    Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

    Big Little Lies Season 3 Is a Go, Nicole Kidman Announces

    (11/19/23) Pack your bags, it looks like we’re taking a trip back to Monterey.

    On Friday, during a Q&A at an event hosted by the LPGA during the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., Big Little Lies star and exec producer Nicole Kidman casually announced that a third season is happening.

    “I loved Big Little Lies,” she said in a video posted to the Deuxmoi Instagram account when asked about her favorite roles, before adding, “We will be bringing you a third one, just FYI.”

    HBO declined to comment on Kidman’s quasi-renewal announcement.

    Kidman has already documented her strong desire to re-team with co-stars Reese Witherspoon (also an EP), Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz and Laura Dern on a third chapter of the Emmy-winning franchise, telling TVLine in Oct. 2020, “There are so many great stories to tell and I am open to all the different horizons. We all love each other and want to work together. We’re deeply intertwined now. Whether that [camaraderie yields] a story that will be fascinating and complex and important, that’s a different thing. It would need to be a story that makes our jaws drop.”

    And although fellow executive producer David E. Kelley has previously acknowledged the myriad logistical obstacles that stand in the way of a potential Season 3 — namely the cast’s busy schedules — he told TVLine last year, “None of us have given up on the idea of bringing the band back together.”

    Meanwhile, the untimely death of Big Little Lies‘ EP (and Season 1 director) Jean-Marc Vallée in 2021 seemingly served as another hurdle, as Kravitz noted last year.

    “I can’t imagine going on without him,” she shared to GQ. “He really was the visionary for that show.”

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Partners With Making Space Media On Unscripted Content Placing Disabled Talent Front & Center

    (8/18/23) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has tied with Making Space Media, the TV and film producer that places disabled voices front and center.

    The Candle Media-backed outfit has struck a first-look deal with Making Space for unscripted content, which will “shine a light on the lived experience of the world’s largest and yet most overlooked and misrepresented community on the planet.”

    Several developments are underway and first projects will be announced soon, according to the pair. Making Space Media is a division of Making Space and is run by TV presenter and disability rights advocate Sophie Morgan, and entrepreneur and activist Keely Cat-Wells. Disability in TV has been in the spotlight of late and the likes of His Dark Materials scribe Jack Thorne have slammed the industry’s treatment of the minority over the past couple of years.

    Hello Sunshine unscripted bosses Sara Rea and Sarah Lazenby said Making Space’s mission “couldn’t be more aligned with us.” “We’re delighted to be partnering with Sophie and Keely and excited to create powerful content together that we hope will create genuine legacy and impact in the world,” they added.

    Morgan and Cat-Wells called Hello Sunshine an “inspiring mission-driven company that has changed the game for representation in the entertainment industry.”

    The Daisy Jones and the Six outfit produces shows across most genres from the U.S. and UK and is one of a number of Candle-owned indies including Cocomelon outfit Moonbug Entertainment and Exile Content Studio. Earlier this year, Hello Sunshine closed its kids and animation division as part of Candle’s strategy to bring the genre under Moonbug in its entirety.

    Reese Witherspoon Settles Divorce With Jim Toth

    (8/2/23) Reese Witherspoon has settled her divorce with her estranged husband, just four months after she first filed.

    According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Reese and Jim Toth both signed a marital dissolution agreement ... and the exes also signed off on a parenting plan for their 10-year-old son.

    The exact details aren't clear yet, but the agreement is typically presented to the judge, who then, routinely, signs off on it.

    Remember ... Reese announced back in late March that she and Jim had decided to end their marriage after 12 years together ... and we were told the split was amicable.

    Reese followed through a week after the announcement, officially filing for divorce and noting the two had a prenup in place.

    The divorce never appeared to get nasty, at least not in public or in court docs, and now they seem ready to go their separate ways.

    For Reese, this shuts the book on her second divorce ... she previously divorced Ryan Phillippe after a 9-year marriage.

    ‘The Morning Show’: Jennifer Aniston Is Ready To “Let All The Secrets Come Out” Amid Network Shakeup In Season 3 Teaser

    (7/26/23) (Video) Season 3 of The Morning Show is calling the future of UBA into question.

    AppleTV+ released a teaser for the new season on Thursday, which hints at the precarious position the network is in now that tech titan Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) has set his sights on it. It looks like the network shakeup might spill some secrets in the process — and not everyone is welcoming that with open arms.

    “Let all the secrets come out. They didn’t protect me,” Jennifer Aniston’s character Alex Levy tells Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson. Witherspoon’s character icily replies: “They didn’t protect you, but I did.”

    Watch the entire teaser above. Season 3 of The Morning Show premieres September 13 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through November 8.

    According to the official logline, in Season 3, “the future of the network is thrown into question and loyalties are pushed to the brink when a tech titan takes an interest in UBA. Unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized, and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom.”

    Along with Witherspoon and Aniston, Season 3 stars Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Greta Lee, Jon Hamm, Nicole Beharie, and Julianna Margulies.

    The series, which has already been renewed for Season 4, is directed and executive produced by Mimi Leder, with Charlotte Stoudt serving as showrunner and executive producer. The series is produced by the studio Media Res, and executive produced by Michael Ellenberg through Media Res, along with Aniston and Kristin Hahn through Echo Films; Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine. Leder serves as executive producer and director.

    Reese Witherspoon Is Starting a New Chapter

    (7/12/23) (harpersbazaar.com) Reese Witherspoon has described herself as having the energy of “a squirrel who drank coffee.” But just a cursory glance at her laundry list of achievements would seem to indicate that caffeinated-squirrel energy is, well, necessary. At 47, Witherspoon has amassed upwards of 60 acting credits over the past three-plus decades, among them culture-defining roles like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and Tracy Flick in Election, as well as her Academy Award–winning portrayal of June Carter Cash in 2005’s Walk the Line. She has also racked up more than three dozen producing credits, most of them under the banner of Hello Sunshine, the sprawling media and production company she cofounded in 2016. Among them: HBO’s bingeworthy Big Little Lies, which took home eight Emmys. She runs an influential book club, with 61 picks becoming New York Times bestsellers, plus a Southern-inflected lifestyle brand, Draper James, which includes clothing and home lines. She is also a mother of three.

    “I just look at her and I think, ‘You absolutely exhaust me, just looking at your plate,’ ” Jennifer Aniston, Witherspoon’s costar and coexecutive producer on the Apple TV+ drama The Morning Show, tells me. “She is one of the most highly productive human beings I’ve ever encountered. It’s incredible.”

    It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by another Morning Show costar, Julianna Margulies. “I don’t have it in me to do what she does,” says Margulies. “Reese somehow manages to compartmentalize—and she’s good at being in charge.”

    In some ways, the breakneck pace and relentless drive seem to mystify even Witherspoon herself. “Gosh, I know. I get really excited about work, so I get tons of nervous energy,” she tells me. “I’m kind of a high-strung person.”

    Witherspoon’s close friend and Big Little Lies costar Laura Dern has a kinder, more generous framing for her dizzying output. Dern calls it a “magnificent holy ambition.” Because what propels Witherspoon is a simple mission: centering women’s stories.

    Over the past decade, Witherspoon has become something of a crusader for correcting or upending the entrenched Hollywood systems that have excluded and exploited women. “Hello Sunshine was created around the idea that media was largely dominated by male voices and male perspectives, so to be able to create opportunities where women are telling their stories in their own words, you’re just getting a better perspective of the human experience,” she explains. “I think about the limited experience of that expression that my mother had or my grandmother had from artists at that time, because women were so sublimated. It’s just a new time, a new era for women to succeed and excel, and I’m happy to be the rocket fuel they need.”

    The beneficence in that project has also proved to be good business: In August 2021, Hello Sunshine was sold to Candle Media, a company run by former top Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, for a staggering $900 million. That’s a lot of rocket fuel.

    When I meet Witherspoon in her hometown of Nashville in early May, there is no trace of caffeinated squirrel. She’s wearing jeans and a floral top, and her hair is cut in a wispy fringe. She seems relaxed, maybe even a little blissed out, from having just seen Taylor Swift on her Eras tour play to a crowd of more than 70,000 at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. Witherspoon and her 23-year-old daughter, Ava, the eldest of her two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, have caught every single Taylor Swift tour together.

    Witherspoon gives me a tour of her office, which is located on the second floor of an immaculately restored and cheerfully decorated Victorian-style building in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood. (She tells me it’s like the Brooklyn of Nashville.) Witherspoon has been collecting works by women artists, and she proudly points out a framed textile piece by Judy Chicago that hangs behind her desk. In cursive embroidery, it is inscribed with “What if women ruled the world?”

    Before meeting Witherspoon, I expected to encounter a mash-up of the traits of the indelible characters she has brought to life: the sunny feminist optimism of Elle Woods, the persistent perkiness of Tracy Flick, maybe even some of the intensity of Big Little Lies’s Madeline Martha Mackenzie.

    Perhaps there are some shades of them, particularly Elle Woods. Lauren Neustadter, president of film and TV at Hello Sunshine, tells me that their wrap tradition upon ending big projects is to drink pink champagne in Witherspoon’s trailer. During our interview, Witherspoon drinks a green smoothie that she says she has been drinking every single day for the past 10 years. She will sometimes call the people she encounters “honey” (including me).

    In her office, Witherspoon opens a drawer. It’s full of curled-up scrolls of thick paper. It’s a relief to see a corner of her world that doesn’t look Instagram-ready. She unfurls one to reveal a painting of a vase full of flowers. It’s a paint by number, she tells me, and this is her stash of completed works. “I just love them,” she says. “They make me so happy.” She hands me an unopened kit to take home. (She also makes sure I know that the kits are from an Alabama-based women-owned company called Pink Picasso.) “If somebody’s going through something, you can just kind of let go,” she says. “Just paint. Everything kind of fades away.”

    Of course, Witherspoon is going through something. In late March, she and her second husband, former CAA power agent Jim Toth, with whom she shares a 10-year-old son, Tennessee, announced their plans to divorce after 11 years of marriage. It would be understandable if Witherspoon had her guard up. Instead, I find her to be grounded, introspective. She is taking time to “get quiet,” she says. She’s painting. She exhorts me to listen to binaural beats, like she does, to fall asleep. “It’s better than any melatonin or sleep aid,” she says. “[It] turns your brain off.”

    For all the power and influence Witherspoon now wields, there are ways that fame inhibits control. Her personal life has been tabloid fodder since she was a teenager. She and Phillippe met at her 21st birthday party and costarred in one of the all-time-greatest teen dramas, 1999’s Cruel Intentions, which catapulted them both to the front of the young-Hollywood line. They got married in June of that year, and Ava arrived in September. After the birth of their second child, Deacon, in 2003, Witherspoon talked about being pursued home by five paparazzi. She called the police, and they responded, she said, with a shrug: “Well, aren’t you famous?”

    So when news of Witherspoon and Toth’s split broke in March, they were the source, posting a joint statement on Witherspoon’s Instagram account. “It’s interesting what happened to me,” Witherspoon says. “When I was divorced before, the tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control. To be able to talk to people directly about what’s going on in my life and just share it in the way that I share great professional experiences or personal experiences, it feels much more authentic to be able to say things in my own voice and not let somebody else control what’s happening. Then, of course, there’s speculation, but I can’t control that. All I can do is be my most honest, forthright self and be vulnerable,” she says. “It’s a vulnerable time for me.”

    Witherspoon admits that she has slowed down “just a little bit.” “My brain has been going nonstop, and just life changes and running a company,” she says, trailing off. “But that’s okay. I really believe creativity is infinite and you’re just looking for that next bit of inspiration, so if you go through a little slow period, that’s okay.”

    Dern, for one, seems relieved. “To see her not on a million calls, not having to read 15 books … to see her taking a moment to not just breathe but also be newly inspired, I’m thrilled for her.”

    It feels good, Witherspoon says, putting the news of her divorce out there herself and owning it. “I think about how many other people are going through this experience,” she says. “I don’t feel isolated at all. I feel very connected.”

    Witherspoon tells me she usually reads, on average, one book every two days. She credits her paternal grandmother, Dorothea Draper, with sparking her voracious appetite for a good story; she taught Witherspoon to read at the age of four. And Witherspoon says that even as early as high school, she primarily gravitated toward female authors.

    In her mid-30s, after two decades of acting and a slew of hits that put her among an elite group of high-earning A-list actresses, Witherspoon started to think more critically about the kinds of stories Hollywood was telling: Who was empowered to tell them? Whose weren’t being told? And why were the scripts she was being sent so lacking? She went around to all of the major studios to ask them what projects they had in the works for women, only to be told they either had none or had already filled their quota of … one women-led picture.

    Using her own money, Witherspoon pulled off the hat trick that would establish her as a producing force. She optioned three books to put into production that would offer richer and more nuanced roles for women: Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Wild; Gillian Flynn’s thriller Gone Girl; and Liane Moriarty’s rich-mom whodunit Big Little Lies.(Nicole Kidman wanted the last one too, so they decided to coproduce it.) In 2014, Wild earned Witherspoon her second Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Gone Girl, released the same year, became a massive hit. Big Little Lies, released in 2017, became a signature HBO series. (Witherspoon produced all three through Pacific Standard, the production company she cofounded with Bruna Papandrea, which was later absorbed by Hello Sunshine.)

    Witherspoon proved that she has a knack for knowing not only which books will translate to the screen but also which writers are best suited to adapt them. She approached Nick Hornby, best known for High Fidelity and About a Boy, for Wild. Hornby’s recollection of their meet-cute at an awards-show party is telling of Witherspoon’s deep knowledge of and reverence for writers. Hornby recalls Witherspoon saying, “Nick Hornby, I’m going to give you a hug. You wrote ‘NippleJesus.’ ” Within Hornby’s oeuvre, it was an obscure choice, a short story he’d written for a charity anthology. “It was quite a deep cut, so I was pretty staggered that that was the thing she chose to talk about,” he says.

    Hello Sunshine's creation in 2016 would dovetail with the rise of the #MeToo movement. As women began publicly sharing their stories of abuse and assault within Hollywood, the need for a company like Hello Sunshine felt more urgent than ever. At an awards ceremony the following year, Witherspoon revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by a director when she was 16.

    I ask Witherspoon about a film she made earlier in her career, Fear, the 1996 psychosexual thriller in which she starred alongside Mark Wahlberg. Witherspoon was 19 at the time. It’s an otherwise forgettable entry in the Witherspoon canon, but if you were around high school age when Fear came out, you probably saw it. If you did, you probably remember the roller-coaster scene. It’s a fairly tame sex scene in which Witherspoon’s character, Nicole, is digitally stimulated by Wahlberg’s character, David, who is her love interest. But the ingredients—two young actors ascending to peak popularity (Wahlberg, fresh off his 1992 Calvin Klein campaign, was in the process of launching his acting career), a theme-park ride, and the fact that you see a woman orgasm (still a rarity on-screen)—made for a scene that would imprint on countless teenage brains.

    “I didn’t have control over it,” Witherspoon tells me matter-of-factly, noting that she requested a stunt double for the below-the-waist scenes. “It wasn’t explicit in the script that that’s what was going to happen, so that was something that I think the director thought of on his own and then asked me on set if I would do it, and I said no. It wasn’t a particularly great experience.”

    I tell Witherspoon that I’m sorry that she was put in that position at such a young age, but it’s clear that she isn’t looking for any sympathy and that this story is just one of many that have shaped her. “I’m certainly not traumatized or anything by it, but it was formative,” she says. “It made me understand where my place was in the pecking order of filmmaking. I think it’s another one of those stories that made me want to be an agent for change and someone who maybe can be in a better leadership position to tell stories from a female perspective instead of from the male gaze.”

    Witherspoon has more control now; her voice has become one of the most powerful in those rarefied rooms where megadeals are made. The current slate of female-centered and female-led projects recently out or underway at Hello Sunshine is robust: There’s the Fleetwood Mac–inspired Amazon miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six; the Jennifer Garner–led thriller The Last Thing He Told Me, which set a record as Apple’s most-watched limited series; and the third season of The Morning Show, which is out on Apple TV+ next month.

    It is Witherspoon’s unique perspective, earned after growing up in the extremely restrictive (if not punishing) version of Hollywood in the ’90s, and willingness to “go to the mat for people,” as she puts it, that have won her the respect—and loyalty—of her peers.

    “We have such a sisterhood because we’ve both had to diminish our instincts,” says Dern, who recalls how, for the generation in Hollywood that came before—including Dern’s mother, Diane Ladd, and their family friend Jane Fonda—if a woman wanted to produce, she was infantilized or worse. “They were like, ‘Aww, she’s calling herself a producer.’ There was no respect,” Dern explains. “We’ve both had to fight for our voices and therefore hope to defend others’ voices in workplace environments,” she continues. “She knows how little space there is in a room. She knows that experience. And now that she has that space, she’s lifting up everyone else.”

    “When I was starting my production company, I knew there would be a lot of big learning curves,” says Kerry Washington, another longtime friend and Witherspoon’s coexecutive producer and costar on Little Fires Everywhere, the 2020 Hulu limited series based on Celeste Ng’s novel. “So I was like, ‘Okay, there’s a lot that she’s learned about what to do and what not to do. So I’m going to reach out and say, What advice do you have for me?’ And she confided in me at the time that nobody else had ever called her.”

    Witherspoon describes herself as a “glass-half-full-type person.” She’s leaning back these days into the kind of feel-good rom-com roles that were popular in the ’90s and early ’00s, which there seems to be a collective yearning for right now. There’s the perfectly charming and low-stakes Your Place or Mine, released by Netflix this year, in which Witherspoon stars opposite Ashton Kutcher. Now she’s filming (and coproducing) You’re Cordially Invited, a comedy with Will Ferrell for Amazon in which they play feuding wedding planners.

    “I think the human capacity to handle as much heartbreak and tragedy that’s happened in the world is really diminished,” Witherspoon says. “We’re just not meant to feel this overwhelmed by sadness and devastation. I think of opportunities to make movies and television shows that are joyful, optimistic, funny—just funny. I think about what I want to see on a Friday night, and while I can appreciate a true-crime show or a podcast, I really need some levity. I think the world is looking for a little brightness.”

    This sentiment is somewhat at odds with The Morning Show and her character, the upstart news anchor Bradley Jackson, an unvarnished foil to Aniston’s world-weary network veteran, Alex Levy. The show, rumored to have a budget to rival that of Game of Thrones, is a slick, dark, and tense reflection of the anxieties of the very-recent past. The first season examined the complexities and fallout of #MeToo with a storyline that closely mirrored Matt Lauer’s ouster from the Today show, with Steve Carell playing a longtime host fired amid accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior. The second season added the rise of Covid, the vile disingenuousness of a media conglomerate’s handling of racism, and a surprise romance between Witherspoon’s character and another high-powered anchor played by Margulies.

    Witherspoon says that Bradley becomes “a little more manipulative” in season three. “From her relationship with Laura Peterson, Julianna Margulies’s character, to what goes on during Covid, her relationship with her mother and her brother. It’s just a roller coaster.” Season four has already been green-lit.

    So how does this square with Witherspoon’s natural inclination toward optimism? Witherspoon says she can relate to the “tenacity that it takes to exist in that environment for as long as [Bradley] has.” Otherwise, Witherspoon acknowledges that Bradley is jaded in ways that she is not.

    It wasn’t always this way, though. Witherspoon recounts a period of her life in her late teens and early 20s, pre-Election and Legally Blonde, when she was “very competitive and jealous of other women and not supportive.” “I was really unhappy,” she says. “I was not seeing the abundance of opportunity.”

    Witherspoon says she “went hard” for roles in a couple of projects that she ultimately didn’t get. Clueless was one. Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet was another. “Oh my God, I wanted to do Romeo + Juliet so badly, so badly,” Witherspoon admits. “Of course, Claire Danes was amazing, but it was devastating to me that I didn’t get it after screen tests and getting really close.”

    Witherspoon acknowledges that part of her reaction was simply a result of a system where it felt like “only one girl would make it.” Roles in quirkier films like Pleasantville and Election followed. But when she became pregnant with Ava at 22, she says she knew that “something had to shift” on a more profound level. She asked herself, “Who do I want my daughter to see? I really want to be a woman she looks up to. … I worked on it a lot.”

    Like much in Witherspoon’s life, that process involved reading. “Boy, I read a lot of self-help,” she says, name-checking Gary Zukav, Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, and Marian Wright Edelman’s The Measure of Our Success among the authors and books that got her through.

    And then the trajectory of her career began to change. “I got Election and I created Tracy Flick, and I ended up being in Pleasantville, which was amazing. Ava was asking me the other day about where I come up with these characters, like Tracy Flick, Elle Woods, and [Melanie Smooter from] Sweet Home Alabama. I created them all within the span of five, six years in my 20s. …Sometimes I look back and go, ‘How the hell did I do that?’ ”

    Witherspoon now exudes a kind of self-confidence and ease with herself—or, to use the parlance of self-help books, self-actualization—that can only come from years of experience and self-work. She is unruffled when I ask about the implosion of Time’s Up, the celeb-studded advocacy group that sprang up in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein harassment and assault allegations. Witherspoon played an instrumental role in fundraising for Time’s Up, but the organization abruptly shut down following revelations that some of its leaders had reportedly advised former New York governor Andrew Cuomo after he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2021. “[It] was an incredible moment in time,” Witherspoon says. “I don’t know if it was ever meant to be forever. I don’t consider myself a career activist. I’m an artist, I’m an entrepreneur, so I don’t really know about the machinations of creating long-standing organizations. I just know that that moment when I was sitting in rooms of women sharing their experiences was really powerful … and we raised a lot of money.” The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which was the recipient of most of the fundraising ($22 million was raised that first year), still exists to help individuals who have experienced sexual harassment with legal fees.

    For Witherspoon, the challenges, as well as the successes, have left her with a stronger sense of who she is and what she wants. Aniston notes that “there’s something about getting into your 40s where you just go, ‘I don’t have to fight this anymore. I don’t care.’ Fighting for your narrative? You are your narrative, so just trust in that.”

    “I think you start to realize there’s a finite amount of time that you have to accomplish what you want to accomplish in this world and that worrying about other people’s opinions of you is a waste of your precious time,” says Witherspoon. “It’s a liberation in your 40s to feel free of other people’s opinions. I mean, they’re always there. They just don’t matter as much to you, and it’s a great feeling.”

    This article appears in the August 2023 issue of Harper's Bazaar, on newstands July 25.

    ‘The Morning Show’ Gets Season 3 Premiere Date On Apple TV+

    (6/29/23) Apple TV+ has unveiled several first-look photos and set the premiere date for Season 3 of The Morning Show. The 10-episode third season will debut Wednesday, September 13, with the first two episodes.

    The Emmy, SAG and Critics Choice Award-winning drama series, starring and executive produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, has already received an early renewal for Season 4.

    This season, the future of the network is thrown into question and loyalties are pushed to the brink when a tech titan takes an interest in UBA. Unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized, and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom.

    Along with Aniston and Witherspoon, the season three ensemble cast is led by Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Greta Lee, Jon Hamm, Nicole Beharie, and Julianna Margulies.

    The third season is directed and executive produced by Mimi Leder, with Charlotte Stoudt serving as showrunner and executive producer. The Morning Show is produced by the studio Media Res, and executive produced by Michael Ellenberg through Media Res, along with Aniston and Kristin Hahn through Echo Films; Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine.

    Season 2 of The Morning Show received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Witherspoon; Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Crudup, who also won the award for season one; and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Marcia Gay Harden.

    In its first season, Crudup’s performance as Cory Ellison earned an Emmy win in the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, in addition to a Critics Choice Award. Aniston earned a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her role as Alex Levy. Leder earned an Outstanding Directing For a Drama Series nomination for helming the season one finale. The series also received nominations from the Television Critics Association for Outstanding New Program and a TV Choice Award for Best New Drama.

    TikTok Partners With Candle Media & Supports Reese Witherspoon’s Search For “Underrepresented Storytellers”

    (6/20/23) Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media has struck a partnership with TikTok, with an initial focus on Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine to uncover underrepresented independent authors and literary material from the #BookTok community.

    Unveiled today at Cannes Lions, TikTok said it will “leverage Candle Media’s storytelling capabilities across its business units to launch new and inspiring premium content and branded entertainment.”

    That will begin with the Candle-owned Hello Sunshine element of the partnership, as the pair mine TikTok for authors to support the development of premium film, TV and premium audio projects, thereby “elevating and amplifying underrepresented storytellers and bringing their stories to life,” Oscar-winner Witherspoon said.

    #BookTok is one of the most prominent communities on TikTok and the Chinese-owned social platform will also sponsor the next chapter of Hello Sunshine’s LitUp Writer Fellowship program, giving underrepresented female storytellers funding, mentorship, and marketing.

    Candle Media, which also owns Cocomelon maker Moonbug Entertainment, digital publisher ATTN and Latin-focused Exile Content Studio, said it has 600 million followers across social platforms and will become a TikTok Pulse Premiere publisher.

    “TikTok continues to experience explosive growth, and has become a critical platform for storytelling and marketing,” said Mayer and Staggs. “We are thrilled to work with the TikTok team to create compelling branded content, and for Hello Sunshine to shine a light on the thriving #BookTok community, which is home to a new generation of storytellers.”

    In 2020, former Disney exec Mayer briefly ran TikTok and was COO of Chinese parent Bytedance but he quit after just three months, with reports citing the impact of Donald Trump ordering Bytedance to sell its U.S. operations, which never came to fruition.

    The Cannes Lions ad market is taking place in France this week, with talks from Kevin Hart, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Johnson.

    ‘The Morning Show’ Renewed For Season 4 At Apple Ahead Of Season 3 Premiere

    (4/30/23) The Morning Show continues.

    The Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon-fronted drama series will return for a fourth season on Apple TV+. The early renewal comes ahead of the premiere of season three later this fall.

    Deadline understands that although Aniston and Witherspoon’s contracts were up at the end of season three, Apple is in talks with the pair, who also exec produce, and they are expected to sign on as they also work out scheduling. We hear there’s also an option for a season five.

    The second season, which aired at the end of 2021, closed with the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging through UBA.

    Jon Hamm, Stephen Fry, Tig Notaro and Nicole Beharie are among the new faces joining season three.

    Witherspoon, who recently scored a two-season pick up at Amazon for comedy series All Stars, said that Hamm’s involvement has “everybody excited” for season three. He plays media mogul Paul Marks who gives Billy Crudup’s Cory Ellison a “run for his money”

    The series also stars Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin and Marcia Gay Harden.

    The show also has a new showrunner after Pieces of Her exec producer Charlotte Stoudt replaced Kerry Ehrin in that role. It is directed and exec produced by Mimi Leder. Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films produces with Michael Ellenberg, Kristin Hahn and Lauren Neustadter also exec producing.

    ‘Robocop,’ ‘Stargate’, ‘Legally Blonde’ & ‘Barbershop’ Among Titles In Works For Film & TV As Amazon Looks To Supercharge MGM IP

    (4/15/23) MGM’s extensive film & TV catalogue, built over the past century, was the main driver behind Amazon’s $8.5B acquisition of the storied Hollywood studio. For the past year, since the deal closed in March 2022, Amazon Studios has been sifting through MGM’s library, identifying about a dozen initial titles for film and/or TV development, including Robocop, Stargate, Legally Blonde, Fame, Barbershop, The Magnificent Seven, Pink Panther and The Thomas Crown Affair.

    We hear A-list creative auspices have reached out to inquire about adapting MGM IP which they are fans of. Additionally, Amazon Studios also has been leaning on its own roster of talent for some projects.

    Each title is being approached differently — some are being steered toward film, some toward TV and some big ones are getting both movie and TV treatment.

    For instance, Amazon Studios is in active early conversation on Legally Blonde, both for a movie and a potential TV series, sources said. There already had been on and off efforts to get a third Legally Blonde film off the ground for the past five years.

    Amazon has similar plans for Stargate. We hear both film and TV installments are considered, with a movie likely going first.

    Robocop also is being talked about for both film and TV, with a TV show possibly first, Deadline hears.

    Additionally, Amazon Studios is actively developing TV series based on Fame, Barbershop and The Magnificent Seven, sources said.

    There are also discussions about a Thomas Crown Affair movie as well as a Pink Panther movie, which could be animated, sources said. A Poltergeist project also is a possibility down the road, we hear.

    Deadline already revealed plans for a Creed universe spanning film and TV, which Amazon Studios has been discussing with franchise star and filmmaker Michael B. Jordan. The studio also just made a first-look deal with Sylvester Stallone and his Balboa Productions for film and TV projects. we hear expanding the Rocky brand into television may be part of it.

    There are currently no plans for other James Bond series beyond the unscripted competition series announced shortly after Amazon’s acquisition of MGM closed as the franchise producers are focused on figuring out the next film installment.

    Identifying and developing MGM IP has been slow going so far. Some of that has been by design, as the new owners want to be thoughtful about the process given the great legacy of the titles involved.

    Some of it has been by necessity given the complexity of some of the underlying rights (Rocky is just one example) that have been taking months to untangle.

    The nearly 100-year-old studio has had multiple owners as well as financing partners for many of its best-known movies. This is also a studio that reportedly kept much of its archive hundreds of feet underground in an actual salt mine in Kansas that housed deleted scenes of movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and unmade scripts from the likes of Woody Allen, Samuel Beckett and even Stanley Kubrick’s infamous Napoleon script.

    The job of sorting through the complexity of rights – who owns what and who else was originally involved – falls to Cynthia Waldman, who has spent more than 20 years combined at the company and is now Head of Library Rights in her fourth stint at MGM. One source told Deadline that it is Waldman’s job to act as an entertainment archeologist, helping producers figure out the intricacies of rights to projects that they are interested in adapting.

    The Robocop sci-fi action franchise centers around the futuristic adventures of Alex Murphy, a Detroit, Michigan police officer, who is fatally wounded in the line of duty and transformed into a powerful cyborg, brand-named RoboCop. The first film, starring Peter Weller, premiered in 1987. It was followed by two sequels, Robocop 2 in 1990, Robocop 3 in 1993 and 2014’s Robocop, a remake of the 1987 film.

    The Legally Blonde movie franchise is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown. The first film debuted in 2001, starring Reese Witherspoon as Harvard Law student Elle Woods. It was followed by sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde in 2003 and 2009 direct-to-video spinoff Legally Blondes, which originated as a pilot for a potential series. Legally Blonde 3, co-written by Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor, has been in the works for several years.

    The Stargate military sci-fi franchise, spanning film and TV, launched in 1994 with a movie directed by Roland Emmerich. It was followed by two more films, Stargate: The Ark of Truth in 2008 and Stargate: Continuum, also in 2008. In TV, Stargate SG-1 was one of the longest-running science-fiction series in U.S. television history. It was followed by Stargate Atlantis in 2004 and Stargate Universe in 2009, animated series Stargate Infinity in 2002 and web series Stargate Origins in 2018.

    The Ice Cube-starring Barbershop franchise started with the 2002 movie, directed by Tim Story. It was followed by Barbershop 2: Back in Business in 2004 and Barbershop: The Next Cut in 2016. A spinoff, Beauty Shop, starring Queen Latifah, was released in 2005, along with a Barbershop TV series.

    Fame, the 1980 musical film directed by Alan Parker, has spawned multiple TV series — scripted and unscripted — as well as a 2009 movie remake and a stage musical.

    The 1960 United Artists Western The Magnificent Seven, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, has led to three sequels, a remake and a TV series.

    The 1963 feature comedy The Pink Panther, which introduced inspector Jacques Clouseau, has been rebooted; the 1982 supernatural horror film Poltergeist has gotten sequels and remakes; and the 1968 The Thomas Crown Affair has had a remake.

    Reese Witherspoon Officially Files For Divorce From Jim Toth, Prenup in Place

    (4/1/23) Reese Witherspoon has officially filed for divorce from Jim Toth, citing irreconcilable differences ... and dividing up the assets won't be a problem.

    According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Reese pulled the plug on her 12-year marriage to Toth in Nashville, Tennessee, where the couple was raising their 10-year-old child.

    In the docs, Reese says she and Jim signed a prenup in March 2011, adding the agreement is valid, providing "adequate and sufficient provisions" for their assets and debts.

    The actress says she will submit the prenup and a permanent parenting plan for the care of their child to the judge for approval.

    Side note ... like all Davidson County divorce cases involving a child, Reese and James will now have to enroll in a mandatory parenting class. They have 60 days to submit a certificate of completion to the court.

    As we reported ... Reese announced the split with her actor/producer husband on Instagram last week, saying they thought long and hard about the difficult decision to divorce. She also went down memory lane a bit, talking about their mutual love and respect, before mentioning their biggest priority was their son.

    This was Reese's second walk down the aisle ... she was married to Ryan Phillippe from 1999 to 2008.

    Reese Witherspoon, Jim Toth Filing for Divorce

    (3/24/23) Reese Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, have decided to end their marriage, and we're told it's amicable.

    Reese just posted ... "It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect for everything we have created together."

    She went on ... "Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.

    The couple married back in 2011. They share one child, 10-year-old Tennessee.

    It's Reese's second marriage ... she was married to Ryan Phillippe from 1999 to 2008.

    As for Reese and Jim, an actor/producer, our sources say it's truly a friendly end to their union.

    Apple Studios Lands Cesca Major Novel ‘Maybe Next Time’; Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Producing

    (3/20/23) In competition, Apple Studios is acquiring rights to Cesca Major’s latest novel Maybe Next Time. It will be developed as an Apple Original Film from Apple Studios, with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine set to be producer. The author will be executive producer.

    There is a Groundhog Day element to this one, as a woman relives the same day over, trying to keep her family and career from imploding as she attempts to save her husband’s life. Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter will produce for Hello Sunshine, and Ashley Strumwasser will be executive producer alongside Major.

    William Morrow published Maybe Next Time in the U.S. on March 7, and the novel will be published in the UK by HarperCollins on March 30. Major is a novelist and screenwriter who has written several psychological thrillers under the name C.D. Major. Cesca’s titles include A Thin Place and Amazon hit The Other Girl, which was longlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger Award. Cesca has worked in television as a presenter and she teaches creative writing at the Henley School of Art. She lives in Berkshire with her husband and three young children.

    Maybe Next Time marks the latest high-profile collaboration for Apple TV+ and Hello Sunshine, which have the upcoming limited series The Last Thing He Told Me. Jennifer Garner is star and EP in a drama based on the bestselling novel. Also upcoming for Apple TV+ and Hello Sunshine is My Kind of Country, a global search for unconventional and extraordinary country music talent. It’s the first competition series for the streaming platform. Apple TV+ renewed the Gugu Mbatha-Raw-starrer Surface, and the companies also collaborate on the signature series The Morning Show and the Octavia Spencer-starrer Truth Be Told.

    CAA brokered the Maybe Next Time screen rights deal. Cesca is repped by Curtis Brown in the UK and CAA in the U.S.; Witherspoon is with CAA and attorney Gretchen Rush of Hansen, Jacobson.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Wins First UK Commission

    (1/28/23) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has won its first UK TV commission, a Channel 4 DIY series fronted by Stacey Solomon and exec produced by the Oscar-winning actress. The Candle Media-backed non-scripted outfit is producing Bricking It, in which Solomon will give viewers easy and helpful tips to makeover their homes themselves. Solomon also helms similar BBC series Sort Your Life Out and Channel 4 commissioner Clemency Green said she “has a natural talent for making a house a home.” Hello Sunshine’s UK division opened last year and is headed up by former Channel 4 commissioner Sarah Lazenby, who is EPing Bricking It with Solomon and Sara Rea. In the U.S., it has produced Prime Video’s Making the Cut and Netflix’s Get Organized.

    Reese Witherspoon Headlines ‘All Stars’ Comedy Series, Nabbed By Amazon With 2-Season Order From Hello Sunshine & Aline Brosh McKenna

    (12/14/22) In a major bidding war among top streamers, Amazon Prime Video has landed All Stars, a half-hour comedy series starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon, with a big two-season straight-to-series order.

    The project comes from Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine, with the company’s Lauren Neustadter also executive producing. The Devil Wears Prada writer and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna is creator and showrunner. She will direct the pilot and half of the episodes, and will executive produce the series through her Lean Machine banner.

    All Stars follows a former cheerleader from Daytona Beach (Witherspoon) who cons her way across the pond to teach cheerleading at a school in coastal England and has to show a ragtag group of students – and herself – how to be All Stars. The concept for the series, which has a little bit of Ted Lasso vibe to it, was loosely inspired by Andrea Kulberg’s story as an American woman from the South who went to the UK to teach British teens about cheerleading.

    This marks Witherspoon’s first comedy series starring vehicle; she made her foray into TV series with dramas Big Little Lies at HBO, which originated as a limited series, and The Morning Show at Apple TV+. Before those roles, Oscar winner Witherspoon was probably best known in TV for her guest starring stint on NBC’s hit comedy series Friends as Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) sister.

    I hear Witherspoon has fulfilled her contractual commitment to The Morning Show, which is now wrapping production on its third season. Witherspoon’s current deal was for three seasons so her future on The Morning Show is unclear but All Stars doesn’t preclude her from exploring further involvement around the Apple TV+ series, sources tell Deadline.

    At Amazon, Hello Sunshine is behind high-profile musical limited series Daisy Jones & The Six, which is slated for a tentpole Prime Video premiere in March 2023.

    “We are beyond excited to continue our fantastic relationship with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter with this one-of-a-kind comedy, All Stars!,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios. “Aline Brosh McKenna’s pitch delivered it all—originality, an iconic lead character, and tons of fun! There is also a throughline of hope, perseverance, and being true to your authentic self that will resonate everywhere. We are over the moon to work with Reese, Lauren, Aline, and the Hello Sunshine team to bring this series to life for our global Prime Video audience.”

    Witherspoon has earned four Emmy nominations to date, sharing in the 2017 Outstanding Limited Series win for Big Little Lies. She has landed acting Emmy noms for both her TV starring roles to date, The Morning Show and Big Little Lies.

    Hello Sunshine, which puts women at the center of every story it takes on, has successfully brought a number of books to television with limited series such as Little Fires Everywhere at Hulu, From Scratch at Netflix as well as the upcoming The Last Thing He Told Me at Apple TV+.

    In addition to The Morning Show, Hello Sunshine’s ongoing series include Surface, which was recently renewed for Season 2 by Apple TV+, anthology Truth Be Told, also at Apple, and the upcoming Tiny Beautiful Things at Hulu as well as music competition reality series My Kind of Country at Apple.

    “I’ve been looking for a project that brought our Hello Sunshine mission to make women the heroes of their own stories to a younger generation for a long time. When I saw this story, I immediately knew this idea would do just that,” Witherspoon said. “The idea of watching an American woman coming to share the very American sport of cheerleading to a group of young women in the UK just made me so excited! I love that this show is filled with real heart, deep joy and the power of teamwork. I can’t wait to partner with the brilliant, hilarious, and talented Aline McKenna yet again to create a truly original comedic character, and with the team at Amazon whose passion for this project was unparalleled.”

    Founded by Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine is now part of Candle Media. The company’s movie slate includes recent releases Something From Tiffany’s for Prime Video and Where the Crawdads Sing for Sony as well as the upcoming Your Place or Mine, starring Witherspoon, for Netflix, which was written and directed by Brosh McKenna. Hello Sunshine brought the concept for All Stars to her.

    “Reese is my longtime hero and I’m so thrilled we got to go from making a movie together to this fantastic TV opportunity, brought to me by her and the iconic Lauren Neustadter,” Brosh McKenna said. “So excited to bring this world and these characters to life! The folks at Amazon have already been so enthusiastic and supportive, I’m very excited to join their roster of talent.”

    Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine are repped by CAA and attorney Gretchen Rush of Hansen Jacobsen. Witherspoon is also repped by LBI Entertainment. Brosh McKenna is repped by CAA and attorney Ken Richman at Hansen Jacobsen.

    ‘Election’ Sequel ‘Tracy Flick Can’t Win’ In Works For Paramount+; Reese Witherspoon To Produce And Return As Title Character, With Alexander Payne Directing

    (12/8/22) Paramount Pictures has announced that Tracy Flick Can’t Win — a sequel to Alexander Payne’s cult classic 1999 comedy Election — is being made for Paramount+. Payne is returning as director, with the original film’s lead Reese Witherspoon to produce and reprise her starring role.

    Based on Tom Perrotta’s 1998 novel of the same name, Election watches as the high school teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) finds himself on a collision course with the over-achieving student politician, Tracy Flick (Witherspoon). The satire drawing parallels between the worlds of high school and politics was Payne’s second feature on the heels of 1996’s Citizen Ruth and proved to be his breakthrough project, netting him and his collaborators three Independent Spirit Awards, a WGA Award and an Oscar nomination, with Witherspoon landing her first Golden Globe nomination.

    The Election sequel is based on a follow-up novel by Perrotta, which was published by Scribner in June. It’s another satirical dark comedy that finds the eponymous Tracy in adulthood and still struggling to fight her way to the top. Payne is once again adapting the screenplay with Jim Taylor. Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter will produce the film for Hello Sunshine, a Candle Media company, alongside Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions (Election, Little Miss Sunshine), with Perrotta serving as executive producer.

    In addition to Citizen Ruth and Election, Payne has previously helmed the Oscar-winning features Sideways and The Descendants, as well as the Oscar-nominated films About Schmidt and Nebraska, the 2017 Matt Damon comedy Downsizing and other projects. Coming up next for release from Payne is the Focus Features pic The Holdovers with Paul Giamatti.

    Witherspoon currently stars opposite Jennifer Aniston in Apple TV+’s series The Morning Show, having also recently appeared in series like Little Fires Everywhere and Big Little Lies, and films like A Wrinkle in Time. She exec produces The Morning Show and has also recently produced the features Where the Crawdads Sing and Something from Tiffany’s, among many other projects.

    Perrotta is a bestseller whose novel Little Children was likewise adapted into an Oscar-nominated film. He’s otherwise perhaps best known for his novels The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher, both of which were adapted into critically acclaimed series for HBO.

    Taylor is a long-time collaborator of Payne’s who has previously collaborated with him in the writing of Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways (which won both an Oscar) and Downsizing. Additional credits for the writer include Juliet, Naked and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.

    Bona Fide Productions’ Berger and Yerxa were behind Election and also previously teamed with Payne as the producers of Nebraska. They also produced the Oscar winner Little Miss Sunshine from filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Feris, as well as Oscar nominees Little Children and Cold Mountain. Other notable credits for the Oscar-nominated duo include The Peanut Butter Falcon, What They Had, Juliet, Naked, The Leftovers, Ruby Sparks, The Ice Harvest and King of the Hill, to name a few.

    Payne is repped by RadicalMedia, CAA, Bloom Hergott Diemer and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Witherspoon by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Taylor by UTA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; and Perrotta by WME.

    People’s Choice Award Nominees

    (10/26/22) The 2022 People’s Choice Awards will air simultaneously on NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:00 pm ET/PT from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA. Live from E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards will kick off the night with a red carpet special at 7:00 pm ET/PT on E!.

    Voting for the 2022 People’s Choice Awards runs today (Oct 26) through Wednesday, November 9 at 11:59 pm ET. Fans can either vote online at http://www.votepca.com or on Twitter.

    Social Celebrity of 2022
    Bad Bunny
    Charlie Puth
    Doja Cat
    Lil Nas X
    Lizzo
    Reese Witherspoon
    Selena Gomez
    Snoop Dogg

    Reese Witherspoon doesn’t ‘see’ the resemblance with daughter Ava Phillippe

    (10/4/22) While the rest of the world thinks Ava Phillippe is the spitting image of her famous mother, Reese Witherspoon, it turns out the two “don’t see it.”

    “She and I don’t see [the resemblance] that much,” the actress said during Tuesday’s episode of “Today” after Jenna Bush Hager referred to the mother-daughter duo as “twins.”

    The “Legally Blonde” star, 46, shares Ava, 23, and son Deacon, 18, with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. She also has 10-year-old son Tennessee with her husband, Jim Toth.

    The large age gap between her children has proven to be a struggle for the working mom, who went on to talk about her approach to parenting kids of all ages.

    “You establish a different relationship,” the Academy Award winner told Hoda Kotb and Bush Hagger. “First of all, you’re managing them a lot when they’re little and it’s very physical. And then it’s more emotional support. And suggestions, not telling them what to do when they get a little bit older.”

    She continued, “But you have to really nurture your adult relationship with your children too. And give them respect and space to become who they are, not who you want them to be.”

    Witherspoon has proudly stood by her children over the years, from Deacon landing his first big actig role to Ava opening up about her sexuality.

    The actress’s only daughter recently revealed she has no preference when it comes to her dating life during a Q&A on Instagram.

    “Do u like boys or girls?” one fan asked, to which she replied, “I’m attracted to … people! (Gender is whatever).”

    Witherspoon’s mini-me has been dating her college boyfriend, Owen Mahoney, since at least 2019. However, that didn’t stop “bigoted” trolls from sending Phillippe hate about her sexual preferences.

    “QUICK REMINDER: I can & will block profiles commenting bigoted/hateful messages under my posts,” she wrote to Instagram less than a week after the announcement.

    “My Instagram profile is not a place for cruelty/hate speech & I intend to do what I can to keep it that way. Peace & Love.”

    While Witherspoon might not think the pair look alike, there’s no doubt Phillippe inherited her strong sense of self.

    ‘Your Place Or Mine’: Reese Witherspoon & Ashton Kutcher Unveil Release Date For Netflix Rom-Com – Watch The Promo

    (9/24/22) (Video) Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher dropped a video during Netflix’s Tudum day to let the world know about their new romantic comedy. The footage wasn’t released online, but the stars recorded a promo for it — watch that above.

    The big news is the pic’s drop date of February 10, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

    The Aline Brosh McKenna-directed movie follows two long-distance best friends who change each other’s lives when Witherspoon’s Debbie decides to pursue a lifelong dream and Kutcher’s Peter volunteers to keep an eye on her teenage son.

    Steve Zahn, Tig Notaro, Griffin Matthews, Zoe Chao and Jesse Williams also star.

    It’s the first time that Witherspoon and Kutcher have worked together. In fact, if Kutcher could make a romantic comedy with anyone in cinema history, it would be Witherspoon — as he revealed in the video that dropped today.

    “Ashton! That is so sweet! That is literally the nicest thing you said to me.”

    To which he responded, “It’s a great line, it worked on Natalie Portman and Cameron Diaz. It’s a lady killer!”

    Those movies he’s talking about being 2011’s No Strings Attached and What Happens in Vegas, respectively.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Opens UK Unscripted Division With Ex-Channel 4 Exec Sarah Lazenby At The Helm

    (8/19/22) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is headed for Britain. The Candle Media-owned production company is launching an unscripted division in the UK, and is already developing its first production with terrestrial network Channel 4.

    Hello Sunshine Unscripted UK will be led by Sarah Lazenby, a former Channel 4 Head of Features and Formats who left the broadcaster last year. While at the British public service broadcaster, she oversaw major titles such as The Great British Bake Off, Jamie Oliver’s programs and formats such as Flirty Dancing and Netflix co-pro Crazy Delicious. More recently she produced HBO’s Emmy-nominated retrospective special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.

    Lazenby will be Executive Vice President, Unscripted UK and report to Hello Sunshine’s Head of Unscripted Sara Rea. Hello Sunshine last year acquired Rea’s company SKR Productions, which was behind Prime Video’s Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn series Making the Cut.

    Details on Lazenby’s program in development at Channel 4 weren’t forthcoming but it will reunite her with former Channel 4 colleagues.

    The launch of Hello Sunshine Unscripted UK is part of The Morning Show co-producer’s focus on putting women at the center of stories.

    “We are thrilled to expand our global mission of innovative, unscripted, female-led storytelling to the UK,” said Rea. “Sarah Lazenby is perfectly poised to lead the charge, as her talent, passion, and sensibility for great storytelling, couldn’t be more in sync with our mission. This is a strategic and exciting moment for us as a company as we continue building upon our trusted relationship with talent and viewers around the world.”

    “Hello Sunshine’s unique global brand and inspirational mission to change the way women walk through the world through storytelling is one I have admired for quite some time.” said Sarah Lazenby “It’s a dream come true to join the talented team and I look forward to bringing the sunshine to the UK by creating the next generation of joyous and entertaining formats.

    Hello Sunshine’s unscripted slate includes Get Organized on Netflix; Apple TV+ competition series My Kind of Country, which is currently in production; and To Paris For Love, an unscripted romantic comedy feature for Roku.

    Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine, which Candle last year acquired in a deal that valued Witherspoon’s business at around $900M, announced the new UK division today.

    ‘The Morning Show’ Season 3: Reese Witherspoon Reveals New Jon Hamm Character Details; Cory And Bradley’s Arc Will Be “Really Interesting”

    (8/12/22) The addition of The Morning Show’s newest cast member Jon Hamm has “everybody excited.” Emmy-nominee Reese Witherspoon said Friday during an FYC event at The Edition hotel in West Hollywood.

    As she prepared to begin production that same day, Witherspoon discussed Hamm joining for Season 3 as media mogul Paul Marks. “I might have gotten a lot of phone calls from my friends when they announced Jon Hamm,” she said.

    “He is the greatest,” she added. “It’s such a good part too. You’re just going to get the full Hamm. Wait, that didn’t sound right,” she laughed.

    “He is a very complex character,” she continued. “He’s a media mogul and he gives Billy Crudup a run for his money, which I think is the most fun part too, because Billy could eat a scene like I’ve never seen somebody eat a scene, and Hamm gets to come in and give him a great foil.”

    “It’s Alien vs. Predator,” she joked.

    The Morning Show follows the professional and personal lives of employees of media conglomerate UBA, specifically, its morning show hosts Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon), with ousted anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), news division president Cory Ellison (Crudup), host Laura Peterson (Julianna Margulies) and journalist Maggie Brener (Marcia Gay Harden) among others.

    Alongside Witherspoon, who is also an EP on the show, Crudup and Harden are also Emmy-nominated for their roles this year.

    At the end of Season 2, one of several cliffhangers was Cory’s declaration of love for Bradley. Asked how she thinks that might play out next season, Witherspoon said, “I think they have a certain trust. I think some things might have happened. I almost don’t know too, I always ask the writer, ‘Has something happened [between them]?’ and she’s like, ‘Hmmm something might have happened.’ Season 3 will be really interesting.”

    Witherspoon also addressed the show’s handling of cancel culture in Season 2.

    “By the end of this season pretty much everybody was canceled,” she said. “So, it was a real moratorium on, ‘Can you cancel a human? We’re all just human.’ There was that great scene with Marcia Gay where I was like, ‘I think if people take accountability for that they’ve done, I think we have to give them a little bit of grace. We have to start being a little more graceful toward each other, you know? Instead of dismissing human beings categorically for being fallible.”

    Season 3 will see other changes too, with showrunner Kerry Ehrin making the move to a consultant role, and Charlotte Stoudt stepping in as showrunner.

    2022 Emmy Nominations

    (7/12/22) This year’s Emmys will be awarded across two weekends, with the two-night Creative Arts portion set for September 3-4. The Primetime ceremony will be broadcast live Monday, September 12 on NBC and stream live on Peacock.

    Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

    Killing Eve • BBC America • Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America
    Jodie Comer as Villanelle

    Ozark • Netflix • MRC for Netflix
    Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde

    Yellowjackets • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Entertainment One
    Melanie Lynskey as Shauna

    Killing Eve • BBC America • Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America
    Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri

    The Morning Show • Apple TV+ • Media Res in association with Apple
    Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson

    Euphoria • HBO/HBO Max • HBO in association with ADD Content Agency | HOT | TCDY Productions, Dreamcrew, Tiny Goat, A24 and The Reasonable Bunch
    Zendaya as Rue

    Hollywood Critics Association TV award nominations

    (7/7/22) The awards will be handed out over two nights in ceremonies at the Beverly Hilton. The broadcast network and cable TV awards ceremony will be held on August 13, followed by the streaming awards ceremony on August 14.

    Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama

    Britt Lower, Severance (Apple TV+)
    Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
    Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)
    Ming-Na Wen, The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+)
    Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
    Simone Ashley, Bridgerton (Netflix)
    Victoria Pedretti, You (Netflix)
    Winona Ryder, Stranger Things (Netflix).

    Will Ferrell-Reese Witherspoon Wedding Comedy From ‘Bros’ Director Nick Stoller Lands At Amazon

    (7/2/22) Amazon has secured rights to the untitled wedding comedy from writer-director Nick Stoller (Bros), which has Will Ferrell (Barbie) and Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) attached to star, Deadline can confirm. We brought you news of this hot package first, at a point when there were multiple offers for it.

    Specifics as to the film’s plot are being kept under wraps. But Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum will produce for Gloria Sanchez Productions, along with Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine, and Stoller and Conor Welch for Global Solutions, with Hello Sunshine’s Ashley Strumwasser serving as exec producer.

    Ferrell is a three-time Emmy winner who recently exec produced and starred opposite Paul Rudd in the Apple TV+ series, The Shrink Next Door. He’ll next be seen in Apple’s musical comedy Spirited with Ryan Reynolds and Octavia Spencer, Josh Greenbaum’s comedy Strays for Universal and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie for Warner Bros., among other projects.

    Witherspoon is an Oscar winner who stars opposite Jennifer Aniston in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, which has been renewed for a third season. She’ll next appear in Aline Brosh McKenna’s rom-com Your Place or Mine with Ashton Kutcher, the Disney+ series Tiny Trailblazers, Legally Blonde 3 and Disney’s live-action Tinker Bell, among other projects.

    Stoller most recently directed Universal’s groundbreaking rom-com Bros, which is slated for release on September 30, from his and Billy Eichner’s script. Other notable credits on the film side include Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, The Five-Year Engagement, Neighbors and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.

    Ferrell is represented by UTA and Mosaic; Witherspoon by CAA, LBI Entertainment and attorney Gretchen Rush; and Stoller by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.

    Buyers Spark To Nick Stoller Wedding Comedy Package With Reese Witherspoon & Will Ferrell Attached

    (6/16/22) Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell are attached to star in an untitled wedding comedy that will be scripted and directed by Nick Stoller. He directed the upcoming Universal Pictures comedy Bros, which Judd Apatow produces, and which Stoller co-wrote with Billy Eichner. UTA is handling the auction and there are multiple offers on the table for the package. Witherspoon is coming off the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, and Ferrell last starred in Eurovision and is filming the Barbie movie.

    That means two strong packages that will sell for sure, the other being the Kat Coiro-directed buddy comedy with Nick Jonas and Glen Powell. These deals should be done by early next week. Stay tuned.

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

    (5/14/22) Updated, 5:33 p.m.: Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, and Jamey Johnson have signed up to perform at the memorial service for five-time Grammy winner Naomi Judd, with Bette Midler, Reba McEntire and Reese Witherspoon being enlisted to deliver special messages, and Judd’s husband Larry Strickland being added to the list of speakers.

    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.

    SAG Awards Nominations

    (1/12/22) The awards ceremony is set to air on TNT and TBS on February 27 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

    THE HANDMAID’S TALE
    ALEXIS BLEDEL / Emily Malek
    MADELINE BREWER / Janine Lindo
    AMANDA BRUGEL / Rita Blue
    ANN DOWD / Aunt Lydia Clements
    O-T FAGBENLE / Luke Bankole
    JOSEPH FIENNES / Commander Fred Waterford
    SAM JAEGER / Mark Tuello
    MAX MINGHELLA / Commander Nick Blaine
    ELISABETH MOSS / June Osborne/Offred
    YVONNE STRAHOVSKI / Serena Joy Waterford
    BRADLEY WHITFORD / Commander Joseph Lawrence
    SAMIRA WILEY / Moira Strand

    THE MORNING SHOW
    JENNIFER ANISTON / Alex Levy
    SHARI BELAFONTE / Julia
    ELI BILDNER / Joel Rapkin
    NESTOR CARBONELL / Yanko Flores
    STEVE CARELL / Mitch Kessler
    BILLY CRUDUP / Cory Ellison
    MARK DUPLASS / Charlie “Chip” Black
    AMBER FRIENDLY / Layla Bell
    JANINA GAVANKAR / Alison Namazi
    VALERIA GOLINO / Paola Lambruschini
    TARA KARSIAN / Gayle Berman
    HANNAH LEDER / Isabella
    GRETA LEE / Stella Bak
    JULIANNA MARGULIES / Laura Peterson
    JOE MARINELLI / Donny Spagnoli
    MICHELLE MEREDITH / Lindsey Sherman
    RUAIRI O’CONNOR / Ty Fitzgerald
    JOE PACHECO / Bart Daley
    KAREN PITTMAN / Mia Jordan
    VICTORIA TATE / Rena Robinson
    DESEAN K. TERRY / Daniel Henderson
    REESE WITHERSPOON / Bradley Jackson

    SQUID GAME
    HEO SUNG-TAE / Deok-su
    JUN YOUNG-SOO / Game Operator Voice
    JUNG HO-YEON / Kang Sae-byeok
    KIM JOO-RYOUNG / Mi-nyeo
    LEE BYUNG-HUN / Front Man
    LEE JUNG-JAE / Seong Gi-hun
    OH YOUNG-SOO / Oh Il-nam
    PARK HAE-SOO / Cho Sang-woo
    ANUPAM TRIPATHI / Ali
    WI HA-JUN / Hwang Jun-ho

    SUCCESSION
    NICHOLAS BRAUN / Greg Hirsch
    JULIANA CANFIELD / Jess Jordan
    BRIAN COX / Logan Roy
    KIERAN CULKIN / Roman Roy
    DAGMARA DOMINCZYK / Karolina Novotney
    PETER FRIEDMAN / Frank Vernon
    JIHAE / Berry Schneider
    JUSTINE LUPE / Willa
    MATTHEW MACFADYEN / Tom Wambsgans
    DASHA NEKRASOVA / Comfrey Pellits
    SCOTT NICHOLSON / Colin
    DAVID RASCHE / Karl Muller
    ALAN RUCK / Connor Roy
    J. SMITH-CAMERON / Gerri Kellman
    SARAH SNOOK / Shiv Roy
    FISHER STEVENS / Hugo Baker
    JEREMY STRONG / Kendall Roy
    ZOË WINTERS / Kerry Castellabate


    YELLOWSTONE
    KELSEY ASBILLE / Monica Dutton
    WES BENTLEY / Jamie Dutton
    RYAN BINGHAM / Walker
    GIL BIRMINGHAM / Thomas Rainwater
    IAN BOHEN / Ryan
    EDEN BROLIN / Mia
    KEVIN COSTNER / John Dutton
    HUGH DILLON / Sheriff Donnie Haskell
    LUKE GRIMES / Kayce Dutton
    HASSIE HARRISON / Laramie
    COLE HAUSER / Rip Wheeler
    JEN LANDON / Teeter
    FINN LITTLE / Carter
    BRECKEN MERRILL / Tate Dutton
    WILL PATTON / Garrett Randle
    PIPER PERABO / Summer Higgins
    KELLY REILLY / Beth Dutton
    DENIM RICHARDS / Colby
    TAYLOR SHERIDAN / Travis
    FORRIE J. SMITH / Lloyd
    JEFFERSON WHITE / Jimmy Hurdstrom

    Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

    JENNIFER ANISTON / Alex Levy
    THE MORNING SHOW

    JUNG HO-YEON / Kang Sae-byeok
    SQUID GAME

    ELISABETH MOSS / June Osborne/Offred
    THE HANDMAID’S TALE

    SARAH SNOOK / Shiv Roy
    SUCCESSION

    REESE WITHERSPOON / Bradley Jackson
    THE MORNING SHOW

    ‘The Morning Show’ Renewed For Season 3 At Apple, Charlotte Stoudt Joins As Showrunner & Inks Overall Deal With Streamer

    (1/10/22) The Morning Show returns to open another day.

    Apple has renewed the Jennifer Aniston- and Reese Witherspoon-fronted drama series for a third season. It comes after the second season launched in September and ran through November.

    However, the glitzy workplace drama series will have a new boss for its third season.

    Kerry Ehrin, who developed The Morning Show and served as showrunner on the first and second seasons, will step down as showrunner with Fosse/Verdon co-exec producer Charlotte Stoudt, who is also exec producing Netflix’s Pieces of Her, replacing her as showrunner. Ehrin will serve as consultant on the third season.

    As part of the move, Stoudt, who has also worked on series including House of Cards and Homeland, has signed a multi-year overall deal with the streamer.

    Picking up after the events of season one, season two found The Morning Show team emerging from the wreckage of Aniston’s Alex and Witherspoon’s Bradley’s actions, to a new UBA and a world in flux, where identity is everything and the chasm between who we present as and who we really are comes into play.

    The cast also includes Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin and Marcia Gay Harden with the likes of Greta Lee, Ruairi O’Connor, Hasan Minhaj, Holland Taylor, Tara Karsian, Valeria Golino and Julianna Margulies joining in season two.

    The second season [SPOILER ALERT] ends with Aniston’s Alex Levy going on air as she battles Covid in the wake of being “canceled” following Maggie Brenner’s tell-all book about the host’s affair with her morning show co-host Mitch Kessler.

    Ehrin told Deadline last year that her instinct is that there is a “time jump” for season three. She added that she wants to see more of Witherspoon’s Bradley and Margulies’s Laura Peterson. “I feel like Alex has come to a place for the first time since the pilot of accepting who she is and facing her worst fears, and I want to see how the phoenix rises from the ashes for her, and learning how to have a full life and be present and loving,” she added.

    The series is produced by Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films. It is exec produed by Aniston, Witherspoon, Ehrin, Stoudt, Michael Ellenberg through Media, Kristin Hahn through Echo Films, Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine and director Mimi Leder.

    “It has been thrilling to watch The Morning Show go from strength to strength over the past two seasons, exploring topical storylines that have resonated with audiences around the world while also being incredibly addictive and entertaining,” said Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+. “We’re excited to see where Charlotte takes these extraordinary characters in season three and to watch the magic that Jennifer, Reese and our awe-inspiring cast continue to bring to the captivating world of morning television.”

    “I’m excited to be joining forces with Apple TV+ and The Morning Show,” added Stoudt. “The cast, led by the phenomenal Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, are truly to die for. Kerry, Mimi and Michael, and the teams at Media Res, Hello Sunshine and Echo Films, have created an irresistible world that is equally delicious and provocative.”

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine & iHeartMedia Set ‘Time Out: A Fair Play Podcast With Eve Rodsky & Dr. Aditi’

    (1/5/22) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is doubling down on podcasting.

    The Morning Show star’s company, which was recently sold to Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Blackstone-backed business, has teamed with iHeartMedia to launch a new talk show.

    Time Out: A Fair Play Podcast with Eve Rodsky and Dr. Aditi Nerurkar is hosted by Fair Play author Rodsky and Dr. Nerurkar, an expert on stress burnout and mental health who is on faculty at Harvard Medical School.

    The show will teach listeners how to take back their time. It will combine science-backed solutions, humor, personal insights and practical tips and each episode features a special guest.

    The first episode, which launches on January 12, will include Matthew Fray, a relationship coach who went viral from writing a New York Times article about getting divorced over dishes and author of This Is How Your Marriage Ends.

    It is the latest partnership between Hello Sunshine and Rodsky, a Harvard-trained lawyer and former foundational manager at J.P. Morgan who teamed up with the company on her book Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live). She has also written a follow up Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World.

    Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington & Alyssa Milano Among More Than 100 Stars Expressing Outrage Over Texas Abortion Law

    (9/2/21) After the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night denied a request to issue emergency relief blocking Texas’ new law that bans abortion at six weeks and, say opponents, effectively eliminates access to abortions statewide, some big names in entertainment expressed their opinions about the legislation.

    A group of prominent actors, musicians and other artists and companies swiftly responded to the news on social media. Reese Witherspoon, Alyssa Milano, Dua Lipa, Kerry Washington, St. Vincent, Eva Longoria Baston, Bad Robot and P!nk were among them. Many shared an image with the text, “I stand in solidarity with Texans & people everywhere seeking reproductive freedom.” The full list of the celebrities who support that sentiment is below; the vast majority of the signatories are women.

    Washington also shared a link to a Planned Parenthood petition which, among other things, maintains that “health care — including safe, legal abortion — is a human right.” The petition also warns that “the Supreme Court is months away from hearing a case that challenges the protections of Roe v. Wade.

    Aasif Mandvi
    Aisha Tyler
    Alan Cumming
    Alexandra Shipp
    Allison Janney
    Alysia Reiner
    Alyssa Milano
    Amanda de Cadenet
    Amber Tamblyn
    America Ferrera
    Amy Allen
    Amy Brenneman
    Amy Schumer
    Ani DiFranco
    Annika Noelle
    Bad Robot
    Beanie Feldstein
    Bella Hadid
    Ben Gleib
    Ben Schnetzer
    Betty Buckley
    Betty Who
    Bevy Smith
    Blair Imani
    Bradley Bredeweg
    Brenda Song
    Calire Coffee
    Camryn Manheim
    Chelsea Handler
    Chloe Gosselin
    Chloe Lilac
    Chrissie Fit
    Christine Lahti
    Cody Linley
    Connie Britton
    Crystal Moselle
    Cyndi Lauper
    Cynthia Nixon
    Dana Williams
    Dawn Porter
    Desi Lydic
    Donna Murphy
    Drew Droege
    Dua Lipa
    Elizabeth Banks
    Emme
    Emmy Rossum
    Eva Longoria
    Fletcher
    Frances Fisher
    Getting Curious With JVN
    Gina Gershon
    Gracie Abrahms
    Hayley Law
    Ilana Glazer
    Isabella Gomez
    Iliza Shlesinger
    Jaime King
    Jaimie Alexander
    Jameela Jamil
    Jen Pastiloff
    Jennie Urman
    Jess Jacobs
    Jess Salgueiro
    Jodie Sweetin
    John Renaud
    Jordan Weiss
    Judy Blume
    Julianne Nicholson
    KaDee Strickland
    Karla Welch
    Kat Dennings
    Kate Walsh
    Kathryn Prescott
    Kathy Najimy
    Katie Stevens
    Kerry Washington
    KJ Steinberg
    Kristen Schaal
    Kuhoo Verma
    Laura Gomez
    Liza Koshy
    Maggie Rogers
    Mandy Moore
    Margaret Cho
    Marilyn Minter
    Martha Plimpton
    Martie Maguire
    Matt McGorry
    Mei Kwok
    Mia Moretti
    Michelle Monaghan
    Mindy Kaling
    Natasha Lyonne
    Natasha Rothwell
    P!NK
    Padma Lakshmi
    Paulina Rubio
    Peaches
    Rachel Goldenberg
    Ramona Young
    Reese Witherspoon
    Retta
    Righteous Babe Records
    Rita Moreno
    Rose Byrne
    sammy rosenman
    Sandra Bernhard
    Selenis Leyva
    St. Vincent
    Stephanie March
    Tegan and Sara
    Tiffany Boone
    Tiffany Red
    Tony Goldwyn
    Tracee Ellis Ross
    V Ensler
    VÉRITÉ
    Yvette Nicole Brown.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Teams With Baileys Irish Cream And Bumble For “Meet Cute” Short Films

    (8/31/21) (Video) Hello Sunshine, the media company co-founded by actress Reese Witherspoon, has partnered with Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur to release a three short films inspired by first-time meetings (aka “Meet Cutes”) from the Bumble app.

    The branded “Meet Cute” series features three female and non-binary filmmakers — Carly Usdin, Sadé Clacken Joseph and Haroula Rose — who have each created a short film inspired by a true Bumble “Meet Cute” story. The filmmakers were empowered to retell these real-life romances in their own voice.

    The series can be viewed on the Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine YouTube channel and will live in a branded content hub on The Roku Channel nationwide this fall. You can also check them out below.

    “We are thrilled to support these incredibly talented emerging filmmakers,” said Zoe Fairbourn, head of brand partnerships at Hello Sunshine. “Hello Sunshine is excited to usher in a new era of modern rom-coms and are so grateful to Baileys and Bumble for their partnership in bringing this smart, fun series to life, and for their continued support in our mission of telling stories that put women at the center.”

    Said Stacey Cunningham, director of Baileys & Liqueurs, Diageo North America: “Throughout the years, Baileys has always been at the center of celebrations with loved ones, bringing people together during those moments when we deserve to treat ourselves. Between the brilliant filmmakers and compelling stories around modern day love, the short films we’ve created in partnership with Hello Sunshine are a true reflection of those moments worth celebrating.”

    Here are the films:

    First Date
    Filmmaker: Carly Usdin

    Talent: Shalita Grant and Shannon Woodward

    Logline: After matching on Bumble but never getting a chance to meet in person, Jennifer and Anna unexpectedly reconnect and text flirtatiously for six weeks before Anna convinces Jennifer to an epic first date: flying across the country to attend a wedding as Anna’s guest.

    The Sign
    Filmmaker: Sadé Clacken Joseph

    Talent: Bianca Lawson

    Logline: This film follows Clare, a pragmatic divorce attorney who, after going through a divorce of her own, ends up finding her true match with a little help from fate.

    Hound of Love
    Filmmaker: Haroula Rose

    Talent: Jess Weixler and Kate Micucci as the Voice of Sonya

    Logline: Sonya (a dog) is protective over Sam, her best friend and owner. Basically, no one is good enough. In this piece we will see the relationship between Sonya and Sam, Sonya’s view of the world and how she sabotages Sam’s dates — until she meets Bill.

    ‘The Morning Show’: Season 2 Trailer Reveals Jennifer Aniston And Reese Witherspoon’s Dramatic Reunion

    (8/23/21) (Video) Apple has released The Morning Show‘s long-awaited second season revealing the dramatic reunion of co-anchors Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradly Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) after the explosive events of the finale under the bright lights of the new UBA Network. The 10-episode second season will debut on Sept. 17, on Apple TV+ with the first episode, followed by one new episode weekly, every Friday.

    The trailer also reveals the addition of Will Arnett who will portray Alex’s agent Doug Klassen.

    Returning cast for season two includes Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin, and Marcia Gay Harden.

    New stars joining this season are Greta Lee as Stella Bak, a tech world wunderkind who has joined the UBA executive team; Ruairi O’Connor as Ty Fitzgerald, a smart and charismatic YouTube star; Hasan Minhaj as Eric Nomani, a new member of the Morning Show team; Emmy Award-winner Holland Taylor as Cybil Richards, the savvy chairwoman of the UBA board; Tara Karsian as Gayle Berman, a news producer; Valeria Golino as Paola Lambruschini, a documentary filmmaker; and, Emmy and SAG Award-winner Julianna Margulies as Laura Peterson, a UBA news anchor.

    The drama will tackle the coronavirus pandemic during its sophomore turn, but COVID-19 also affected production in real life. It was revealed in July that The Morning Show‘s production company, Always Smiling Productions, filed suit against its insurer, Chubb National Insurance Company, for $44 million in losses from the Covid-19 shutdown and the delay of season 2.

    According to the lawsuit, Chubb claimed that it didn’t have an obligation to pay for Covid-related losses because they were not “direct physical loss or damage.” The lawsuit is ongoing.

    Watch the trailer for season 2 above.

    Ashton Kutcher Joins Reese Witherspoon In Netflix Romcom ‘Your Place Or Mine’ For Aggregate & Hello Sunshine

    (8/3/21) Ashton Kutcher will star opposite Reese Witherspoon in the Netflix romcom Your Place or Mine based on the original script by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) who is also making her feature directorial debut on the project.

    In Your Place or Mine, two best friends who live on opposite coasts swap homes for a week and see their whole lives change. Deadline first reported about Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan’s Aggregate Films’ deal on the co-production with Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. Bateman and Costigan will produce through their first-look deal with Netflix alongside Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine and McKenna for Lean Machine.

    Aggregate’s Ozark series, which Bateman stars in, directed and exec produced, clocked a third season that was watched by 29M households WW in its first four weeks. Ozark counts three Primetime Emmy wins: one for Bateman in 2019 for directing the drama series and two for Julia Garner in the Best Supporting Actress Drama series category. Last fall, Netflix acquired feature comedy Student Driver, an original pitch from writer Peter Hoare (Standing Up, Falling Down) and Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films. Bateman recently starred in the Melissa McCarthy-Octavia Spencer Netflix comedy movie Thunder Force.

    Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine was snapped up yesterday by a firm backed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group for a reported $900M. The new venture will be led by former Walt Disney Co. executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, with Hello Sunshine as its first acquisition. Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden will join the board of the as-yet-unnamed company and will continue to operate Hello Sunshine. Hello Sunshine’s notable credits include Apple’s The Morning Show, which has an upcoming second season, and HBO’s Big Little Lies and Hulu limited series Little Fires Everywhere.

    Kutcher is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. He is a SAG ensemble nominee for the 2007 movie Bobby, and starred in such feature hits as What Happens in Vegas, Valentine’s Day, No Strings Attached and New Year’s Eve. His TV credits include 80 episodes of Netflix series The Ranch on which he also serves as EP, 84 episodes of Warner Bros. TV and CBS’ Two and a Half Men, and 183 episodes of That ’70s Show. As an EP, he has been behind such series as Punk’d and Beauty and the Geek.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Acquired By Blackstone-Backed Venture Run By Kevin Mayer & Tom Staggs

    (8/2/21) Reese Witherspoon’s media company, Hello Sunshine (Little Fires Everywhere), has been sold to a firm backed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group. Terms are not disclosed. According to the WSJ, which first reported the deal, it values the company at about $900 million.

    The new media venture Blackstone is backing will be run by former Walt Disney Co. executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, with Hello Sunshine as its first acquisition. Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden will join the board of the as-yet-unnamed company and will continue to operate Hello Sunshine.

    According to the WSJ, Blackstone is spending more than $500 million in cash to purchase shares from existing Hello Sunshine investors, including AT&T and Emerson Collective. Witherspoon and some Hello Sunshine executives and investors will roll over the remaining equity into ownership stakes in the newly formed company.

    Witherspoon’s star power and her ability to turn books into successful TV series was a main draw for buyers, sources said. The five-year old company does not have a library; it is a producer on most of the Hello Sunshine series but only has some ownership in Little Fires Everywhere.

    There is a pipeline of upcoming shows, and Hello Sunshine also operates the influential Reese’s Book Club, which helps establish titles that the company later adapts for the screen.

    Hello Sunshine’s eye-popping $900 million sale price illustrates the arms race for content in the streaming age and the value of a star-driven venture, with Witherspoon also a force in the consumer product market with her clothing line. For comparison, Amazon is the process of acquiring MGM, a studio with a storied, century-long history and extensive library, for $8.45 billion.

    The Hello Sunshine deal also will give other independent companies that have been shopping themselves, including LeBron James’ SpringHill, A24 and Imagine, a lift in their search for buyers.

    Apple was reportedly among the companies that looked at Hello Sunshine, owned by Witherspoon with partners Seth Rodsky and former CAA agent Jim Toth, who is Witherspoon’s husband, when the company started exploring a sale earlier this summer.

    Hello Sunshine is a female-led media business whose mission from the get-go has been to deliver original content focusing on the narratives and experiences of women. It has a handful of credits to date, including Apple’s The Morning Show, HBO’s Big Little Lies and Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere.

    “I started this company to change the way all women are seen in media,” Witherspoon said. “Today, we’re taking a huge step forward by partnering with Blackstone, which will enable us to tell even more entertaining, impactful and illuminating stories about women’s lives globally.”

    The new Blackstone-backed company is separate from a special-purpose acquisition company Staggs and Mayer recently established.

    ‘The Morning Show’ Production Company Sues Insurer Over $44 Million In Covid Shutdown Losses

    (7/26/21) The producers of the Apple+ series The Morning Show say that they incurred $44 million in losses from the Covid-19 shutdown and delay of the second season – and they want their insurer to pay up.

    Always Smiling Productions filed suit against Chubb National Insurance Company last week (read it here), claiming that the insurer adopted “arbitrary restrictions” on coverage for the series, and interpreted the show’s policy in a way that would limit its obligation. More simply, according to the lawsuit, Chubb claimed that it didn’t have an obligation to pay for Covid-related losses because they were not “direct physical loss or damage.”

    “Chubb also has known for more than a decade that it and its insureds face a substantial risk of loss from various viruses and pandemics and, since 2006, has had available to it an insurance industry standard-form exclusion applicable to certain losses causes by viruses and bacteria,” according to the lawsuit. “Yet, in selling the policy to Always Smiling, Chubb did not include any such exclusion. In fact, Chubb did nothing in selling the policy to Always Smiling to limit its liability for virus or pandemic-associated risks. Nor did Chubb warn Always Smiling that even though it did not include a virus or pandemic exclusion, it would interpret the policy as if it contained one.”

    A spokesperson for the insurer did not immediately return a request for comment.

    Always Smiling also said that the insurer forced it to buy additional insurance on less favorable terms because Chubb refused to extend the policy through the completion of its production beyond the policy expiration date, even though that is “the insurance industry’s long-established custom and practice and the relevant language of its insurance policy.”

    According to the lawsuit, the series had $125 million in cast coverage and $1 million each for imminent peril, vivil or military authority, and ingress and egress coverages.

    After the Covid-19 pandemic forced widespread shutdowns and closures, producers notified Chubb of the production stop on March 12, 2020. Several weeks later, though, the insurer contended that the losses were covered only by the policy’s civil authority or military coverage, with a $1 million limit of liability per occurrence.

    Then, in September, Chubb sent a letter “essentially denying coverage for most aspects of Always Smiling’s loss,” according to the lawsuit.

    “Chubb wrongly asserted that there was no cast coverage because there were no reported cases of ‘death, injury, sickness, kidnap, or compulsion by physical force or threat of physical force,'” according to the lawsuit. “…Chubb also stated, in total disregard of the guidance of the world’s leading health and medical authorities, that it did not see how incurring costs for COVID-19-related safety protocols, such as personal protective equipment, would reduce a covered loss.”

    According to the lawsuit, Chubb also took the position that. under the military and civil authority policy, only costs to shoot new elements would be covered — and not the costs to restart production and for safety protocols. The producers claimed that in doing so, Chubb was creating a new requirement not found in the policy, that the loss must be “directly caused” by the action of a military or civilian authority.

    The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, seeks unspecified damages.

    The Morning Show did go back into production, and it is set to return for the second season on Sept. 17.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Media Company Hello Sunshine Exploring A Sale

    (7/6/21) Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s media company, is exploring a sale, Deadline has confirmed.

    The company behind the HBO hit Big Little Lies is said to have been approached by suitors and is evaluating its options.

    Hello Sunshine is owned by Witherspoon with partners Seth Rodsky and former CAA agent Jim Toth, who is Witherspoon’s husband. Other investors include AT&T through Otter Media and Lauren Powell Jobs’ Emersen Collective.

    Productions also include Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu and Apple’s The Morning Show.

    The Wall Street Journal cited people close to the situation saying the company could be valued at as much as $1 billion in a deal.

    It’s a period of rapid consolidation in media marked by a quest for content to feed an army of streaming services. Amazon recently agreed to buy MGM for $8.45 billion. Apple is said to be one of the parties interested in Hello Sunshine. It’s not clear that any deal will go down but the outreach shows that big media and tech companies are casting a wider and wider net.

    In May, AT&T and Discovery reached a definitive agreement to combine WarnerMedia’s premium entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s leading nonfiction and international entertainment and sports businesses to create a single company. The deal in that case was AT&T cutting the cord on WarnerMedia only three years after buying Time Warner and launching HBO Max but finding it tough to compete in a crowded market given its other financial obligations like spectrum, fiver and 5G.

    Discovery, which rules in unscripted fare, adds scripted content to its portfolio and streaming assets.

    Reese Witherspoon had panic attacks, tried hypnosis before filming ‘Wild’

    (6/16/21) Reese Witherspoon has tons of accolades under her belt, but her starring role in “Wild” left her feeling like a completely different person.

    The actress, 45, admitted to Tracee Ellis Ross in Interview magazine on Wednesday that she was “so scared” to do the 2014 film about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that she suffered panic attacks and tried hypnosis to help her cope.

    “I was having panic attacks for three weeks before I started,” she said. “There was the nudity, sexuality and drug-use aspect but also being alone on camera with no other actors.

    “I hadn’t ever been alone in scenes for days and days,” she continued. “There were probably 25 days of the shoot where I had no other actor opposite me. It was just me and a camera and a backpack. I was like, ‘Is this going to be so boring?’”

    Witherspoon noted that the movie was based off of Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 memoir of the same name, which she found “so beautiful” and “sacred” because it spoke to her “so deeply about how we as women have to save ourselves.”

    She added of the experience, “I don’t know if I’ll ever work that hard again, but it changed me on a cellular level.”

    The Oscar winner has been candid about her struggles with mental health over the years, at one point revealing that she’s been in therapy for most of her life.

    “I’ve definitely had a lot of not-sane moments in my life,” she joked on Jameela Jamil’s “I Weigh” podcast in April 2020. “I’ve had a lot of crying on the kitchen floor and my kids putting their stuffed animals on me going, ‘It’s going to be OK, Mom.’”

    She explained, “I definitely had anxiety; my anxiety manifests as depression, so I would get really depressed. My brain is like a hamster on a wheel and it won’t come off. I’ve been managing it my entire life.”

    The Hello Sunshine founder — who shares 21-year-old daughter Ava and 17-year-old son Deacon with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe and 8-year-old son Tennessee with husband Jim Toth — added that her anxiety spiked after she gave birth to her children.

    “I’ve had three kids, and after each child, I had a different experience. One kid, I had mild postpartum, and one kid I had severe postpartum where I had to take pretty heavy medication because I just wasn’t thinking straight at all. And then I had one kid where I had no postpartum at all,” she said.

    ‘The Morning Show’: Apple TV+ Sets Season 2 Premiere Date, Alex & Bradley Return To Navigate “A Culture Of Silence” In Teaser

    (6/14/21) (Video Teaser) The Morning Show will pick up in the aftermath of Mitch’s firing when it returns for season 2 in the fall.

    Dropping on September 17, 2021, The Morning Show’s sophomore season picks up after the explosive events of season one, including Mitch’s exit (Steve Carrell). The Morning Show team emerges from the wreckage of Alex (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley’s (Reese Witherspoon) actions, to a new UBA and a world in flux, where identity is everything and the chasm between who we present as and who we really are comes into play.

    Returning cast members also include Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar and Tom Irwin. Joining the cast for season two are Greta Lee, Ruairi O’Connor, Hasan Minhaj, Holland Taylor, Tara Karsian, Valeria Golino and Julianna Margulies.

    The drama series granted Apple its first Primetime Emmy Award for Crudup in the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. The Morning Show received eight Emmy nominations overall, along with three Golden Globe Award nominations. The series also landed a SAG Award for for Aniston and a Critics’ Choice Award for Crudup, along with a Television Critics Association nomination for Outstanding New Program. Globally, the series has been nominated for a TV Choice Award for Best New Drama.

    From showrunner and executive producer Kerry Ehrin, The Morning Show is executive produced by Michael Ellenberg through Media Res, which also serves as the studio, along with Jennifer Aniston and Kristin Hahn through Echo Films; Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine; and Mimi Leder, who also directs several episodes.

    In addition to revealing the season two premiere date, Apple dropped a teaser for the upcoming season. Watch the drama-filled teaser above.

    ‘Friends: The Reunion’ Special Gets Premiere Date, Teaser Trailer On HBO Max

    (5/14/21) (Trailer Video) It’s nearly here. HBO Max has set Thursday, May 27 for the long-awaited Friends: The Reunion special on HBO Max.

    The date also happens to be the one-year anniversary of the WarnerMedia streaming platform’s launch. The show was originally set to be one of the launch specials for HBO Max’s launch last year but shooting was delayed by the pandemic.

    The special features Friends stars Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), and David Schwimmer (Ross) who return to the comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.

    A slew of A-list celebrity guests will appear on the special including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai.

    Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with Friends executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. The special hails from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions. Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special. Emma Conway, James Longman and Stacey Thomas-Muir co-executive produced.

    One of the highest-rated shows on television during its 10-season run, Friends won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy series, along with Emmys for stars Aniston and Kudrow.

    Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who executive produced the series with Kevin Bright through Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

    Oscars: Academy Sets Ensemble Cast Of 15 Stars To Serve As Presenters

    (4/12/21) The producers of this year’s very unusual 93rd annual Academy Awards have promised to do the entire broadcast as if it were a movie itself. In line with that, they are “casting” it that way too with an ensemble of 15 stars to handle all the presenting duties, and also in lieu of a host (for a third straight year).

    Among the “cast” though, the producers appear to be sticking with at least one Oscar tradition: to have all four acting winners from the previous year return to present the four acting categories this year. Specifically how they will be employed into the show the Academy didn’t say, but you can assume that is the reason Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern are part of the proceedings.

    Phoenix, Zellweger, and Dern did the honors similarly at the Golden Globes, though Pitt will be making his first appearance on the awards circuit this year at the Oscars. Also last year’s Best Director winner, Bong Joon Ho, who made four trips to the stage for Parasite, is also part of this ensemble, presumably to present Best Director. Other names announced Monday — in alphabetical order — are Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya.

    “In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh. “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”

    This idea of having a set group of presenters rotating in and out of the show is not new. When producer Gower Champion reimagined the 1969 Oscar show he created what they called “Friends of Oscar,” with 10 stars exclusively serving as presenters (and no host). The format was then repeated successfully the next year, and has been tweaked occasionally over the decades — including for the innovative 2009 show produced by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, which used combinations of five past winners each to present the acting awards.

    Additional talent joining the April 25 live broadcast on ABC will be announced later. Word is all the nominated songs will be performed for the first time on the pre-show. We shall see.

    Hello Sunshine Elevates Lauren Neustadter & Liz Jenkins As Reese Witherspoon’s Company Continues To Grow

    (1/13/21) Hello Sunshine, co-founded by Reese Witherspoon, has handed promotions to two senior executives. Head of Film and Television Lauren Neustadter has been named President, Film and Television. CFO Liz Jenkins has been upped to Chief Operating Officer.

    “It’s hard to truly express how integral Lauren and Liz have been to the success and growth of Hello Sunshine,” Witherspoon said. “Lauren’s passion and purpose for the stories we tell has allowed us to create projects beyond my imagination and to collaborate with strong, skilled, creative, and complex women both in front of and behind the camera. Liz has built our business on every level, most recently leading our expansion into the unscripted space with the acquisition of SKR and she’s an exemplary leader. I am honored to work alongside these phenomenal women whose commitment and drive make the work we do at Hello Sunshine possible.”

    Neustadter and Jenkins report to Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden who announced their promotions.

    “We are thrilled to recognize Liz and Lauren for their contributions over the past few years, which have accelerated our incredible growth as a company,” Harden said. “Scaling rapidly, the way we have, does not happen without the unbelievable leadership, collaboration, and teamwork they both exhibit every single day, inspiring our teams and pushing us to not only rise to the challenges before us, but consistently exceed expectations. We look forward to what’s next.”

    Since joining the company in 2017 as Head of Film and Television, former Miramax, 20th Century and Fox Broadcasting executive Neustadter has executive produced such Hello Sunshine series as The Morning Show and Truth Be Told for Apple TV+, both of which are currently in production on their second seasons, as well as the Hulu limited series Little Fires Everywhere. She also served as a supervising producer on Season 2 of HBO’s Big Little Lies. Her work largely contributed to the 18 Emmy nominations Hello Sunshine garnered in 2020.

    Neustadter is executive producing such upcoming Hello Sunshine projects as the limited series adaptations of Reese’s Book Club picks, From Scratch, starring Zoe Saldana (Netflix) and Daisy Jones and the Six, starring Riley Keough and Sam Claflin (Amazon Prime Video) as well as the limited series adaptation of the upcoming novel The Last Thing He Told Me, starring Julia Roberts (Apple TV+) and My Kind of Country, Apple TV+’s first competition reality series. On the film side, Neustadter is producing the film adaptation of one of Reese’s Book Club’s most popular selections, the bestselling novel Where the Crawdads Sing (3000 Pictures/Sony), starring Daisy Edgar Jones, as well as Aline Brosh McKenna’s feature directorial debut, Your Place Or Mine (Netflix). Hello Sunshine is set to start production on all of these projects later this year. Neustadter and her team are also currently developing a robust slate of TV shows and features for streaming, linear and theatrical platforms.

    “I continue to be inspired every day by the incredible Hello Sunshine team, as well as the mission Reese fervently pursues and the passion she instills in all of us to chase big dreams alongside her,” Neustadter said. “I am proud of all we have accomplished and excited for all that’s yet to come.”

    Jenkins joined Hello Sunshine in 2018 as CFO. In her role, she was responsible for establishing and overseeing finance, business affairs, and operations as well as facilitating the growth of the company’s business, including their Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Animation studios, Reese’s Book Club, — all of which put women or girls at the center of each narrative. In 2019, she spearheaded the design and build-out of in-house production capabilities adding oversight of that function. She also led the acquisition of SKR Productions further strengthening the company’s Unscripted business.

    “It has been an amazing journey at Hello Sunshine so far and I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a team whose work has had such a tangible impact on an industry long dominated by a singular voice,” Jenkins said. “Lasting change takes time, effort, and intention; and I am so proud to be part of the tireless efforts of the entire team at Hello Sunshine as we work to put women at the forefront and tell stories demonstrating the true depth and spirit of these diverse characters and creators.”

    Mindy Kaling Teases ‘Legally Blonde 3’ Details, Says Sequel Will Have Some “Bend And Snap”

    (1/10/21) For those worried about whether or not Legally Blonde 3 will live up to the iconic original — don’t fret! It’s sure to have some “bend and snap”, according to Mindy Kaling who is currently writing the script with Brooklyn Nine-Nine creator Dan Goor.

    In an interview with Access, The Office alum offered some details about the forthcoming installment of the romantic comedy. “I love the franchise so much,” said Kaling. “I love Elle Woods as a character and when Reese asked me to write it I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ "

    Kaling added that she can’t wait for people to see Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods at 40 versus how she was at 21. She said it has been “really fun” to imagine.

    As for when we can expect to see the movie, fans will have to be patient because, well, we’re in a pandemic and shooting movies has been a challenge. Kaling said, “I don’t know when we’ll be able to shoot movies again but it would be great to, if Reese likes the script, shooting it this year would be awesome.”

    Based on Kaling’s excitement and love for rom-coms, Legally Blonde 3 seems to be in good hands. Since she is such a fan of the original, we can definitely expect some nods to Elle’s origin story — including the memorable “bend and snap”.

    “Bend and Snap is forever,” admitted Kaling. “We definitely have a lot of fan favorites from the original movie.”

    Big Little Lies Update: David E. Kelley Says Potential Season 3 Would Be a Scheduling Nightmare, 'But... '

    (1/8/21) When it comes to a potential third season of Big Little Lies, all roads leading back to Monterey are currently blocked.

    “I’m not sure logistically how it could be done because everyone is so busy,” exec producer David E. Kelley tells TVLine. “It [certainly] couldn’t be done right away. Down the road? Maybe.”

    Big Little Lies star (and frequent Kelley muse) Nicole Kidman divulged to Marie Claire Australia last fall that Kelley and BLL author Liane Moriarty “have a really good idea for” a third season. And the Oscar and Emmy winner later told us that the pair actually shared a “tidbit” of the premise with her.

    Kelley declined to offer up any details on the aforementioned idea, except to say “it hasn’t progressed very far” as a result of the myriad scheduling hurdles. “Nicole herself has about five projects backed up,” notes Kelley, whose growing list of Kidman collaborations also include HBO’s The Undoing and the forthcoming Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers. “Reese [Witherspoon] is equally as busy. Zoë [Kravitz] is [playing] Catwoman [in The Batman] — and that’s just the beginning. All [of the actresses] are extremely busy.

    “But we so love the show and the characters,” Kelley adds, “so none of us have given up on the idea of bringing the band back together.”

    Kidman is equally as game. “I would like there to be [a Season 3],” she recently enthused to TVLine. “There are so many great stories to tell and I am open to all the different horizons.We all love each other and want to work together. We’re deeply intertwined now. Whether that [camaraderie yields] a story that will be fascinating and complex and important, that’s a different thing. It would need to be a story that makes our jaws drop.”

    ‘Morning Show’ pauses filming as crew member tests positive for COVID-19

    (12/18/20) “The Morning Show” has reportedly put production on hold after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19.

    The Apple TV+ series, which stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, canceled a night shoot that had been slated for Thursday, Dec. 17, in Culver City, Calif., according to E! News. A second round of testing is scheduled to take place Friday in case the crew member received a false positive.

    Any person who came into contact with the staffer is self-isolating, E! News reported.

    Season 2 of the show began shooting again in October after filming was delayed this past spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Aniston, 51, was just photographed on a shoot in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Acquires ‘Making The Cut’ Producer SKR Productions To Bolster Unscripted Business

    (12/7/20) Hello Sunshine, the production company established by Reese Witherspoon, is doubling down on unscripted television with the acquisition of Sara Rea’s SKR Productions.

    SKR produces Amazon fashion reality series Making The Cut with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn as well as Project Runway spin-offs such as Project Runway Threads and Project Runway Junior.

    Rea, who set up the company in 2014, will become Head of Unscripted Television for Hello Sunshine following the deal and will bring across her team of execs including Sue Kinkead and Danielle Ghilardi Birckhead, who will become Senior Vice President of Development and Senior Vice President of Physical Production & Operations respectively. Also joining are Senior Directors of Development Tyler O’Neill and Elizabeth Sandroff.

    The move comes as Hello Sunshine steps up its activities in the unscripted world. The company produces Get Organized on Netflix and is making competition series My Kind of Country for Apple TV+.

    “Sara has led an incredibly talented team whose values and goals reflect everything we believe in at Hello Sunshine and I’m inspired by all they have accomplished,” said Reese Witherspoon. “With shows like Making the Cut, SKR has bridged television and the consumer experience in such an innovative way, opening up new possibilities for what content can do. I am beyond thrilled to welcome them to our team as we continue to grow and expand our mission to put women and underrepresented voices at the center.”

    “I am inspired by what Reese and the Hello Sunshine team are creating,” said Rea (left). “That, in conjunction with us having such perfectly aligned goals, has all of us at SKR excited to join Hello Sunshine and grow the unscripted division. This is truly one of those rare one plus one equals ten opportunities, and we can’t wait to get to work.”

    Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine, added, “Since launching Hello Sunshine I feel tremendous pride about what our team has done in championing storytelling and storytellers in film, scripted and unscripted television, animation, audio and through Reese’s Book Club. The response of audiences demonstrates the clear desire for narratives that explore the full range of women’s lived experiences. But we have so much more work to do and in Sara we have found exactly the right leader and partner to accelerate our growth in Unscripted. Sara shares our vision, passion and ambition and brings a fresh, innovate. and creative sensibility to everything she does.”

    Video: Legally Blonde 20 Year Anniversary Virtual Reunion

    (10/20/20) (Video) Happy people join host Reese, moderator Chloe Fineman, and the stellar cast of Legally Blonde for a reunion after 20 years of the film's production.

    Reese Witherspoon Teases ‘Legally Blonde’ Cast Reunion

    (10/19/20) Nineteen years after the premiere of the hit comedy film Legally Blonde, the cast will gather again for a virtual reunion. The film’s star Reese Witherspoon teased the reunion, which will benefit World Central Kitchen, Monday on Instagram. The reunion will premiere Tuesday, October 20 on Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine YouTube Channel at 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT. You can watch Witherspoon’s teaser and link to the actual reunion below.

    Hosted by SNL’s Chloe Fineman, will feature Witherspoon, who starred as Elle Woods, along with cast members Selma Blair (Vivian Kensington), Jessica Cauffiel (Margot), Jennifer Coolidge (Paulette Bonafonté), Matthew Davis (Warner Huntington III), Ali Larter (Brooke Taylor Windham), Holland Taylor (Professor Stromwell), Alanna Ubach (Serena McGuire) and Luke Wilson (Emmett Richmond). Released in 2001, Legally Blonde, based on Amanda Brown’s novel of the same name, grossed $141 million worldwide on an $18 million budget. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy and earned Witherspoon a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and the 2002 MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance. It remains as one of the most timeless comedy/romance films of the 21st century and has retained a massive cult following. (Video)

    Apple Orders Country Music Talent Format From Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Jason Owen, Izzie Pick Ibarra & Adam Blackstone

    (8/17/20) Apple is moving into the competition space with a country music talent contest exec produced by Reese Witherspoon.

    The streamer has ordered My Kind of Country from Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, country music manager Jason Owen, and The Masked Singer showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra. Adam Blackstone, musical director for stars including Justin Timberlake and Tim McGraw, will serve as musical director of the series, which will also be executive produced by Done + Dusted.

    There’s few details about the format of the show, although Apple said that it would bring a “fresh, new documentary sensibility” to the music competition genre and aim to “break down” cultural and musical barriers in country music.

    It marks the latest unscripted series from The Morning Show star’s production company after it set a home organizing series starring Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin at Netflix last year.

    Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine Head of Film & Television Lauren Neustadter and SVP of Unscripted Programming Cynthia Stockhammer, will executive produce the series on behalf of Hello Sunshine. Owen, President and CEO of Sandbox Entertainment and manager to the likes of Kacey Musgraves and Faith Hill will also serve as executive producer alongside Pick Ibarra and Done + Dusted’s Katy Mullan and Melanie Fletcher.

    “Well, it’s not looking like I’ll ever fulfill my childhood dreams of becoming Dolly Parton,” Witherspoon wrote on Instagram. “But this might just be the next best thing. I am beyond excited to share that Hello Sunshine will be partnering with Apple to bring y’all it’s very first competition series called My Kind of Country…. the search for extraordinary country music talent.”

    “Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, Country music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. The history, the storytelling, the artistry… the costumes and performances. There are so many remarkably talented people whose voices are being heard right now, but there are many more who have different experiences and remarkable stories that still need to be told in the genre. I’ve been incredibly inspired by all artists who continue to blaze bold new trails and our hope is to discover musicians who are revolutionizing country music and help amplify their voices and unique stories,” she added.

    Why Reese Witherspoon isn’t afraid of dying

    (6/11/20) Reese Witherspoon says she isn’t afraid of death because of the religious way she lives her life.

    “I don’t have a lot of fear, that’s true,” the 44-year-old “Legally Blonde” actress recently told the LA Times. “There’s a time and a purpose and a place, and I don’t fear death, because I know there’s heaven. I know it.”

    Witherspoon said her confidence comes from her strong belief that her Episcopalian faith will ensure her entry into heaven.

    The actress, who attends church twice a week and grew up singing in her church choir, explained that she never questioned the idea of an afterlife.

    “I believe deeply that there’s a higher power — and I don’t know what that is — but I just don’t fear dying,” the “Big Little Lies” star said. “A lot of people have these repressive experiences with religion, and I didn’t. I felt this incredible acceptance and that everyone has a gift and we’re all God’s children and your purpose in the world is to find the gifts that God gave you.”

    Despite her lack of fear towards her own death, that’s not to say it doesn’t pain her to lose someone.

    She opened up about grieving for “Little Fires Everywhere” executive producer Lynn Shelton who died last month at age 54, saying, “She was a truly wonderful human and a vibrant talent, gone way too soon.”

    Quibi staffers seethe at Reese Witherspoon’s $6M payday amid layoffs

    (6/2/20) Quibi staff are seething on the savanna after Reese Witherspoon was paid $6 million to narrate a nature show on the troubled platform where her husband works.

    Witherspoon voices the show “Fierce Queens,” which gives a feminist slant to nature docs by exploring heroic female animals including cheetahs, hyenas and ant queens, telling viewers: “Imagine a world where females call all the shots.”

    But Page Six is told that the show, produced by the BBC’s Natural History Unit, has been one of the weakest performers on Quibi, as one source said: “Quibi may have to implement cutbacks, and people are fuming that stars like Reese got paid millions.”

    Witherspoon’s husband, Jim Toth, recently left his high-profile gig at CAA after 23 years to work at Jeffrey Katzenberg’s startup as head of content acquisition and talent.

    A huge roster of stars — from J.Lo to LeBron James — were hired to make content. But after launching a service that offers supershort programming, aimed at commuters and people on the go, Quibi’s “quick bites” have been a bad fit for viewers stuck in lockdown.

    The source told us that Quibi has already cut overtime for its lowest-level staffers and quietly let go of others, adding: “The mood is dark.”

    It’s now fallen out of Apple’s Top 200 apps, while Sensor Tower, which measures apps’ performance, now has it at 1,007.

    Hypebeast reported on Tuesday that with over $1.7?billion in funding, Quibi has no shortage of cash, but its subscription service and ad revenue are crucial to continuing to make content. And, more worryingly, most subscribers are coming to the end of their free 90-day trials.

    As of May, one month after launch, it recorded more than 3.5 million app downloads and 1.3?million active users, disappointing figures for co-founder and former Disney studio boss Katzenberg. “It’s not up to what we wanted,” he said in May. “It’s not close to what we wanted.”

    Reps for Quibi and Witherspoon were unavailable for comment.

    ‘Legally Blonde 3’: Mindy Kaling & Dan Goor Giving Fresh Take To MGM-Hello Sunshine Sequel

    (5/18/20) We have learned tonight that Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor have officially signed on to write MGM’s Legally Blonde 3. This is the second feature film that Kaling and Goor are partnering on, the first being the Kaling/Priyanka Chopra wedding comedy that Universal won in a heated auction last year, which Deadline also told you about first.

    Reese Witherspoon remains aboard, reprising her role as attorney Elle Woods, producing through her Hello Sunshine studio with the franchise’s original producer Marc Platt.

    Deadline exclusively announced Legally Blonde 3 close to two years, with original scribes Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Karen McCullah penning. Kaling and Goor’s version isn’t a makeover, nor are they doing touch-ups, rather their screenplay will have an entirely new fresh spin.

    Also producing are Hello Sunshine banner head of Film and Television Lauren Neustadter and Adam Siegel, President of Platt Productions.

    Even though many feature productions are closed, the new MGM Film Group headed by Mike De Luca and Pamela Abdy remains very busy in development. Recently, they announced several film projects including Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, The Martian author Andy Weir’s next novel (aka Project Hail Mary) with Phil Lord and Chris Miller attached to direct, George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing, David Slade’s Dark Harvest (opening Oct. 24, 2021) and Ridley Scott’s Lady Gaga Gucci project on Nov. 26, 2021.

    Kaling recently co-created and is the executive producer on the critically acclaimed Netflix comedy series Never Have I Ever which follows an Indian American teenage girl and is inspired by Kaling’s own childhood. Last summer she co-created and executive produced the Hulu series Four Weddings and a Funeral based on the hit 1990s romantic comedy. Her movie Late Night which she stars in, wrote and produced, made its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Amazon for $13M. Kaling counts two SAG ensemble wins and six Emmy noms for NBC’s The Office as EP and star. She also was the EP and star of The Mindy Project on Fox. Kaling is repped by CAA, 3 Arts and Ziffren Brittenham,

    Goor is a two-time Emmy winning writer of The Daily Show and Late Night With Conan O’Brien. He is the co-creator of Universal Television’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and was an EP and writer on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. He is repped by Ziffren Brittenham. Witherspoon is represented by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman.

    Both Legally Blonde pics amassed close to $267M at the WW box office. The first title was a cash cow for MGM made for a reported $18M and earning $141.7M. The movies spawned a 2007 Broadway musical which received seven Tony nominations and ten Drama Desk nominations.

    Reese Witherspoon To Star In Two Netflix Romcoms; Hello Sunshine, Aggregate-Produced Aline Brosh McKenna-Helmed ‘Your Place Or Mine’ & ‘The Cactus’

    (5/12/20) Netflix has set a deal for two feature starring vehicles for Reese Witherspoon, her first with the streaming service. Her Hello Sunshine has teamed with Aggregate Films’ Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan to produce Your Place Or Mine, a romantic comedy that will mark the feature directorial debut of Aline Brosh McKenna, whose script credits include The Devil Wears Prada and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

    Netflix has also acquired for Witherspoon the Sarah Haywood bestselling novel The Cactus, which will be fashioned as a second star vehicle which Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter to produce.

    Your Place Or Mine focuses on two long-distance best friends who change each other’s lives when she decides to pursue a lifelong dream and he volunteers to keep an eye on her teenage son. The film will be produced by Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Neustadter and Aggregate’s Bateman and Costigan, and McKenna under her Lean Machine banner. She wrote the screenplay. Aggregate has its first look at Netflix, where Bateman stars in, directs and exec produces Ozark, which completed its third season (Netflix disclosed to shareholders the series drew 29 million viewers in the first four weeks).

    Witherspoon has produced and starred in projects for Apple (The Morning Show), Hulu (Little Fires Everywhere) and HBO (Big Little Lies), and now she’s joined Netflix.

    “We have been looking for the right feature opportunities to collaborate with Ted Sarandos, Scott Stuber and the entire team at Netflix for a while and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with them on these two romantic comedies,” Witherspoon said. “Both Sarah Haywood’s and Aline Brosh McKenna’s stories blend everything we love about traditional RomComs with strong, smart and determined female leads.

    In The Cactus, an unexpected pregnancy at 45 causes a reserved woman to rethink the structured life she has created for herself and leads her on an unconventional journey toward love, family and learning to embrace the unexpected. The book was published on May 7, 2019 by Park Row.

    Said Aggregate’s Costigan: “Jason and I are thrilled to be producing Aline’s feature directorial debut with our great friends and partners at Netflix, and with a giant talent and friend like Reese and Hello Sunshine. This is the perfect home for our movie, and with the ideal creative partners to be making a sophisticated and very contemporary romantic comedy that we believe global audiences will be excited to see.”

    Said Head of Netflix Films’ Scott Stuber: “We are thrilled to work alongside our long-standing partners and friends, Jason and Michael at Aggregate on Your Place or Mine. They brought us this brilliantly funny romantic comedy from Aline that we immediately fell in love with and can’t wait to work with the Aggregate and Hello Sunshine teams on bringing it to life. Reese and her team at Hello Sunshine have made a tremendous mark on the industry and we’re excited to have found two terrific projects to collaborate with them on.”

    “I’m the hugest Reese Witherspoon fan on earth, not just of her immense talents as an actor but also her producing skills,” said Brosh McKenna. “I couldn’t be more excited to direct this movie for Netflix, working alongside Aggregate and Hello Sunshine.”

    Witherspoon is repped by CAA, LBI and attorney Gretchen Rush; Bateman by CAA, Lighthouse Mgmt & Tom Hoberman; Brosh McKenna by attorney Ken Richman.

    Reese Witherspoon talks feeling ‘overwhelmed:’ ‘I’ll sit in my car and cry’

    (5/12/20) We never dreamed we’d have this in common with a celebrity!

    Asked on “CBS This Morning” if she ever has “one of those days,” when “you feel like you can’t do one more thing,” Reese Witherspoon replied, “I’ll lay on the floor and cry or I’ll sit in my car and cry. Sometimes I’m totally overwhelmed.”

    To the inevitable follow-up “What keeps you going?” Witherspoon, 44, responded, “I really want to change things.

    “I see younger women in our industry and I want them to have a better experience … I want to see that they have a beautiful idea of what the future could hold.”

    The “Big Little Lies” star recently spoke with Jameela Jamil on the topic of mental health, divulging, “I definitely had anxiety, my anxiety manifests as depression so I would get really depressed. My brain is like a hamster on a wheel and it won’t come off, I’ve been managing it my entire life.”

    But in her “CBS This Morning” appearance, Witherspoon circles back to a more positive note: “I will put in the hours and I bet on myself. I’m my own lottery ticket,” Witherspoon said. “I always think that, you know. If no one else shows up, I know I will show up and I know I will do the work.”

    Amazon Takes Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington Series ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ For Key International Markets

    (5/8/20) Amazon Prime Video has boarded drama series Little Fires Everywhere, starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, and will launch the show in international markets including Europe, Latin America, Canada, and Australia.

    Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

    The series is produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street and ABC Signature Studios, a part of Disney Television Studios. Liz Tigelaar (Life Unexpected, Casual) is creator, showrunner and executive producer. Disney Television Studios is handling international rights and struck the deal with Amazon. Hello Sunshine and ABC Signature served as studio co-production partners on the project.

    Hulu premiered the show in the U.S. in March. Amazon has all territories excluding the U.S., India, Middle East, Africa, Russia and China.

    In a joint statement, Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington said, “We, at Hello Sunshine and Simpson Street, are thrilled that Amazon will be the primary international home for Little Fires Everywhere. Jen Salke and the Amazon team have shared our passion for this spectacular story from the very beginning, making it the perfect home for audiences worldwide.”

    “Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington spearheaded Little Fires Everywhere both as talented producers with their production companies Hello Sunshine and Simpson Street, and as outstanding actors,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Together with Liz Tigelaar, they have created the type of exciting, exclusive TV content our customers love, making it the perfect title for Prime Video viewers around the world. There is feverish anticipation for this series from fans of the bestselling novel, so we are delighted to make it available to binge for Prime members.”

    Reese Witherspoon recalls 'embarrassing and dumb' 2013 arrest

    (4/19/20) Reese Witherspoon is still “embarrassed” over her 2013 arrest for driving under the influence.

    The Oscar-winning actress and her husband Jim Toth were arrested after he was pulled over by a cop under the suspicion of DUI, and Reese was put into handcuffs on a disorderly conduct charge after she disobeyed an officer’s order to stay in the car.

    Toth pleaded guilty to first offence DUI.

    Speaking on Jameela Jamil’s I Weigh podcast, the actress opened up about the incident, as Jamil praised for the way she responded to the headlines.

    At the time, The Morning Show actress appeared on Good Morning America and owned up to her mistakes, admitting: “It’s just completely unacceptable and we are so sorry and embarrassed. I think we made a mistake and it was something that will absolutely never happen again… We know better and we shouldn’t have done that.”

    Jamil said about that interview, “You apologized and shamed yourself in a way that was so f—ing refreshing to me.”

    “But, I did something really stupid,” the Big Little Lies star explained. “It was so embarrassing and dumb. But, you know what — turns out I breathe air. I bleed the same way. I make dumb decisions. I make great decisions. I’m just a human being.”

    During the chat, the star also revealed she battled “severe postpartum depression” after becoming a mum, admitting she “had to take pretty heavy medication because I just wasn’t thinking straight at all.”

    Reese Witherspoon opens up about mental health struggles

    (4/18/20) Reese Witherspoon has opened up about her struggles with mental health over the years.

    Speaking on Jameela Jamil‘s “I Weigh” podcast, the “Big Little Lies” star, 44, confessed to not always having it all together.

    “I’ve definitely had a lot of not sane moments in my life,” she said laughingly. “I’ve had a lot of crying on the kitchen floor and my kids putting their stuffed animals on me going, ‘It’s going to be OK mom.’”

    “I definitely had anxiety, my anxiety manifests as depression so I would get really depressed. My brain is like a hamster on a wheel and it won’t come off, I’ve been managing it my entire life,” she explained.

    The actress and producer — who shares daughter Ava, 20, and son Deacon, 16, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe also has a son, Tennessee, 7, with husband Jim Toth — revealed that her anxiety spiked post-birth.

    “I’ve had three kids and after each child, I had a different experience. One kid, I had mild postpartum and one kid I had severe postpartum where I had to take pretty heavy medication because I just wasn’t thinking straight at all and then I had one kid where I had no postpartum at all,” she said.

    Witherspoon added that she had a particularly difficult time following the birth of her daughter, Ava.

    “I was 23 years old when I had my first baby and nobody explained to me that when you wean a baby, your hormones go into the toilet,” she confessed. “I felt more depressed than I’d ever felt in my whole life. It was scary.”

    Witherspoon notes that she has been in therapy for most of her life.

    “I’ve had so much therapy which has been really great,” she said. “I think I was 16 when I started.”

    Reese Witherspoon Launches ‘Shine On At Home’ Series Amid COVID-19 Quarantine

    (3/31/20) In the midst of the growing number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and the extended social distancing guidelines to April 30, Reese Witherspoon is offering up some expert tips that have been helpful to her during the current world health crisis.

    The Little Fires Everywhere star took to social today to announced Shine On At Home, an offshoot of her Netflix series, Shine On With Reese, in which she will share advice from experts ranging from personal finances to parenting.

    “I’ve been thinking about ways I can give back at this time,” Witherspoon said in the video to her followers. “A couple of years ago I did this show called Shine On With Reese. It was on Netflix. It’s actually still on Netflix and it’s really good. I talked to experts in different fields that really inspire me.”

    She continued, “So as I was talking to different people I thought ‘what if I share some conversations that I’m having right now about how to deal with this time and share them with you guys.”

    “I’m talking to parenting experts. I’m talking to marriage counselors. People who counsel me about personal finances. People who just teach me fun, inspiring meals. I thought I would share some of these conversations with you guys and I hope you find them useful and maybe thought-provoking, or helpful.”

    Witherspoon post the first episode which features NY-Times bestselling author Eve Rodsky, who wrote the Fair Play, about how to divvy up house chores.

    “I’ve learned so much from Eve about how to have conversations with your partner about dividing household duties, how to adjust to homeschooling (three kids at home and two working parents is NO JOKE!) and what the “Dirty Dozen” bare minimum needs of every household are,” the Oscar-winner wrote.

    Reese Witherspoon, fueled by insult, creates her own production company

    (3/16/20) She shattered Hollywood’s glass ceiling over an insult.

    Reese Witherspoon was so bothered by a magazine article that called her washed up, she launched the hit HBO show “Big Little Lies” — and eventually got women at the network equal pay, according to a new Vanity Fair profile.

    “An actress came up to me at a party and said, ‘Do you know what you’ve done?’ I had no idea what she was talking about,” Witherspoon tells the April 2020 issue.

    “[HBO] had called her agent to rewrite her contract. She was then paid twice as much as she had been.”

    Witherspoon, 43, says in the interview that a harsh, throw-away line in a 2012 New Yorker magazine profile irked her into taking action.

    The star — who was then 36 and not getting much work — teamed up with her talent-agent husband, Jim Toth, to create her own production company.

    The goal was to create better roles for actresses of all ages — and get more women in directors’ chairs, she says, recalling the bad old days on movie sets.

    “I can remember being in pictures in which I was the only woman on the set and there would be 150 men,” Witherspoon says. “Maybe there would be a couple of women in wardrobe. I remember when I was a kid, I would find them and cling to them.”

    But after executives at HBO fell in love with the Monterey, California-set drama “Big Little Lies,” Witherspoon had leverage with executives, she recalls.

    During negotiations, she demanded that honchos pay women on set the same rate as men, according to the article.

    She adds that it’s important for women in Hollywood to share their pay rates with each other to help keep studios honest.

    And the best way to ensure never going out of style is to have a sharp sense of humor, she says.

    “You can’t be rendered obsolete if you just keep being funny. Guess what gets rendered obsolete: Your boobs go south, your face goes south, your ass goes south, but you can always be funny,” Witherspoon tells the mag. ‘”Funny doesn’t sag.”

    Quibi Debuts Fierce Queens Trailer with Reese Witherspoon and Nature's Strongest Female Animals

    (3/8/20) (Video) To celebrate International Women's Day on Sunday, March 8, Quibi revealed the trailer for Fierce Queens, a new short-form docuseries which highlights some of nature's most powerful female animals, with narration by Reese Witherspoon.

    "Ask yourself one question: Why do they call it the animal kingdom, when it's clearly run by queens?" Witherspoon says in voice over for the trailer, which shows breathtaking shots of female babboons, hyenas, and yes, even insects running their roosts. Witherspoon then teases, over shots of violence and mating that the show will invite audiences to "meet the females who give new meaning to eat, prey, love." There's nothing quite like watching a lady cheetah tackle and maim a gazelle to celebrate this day, right?

    Fierce Queen is one of 50 (yes, FIFTY) Quibi originals which will premiere when the new mobile-only streaming service launches on Monday, April 6. The series is produced by BBC Studios National History Unit and executive produced by Jo Shinner.

    Find out everything else there is to know about Quibi, including pricing and content information here. You can also find out every original show that's ahead for the short-form streaming service at launch time and beyond right here.

    Fierce Queens premieres on Quibi on Monday, April 6.

    Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington Bring the Fireworks in Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere Trailer

    (2/20/20) (Trailer) Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington are bringing the heat and fireworks in the first full official trailer for Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere. The eight-episode miniseries, premiering March 18, is an adaptation of the acclaimed novel by writer Celeste Ng.

    Ng told reporters at an exclusive event this week that the story of Little Fires Everywhere is meant to probe the sometimes explosive issues of race, class, and ideas of what a "good" mother really is. Based on her own experiences growing up in the supposedly progressive community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, in the late 1990s, the story that propels the series probes assumptions and challenges people to examine their own beliefs.

    "Part of what this book is about is recognizing that everybody has blind spots," Ng said. It also digs into tough questions like, "How much have we actually changed?"

    In the series, tensions reach a boiling point as Elena Richardson (Witherspoon), a traditional housewife, rents out a home in her quiet neighborhood to the enigmatic Mia Warren (Washington) and her teenage daughter, Pearl (Lexi Underwood). But flames, metaphorical and literal, start to erupt as Elena enacts her privilege and Mia finds that a secret she's tried to keep buried catches up with her no matter how much she runs. "I know about your secret," Elena says at one point in the footage, prompting Mia to reply, "Are you threatening me?"

    As the trailer shows, both women's families become engulfed in their conflict, with their children becoming collateral damage in their all-consuming battle. As showrunner Liz Tigelaar described it, "These kids are trapped in the lives their parents have created for them."

    Witherspoon and Washington executive produce the series alongside showrunner Liz Tigelaar, Lauren Neustadter, and Pilar Savone. Joshua Jackson also stars, and Jesse Williams is set to recur.

    Little Fires Everywhere premieres Wednesday, March 18 on Hulu.

    ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ EPs On Hulu’s Limited Series: “It’s A Lot To Unpack” – TCA

    (1/17/20) Hollywood heavyweights Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington made a stop at the TCA winter press tour Friday to present their new Hulu limited series Little Fires Everywhere, based on the bestseller by Celeste Ng.

    The pair star in and executive produce the series, which follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

    “From the beginning, the book does delve into class and sociopolitical differences and cultural differences,” Washington said. “The book does a really good job of stepping away from this binary idea of race we have in this country, which is black and white, because we’re also dealing with Asian identity, immigrant identity and class. It’s a lot to unpack.”

    She continued: “It’s wonderful because all these issues are present, but they’re really embodied in these very rich women. These characters are women you know and you love or you hate or make you feel closer to them because you are them or they make you feel you have no idea how they became who they are because they are so real.”

    Witherspoon, who discovered the book before it was published in 2017, brought Washington aboard after “looking for a project to do with Kerry for a long time.”

    “When I read the book,” Witherspoon said, “it had so many themes in it that were very complex, and I knew whoever was going to be my partner I wanted to have many conversations that carry these performances together.” She said her first instinct was to figure who was going to “show up and do the work,” and Washington was the perfect fit.

    “Everything she does she brings a grace to it and an intellectual aspect to it,” Witherspoon said. “She deepens the conversation. So I knew I wanted to go on this journey with her.”

    Both women agreed that their similar work ethic and trust made the process of working together seamless.

    “There’s not a lot of people in this business that I trust with my full inner life the way that I trust Reese,” Washington said. “On a project like this, it’s important. In order to bring as much truth as we could to these characters and these performances, we had to explore some of our personal stuff and share our personal experiences. … We really revealed ourselves to each other. I never felt in that nakedness we were unsafe.”

    Witherspoon and Washington were joined onstage by Little Fires Everywhere showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar, who talked about putting together a writers room that was reflective of the “racial landscape of the book.”

    “I knew when I read the book that, in assembling a writers room, I wanted the racial landscape of the writers room to match the racial landscape of the book. That was a no-brainer going in,” Tigelaar said. “What was amazing about the room is that everybody had these multiple connectivity points for the show.”

    She added: “No one was there to be the voice of one race or one anything. Everybody was there to bring their whole selves and experience to it and have really hard challenging personal conversations about what mattered to them. For a lot of us, that’s getting to the core of how we operate as mother and humans in the world.”

    Little Fires Everywhere premieres March 18.

    Little Fires Everywhere Trailer Ignites a Feud Between Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington

    (1/17/20) (Trailer) Things are getting pretty heated between Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in this new trailer for Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere.

    Released Friday during Hulu’s presentation at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., the 90-second sneak peek paints a haunting picture of an idyllic suburban existence going quite literally up in flames.

    Based on the 2017 novel by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere follows “the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.”

    Witherspoon and Joshua Jackson (The Affair) head up the “picture-perfect Richardson family,” while Kerry Washington (Scandal) and Lexi Underwood (Family Reunion) play the aforementioned “enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.” The limited series’ cast also includes Rosemarie DeWitt (United States of Tara), Geoff Stults (Enlisted), Jaime Ray Newman (Bates Motel), Britt Robertson (For the People) and Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), among others.

    Little Fires Everywhere, which boasts Liz Tigelaar (Casual) as showrunner, premieres on Wednesday, March 18.

    Reese Witherspoon Presents Nature’s ‘Fierce Queens’ On Quibi

    (1/17/20) Reese Witherspoon is heading to Quibi to introduce us to some queens — but not necessarily the kind with crowns. The Oscar-winning actress is set to narrate and appear in the forthcoming docuseries about nature’s phenomenal females in Fierce Queens.

    The new series comes from BBC Studios Natural History Unit and Jo Shinner will serve as Executive Producer. Fierce Queens will explore phenomenal female animals: the rebel matriarchs, powerful leaders and dangerous lovers of the natural world. From hyenas to fireflies, meerkats to humpback whales, the documentary series will bring you the most dramatic natural history stories from a fresh female perspective.

    Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman recently presented their mobile short-form streaming platform and glimpses of their “turnstyle” content in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Witherspoon was featured in a promo video for the platform alongside Quibi creators Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, Antoine Fuqua, Peter Farrelly and Catherine Hardwicke. The platform is set to launch on April 6.

    Witherspoon is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment.

    Beyoncé and Jay-Z gift Reese Witherspoon case of Ace of Spades champagne

    (1/10/20) Reese Witherspoon arrived home in Los Angeles to a beautiful bouquet and a case of Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac champagne — commonly referred to as Ace of Spades — gifted to her directly from Hov and his wife, Beyoncé.

    “I just got home from New York, and the most beautiful flowers are here and a case of Ace of Spades champagne,” said the star, 43, on her Instagram story. The included note simply read “More water — Jay and Bey.”

    Witherspoon received the Carters’ gift a day after the “Big Little Lies” star posted a Photoshopped meme of herself hovering over the couple while they sipped their personal brand during Sunday’s Golden Globes.

    Reese shared her first sip of the drink with her mother, Betty, who called the bottle of bubbly “delicious.” Witherspoon agreed, telling the camera, “it’s really good.”

    “Cheers guys, thank you so much!” Reese ended the video while toasting with her mom.

    Jay spent $200 million in 2014 to purchase the high-end libation.

    Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon's Little Fires Everywhere Gets Hulu Premiere Date and Trailer

    (12/13/19) (Video) Are you ready to feel the burn? Hulu on Friday not only dropped an incendiary trailer for its hotly-anticipated adaptation of Celeste Ng’s bestselling Little Fires Everywhere, it also announced the Kerry Washington/Reese Witherspoon series’ premiere date: Wednesday, March 18.

    Per Hulu, the drama, which Washington and Witherspoon are also executive-producing, “follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family” — headed up by Witherspoon and The Affair alum Joshua Jackson — “and an enigmatic mother and daughter” — played by Washington and Lexi Underwood — “who upend their lives.

    “The story,” the logline goes on to say, “explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood — and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.”

    If the trailer is any indication, it’s gonna be a must-see. Just try not to get goosebumps as you watch and hear Scandal’s former leading lady ominously intone, “We all have parts that scare us… but we can’t not look at who we are.”

    The series, which boasts Liz Tigelaar (Casual) as showrunner, also stars Rosemarie DeWitt (The Last Tycoon), Jade Pettyjohn (School of Rock) and Jordan Elsass (Keepin’ It Weird), and features Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) in a recurring role.

    Reese Witherspoon told to ‘dress sexy’ to land ‘Legally Blonde’ role

    (12/12/19) In order to land one of her most famous roles, Reese Witherspoon recalls being told to “dress sexy” for a meeting to help her land Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde.”

    In 2000, Witherspoon, then in her early 20s, had just come off playing the over-achieving Tracy Flick in “Election,” and she said the studio wasn’t convinced she was right for the role of Elle.

    “They thought I was a shrew,” the now-43-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Wednesday. “My manager finally called and said, ‘You’ve got to go meet with the studio head because he will not approve you. He thinks you really are your character from “Election” and that you’re repellent.’ And then I was told to dress sexy.”

    She continued, “And you’re 23, you have a baby at home, you need the money and you’re being told that by people who know what they’re doing. It’s funny to think of all the things we were told to do back then because now you’re thinking, ‘Oh God, if somebody told my daughter to do that, she’d be like, I really hope you’re joking.'”

    The studio execs weren’t the only ones with doubts about “Legally Blonde.” After the birth of her daughter Ava in 1999, Witherspoon also started carefully considering the roles she was taking on.

    “She was afraid it was too similar to ‘Clueless,’ which had recently come out, in terms of the character,” said Marc Platt, who optioned the book for MGM. “I literally said to her, ‘I want Elle to be a role model. I wanted my daughters to watch her and think that they can live in a world where they can do anything.'”

    Witherspoon said she went through multiple auditions before she got the job.

    “I remember a room full of men who were asking me questions about being a coed and being in a sorority, even though I had dropped out of college four years earlier and I have never been inside a sorority house,” she said.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Legally Blonde” made $142 million worldwide and the sequel made another $125 million. Witherspoon is currently working on “Legally Blonde 3”

    SAG Awards Nominations

    (12/12/19) The Screen Actors Guild Award Winners will be revealed in a ceremony January 19 live on TNT and TBS.

    TELEVISION

    Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

    BIG LITTLE LIES
    IAIN ARMITAGE / Ziggy Chapman
    DARBY CAMP / Chloe Mackenzie
    CAMERON CROVETTI / Josh Wright
    NICHOLAS CROVETTI / Max Wright
    LAURA DERN / Renata Klein
    MARTIN DONOVAN / Martin Howard
    MERRIN DUNGEY / Det. Adrienne Quinlan
    CRYSTAL FOX / Elizabeth Howard
    IVY GEORGE / Amabella Klein
    NICOLE KIDMAN / Celeste Wright
    ZOË KRAVITZ / Bonnie Carlson
    KATHRYN NEWTON / Abigail Carlson
    JEFFREY NORDLING / Gordon Klein
    DENIS O’HARE / Ira Farber
    ADAM SCOTT / Ed Mackenzie
    ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD / Perry Wright
    DOUGLAS SMITH / Corey Brockfield
    MERYL STREEP / Mary Louise Wright
    JAMES TUPPER / Nathan Carlson
    ROBIN WEIGERT / Dr. Amanda Reisman
    REESE WITHERSPOON / Madeline Mackenzie
    SHAILENE WOODLEY / Jane Chapman

    THE CROWN
    MARION BAILEY / Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
    HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Princess Margaret
    OLIVIA COLMAN / Queen Elizabeth II
    CHARLES DANCE / Lord Mountbatten
    BEN DANIELS / Lord Snowdon
    ERIN DOHERTY / Princess Anne
    CHARLES EDWARDS / Martin Charteris
    TOBIAS MENZIES / Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
    JOSH O’CONNOR / Prince Charles
    SAM PHILLIPS / Equerry
    DAVID RINTOUL / Michael Adeane
    JASON WATKINS / Harold Wilson

    GAME OF THRONES
    ALFIE ALLEN / Theon Greyjoy
    PILOU ASBÆK / Euron Greyjoy
    JACOB ANDERSON / Grey Worm
    JOHN BRADLEY / Samwell Tarly
    GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE / Brienne of Tarth
    EMILIA CLARKE / Daenerys Targaryen
    NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU / Jaime Lannister
    BEN CROMPTON / Dolorous Edd
    LIAM CUNNINGHAM / Davos Seaworth
    JOE DEMPSIE / Gendry
    PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister
    RICHARD DORMER / Beric Dondarrion
    NATHALIE EMMANUEL / Missandei
    JEROME FLYNN / Bronn
    IAIN GLEN / Jorah Mormont
    KIT HARINGTON / Jon Snow
    LENA HEADEY / Cersei Lannister
    ISAAC HEMPSTEAD WRIGHT / Bran Stark
    CONLETH HILL / Varys
    KRISTOFER HIVJU / Tormund Giantsbane
    RORY McCANN / The Hound
    HANNAH MURRAY / Gilly
    STAZ NAIR / Qhono
    DANIEL PORTMAN / Podrick Payne
    BELLA RAMSEY / Lyanna Mormont
    RICHARD RYCROFT / Maester Wolkan
    SOPHIE TURNER / Sansa Stark
    RUPERT VANSITTART / Yohn Royce
    MAISIE WILLIAMS / Arya Stark

    THE HANDMAID’S TALE
    ALEXIS BLEDEL / Emily
    MADELINE BREWER / Janine
    AMANDA BRUGEL / Rita
    ANN DOWD / Aunt Lydia
    O-T FAGBENLE / Luke
    JOSEPH FIENNES / Commander Waterford
    KRISTEN GUTOSKIE / Martha Beth
    NINA KIRI / Alam/Ofrobert
    ASHLEIGH LaTHROP / Ofmatthew
    ELISABETH MOSS / Offred/June
    YVONNE STRAHOVSKI / Serena Joy
    BAHIA WATSON / Oferic
    BRADLEY WHITFORD / Commander Lawrence
    SAMIRA WILEY / Moira

    STRANGER THINGS
    MILLIE BOBBY BROWN / Eleven
    CARA BUONO / Karen Wheeler
    JAKE BUSEY / Bruce
    NATALIA DYER / Nancy Wheeler
    CARY ELWES / Mayor Larry Kline
    PRIAH FERGUSON / Erica Sinclair
    BRETT GELMAN / Murray
    DAVID HARBOUR / Jim Hopper
    MAYA HAWKE / Robin Buckley
    CHARLIE HEATON / Jonathan Byers
    ANDREY IVCHENKO / Grigori
    JOE KEERY / Steve Harrington
    GATEN MATARAZZO / Dustin Henderson
    CALEB McLAUGHLIN / Lucas Sinclair
    DACRE MONTGOMERY / Billy Hargrove
    MICHAEL PARK / Tom Holloway
    FRANCESCA REALE / Heather Holloway
    WINONA RYDER / Joyce Byers
    NOAH SCHNAPP / Will Byers
    SADIE SINK / Max Mayfield
    FINN WOLFHARD / Mike Wheeler

    2020 Golden Globes Nominations

    (12/9/19) Golden Globes ceremony, which returns Ricky Gervais as host for a fifth time, is set for January 5, 2020 at the Beverly Hilton.

    BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

    JENNIFER ANISTON
    THE MORNING SHOW

    OLIVIA COLMAN
    THE CROWN

    JODIE COMER
    KILLING EVE

    NICOLE KIDMAN
    BIG LITTLE LIES

    REESE WITHERSPOON
    THE MORNING SHOW

    Zoe Saldana To Star In & Executive Produce ‘From Scratch’ Netflix Limited Series With Reese Witherspoon

    (11/8/19) Netflix has ordered From Scratch, a new limited series starring and executive produced by Zoe Saldana. Based on Tembi Locke’s best-selling memoir, it’s from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner and 3 Arts Entertainment.

    From Scratch, published on April 30 by Simon & Schuster, was selected as Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine May 2019 book pick.

    From Scratch is a sweeping, autobiographical romance that follows an American woman as she falls in love with a Sicilian man while studying abroad in Italy then builds a life with him in the United States. When she unexpectedly loses him to illness, she is challenged to pull herself through grief so she can raise their daughter as they would have raised her together: with hope, joy and infinite love.

    Locke’s sister Attica Locke (Empire, When They See Us), will serve as showrunner and executive producer with Saldana. Witherspoon and her producing partner, Lauren Neustadter will executive produce under Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner, along with Richard Abate, Jermaine Johnson and Will Rowbotham of 3 Arts Entertainment. Saldana’s sisters Cisely Saldana and Mariel Saldana will co-produce.

    “Attica and I are honored to be adapting From Scratch with the visionary Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Neustadter, Richard Abate and the incredibly gifted Zoe Saldana,” said Tembi Locke. “We have a shared interest in championing stories that bring a rich tapestry of experiences to the screen. I am thrilled that this global love story has found a perfect home at Netflix.”

    Said Zoe Saldana: “This is a profound true story of love and family, deprivation and nourishment, that needs to be brought to life on the screen as Tembi Locke brought it vividly to life for me on the page. We are grateful to Netflix and thrilled to be working with Reese, Lauren, Attica and 3 Arts on this wonderful project.”

    Witherspoon said: “Tembi’s memoir is a raw and tender exhibition of life in all its pieces. She brings you into her love, her loss and her resilience with such vulnerability and strength. We immediately fell for Attica and Tembi’s vision and feel honored to have the opportunity to help bring it to life onscreen. We could not imagine more perfect partners for this than Zoe and her sisters and 3 Arts Entertainment, along with the incredible team at Netflix.”

    Added Channing Dungey, VP Original Series at Netflix: “Between the Locke sisters and the Saldana sisters, I’ve never seen a show that’s more of a family affair,”Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine have been producing really exciting content, and we’re thrilled to make this powerful and emotional series with them.”

    Reese Witherspoon had to stay silent about sex assault at 16 to keep working

    (11/5/19) Reese Witherspoon feels guilty she did not speak out about her experiences of sexual harassment sooner, but feared that, if she had, her career would have been over.

    In 2017, the Cruel Intentions star revealed she had been sexually assaulted by an unnamed director when she was 16, but was told by agents and producers to remain silent.

    And speaking to The Guardian, Witherspoon revealed it was not the only time she has been harassed or assaulted.

    “I wish I could tell you that was an isolated incident in my career but, sadly, it wasn’t. I’ve had multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault,” she explained.

    After adding that she feels “guilt for not speaking up earlier,” now the #MeToo movement has emboldened women to open up about their experiences of Hollywood misconduct, she admitted she was told in no uncertain terms that she was expected to remain silent.

    “It was a culture of silence and silence was a condition of my employment. That’s what I was told,” the 43-year-old shared.

    The star went on to express her gratitude to the women who have spoken out about harassment despite the cost to their careers, and is now determined to help others realize they don’t have to keep quiet to be successful.

    “I’m so grateful to the women who spoke out about things in their past because I’m in a different position, obviously, but those women had nothing to gain, and some lost their jobs over it,” she added. “They are the real heroes in my mind.”

    Reese Witherspoon reworked ‘The Morning Show’ in wake of #MeToo era

    (10/7/19) Reese Witherspoon is ready to take on the snakes of Hollywood.

    November’s cover star tells pal Natalie Portman for Harper’s Bazaar that developing her Apple TV+ drama, “The Morning Show,” took a turn in the era of #MeToo.

    “When we started … nothing had happened with Harvey Weinstein or Les Moonves yet,” she says. Once the stories broke, “We decided we needed to start from square one and redevelop everything with more of a slant about … people being held accountable for their behavior.”

    “Morning” rises next month.

    Reese Witherspoon to be honored with prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award

    (10/2/19) Oscar winner-turned-Hollywood power woman Reese Witherspoon is set to be honored with the prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment gala.

    Witherspoon — who brought the multi-award-winning “Big Little Lies” series to HBO — will be joined by best-selling author, entrepreneur and political activist Stacey Abrams, who will deliver the keynote speech at the breakfast on Dec. 11 in LA, to be attended by 600 of the leading women in the entertainment industry.

    Charlize Theron, another Oscar winner and producer, will be at the bash to present $1 million in university scholarships to high school seniors from underserved communities across Los Angeles, all of whom have taken part in THR’s acclaimed Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.

    The gala coincides with the release of THR’s annual Women in Entertainment issue of the magazine, which highlights the Power 100, the leading female executives in entertainment.

    And Olivia Wilde will be this year’s guest editor, we hear.

    Witherspoon is the latest recipient of the Lansing Award, which recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists and was established in honor of the former CEO of Paramount Pictures (the first woman to head a Hollywood studio).

    She follows in the footsteps of previous recipients including Viola Davis, Jennifer Lawrence, Tina Fey, Barbra Streisand, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster, Glenn Close and Barbara Walters.

    “Reese has transformed herself from acclaimed actress to one of Hollywood’s most prolific producers. She is a perfect fit to carry on the legacy of trailblazing women by receiving the Sherry Lansing Award,” THR editorial director Matthew Belloni said. “I’m delighted that this year we’ll also have Stacey Abrams — one of the most impressive and transformative figures in the country — to deliver our keynote speech. They are fitting company to the multitalented Olivia Wilde, who’s proved how gifted she is not just as the director of this year’s Booksmart, but also as guest editor of our upcoming magazine.”

    E! People’s Choice Awards Finalists

    (9/4/19) Fans can vote online at pca.eonline.com, via Twitter or for select categories on Xfinity X1. Fans can vote up to 25 times per method, per category, per day if they vote via online or Twitter. Voting via Xfinity X1 has a limit of 25 times per ballot, per Xfinity X1 device, per candidate for the duration of the official voting window. Additionally, any vote cast on Tuesdays throughout the voting window will count twice.

    The E! People’s Choice Awards will be broadcast live from Barker Hanger in Santa Monica on Sunday, November 10 at 9p ET/PT

    THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2019
    Female Star Show
    Mandy Moore This Is Us
    Millie Bobby Brown Stranger Things
    Sophie Turner Game of Thrones
    Danai Gurira The Walking Dead
    Camila Mendes Riverdale
    Lili Reinhart Riverdale
    Maisie Williams Game of Thrones
    Reese Witherspoon Big Little Lies

    THE DRAMA TV STAR OF 2019
    Drama Star Show
    Zendaya Euphoria
    Norman Reedus The Walking Dead
    Sophie Turner Game of Thrones
    Millie Bobby Brown Stranger Things
    Reese Witherspoon Big Little Lies
    Maisie Williams Game of Thrones
    Lili Reinhart Riverdale
    Sterling K. Brown This Is Us

    Ryan Phillippe moves to block ex-wife Reese Witherspoon from testifying in assault case

    (8/21/19) Ryan Phillippe has asked a judge to prevent his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon from testifying about their marriage in an assault case involving his ex-girlfriend.

    The Shooter actor is accused of assaulting his former flame Elsie Hewitt, who sued him for $1 million in damages alleging he pushed her down a flight of stairs twice while hurling expletives at her as she attempted to leave his house with her belongings in July, 2017.

    Now Phillippe has asked a judge to block Witherspoon, the mother of two of his children who he divorced in 2007 after eight years of marriage, from testifying about their collapsed union in the case, insisting the information is completely irrelevant to the current proceedings.

    “Although divorced, they maintain a pleasant relationship with each other and their child (sic),” his lawyer writes in new documents obtained by The Blast. “The nature of their marriage and its termination, as well as their ongoing relationship could only be used in this trial for improper purposes.”

    Besides asking for the deposition requests for Witherspoon filed by Hewitt’s lawyers to be denied, Phillippe also wants evidence of previous police reports filed against him and information about his other past relationships to be kept out of the case.

    A judge has yet to rule on his requests.

    Phillippe has denied any wrongdoing with Hewitt, claiming he simply fell as he was trying to escort her out of his house and that the incident has been blown out of proportion.

    The Morning Show: In First Full Trailer, Jennifer Aniston Disses Steve Carell, Worries About Reese Witherspoon

    (8/19/19) (Video) Apple TV+ has released an actual, full-length trailer for its star-studded The Morning Show — and suffice to say, the titular wake-up program is going through some changes.

    Written and executive-produced by Bates Motel co-creator Kerry Ehrin and starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, the series — which received a two-season, 20-episode order right out of the gate — covers “the high-stakes world of morning news and the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning. Told through the lens of two complicated women working to navigate the minefield of high-powered jobs while facing crises in both their personal and professional lives, The Morning Show explores ego, ambition and the misguided search for power.”

    The trailer reveals that Carell plays Aniston’s Morning Show co-host, whose career meets an abrupt end due to scandal. Witherspoon’s character is then groomed to succeed Carell… and maybe eventually replace Aniston, to boot.

    The cast also includes Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Desean K. Terry, Jack Davenport and Janina Gavankar. Mimi Leder (The Leftovers) directed the pilot (among other episodes) and serves as an EP.

    The Morning Show will debut exclusively this fall (date still TBA) on Apple TV+, a video subscription service that will feature original shows, movies and documentaries. A subscription price for Apple TV+ is not yet available, though the service will be ad-free.

    Netflix Orders Reese Witherspoon-Produced Home Organizing Series

    (8/19/19) Netflix is expanding its unscripted slate with new lifestyle series The Home Edit, featuring master organizers Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, the duo behind the innovative home organization company. The series hails from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner and Critical Content.

    Known for their design-centric approach to arranging and organizing, the New York Times bestselling authors will take on the homes of big-name celebrities and everyday families in the eight-episode series.

    The Home Edit, titled after Shearer and Teplin’s book The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals, follows the Nashville-based duo as they dramatically transform the lives of their clients by conquering clutter with their signature style. Each hour-long episode features two organizational projects shaped by Clea & Joanna’s unique sense of form-meets-function that will entertain and inspire, Netflix says.

    The series is executive produced by Molly Sims, Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon, Charlotte Koh, and Cynthia Stockhammer; and Critical Content’s Tom Forman, Jenny Daly, and Jon Beyer along with Tess Gamboa Meyers, who will serve as showrunner.

    Shearer and Teplin also front Master the Mess, an original series on Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine VOD channel.

    Netflix Wins ‘Pyros;’ Reese Witherspoon To Star, Produce Thomas Pierce Sci-Fi Film With Simon Kinberg

    (8/13/19) Netflix prevailed over several studios to land Pyros, an adaptation of the Thomas Pierce science fiction short story Tardy Man that has Reese Witherspoon attached to star in the film, and produce with Simon Kinberg. Pierce will write the script.

    Deal comes a day after Apple unveiled a teaser trailer for Morning Show, a series that Witherspoon stars in with Jennifer Aniston. Now, Netflix has a Witherspoon feature vehicle. I’m told that up to six studios chased this package and that Sony Pictures was among the finalists.

    Pierce will write the script based on his short story that was published in The New Yorker magazine last year. It’s the second major movie deal he has made on one of his New Yorker short stories; Chairman Spaceman was bought and is being developed by Fox Searchlight. Kinberg is producing that one as well. Deadline revealed the package hit the market August 1.

    Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter are producing with Genre Films’ Audrey Chon.

    Tardy Man deals with a group of augmented people who are fitted with indestructible fire suits that are fused to their spines. They work for a corporation that recovers objects for wealthy people when their houses are burning. It is strictly forbidden for them to veer from their salvage missions, even when other humans are in danger. The protagonist decides to make an exception to this rule and that is the jumping off point.

    It’s the second big female-driven package deal to land this week. Yesterday, New Line beat out 17 other bidders for Don’t Worry Darling, the spec script that Booksmart’s Olivia Wilde will direct and star in. CAA is in the middle of both auctions, which are expected to sort themselves by next week. Witherspoon is managed by LBI and the writer by Kaplan/Perrone.

    The Morning Show: Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon Quarrel Off-Screen in Apple TV+ Teaser

    (8/12/19) (Video) With Apple TV+ launching this fall (which starts in just six weeks!), the streaming service has released a teaser for The Morning Show, which stars the award-winning trifecta of Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon. And the biggest tease is that none of the stars appear in the promo, save for a framed photo of Aniston and Carell’s characters.

    Which is a choice.

    Written and executive-produced by Bates Motel co-creator Kerry Ehrin, the project — which received a two-season, 20-episode order right out of the gate — is billed as “a high-stakes drama that pulls back the curtain on early morning TV.” The series was originally conceived as a sitcom but the concept and tone shifted during the development process.

    Though the teaser above doesn’t offer any new footage from the series, it does take us on a tour of the TV news studio at the heart of the show. Meanwhile, sound bites of Aniston, Carell and Witherspoon’s characters play over the promo — and none of ’em sound particularly happy with their current jobs.

    The cast also includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billy Crudup and Néstor Carbonell. Mimi Leder (The Leftovers) directed the pilot (among other episodes) and serves as an EP.

    The Morning Show will debut exclusively this fall (date TBA) on Apple TV+, a video subscription service that will feature original shows, movies and documentaries.

    A subscription price for Apple TV+ is not yet available, though the service will be ad-free.

    Reese Witherspoon, Simon Kinberg Team On ‘Pyros’

    (8/2/19) Studios are bidding on Pyros, an intriguing package that has Reese Witherspoon attached to star in a sci-fi film she will produce with Simon Kinberg. The film will be written by Thomas Pierce, who is adapting his short story Tardy Man, which published last year in The New Yorker. Pierce has done well with this strategy: his short story Chairman Spaceman was bought and is being developed by Fox Searchlight. Kinberg is producing that one as well.

    Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter are producing with Genre Films’ Audrey Chon.

    Tardy Man deals with a group of augmented people who are fitted with indestructible fire suits that are fused to their spines. They work for a corporation that recovers objects for wealthy people when their houses are burning. It is strictly forbidden for them to veer from their salvage missions, even when other humans are in danger. The protagonist decides to make an exception to this rule and that is the jumping off point.

    I’m told that numerous offers are on the table. This is one of the high profile star packages currently drawing bids; the other is Don’t Worry Darling, a genre spec script that Booksmart‘s Olivia Wilde will direct and star in.

    CAA is in the middle of both auctions, which are expected to sort themselves by next week. Witherspoon is managed by LBI and the writer by Kaplan/Perrone.

    Big Little Lies: Reese and Meryl’s MIA Ice Cream Clash Was Probably a Better Meme Than Scene, Says HBO Boss

    (7/31/19) I screamed, you screamed, we all screamed for Big Little Lies‘ infamous Reese Witherspoon-Mery Streep ice cream tussle… but it was all for naught.

    Images from the spoiled-by-paparazzi Season 2 sequence — which found Witherspoon’s Madeline hurling an ice cream cone at Streep’s Mary Louise (see below) — sent social media into a tizzy when they went viral last summer. But, for reasons that remain a mystery (or perhaps not?), the buzzy moment ended up on the cutting room floor.

    Although HBO president Casey Bloys tells TVLine that he “was not involved in the creative decision to include it or not,” the exec has a theory as to why the dessert-themed fracas was ditched.

    “My guess is it made for a funnier meme on social media than [an actual scene],” the exec muses. “Obviously, Reese Witherspoon holding an ice cream cone aimed at Meryl Streep’s head is pretty hard to beat. But a behind-the-scenes shot is much different than a scene within the narrative context of the show.”

    There’s been speculation that the scene in question may be included as an “extra” on the show’s Season 2 DVD, something Bloys could neither confirm nor deny.

    Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman Address Big Little Lies Director Drama

    (7/29/19) Big Little Lies stars and executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman praised director Andrea Arnold for her work with the cast during Season 2 of the HBO hit while echoing comments made by the network's programming chief amid controversy over whether Arnold lost creative control to Season 1 director Jean-Marc Vallée.

    "In our minds, there is no controversy," Witherspoon told Entertainment Weekly in a joint interview with Kidman published Sunday. "We just love the show. We had such a great time doing it."

    On July 12, Indiewire published a story claiming Vallée, who directed the entire first season of the HBO hit, had taken over the editing process during post-production, leaving Arnold "heartbroken" since it wasn't communicated to her that Vallée would be so heavily involved with her work. (Vallée didn't direct Season 2, in part, because he was busy with HBO's Sharp Objects.) While none of the key players — including Arnold, Vallée, and writer and executive producer David E. Kelley, among them — provided official comment to Indiewire, HBO did release the following statement to address the article's claims: "There wouldn't be a Season 2 of Big Little Lies without Andrea Arnold. We at HBO and the producers are extremely proud of her work. As with any television project, the executive producers work collaboratively on the series and we think the final product speaks for itself."

    Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Witherspoon and Kidman echoed the idea that Season 2 was a big collaboration between a number of parties. "There was a lot of misinformation and no credited sources on any of the information," Witherspoon said, in reference to the original Indiewire piece. "This was an incredibly collaborative process for all of us and the idea that anyone was mistreated and not communicated with is completely not true."

    Said Kidman: "David E. Kelley is the creator and I would say Jean-Marc is the heartbeat, and Andrea came into season 2 and brought the most tender, beautiful care and warmth to us as women. That was the unbelievable collaboration of these artists. We are lucky to work with these great artists who are willing to intertwine their talents."

    Witherspoon and Kidman's remarks come on the heels of HBO programming chief Casey Bloys telling reporters at the Television Critics Association summer press tour last week that Big Little Lies Season 2 was "business as usual" for a television series.

    "As anybody who works in television knows, a director typically does not have final creative control, so the idea that creative control was taken from a director is a false premise," Bloys said, addressing what he called "misinformation." According to the HBO boss, Arnold was "never promised she would have free rein" on the show nor that her director's cuts would reach the network's platforms. "I'd be hard-pressed to point to any show that airs a director's cut as its episodes. It's typically raw material producers work from," he said.

    "I was glad that Casey spoke so clearly about that and we are thrilled with the collaboration that yielded this season. It could have never been this show had it not been with these particular artists collaborating on this particular material," Witherspoon told Entertainment Weekly.

    Big Little Lies wrapped up its second season with its biggest audience yet and ended on a massive cliffhanger. But despite that success and story potential, Season 3 remains unconfirmed and Bloys downplayed the idea during TCA. "There's no obvious place to go, no obvious story," he said, while adding that if the creative team came to him with "the greatest take" he'd be open to more episodes.

    And what does that creative team think? "We work as a group. We are incredibly tight; we talk to each other, and we are on each other's side," Kidman told EW about any Season 3 plans. "So, we will decide as a group. We listen to the way in which people react because so much of TV is a very immediate medium. Every single person who has made this has said this show is bigger than any single one of us."

    Previously, Kidman said about Season 3, "I think we would love to do a Season 3 because there are certainly ideas. But we would not do it without all of the same people involved... even the kids."

    Big Little Lies Season 3 Unlikely Because 'There's No Obvious Story'

    (7/24/19) It’s (probably) curtains for the Monterey 5.

    Echoing comments he made to TVLine earlier this year, HBO president Casey Bloys says there are no current plans to bring Big Little Lies back for a third season.

    “I would say never say never, [but]… on the face of it, there’s no obvious place to go, no obvious story,” Bloys told reporters. “That said, it’s an extraordinary group actors and producers and writers and directors, so if they all came to me and said, ‘We have the greatest take — listen to this!” I would certainly be open to it.”

    Sunday’s Season 2 finale was one for the record books. The swan song delivered 1.98 million linear viewers with its first airing, surpassing the previous record of 1.86 million (set by the Season 1 finale).

    “I love this group of people — I would do anything with them,” Bloys maintained to TVLine back in February. “But the reality is, they are some of the busiest actresses working in Hollywood. We have deals with some of them — Nicole [Kidman] is doing her next show [The Undoing] with us. I just think it’s not realistic.

    “Look, if they all came to me and said, ‘We worked out all of our schedules!’ – then sure,” Bloys added with a laugh. “But I just don’t think it’s realistic.”

    Big Little Lies: HBO Boss Responds to Reports of Behind-the-Scenes Drama

    (7/24/19) Was there actually bigger drama behind the scenes of Big Little Lies than there was on screen? Don’t believe the rumors, HBO’s top executive says.

    “There’s a lot of misinformation around that subject,” HBO programming president Casey Bloys told reporters during the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Wednesday, addressing a report that Season 2 director Andrea Arnold was sidelined after filming the season’s seven episodes in favor of Season 1 director Jean-Marc Vallée. Arnold “did a beautiful job” as director, Bloys emphasized. “She got extraordinary performances out of this cast.” But “the director typically does not have final creative control” on TV projects, he added, so any assertion that the show was taken out of Arnold’s hands is “a false premise.”

    He also pushed back on the notion that Vallée “unilaterally decided to come in and take over the process.” After Arnold handed in her cuts of all seven episodes, he says, “the entire producing team” — including stars Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman — “all asked Jean-Marc to come in and hone the episodes.” The move was simply “business as usual,” he concluded, adding that they were clear with Arnold about how this process would work from the start: “There were no surprises.”

    The controversy stems from a report earlier this month by our sister site Indiewire, detailing the power struggle that occurred during the filming of Lies‘ second season (which just wrapped up this Sunday). According to the report, Arnold was pushed aside after production wrapped in favor of Vallée, who took over editing of the series along with a whopping 17 days of reshoots. The change was a late effort to make Season 2 more closely match the distinctive visual style of Season 1, and the result was reportedly a “disjointed” season overseen by a team of 11 credited editors.

    HBO responded to Indiewire’s initial report with a statement: “There wouldn’t be a Season 2 of Big Little Lies without Andrea Arnold. We at HBO and the producers are extremely proud of her work. As with any television project, the executive producers work collaboratively on the series. and we think the final product speaks for itself.”

    Ava Phillippe posts heartfelt message to mom Reese Witherspoon

    (7/18/19) Ava Phillippe shared a touching Instagram post on Wednesday, referring to her mother, Reese Witherspoon, as a “gorgeous woman.”

    “This is the gorgeous woman who taught me about the power of graciousness, love, ambition and hard work,” 19-year-old Philippe said. “She inspires me every day to live with gratitude for the life I’ve been given and compassion for others.”

    In the photo, the “Legally Blonde” actress, 43, is adjusting her earring against a floral background.

    The post was made as Phillippe explained she was “thinking about her a little extra today, that’s all.”

    Witherspoon commented, “How did I get so lucky to have a daughter like you?”

    As of Thursday afternoon, the sweet photo was liked by over 121,000 people, many of whom praised the teen for her eloquence and meaningful message.

    “Beautiful words, Ava,” wrote Cheryl Strayed, the author who Witherspoon portrayed in the film “Wild.” “And of course: beautiful picture too! Love to you both.”

    Mindy Kaling, who starred with Witherspoon in “A Wrinkle in Time,” also commented with a series of emojis praising Phillippe’s post.

    The “Big Little Lies” actress shares her daughter with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. They were married from 1999-2007 and also share 15-year-old Deacon Reese together.

    HBO Max: WarnerMedia Confirms Name of Streaming Service, New Home to Friends, Fresh Prince, CW Dramas

    (7/10/19) WarnerMedia has made it official: Its upcoming, direct-to-consumer streaming service will be titled HBO Max, and will launch sometime in 2020 with “the best-of-the-best” from WarnerMedia’s vast library (Friends, Fresh Prince, etc.) as well as an “extensive collection of exclusive original programming” (Gremlins prequel, Dune, etc).

    In addition to all 236 episodes of Friends (sorry, Netflix), HBO Max at launch will boast all of HBO’s programming as well as exclusive streaming rights of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Pretty Little Liars. It will also serve as the new “streaming home” for new CW dramas Batwoman and Katy Keene. (Note: Katy Keene and Batwoman will stream in-season on The CW app. Their full seasons that will land on HBO Max, 30 days prior to any potential Season 2 premiere.)

    Additionally, Greg Berlanti has inked a deal to deliver “four movies focused in the young adult space,” while Reese Witherspoon will produce at least two films for the streamer.

    Still unknown: HBO Max’s exact launch date and price tag.

    “HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer, in a statement. “HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions, and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries, starting with the phenomenon that is Friends.”

    Reese Witherspoon buys Malibu compound for $6.2M

    (6/25/19) Reese Witherspoon has purchased a Malibu, Calif., compound for $6.2 million, a source exclusively told Page Six.

    We’re told the “Big Little Lies” star and executive producer has purchased a gated, 2-acre spot that includes a main house, a 1949 farmhouse and a guesthouse, with an outdoor living room, a fire pit and stables.

    The picturesque property was used as an event space for weddings, and there’s space for horses and other small farm animals.

    The grounds also interestingly include a studio space for filming.

    Witherspoon runs her own production company, Hello Sunshine, which focuses on female-led projects.

    However, we’re told the new property won’t be used for work, and “it’s not going to be her primary residence.”

    Her reps had no comment.

    Kerry Washington/Reese Witherspoon Light Little Fires Everywhere: First Photo

    (6/12/19) (Photo) Hulu’s adaptation of Little Fires Everywhere “just got lit” by way of a first photo from the Kerry Washington/Reese Witherspoon team-up.

    Washington shared the photo on Tuesday via Twitter, inviting people to “Meet Elena Richardson and Mia Warren,” the characters that Witherspoon and the Scandal alum respectively play.

    Based on the Celeste Ng bestseller, the 1990s-set Little Fires Everywhere “follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives” in the upscale community of Shaker Heights, Ohio. “The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.”

    The book’s Elena Richardson, per Wiki, is a third-generation resident of Shaker Heights who writes for the local paper, while Mia Warren is a photographer who leads a transient lifestyle and refuses to tell her daughter, Pearl (played by Lexi Underwood), who her father is.

    In other previous casting, Joshua Jackson (The Affair) will play Elena’s husband Bill, while Rosemarie DeWitt (The Last Tycoon) will recur as Mia’s best friend. Hulu has also announced Jade Pettyjohn (School of Rock) as Lexie Richardson, Jordan Elsass (Keepin’ It Weird) as Trip Richardson, Gavin Lewis (Prince of Peoria) as Moody Richardson, and Megan Stott as Izzy Richardson.

    Washington and Reese Witherspoon are also executive-producing the series, which landed at Hulu following a competitive bidding situation and is set to premiere in 2020. Liz Tigelaar (Casual) will serve as showrunner.

    “Celeste wove a beautiful, riveting story that spoke to all of us, and when we heard the vision Reese, Kerry and Liz have for the series, we knew immediately that we had to bring it to Hulu,” Hulu chief content officer Joel Stillerman said in a statement. “This is exactly the type of compelling and culturally relevant content that embodies our Hulu Originals brand.”

    Ratings: Big Little Lies Returns Bigger

    (6/12/19) We can’t yet speak for the lies, but the ratings are certainly bigger for Season 2 of HBO’s Big Little Lies.

    The acclaimed drama’s sophomore premiere on Sunday night delivered 1.4 million linear viewers with its first airing, up 27 percent from the February 2017 series launch’s comparable number. Only the Season 1 finale appears to have delivered a bigger linear crowd, of 1.86 million.

    With one replay as well as HBO GO and HBO Now figures added in, the Season 2 premiere night audience grows to 2.5 million total viewers, up 39 percent from the series’ debut.

    Big Little Lies Season 2 Trailer: Will the Monterey Five Crack Under Pressure?

    (5/11/19) (Video) The ladies of Big Little Lies are keeping a very big (little) secret… and it’s threatening to come out, whether they like it or not.

    HBO has released the full trailer for Season 2 of the Emmy-winning drama — which you can watch above — and in it, Monterey pals Celeste, Madeline, Jane, Renata and Bonnie have seemingly moved on from the horrific death that capped Season 1. (Madeline, at least, is back to tossing out veiled insults and gobbling down cupcakes.) But the truth about what really happened to Celeste’s abusive husband Perry is still lingering, especially with the arrival of Perry’s mother Mary Louise, played by the inimitable Meryl Streep.

    Celeste confesses in therapy that she still feels responsible for Perry’s death, and Bonnie is always looking over her shoulder, thinking she’s about to be caught. “This detective is just trying to put the pressure on us, so that one of us breaks,” Madeline assures her. Also applying some pressure: Mary Louise, who doesn’t buy the story that her son’s death was an accident. She needles Celeste about what happened that night: “You left some things out, didn’t you?”

    Plus, we catch a glimpse of Jane getting a new love interest — and Renata being dubbed “the Medusa of Monterey.” (“I will squish you like the bug you are,” she barks at the school principal.) Yep, this is the Big Little Lies we know and love.

    Reese Witherspoon feels like she’s ‘earned’ her gray hair

    (4/19/19) Reese Witherspoon is okay with wrinkles and gray hair.

    The “Legally Blonde” actress, 43, opened up to Allure about why she’s embracing the aging process. “I have a point of view because I’ve been on this planet for 43 years, and I didn’t feel that same way when I was 25,” Witherspoon explained.

    “I didn’t have the same things to say. I’m 43 and I’ve had a whole bunch of experiences, and I can speak with a thoughtfulness about the changes I’d like to see in the world, and … I just feel like I earned that gray hair and my fine lines. I like ’em. I so prefer 43 to 25.”

    Despite loving the way she looks, the mom of three does have an extravagant beauty routine. The “Big Little Lies” star said she’s taken a bath — complete with Goop bath salts — every night for the past four years. She also gets her hair highlighted every seven or eight weeks, which takes three hours each appointment. Witherspoon even takes prenatal vitamins to keep her locks looking thick.

    Clearly, whatever she’s doing is working.

    Starz Developing ‘Kin’ Drama With Davita Scarlett & Reese Witherspoon

    (2/22/19) Starz has put in development Kin, a multi-generational family drama from writer Davita Scarlett (Queen Sugar, Constantine) and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.

    Kin follows three generations of women who are thrust together when their dynamic and controversial matriarch moves back to town. The series is a compelling and complex exploration of racial identity, integrity and the notion that blood is thicker than water.

    Witherspoon (Big Little Lies, Gone Girl, Wild) and Lauren Neustadter (Are You Sleeping) will serve as executive producers for Hello Sunshine alongside Scarlett who developed the project with Chester Jones III (Hey Diddle Diddle).

    “The opportunity to work in partnership with Davita Scarlett as well as Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine on this series is serendipitous,” said Carmi Zlotnik, President of Programming for Starz. “Hello Sunshine puts women at the forefront of the stories they are telling, and that fits perfectly into Starz’ overall programming strategy to offer compelling content that appeals to female audiences.”

    “Davita has written a script that is utterly original, complex and incredibly nuanced. She deftly explores issues around identity and the secrets family members keep to protect themselves and one another,” says Witherspoon. “I’m so excited to team up with Starz to bring these strong, memorable female characters to life on screen.”

    Starz retains all domestic multiplatform pay TV and SVOD rights to the series. Lionsgate retains all international and domestic distribution and home entertainment rights. Director of Original Programming Samantha Offsay as well as Senior Vice Presidents of Original Programming Susan Lewis and Kathryn Tyus-Adair are the Starz executives overseeing Kin.

    Hello Sunshine is represented by CAA and Gretchen Rush. Scarlett is repped by ICM and attorney J.R. McGinnis at Felker, Toczek.

    Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective Buys Stake In Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine; Otter Media Ups Its Stake

    (2/20/19) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has received a funding infusion from Emerson Collective, the social change catalyst founded by Laurene Powell Jobs. Otter Media, the WarnerMedia company that invests in and launches global OTT media services, has also increased its stake in Witherspoon’s company. Both investors are minority owners; Witherspoon and her management team remain majority owners.

    The investments will support the company’s continue growth in the area of premium storytelling celebrating women across multiple platforms. The private company did not divulge the size of either investment.

    “We very intentionally chose strategic investors who passionately and unequivocally support our mission of changing the landscape for women by putting them at the center of every narrative we create, elevate and champion,” said Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden. “We are extremely proud to extend our relationship with Otter Media, who has been a devoted partner since the beginning. We are truly honored to begin working alongside the team at Emerson Collective given their commitment to supporting impactful storytelling.”

    Said Otter Media CEO Tony Goncalves: “Hello Sunshine has built a unique platform for female storytellers. Fans love Hello Sunshine for its commitment to making women’s stories come to life and we are proud to continue supporting them through the next chapter of their journey.”

    Hello Sunshine launched two years ago and has gone at breakneck pace. There is the second season of the Emmy-winning HBO drama series Big Little Lies, the limited series Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu), the limited series Daisy Jones and the Six (Amazon), Are You Sleeping (Apple), and the Untitled Morning Show Project (Apple). Hello Sunshine’s first unscripted show Shine on With Reese (DirecTV) launched in July, followed by the digital series Master the Mess (DirecTV). Feature films projects that have been announced include A White Lie (Tristar), The League of Wives (Fox 2000), Where the Crawdads Sing (Fox 2000), Legally Blonde 3 (MGM), and a documentary about Martina Navratilova. How It Is and My Best Breakup are Hello Sunshine’s first two podcasts.

    In an effort to become a full-fledged lifestyle brand, other Hello Sunshine initiatives included the recently completed 10-city live tour Hello Sunshine x Together Live, and the company has entered into a unique partnership with expert personality Eve Rodsky, whose debut book Fair Play: The 5 New Rules to Revolutionize Your Marriage, Home and Sense of Purpose will be published in the fall. Hello Sunshine also started Reese’s Book Club, which highlights books with female protagonists and plots, and partnered with Audible to highlight the female-centered books from Reese’s Book Club, as well as to produce upcoming original audio content.

    This marks another investment in content generation for Powell Jobs, whose Emerson became a minority owner in Steve Golin’s Anonymous Content, followed by a majority stake in Atlantic Media, publisher of The Atlantic magazine.

    Globetrotters Serenade Reese Witherspoon & Hubby with 'My Girl'

    (2/18/19) Reese Witherspoon and her husband scored courtside seats to watch the Harlem Globetroters this weekend -- but they also got an unexpected Motown serenade out of it.

    The actress and her hubby, Jim Toth, hit up the Staples Center in L.A. Sunday to watch the Globetrotters perform their magic on the court. The good thing about sitting so close ... ya might get called up and be put under the spotlight, which is exactly what happened to Reese.

    She and Jim were then treated to the soothing tunes of The Temptations ... with "My Girl," of course. And, naturally, the couple got to two-stepping hand-in-hand.

    Not exactly NBA All-Star caliber entertainment, but we're sure it was a great time for Reese and her family.

    Reese Witherspoon is Zoë Kravitz’s favorite drinking buddy

    (1/31/19) Zoë Kravitz gets boozy with her “Big Little Lies” co-stars.

    “Reese [Witherspoon] is definitely one of my favorite drinking buddies,” she told InStyle. “We have a lot of dinners, a lot of good hangs, and there’s always booze flowing. We like to get silly together. But really, all of my .?.?. castmates are good drinking buddies. I love sitting down with Reese and Shailene [Woodley] and cracking open a beer.”

    Meanwhile, wedding plans with actor Karl Glusman are going “slowly but surely.”

    MGM Partners With Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine On ‘Eleanor Oliphant’; Liz Hannah Scripting

    (12/20/18) MGM has teamed with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine on the film adaptation of the Gail Honeyman bestselling novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Set to write the script is Liz Hannah, who wrote the Steven Spielberg-directed The Post. It is a potential star vehicle for Witherspoon. She is starring for MGM in Legally Blonde 3 and the studio has made it a priority to find more film vehicles for her to star in and produce.

    Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter will produce for Hello Sunshine.

    Hello Sunshine optioned the book May, 2017. Eleanor Oliphant is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine who goes from living a lonely life to realizing the only way to survive is to open your heart. The novel was published by the Penguin Random House imprint Pamela Dorman Books. Witherspoon optioned the Glasgow-based novelist’s book very early and it went on the sell over 1 million copies in the U.S. and Canada with a long run on the bestseller lists.

    Eleanor Oliphant author Honeyman is repped by The Artists Partnership, Emily Hayward Whitlock and Madeleine Milburn Ltd.

    Said Witherspoon: “Gail has created an incredibly smart, funny, and eccentric character who beautifully demonstrates the ways vulnerability and human connection can so deeply enrich your life. Eleanor’s journey is utterly extraordinary. To know her is to love her, and I’m so excited to team up with MGM and Liz Hannah to bring this unbelievably gorgeous character to life on-screen.”

    Said MGM President of Motion Picture Group Jonathan Glickman: “For over 17 years, Reese has been an integral part of the fabric of MGM both in front and behind the camera, and we couldn’t be happier to continue this partnership with her Hello Sunshine team on this wonderful and beloved novel.”

    Cassidy Lange will oversee on behalf of MGM.

    Honeyman is repped by The Artists Partnership, Emily Hayward Whitlock and Madeleine Milburn; Hello Sunshine is represented by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson; Hannah is repped by UTA, Echo Lake Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman.

    Reese Witherspoon Producing ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ For Fox 2000

    (11/8/18) Fox 2000 has picked up Delia Owens’ debut novel Where the Crawdads Sing which Reese Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine label will produce as a feature film. The book was included on Witherspoon’s ‘Reese’s Book Club’. The book spent the last 12 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller list and the last two months on Audible.

    GP Putnam’s Sons published the book in August and it is set against the backdrop of the mid-20th century South, and centers on Kya, a young woman who, abandoned by her family, raises herself all alone in the marshes outside of her small town. However, when her former boyfriend is found dead, Kya is thrust into the spotlight, instantly branded by the local townspeople and law enforcement as the prime suspect for his murder.

    Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter are producing for Hello Sunshine. Elizabeth Gabler and Erin Siminoff are overseeing the project at Fox 2000.

    Fox 2000 & Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Team On ‘League Of Wives’ Adaptation

    (11/8/18) Fox 2000 has acquired the film rights to the upcoming novel League of Wives, with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter attached to produce via Hello Sunshine. Marisa Paiva and Molly Saffron will oversee for the studio.

    Written by Heath Lee, the story follows a group of well-educated, underestimated military housewives. After their fighter pilot husbands are shot down, captured and imprisoned for years under deplorable conditions during the Vietnam War, the women transform into a league of take-charge lobbyists, spies, and human rights activists, determined to do everything in their power to bring their POW and MIA spouses home.

    St. Martin’s Press is releasing the novel in April.

    Javier Bardem and Jennifer Aniston among TV’s top-paid stars

    (10/31/18) Javier Bardem, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Norman Reedus are among TV’s top earners.

    According to Variety, who released a list of TV actor’s salaries, Bardem is taking home $1.2 million per episode for his untitled series with Amazon, while Witherspoon and Aniston are raking in $1.1 million per episode for their upcoming morning show drama on Apple. Reedus is making $1 million per episode for “The Walking Dead,” while Hulu is paying out Elisabeth Moss $1 million for “Handmaid’s Tale.”

    The article notes that some of the celebrities, like Aniston, Witherspoon and Bardem, may be making more because they are listed as executive producers on their shows.

    In the unscripted category, Kelly Clarkson is taking home approximately $560,000 per episode of “The Voice,” Kevin Hart comes in at $500,000 for “TKO” and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gets $450,000 for “Titan Games.” On the lower end of the scale, each of the Fab Five on Netflix’s “Queer Eye” get $7,500 per episode.

    As for comedy, Variety reports that “The Conners” are cleaning up. John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert are getting $375,000 per episode. Candice Bergen and Tim Allen both have wealthy paydays at $250,000 an episode for “Murphy Brown” and “Last Man Standing.”

    Here are some more salaries per episode:

    Jennifer Garner – $150,000 for “Camping”

    Brad Garrett – $100,000 for “Single Parents”

    Alec Baldwin – $300,000 for “Alec Baldwin Show”

    Drew Barrymore and James Corden – $350,000 for “World’s Best”

    Julia Roberts – $600,000 for “Homecoming”

    Sandra Oh – $100,000 for “Killing Eve”

    Sean Penn – $500,000 for “The First”

    Winona Ryder, David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown – $350,000 for “Stranger Things”

    Benicio Del Toro – $400,000 for “Escape at Dannemora”

    KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes and Cole Sprouse – $40,000 for “Riverdale”

    Ryan Phillippe ordered to hand over Reese Witherspoon texts in assault case

    (10/20/18) Ryan Phillippe’s text messages are fair game in his ex-girlfriend’s assault case.

    Phillippe, 44, was ordered to hand over text messages between himself and ex-wife Reese Witherspoon regarding Elsie Hewitt, The Blast reports. The judge also sanctioned him $1,580 for not turning the messages in sooner, delaying the case.

    Hewitt first sued Phillippe for $1 million last year, accusing him of assaulting her at his home. She claimed in her suit that he “grabbed [her] upper arm so tightly that his grip left heavy bruises on her arm hours later. He then braced his body and violently threw her down his staircase as hard as he could.”

    He denied the 22-year-old’s allegations in his own court filing, and she fired back that he wouldn’t remember the incident because of his drug use. She claimed that he uses “cocaine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and steroids” among others.

    Phillippe’s lawyer didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

    Reese Witherspoon Producing Comedy ‘Americanized’ About Undocumented Iranian Family From Sara Saedi At ABC

    (10/12/18) ABC has put in development Americanized, a half-hour comedy inspired by Sara Saedi’s memoir Americanized: Rebel Without A Green Card, from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and ABC Studios, where Hello Sunshine has a broadcast overall deal.

    Written by Saedi (iZombie), Americanized tells the story of a loving and off-beat Iranian family who’s been living with a huge secret: they’re undocumented immigrants. Told through an irreverent, heartfelt and a-political lens, the series will give viewers a window into the life of a Middle-Eastern household while exploring the universal truths that bond every type of “American” family.

    In the book, Saedi shares her story of growing up in San Jose, California in a loving Iranian family and her shock when she discovers she and the rest of her family are undocumented.

    Saidi executive produces with Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustadter. ABC Studios is the studio.

    The deal comes nine years after ABC took a stab at an Iranian family comedy with Funny In Farsi, based on Firoozeh Dumas’s “Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America.” The project went to a pilot directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, marking the first pilot order for producer Aaron Kaplan, but did not make the cut to series.

    In the past few years, ABC has been looking to expand its family comedy brand to better represent different sections of American society. The network successfully launched an African-American family comedy with Black-ish, an Asian American family comedy with Fresh Off the Boat and also tried to find another hit Latinx family comedy with Cristela. In addition to Americanized, ABC also is developing multi-generational Latinx family comedy Food and Familia from Peter Murrieta and Overbrook Entertainment starring Danny Trejo whose life inspired it.

    In addition to the CW’s iZombie, Saedi previously wrote for Fox’s The Goodwin Games. She is now on the upcoming ABC/ABC Studios drama Grand Hotel. Saedi is repped by Gersh and Nacelle Company.

    Hello Sunshine’s series portfolio includes a limited series at Hulu from Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller Little Fires Everywhere; a comedy series for Apple created by Colleen McGuinness and inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld’s short-story collection You Think It, I’ll Say It; Apple series Are You Sleeping, executive produced by and starring Octavia Spencer; a limited series adaptation of the novel Daisy Jones & The Six for Amazon; and an Untitled Morning Show series at Apple produced by and starring Jennifer Aniston and Witherspoon. The company is repped by CAA and Gretchen Rush.

    Reese Witherspoon & WME Partner On ‘Together Live’ Female-Led Storytelling Event

    (9/11/18) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and WME are teaming on Together Live, an all-female live storytelling event that will travel to cities across North America.

    Organizers say the event will feature authentic storytelling and inspiring conversations for and by intersectional, intergenerational women, including Witherspoon, Yara Shahidi and Abby Wambach, among others. Hello Sunshine will then produce digital content drawn from the events’ speakers and performers for YouTube, Facebook and original podcast series.

    Appearances in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Toronto, Cincinnati, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Minneapolis, Fayetteville, AR, and Austin will go on sale September 28th.

    Together Live will feature authors, thought leaders, musicians, comedians, celebrities and ordinary people alike who will share raw, real stories from their own lives, according to organizers. In addition to Witherspoon, Shahidi and Wambach, confirmed participants include Brené Brown, Cheryl Strayed, Ruthie Lindsey, Cleo Wade, Luvvie Ajayi, Glennon Doyle, Maysoon Zayid, Priya Parker, Melissa Villasenor, Nicole Byer and MILCK (Connie Lim).

    Beginning today through September 16th, anyone interested in purchasing Presale Tickets can register at http://www.TogetherLive.com to receive an invitation along with the presale password to purchase tickets before the general public goes on sale September 28th.

    Presale tickets will be available to those with presale codes beginning September 18th; and tickets for the general public are on-sale September 28th.

    6th biennial Stand Up to Cancer telecast

    (8/17/18) The 6th biennial Stand Up to Cancer telecast — airing live and commercial-free on more than 50 networks on Friday, Sept. 7 at 8 pm ET — will feature the following celebrity participants: Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Trevor Noah, Keith Urban, Matthew McConaughey, Mahershala Ali, Kathy Bates, Katie Couric, Tony Hale, Marg Helgenberger, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Marlee Matlin, Maria Menounos, Jillian Michaels, Dak Prescott, Italia Ricci, Rob Riggle, Karla Souza and David Spade.

    Scarlett Johansson is highest-paid actress of 2018: Forbes

    (8/17/18) Scarlett Johansson has topped the Forbes list of Hollywood’s best-paid actresses.

    The Avengers: Infinity War star reportedly earned US$40.5 million in the past year, according to magazine bosses, to romp past Angelina Jolie, who is a distant second on the list with $28 million, thanks largely to her Maleficent 2 salary.

    Brad Pitt’s other former wife, Jennifer Aniston, is third, while Jennifer Lawrence, who was crowned the top earner in 2015 and 2016, and Reese Witherspoon complete the top five.

    Meanwhile, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is the only new name on the list at 10 — she replaces last year’s number one, Emma Stone, who has dropped out of the top flight.

    The combined earnings of the top 10 women this year is $186 million, up 8% on last year’s tally.

    Forbes bosses will release the Best-Paid Actors list later on Thursday. Mark Wahlberg topped the countdown in 2017.

    The Forbes Best-Paid Actresses top 10 is:

    Scarlett Johansson — $40.5 million

    Angelina Jolie — $28 million

    Jennifer Aniston — $19.5 million

    Jennifer Lawrence — $18 million

    Reese Witherspoon — $16.5 million

    Mila Kunis — $16 million

    Julia Roberts — $13 million

    Cate Blanchett — $12.5 million

    Melissa McCarthy — $12 million

    Gal Gadot — $10 million

    Reese Witherspoon, Jenny Han, DeRay Mckesson, Mark Manson In ‘Let’s Discuss’ Mode

    (8/14/18) CAA has set a list of client authors for Let’s Discuss LIVE, an event that will be held at Brooklyn’s William Vale Hotel September 16 as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival. They will be selling tickets to the public through LetsDiscussLIVE.com.

    Among those clients with new books who’ll be speaking are:

    Reese Witherspoon, who’ll pair with author/comedian Mamrie Hart to discuss their Southern roots and the inspiration behind Witherspoon’s debut book, Whiskey In A Teacup;

    Jenny Han, author of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, will pair with Jessica Knoll, author of The Favorite Sister and Luckiest Girl Alive, in a talk about adapting bestsellers into films. Han’s trilogy debuts on Netflix August 17;

    Save the People podcast host DeRay Mckesson, author of the upcoming On The Other Side Of Freedom: The Case For Hope, will discuss the intersection of culture, social justice, and politics;

    Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck, will discuss the counter-intuitive advice that has helped millions, and preview what he’s working on next.

    “Let’s Discuss LIVE creates an opportunity for our dynamic authors to gather and explore the themes of their books, alongside readers who want to hear conversations as diverse as their own reading lists,” said Kate Childs, Executive, CAA Books department.

    Amazon Orders ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ Limited Series From Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine & ‘Disaster Artist’ Writers

    (7/25/18) Amazon Studios has made a preemptive bid for Daisy Jones & The Six, giving a 13-episode order to a limited series based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s upcoming novel. The project hails from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Circle of Confusion and will be a co-production between Amazon Studios and Hello Sunshine.

    Feature writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer, The Fault In Our Stars), coming off an Oscar nomination for The Disaster Artist, wrote the pilot script and will oversee the limited series, which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories.

    Daisy Jones & The Six centers on a fictional rock band in the 1970s, following their rise through the ranks of the LA music scene and beyond, eventually becoming one of the most legendary bands in the world.

    “When I heard Hello Sunshine was developing Daisy Jones & The Six, I tracked down a copy right away and devoured it in one sitting. I loved it so much I had to take it off the market and bring it to Amazon Studios,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “I was immediately struck by how perfectly it fit into our overall approach of bringing passionate creators and entertaining, compelling content to our Prime Video audience. Reese, Lauren and I are kindred spirits!”

    Lauren, whom Salke refers to, is Lauren Neustadter, head of film and TV for Hello Sunshine, who is married to Scott Neustadter.

    Based on a book by a female author, with a strong female central character, Daisy Jones, Daisy Jones & The Six also appears to fall under the “addictive female dramas” category in the vein of Big Little Lies and Handmaid’s Tale that Salke has made a priority as such shows are not currently represented on Amazon.

    Amazon is planning company synergies around Daisy Jones & The Six. Original music from the series will be made available exclusively through Amazon Music, and the print and audiobook from Ballantine/Random House will be available via Amazon.com and Audible.com. The book, slated for release in March 2019, already is available for pre-order on Amazon.

    Witherspoon was an early fan of the book and provided a raving endorsement quote for its cover as her company nabbed film and TV rights.

    “As soon as I started reading Daisy Jones & The Six, I immediately fell head over heels in love with it, and I’m thrilled to be bringing it to the screen with Amazon and Jen Salke, whose passionate pursuit of the material spoke volumes. With Neustadter and Weber, two writers I deeply admire, stewarding this project, I am so confident that Daisy and her band’s journey toward finding their voice will leave just as permanent a mark with viewers around the world as it did with me.”

    Daisy Jones & The Six will be executive produced by Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine and Brad Mendelsohn will executive produce for Circle of Confusion. Scott Neustadter & Weber will also serve as executive producers, with Taylor Jenkins Reid as Producer.

    Hello Sunshine is repped by CAA and Gretchen Rush. Circle of Confusion is repped by CAA and Howard Abramson. Neustadter and Weber are repped by UTA, Kaplan Perrone and Sean Marks. Taylor Jenkins Reid is repped by Circle, WME, Park Literary & Media and Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal.

    Reese Witherspoon To Host ‘Shine On’ Female Profile Series For Hello Sunshine VOD Channel On DirecTV With AT&T

    (7/11/18) After 2017’s Emmy-winning success of HBO’s Big Little Lies and the timely Meet My Mom on Facebook Watch earlier this year, Reese Witherspoon’s female-focused Hello Sunshine shingle is about to put the Oscar winner’s inaugural unscripted series on a video-on-demand channel with AT&T.

    Debuting on July 17, Shine On With Reese will feature on-location conversations, at home and on the front lines with the likes of A Wrinkle In Time director Ava DuVernay, the legendary Dolly Parton, author Glennon Doyle, as well as World Cup champion Abby Wambach. Spotlighting women who have weaved their way to success uniquely, the nine-episode first season of Shine On will premiere on DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-Verse on the Hello Sunshine VOD channel a week from today. The Hello Sunshine channel will be located on DirecTV’s channel 1112 and U-Verse’s channel 1530.

    “I am thrilled to have such like-minded creative collaborators at AT&T to help Hello Sunshine pursue our mission of elevating and showcasing the voices of women that we have such admiration and respect for,” Witherspoon said today of the deal with the communications conglomerate that recently acquired Time Warner.

    The nimble Hello Sunshine already has the new season of Big Little Lies in the works for 2019 which will reunite Witherspoon with Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley as well as second-season addition Meryl Streep. There’s also a feature-length documentary on tennis star and activist Martina Navratilova, a Witherspoon- and Kerry Washington co-starring limited series based on the Little Fires Everywhere book, and a Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston series based on TV morning shows on the go too.

    In early September, the VOD channel from Otter Media, the joint venture formed between The Chernin Group and AT&T, and Witherspoon’s nearly 2-year-old production company will roll out its second original series with Master the Mess. Fronted by Nashville-based declutterers The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, the transformation show pledges to mix smart organizing skills with good humor.

    The latter is a bit of a mantra for the Hello Sunshine VOD effort in many ways.

    “For us, empowering women and underrepresented voices in entertainment is not a one and done initiative,” AT&T SVP Advertising and Creative Services Valerie Vargas told me of the greater cultural innovation the corporation seeks. “It’s just actually an overall strategy for us. We will continue to invest. Hello Sunshine is such a great example of it to ensure those underrepresented voices continue to get exposure on our platform so they can tell their story to as wide an audience as possible.”

    “We have a singular mission and we’re bringing those stories to life in lots of different ways and on the platforms that fit that form,” Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden added. “We know it’s a noisy media environment for anyone and you have to make things that are creatively distinctive and for us that are really on mission,” the former Chernin Group VP noted.

    “Launching these things back to back with a sort of fresh episode every week allows us to celebrate women and put the full marketing muscle of Hello Sunshine and also AT&T behind these shows,” Harden told Deadline of the big-picture expanded relationship between the parties. “I think that’s a bit of the theme for this channel. It’s not about aggregating everything under the sun. It’s about tight curation and a specialness. As we roll forward into ’19 I think it’s having something premium there and eventually to where every week of the year you come and you can have a fresh episode of something really distinctive and distinctively Hello Sunshine and that it’s showcasing female stories and storytellers.”

    In terms of storytellers to come, Witherspoon’s company and AT&T are going off screen by working with Dreaming Tree Foundation this month on a Filmmaker’s Lab for female artists. “We’ve solicited nationwide for a camp that we will be hosting 20 girls at the end of July for a two-week immersive program where they get to work with Reese as well as other industry experts to create content that actually at the end will then air on the Hello Sunshine VOD channel,” Hello Sunshine’s head of Digital Media and Programming Charlotte Koh explains. “This is really an opportunity because there aren’t really enough women in writing and directorial roles as there should be.”

    At least not yet.

    Star PR Trio Launches The Lede With Killer List: Rihanna, Will Smith, Reese, Charlize, Lady Gaga, Pharrell, More

    (6/13/18) Days after Deadline revealed the trio would leave their longtime perch at 42West, Amanda Silverman, Meredith O’Sullivan Wasson and Sarah Levinson Rothman have launched The Lede Company. The former 42West Managing Directors will be co-CEOs; Silverman and Rothman will stay from New York and O’Sullivan Wasson from Los Angeles.

    They start with an illustrious client list that includes Rihanna, Will Smith, Reese Witherspoon, Queen Latifah, Charlize Theron, Lady Gaga, Emma Stone, Illumination, Anonymous Content, Pharrell, Amy Schumer, theSkimm, Brad Weston’s Makeready, Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Penelope Cruz, PepsiCo, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Mary J Blige, Halle Berry, Riley Keough, Shakira, Cara Delevingne, David Spade, Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings, Gael Garcia Bernal, Jennifer Connelly, and Gabrielle Union among others.

    They become the latest in a group of elite publicists who grew up at major firms but have elected to strike out on their own.

    In a statement, the trio said: “The three of us have been privileged to work closely together for the last decade, and during that time, we have found that each of our individual styles and specialties in the talent and corporate worlds complement each other. As the entertainment, media and branding worlds continue to grow and shift, we are confident that our combined skills and experience have readied us to implement strategies that move along with it, and we can’t wait to see where this new journey takes us. Our time at 42West was invaluable, and we are so grateful to Leslee, Amanda and Allan for their mentorship, wisdom, for building a company that truly felt like a family, and for their continued friendship as we begin this exciting new phase.”

    Reese Witherspoon confirms ’Legally Blonde 3’ in pink bikini

    (6/8/18) (Video) Reese Witherspoon confirms there will be a “Legally Blonde 3.”

    The actress on Thursday posted a video on Instagram of her floating in a pool wearing a pink bikini. The caption read: “It’s true…# LegallyBlonde3.”

    Witherspoon starred as Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy, in which the fashion merchandising student enrolls in Harvard Law School to try to win back her ex-boyfriend.

    The movie led to the 2003 sequel “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde.”

    Reese Witherspoon, MGM Bringing The Gang Back For ‘Legally Blonde 3’

    (6/4/18) MGM is near a deal with Reese Witherspoon to reprise her role as the precocious, idealistic Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 3, and they’ve brought back most of the creative team from the first film.

    The pic is coming together quickly. Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Karen McCullah, who adapted the Amanda Brown novel for the 2001 first film, are in final talks to write the script. Original producer Marc Platt and his Platt Productions president Adam Siegel are producing, and they will be joined this time by Witherspoon, through her Hello Sunshine banner.

    The scribes will begin writing immediately and the next step is to secure a director. Robert Luketic helmed the original pic.

    It has been 17 years since the original, and the sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde came out in 2003. But the film has been a staple for young-female audiences who’ve rediscovered it on DVD or through the hit stage musical that continues to tour. The original grossed $141 million worldwide on an $18 million budget, and the sequel brought in $124 million on a $45 million budget.

    The deal gives MGM another branded title, alongside Creed and the James Bond films. Creed 2 is in production with Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren and Florian Munteanu, and Bond 25 was just firmed with Daniel Craig returning and Danny Boyle directing the script by John Hodges, and Universal releasing overseas.

    They are keeping the plot under wraps, but I’m told it will be much in the spirit of the first film, in which Woods’ idealism and pink-dominant wardrobe prevailed over the cynicism and snootiness all around her after the freshly dumped former sorority sister heads to law school. The sequel brought her to D.C. to join the staff of a congresswoman to pass a bill to ban animal testing. The intention here is to make this more about female empowerment, a message that hits at a fortuitous time in the culture. The feeling is to draw back in the audience that grew up with the original film and find a new global audience.

    The project reunites Smith and McCullah, who as a team generated such comedies as Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You and House Bunny, and with credits on She’s the Man and The Ugly Truth. Witherspoon is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment; Smith is with Verve, Kaplan/Perrone and attorney Karl Austen; McCullah is with Jaret Entertainment.

    Reese Witherspoon Producing Documentary On Tennis Legend Martina Navratilova

    (5/16/18) Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is teaming with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald and Suzanne Gilbert (The Untold History of the U.S.) to develop and produce its first feature-length documentary on decorated tennis star and activist Martina Navratilova.

    It will spotlight Navratilova’s social and political activism for women and the LGBT community, told through Greenwald’s personal lens – a gay child growing up in the Reagan-era Florida.

    “The issues raised by Martina’s legacy resonate now more than ever, which is why it’s so important to tell her story to new generations of engaged young people who may not be aware of the vital role she played in shaping expectations around female identity and LGBT equality,” said Charlotte Koh, Head of Digital Media & Programming for Hello Sunshine. “Having producers Glenn and Suzanne reframe Martina’s impact on society through the lens of Glenn’s personal coming-of-age journey creates a fresh, intimate and relatable film for a wide audience.”

    “As monumental as Martina’s on-court achievements were, they pale in comparison to her role as a pioneer and trailblazer on questions of feminism, women’s athletics, equality for gay and lesbians across the planet, transgender visibility, immigrant rights and the right of political dissent,” said Greenwald, who was featured in the 2014 Oscar-winning Edward Snowden doc, CitizenFour.

    “I’m excited to be partnering with Reese and Hello Sunshine to explore her truly enduring legacy – her remarkable courage – directly or indirectly inspiring millions of people who lacked any other role models.”

    The docu will also feature materials and memories shared by fans all across the world that demonstrate her profound impact on various social and political initiatives.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Launches ‘Meet My Mom’ On Facebook Watch

    (5/10/18) Hello Sunshine, a media company focused on telling female-driven stories, is launching a new short-form series on Facebook Watch that’s timed to coincide with Mother’s Day.

    Meet My Mom features celebrities chatting candidly with their mothers. The first episode, which premieres today, will feature Reese Witherspoon and her mom Betty drinking sweet tea on a porch in Nashville and talking about movies, nerds, and sneaking out past curfew.

    “As a child, it’s sometimes hard to see your mom as an individual with her own life,” said Witherspoon. “But Meet My Mom is the chance to get to know the real person behind the mom and find out what really makes her tick.”

    The 5-episode, short-form series will air throughout the month of May and feature other celebrities in conversation with their mothers. Lilly Singh and her mom Malwinder will discuss the elder Singh’s move from India to Canada, the challenges in raising a wannabe rapper, and Lilly’s undying love for The Rock. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon will go toe to toe with his mom Kelly about raising six kids, chasing Adam’s Olympic dreams, and the Pyeongchang moment that meant the most to both of them.

    Model Ashley Graham and her mom Linda will dish about the moment Ashley’s grandma saw her first nude spread, why Linda had trouble finding a date, and an important turning point in their relationship. Westworld’s Leonardo Nam and his mom Laura will make spring rolls while they discover that they shared a common form of teenage rebellion, regrettable haircuts, and Laura’s surprising reaction when Leo told her he was going to be a dad.

    “We love celebrating mothers not only as parents but also as women whose wisdom only grows more valuable,” said Charlotte Koh, Hello Sunshine’s head of digital media and programming. “Each duo has their own unique yet relatable story to tell and we think Facebook Watch is the perfect platform for a show about the joy of feeling connected to family.”

    Each episode of Meet My Mom can be found by under the “Watch” tab on the desktop or the mobile app, or on Facebook’s TV app. Viewers also can add the show to their watchlist by following the Meet My Mom show page to enable notifications for new episodes.

    Here’s a glimpse of the show: Video.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Taps Brand Studio Boss

    (5/2/18) Rachel Spiegelman has been named Head of Brand Studio at Hello Sunshine, the multiplatform media company founded by Reese Witherspoon. Spiegelman, previously CEO of ad agency Pitch, will report to CEO Sarah Harden and lead efforts to partner with brands that respect the power of the female consumer and create storytelling franchises and experiences.

    At Pitch, she worked on campaigns for such brands as Pepsi, Westfield and Netflix. Before that, Spiegelman had gigs at 2oth Century Fox, Warner Bros and MTV Networks.

    “Rachel brings an incredible track record in scaling high-growth companies through creative storytelling that solves real business problems for brands,” Harden said. “She’s that rare combination of creative thought-leader, world-class operator and business builder that makes her the perfect person to run Hello Sunshine’s Brand Studio.”

    Hello Sunshine already has a slew of female-driven projects in the works after it launched in November 2016 partnered with Otter Media, the joint venture of The Chernin Group and AT&T. It has three series set up at Apple: Are You Sleeping, the Octavia Spencer drama that just got a 10-episode order; a morning show drama executive produced by and starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, which has a two-season order; and a comedy toplined by Kristen Wiig. It also has set the limited series Little Fires Everywhere at Hulu with Witherspoon and Kerry Washington starring, and it is a producer on HBO’s Emmy-winning Big Little Lies, which is filming Season 2.

    On the film side, it has A White Lie starring Zendaya at TriStar Pictures, and has set up Something in the Water at Fox 2000, based on Catherine Steadman’s novel.

    ‘Are You Sleeping’ Drama Starring Octavia Spencer Gets Apple Series Order; Reese Witherspoon & Peter Chernin Producing

    (5/2/18) Apple has given a 10-episode series order to Are You Sleeping, a thriller drama starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Help, Hidden Figures) that hails from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and the scripted drama venture of Peter Chernin’s Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content.

    Are You Sleeping, created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman (The Good Wife, Justified) based on the true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber, originally had been put in development at Apple’s video programming unit. It is the first project bought by Apple to be developed for straight-to-series consideration to get a green light.

    Are You Sleeping provides a unique glimpse into America’s obsession with true-crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage. Sarah Koenig, host, creator and producer of the true-crime podcast phenomenon Serial, whose breakout success helped fuel that obsession, will consult on the series.

    Are You Sleeping is executive produced by Spencer via her Orit Entertainment, Tramble, who serves as showrunner, as well as Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine, and Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kristen Campo for Chernin Entertainment.

    Are You Sleeping marks the third Apple series for Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, joining the morning-show drama executive produced by and starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, which has a two-season order, and a comedy toplined by Kristen Wiig.

    Apple’s other upcoming series include an Amazing Stories reboot from Steven Spielberg, a Ronald D. Moore space drama, a Damien Chazelle series, world-building drama See from Steven Knight and Francis Lawrence, as well as an M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller.

    Following her Oscar-winning performance in The Help and Oscar-nominated turn in Hidden Figures, Spencer recently was seen in Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning The Shape of Water.

    Hello Sunshine is reppted by CAA and Hansen Jacobson, Spencer is repped by WME, and Tramble Spellman is repped by WME and Industry Entertainment.

    Reporter gives Reese Witherspoon her dissertation on ‘Legally Blonde’

    (3/13/18) Reese Witherspoon was touched when a reporter handed her a 15,000-word dissertation about the beloved film “Legally Blonde” during an interview with the “Wrinkle In Time” cast.

    “I want to start by saying I’m obviously a gigantic fan of all of you,” Lucy Ford said to Witherspoon and co-stars Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey. “Reese, I actually wrote 15,000 words on you once. I wrote my university dissertation on ‘Legally Blonde’ and strong female characters.”

    She continued, “This is just from me, you can read it, you can burn it, you can clean your windows with it, but I feel like that was full circle for me, but I wrote that four years ago.”

    Clearly taken aback, Witherspoon took the heavy report, titled “Blonde Ambition: Legally Blond, Postfeminism and the Reimagination of the ‘Strong Female Character,'” from Ford.

    “Thank you, that really touches my heart,” the actress said. “That’s amazing, thank you, that means a lot to me.”

    Ford admitted she has watched the flick 800 times.

    “I blacked out somewhere between [Witherspoon] taking it and Oprah saying ‘wow'” she wrote on Twitter.

    The reporter, who currently works as an entertainment reporter for Bauer Media, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis from the University of Leeds in 2014. She also earned her Broadcast Journalism Master’s degree from Cardiff University the next year, according to her LinkedIn profile.

    In her dissertation, Ford came to the conclusion that “by taking our female characters out of the ‘patriarchy’, we let them know that they can fight an army single-handedly or diffuse a bomb whilst at the same time being emotional, feminine and blonde.”

    Before the interview came to a close, Witherspoon, sniffing the manuscript, asks, “Is it scented?”

    “I actually put perfume on it,” Ford laughed.

    Well, we can all agree, it gives it a little something extra, don’t you think?

    Reese Witherspoon/Kerry Washington Limited Series Lands at Hulu

    (3/12/18) Count this as a huge victory for Hulu in the Great Streaming Wars: The streaming service has landed the buzzy Reese Witherspoon/Kerry Washington limited series Little Fires Everywhere with a straight-to-series order, TVLine has learned.

    The series, first announced earlier this month, is based on the Celeste Ng bestseller and will star Witherspoon and Washington. (The duo will both serve as executive producers as well.) It’s set in the upscale community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, in the 1990s and follows what happens after a single mother and her teenage daughter rent a home nearby. Liz Tigelaar (Casual) will write the series and serve as showrunner.

    “Celeste wove a beautiful, riveting story that spoke to all of us, and when we heard the vision Reese, Kerry and Liz have for the series, we knew immediately that we had to bring it to Hulu,” Hulu chief content officer Joel Stillerman said in a statement. “We’re honored to bring this powerful story to the screen with Hello Sunshine, in their first studio project. This is exactly the type of compelling and culturally relevant content that embodies our Hulu Originals brand.”

    Reese Witherspoon shocked by Oprah's film set rules: 'No one chews gum around me'

    (3/9/18) Reese Witherspoon didn’t realise she had been flaunting Oprah Winfrey’s set rules when they were filming A Wrinkle In Time.

    The Oscar-winning actress appears in Ava DuVernay’s fantasy-adventure film alongside the superstar, with the women portraying the characters of Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which, respectively.

    In a recent TV interview, Oprah spoke about her “intense dislike” of chewing gum and how it bothered her when her co-star chewed it in her trailer, and Reese has now shared how stunned she was to learn of her pal’s phobia.

    “One day I walking on the set and I was chewing gum because I had coffee breath or something,” she recalled during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night. “And I was like, ‘Hey what’s up? Are you excited about this scene?’ She was like, ‘Are you chewing gum?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ She’s like, ‘No one chews gum around me.’”

    But the chewing gum incident wasn’t the only time Reese had unknowingly irritated Oprah. The star likes to play music while she’s preparing for scenes, but later learned that her colleague prefers to keep her space a lot more subdued.

    “Nobody gave me the Oprah rules, so when she walked into the hair and make-up trailer on the first day, I’m playing music, I’ve got Sam Cooke playing, and I’m like, ‘Hey y’all,’” the 41-year-old said, adding: “Then I heard from her assistant three days later, (who said), ‘Oprah likes silence in the trailer.’ And I was like, ‘Oh shoot!’”

    During Reese’s interview, host Stephen invited U.S. Olympian Adam Rippon to the stage. The figure skater is a long-time fan of the actress and the pair immediately hit it off.

    “This is meant to be. This is the relationship the world’s been waiting for,” she laughed, while Adam added: “I think when I watched Legally Blonde. That was it, that’s when I fell in love.”

    Reese Witherspoon & New Line Set ‘A Private War’ Scribe For ‘In A Dark Dark Wood’ Adaptation

    (3/7/18) Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea’s adaptation of Ruth Ware’s suspense novel In A Dark Dark Wood is kicking up a gear after finding a writer. The film, which is set up at New Line with fellow producers The Gotham Group, is being written by A Private War scribe Arash Amel.

    Amel will adapt the New York Times best-selling mystery-thriller which centers on a reclusive writer who receives an invitation to a bachelorette party of her best friend from high school who she hasn’t seen in 10 years. Witherspoon and Papandrea are producing alongside Ellen Goldsmith-Vein (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials), Lindsay Williams (Maze Runner) and Shari Smiley who will produce for The Gotham Group. There are no plans at present for Witherspoon to star in this one.

    Witherspoon and Papandrea ended their successful Pacific Standard collaboration in 2016 but they continue to produce the projects they had in development at the company, which Witherspoon maintains alongside her outfit Hello Sunshine. During their Pacific run the pair championed female-driven properties and movie adaptations of best-selling books such as Wild, for which Witherspoon scored a best actress Oscar nomination, and box office winner Gone Girl. More recently the duo hit it out of the park with HBO favourite Big Little Lies, which has been ordered for a second season.

    Amel recently wrote the screenplay for anticipated Marie Colvin biopic A Private War, which is being directed by Cartel Land helmer Matthew Heineman and stars Rosamund Pike as the famed US war correspondent alongside Jamie Dornan and Stanley Tucci. The film is considered a strong contender for a summer or fall festival slot. Amel is a producer and writer on Sam Worthington sci-fi The Titan, which rolls out this year, and script Seducing Ingrid Bergman, which has Jessica Chastain attached.

    Novelist Ware is similarly in-demand. The writer’s New York Times-bestseller The Lying Game is being turned into a television series for Entertainment One (eOne) and the growing Gotham Group while CBS Films has set up The Woman In Cabin 10.

    Witherspoon is repped by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson. Papandrea is repped by WME. Amel is repped by CAA, Grandview and Myman, Greenspan. Ware is repped The Gotham Group and Eve White Literary Agency in the U.K.

    'It's a story of courage': Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling on the importance of 'A Wrinkle In Time'

    (3/5/18) Oprah Winfrey is in a hotel room here singing Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.

    Reese Witherspoon jumps in to harmonize.

    Just another Sunday afternoon in Hollywood.

    Winfrey, Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling are together to talk about A Wrinkle in Time, the sci-fi children’s adventure based on the famed 1962 novel by Madeleine L’Engle that opens in theatres March 9.

    The three women star as ‘The Mrs.’ — Winfrey, 64, is Mrs. Which, Kaling, 38, is Mrs. Who and Witherspoon, 41, is Mrs. Whatsit — three ethereal (and eccentric) beings who help a couple of kids search the universe for their missing father.

    A Wrinkle in Time is a story about love, family and self-acceptance; the central character is Meg Murry (newcomer Storm Reid), a nerdy adolescent girl who feels like an outcast at school.

    She and her precocious little brother (Deric McCabe) and a neighbour (Levi Miller) set off on an adventure to find their scientist father, and in the process Meg discovers herself and her abilities.

    The kids also discover the eternal battle between the dark and light forces of the cosmos and are guided by Mrs. What, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Whatsit.

    The film is directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma), who has talked about the intention with which she and all concerned took on this project.

    The filmmaker has been quite specific about her cast: that it be diverse and inclusive, to reflect the real world. In making A Wrinkle in Time, she says, “We all held hands on this one and became a real family. We tried to give a little bit of sweetness to the world in these dark times.”

    We spoke to Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling about A Wrinkle in Time and its importance to today’s younger generation.

    A Wrinkle in Time is a classic. What is it you liked best about this story?

    OPRAH WINFREY: I liked that the girl is at the centre of her own narrative, her own story. And that she gets to say to the guy, ‘Do you trust me?’ and he says yes and follows her into this unknown cosmos. In the process of taking a big leap of faith for herself, even though she has a lot of self doubt, she has the courage enough to try anyway — which is what courage calls for. I hope people will see this because it’s a story of courage. The great hero’s journey! It’s an adventure for everybody, and you come away knowing that what she says in the end is what we’re all looking for, which is — we all deserve to be loved.

    MINDY KALING: I liked that this wasn’t about a teenager trying to find a boyfriend. I liked that it was about a teenager on an adventure to save her father. That’s such an exciting physical adventure, to save the missing person who’s supposed to be the strongest person in your family — your dad. There is a young man who is interested in her, and that’s not part of her journey at all. I enjoyed that part, as an old person who likes seeing young chemistry and romance. [Laughs] But the lead girl did not care.

    REESE WITHERSPOON: She’s the hero of her own story, right?

    But these three women — I’ve never been asked to be a superhero in a movie before! Or a celestial being, or anything that would guide another person through the universe — these three women represent really strong female leadership, and they all look different. And I think we don’t know what a hero looks like, until filmmakers show you what they look like. So I love that Ava chose to show so many different kinds of heroes in this film.

    Was there a book or film that particularly influenced you growing up?

    RW: I remember reading this book when I was little and it was really important to me, and I didn’t know why until I got to here and was asked to be in the film. And it all came flooding back to me. I read it again before we made the movie.

    There are things that are different [in the script] but at the core of it is this incredibly brilliant little girl, who is dealing with self doubt and all the feelings we have as a teenager, travelling through different universes to find her father. She’s the hero! She saves the guy! [Laughs] And she saves herself. I think back when I thought, ‘I wish I could be Meg Murry. I wish I could travel to different places. I wish I could help people. I wish I could be the hero.’ I remember — and look how long it took to make the movie!

    MK: The book I remember reading in 8th grade was [Toni Morrison’s] The Bluest Eye which is not a fun read. I even remember at the time, thinking, ‘This is very different from what I’ve been used to.’ And you’re like, okay, my teacher thinks I can handle it, so I guess I’d better handle it. The book is about self-loathing, and it’s about when you have dark skin and wish you looked like the ‘other’. I went to a mostly white school, and I think the impact it had on me, I’m not African American, but thinking about it — the way you could look at yourself and your representation — if you are not careful, it can destroy you.

    OW: When we did The Bluest Eye as a book selection on the Oprah show — I can’t decide if it’s my favourite book or if To Kill a Mockingbird is — we had thousands and thousands of letters from women all over the world who said it was their story, too. Who were not African American. I had thought it was an African American woman’s story, and we heard from Indian women, Indonesian women, from every single place you can imagine where there was some kind of colour discrimination … that was a surprise to me that it had that universal connection … It had a powerful impact for me, but much later on in my life. I’d say books in general, giving me the opportunity to know there was a life beyond whatever I had thought possible for myself, are what put me in the seat I hold in life today. Books and the exposure they’ve given me.

    All of you are now on both the big screen and TV. The influence of both is profound. Some would say people learn more at the movies than in the classroom.

    OW: After Ava did Selma, oh my God, the number of people who asked, ‘Did this really happen? What part of that is fake?’ Incredible! That’s why film is so important.

    RW: There was a time, maybe 10 years ago, with every woman on a reality TV show where it was cute to be dumb. And it really bothered me because I had a little girl, and Ava [Philippe, her daughter] was probably four or five. And these women were the most celebrated people in our culture at the moment. In one of the most popular ones, a girl said dumb stuff all the time, and then there were two girls going around doing dumb stuff and saying, ‘Which one of us is dumber?’ And I thought, ‘This is what our grandmothers fought for?’ This is why they say women shouldn’t vote, or drive cars or take care of the money or run businesses, and it really bugs me. That’s what I’m talking about — just because you have the ability to get attention, you’ve got to be real thoughtful about what you’re putting out in the world. I struggle every time I make a decision. Do I want this to live with me for the rest of my life? Am I proud of this? And there are some things I’m not particularly proud of.

    But most of them, I make a conscious decision to say, ‘I think this will land in some way, somewhere, with someone.’ And I hope they do.

    MK: To be honest, at the beginning, I didn’t think about other people because I was just so concerned about, will I make it? It’s hard, there’s no precedent, and will I be hired back for the second year of The Office? And then when I started my show, it was like, ‘Will it stay on the air?’ It takes a modicum of success — in my experience, and this is not necessarily the experience of others — that I could feel a lifting of other people up. It wasn’t until after the first year of my show that I felt, okay, I’m now in a place, it’s now going to become unconscionable for me to not make this a priority for myself. It was so hard to get to that, so perilous, the entire journey — before you could help other people you have some kind of platform to be able help them. Now it’s all changed. Now it feels like it’s a responsibility but also kind of a fun part of my job to find female voices to help and discover.

    Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington to Star in Little Fires Everywhere Series

    (3/3/18) Looks like Kerry Washington‘s post-Scandal career is going to involve putting out Little Fires Everywhere.

    Washington and Reese Witherspoon will star in and executive-produce a TV-series adaptation of Celeste Ng’s 2017 novel, per The Hollywood Reporter. The project is currently considering offers from a bunch of streaming sites and premium cable networks.

    Little Fires Everywhere is set in the upscale community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, in the 1990s and follows what happens after a single mother and her teenage daughter rent a home nearby.

    ABC Studios will produce the series. Liz Tigelaar (Casual) will be showrunner in addition to executive-producing and writing the script.

    On Instagram Friday, Witherspoon wrote “I can’t wait to finally collaborate with one of my favorite actresses.”

    Little Fires Everywhere is the latest in recent flurry of TV projects for Witherspoon. Her drama about a broadcast TV morning show, in which she’ll star with Jennifer Aniston, landed a two-season series order at Apple in November. She’s producing an comedy starring Saturday Night Live vet Kristen Wiig, also for Apple. And she’ll reprise her role of Madeline when HBO’s Big Little Lies returns for Season 2.

    Big Little Lies Season 2: Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz to Return

    (2/16/18) The Monterey moms continue to regroup for Big Little Lies‘ anticipated encore. Sources confirm to TVLine that Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz are set to reprise their respective roles as Jane, Renata and Bonnie in the HBO dramedy’s upcoming second season. The trio — who will all be back as series regulars — join fellow returning stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, as well as BLL newbie Meryl Streep.

    HBO, meanwhile, has released a new batch of Season 2 teases for the five central ladies…

    Kidman’s Celeste: Reeling from her husband Perry’s death, Celeste is adrift, but determined to fight for her family and find the woman she once was.

    Witherspoon’s Madeline: Finding that good intentions don’t always yield good consequences, Madeline confronts the truth of Perry’s death, while coming to terms with her own marriage and traditional notions of family.

    Woodley’s Jane: While processing Perry’s sudden death, Jane is trying to build a new life for herself and Ziggy.

    Dern’s Renata: The epitome of control, Renata is now faced with new challenges in her marriage.

    Kravitz’s Bonnie: Bonnie struggles with Perry’s death and is forced to face demons in her past.

    And as previously reported, Streep will play Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgard’s deceased character Perry.

    Big Little Lies Season 2 will consist of seven episodes, all of which will once again be penned by David E. Kelley (based on a story by Liane Moriarty, whose novel served as the source material for Season 1). Meanwhile, Jean-Marc Vallée is passing the directing baton to Andrea Arnold, although Vallée will stay on as an exec producer.

    Production on Season 2 is scheduled to get underway in March ahead of a 2019 launch.

    Reese Witherspoon is Natalie Portman’s social media coach

    (2/13/18) On January 1, Natalie Portman joined the Instagram community thanks to friend Reese Witherspoon.

    “Reese has been a wonderful support system in teaching me the ways of modernity,” Portman, 36, quipped to Entertainment Tonight. “There’s this thing called social media.”

    Portman, who since the start of the year has posted 23 times, says she’s not addicted just yet.

    “It’s a very new thing in my life, and I feel like a grandmother who’s learning how to use the microwave. Wow, it heats things up!”

    Despite being a newbie to the platform, she’s earned 1.2 million followers and has started following some Hollywood heavyweights including Mia Farrow, Gal Gadot, Jessica Chastain, Shondra Rhimes and Mindy Kaling.

    Oprah Reveals Reese Witherspoon Showed Signs of PTSD After Harvey Weinstein Scandal Broke

    (2/8/18) Oprah Winfrey opened up about how Reese Witherspoon first felt when news of sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein broke in October.

    At the time, the A Wrinkle in Time costars were filming together when the pair had a conversation about Weinstein with a group of women.

    “This was like two days after the Harvey scandal had broken in The New York Times,” Winfrey told actress Salma Hayek during a special live taping of the podcast, SuperSoul Conversations, on Wednesday as reported by Entertainment Tonight.

    “Everyone, including Reese – I’ve said this to her – was acting like, I was seeing some of the girls at my school behave, who were suffering from PTSD. Everybody was acting like they were afraid and they were having the conversation,” Winfrey remembered.

    “And I remember Reese saying, ‘Oh god, this is just so upsetting. And someone mentions his name, I start tearing up. And every time I hear someone else speak, it just causes me to be upset and I haven’t slept in two days,’ ” Winfrey said. “So I said, ‘Jeez, you guys are suffering from PTSD. Did something happen to you?’ Nobody said anything at the time.”

    Later that same month, during an emotional speech at the Elle Women in Hollywood event, Witherspoon revealed she was just 16 when she was sexually assaulted by a director.

    Witherspoon’s comments came after dozens of women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct — including Cara Delevingne, Ashley Judd, and Angelina Jolie. In addition, over 50 women came forward to The New York Times and The New Yorker to expose the decades of alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault against Weinstein.

    In a statement to PEOPLE, Weinstein’s attorneys, Blair Berk and Benjamin Brafman, said: “Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behavior or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct. There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred.”

    On Jan. 1, Witherspoon, along with Shonda Rhimes, Eva Longoria and more, took action against sexual harassment in Hollywood by launching the Time’s Up movement, and has since raised over $20 million for a legal defense fund.

    And most recently, during a separate Super Soul Sunday talk, Witherspoon told Winfrey that making the decision to leave an abusive relationship was the most important one she made to fulfill her destiny, recalling how the abuse was “psychological, verbal.”

    Winfrey’s special will air on OWN Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 10 p.m.

    A Wrinkle in Time opens in theaters March 9.

    Reese Witherspoon says leaving abusive ex made her woman she is today

    (2/6/18) (Video) Reese Witherspoon became an ambitious go-getter after leaving an abusive ex.

    The actress, producer and lifestyle guru has opened up to her A Wrinkle in Time co-star, Oprah Winfrey, in a new interview, revealing her decision to walk away from a negative relationship in her 20s was truly life-changing.

    The 41-year-old tells Oprah leaving her unnamed ex was the “most difficult decision” she has ever made, revealing he was psychologically and verbally abusive towards her.

    “A line got drawn in the sand and it got crossed, and my brain just switched and I knew it was going to be very difficult but I just couldn’t go any further,” she says. “But it was profound and I was young.”

    Witherspoon insists that she would never have become the person she is today had she not walked out: “It changed who I was on a cellular level, the fact that I stood up for myself.

    “People say to me, that knew me then, ‘You’re a completely different person’. I didn’t have self-esteem. I’m a different person now and it’s part of why I can stand up and say, ‘Yes, I’m ambitious…’ because someone tried to take that from me before.”

    And she now realizes that so many women share her story – a fact that was hammered home as she developed hit cable TV drama Big Little Lies, which revolves around domestic abuse.

    “There wasn’t a woman there (on set) that hadn’t been affected by abuse,” she explains.

    Witherspoon is confident the #MeToo and Time’s Up anti-harassment movements will give more and more women strength to leave abusive relationships: “Social media has opened up a conversation that was not possible even 10 years ago,” she adds. “Women are talking about things they’ve never spoken about, and they’re actually being heard.”

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Names Sarah Harden CEO

    (1/28/18) Former Otter Media president Sarah Harden, who had been serving as interim CEO of Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner since June, is joining the company full-time in the top position.

    “From the moment I met Sarah Harden, I have been in awe of her vast understanding of business development and digital media brands around specific communities,” said Witherspoon. “Sarah is a force of nature. Not only does she believe that women should have every opportunity to succeed in media, she actually makes it happen. There have been so many ideas that I have wanted to execute over the past seven years. Sarah simply put her head down, did the work and made them happen. She leads with the motto ‘less talk, more progress.’ She elevates every idea, conversation and collaboration. I’m thrilled to have her lead this talented Hello Sunshine team.”

    Witherspoon formed Hello Sunshine in 2016, in partnership with Otter Media, the joint venture formed between The Chernin Group and AT&T. The media company focuses on on telling female-driven stories across all platforms.

    In her former role as President of Otter Media, Harden oversaw the growth of the digital media venture and its companies Fullscreen, Rooster Teeth, Crunchyroll, and Gunpowder & Sky and the formation of Otter’s initial partnership with Hello Sunshine. Before that, Harden served as EVP at the Chernin Group, where she focused on video-centered initiatives including the acquisitions of Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, McBeard and the formation of Otter Media.

    “Having the opportunity to launch and build Hello Sunshine with Reese Witherspoon is a dream come true,” said Harden. “And to be able to do it at this particular time and with the backing of the same incredible partners in the Chernin Group and AT&T that I have had the privilege of representing in my role at Otter is about as good as it gets.”

    Said Jesse Jacobs, President of the Chernin Group: “Sarah has been a force in optimizing Otter’s incredible growth since its inception, and we are thrilled that she is joining Hello Sunshine as CEO. Sarah has always been a champion for women, and her passion for building a modern, female-focused media company makes her the perfect executive for this role. “

    In addition, Charlotte Koh has been named as ?Head of Digital Media & Programming for Hello Sunshine. She’ll be responsible for developing and producing unscripted, social and editorial content across the company’s digital distribution channels. Most recently, Koh was Head of Video at HuffPost and previously the first Head of Originals at Hulu. Prior to Hulu, Koh was SVP Business Development at Marvel Studios and Creative Executive at Fox Searchlight.

    Koh joins the Hello Sunshine executive team which also includes Lauren Levy Neustadter, Head of Film and TV.

    Next book project for Reese Witherspoon?

    (1/26/18) Could “Grist Mill Road” be the next “Big Little Lies”?

    The hot new thriller, which hinges on a gruesome crime among three teenagers in the woods, is getting major Hollywood buzz.

    On Monday and Tuesday, Selma Blair Instagrammed pics of herself reading the “incredible” page-turner by Christopher J. Yates, and “Big Little Lies” developer for HBO Reese Witherspoon — who famously turns books into powerhouse productions — replied: “I want to read that book!!” Blair responded: “It is up your alley.”

    Insiders say several Hollywood bigwigs are gunning to turn the book, published by Picador and repped by ICM, into a feature film or TV series.

    Reese Witherspoon-Zendaya Thriller ‘A White Lie’ Lands At TriStar Pictures

    (1/26/18) TriStar Pictures has secured worldwide distribution rights to the Zendaya-starring psychological thriller A White Lie, beating out six buyers in a competitive deal. Zendaya is producing the project with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter via their Hello Sunshine label.

    Monica Beletsky penned the script, which is based on Karin Tanabe’s 2016 novel The Gilded Years. The film is inspired by the true story of African American Anita Hemmings who, passing as white, became the first Black woman to attend Vassar College, the country’s most exclusive school for women.

    Hannah Minghella and Nicole Brown will oversee the project for TriStar.

    Zendaya is repped by CAA, Monster Talent, and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Hello Sunshine is repped by CAA and attorney Gretchen Rush. Tanabe is repped by Aevitas Creative Management. Beletsky is repped by CAA and Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown.

    'So Many Memories': Reese Witherspoon Pays a Visit to Her Grandparents' House

    (1/20/18) (Photo) To grandmother’s house she goes!Reese Witherspoon took a trip down memory lane on Thursday, posing for a photo outside of a very meaningful home.

    “This is my Grandparents house where I spent every day after school,” the Wrinkle in Time star, 41, writes in a post on Instagram showcasing the brick build with a blue-painted front door and American flag. “Grandma taught me to love books. Grandpa taught me how to grow vegetables, and they both showed me how to be a good neighbor.”

    Witherspoon’s company, Draper James, was also tagged in the shot. The lifestyle brand, which includes everything from clothes to kitchen supplies, was named in homage to said grandparents and her upbringing.

    “I started this company to honor my Southern heritage and in particular, my grandparents who were, and still are, the greatest influences in my life,” she previously wrote on her website. “My grandparents taught me everything I know about gracious Southern living. From them I learned to dress and act like a lady, to take pride in my home, to reach out to help a neighbor, and to always invite everyone in for a visit.”

    Witherspoon is one of many celebs enduring a rare winter storm that’s making its way through the south this week. To stay cozy on her afternoon jaunt, she donned a red sweater and hat, a gray coat and black faux-fur boots.

    But after her recent trip with husband Jim Toth, the mom of three is braving the cold and returning to her roots, even if it is just for a quick selfie.

    “So many memories,” she continued in the throwback. “Here’s to all the great Grandmas and Grandpas who are raising the next generation!”

    Kristen Wiig to Star in Apple Comedy Series Produced by Reese Witherspoon

    (1/17/18) Apple is taking a bite out of Kristen Wiig.

    The former Saturday Night Live star is set to headline a half-hour, Reese Witherspoon-produced comedy series for the company, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A studio is not yet attached.

    Inspired by You Think It, I’ll Say It — an upcoming collection of short stories by Curtis Sittenfeld, who will serve as a consulting producer — the yet-untitled comedy, which has been ordered for 10 episodes, marks Apple’s first scripted comedy order. It also marks Wiig’s first series-regular TV role since her SNL days.

    After departing Saturday Night Live in 2012, Wiig has appeared on a variety of TV shows, including Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, The Last Man on Earth and The Spoils of Babylon; that last one earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination.

    Series creator Colleen McGuiness (30 Rock) will serve as showrunner. She will also executive-produce alongside Wiig, Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter of Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine company.

    Other Apple projects coming down the pike include: a dramedy about TV morning shows, starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, which has already been ordered for two seasons; a reboot of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories; and a yet-untitled space drama from Outlander boss Ronald D. Moore.

    Rose McGowan: CAA agents were Weinstein’s ‘pimps’

    (1/15/18) Rose McGowan is being hailed for her bravery in calling out the powerful CAA talent agency for enabling Harvey Weinstein. She refers to CAA agents as his “pimps.”

    CAA represented many of the actresses who were sent to meetings with Weinstein at his suite at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

    “Harvey worked very closely with CAA. It’s amazing they’ve managed to escape all this scandal unscathed,” one Hollywood veteran told me.

    CAA has even been hailed for its embrace of the #TimesUp movement against sexual harassment and for providing its offices in Los Angeles, New York and London for simultaneous meetings.

    Attached to the invite for Wednesday’s meeting, McGowan tweeted: “Who do you think is behind this ‘great’ pr? Why, it’s the company of pimps that sent so many into the Monster’s Lair themselves. CAA. #TIMESUP fakes.”

    And when Weinstein was desperately trying to kill Ronan Farrow’s exposé in the New Yorker, he called a CAA managing partner, Bryan Lourd, who told Weinstein that Farrow, a CAA client, wouldn’t meet with him.

    CAA issued an apology last month after it was reported that at least eight of its agents had been approached with complaints about Weinstein’s behavior.

    “We apologize to any person the agency let down for not meeting the high expectations we place on ourselves, as individuals and as a company,” the statement read. “We unequivocally support those who have spoken out publicly.”

    While Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Penélope Cruz and Reese Witherspoon are still repped by CAA, Rae Dawn Chong left in 1990, when she says her complaint of being harassed by fellow CAA client Steven Seagal was ignored.

    A CAA spokeswoman had no comment.

    ‘CBS Sunday Morning’: Oprah Winfrey Time’s Up Panel Interview Includes Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes

    (1/13/18) (Video Preview) Oprah Winfrey this Sunday will interview a gathering of prominent Hollywood woman – Reese Witherspoon, America Ferrera, Natalie Portman, Tracee Ellis Ross, Shonda Rhimes, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, attorney Nina Shaw – about the Time’s Up campaign that gained much attention at this year’s Golden Globes.

    Winfrey’s taped interview, conducted earlier this week in Pasadena, will air on CBS Sunday Morning (CBS, 9 am ET). Watch a clip above.

    In excerpts released by CBS, Witherspoon says about the movement to take on sexual harassment, “There’s moments that you have to evaluate whether silence is going to be your only option. And certain times that was our only option. But now is not that time.”

    Witherspoon talks about her own sexual assault at 16 by a director.

    “We’re humans. We’re all humans,” Portman says. “And I think it’s treating people as fellow humans and – and it’s not because you have a daughter that you respect a woman, it’s not because you have a wife or a sister, it’s because we’re human beings, whether we’re related to a man or not. We deserve the same respect.”

    Ross of ABC’s Black-ish says, “At this moment it’s a campaign. “And we’re all sort of workers among workers and women among women, sort of rolling up our sleeves and doing whatever sort of comes to the forefront.”

    Says Kennedy about speaking for women without public profiles, “We have to maintain the momentum of this conversation because they can’t.”

    ‘Big Little Lies’ Reese Witherspoon: “Time Is Up, We Will Tell Your Stories” – Golden Globes

    (1/8/18) (Video) HBO’s Big Little Lies capped off a Golden Globes sweep with the prize for Best Limited TV Series/Made for TV Movie tonight. The win joined earlier trophies for Best Actress Nicole Kidman, Best Supporting Actress Laura Dern and Best Supporting Actor Alexander Skarsgard. The hardware haul tonight follows eight Emmy Awards back in September and comes amid the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, making the series seem even more relevant.

    Time’s Up, a group of 300 women in the entertainment industry that recently started a legal defense fund for sexual harassment claims, was cited out by Big Little Lies star and exec producer Reese Witherspoon upon accepting the Limited Series Globe. “This show is so much about the life we present to the world that could be very different than the life we live behind closed doors,” she said. “So I want to thank everyone who broke their silence this year and spoke up about abuse and harassment. You are so brave. And hopefully shows like this, more will be made so people out there who are feeling silenced by harassment, discrimination, abuse: Time is up. We see you, we hear you and we will tell your stories.”

    Based on Liane Moriarty’s novel, the David E Kelley-scripted, Jean-Marc Vallée-directed Big Little Lies tells the story of a group of women in a tight-knit, well-heeled community in Monterey, CA. When a murder rocks the gossipy residents, the fragile truths behind their picture-perfect lives threaten to be exposed.

    Kelley said tonight, “This one’s been a real joy. It started with Liane’s great book, HBO’s unflinching support” and Vallée. “He took this material into his heart and more importantly he delivered it from his heart elevating every page, every performance,” Kelley added, noting, “As for the cast, take a look at this cast, many of which have already been honored but two of which are also ferocious producers, Nicole and Reese.”

    The series is getting a second installment with a seven-episode order coming through in early December. Back for the follow-up are Kidman and Witherspoon as well Kelley who again is penning all of the scripts partially based on a story by Moriarty. Andrea Arnold is directing.

    When the greenlight was announced, Witherspoon said, “It gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the lives of these intriguing and intricate Monterey families and bring more of their stories back to the audience who embraced and championed them.”

    Added Kidman, “This is inspired by the overwhelming response by audiences around the world, conceived once again by Liane Moriarty, realized by David Kelley and now in the hands of visionary filmmaker Andrea Arnold. What a journey this has been.”

    BLL is made by HBO Entertainment, David E. Kelly Productions, Pacific Standard and Blossom Films.

    Golden Globes 2018 Winners

    (1/8/18) Best Limited Series: Big Little Lies

    Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria to Walk 2018 Golden Globes Red Carpet Together

    (1/4/18) Women in Hollywood are preparing to make a statement at the 2018 Golden Globes.

    As the countdown continues for the start of award season, two beloved actresses are teaming up for Sunday's big show.

    E! News has learned Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria will walk the red carpet together Sunday night in support of Time's Up.

    The movement launched on New Year's Day aims to promote equality and safety in the workplace. The initiative also addresses legislation, corporate policy and hiring practices.

    "Thank you to @nytimes for helping us shine a light on ALL people silenced by abuse and harassment within their own industry," Reese wrote on Twitter when the movement was announced. "I'm very proud to be part of this group of over 300 women & men who are determined to take this moment to help others. @timesupnw."

    Eva added, "I stand with women across every industry to say #TIMESUP on abuse, harassment, marginalization and underrepresentation. @TIMESUPNW."

    According to the New York Times, Time's Up has also been urging women to wear black at the Golden Globes to use the red carpet as an opportunity to raise awareness about the initiative.

    "This is a moment of solidarity, not a fashion moment," Eva shared with the publication. "For years, we've sold these awards shows as women, with our gowns and colors and our beautiful faces and our glamour. This time the industry can't expect us to go up and twirl around. That's not what this moment is about."

    Jennifer Aniston, Shonda Rhimes, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Emma Stone and Rashida Jones are just some of the many Hollywood stars also supporting the initiative in various ways.

    The Blast was first to report Eva and Reese's red carpet news.

    Watch E!'s Countdown special Sunday, Jan. 7, starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT followed by the two-hour Live From the Red Carpet: 2018 Golden Globes special at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT! The 2018 Golden Globes air on NBC starting at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT. After, recap the night during E!'s After Party starting at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. For complete Golden Globes coverage, watch E! News Monday at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m

    ‘Are You Sleeping’ Drama Starring Octavia Spencer In Works At Apple With Reese Witherspoon & Peter Chernin Producing

    (1/3/18) Apple has landed Are You Sleeping, a thriller drama series project starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Help, Hidden Figures), which hails from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. The recently launched scripted drama venture between Peter Chernin’s Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content is the studio.

    Are You Sleeping, created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman (The Good Wife, Justified) based on true-crime novel by Kathleen Barber, has been put in development at Apple’s video programming unit headed by Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg. Like other streaming platforms, Apple’s slate is expected to feature projects it snags with straight-to-series orders — like the recently greenlighted morning show drama starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, the Amazing Stories reboot from Steven Spielberg and Bryan Fuller and a Ronald D. Moore space drama — as well as projects it takes in to develop for straight-to-series consideration.

    Are You Sleeping provides a unique glimpse into America’s obsession with true-crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage. Sarah Koenig, host, creator and producer of the true-crime podcast phenomenon Serial, whose breakout success helped fuel that obsession, is on board to consult on the series.

    Are You Sleeping is executive produced by Spencer via her Orit Entertainment, Tramble as well as Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine, and Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kristen Campo for Chernin Entertainment.

    Are You Sleeping marks the second project Apple has commissioned from Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, joining the morning show drama executive produced by and starring Witherspoon and Aniston, which has received a two-season order. Hello Sunshine is repped by CAA.

    Following her Oscar-winning performance in The Help and her Oscar-nominated turn in Hidden Figures, Spencer is currently seen in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. She is repped by WME.

    Spellman and her husband, fellow writer, Malcolm Spellman, have been attached to Confederate, Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’s controversial slavery-themed followup series for HBO. She is repped by WME and Industry Entertainment.

    Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content — the unit that combined WME and IMG’s scripted television and film financing and sales groups — launched their venture two months ago with the goal to finance, develop and create premium scripted drama series with international appeal for all distribution platforms.

    Barber is repped by CAA and Fletcher & Company.

    ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ Celebrates The New Year With TV Spot, Motion Posters

    (1/1/18) (Videos: TV Spot, Oprah, Reese, Mindy) Disney invites audiences to “tesser” into 2018 with a new TV spot and motion posters for the forthcoming Ava DuVernay-directed adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic young adult novel, A Wrinkle in Time.

    The new TV spot released on Facebook is another morsel of fantastical goodness for Wrinkle starring Storm Reid as the book’s young heroine Meg Murry. We get more glimpses of the epic universes from the book punctuated by Oprah Winfrey’s Mrs. Which saying “Be a warrior!”

    In addition, Disney posted trippy motion posters featuring the movie’s uber-fierce and fancy supernatural beings that help Meg and her crew tesser (i.e. “fold” and “wrinkle”) through the universe: Winfrey as Mrs. Which, Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit, and Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who.

    The epic adventure based on the timeless classic takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light.

    The movie, which is set to open in theaters on March 9, also stars Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Pena, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, André Holland, Rowan Blanchard, and Zach Galifianakis.

    Hollywood women launch anti-sexual harassment initiative

    (1/1/18) A star-studded group of female Hollywood figures — including Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes, Natalie Portman and Kerry Washington — has launched a new initiative to combat workplace sexual discrimination and inequality.

    The Time’s Up campaign — spearheaded by more than 300 actresses and executives — will push for a marked increase in women hires along with equal pay and benefits across professions both glamorous and otherwise.

    “The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledged in male-dominated workplaces must end,” the group said in a statement. “Time’s up on this impenetrable monopoly.”

    The initiative will also feature a legal defense fund for both women and men who believe that they’ve been discriminated against or harassed in their workplace.

    “Time’s up on silence,” tweeted producer and participant Shonda Rimes in support of the campaign. “Time’s up on waiting.”

    A range of Hollywood boosters — including Meryl Streep and Steven Spielberg — have already donated to the fund and have raised $13 million thus far.

    “Unfortunately, too many centers of power — from legislatures to boardrooms to executive suites and management and academia — lack gender parity and women do not have equal decision-making authority,” the group said in an open letter released on New Year’s Day.

    The coalition also demanded greater representation for minorities, immigrants, and those in the LGBTQ community whose “experiences in the workforce are often significantly worse that their white, cisgender, straight peers.”

    The effort also counted Emma Stone, America Ferrera and Eva Longoria as supporters.

    Noting recent disclosures of mistreatment by members of the National Farmworker Women’s Alliance, Time’s Up lobbied for more attention to gender-related problems in less prominent industries.

    “We fervently urge the media covering the disclosures by people in Hollywood to spend equal time on the myriad experiences of individuals working in less glamorized and valorized trades,” the letter read.

    In addition, the group will seek legislation that would penalize misbehaving companies as well as a specific push to achieve gender parity at Hollywood studios and talent agencies.

    Hoping to generate momentum, Time’s Up called for women to wear black at the upcoming Golden Globes as a sign of solidarity to the victims of sexual harassment who have come out over the last few months.

    SAG Awards Nominations

    (12/13/17) 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).

    75th Golden Globes Nominations

    (12/12/17) BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
    JESSICA BIEL, THE SINNER
    NICOLE KIDMAN, BIG LITTLE LIES
    JESSICA LANGE, FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN
    SUSAN SARANDON, FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN
    REESE WITHERSPOON, BIG LITTLE LIES.

    ‘Big Little Lies’: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman back for Season 2

    (12/8/17) Fans of Big Little Lies are getting an early Christmas gift.

    HBO announced Friday that its star-studded limited series will be returning for a second season with seven episodes.

    The first season of the series, which featured Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley as suspects in a crime that occurs in their small California town, won eight Emmys earlier this year, including Best Actress in a Limited Series for Kidman. The first season also starred Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Zoe Kravitz and Alexander Skarsgard, among others.

    Witherspoon and Kidman will return as the show’s stars, playing the same characters, while David E. Kelley will pen scripts for the new season. New director Andrea Arnold (Transparent) will take over from Season 1 helmer Jean-Marc Vallee.

    “It gives us the opportunity to delve deeper into the lives of these intriguing and intricate Monterey families and bring more of their stories back to the audience who embraced and championed them,” Witherspoon tells EW. “I’m beyond excited to be working with talented and acclaimed director Andrea Arnold who will be at the helm. Andrea’s unique storytelling style will be a welcome addition to the filmmaking team.”

    Added Kidman: “This is inspired by the overwhelming response by audiences around the world … What a journey this has been. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to keep exploring these female characters and make this series with my friends.”

    The new season will be based on a story written by Liane Moriarty, who wrote the original bestselling novel.

    AFI Awards: ‘The Good Place’, ‘Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘This Is Us’, ‘Stranger Things’ Among TV Honorees

    (12/8/17) The 18th annual AFI Awards list of the best TV shows of 2017 are out, and among the usual suspects — awards season-wise — is one somewhat surprising entry: NBC’s The Good Place. In fact, the Peacock got all of the broadcast love from AFI this year as its This Is Us also made the list of 10 “culturally and artistically significant” programs.

    The Good Place picked up a Critics’ Choice Award for Most Exciting New Series for its freshman season last year but went unnoticed by the Emmys and Golden Globes. This Is Us, on the other hand, was a favorite at the Emmys in September and many other trophy shows since its fall 2016 debut.

    HBO and Netflix each grabbed three slots on the AFI list to go with NBC’s two, leaving precious few slots for other networks. Hulu’s Emmy-laden The Handmaid’s Tale and FX’s Feud: Bette and Joan also made the cut.

    Here is the full list of shows earning AFI Awards this year:

    Big Little Lies, HBO
    The Crown, Netflix
    Feud: Bette and Joan, FX
    Game of Thrones, HBO
    The Good Place, NBC
    The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu
    Insecure, HBO
    Master of None, Netflix
    Stranger Things 2, Netflix
    This Is Us, NBC

    If you notice some big names missing from this top 10, note that it’s sometimes tough to compare the AFI winners to other trophy shows because of the eligibility windows. But that’s not the case for HBO’s Veep — the four-time defending Emmy champ — and AMC’s Better Call Saul, which are among the high-profile snubs.

    Critics' Choice Awards 2018 Nominations

    (12/7/17) The live ceremony airs Thursday, Jan. 11 at 8/7c on The CW

    Best Actress in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series
    Jessica Biel – The Sinner (USA)
    Alana Boden – I Am Elizabeth Smart (Lifetime)
    Carrie Coon – Fargo (FX)
    Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies (HBO)
    Jessica Lange – FEUD: Bette and Joan (FX)
    Reese Witherspoon – Big Little Lies (HBO).

    Reese Witherspoon Sued Over 'Gone Girl'

    (12/7/17) Reese Witherspoon got a lot of accolades for producing "Gone Girl," and now she's got a lawsuit.

    Leslie Weller claims she wrote a screenplay called "Out of the Blue" back in 2005. She sent a copy to a script consultant and claims that set the wheels in motion for someone to jack her work. She says the book "Gone Girl" which came out in 2012 is a rip off of her screenplay.

    Weller claims a bunch of similarities ... they both focus on a married couple's relationship where the husband and wife are slowly drifting apart. They both contain a key twist where the wife is not the nice, normal, and somewhat naive housewife and is in fact a psychopath who sets up her husband.

    Weller goes on ... both her screenplay and the novel are structured in the same way -- first, everyone sympathizes with the wife, and then you start to despise the husband, but things turn and by the end, you despise them both.

    And she says both her work and "Gone Girl" feature a scene with a hammer that leads you to believe the husband might hurt the wife.

    Weller is also suing the book's author, Gillian Flynn, along with the movie's director, David Fincher. She says the movie lifts from the book, which lifts from her screenplay.

    Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Phillippe Wows During Paris Debut

    (11/26/17) (Video) She's the belle of the ball!

    Ava Philippe has switched the city of stars for the City of Light, making her first official public debut in Paris.

    Reese Witherspoon's oldest child—and only daughter with ex Ryan Phillippe—has debuted at the oh-so glamorous Parisian debutante ball, le Bal des Débutantes—and boy, did she sparkle! The blonde opted for a voluminous ball gown for her big debut.

    The highly renowned annual affair took place at the Peninsula Paris hotel on Saturday night. The celebrity offspring was one of six Americans (including Steve Harvey's daughter) and 20 debutantes total.

    The 18-year-old, who attended the event with her lookalike mom and stepfather Jim Toth, was escorted by 19-year-old Maharaja of Jaipur Padmanabh Singh, who also waltzed the A-lister in front of the well-heeled crowd.

    Vanity Fair previously confirmed that Ava would be donning a gown by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture for the special occasion.

    (Video) Several images of the grand affair were caught and shared on Instagram by Vogue Brasil writer Bruno Astuto.

    Launched in 1992 by Ophélie Renouard, the ball typically features young women from all around the world who come from notable families. Partnered with a cavalier, the debutantes usually don designer gowns with couture labels.

    Phillippe is certainly not the first famous child to debut at the elegant event. Star daughters like Sophia Rose Stallone, Tallulah Willis, Autumn Whitaker, Scout Willis, Tallulah Willisand Kyra Kennedy have all debuted in previous years.

    While Ava maintains a rather normal life mostly out of the spotlight as a student, she has sparked attention for looking like a twin to her movie star mom. "People come up to her [all the time]. We were at a premiere and they were congratulating her on her performance," Witherspoon previously told E! News. "She's like, 'I'm not in the movie.'"

    She may not have been in that movie, but her life certainly looked like a fairy tale tonight!

    Reese and Ryan to unite for Ava Phillippe’s debutante ball in Paris

    (11/25/17) Reese Witherspoon and daughter Ava Phillippe were scheduled to arrive in Paris for Phillippe’s coming out at Le Bal des Débutantes on Saturday.

    Phillippe — Witherspoon’s child with Ryan Phillippe — is one of 20 women being introduced to society at the annual event and one of just six Americans this year.

    Vanity Fair has reported that Ava will be dressed by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture and escorted by her “cavalier,” the Maharaja Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, India, (no offense, but we’d be more impressed if it were LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers).

    It’s a rare public appearance for Witherspoon’s look-alike daughter, — who just this month also stepped out as Reese’s date at MoMA for the WSJ. Magazine 2017 Innovator Awards. Ryan’s also expected to attend the glamorous event.

    Also making her debut at the shindig this year, reportedly, is Steve Harvey’s 20-year-old stepdaughter, Lori Harvey.

    Other American celebrity spawn to swan at the ball in the past include: Warren Beatty’s and Annette Bening’s daughter Ella Beatty, artist Cy Twombly’s granddaughter Maia Twombly, Pat Cleveland’s daughter Anna Cleveland, Kyra Kennedy, Sylvester Stallone’s daughter Sophia Stallone, and Larry David’s daughter Romy David.

    A Wrinkle In Time Trailer Drops: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling Fight Darkness With Magic

    (11/19/17) (Trailer) (Posters) Disney just dropped the official trailer for A Wrinkle In Time during tonight's 2017 American Music Awards and it looks out of this world!

    Ava DuVernay's adaptation is based on the Madeleine L'Engle book from 1962 and deals with the consequences of inter-space travel, specifically from Earth to a planet that possesses all the evil and darkness in the world.

    As seen in the center of the poster, Dr. Alex Murry, played by Chris Pine, discovers a way to travel to a new planet he discovers. Unfortunately, this move opens the floodgates of travel and the planet's darkness begins to spread freely throughout the universe.

    Dr. Murry's kids, Meg (Storm Reed) and Charles (Deric McCabe) enlist their classmate, Calvin O'Keefe (Levi Miller), to help track down their father and put a stop to this evil threat. Of course it wouldn't be an intergalactic adventure without space guides, or astral travelers in this case, known as Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey).

    This fantastical and scientific film is much different than DuVernay's previous directorial work, which all centered on realistic stories about racial tensions like 2014's Selma or 2013's 13th. But she leads the female centric story for a powerhouse classic filled with top-billing ladies.

    The cast got so close shooting in New Zealand that Kaling even shared her pregnancy news with them before the rest of the world, and Oprah was even the one to accidentally let the news slip. Those close bonds are sure to make for an emotional but action-packed experience!

    A Wrinkle In Time premieres March 9, 2018.

    Zendaya To Star In ‘A White Lie,’ Pitch Package From Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine

    (11/13/17) The hot pitch package on the street is A White Lie, an adaptation of the Karin Tanabe novel The Gilded Years. The book is a psychological thriller built around the true story of Anita Hemmings, a light-skinned African-American woman. The daughter of a janitor, she passed as white so she could attend Vassar at the turn of the 20th century. Spider-Man: Homecoming star co-star Zendaya will play Hemmings. Monica Beletsky is writing the script, and Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter are producing along with Zendaya.

    The singer-turned-actress next will be seen co-starring in the Michael Gracie-directed The Greatest Showman, co-starring alongside Hugh Jackman. She will also reprise in the Spider-Man sequel opposite Tom Holland. Zendaya is repped by CAA and Monster Talent; Withespoon is with CAA and LBI.

    ‘Big Little Lies’: Reese Witherspoon Backs Out Of ‘Pale Blue Dot’ As HBO Miniseries Nears Second Installment

    (11/9/17) Reese Witherspoon is stepping back from Pale Blue Dot, the Fox Searchlight sci-fi pic from Noah Hawley that she had intended to produce and star in. The project, which came together in February, is based on a spec by Brian C Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi and tells the story of a female astronaut who, upon returning to Earth from a mission in space, begins to slowly unravel and lose touch with reality.

    Witherspoon’s exit, confirmed today, only fuels the rumors the the long-gestating potential Season 2 of HBO’s Emmy-winning limited series Big Little Lies is getting closer to reality. Earlier today, our sister publication TVLine reported sources saying that the network is eyeing a spring 2018 production start.

    Sources say that the cast has not been locked yet to return but talks are underway. There also is a search for a new director.

    Yesterday, Deadline reported that Apple landed the hot morning show drama series project executive produced by and starring Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston with a two-season order. Production on that — two 10-episode seasons — would most likely start after a Big Little Lies shoot.

    The drumbeat for a second season of Big Little Lies has grown since the first installment of the adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s novel cleaned up a the Emmys, winning eight in all including Best Limited Series (Witherspoon earned a statuette as an executive producer) and Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for star/exec producer Nicole Kidman. Shailene Woodley and Alexander Skarsgard also starred and Jean-Marc Vallée directed.

    Moriarty, Witherspoon, Kidman and Vallée all hinted backstage at the Emmys that a Season 2 was a strong possibility. The main obstacle had been the lack of source material as the novel was a one-off. But sources says Moriarty — who had acknowledged she had been approached by HBO and the producers about a second season — has written a short novella that picks up the story and envisions what happens next with the main characters.

    Big Little Lies Eyes Spring 2018 Production Start for Season 2

    (11/9/17) It’s amazing how a crate full of Emmys can hasten the development process. Case in point: A second season of Big Little Lies is poised to become a reality (much) sooner than later.

    Sources confirm to TVLine exclusively that HBO is eyeing a Spring 2018 production start for the female-driven phenom, which snagged eight Emmy statues in September, including for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Nicole Kidman. As recently as two weeks ago, Big Little Lies EP/writer David E. Kelley strongly intimated to TVLine that a second season was nearing the scheduling stage.

    “We’re kicking around ideas and trying to lasso the talent [and] get the band back together,” he shared. “It’s just a lot of logistical things. But I’m optimistic because everyone wants to do it. We feel we still have storytelling to do. No decision has been made yet, but we’re hopeful. Where we left it, I felt like it did open the opportunity for a lot more storytelling.”

    An HBO rep declined to confirm anything about a potential second season.

    Even before Big Little Lies triumphed at the Emmys, HBO asked Liane Moriarty — whose novel the miniseries was based on — to “take a crack at” coming with with a story for a potential second season. Kidman and fellow leading lady/EP Reese Witherspoon both expressed interest in keeping the franchise going, and director Jean-Marc Vallée — who initially balked at doing a sequel — now wants in. “It’d be great to reunite the team and to do it,” Vallée said backstage at the Emmys. “Are we going to be able to do it, altogether? I wish. We’ll see.”

    Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston's Morning-Show Drama Gets 2-Season Series Order at Apple

    (11/9/17) The A-list early birds get the worm: Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon‘s drama about the behind-the-scenes goings-on at a morning talk show has received a two-season pickup at Apple, our sister site Deadline reports.

    The Friends and Big Little Lies actresses will star in and executive-produce the scripted series, which is based on an idea from former HBO executive Michael Ellenberg and which will include context from Brian Stelter’s book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. The project also has apparently had some tweaks since its inception: When we first reported on the potential series in July, it was conceived as a comedy.

    The order is for 20 episodes spread over two seasons.

    The series will mark Aniston’s first regular TV gig since Friends ended in 2004.

    Reese Witherspoon addresses the ‘ugly truth’ of harassment

    (11/3/17) Reese Witherspoon spoke out about sexual harassment in Hollywood at WSJ.?Magazine’s Innovator Awards on Wednesday to a crowd including Gwyneth Paltrow — who, last month, with Angelina Jolie, publicly accused Harvey Weinstein of sexually harassment.

    Also at the gala, held at MoMA, were Naomi Campbell, Karlie Kloss, Joe Jonas, Maddie Ziegler, Marc Jacobs, Raf Simons, Candice Bergen and Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava Phillippe.

    The “Wild” star and producer, who’s on WSJ.’s new cover, said she’s on a mission “to do more for others in my industry.”

    “We’ve been dealing with some really ugly truths .?.?. and it’s been rampant far longer than I have been an actress. It has brought back a lot of painful memories for people. It’s been a real time of reckoning for us,” Witherspoon said after accepting an award from Diane von Furstenberg with a video tribute from Oprah Winfrey. “There is definitely a growing realization we need to take the time to really examine the biases that exist in our industry and make much needed change. Because this is not an issue about actors and actresses .?.?. This is a bigger issue about power.”

    Also in the crowd were financier Vivi Nevo, MoMA director Glenn Lowry, Tory Burch and WSJ. Editor-in-Chief Kristina O’Neill and publisher Anthony Cenname.

    Reese Witherspoon Is 'Over Being Bashful' About Her Talent: Men Are Like 'I'm Amazing! I Rock!'

    (11/1/17) (people.com) Reese Witherspoon will not apologize for her success. The multihyphenate star (not only is she one of the biggest actresses in the industry, she simultaneously runs a production company and clothing line while raising three children) landed the cover spot of WSJ. Magazine’s “Innovators” issue along with the title of Entertainment Innovator of the Year thanks to her assertiveness, leadership and unwavering activism for female empowerment.

    “I know I’m good at things,” she shares in her cover interview by close friend Derek Blasberg. “And I’m over being bashful about it. Do basketball players have to sit there and act coy? Tell me something: Does LeBron James twiddle his thumbs and say, ‘Jeez, I’m kind of great at shooting, and I guess I’m OK at dribbling and passing’? No, he’s like, ‘I’m amazing! I rock!’ I wish more actresses had that kind of bravado.”

    And that confident attitude is something the star says she was born with.

    “I was never going to be an actor who lives in their car because their dream was so big. [If acting didn’t work] I would have gone from Stanford to medical school and become a surgeon,” she shares. “Right now, I’d probably be the premier surgeon and pediatric cardiologist at Vanderbilt University … What? I’m just being honest. I’m ambitious, and I’m over hiding that.”

    Witherspoon’s latest venture, the production company Hello Sunshine (which absorbed her last company Pacific Standard), not only produces films and TV series, but will expand its focus to include exclusive digital content and social media ventures. Wild, Gone Girl and the eight-time Emmy-winning series Big Little Lies have all been overseen by Hello Sunshine.

    “I wasn’t being offered opportunities to grow my company until I got that third hit,” Witherspoon shares of Big Little Lies completing the “hat trick” she need to solidify her production company in Hollywood. “A guy has one hit at Sundance, and he gets Jurassic World.”

    The 41-year-old actress also wants to create a space where a wide range of roles exist for women. “We women are too talented to be fighting over roles like this,” she says.

    That’s why the female-driven Big Little Lies holds a deep meaning for Witherspoon and the entire cast.

    “Laura, Nicole and I kept looking around saying, ‘We would never be on set together!'” she says. “My part is equitable to her part, which is equitable to Laura’s part, which is equitable to Shailene’s and Zoë’s.”

    Her BLL co-star Nicole Kidman praised Witherspoon for her do-it-all attitude, saying that she inspires those around her.

    “Reese is a doer,” Kidman, who refers to Witherspoon as “my baby sister,” tells the magazine. “I always say to her, ‘You don’t understand how rare this is!’ To her, it’s like, ‘Yeah, now what?’ She can do it all standing on her head.”

    When she’s not acting, producing, directing or spending time with her family, Witherspoon is busy designing her line Draper James, which launched in 2015 and recently landed at Nordstrom. (The line has doubled its sales since launching two years ago, according to the magazine, and will open a fourth stand-alone store at the end of 2017.)

    And there is no one that reps the line more than Witherspoon herself.

    “Well, I was being approached by other brands that were based in the Northeast, and I thought, I don’t really know anything about that, but what I do know is how beautiful the South is, and I had this incredible upbringing there,” says Witherspoon of the inspiration behind her brand, which includes everything from party dresses to accessories to housewares.

    As for her business-minded nature, Witherspoon maintains that she’ll always hold on to that Elle Woods mentality: “You can be unapologetically feminine but also smart and driven.”

    “At least once a week I have a woman come up to me and say, ‘I went to law school because of Legally Blonde,'” she adds of her most famous on-screen alter ego. “It’s incredible.”

    WSJ. Magazine’s Innovator’s issue, on newsstands Saturday, November 4th.

    NBC Buys NICU Drama ‘Delivery’ From Kristin Newman & Rob Wright, With Reese Witherspoon Producing

    (10/20/17) This is probably the most heartwarming story you will hear this broadcast selling season. NBC has put in development Delivery, a family drama set in a high-risk perinatology unit, from writers Kristin Newman (The Muppets) and Rob Wright (Lethal Weapon). The project hails from ABC Studios and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner.

    Delivery is a deeply personal project for Newman and Wright, who are married and new parents. The two are not writing partners but teamed for the first time to write this script on spec during the three months they spent living in a hospital labor and delivery ward — with Newman initially on bed rest — following the birth of their daughter 10 weeks early. (Above is a photo of the two of them in a hospital bed writing.)

    Delivery was set up at ABC Studios, where Newman is under an overall deal. The script got the attention of ABC Studios-based Hello Sunshine, founded by Reese Witherspoon with the goal of creating content that puts women at the center of the story.

    Newman and Wright executive produce the drama, about a group of doctors with deep familial ties who must navigate their personal and professional lives in a high-volume perinatology unit, with Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustader.

    This is the latest broadcast sale to an unaffiliated network by ABC Studios this year. The list include drama Bastards at Fox, a co-production with 20th TV.

    Newman, who authored the travel memoir What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding, is working on new ABC comedy series The Mayor under her overall deal at ABC Studios, where she has been for six years, most recently serving as a co-executive producer on The Real O’Neals. She is repped by UTA and Hansen Jacobson.

    Wright co-created Fox’s drama The Mob Doctor and is currently a co-executive producer on Fox’s action drama Lethal Weapon. He is repped by ICM Partners and Bloom Hergott.

    Witherspoon, who recently shared a best miniseries Emmy for HBO’s Big Little Lies, is repped by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson.

    Reese Witherspoon Says She Was Sexually Assaulted By Director At Age 16

    (10/17/17) Reese Witherspoon revealed during a speech to introduce honoree Laura Dern at Elle’s Women In Hollywood event last night that she has experiences multiple instances of harassment and sexual assault during her career in Hollywood — including an assault by a male director when she was 16 years old.

    The admission come as women in Hollywood and elsewhere are coming forward with their experiences in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Witherspoon, with her daughter Ava Phillippe in the room, said Monday the revelations about the mega-producer’s decades of alleged sexual abuse and harassment forced her and other women to “to remember and relive a lot of ugly truths.”

    That included Jennifer Lawrence, who during her speech at the event Monday recalled producers on one of her films who asked her to lose weight. “And, during this time, a female producer had me do a nude lineup with about five women who were much, much thinner than me,” Lawrence said. “And we all stood side-by-side with only paste-ons covering our privates. After that degrading and humiliating lineup, the female producer told me I should use the naked photos of myself as inspiration for my diet.”

    Witherspoon also told her story.

    “I have my own experiences that have come back to me very vividly, and I found it really hard to sleep, hard to think, hard to communicate,” she said. “A lot of the feelings I’ve been having about anxiety, about being honest, the guilt for not speaking up earlier or taking action. True disgust at the director who assaulted me when I was 16 years old and anger that I felt at the agents and the producers who made me feel that silence was a condition of my employment. And I wish I could tell you that that was an isolated incident in my career, but sadly, it wasn’t. I’ve had multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault, and I don’t speak about them very often, but after hearing all the stories these past few days and hearing these brave women speak up tonight, the things that we’re kind of told to sweep under the rug and not talk about, it’s made me want to speak up and speak up loudly because I felt less alone this week than I’ve ever felt in my entire career.”

    Witherspoon added that in the recent days she has spoken with many women who have had similar experiences, saying that the fact they went public with their own stories made them brave.

    “I feel very encouraged by this group of people tonight who have created a community of people who are champions now of a new attitude toward harassment in our industry and every industry that’s going to address the abuse of power in this business and every business and I feel really, really encouraged that there will be a new normal.”

    She added: “For the young women sitting in this room, life is going to be different for you because we have you, we have your back. And that makes me feel better because, gosh, it’s about time. I just also want to say as a course of action because sometimes people, they talk about things but I was really thinking last night, what can we do, what can do we do? And I just want to say, there’s a lot of people here who negotiate quite frequently with different companies and heads of companies, and I think maybe during your next negotiation, this is a really prudent time to ask important questions like, who are your top female executives? Do those women have green-light power? How many women are on the board of your company? How many women are in a key position of decision-making at your company? Asking questions like that, I found, it seems so obvious, but people don’t ask those questions.

    “If we can raise consciousness and really help create change, that’s what’s going to change this industry and change society. So I’m so sad that I have to talk about these issues, but it would be, I would be remiss not to.”

    Said Lawrence to conclude her speech: “We’re all here for each other. Together, now, we will stop this kind of behavior from happening. We will stop normalizing these horrific situations. We will change this narrative and make a difference for all of those individuals pursuing their dreams.”

    Reese and Ryan’s daughter to make her debut in Paris

    (10/8/17) Ava Phillippe, 18, the only daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, will lead a contingent of six American debutantes to le Bal des Débutantes on Nov. 25 at the Peninsula Paris hotel.

    The other Americans “coming out” include Laila Blavatnik, 18, daughter of Warner Music Group owner Len Blavatnik; Lori Harvey, 20, stepdaughter of Steve Harvey; and Charlotte Bell, 17, whose father, Bradley Bell, produces the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” and whose mother, Colleen, is also a producer and was the US ambassador to Hungary under President Obama.

    Jeanne Malle, 16, great-niece of filmmaker Louis Malle, is one of two French debs, although she was born in and lives in New York.

    Alice Ho, 18, daughter of Stanley Ho, who helped turn Macau into the world’s top gambling mecca, is a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology near Boston.

    Britain is sending Cecily Lasnet, 17, daughter of model Stella Tennant. Plus, there are royal princesses from Belgium, Portugal, Brazil and India.

    Le Bal, run by Ophélie Renouard, raises money for the New York-based Seleni Institute, to provide care and research for the mental health of teenage mothers.

    Reese Witherspoon would ‘never change’ marrying Ryan Phillippe

    (Video) Reese Witherspoon has no regrets about her first marriage to Ryan Phillippe.

    The “Big Little Lies” star, now 41, tied the knot with her “Cruel Intentions” co-star when she was just 23 years old. While discussing her new movie, “Home Again,” Witherspoon compared her onscreen character to her real life.

    “It’s about that next chapter in your life. What do you do when you get to 40 and you’ve made a decision when you were 25 to get married and have kids?” she said on ITV morning show “Lorraine.” “I got married when I was 23 and I had two kids by the time I was 27.”

    Witherspoon and Phillippe divorced in 2007. They share two kids together, Ava, 18, and Deacon, 13.

    In hindsight, Witherspoon admitted 23 might have been a bit young to get married. “I don’t know, sometimes it’s good to know yourself [first],” she said before clarifying, “I would never change anything.”

    But for their daughter, Ava, Witherspoon had some advice: “I’ve said to my daughter, ‘I think you know, at 25 you start to know yourself a little bit better.'”

    Witherspoon is now married to Jim Toth, with whom she shares 5-year-old son Tennessee.

    Phillippe has most recently been in the news for an ex-girlfriend suing him over claims he physically assaulted her in a drunken rage.

    2017 Emmy Awards Winners

    Outstanding Limited Series
    Big Little Lies
    HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with David E. Kelley Productions, Pacific Standard and Blossom Films

    Star-Studded, Unifying ‘Hand In Hand’ Telethon Raises Over $14 Million For Those Affected By Hurricane Harvey

    The biggest names in Hollywood banded together tonight for Hand In Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief. The event spanned across multiple networks and online. The star-studded telethon which filmed in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and San Antonio raised over $14 million and included appearances from Oprah Winfrey, Cher, Justin Timberlake, Billy Crystal, Kerry Washington, Stephen Colbert, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Dwayne Johnson, Beyonce, and many, many more.

    The hour-long event began with the legendary Stevie Wonder encouraged working together regardless of race, religion, political affiliation or sexual preference to help those devastated by the storms. Before performing a rendition of the classic Bill Withers tune “Lean On Me” he took a jab at climate change deniers saying, “Anyone who believes there’s no such thing as global warming must be blind or unintelligent, Lord, please save us all.”

    Beyonce, a native of Houston, gave a passionate pre-recorded speech, saying, “During a time where it’s impossible to watch the news without seeing violence or racism in this country, just when you think it couldn’t possibly get worse, natural disasters take precious life, do massive damage and forever change lives.” She added, “Natural disasters don’t discriminate. They don’t see if you’re an immigrant, black or white, Hispanic or Asian, Jewish or Muslim, wealthy or poor. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Third Ward or River Oaks, we’re all in this together. Seeing everyone of different racial, social and religious backgrounds put their own lives at risk to help each other survive, restored my faith in humanity.”

    The telethon seemed to stray away from politics and controversial moments similar to Kanye West’s “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” comments during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina concert. Instead, there was an overwhelming, genuine focus on unity and encouraging of helping those affected by the hurricane.

    During the telethon, Colbert announced the news that Apple donated $5 million while Jimmy Fallon said that Albertsons and Merck donated $1 million on top of that. Houston Rockets player, who was on hand answering phones said NBA Players Association not only donated $500,000 but said they would match any professional basketball player’s donation up to $20,000.

    The telethon also included footage from Houston as they tried to rebuild from the aftermath of Harvey and more encouraging, heartfelt words and appearances from celebrities including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Julianne Moore, Bruce Willis, Sofia Vergara, Justin Bieber, Taraji P. Henson, and more. The phone bank itself was a who’s who of Hollywood. Lupita N’yongo was active on social media, documenting the event.

    Texas native Selena Gomez gave a tearful speech saying “no matter who we are, the differences we have suddenly did not seem to matter. Since that day, we have joined together — neighbor helping neighbor, without stopping to think about race, religion or anything else.”

    Matthew McConaughey, who is also a Texas native, took to the stage and said that the we “can’t bring back what they lost, but we can help them know where to take the next step and provide some solid footing for them to place their next foot. A path to stability. To a place where they can rebuild.”

    In addition to the performance by Wonder, many other musicians and artists collaborated to give stirring, emotional performances. Usher and Blake Shelton did a duet of “Stand By Me” from Nashville while Luis Fonsi and Tori Kelly sang a soulful “Hallelujah.” Brad Paisley, Demi Lovato, Darius Rucker and Cece Winans performed “With a Little Help from My Friends” and George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett approriately closed the evening’s performance of “Texas” and “I Believe” from San Antonio.

    Hurricane Harvey Telethon: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC Join Forces for Star-Studded (Beyonce, Oprah, Babs) Fundraiser

    The major broadcast networks, with a little help from a Bey-vy of A-listers, are banding together to raise funds for the Hurricane Harvey relief effort.

    On Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8/7c, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and cabler CMT will simulcast a one-hour telethon titled “Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief.” Houston native Beyonce, as well as George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are among the boldfaced names scheduled to appear on the special, which will be based in Los Angeles with cutaways to New York and Nashville. (It will air live on the East Coast and via tape delay on the West Coast.)

    Also slated to lend their support: Jamie Foxx, Tori Kelly, Karlie Kloss, Matt Lauer, Rob Lowe, Matthew McConaughey, Dennis Quaid, Kelly Rowland, Adam Sandler, Ryan Seacrest, Michael Strahan and Blake Shelton.

    Proceeds will benefit United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas and The Mayor’s Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief.

    Hurricane Harvey hit Texas late last month, leaving behind a record 52 inches of rain, billions of dollars in damage and anc least 60 deaths.

    Reese Witherspoon wanted to be president

    Reese Witherspoon wants to crush the stigma that ambitious women are selfish.

    “What the heck is wrong with being ambitious?” she wrote in a new essay for Glamour after reading various articles and studies that claimed women with ambitious traits were viewed as “selfish” and “less worthy of being hired.”

    “I have been ambitious all my life. In fact, I vividly remember telling my third-grade teacher that I wanted to be the first female president of the United States. Ambition is simply a drive inside of you—it’s having a curiosity or a new idea and the desire to pursue it,” she wrote.

    Witherspoon has proven that ambitious women are the most successful. In 2012, she started her own production company — Pacific Standard — in order to create more roles for women. Some of her producing credits include “Gone Girl,” “Wild” and “Big Little Lies,” which was nominated for 16 Emmys.

    “I can tell that I’m considered a player now because of the respect I get from studio heads,” she wrote, noting in the article that every studio but one passed on “Gone Girl” before it became a best-selling book. “They call me back quicker and give me thoughtful responses when I pitch ideas. It has been quite a shift for me.”

    She calls out some of the women who have made big changes in the industry over the years like Felicity Jones, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Ava DuVernay, writer Jennifer Lee, directors Nancy Meyers and her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer.

    But there are still challenges.

    “Women made up just 29 percent of protagonists in last year’s highest-grossing films—that’s a new high, but come on … it’s not even a third,” she wrote. “The stakes are also much higher for stories about women. There is a lot of pressure to generate a huge profit. When any movie with a group of women starring in it doesn’t make heaps of money, the studio take away is that those types of films ‘aren’t working.’ But the truth is not every movie works.”

    She also pointed out that having a good support system around her has helped her make her dreams come true and praised her husband of six years, Jim Toth.

    Her advice? “Run away from a man who can’t handle your ambition. Run. So many men think ambition is awesome and sexy!”

    At the end of the essay, she declares that if we encouraged more women to be ambitious, the world will change.

    Reese Witherspoon Extends Overall Deal With ABC Studios

    Reese Witherspoon is extending her overall deal with ABC Studios for another year through her new company, Hello Sunshine. Under the pact, Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine’s head of film and television Lauren Levy Neustadter will develop comedy and drama TV projects for the studio.

    Witherspoon previously had an overall deal at ABC Studios though Pacific Standard, the production company she co-founded with Bruna Papandrea. The pact yielded multiple sales and an ABC drama pilot in 2016 written by Meaghan Oppenheimer. Papandrea exited the company last year to start a new venture.

    Witherspoon, who recently executive produced and starred in HBO’s buzzy limited series Big Little Lies, is repped by CAA, LBI, and Hansen Jacobson.

    Houston Telethon Features Big Stars in Nashville, L.A. and New York

    The Houston telethon TMZ just revealed will be held in 3 cities, hosted by huge stars, many of whom have deep roots in Houston.

    Houston legend Bun B tellsl TMZ, the Sept 12 telethon will be fronted in 3 cities ... L.A., New York and Nashville.

    As we reported, it's being organized by Bun B and the folks who organized the Ariana Grande One Love Manchester concert. Bun says Scooter Braun, who was a driving force behind Manchester, is at the helm.

    As for the hosts, Bun says Reese Witherspoon and Blake Shelton will host from Nashville. The L.A. portion will be hosted by Jamie Foxx and tentatively Hilary Duff, who was born in Houston. As for New York, we're told Michael Strahan -- also born in Houston -- will host and organizers are trying to lock in Kelly Rowland, also born and raised in Houston.

    We're told one of the people organizers really want is Jim Parsons, from "The Big Bang Theory," who was also born and raised in Houston.

    As we reported, the major networks will run the show in primetime, but only for 1 hour, so every minute counts. This will limit the number of performances and a lot of time will be spent on the need to help and contribute.

    Reese Witherspoon Talks Her First Red Carpet: "I Wore Cowboy Boots!"

    You can take the girl out of Nashville, but you can't take Nashville out of the girl!

    It's no shocker that Reese Witherspoon is a southern girl through and through. The actress has never been shy about discussing her Southern belle upbringing, and when E! News' Jason Kennedy spoke with her at the Home Again premiere, she shared a fun fact about her first premiere in Los Angeles.

    "You know what's crazy, my first premiere was here in this building, right there," she revealed. "I was 14 years old and I wore cowboy boots." Not the typical red carpet glam you'd expect, but Reese had her reasons. "Well, I was from Nashville," the actress shared.

    Reese also dished on raising her children in Hollywood and how she keeps them grounded. "I want my children to have a real experience of knowing the world and giving back," she revealed.

    Reese Witherspoon to Guest-Star on The Mindy Project's Final Season

    Here’s some big (little) news: Reese Witherspoon is going to be part of The Mindy Project‘s final season.

    The Big Little Lies star will appear a Season 6 episode, Mindy star/creator Mindy Kaling revealed Tuesday via Instagram.

    In the caption to her post, Kaling likely refers to working with Witherspoon on A Wrinkle in Time, the movie adaptation of Madeline L’Engle’s novel, which is slated for release in March.

    Witherspoon tweeted a photo later in the day; from that post, we know that she’ll show up in Episode 7.

    It’s unclear what’s happening in the photos Kaling posted to social media, but here’s our theory: Mindy, whom Kaling has already stated will be divorced from new husband Ben in the upcoming season, goes on a Lorelai Gilmore-inspired Wild hiking trip and winds up lost, delirious from hunger and sheltering in a cave, where she has a vision of the effervescent Witherspoon (who, herself, played Wild author Cheryl Strayed, in the 2014 movie of that book). It’s not so far from plausible, given that Mindy will have a lot to think about in the series’ final run of episodes: As previously reported, Chris Messina will return as Danny for multiple episodes.

    “We aren’t super interested in [tying everything up in a bow],” Kaling has said of the series finale. “We’re trying to avoid [that], while also leaving the audience with the sense that [Mindy] had some growth.”

    Reese Witherspoon’s new flick goes inside Hollywood

    (Video) Reese Witherspoon’s “Home Again” is the feature debut of writer-director Hallie Meyers-Shyer, the daughter of rom-com queen Nancy Meyers and producer Charles Shyer.

    So perhaps it’s not completely surprising that the film’s filled with Hollywood insider references.

    Spies at advance screenings say one character — a young Hollywood producer “who’s ubersuccessful making horror movies” as played by “Veep” star Reid Scott — seems eerily similar to “Paranormal Activity” and “Get Out” producer Jason Blum.

    We also hear that three aspiring filmmakers in the movie moving in with Witherspoon’s character are “loosely based” on Wes Anderson and Owen and Luke Wilson moving to LA together.

    Reese Witherspoon is bringing her new movie to the Hamptons

    Reese Witherspoon will head to the Hamptons this weekend to screen her new film, “Home Again,” on Saturday night.

    Witherspoon stars as a divorced woman who invites three young men to move in with her. The film is the directorial debut of Hallie Meyers-Shyer — daughter of rom-com queen Nancy Meyers — and we hear both will also be at the East Hampton screening.

    On Wednesday night, Witherspoon surprised a thrilled Dallas audience at a screening by appearing via Facebook Live for a Q&A.

    Reese Witherspoon Slips Back Into Elle Woods' Wardrobe From Legally Blonde

    (Pic1, Pic2, Pic3) All these years later, Reese Witherspoon still understands the important of having a bunny costume ready in your closet.

    While its been 16 years since the Oscar winner headed to law school as the beloved sorority girl turned attorney, Elle Woods, it was as if no time had passed at all when she dug up a bunch of her iconic costumes from the film and modeled them on social media last year.

    Remember when she showed up to a fake costume party in a body suit and bunny ears only to storm out and buy a laptop? Yup, she still has it. What about the striped off-the-shoulder top, pink pants and newsboy cap Elle sported to meet her new classmates on the green at Harvard? "Still fits too," Witherspoon wrote on Snapchat with excitement.

    Of course, who could forget the pink printed halter dress she wore to dinner with Warner, expecting to get engaged but really was just dumped. Yes, all these years later, Elle's pain still stings, but the dress still looks superb.

    No outfit is complete without shoes and, fortunately for Witherspoon, she still has rows and rows of Elle's, including two sets of fuzzy slippers and a handful of various pink heels and sandals.

    The snaps resurfaced this week and caught the attention of even Witherspoon herself. "Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed!" she tweeted to a fan who shared the old images of the try-on session.

    While the star looks exactly the same as she did the first time she acted in the outfits, she's reminded of time's passage by her 17-year-old daughter, Ava Phillippe, who had just celebrated her first birthday when they were shooting.

    "I remember her visiting the set and how much she loved all of the costumes and all the pink clothes and the dog. It was a really fun cast and everybody was excited about creating something that wasn't just confection," she told the Instagram blog last summer. "It actually had a meaningful story that we had no idea would resonate so strongly with so many people. And it was about female empowerment. It wasn't necessarily about the girl getting the guy."

    While the girl did get the guy, she also got the degree, the job and a fabulous closet to boot.

    Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon to Star in Morning Show-Themed Comedy

    The latest salvo in the #PeakTV wars has been launched: Jennifer Aniston is eyeing a return to the small screen in a comedy series that would also star Big Little Lies Emmy nominee Reese Witherspoon.

    Per The Hollywood Reporter, the A-list duo have signed on to headline a prospective sitcom that explores morning shows and the larger New York media scene they inhabit. The comedy will be shopped around to cable and streaming nets in the coming weeks (cue the Hulu-Amazon-Netflix bidding war in 3, 2, 1… )

    The untitled project — which would mark Aniston’s first major TV gig since Friends concluded 13 years ago — is reportedly based on an original idea hatched by former HBO head of drama Michael Ellenberg. House of Cards‘ Jay Carson penned the script and would serve as an EP alongside Aniston and Witherspoon.

    The gig marks a reunion for the two actresses: Witherspoon guest-starred in two Season 6 episodes of Friends as the younger sister of Aniston’s Rachel.

    2017 Emmy Awards Nominations

    LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
    Carrie Coon - Fargo, FX Networks
    Felicity Huffman - American Crime, ABC
    Nicole Kidman - Big Little Lies, HBO
    Jessica Lange - Feud: Bette And Joan, FX Networks
    Susan Sarandon - Feud: Bette And Joan, FX Networks
    Reese Witherspoon - Big Little Lies, HBO.

    ‘Home Again’ Trailer: Reese Witherspoon Walks The Line With Younger Man

    (Video) The first full trailer for Home Again pads out a bit of story that we might have missed in the teaser trailer, but the gist holds over: Reese Witherspoon plays a recently separated mother dating – and maybe finding love with – a much younger man. How young? When he (Pico Alexander) offers to buy her a drink, he gets carded by the bartender. No worries, though, he passes at least that initial test.

    Written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer (producer Nancy Meyers’ daughter, making her directing bow here), Home Again has Witherspoon as Alice Kinney, the newly (if not yet legally) single 40-year-old mom to two young daughters embarking on a starting-over life in Los Angeles.

    With the encouragement of her mom (Candice Bergen), Alice loans out her guest house to three young aspiring filmmakers – played by Alexander, Nat Wolff and Jon Rudnitsky – ensuring some rom-com complications, especially with the re-entry of her estranged hubby (Michael Sheen).

    Home Again is produced by Nancy Meyers and Erika Olde. Open Road releases the film in September.

    Take a look at the trailer above.

    Reese Witherspoon Visits Her Old College Dorm Room and Meets Student Living in It

    (Pic) Elle Woods has returned home!

    Well, not to Harvard. But Reese Witherspoon did recently visit her actual alma mater, Stanford University, as a guest speaker. She also visited her old dorm room and hung out with its current resident, a student named Caitlyn.

    "Surprise! While re-visiting @Stanford, I popped by my old dorm room.... and met its newest tenant, Caitlyn!" the Oscar-winning actress and Legally Blonde and Big Little Lies star wrote on Instagram Saturday, alongside a photo of her and the student inside the room.

    "She was so nice; she even welcomed me in! #LoveSurprises #Stanford #FearTheTree," Witherspoon said, referring to the college's unofficial mascot.

    The photo also shows another student in a dorm room opposite Caitlyn's, typing away at their computer, seemingly unaware of the actress' presence is standing several feet away.

    Witherspoon attended the university in the '90s as an English Literature major but never graduated, opting to concentrate on an acting career.

    Last week, she spoke before students at Stanford's Graduate School of Businesses, as part of its View From The Top speaker series.

    "You're the one responsible for your own path, so throw yourself at it," she said at the event.

    "Thank you @stanfordbusiness for having me yesterday," Witherspoon wrote on Instagram. "It was a honor to share my experiences and chat with all of you bright minds. Keep studying hard and dreaming big! #stanford."

    ‘Home Again’ Trailer: Reese Witherspoon Stars As “A Newly Separated Loser”

    (Video) Open Road has released a new trailer to the upcoming romantic comedy Home Again, starring Reese Witherspoon. The pic, helmed by first-time director Hallie Meyers-Shyer, will arrive in theaters September 8.

    “Alice is a newly separated loser”, Witherspoon’s character says in the trailer above. Following her separation, Alice decides to start over by moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles with her two young daughters as well as three aspiring filmmakers. Her unlikely new family and new romance comes to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand.

    Written by Meyers-Shyer, the film co-stars Pico Alexander, Nat Wolff, Jon Rudnitsky, Michael Sheen, Candice Bergen and Lake Bell.

    Check out the trailer above.

    Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Sets Two Novels For Screen

    Reese Witherspoon’s new company Hello Sunshine has set up to produce the Gail Honeyman novel Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and the Catherine Steadman novel Something in the Water.

    The latter will be adapted by Julia Cox and was acquired by Fox 2000 for Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter to produce with Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Jaclyn Huntling. Witherspoon will develop that one solely to produce, but Eleanor Oliphant will be a potential star vehicle for her.

    Witherspoon, who produced the book-generated films Gone Girl and Wild and the HBO series Big Little Lies before splitting with Pacific Standard partner Bruna Papandrea, formed Hello Sunshine and set Neustader to be Head of Film and TV, with the goal of continuing to find female-centric literary properties for film and TV projects.

    Both of these books are by female first-time authors. Eleanor Oliphant is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine who goes from living a lonely life to realizing the only way to survive is to open your heart. The novel was just published by the Penguin Random House imprint Pamela Dorman Books. Something in the Water is about a woman whose life is on the upswing. She’s about to get married and is establishing a successful career as a documentary filmmaker. Then she’s thrown a curveball that challenges her ethics and priorities and her life begins to slip from her grasp. APA sold the book and reps the scribe and author. The novel will be published by Bantam in the U.S. and Simon & Schuster in the UK after making a splash at the London Book Fair.

    Eleanor Oliphant author Honeyman is repped by The Artists Partnership, Emily Hayward Whitlock and Madeleine Milburn Ltd.

    Reese Witherspoon tears up at Goldie Hawn’s Walk of Fame ceremony

    (Video) “The first time I ever fell in love with a movie star, it was Goldie Hawn,” said Reese Witherspoon, speaking from behind a (quite literally) star-studded podium along the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.

    Witherspoon was one of three speakers (along with Kate Hudson and director Quentin Tarantino) at Hawn’s and Kurt Russell’s ceremony commemorating the couple’s Walk of Fame stars. “Oh my gosh, I’m going to try not to cry,” Witherspoon continued, choking up during her speech.

    After taking a moment to collect herself, Witherspoon continued to profess her admiration for Hawn. She described a time in 1986 when her father had taken her to see “Wildcats,” the feel-good sports comedy film starring Hawn as a sunshine-y high school track coach who quits her job to coach a football team across town.

    So, when she was presented with the opportunity to speak at Hawn’s ceremony, Witherspoon was thrilled.

    “I can’t believe Goldie actually texted me, about a month ago, and asked me to be here,” Witherspoon said. “Huge honor.”

    And, in keeping with her well-established history of charming, quippy speeches, Witherspoon added: “I hope it’s not weird that I printed out a text and I framed it and I put it on my wall.”

    But, between these women, honorary tributes are a two-way street. At Glamour’s 2015 Women of the Year Awards, Hawn presented Witherspoon with an award for her work in creating stronger, more independent women characters onscreen.

    Still, Witherspoon emphasized that her reverence for the 71-year-old superstar is pretty unparalleled.

    “I had to go down and make an ‘I Love Goldie’ button because I am literally her biggest fan,” she says. “Really, I mean it.”

    And, in case there was any shred of doubt, Witherspoon revealed that her very first email address was overboard@aol.com — a reference to both Hawn and Russell’s 1987 romantic comedy film of the same name.

    Then, employing the same kind of heartfelt sweetness that made her Glamour acceptance speech a bona fide tear-jerker, Witherspoon pivoted:

    “That’s how much I love these two people.”

    Reese Witherspoon: Women have to prove themselves twice as hard

    Reese Witherspoon says women have to work twice as hard in Hollywood to get the same recognition as men.

    The Oscar winner told Vanity Fair’s executive West Coast editor Krista Smith that Tinseltown is finally ready to see her as a producer.

    “I finally had my three hits,” she said, referring to her films “Gone Girl” and “Wild” and her HBO series “Big Little Lies.” “Finally, I feel like the story had changed. I am a producer.”

    The odds of making it to that level, she said, are particularly stacked against women, who have to “prove themselves twice as hard,” and for whom it can take “twice as long.”

    “A guy has one hit and they say he’s going to win an Oscar. A guy has one movie at Sundance and he gets ‘Jurassic Park,’?” she explained. “A woman has a hit at Sundance, and she has to make six more movies.”

    Witherspoon made the remarks at Vanity Fair’s Founders Fair — a daylong summit for women entrepreneurs held at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. The day concluded with a conversation between VF editor Graydon Carter and Tory Burch.

    Reese Witherspoon speaks out against elephant poaching

    Sparkly, exquisite diamonds were the draw but Reese Witherspoon‘s thoughts were with something much larger — elephants.

    The Oscar-winning “Big Little Lies” star attended a party in New York on Friday night to celebrate Tiffany and Co. and said she backed the jewelry company’s commitment to stop global trafficking and demand for elephant ivory.

    “I’ve had the great opportunity to work with elephants in my career, and spend a lot of time in Africa with elephants. I love that they are doing so much for conservation, and helping save the elephants,” said Witherspoon.

    Between 20,000 and 30,000 elephants are killed every year for their tusks. Last year, Tiffany & Co. partnered with the Elephant Crisis Fund to raise money to fight for the elephants.

    “They provide a lot of information about what they’re doing to ethically source diamonds, gold, and silver, so it’s a very responsible brand; not only beautiful, but very responsible,” Witherspoon said.

    Fresh from a film shoot in South Africa, Dominic West also cheered the impact that the Elephant Crisis Fund has made on the poaching of elephant tusks. He just wished it would also apply to rhinoceroses. Poachers are also killing them for their horns. “Oh, they’re killing thousands every year in South Africa. It’s just appalling,” he said.

    Also attending the Tiffany event were Jennifer Hudson, Claire Danes, Haley Bennett and Ruth Negga.

    As for “Big Little Lies,” the HBO miniseries starring Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman that had its season finale earlier this month, Witherspoon said she was hopeful a second season would happen.

    “We love playing these characters, and we loved being together with this great, extraordinary group of people, so hopefully it will happen. Fingers crossed,” Witherspoon said.

    Oprah is intimidated by Reese Witherspoon

    Even Oprah Winfrey feels intimidated sometimes.

    In an interview with People’s Jess Cagle, Winfrey, 63, opened up about fears that surfaced when she was asked to act in her new film, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”

    “I’d never played a role like that and nor have I done it enough to feel really solidly comfortable in the space,” she said. “I have a lot of actor friends … like I was on set the other day with ‘Wrinkle in Time’ and I said to Reese [Witherspoon], ‘So Reese, how many movies have you done?’ and she said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know … hundreds, I don’t know.’ So I was like ‘Oh God, please don’t ask me how many movies I’ve done.'”

    Winfrey said that asking Witherspoon about how many movies she had acted in really made her think. “I think I’ve done five,” she added. “It’s rare that I feel intimated, but I felt intimidated.”

    Winfery and Witherspoon both star in “A Wrinkle in Time,” which is set to come out next year.

    ‘Home Again’ Starring Reese Witherspoon Gets Release Date From Open Road

    Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s directorial debut Home Again, the romantic comedy that stars Reese Witherspoon, has just been dated by distributor Open Road. The film, which Meyers-Shyer also wrote, will be released September 8, 2017. Her mother Nancy Meyers is producing alongside Black Bicycle Entertainment’s Erika Olde, who also financed.

    Home Again follows a recently separated mother (Witherspoon) of two whose new life in Los Angeles is overturned when she decides to take in three young, charismatic guys (Pico Alexander, Nat Wolff and Jon Rudnitsky) who become part of her unconventional family. Michael Sheen, Candice Bergen and Lake Bell co-star.

    The film will be released one week after another Wolff film — the animated Leap! — is being released by The Weinstein Company. Right now, the date is clear for Home Again which is the only romantic comedy in that slot. The only other movie slated for that weekend is Warner Bros’ horror film It.

    IMR International is handling the international sales.

    Reese Witherspoon Just Found Out She's Irish

    What a lucky lass!

    On the eve of her 41st birthday, Reese Witherspoon learned something new about her ancestry. "I called your producer on the way here in the car because I was every excited," the Big Little Lies actress told Conan O'Brien on TBS' Conan Tuesday. "I did one of those genetic testing things and I found out that I'm 63 percent Irish. I had no idea. I had no idea! I thought I was Scottish and Welsh. It turns out my parents are just full of s--t, I guess. But now I'm Irish!"

    "It just makes so much sense," Witherspoon said. "I'm a really good drinker. I love St. Patrick's Day. Potatoes are delicious. I'm looking forward to meeting all my cousins." Before she could continue, O'Brien said, "No, no—you don't want to meet those people." Witherspoon's mind was racing, and she got so excited that she told the TV host, "You and I are probably related!"

    But the best part is speaking like an Irishwoman. Using her best brogue, Witherspoon said, "Now I get to say things like, 'It's in me genes! I love that Conan' O'Brien; he's such a nice fella."

    Looking at the 6-foot-4 comedian, she joked, "You're kind of like a giant leprechaun."

    It turned out O'Brien had traced his own genealogy at the insistence of Lisa Kudrow, who executive produces the documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? for TLC. The "only thing" they learned about O'Brien, though, is that he is 99.8 percent Irish. "I think I'm more Irish than people living in Ireland," he joked. "I looked into it and I was like, 'That means I'm inbred!'"

    During her Conan appearance, Witherspoon also talked about working with Oprah Winfrey in Ava DuVernay's upcoming film adaptation of the novel A Wrinkle in Time. "She's amazing. We would spend three hours every morning in the hair and makeup trailer, and sometimes you just felt like you were in Oprah magazine," she said. "Like, you couldn't believe it was happening."

    "Sometimes she'd do the voice. She'd be like, "HelloOoOo! Who wants cofeeeeee?' And you're like, 'Oh, my God! She's doing the voice!" Witherspoon said. "But it was different than being in a normal hair and makeup trailer where everybody was kind of shooting the crap. She'd be like, 'You know what book I really love?' and everybody would get silent. 'You know what the most important thing in my life I ever learned is?' And you can hear a pin drop. You're like, 'What?'"

    "She also just loves to bring everybody muffins—but not like a regular muffin. She has muffins flown in from Napa! She doesn't just give them to a few people; she gives them to the entire crewwwww. I don't care what it is Oprah gives you, you're just like, 'Oh my God! She gave us muffins!'" she said. "I had to Instagram the muffins. It's so exciting. She's so nice. So generous."

    Reese Witherspoon Workshops Ideas for a Legally Blonde Sequel

    (Video) Start practicing your bend and snap.

    Reese Witherspoon appeared on The Late Late Show Wednesday, where she told host James Corden she would love star in another Legally Blonde movie. "I think it would be kind of cool to see her 15 years later. Like, what's she doing now? What do you think? I don't know. But I need a good idea," she said. Corden suggested her character, Elle Woods, could be the first female president of the United States. "She could, yeah," the actress said. "She could be a Supreme Court Justice, or she could be a really great, powerful attorney—or she could be in prison!"

    "She could be anything," Witherspoon added. "I don't know!"

    Corden was tickled by the possibility of bringing the cast back together for round three. "Why isn't this film happening?" he wondered. "What do we have to do to get this film over the line?"

    Witherspoon's co-stars Mary Lynn Rajskub and Luke Wilson asked the same question when they appeared on Corden's show in 2015. They might want to make a third film just to save their reputation after Legally Blonde 2 made Entertainment Weekly's list of worst sequels ever made. "That's why we need to do three," Wilson argued at the time, "to bring everybody back."

    Reunion talks aren't just talks, either. The cast really wants to reunite on the big screen.

    As Witherspoon told E! News' Marc Malkin in January, it's not an impossibility. "We've thought about it," she said "I need somebody really clever to come up with a great idea and we'll do it."

    "It's a good time to do it," she added. "I think women need that kind of positivity right now."

    Lauren Levy Neustadter To Head Film, TV For Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Label

    Lauren Levy Neustadter has been appointed Head of Film and Television for Hello Sunshine, the female-centric storytelling shingle launched by Reese Witherspoon and The Chernin Group and AT&T’s Otter Media. Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine CEO Kerry Tucker made the hire. Neustadter comes from FBC, where she is senior vice president of Programming and worked on shows such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, Lethal Weapon and 24: Legacy. She also has film experience, previously serving as production veep at Fox where she oversaw films that included This Means War and Parental Guidance, and where she developed the Hugh Jackman-starrer The Greatest Showman on Earth, which is in production. Before that she served stints at Offspring Entertainment and Miramax. Neustadter leaves Fox to take the new job at month’s end.

    Said Witherspoon: “I’m thrilled to welcome Lauren to the Hello Sunshine team. I had a wonderful experience working with her at 20th Century Fox and was very impressed with her accomplishments at Fox Television. Her passion for storytelling in both film and television gives me tremendous confidence in what she will bring to Hello Sunshine.” Tucker called her “an amazing addition to the Hello Sunshine team. Her accomplishments as an executive, her profound energy and insatiable curiosity make her the perfect person to oversee Hello Sunshine’s film and television efforts.”

    Levy Neustadter said she was “beyond excited to have the opportunity to work alongside extraordinary women like Reese and Kerry with the goal of telling remarkable stories built around dynamic female characters. I’m inspired by Hello Sunshine and all it aspires to be, and I feel privileged to be a part of the team.”

    Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Jon Hamm and More Join Forces for Tory Burch's #EmbraceAmbition Campaign

    (Video) Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington, Anna Wintour and more are joining Tory Burch to raise awareness for the #EmbraceAmbition Campaign in honor of International Women's Day.

    The star-studded public service announcement calls for women all over to not shy away from their ambitions. The campaign attempts to destroy the negative connotations associated with women being ambitious. In the PSA, Reese Witherspoon says, "I can think of a lot of dirty words, ambition is not one of them."

    Jon Hamm and Chris Pine are also featured in the campaign, as well as athletes known for testing boundaries, breaking through barriers and excelling in their sports such as Gabby Douglas, Billie Jean King, Laila Ali and Jason Collins.

    Yara Shahidi, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gayle King and Julianne Moore state their piece as well.

    During New York Fashion Week, Burch exclusively told E! News how excited she was about the #EmbraceAmbition campaign.

    "We are really excited to show you 40 incredible people speaking out," the designer said. "It's not only star-studded, I think it's just inspiring people. It's women, men and children."

    She was excited about the variety of people involved saying, "It's so many wonderful people. It's everyone from Gwyenth Paltrow to Rashida Jones, to a wonderful fire fighter in New York, to a woman who has escaped from North Korea. It's a mix of people, men and women, but they have something to say on this issue."

    In addition to the public service announcement, Tory Burch will be selling #EmbraceAmbition bracelets and t-shirts will be available for purchase, where 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Tory Burch Foundation, which "empowers women entrepreneurs in the United States."

    Watch the full PSA above!

    Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman are Truly Stylish at Big Little Lies Premiere

    (Pic1, Pic2, Pic3) We mustn’t tell Big Little Lies: Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon are leading ladies with serious style.

    The costars brought their fashion A-game to the Los Angeles premiere of their HBO miniseries on Tuesday evening.

    Kidman, 49, was all about romantic ruffles as she opted for floral patterned gown from Altuzarra’s Spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection. The star, who was accompanied by husband Keith Urban, accessorized her look with bracelets and rings from Fred Leighton and an Omega watch.

    Witherspoon, 40, shined bright thanks to her extravagantly detailed Elie Saab ensemble. Her long-sleeved mini dress featured lace panels near the shoulders as well as a belted waistline and sexy slit. And what better accessories for her outfit than Tiffany & Co. jewelry and pointy black Christian Louboutin heels.

    Joining the actress was her equally stylish 17-year-old daughter Ava, who wore a metallic gold dress from Haney’s Fall 2017 ready-to-wear collection.

    Like Witherspoon, costar Shailene Woodley also chose Elie Saab for her red carpet attire, which she dressed up with Jimmy Choo heels.

    Also at the star-studded event were Zoë Kravitz (in off-the-shoulder Vera Wang), Laura Dern, Adam Scott and Anne Heche.

    Based on Liane Moriarty’s 2014 novel of the same name, Big Little Lies revolves around three mothers (played by Witherspoon, Kidman and Woodley) whose seemingly normal lives are disrupted by unspeakable tragedy.

    The first of seven episodes premieres on Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

    2017 Kids' Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominations

    John Cena will host the ceremony live from USC's Galen Center in L.A. March 11 at 8 p.m.

    Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie
    Ellen DeGeneres (Dory, Finding Dory)
    Kevin Hart (Snowball, The Secret Life of Pets)
    Dwayne Johnson (Maui, Moana)
    Anna Kendrick (Poppy, Trolls)
    Justin Timberlake (Branch, Trolls)
    Reese Witherspoon (Rosita, Sing)

    Big Little Lies' Reese Witherspoon on How the HBO Project Broke Her Out of Hollywood's 'Smurfette Syndrome'

    Nearly three decades of working in male-dominated Hollywood left Reese Witherspoon feeling blue. And then Big Little Lies — HBO’s seven-part dark comedy — came along.

    “For 25 years, I’ve been the only woman on set, so I had no other women to talk to,” Witherspoon lamented Saturday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “They call it ‘Smurfette Syndrome.’ Because she’s got a hundred Smurfs around her and she’s the only girl. And who gave birth to all those Smurfs, anyway? But, honestly, it’s so refreshing to get to spend time with women.”

    Witherspoon’s desire to employ women both in front of and behind the camera is what led her to option Liane Moriarty’s best-selling novel (she’s also an exec producer on the HBO miniseries, as is co-star Nicole Kidman). “Things have to change — we have to start seeing women as they really are,” the Oscar winner shared. “We have to see real women’s experience. Whether it involves domestic violence, whether it involves sexual assault, whether it involves motherhood or romance or infidelity or divorce. We need to see these things.

    “We learn from art, and what can you do if you never see it reflected?” she continued. “[I’m tired of seeing] women of incredible talent playing wives and girlfriends in thankless parts. I’d just had enough. So it’s a unique privilege to be able to come to other women with a piece of material that I feel deeply proud of.”

    Witherspoon went on to call the Big Little Lies cast, which also includes Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz, “the greatest ensemble I’ve ever [worked with].”

    'Wonderful Christmastime': Fallon, Paul McCartney, Reese Witherspoon Lead Star-Studded Performance

    (Video) Jimmy Fallon called on a few famous friends to help him spread a little melodic Christmas cheer on Tuesday.

    The Tonight Show host welcomed Paul McCartney and the cast of the animated film Sing — including Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane and Tori Kelly — for an a cappella performance of McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”

    A cappella sing-alongs have become something of a holiday tradition for Fallon. Last December, he was accompanied by the Force Awakens cast on a Star Wars medley.

    ‘Penguin Bloom’ Binds Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon & Bruna Papandrea

    Naomi Watts is teaming with Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea to produce a movie based on the top selling Australian book Penguin Bloom. They’ve optioned the book to produce, with Watts set to star. The trio will produce along with Aussie-based producer Emma Cooper.

    Set on Sydney’s northern beaches, Penguin Bloom is the true story of a unique little bird that saves a family. The book is written by Bradley Trevor Greive, with photographs by Cameron Bloom. Cameron and Sam Bloom and their three boys were an everyday family until a shocking, near-fatal accident left Sam paralyzed. She fell from a balcony while on holiday in Thailand, and was left paralyzed from the chest down. As the family struggled to adjust to her new situation, an unlikely ally entered their lives in the form of an injured Magpie chick which the Bloom clan called Penguin. The wild bird became a mascot for the family.

    Watts was captivated by the life-affirming nature of Sam’s story. “Sam’s undeniable spirit and the intense physical and emotional journey she and her family embraced resonated with me both as a storyteller and as a mother,” she said. Papandrea had a similar reaction. “Every family will respond to this universal and heartwarming story of a family dealing with tragedy,” she said. The book’s subjects hope the movie will create awareness and financial support for the spinal cord injury research being undertaken by SpinalCure Australia, Wings for Life, and The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

    The film will shoot in Australia, and they will now look for a screenwriter and director. Watts will next be seen starring for Colin Trevorrow in The Book Of Henry, and the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed The Glass Castle opposite Brie Larson. She also stars in the Netflix psychological thriller Gypsy. Witherspoon and Papandrea have together produced Wild, Gone Girl and Hot Pursuit and are teamed on Luckiest Girl Alive at Lionsgate and Ashley’s War at Fox 2000.

    Atria Books will publish the book April 4 in the U.S. and Canada under the title Penguin The Magpie, with 10% of royalties going to those spinal cure charities.

    Reese Witherspoon: I Wanted to Be the First Female President of the United States

    Reese Witherspoon took on Washington, D.C. as Elle Woods in the sequel to Legally Blonde.

    The actress showed she had a knack for politics in the dark comedy Election.

    "When I was six, I either wanted to be Dolly Parton or the first female president of the United States," the Oscar winner told me yesterday while promoting her new animated flick Sing.

    We were talking childhood dreams because in Sing, Matthew McConaughey stars as a koala who fell in love with the idea of running a live theater when he was just six years old. Witherspoon plays a pig that secretly yearns to be a singer while raising 25 piglets. They meet when the koala holds an American Idol-like singing competition to keep his theater from going under.

    "At six, I wanted to be a Washington Redskins running back," McConaughey said. "I had no idea. I never even thought about [acting]. I didn't realize this until I was 21 years old. I was a late bloomer."

    Witherspoon cracked that having dozens of young piggies in the movie has not inspired her to want more kids of her own. She's mom to Ava, 17, Deacon, 13, and four-year-old Tennessee.

    McConaughey, who has three kids (Levi, 8, Viva, 6 and Livingston, 3) with wife Camilla Alves, asked, "What's the number when it doesn't matter how many more [you have]?"

    Witherspoon quipped, "When you're on a TLC show."

    No, she doesn't watch TLC reality programming. Witherspoon explained, "If I watch anything, I'll watch Westworld or something like that. I love it. I don't understand it, [but] I just like it."

    That's not all the Reese and Matthew we have for you. Check out the video below to find out what happened when they brought their kids on Saturday to the Sing premiere in Los Angeles. Too cute!

    Sing is in theaters on Dec. 21.

    Reese Witherspoon, Otter Media Pact For New Company Hello Sunshine

    Reese Witherspoon and Otter Media, the joint venture formed between The Chernin Group and AT&T, have started up a new company called Hello Sunshine which will focus on telling female-driven stories across all platforms. That will include not only film and TV but also daily social and short-form digital content. To that end, Hello Sunshine starts launching content in 2017 at Hello-Sunshine.com.

    Leading the effort will be newly named CEO Kerry Tucker who joins the new venture directly from The Video Genome Project. While at VGP, she built and managed the strategy and operations as COO, and served as one of the principal architects of its sale to Hulu. Before that, she was executive VP/CMO of Victoria’s Secret, and earlier than that, she served as marketing head for all divisions of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

    The announcement was made today by Witherspoon and Sarah Harden, President of Otter Media. “Reese is a phenomenal partner with a unique sensibility, and together with Kerry, who has championed women’s voices throughout her career, we are excited to launch a company that is anchored in the ambitious vision of reflecting and inspiring women everywhere. We look forward to producing content that resonates deeply with our community in all formats, and through all channels,” said Harden in a statement.

    Hello Sunshine will operate under Otter Media’s umbrella and will leverage Otter’s expertise in content, distribution and monetization models, as well as its strong track record in investing, building and scaling content brands and OTT video services, they say. AT&T and The Chernin Group formed Otter Media in April 2014 to acquire, invest in and launch global over-the-top (OTT) video services.

    Its portfolio includes Fullscreen Media (which owns Rooster Teeth); social marketing agency McBeard; Ellation (which manages Crunchyroll, a subscription and ad-supported video platform for Japanese anime); VRV, a multichannel video platform built for a community of fans who love anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and technology; and Gunpowder & Sky.

    Seth Rodsky, Founding Partner of Strand Equity Partners, is partnered with Witherspoon on the deal and will join the Hello Sunshine board.

    Reese Witherspoon Gets to Talk to Dolly Parton About Her 'What Would Dolly Do' Draper James Totes

    Reese Witherspoon just opened her second Draper James location in Dallas, Texas and announced she’s writing a Southern lifestyle book, but nothing solidifies her title of “queen of Southern style” quite like getting the cover of InStyle’s December issue with an accompanying interview by the Dolly Parton.

    The actress poses on the cover in an outfit fit for a fancy holiday party (an Armani Privé black gown with stacks of sparkly bracelets) and poses throughout the spread in cozy winter gear: cashmere sweaters, tweed dresses and ladylike capes (of her own design!). While her business is rapidly growing by the minute, she talks about the huge risk she took to start it.

    “It’s a new chapter for me starting a business, going around passing the hat, and promoting it all over the place,” she tells Parton. “It’s a different experience, but I’m enjoying learning something new. I’ve been acting for about 25 years, and I still love it, but I like the challenge of trying something else too. I find there are a lot of people talking about New York and Los Angeles, but there’s a whole world out there in between, and that’s who I like to tell stories about and make products for — people who love the life they have and have a sense of style that’s uniquely their own.”

    Parton explained her sense of drive that pushed her to do a lot of big things in her career. “I have always said my desire to do something has always been greater than my fear of it,” the country star said.

    And Witherspoon channeled that same mindset when she got into the design business. “I think that’s a good lesson for young women: No one knows what they’re doing. You walk into boardrooms with these executives — they don’t really know anything more than anybody else. You have to put yourself out there and just give it a try because who you are and where you’re from offers a unique perspective that everybody needs.”

    While any fan of Witherspoon knows she admires Parton (she made a tote bag that reads “What Would Dolly Do?”), she actually explained that at five years old she knew she wanted to grow up to be Parton. “You were such a big inspiration to me. I loved country music, and I thought you stood for so many things. You were a beautiful story teller. And you made me feel proud about being from a place that other people made fun of. I wanted to be you — and I still do.”

    So does Parton carry around the tote bag inspired by her? “I can’t carry that myself, of course, but my friends are buying them up. It was sweet of you to do that!”

    Why 2016 Is Reese Witherspoon's Best Year Yet

    Reese Witherspoon is ending the year on a high.

    E! News has the exclusive first look at InStyle's the December 2016 issue, featuring the actress, producer and entrepreneur on its cover. Witherspoon—who next appears in Sing and HBO's upcoming miniseries Big Little Lies—has been working overtime this year, due in part to her clothing and lifestyle brand, Draper James. It can be overwhelming, at times—but it's worth it.

    "It's a new chapter for me starting a business, going around passing the hat, and promoting it all over the place. It's a different experience, but I'm enjoying learning something new," says Witherspoon, who debuted the line in 2015 and launched pop-up stores in 2016. "I've been acting for about 25 years, and I still love it, but I like the challenge of trying something else too."

    Witherspoon calls her own shots, in life and in business. And like her childhood idol Dolly Parton—who interviews her for the cover story—the Southern star is a steel magnolia. "I've learned, particularly when you're in a business for a long time, you need to treat people the way you want to be treated," Witherspoon says. "Because at the end of the day, you're going to be up, you're going to be down, but it's really about how you behaved. That's important to me."

    Cross the line and Witherspoon will make sure the person knows it. "I lose my temper only about once a year, but when I do, they usually deserve it," she tells InStyle. "Really deserve it."

    In those instances, Witherspoon reevaluates her relationships. "I've realized that life is too short to spend my time with anybody who doesn't appreciate me, treat me with respect or bring value to the relationship," she explains. "I'm much more confident now, and I feel like I have the ability to say, 'Nope, I don't want to work with that person.'"

    Witherspoon hopes her kids—Ava Phillippe, 17, Deacon Phillippe, 13, and Tennessee Toth, 4—will learn from her example.

    "My mom worked, and I think it's good for kids to see women working and being successful. I think it's going to make them hard workers because they see that I don't get much sleep. But I love what I do. I want them to grow up with passion," she says. "This is the one life you get, and you have to live it to the very end."

    For more from Witherspoon, pick up InStyle's December issue, on sale Friday, Nov. 11.

    Reese Witherspoon: My Kids Will Only Talk to Me Through Snapchat!

    Reese Witherspoon: Oscar-winning actress, lifestyle entrepreneur and embarrassing mom?!

    It's hard to fathom being anything but completely enamored by the vibrant star, but as she dished to Today Friday morning, not everyone picks up her phone calls.

    Take Witherspoon's two oldest kids for example, 17-year-old Ava Phillippe and Deacon Phillippe, who turns 13 this weekend. When talking to co-host Jenna Bush Hager about her love of Snapchat she explained, "I have two teenagers, and I've discovered that they will Snapchat me back, but they will not call me back. And I think it's important for people to communicate well with their children."

    Hey, whatever works! And just for the record, we'd drop all prior commitments to snap and call Reese back.

    But speaking of raising a teenager, the Draper James guru also revealed she often calls on her mini-me daughter with ex Ryan Phillippe for fashion advice.

    "I usually ask my daughter, my 17-year-old daughter, 'Does this look good?' and she'll be honest with me. She'll be like, 'No. You do not look good. You cannot wear that.' So I depend on her brutal honesty," Reese explained.

    Meanwhile, Witherspoon also recently gushed to E! News' Marc Malkin about how proud she is of her daughter.

    "She's just a sweetheart," she said. "And just a nice young woman who's turned out to have this huge heart and soul and, I'm just so proud of her."

    In 2012, Reese and hubby Jim Toth welcomed son Tennessee James. Just last year, Witherspoon told Today of her blended family, "My older kids are just so in love with their baby brother and help out so much. It's kind of like having this big extended family. We always talk about in our house, the more people that love you, the better your life is. So, I love it."

    Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman Get Murderous in Big Little Lies Trailer

    (Video) There are monsters underneath the beautiful surface in the first trailer for HBO’s limited series Big Little Lies, starring Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.

    The teaser begins with idyllic shots of the ocean and happily family times before revealing a deadly plot that plagues the characters played by Kidman, Witherspoon and The Secret Life of the American Teenager‘s Shailene Woodley.

    David E. Kelley penned the eight-episode adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s 2014 darkly comic novel about three mothers of kindergartners whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.

    The cast also includes Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), James Tupper (Revenge), Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation), Laura Dern (Enlightened) and Zoë Kravitz (Californication).

    Big Little Lies — directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Wild, Dallas Buyers Club) — premieres in 2017.

    Reese Witherspoon, Robin Wright & ‘Spotlight’ Producer Team For First Ladies TV Series Based On ‘First Women’ Book

    Reese Witherspoon’s Pacific Standard and Spotlight producer Anonymous Content are teaming to produce a timely TV series based on Kate Andersen Brower’s bestseller First Women: The Grace & Power Of America’s Modern First Ladies. It will be directed and executive produced Robin Wright, who plays a First Lady on TV on Netflix’s House Of Cards.

    The book, published April 12 by HarperCollins, is described as an intimate, news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama. Wright, who won a Golden Globe for her role as FLOTUS Claire Underwood on House Of Cards, is attached to direct the pilot. She executive produces, along with Pacific Standard’s Witherspoon, Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar, and Bruna Papandrea. Anonymous Content’s Ashley Zalta and Doreen Wilcox-Little are co-executive producers.

    A former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, is now the Democratic nominee with a shot at becoming the first female U.S. President.

    First Women author Brower is a former White House reporter for Bloomberg News who covered the Obama administration, as well as a former CBS News staffer and producer for Fox News.

    First Women: The Grace And Power Of America’s Modern First Ladies’ paperback edition will be published by Harper Perennial on January 24, 2017. Brower was repped in the deal by the Ross Yoon Agency and Hotchkiss & Associates.

    Open Road Going ‘Home Again’ With Reese Witherspoon Pic

    Open Road Films has scooped up North American rights to Home Again, a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon. Hallie Meyers-Shyer wrote and will make her feature directing debut with the film, which also stars Michael Sheen, Nat Wolff and Lake Bell. Production is set to begin in the fall for a planned release in Q4 2017.

    Witherspoon plays as a recently separated mother of two whose new life in Los Angeles is overturned when she decides to take in three young, charismatic guys who become part of her unconventional family. Nancy Meyers is producing alongside Black Bicycle Entertainment’s Erika Olde, who also financed the film. MadRiver is selling international rights.

    “Home Again is a funny and sparkling script that will be brought to life by the incomparable Reese Witherspoon,” Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg said in announcing the deal. “Nancy Meyers has brought audiences some of their all-time favorites and has a proven track record at the box office. We are proud to be in business with this family and the entire team.”

    Ortenberg and Open Road’s COO/General Counsel Elliott Kleinberg negotiated the deal, with CAA repping the filmmakers.

    Meyers-Shyer is repped by WME. Witherspoon, Meyers, Black Bicycle and Wolff are with CAA. Sheen is repped by ICM Partners and Bell by UTA.

    Why Reese Witherspoon Apologized to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry!

    Uh-oh! Is there trouble brewing between Reese Witherspoon and Taylor Swift and Katy Perry?

    Not really—but the Oscar winner felt she needed to do some apologizing to the music superstars because she actually performs "Shake It Off" and "Firework" in the upcoming animated flick Sing.

    Witherspoon is the voice of a pig that enters a singing competition while trying to raise 25 piglets.

    "I actually told both of them," Witherspoon said of Swift and Perry. "I saw them and said, 'Please don't hold it against me because I did the best I could.' I was like, 'I have really a lot of respect for how hard you girls work.'"

    I caught up with Witherspoon at the movie's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    She has nothing to worry about—her performance will leave Swift and Perry (and anyone who sees the movie, for that matter) smiling.

    Witherspoon's youngest son, Tennessee, has already seen clips of his mom's animated pig work.

    "I think he's just kind of stunned and sort of surprised by everything," the actress said of his reaction. "He's really excited to see the film. Obviously, it's right up his alley. He's four years old and it's the perfect time for him to see a movie like this."

    The star-studded cast also includes Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Kroll, Seth MacFarlane, Taron Egerton, Leslie Jones and John C. Reilly.

    Directed and written by Garth Jennings, Sing is in theaters on Dec. 21.

    Reese Witherspoon Is Bringing Elle Woods Back—But It's Not What You Think

    Reese Witherspoon is giving us a little bit of Elle Woods again.

    No, there's not going to be a Legally Blonde 3. The actress appeared on the Sing premiere red carpet at the Toronto Film Festival in a dramatic yet ultra-feminine beauty look, reminding us of her fictional days at Harvard.

    Think: dark-lined eyes and pink, sparkly lips. This time, though, Reese wasn't drawing from a character; her look was inspired by her off-the-shoulder Ulyana Sergeenko mini.

    "Reese Witherspoon is always such a blast and joy to create looks with," said makeup artist Molly R. Stern. "For her Sing premiere, we went with our recent obsession of ‘matchy-matchy' and pulled our color inspiration from her gorgeous dress designed by Ulyana Sergeenko."

    The Hollywood beauty maven was so kind to break down the look for us.

    Step 1: Apply EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation sparingly just to even out tone.

    Step 2: Using a neutral contouring blush, shade to enhance the hollows of the cheeks slightly. Then apply a pop of warmth to onto the apples using EX1 Blusher in Natural Flush.

    Step 3: Base your lids with Nars Dual Intensity Eye Shadow in Tan Lines. Then add a veil of pink using the center shade of Dior 5 Couleurs Skyline palette in #806 Capital of Light.

    Step 4: Create an outward-fused cat-eye shape using the metallic gray from the Dior palette. Add a metallic wash over the lid using Chantecaille Mermaid Eye Color in Starfish.

    Step 5: Intensify the lash and wet line using Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Desperation.

    Step 6: Curl lashes and coat with YSL mascara.

    Step 7: Finish off the look with Votre VU Drawmatic Lip Liner in Simmer with Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour in Shy. Then top it off with Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in 659.

    Think of this as Elle Woods, 2016 edition.

    ‘Gone Girl’ Producers Reese Witherspoon & Bruna Papandrea Parting

    Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea, who co-founded and co-ran the production company Pacific Standard that produced such hits as David Fincher’s Gone Girl and the Jean-Marc Vallee-directed Wild, are ending their long partnership.

    Papandrea will be leaving to start a new venture. Witherspoon will retain control of Pacific Standard, and the duo will continue to produce the projects they have in development together including Luckiest Girl Alive at Lionsgate/Summit, All Is Not Forgotten at Warner Bros, and Ashley’s War at Fox 2000. They also have the upcoming HBO mini Big Little Lies which stars Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Laura Dern. They also will continue to work together under Pacific Standard’s overall deal at ABC. At a time when books often get short shrift as source material, Witherspoon and Papandrea have shown they can be a gold mine and that emphasis put them on the ground floor of strong projects from Gone Girl to Wild and Big Little Lies.

    “I’m very proud of the projects that Bruna and I have produced together,” said Witherspoon. “Bruna is a hard-working, extremely talented producer. I’m happy to further collaborate with her on the strong slate of Pacific Standard properties.”

    Said Papandrea: “It’s been an amazing 5 years with Reese. I’m so proud of what the two of us have created together. She’s such a talented and inspiring producing partner and I’m really excited that we’ll continue to collaborate on our many terrific on-going projects.”

    Reese Witherspoon Says They're ''Thinking'' About Another Legally Blonde Sequel

    For all you Gemini vegetarians who have been waiting for your favorite lady clad in pink to take the screen again...you might just get your wish!

    Reese Witherspoon hosted a Facebook Live session on Thursday and opened up about her career among many other things, discussing some of her favorite moments of filming.

    While she said she loved working on Wild—which landed her an Oscar nomination a few years ago—she can't help but gush about her time playing Elle Woods.

    "[Picking a favorite movie] is like picking your favorite kid," she admitted. "But...I loved making Legally Blonde, because I love pink! It was really fun!"

    She added, "I got to wear all the amazing costumes. I also got to work with a dog every day...I'm obsessed with dogs. I love dogs!"

    In fact, Witherspoon joked that her favorite co-star of all-time was Bruiser, the little chihuahua from the film who unfortunately passed away in March.

    "He was just really sweet! I miss him, I really do," she smiled, before noting that she also adored the elephant in Water for Elephants. "She was amazing! She was great. Her name was Thai!"

    Now, going back to one of the most important tidbits from her Q&A, the actress hinted at a possible new sequel.

    "[Legally Blonde] was really fun," she said. "A lot of people have asked me if we're going to make another Legally Blonde, and we're thinking about it."

    Thinking about it, meaning there is definitely a glimmer of hope! And what better time to make it than now—in the midst of Hillary Clinton's run for president?!

    In fact, in 2015, Witherspoon joined Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe and admitted she thinks the "world is ready" for a Legally Blonde 3.

    "A lot of writers over the years have come up with different ideas for it," Witherspoon explained of the film, which saw its sequel, Red, White and Blonde, in 2003. "I actually think it's kind of great right now because we're talking about women in politics and how important that is to get more women. And I think it'd be kind of a cool thing to have her be a Supreme Court justice or someone who runs for office, like president!"

    There's also another one of her older films she'd really like to see make happen again.

    "We are not making a [Sweet Home Alabama] sequel that I know of," she said during her Facebook chat. "But if Disney wants to make a sequel, they can just call me: I would happily make Sweet Home Alabama 2."

    We'll take both, please!

    Reese Witherspoon & Nicole Kidman Reteam On Deal For Liane Moriarty Novel ‘Truly Madly Guilty’

    Reese Witherspoon and her Pacific Standard production banner have re-teamed with Nicole Kidman and her Blossom Films to option the film rights to best-selling novelist Liane Moriarty’s Truly Madly Guilty. Witherspoon and Kidman will produce with Pacific Standard’s Bruna Papandrea and Blossom’s Per Saari. The novel has topped the New York Times bestseller lists, and Witherspoon and Kidman’s companies are in postproduction on a limited series based on Moriarty’s Big Little Lies for HBO. The series was adapted by David E. Kelley and directed by Jean-Marc Vallee and stars Witherspoon, Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz and Alexander Skaarsgard.

    Through one fateful event, Truly Madly Guilty explores the most fundamental relationships —marriage, sex, parenthood and friendship — and how too often we don’t appreciate how extraordinary our ordinary lives are until it’s too late. The tale takes place over a weekend, among six adults and three cute kids. The Australian author wrote What Alice Forgot, Three Wishes, The Hypnotist’s Love Story and The Husband’s Secret, as well as a line of children’s books.

    Both companies have proved good at identifying and acquiring tastemaker material. Pacific Standard produced Wild, Gone Girl and Hot Pursuit and is percolating Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive at Lionsgate and Ashley’s War at Fox 2000. Blossom produced Rabbit Hole, The Family Fang and Monte Carlo and is adapting The Silent Wife, Reconstructing Amelia, and the off-Broadway vampire hit Cuddles.

    The author is repped by Jerry Kalajian of Intellectual Property Group and attorney Matt Sugarman on behalf of Fiona Inglis at Curtis Brown Australia and Faye Bender in the US. CAA reps both production companies, and Hansen, Jacobson reps Pacific Standard and attorney Alan Wertheimer reps Blossom.

    Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Is Her Mirror Image In Latest Instagram Post

    (Pic) It's like looking in a mirror!

    Reese Witherspoon enjoyed some quality time with her daughter Ava Elizabeth, 16, and an image of the pair on Instagram has us seeing double.

    "Mother daughter time," Witherspoon, 40, captioned the snap.

    In the photo the two blue-eyed blondes lean in as they smile for the selfie.

    Although the actress didn't specify where they're vacationing, she has shared multiple photos on her Instagram over the last few days that reveal she's on a tropical island getaway.

    This isn't the first time the mother-daughter duo could be taken for twins. In September, Witherspoon celebrated Ava's 16th birthday on Instagram and the photo the Wild star chose to share of the teenager proves the striking resemblance.

    In May of last year, Witherspoon shared another photo with Ava before the two took the red carpet for the Hot Pursuit premiere, and the like comparison was there again.

    Beyonce, other celebs express anguish over latest shootings

    The shooting deaths of two black men at the hands of police in the matter of days has led to an outcry nationwide, and celebrities were among those expressing their anguish in social media.

    Beyonce released one of the most powerful statements on the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile on her website on Thursday, praying for "an end to this plague of injustice in our communities." John Legend tweeted: "We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn't be shot by police during routine traffic stops."

    And rapper Macklemore called on other white people to react: "The systematic oppression that enables a murder like this, will be corrected once white people care enough to change it."

    Here are more responses from the celebrity world:

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    "We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities. It is up to us to take a stand and demand they 'stop killing us.' We don't need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives." — Beyonce in a long post on her website that includes links to contact Congress.

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    "The assault on the black body in this country is as American as apple pie. It is time for a #CallToAction. Let's prove #BlackLivesMatter." — Nate Parker, actor and director of the upcoming "The Birth of a Nation" film.

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    "My heart is broken for all of these suffering families. Something has to change. #AltonSterling #PhilandoCastile #StoptheViolence" — Reese Witherspoon on Twitter.

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    "In the interest of time, would ye noble patriots please provide a list of infractions punishable by spontaneous public execution? Thanks! ... Upon receipt of this list, we'll return to our quarters and study up, eager to enjoy freedoms of white mass murders. #LIFEHACK" — Actor Jesse Williams, on Twitter.

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    "This is what lynchings look like in 2016! Another murder in the streets because the color of a man's skin, at the hands of the people who they say will protect us. When will they be held accountable? or did he fear for his life as he executed this man?" — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, on Instagram.

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    "Don't forget to set your clocks back 300 years tonight." — A meme posted by Questlove of The Roots on Instagram.

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    "This is not acceptable. One more life taken. One more family heartbroken. Another fatherless child. Accountability. #PhilandoCastile" — Susan Sarandon on Twitter.

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    "I can't keep calm I have a black son." — A meme posted by actress Niecy Nash.

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    "I would say good morning but it's not. Bs like this keeps happening. This is sickening. When will it end?" — San Francisco 49ers player Torrey Smith.

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    "Yo man, something's gotta give, bro, it just has to. ... We're getting killed every day. ... This (expletive) is (expletive) horrible, and it needs to (expletive) stop." — Singer Chris Brown, in an Instagram video.

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    "And now I come home to this??????? !!!YES!!!!! We all NEED to see this OVER and OVER ... because it's REAL...And it's happening NOW!!!! I'm sad and sadly not shocked. The gig is up and we need to fix it!!! My prayers to this man's family." — "Empire" producer Lee Daniels, posting a video of the Alton Sterling killing.

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    "Ppl have the ability to be outraged about failing to see the humanity of a GORILLA, but magically don't have the ability to see our worth." — Actress Gabrielle Union, on Twitter.

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    "Perhaps if we witness enough tragedy we will reflect on our shortcomings & make decisive change. #PhilandoCastile" — Actor Adrian Grenier on Twitter.

    ___

    In London I have to wake up to this. He was black. Shot 4 times? When will something be done- no REALLY be done?!?! — Serena Williams, after the Castile shooting, on Twitter.

    Inside Reese Witherspoon’s Style Empire: The Totes That Make Her Hug Strangers, Being a Boss, and More

    Not many people get to celebrate two birthdays in one year, but our reigning Best Dressed Woman, Reese Witherspoon not only turned 40 in March, but her fashion and lifestyle brand Draper James celebrated one year in business on May 5. And the star and her team haven’t slowed down since the launch. “We’re just always working, working, working,” Witherspoon tells PeopleStyle in this week’s issue. “If I’m in L.A., I’m on Skype. If I’m in New York, I’m at the offices. When I’m in Nashville, I’m at the store. It’s busy, but it’s so great. You make mistakes, and then you correct yourself.”

    Since in getting into fashion, she’s learned how to stay in her lane. “It’s important to not be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know how to do that.’ Sometimes an idea doesn’t work. Sometimes things don’t sell when we thought they were going to. But then, we had no idea that we were going to sell 3,000 “Totes Y’all” bags in a year,” she says. “One of the greatest and most exciting things happened when I was on vacation in Florida, and I saw a woman walk down the street with one those bags. I stopped her and hugged her!”

    In addition to Draper James, Witherspoon has a production company, Pacific Standard, which she founded in 2012. And there are some similarities between both businesses. “I’ve been working collaboratively with other artists all my life,” she says. “When you’re on movies, you’re talking to writers and directors trying to shape the story and characters. In Draper James meetings, we try to connect a story to a product. We create things that remind us of our southern upbringings and want everything we put out there to bring you joy and be something you’ll have forever.”

    She thinks DJ has excelled in a few areas. “Anything that had a southern saying on it people really responded to,” she says, “Like the coasters and mugs with sayings on them, and the ‘Tell me something good’ cocktail napkins.” She’s also seeing success with dresses. “I feel like we really nailed a certain silhouette,” she says.

    Witherspoon has also nailed the idea that each of her brands should empower women; Draper James works with Girls Inc., and Pacific Standard aims to create more narratives and jobs for women in the film industry. “I definitely think that strength coexists with femininity and [being strong] doesn’t mean you can’t be girlie,” she says. “I’m really trying to help push that within my own industry, and it’s fun! I mean, part of the reason I did Legally Blonde was because I loved the idea of this character who loved to dress up and have her nails done, but she also wanted to be taken seriously and was a really hard worker. I think most women feel that way. Just because you’re a woman in a position of power doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate being a woman.”

    What Reese Witherspoon Won't Wear Now That She's 40

    PeopleStyle’s reigning Best Dressed Woman in the World, Reese Witherspoon, just reached a major milestone with her fashion business: Draper James turned one year old on May 5th. She also celebrated her 40th birthday in March. And though not much has changed as far as her always-stellar street style, she just might’ve had a change of heart about sharing her designer duds with her 16-year-old daughter, Ava. Last July, she told us that Ava has free reign over her closet. “She and I just swap clothes,” she said at the time. But it seems like some things have changed!

    “I have a rule that if my teenage daughter is wearing it, I’m not supposed to be wearing it. Ava and I can go through an entire magazine and be like, ‘That’s for you, and that’s for me!'” she tells PeopleStyle in this week’s issue. “Like, some women love to wear cutoff shorts and look really good in them, but I like a polished, tailored short. I feel like I am too old to be wearing cutoffs at this point … It probably does have to do with my age.” And she’s very steadfast on her anti-cutoff stance: She has said before that no matter how boho trends get, she steers clear of them. “They’re just not my personal style,” she told us last summer.

    But that doesn’t mean she steers clear of the silhouette entirely. “I like a high-rise short,” she says. “They remind me of the ’60s. I’ve put inspiration photos on my Instagram of girls in the ’60s walking around in their high-waisted shorts. I think they are so cute.”

    Witherspoon’s daughter Ava does take risks when it comes to her personal style: She’s experimented with her hair color (it’s been blue and now it’s pink!) and she really embraced Coachella’s hippie-chic vibe this past April.

    Says Witherspoon of her Ava and her friends’ festival style, “They looked so cute! But no, nothing her and her friends wear is right for me. It’s great to see them having so much fun with fashion. They will always remember these times. They wear big sunglasses and things they wouldn’t normally wear, and it’s great to see them expressing themselves. I remember growing up in Nashville, we used to go to country concerts in the summer and it was so fun to dress up for festivals. It’s a rite of passage for sure.”

    For more on the star’s style advice, plus all the scoop on how she runs her business Draper James, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on stands everywhere Friday.

    Reese Witherspoon Welcomes Frenchie to Her Family

    (Pic) Reese Witherspoon's wolf pack is growing.

    One of 2016 PEOPLE's Most Beautiful Women, it makes sense this stunning actress welcomed an equally gorgeous dog into her family.

    On Monday, Witherspoon, 40, posted a photo of a blue-grey Frenchie with a small smile and introduced the pup as her new dog.

    “Introducing Pepper! Welcome to the Family,” Witherspoon wrote in the post.

    Pepper is joining cutie LouAnn, a bull terrier the actress adopted in 2015. Sadly it hasn't been all good dog news for Witherspoon this year. In March, it was announced that Moonie the chihuahua who played the pup companion and accessory of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde passed away.

    Kristen Wiig Joins Matt Damon In Alexander Payne’s ‘Downsizing’ After Reese Witherspoon Exit

    Alexander Payne is setting Kristen Wiig to star with Matt Damon in Downsizing for Paramount Pictures. The lead role was originally to be played by Payne’s Election star Reese Witherspoon, but she has had to withdraw over scheduling. He then locked Wiig, the former standout Saturday Night Live performer who followed Bridesmaids with The Skeleton Twins, with the Paul Feig-directed Ghostbusters coming July 15.

    Christoph Waltz and Hong Chau are also set in a film that will start production in the spring. It’s Payne’s third film for Paramount, where he most recently directed the Oscar-nominated Nebraska. Downsizing tells the story of an Omaha man who joins the throngs of people undergoing a new process that reduces people to a tiny fraction of their size and who moves to one of the many communities of small people that are sprouting up around the world.

    Payne is producing with Mark Johnson. Wiig is repped by UTA and attorney Karl Austen.

    Reese Witherspoon Celebrates Five Years with 'Sweet Husband' Jim Toth

    It's been a March of joyous celebrations for Reese Witherspoon.

    One week after her star-studded 40th birthday bash – not to mention a birthday dinner with Nicole Kidman – Witherspoon took to Instagram Saturday to celebrate her wedding anniversary to Jim Toth.

    Or as she put it with a simple hashtag: "#5years."

    "Happy anniversary to my sweet husband! I love you, JT!" Witherspoon wrote with the photo, a black-and-white image of the two, their clasped hands at the center.

    The couple, who share a 3-year-old son, Tennessee, "very much complement each other," a Witherspoon source told PEOPLE last week.

    "Since marrying Jim, Reese is transformed," the source said. "Even now, she often gets giddy when she talks about him."

    "Jim is a great dad, stepdad and husband," the source said. "He is her rock."

    Reese Witherspoon celebrates birthday with BFF Nicole Kidman

    (Pic) Forty, flirty and thriving.

    Following her star-studded birthday bash on Saturday, Reese Witherspoon continued the celebration on her actual birthday, March 22, with an intimate dinner with friends, which included Nicole Kidman.

    “This is 40 … I am one lucky gal,” she shared on Instagram.

    The low-key festivities were a far cry from the nearly 200 guests who partied with Witherspoon at the Warwick in LA until 1 a.m. over the weekend.

    Joined by husband James Toth, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Robert Downey Jr., among others, capped off the swanky soiree with performances from Kidman’s husband, Keith Urban, and special guest Taylor Swift.

    “Although there were lots of big names, the party felt fun, relaxed and natural,” a guest told Page Six. “She looked like she had the time of her life.”

    Reese Witherspoon’s A-list birthday bash rages on until 1 AM

    Reese Witherspoon certainly has no shortage of famous friends.

    The actress was joined by a who’s who list of nearly 200 industry A-listers as she rang in her 40th birthday Saturday with a party at the Warwick in LA.

    Giving a nod to Witherspoon’s native New Orleans, décor for the bash was Mardi Gras-inspired with beads and plants hanging from the ledges and elevated areas of JT Torregiani and Sylvain Bitton’s Hollywood hotspot.

    Guests included the actress’ husband, James Toth, and pals Robert Downey, Jr., Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Martin, Nicole Kidman, Jason Bateman, Tobey Maguire, Chelsea Handler, Kate Hudson and Courtney Cox – to name a few.

    “Although there were lots of big names, the party felt fun, relaxed and natural,” a guest told Page Six. “Casamigos provided tequila shots throughout the night to keep the party going.”

    Family and friends toasted the “Legally Blonde” star with touching speeches before Keith Urban took the stage for a special performance dedicated to the mother-of-three.

    “The whole room shifted to the stage to watch Keith’s set,” explained the guest. “About an hour into the performance Taylor Swift got up and played ‘Shake It Off,’ which basically kicked off a dance party for the rest of the night.”

    Witherspoon — whose actual birthday is March 22 — was a constant fixture on the dance floor until the elite affair ended at 1 a.m.

    “She looked like she had the time of her life,” added the source.

    What Reese Witherspoon Really Thinks About Turning 40

    On March 22, Reese Witherspoon will turn 40 – but she's far from nervous about the big birthday.

    "Reese enjoys getting older," a source tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "She feels much more confident than she did a few years ago."

    Late last month, Witherspoon started the festivities with a trip to Mexico with friends, and as her birthday approaches, Witherspoon will be ringing in her big day with celebrations in Nashville and L.A.

    It's a milestone that the Oscar-winning actress is welcoming with open arms.

    "Some women might feel nervous about turning 40, but Reese is not one of them," says the source. "She is in such a good place and couldn't wish for anything else."

    How Reese Witherspoon's Five-Year Marriage to Jim Toth 'Transformed Her,' Says Source

    Reese Witherspoon has never seemed happier.

    One reason for her joy? She'll be celebrating the fifth anniversary of her happy marriage to husband Jim Toth on March 26.

    "Since marrying Jim, Reese is transformed," a source close to the actress who turns 40 next Tuesday tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "Even now, she often gets giddy when she talks about him. They very much complement each other."

    The source also adds that Toth, 45, is a great dad to the couple's 3-year-old son, Tennessee, and her two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, 16-year-old Ava and 12-year-old Deacon.

    "Jim is a great dad, stepdad and husband," says the source. "He is her rock."

    Why You Need to Be Watching Reese Witherspoon's Southern Guide Videos

    (Video1, Video2) Every once in awhile, the Universe offers up a special gift. And it's up to us, the mortals, to be willing to receive it. Today's celestial offering is a new video series from Reese Witherspoon's company Draper James.

    The videos—née, works of art!—are called "A Southern Guide To..." and they reflect the very essence of what it means to be a Southern belle, wrapped from head to toe in seersucker and good manners, the very essence of Reese Witherspoon. Like everything else stemming from Draper James—sensible tea dresses, farmers market bags emblazoned with phrases like "Totes, y'all" and "Gone Shoppin'," and articles such as "Here's What to Serve at a Whiskey Tasting"—these films are meant to subtly educate we northerners (read: bumbling non-mannered people) on what it means to be from below the Mason/Dixon line.

    It is but a young video series, with the second installment hitting the airwaves today, but my what knowledge it hath wrought. The first lesson was called "A Southern Guide to Movie Quotes with Reese Witherspoon," and thank heavens for it, because it made us realize that we have been saying our catch phrases wrong this entire time!

    Our silly northern mouths have been saying "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" instead of "I'm gonna make him a cornbread he can't refuse." And "Say hello to my little friend" instead of "Say hey y'all to my little friend." We're so dumb and not Southern.

    The second installment, out today, is called "Thoughts From a Wicker Chair." Let the deep-ness wash over you.

    What this video teaches us is exactly that: How to think while sitting in a wicker chair. For this you will need several things. First, a wicker chair. Then, an adorable wrap-around porch, preferably one that overlooks a patch of ivy. And finally, you'll need Reese Witherspoon's accent, perfect blowout, and overwhelming charm.

    Now, once you've gathered all your supplies, you will sit your adorable self in your wicker chair, sip on a Pinterest-perfect iced tea, and say things like "There's a lot of celebrities from the south" and "Madonna is from the south of Detroit, I'm pretty sure."

    There you have it, you have become a Southern belle!

    Reese Witherspoon Sued: She's a Common Magnolia Thief!

    (Pic) Reese Witherspoon's logo for her popular clothing and jewelry line is a dead ringer for a piece of jewelry designed several years before hers ... according to a new lawsuit.

    Jordann Weingartner says she created in 2008, and got a copyright for a "distinctive six-pointed floral design" which she called Magnolia. In her lawsuit, Weingartner points out her jewelry is a hot-seller in stores and online ... and in multiple states including Florida, New York, Texas, and California.

    Then along comes Reese in 2015, rolling out a magnolia design for her Draper James line, according to the docs. Weingartner says Reese's version is a total knockoff of hers and confuses the marketplace.

    She's suing to get a cut of Reese's profits and to get her Draper James Magnolia yanked from stores ... like an annoying weed.

    Reese Witherspoon Leads the Applause for Taylor Swift

    Taylor Swift's legendary squad immediately took to social media after the singer's epic Grammys win on Monday, espousing praise for their "Fearless" leader.

    Leading the charge was Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, who applauded Swift's pointed album of the year acceptance speech, during which she seemingly responded to Kanye West's claims that he was responsible for her fame.

    "Loved your amazing words!" Witherspoon Tweeted. "Keep encouraging all those young women to write their stories [and] sing their songs #Grammys."

    The first woman to ever nab the album of the year twice, Swift – who also won best music video and best pop vocal album Grammys – told the audience:

    "There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. If you just focus on the work, and you don't let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you're going, you'll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."

    Several of Swift's other regular pals took to social media to praise her wins and speech.

    "Congratulations @taylorswift13 first you looked amazing, second you performed like a queen and you ended with an on point speech," Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose posted on Twitter.

    And several of Swift's "Bad Blood" music video costars also chimed in to express their mad love.

    "MY HEART. I love you Taylor," Hailee Steinfeld Tweeted; Serayah wrote, "You slayed this entire year"; and Mariska Hargitay – whose Law & Order: SVU character is one of Swift's cat's namesakes – shared, "@taylorswift13 is a #talent and a #treasure. You deserve every success #Go1989."

    And famous fans like Maria Shriver, Angie Harmon and Uzo Aduba also sent public commendations and congratulations.

    And Jaime King, whose youngest is Swift's godson, chimed in on Instagram, writing, "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! I AM SO PROUD AND GRATEFUL!!!!! First woman @taylorswift to win Album of the Year TWICE!!! And to all of the producers and everyone who worked on 1989!!!!"

    After the show came to an end, Swift celebrated her win with boyfriend Calvin Harris, Lorde, Ellie Goulding and Jack Antonoff at the Republic Records afterparty in Los Angeles.

    ‘Sing’ Teaser

    ‘Sing’ Teaser: McConaughey, Witherspoon, Johansson & MacFarlane Play ‘Animal Idol’: Video.

    Reese Witherspoon Bemoans Being Offered Girlfriend Role in 'Dumb Comedy' That Eventually Starred Two Oscar Winners

    Even some of Hollywood's top leading ladies have to draw the line somewhere.

    In Entertainment Weekly's Beyond Beautiful issue, Reese Witherspoon revealed the day she decided to stop chasing "awful roles" and become more selective about the movies she makes – even if that meant making fewer movies.

    "About four years ago I got sent an awful terrible script," she explained. "And this male star was starring in it, and there was a girlfriend part. And I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me. No, I'm not interested.' "

    Without naming the movie, the actress, 39, goes on to explain that the filmmakers tried to pursue her by telling her that "three Oscar winners and two huge box office leading ladies" were also going for the role.

    But instead of motivating her to take the part, it opened Witherspoon's eyes to a more alarming problem for women in Hollywood.

    "I thought, 'Oh, that's where we're at? You're fighting to be the girlfriend in a dumb comedy? For what?' "

    "And by the way, two Oscar winners did it," she added.

    In the special issue, Witherspoon joined Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Banks and Eva Longoria for a candid conversation about the woman's place in the film industry.

    While Longoria, 40, discussed the problems of tabloid gossip, Banks and Washington touched on other challenges women face.

    Washington, 39, said she believes that women feel an immense amount of "pressure to be extraordinary," adding, "You just know, you have to be twice as good. In a way, until girls don't have that feeling, we will not have done our jobs."

    Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Elizabeth Banks Join Forces to Fight Sexism in Hollywood

    (Cover) Ever wondered what Hollywood's most fabulous women discuss when they get together for a casual wine and cheese night?

    Thanks to Entertainment Weekly's "Beyond Beautiful" issue, we now get the chance to be a fly on the wall during a particularly candid conversation between Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Elizabeth Banks on all things women in the entertainment industry.

    The powerhouse actresses, who also appear together on the mag's cover, swap stories and hatch plans for further world domination (well not really, but they might as well be).

    On the pressures women face, Washington likened her experience to one felt by all minorities in the industry.

    "It's this idea you have to be twice as good to get half of what they have," the Scandal star explained. "It's something that most black people I talk to, when they heard that line, it completely resonated with how they were raised and the messaged their parents gave them."

    The outspoken star believes "the pressure to be extraordinary," is the "same for women," adding, "You just know, you have to be twice as good. In a way, until girls don't have that feeling, we will not have done our jobs."

    Banks echoed Kerry's statements as well, recalling feelings of being "underused" when she first set out to act. "I'm competitive naturally as a human being. And suddenly I was in an industry that said, 'You can just sit over there and wait and we'll call you,' the Pitch Perfect 2 director revealed.

    But even decades after establishing a successful career, Witherspoon expressed she still encounters "awful, terrible" scripts that place female characters on the back burner.

    Offering one alarming example, the Oscar winner says after turning down a part, "[The filmmakers] said, 'Well this actress is chasing it, that actress is chasing it: three Oscar winners and two huge box office leading ladies.' And I thought, 'Oh, that's where we're at? You're fighting to be the girlfriend in a dumb comedy? For what?' And by the way, two Oscar winners did it."

    As for any changes these leading ladies hope to see for women in the future?

    In reference to events celebrating women in Hollywood, Washington believes, "It'll be so exciting when we don't have to do this because we're just equal players at the table."

    For more, check out this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly on newsstands Feb. 5.

    ABC Picks Up Kevin Williamson’s ‘Time After Time’; Reese Witherspoon, Fazekas/Butters, Sander/Moses Dramas

    ABC is jumping into the time-travel craze this season with a pilot green light to Kevin Williamson’s Time After Time. It is one of several drama orders by the network today, including pilot pickups for the untitled Meaghan Oppenheimer project (formerly Please Don’t Go), produced by Reese Witherspoon; and The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez, from writer Charise Castro Smith and producers Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters; as well as pilot presentation order for Spark (formerly Power), from writer Michael Cooney and producers Ian Sander & Kim Moses. Additionally, ABC is finalizing a pilot order for drama Notorious, based on Mark Geragos, from Josh Berman and The Firm, which should come later this afternoon.

    Time After Time, written/exec produced by Williamson based on the 1979 novel by Karl Alexander, chronicles the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells and his Time Machine using the book and its feature adaptation as a starting point. The studio behind the project, Warner Bros. TV, had been high on it, making “if come” deals with casting directors in the event that it was picked up.

    Time After Time is the latest high-profile time-travel project to get a pilot order this season, joining NBC drama Time, from Shawn Ryan & Eric Kripke, and Fox comedy from Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Julius Sharpe. (Additionally, the CW has new time-travel superhero drama series Legends of Tomorrow).

    The Meaghan Oppenheimer project, which the We Are Your Friends scribe wrote, follows the personal and professional life of a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas, which begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets. Witherspoon executive produces alongside her producing partner at Pacific Standard, Bruna Papandrea. Oppenheimer co-executive produces. ABC Studios is the studio.

    The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez, written by Cuban-American playwright Charise Castro Smith, is described as a sexy revenge drama with a supernatural twist and as MacBeth with a Cuban twist. It centers on Eva Sofia Valdez, an immigrant who rose from rags to riches and is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream. Marvel’s Agent Carter executive producers/showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters executive produce alongside Castro Smith. ABC Studios, where Fazekas and Butters are based, is the studio.

    Spark is described as a lavish primetime genre soap of passion, greed and hope in a Steampunk reality circa 2016. Set in an alternate history where gas and coal fuel the world, the drama centers on the battle for power between two rival families and a rebellious young woman with a spark of invention that could level both their empires. Michael Cooney (Identity) wrote the script and will executive produce with Sander and Moses. This is a re-teaming of Cooney and Sander/Moses whose drama Runner went to pilot at ABC last year, landing Paula Patton for the lead.

    Reese Witherspoon Joins Conversation on Oscars Controversy: 'I Would Love to See a More Diverse Voting Membership'

    Reese Witherspoon is adding her name to the growing list of celebs who have commented on this year's Oscars controversy.

    On Thursday, the actress shared her thoughts on the nominations in a thoughtful Facebook post.

    "I really appreciated this article in Time on the lack of racial and gender diversity in this year's Oscar nominations," Witherspoon, 39, said. "So disappointed that some of 2015's best films, filmmakers and performances were not recognized.

    "Nothing can diminish the quality of their work, but these filmmakers deserve recognition. As an Academy member, I would love to see a more diverse voting membership."

    Days after the Oscars became a hot topic, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs released an official statement regarding the lack of diversity in this year's nominations.

    "I'd like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year's nominees. While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion," she wrote. "This is a difficult but important conversation, and it's time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership."

    While the Wild star did not reveal whether or not she'll be joining Jada Pinkett Smith's boycott, she's been a vocal advocate for diversity in Hollywood, even opening her own production company, Pacific Standard, to provide more leading roles to women.

    "I think it was literally one studio that had a project for a female lead over 30," the actress told Variety about the inspiration for her company. "And I thought to myself, 'I've got to get busy.' My daughter was 13, and I wanted her to see movies with female leads and heroes and life stories."

    When Reese Met Meg: Rom-Com Icons Witherspoon and Ryan Are Actually Friends

    (Pic) Romantic-comedy royalty united in Beverly Hills on Wednesday.

    Reese Witherspoon and Meg Ryan were spotted smiling and chatting as they left an office building together.

    Oscar winner Witherspoon, 39, was dressed in her usual preppy style, donning a blazer and a bow-patterned sweater with denim and pink pumps. The Hot Pursuit star carried a handful of pretty patterned dresses that looked a lot like the blonde's Draper James line.

    The 54-year-old Ryan looked casual behind her tinted frames, wearing oversize black trousers and a black shirt with boots.

    Ryan, who recently directed her first movie, Ithaca, has been outspoken recently about aging in Hollywood, telling Porter in December that she loves her age.

    "I love my life right now. I love what I know about. I love the person I've become, the one I've evolved into," she explained, adding, "There are more important conversations than how women look and how they are aging."

    Reese Witherspoon on Turning 40 and the Biggest Lesson She's Learned With Age

    Reese Witherspoon will ring in her 40th birthday in March, and while that number may frighten some people, the actress can't wait to celebrate the milestone.

    In chatting with Harper's Bazaar magazine for their February issue, Witherspoon dishes on her big plans for her special day.

    "You know, live music, eating, kids [with friends and family in Nashville]," she says. "I wanted to hike Machu Picchu. But then I was like, ‘Wait, I did enough hiking last year.' I'm done with hiking for a minute."

    But in more than just the material celebrations of her birthday, the blonde beauty is excited to revel in how far she's grown emotionally over the years.

    "I'm much more open now," she tells the publication. "In my 20s, I was scared of everything. I didn't know what my career was. I didn't know why people liked my movies. I was wary of interacting with people. I was 25 when Legally Blonde came out, 26 for Sweet Home Alabama, and 29 for Walk the Line. And I was scared, really scared."

    She continues, "Now I feel like a different person. It's a great thing getting older. You are who you are; you say what you mean."

    Part of the woman she's become includes being a mother to three children—Ava, Deacon and Tennessee—a wife to Jim Toth, a business owner, a producer and a highly sought after actress. So what does she do when she has a minute to relax in between all of that?

    "You know what I like to do? Reorganize bookshelves and my sock drawer," she laughs. "[My husband] Jim's like, 'What have you been doing for four hours in your closet?' I'm like, 'Um, reorganizing my underwear?'" LOL!

    Read Witherspoon's full interview in Harper's Bazaar.

    Reese Witherspoon Rang in the New Year with Some Tropical Family Fun

    (Pic1, Pic2, Pic3, Pic4) It’s family first for Reese Witherspoon in 2016.

    The actress, who is mom to daughter Ava, 16, and sons Tennessee, 3, and Deacon, 12, had her main “crew” by her side to kick off the new year in an enviable tropical location.

    Witherspoon, who shared a variety of photos from the trip during the nearly week-long vacation, announced her sun-soaked arrival last Tuesday.

    “#MadeIt… Vacation mode starts now,” she wrote.

    The Oscar winner also posted an image of a gorgeous sunrise over the ocean with “2016” drawn into the sand.

    “Looking good so far,” she captioned.

    Witherspoon spent her “last day of vacation” in the pool with her and husband Jim Toth‘s adorable toddler on Sunday.

    Wearing a polka dot one-piece and shades, Witherspoon beamed while Tennessee held tight to a flamingo floatie.

    It appears the little boy already has his mother’s preppy fashion sensibility — his tiny trunks perfectly matched the pool toy!

    ABC Developing Reese Witherspoon-Produced Drama ‘Please Don’t Go’

    ABC has put in development Please Don’t Go, an hourlong drama from We Are Your Friends scribe Meaghan Oppenheimer. Reese Witherspoon will executive produce with her producing partner at Pacific Standard, Bruna Papandrea.

    Created/written by Oppenheimer, Please Don’t Go follows the personal and professional life of a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas. Raised in the trailer parks of Texas, she has left behind a life of struggle amid squalor, working her way into a corner office and mansion in Dallas’s most prestigious neighborhood. But beneath her facade of togetherness, she’s plagued by self-destructive tendencies and long hidden family secrets that begin to unravel her life. ABC Studios is the studio.

    Oppenheimer, repped by CAA, Management 360 and attorney Morris Yorn, is currently writing feature Kelly Jackson for Temple Hill and Fox 2000 . Her other writing credits include We Are Your Friends for Warner Bros. and Working Title and AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead.

    Witherspoon and Papandrea’s Pacific Standard also is exec producing Tiny Beautiful Things, a drama project in development at HBO, based on Cheryl Strayed’s book.

    Reese Witherspoon and Lena Dunham Are All Smiles During Lunch Date in L.A.

    (Pic) Girls' day out!

    Reese Witherspoon and Lena Dunham were spotted grabbing lunch together at A.O.C. Restaurant in Los Angeles on Monday – and from the looks of it, they had a great time.

    The pals were all smiles while walking side by side as they left the restaurant.

    The Legally Blonde actress, 39, kept to her signature southern style for the midday get together, wearing clothing from her new clothing line, Draper James.

    Dunham also dressed with a classic flare, wearing jeans with a floral shirt and black blazer on top. The Girls star, 29, kept her hair pulled back out of her face for the afternoon and looked to be wearing very little makeup.

    This isn't the first time Witherspoon and Dunham have been seen hanging out together. In September, the two met for a lunch meeting with Dunham's writing partner, Jenni Konner, immediately sparking rumors that the group might be working on a new project together.

    While neither of them have given any hint as to what they could be collaborating on, Dunham has been vocal about wanting to work with the actress in the past.

    "I love Reese and the idea of working with her. We're friends and I adore her, but she's never outright asked," Dunham told Howard Stern while appearing on his radio show last year. "But now I'm going to use this as an entree."

    After her interview, Witherspoon tweeted Dunham, saying she'd be more than willing to work with her.

    "Hey @lenadunham all I gotta say is you write the script and I'm there girl! #Seriouslytho," wrote Witherspoon, who recently teamed up again with Wild author Cheryl Strayed and costar Laura Dern for an upcoming HBO series based on Strayed's "Dear Sugar" advice column.

    Perhaps Dunham really did write that script? We'll have to wait and see.

    The Obamas, Reese Witherspoon and Miss Piggy Kick Off Holiday Season at Star-Studded National Christmas Tree Lighting

    (Pic, Pic2) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White House.

    The First Family officially kicked off the holiday season by lighting the National Christmas Tree on the White House Ellipse on Thursday. The star-studded ceremony was hosted by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon and featured performances from David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, as well as Fall Out Boy, Andra Day, Aloe Blacc and more.

    President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, their daughters, Malia and Sasha, and Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson, all took the stage together at the 93rd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting.

    "Happy holidays to Reese and everyone here tonight and everyone watching at home," the president said.

    After leading the crowd in a countdown, the Obamas lit the tree together. "Merry Christmas, everybody," Obama said.

    The festive event also featured performances from Scandal's Bellamy Young, Kelsea Ballerini, Tori Kelly, Trombone Shorty, the Joyous String Ensemble and the United States Coast Guard Band.

    Another guest of honor was none other than Miss Piggy, who, after trying unsuccessfully to steal Witherspoon's hosting gig, read the famous poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas along with the First Lady.

    >"You look fabulous," Miss Piggy told Michelle. "Almost as fabulous as moi."

    Reese Witherspoon to host National Christmas Tree lighting

    Actress Reese Witherspoon will host the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree.

    Witherspoon was announced Tuesday as the headliner of Thursday's lighting ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House. The National Park Service also announced that actress and singer Bellamy Young, who appears on the ABC series "Scandal," will appear.

    Also scheduled to perform are Crosby, Stills and Nash; Fall Out Boy; Trombone Shorty; Andra Day; and Miss Piggy of "The Muppets," among others.

    Witherspoon won an Academy Award for her performance in "Walk the Line." Her other credits include "Legally Blonde" and "Wild."

    President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree tradition in 1923.

    Matthew Aldrich To Adapt ‘Opening Belle’ Pic For Reese Witherspoon & Warner Bros

    Scribe Matthew Aldrich has been tapped to pen the adaptation of Opening Belle, the potential Reese Witherspoon-starrer at Warner Bros. The pic is based on Maureen Sherry Kinsky’s upcoming novel about a mother of three trying to balance home life with her Wall Street career during the year before the financial meltdown. Witherspoon and her Pacific Standard partner Bruna Papandrea are set to produce.

    Pacific Standard made the deal in July for Klinsky’s book, which is due out in February from Simon & Schuster. The novel is based loosely on her experiences as a managing director at Bear Stearns.

    Chantal Nong and Julia Spiro are overseeing the project for Warner Bros.

    Aldrich had Black List scripts in back-to-back years with The Ballad Of Pablo Escobar and before that Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery And Eskimo Kisses. Warner Bros acquired that spec too in a heated 2011 auction and had Matt Damon circling to star in and direct the story of a man who goes on the lam with his daughter, his accomplice, on a three-state crime spree.

    Aldrich is repped by WME and manager Jewerl Ross.

    Reese Witherspoon's Thanksgiving 'Food Coma' Is Way Too Cute

    () Reese Witherspoon is all turkey-d out.

    The Oscar-winner embraced her post-Thanksgiving "food coma" on Friday in a cute new photo.

    Looking effortlessly chic in just a pair of pjs, Witherspoon covered her face in assumed exhaustion as she held tight to a gingham mug (from her own line, Draper James) of a tasty warm beverage.

    Despite a day of stuffing herself with stuffing, Witherspoon's manicure was still intact and her blonde hair looked perfectly coiffed in the Instagram snap.

    "Day after #Thanksgiving #foodcoma got me like....." Witherspoon wrote. "Anyone else??!!"

    Witherspoon's Draper James is a clothing, accessories and home goods line, all inspired by the star's own Southern roots.

    The brand also played into Witherspoon's celebrations on turkey day, as her table featured items from the store's home accessories line.

    The Wild star's perfectly set Thanksgiving table included bronze pinecones and acorns, and powder blue place cards with sweet sayings from Draper James.

    "#HappyThanksgivingYall #LetsEat #SoMuchToBeThankfulFor," she wrote on the photo sharing site Thursday.

    A mother of three, Witherspoon wrote she is "thankful" for her brood, among other things.

    "I am thankful for all the good people I meet every day," she shared, also on Instagram. "I am thankful for my kids, my family and my friends that feel like family. I am thankful for nature and the world around me and all of my blessings. I am thankful for all of you."

    Guess Who Helped Reese Witherspoon Write Her Speech for Glamour's Women of the Year Awards

    While Reese Witherspoon has accepted her fair share of honors—including an Oscar and a Golden Globe—she asked for a little help when it came time to prepare for Glamour's 25th annual Women of the Year Awards.

    On the red carpet at the black-tie event yesterday, the 39-year-old mom of three told E! News that 16-year-old daughter Ava Phillippe provided some feedback while Witherspoon was repeatedly reviewing her remarks for the evening.

    "They've had to listen to my speech over and over and over again because I practice through my audience and my daughter helped me tweak my speech," the actress divulged. "She's a very beautiful writer, so she was like 'Mom, I don't like how it ends.' She was very helpful."

    While the mother and daughter are so much alike in the looks department, there are certain things they still can't agree on. Ava may have offered constructive criticism on Witherspoon's speech, but there's one activity of mom's she simply can't get behind.

    "She doesn't like my hash-tagging," Witherspoon revealed. (So it turns out celebs can embarrass their kids as much as any parent can.)

    And when the spotlight beckoned, Witherspoon confidently took the podium Monday night to discuss the evolution of her new production company, Pacific Standard, and what inspired her to develop it after decades in front of the camera. Hint: her focus involved empowering women.

    "I dread reading scripts that have no women involved in their creation because inevitably I get to that part where the girl turns to the guy, and she says, 'What do we do now?!' Do you know any woman in any crisis situation who has absolutely no idea what to do? I mean, don't they tell people in crisis, even children, 'If you're in trouble, talk to a woman,'" she said during her speech. "It's ridiculous that a woman wouldn't know what to do."

    So, she sought out to transform the industry, knowing full well that female-driven films were an untapped value in more ways than one.

    "Films with women at the center are not a public service project," she declared."They are a big-time, bottom-line-enhancing, money-making commodity."

    Witherspoon proved herself right. For its first two projects alone, Gone Girl and Wild, the new company garnered three Oscar nominations and a half-a-billion dollar profit. The Oscar winner and her business partner are now in the process of developing more films and television shows featuring women from virtually every walk of life.

    "Like Elle Woods, I do not like to be underestimated," she invoked the Legally Blonde heroine that turned her into a household name.

    Thanks to Witherspoon's ambitious spirit, she followed through with a business venture some wouldn't even consider.

    "I believe ambition is not a dirty word. It's just believing in yourself and your abilities," she continued. "Imagine this: What would happen if we were all brave enough to be a little bit more ambitious? I think the world would change."

    We don't know what Ava changed about her mom's speech ending, but it came to a perfect conclusion. Now, we just have to sit and patiently wait for her to produce Amy Schumer's biopic.

    "Amy, I'll have to play your grandmother in the movie (by Hollywood standards), and you'll probably have to play your own mother," Witherspoon joked.

    With the producer-actress-businesswoman at the helm of Hollywood's female-driven film world, we doubt those ancient standards will be around for much longer.

    Reese Witherspoon Offers to Produce Amy Schumer's Biopic, Slams Industry Sexism: 'I'll Probably Have to Play Your Grandmother'

    Reese Witherspoon won't keep quiet about the double-standards she's encountered in Hollywood.

    The actress, 39, addressed the work that still needs to be done in the industry while accepting her award at Glamour's annual Women of the Year fête Monday in New York, where she was honored for her production company Pacific Standard and fashion line Draper James.

    In an impassioned speech, Witherspoon called out everything from ageism to sexism in the entertainment industry.

    "I hope, Amy Schumer – and all the other incredible nominees – that you'll give me the rights to your biopic first," the multi-hyphenate said. "Although, Amy, I'm five years older than you, so I'll probably have to play your grandmother in the movie, by Hollywood standards, and you'll probably have to play your own mother."

    Another topic close to Witherspoon's heart: making movies with more female leads, a goal she's tackling with Pacific Standard.

    She started the company after receiving some advice from her own mom: "My mother, a very strong Southern woman, said to me, 'If you want something done, Honey, do it yourself,'" Witherspoon said.

    Not that it's been easy. When some tried to discourage the Oscar winner from creating more female-focused films, she had a Legally Blonde moment.

    "Like Elle Woods, I do not like to be underestimated," she added.

    "Films with women at the center are not a public service project. They are a big-time, bottom line-enhancing, money-making commodity," she said, citing two of her company's box office smashes: Gone Girl and Wild.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we are in a cultural crisis in every field, in every industry. Women are underrepresented and underpaid in leadership positions," Witherspoon added toward the end of her speech. "No wonder we don't have the healthcare we deserve or paid family leave or public access to early childhood education. And that really worries me. How can we expect legislation with our rights and needs being preserved if we don't have equal representation?"

    Then, ending her remarks, she challenged the predominantly female-filled audience: "I believe ambition is not a dirty word. It's just believing in yourself and your abilities. Imagine this: What would happen if we were all brave enough to believe in our own ability? To be a little bit more ambitious? I think the world would change."

    Caitlyn Jenner, Reese Witherspoon honored at Glamour Awards

    Caitlyn Jenner, one of the most talked about women in the world, accepted a Glamour woman of the year award on Monday, telling an admiring crowd that she believes she was put on Earth to tell her story and make a difference in the world.

    Jenner, one of a group of honorees that included actress Reese Witherspoon, dancer Misty Copeland and designer Victoria Beckham, also said that, in case anyone was wondering, "I'm very happy to be living on the other side."

    She said that before she had come out as a woman, she stayed home most of the time. "Now," she said to cheers, "I actually like going out, and being myself."

    Jenner described her journey to becoming a woman, and spoke of how she sat down with her children to discuss her plans to go public. She said she had realized that perhaps "this is why God put me on this earth, to tell my story ... and make a difference in the world."

    Jenner is not the first transgender woman to be a Glamour Woman of the Year; last year, actress Laverne Cox was honored. Still, Jenner's inclusion sparked some backlash on social media. "We prefer to focus on the positive," Jenner said through a spokesman ahead of the announcement.

    Cindi Leive, Glamour's editor-in-chief, told The Associated Press that criticism of Jenner's inclusion "certainly gives you an appreciation for the hostility to the trans community that still exists out there."

    The annual ceremony at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan mixes high-wattage celebrities with lesser known names, and this year, the award winners include five women touched by the South Carolina church massacre — Alana Simmons, Nadine Collier, Bethane Middleton-Brown, Felicia Sanders and Polly Sheppard — and lauded in the aftermath as "The Peacemakers of Charleston." Also among those honored: Entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, Planned Parenthoood's Cecile Richards and the victorious U.S. women's soccer team.

    Copeland, who became the first female African-American principal at American Ballet Theatre in June, took the opportunity to serve as a role model in accepting her award.

    "Thank you for honoring a black ballerina." To the young girls seated in the balcony from various schools and girls clubs, she said, "We're trying to set the best example for you."

    Witherspoon gave the final speech of the night, speaking passionately about female ambition. "I believe ambition is not a dirty word," she said.

    Witherspoon co-founded a production company, Pacific Standard, which aims to make films featuring strong female lead roles as way to fight the gender gap in Hollywood. The company's "Wild" and "Gone Girl" earned Oscar nominations for Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Rosamund Pike.

    Witherspoon described her quest to give more actresses leading roles in films — "not the wife or the girlfriend, but the lead," she said.

    Among the achievements of some of this year's other honorees:

    Beckham gained fame as a Spice Girl, but has since become a highly respected fashion designer.

    The U.S. women's soccer team handily defeated Japan to win the 2015 World Cup in July, and was recently welcomed at the White House by President Barack Obama.

    Reese Witherspoon Enjoys Glam 'Date Night' with Husband Jim Toth at LACMA's 2015 Art+Film Gala

    (Pic) Nothing quite like a date night under the stars ... or street lamps, in this case.

    Reese Witherspoon took to Twitter on Sunday to share two pictures from her "date night" with husband Jim Toth at the LACMA's 2015 Art+Film Gala on Saturday.

    "Date night this weekend," she captioned a photo of herself snuggled up to Toth while standing in the LACMA's "Urban Light" public art exhibit.

    In the second picture she showed off her view from the under the famous rows of vintage L.A. street lamps.

    Witherspoon, 39, kept to her elegant, Southern style for the night, dazzling in curve-hugging strapless black gown. She accessorized her look with trendy dangling earrings and kept her long hair swept back and pinned off her face.

    Toth looked equally sharp for the evening, donning a black tuxedo and thick rimmed glasses.

    Reese Witherspoon was Jeremy Sisto’s first actress girlfriend

    In 1992, Jeremy Sisto only had eyes for Reese Witherspoon.

    The pair, then just cute teenagers, co-starred in the TV drama “Desperate Choices: To Save My Child.” But on Monday during a Reddit Ask Me Anything chat, Sisto, 41, explained why their love went south.

    “It was great. She was my first actress girlfriend,” the 41-year-old “Clueless” alum said when asked what it was like working with Witherspoon. “We had a long distance relationship for a long time. I was so into her.”

    But their romance took a hit after Witherspoon booked a movie, “A Far Off Place” according to Us Weekly, which was shot on another continent.

    “Then she went to Africa to do a movie. And I guess I thought she had broken up with me because she didn’t call that much so I moved on and met my ex-wife Marisa [Ryan],” Sisto recalled. “When she returned I found out that wasn’t her intention but I had already gotten involved.”

    Looking back Sisto said he “felt badly,” about it, but that she’s a “great person.”

    Reese Witherspoon Gets Emotional: Tears Up Talking About Her Husband and Three Kids

    Reese Witherspoon's Hollywood career was celebrated last night by a star-studded lineup of presenters when she was honored with this year's American Cinematheque Award.

    But the truly emotional moment of the night occurred when the Oscar winner talked about her husband Jim Toth and three kids Ava, Deacon and Tennessee.

    Witherspoon called Toth "my biggest fan and my greatest champion and without whom I would never have scaled a mountain or started a new company or parented three amazing kids."

    It was then that Witherspoon eyes began to fill up with tears.

    "Speaking of my amazing children—Ava and Deacon are here. Hopefully Tennessee is asleep. He never sleeps—I just want to thank you for all the times you had to say goodbye to your mom while she packed to go on a location or for missing your school trips or special days because you were on some location in some far flung area in Georgia or Louisiana or London or wherever and for understanding that I love my job, that it feeds my soul to be creative and how I hope one day it may feed your soul too and that you'll teach your children to be hardworking and creative and for knowing in your heart that no matter where I am in the world you are always with me," she said. "I love you more than you will ever know."

    Wiping away her tears, the Walk the Line star said, " You can't be in this business if you don't have a wonderful supportive family and I have the most amazing family."

    As is always the case with such tributes, there were also plenty of jokes being tossed around.

    Sofía Vergara revealed that she calls her pint-sized Hot Pursuit co-star, "My Little Pony," and also recalled promoting their comedy with Hispanic media outlets.

    "She was so gracious that she even spoke in Spanish on live TV with a very weird accent but at least she was trying," Vergara cracked. "It was embarrassing to me."

    The Modern Family star continued, "She has the best skin and the biggest butt of any white woman in Hollywood. You know, it's true—you have said it to me, too!"

    Kate Hudson was 11 when she first met Witherspoon. They've been friends ever since, but also competitors.

    "I can't even tell you the number of times I'd call my agent and I 'd say, 'What happened with that audition?' and he'd be like, 'Well, it's between you and Reese,'" she said with mock frustration. "And the other thing that I always heard was, 'Well, Reese has the offer, but if she passes it may come to you.' So that's been my life."

    Other presenters included Matthew McConaughey, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, music producer T Bone Burnett, Witherspoon's producing partner Bruna Papandrea and Wild director Jean-Marc Vallee.

    Sponsored by Fiji Water, the tribute also included pre-taped messages from Chris Pine and Robert Downey Jr., who jokingly complained that he was having trouble ordering a table runner from Witherspoon's lifestyle website Draper James.

    "I have been lucky enough to wear several Draper James dresses," Jennifer Garner gushed, before adding with a laugh, "Not tonight--this is Valentino. But I'm happy to report that [Draper James dresses] are beautifully made in America. I hope so because I didn't check. I just came up with that on the spot."

    Kenny Chesney performed his hit "Wild Child" in honor of Witherspoon and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg received the organization's inaugural Sid Grauman Award.

    Glamour's Women of the Year: Witherspoon, Jenner, Copeland

    (Cover) aitlyn Jenner, Reese Witherspoon, Misty Copeland and five women touched by the South Carolina church massacre and lauded in the aftermath as "The Peacemakers of Charleston" are among this year's honorees as Glamour magazine's Women of the Year.

    Victoria Beckham, billionaire entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, Planned Parenthoood's Cecile Richards and the women's FIFA soccer Team USA round out the Class of 2015, announced Thursday. They will be honored at a gala on Nov. 9 at Carnegie Hall.

    Witherspoon was selected for the magazine's December cover, to hit newsstands Nov. 10, while Jenner, Copeland and Holmes will be pictured on foldout covers.

    This year is the 25th anniversary of the awards celebrating the achievements of diverse women in entertainment, fashion, politics and business. Amy Schumer will open the ceremony that draws a star-studded crowd each year. Former honorees Madeleine Albright, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King will be among the guests to help mark the awards' quarter-century. Jennifer Hudson and Ellie Goulding will perform.

    The honorees announcement came just a few days after word of Jenner's inclusion leaked, prompting a backlash on social media with criticism of her inclusion as a transgender woman of wealth and privilege. Some apparently thought Jenner was THE woman of the year, as opposed to one of many.

    "Where there is hateful chatter on Twitter, there is just as much, if not more, love and support. We prefer to focus on the positive," Jenner said through a spokesman ahead of the announcement.

    Cindi Leive, Glamour's editor-in-chief, said in an interview that criticism of Jenner's inclusion "certainly gives you an appreciation for the hostility to the trans community that still exists out there." The awards, she said, are intended to honor diversity among women leaders and trailblazers who are as "diverse as the population of women in this world."

    "We're proud of that and we're proud of what Caitlyn Jenner has done to illuminate what so many in the trans community go through," Leive added.

    Actress Laverne Cox, also a trans woman, was among last year's honorees.

    To mark the 25th anniversary, the Empire State Building will be lit in Glamour's signature pink the night of the awards, and Mayor Bill de Blasio will proclaim Nov. 9 the Women of the Year Day, the magazine said.

    Among the honorees' achievements as noted in the Glamour spread:

    — Witherspoon: She co-founded a production company, Pacific Standard, and started buying up books and scripts featuring female protagonists as a way to fight the gender gap in Hollywood. By 2015, the company's "Wild" and "Gone Girl" earned Oscar nominations for Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Rosamund Pike.

    — Copeland: She became the first female African-American principal at the American Ballet Theatre in June. It had been a long struggle. She began dancing relatively late in childhood and had gotten used to being the only woman of color in the room. Then late-onset puberty brought on curves and a more muscular build that took her physique beyond the tiny ballet ideal. She fought back from injuries and prevailed.

    — Jenner: After years of hiding her true self, the Olympic hero and Kardashian-Jenner family reality TV parent has faced her share of critics since coming out as a trans woman earlier this year, including some within the trans community who felt her wealth and privilege made her an outsider in their world, too. Jenner, who turned 66 on Wednesday, vowed to educate herself while educating others through her docuseries, "I Am Cait," which was just picked up by E! for a second season.

    — Charleston Strong: The June shooting at the black Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, brought on mass protests over racial injustice. For these Glamour's honorees, it was personal. Alana Simmons, Nadine Collier, Bethane Middleton-Brown, Felicia Sanders and Polly Sheppard lost loved ones and two nearly their own lives, but all, one by one, stood up in a courtroom at the bond hearing for the young, white defendant and declared their anger but not their hate.

    — Beckham: She came to the fashion world as a Spice Girl celebrity but rolled up her sleeves to make her own way as a designer as she balanced life as the wife of David Beckham and mother of their four children, some of whom have followed her into the industry. She has also helped raise several million dollars for AIDS research.

    — Team USA: Early on, the U.S. national team had been written off as having no chance of taking the FIFA Women's World Cup. They dominated and became vocal advocates for women in soccer.

    — Holmes: She founded her fledgling blood-testing company, now called Theranos, in her dorm room after dropping out of Stanford as an undergraduate but convincing an engineering professor to admit her into his graduate research lab. Her mission: to democratize access to potentially lifesaving lab testing by making it painless, accessible and affordable.

    — Richards: The president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America is the daughter of a civil rights lawyer-dad and a politician woman, the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards. She has been an organizer since her days at Brown, where she missed graduation to protest South African apartheid. She admits she almost didn't go to her interview at Planned Parenthood, fearing she wouldn't measure up. Today, she is responsible for more than 10,000 employees at 700 Planned Parenthood centers across the country.

    Reese Witherspoon & Laura Dern To Produce Drama Project For HBO Based On Book By ‘Wild’ Author Cheryl Strayed

    Wild stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern have reteamed for another screen adaptation of a book by Wild author Cheryl Strayed, this time for TV. HBO has put in development Tiny Beautiful Things, a drama series based on Strayed’s bestselling 2012 book of the same name, a collection of essays compiled from Strayed’s Dear Sugar advice column. Strayed and her husband, filmmaker Brian Lindstrom, will write the TV adaptation, set to explore love, loss, lust and life through the eyes of a Portland family who live by the mantra that the truth will never kill you.

    Witherspoon, Dern, Strayed and Lindstrom will executive produce with Witherspoon’s producing partner at Pacific Standard, Bruna Papandrea, as well as Jayme Lemons. Wild was a passion project for Witherspoon and Papandrea who optioned Strayed’s memoir months before it was published. In the 2014 Fox Searchlight film, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, Witherspoon portrayed Strayed and Dern played her mother. The movie was well received, with both Witherspoon and Dern earning Oscar nominations earlier this year.

    HBO already is hosting a Wild mini-reunion with the limited series Big Little Lies, in which Witherspoon is starring alongside Nicole Kidman, with Witherspoon and Papandrea executive producing and Vallée in negotiations to direct.

    Reese Witherspoon's Mini-Me Son Deacon Is Quite the Stylish Gentleman on His 12th Birthday: See Him Looking All Grown Up With Mom

    (Pic) Looks like Reese Witherspoon has raised quite the stylish gentleman.

    The actress' son Deacon Phillippe turned 12 yesterday and of course Mom had to go for the embarrassing birthday-suit shot—literally, we mean.

    Looking as though they were on their way to a more formal celebration, a dressed-up Reese posed for a pic with her no-longer-baby boy, Deacon wearing a smart navy blazer with on-point red trousers and a most aw-worthy striped bow tie.

    The smiling lad, who looks so much like his famous mom (and his adorable dad and gorgeous sister, go figure), had already taken a bite out of the tempting-looking chocolate cupcake he was holding, so no wonder he looked so happy.

    "Happy birthday to my sweet 12 year old boy!" Witherspoon captioned the pic, punctuating the sentiment with a cake and other celebratory emojis. "You bring joy to everyone you know. I feel so blessed to be your mom ??."

    All the feelings.

    Deacon's big sister Ava, who just celebrated her sweet 16 back in September, also wished her brother a happy birthday via Instagram, posting the cutest throwback of the both of them riding a roller coast at Six Flags' Magic Mountain.

    "happy birthday to my imaginative and kind little brother and friend since '03. love you so much, buddy. ?? #12," she wrote.

    Reese is parent to Ava and Deacon with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, who enjoyed a celebratory dinner with his kids for his own big 4-1 last month, and the Oscar winner has a 3-year-old son, Tennessee, with second hubby Jim Toth.

    We hope the whole family had a great time celebrating!

    Reese Witherspoon has a great idea for ‘Legally Blonde 3’

    President Elle Woods. Boom. That's the plot for "Legally Blonde 3."

    On an upcoming episode of "Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe," actress Reese Witherspoon fields a fan question about "Legally Blonde 3," a possible sequel to the 2001 and 2003 movies of the same name, and her answer is absolutely OMG-inducing.

    "A lot of writers over the years have come up with different ideas for ['Legally Blonde 3']. I actually think it's kind of great right now because we're talking about women in politics and how important that is, to get more women," says Witherspoon.

    "I think it'd be kind of a cool thing to have her be a Supreme Court justice ... or someone who runs for office -- president!" she continues. "It would be cool. I think we're ready to see Elle and see what she's up to lately. ... Call MGM!"

    You heard the woman -- call MGM. Fans need the bend and snap, Oval Office-style.

    After all, it's exactly what "Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde" alluded to in its waning moments.

    Reese Witherspoon Weighs in on Bradley Cooper's Plan to Help End Gender Wage Gap

    Reese Witherspoon is giving props to Bradley Cooper's fight for gender equality.

    The American Hustle star recently said that he would start revealing his salary to his female costars to help in their contract negotiations.

    "That's great," Witherspoon told me Sunday at the L.A. County Walk to Defeat ALS. "I love to hear that."

    Jennifer Lawrence set off the most recent wave of headlines about the issue when she wrote in an essay for Lenny saying she was scared of asking for more money because she feared being labeled "difficult."

    The Hunger Games star wrote, "At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.' I'm over trying to find the 'adorable' way to state my opinion and still be likable! F--k that."

    Cooper commented that he was upset when he learned how much Amy Adams was paid for her work in American Hustle. "She worked every day on that movie and got paid nothing. It's really horrible actually, it's almost embarrassing," he said.

    Witherspoon also said, "It's great that Hollywood is taking steps in the right direction" to correct things, but stressed that all industries "should be talking about it."

    Reese Witherspoon, Courteney Cox, Renée Zellweger, More Come Together at L.A.'s Walk to Defeat ALS to Support Publicist Friend

    (Pic) Several of Hollywood's leading ladies came together to support publicist Nanci Ryder at the 13th annual L.A. County Walk to Defeat ALS on Sunday.

    Reese Witherspoon and Courteney Cox, along with a fresh-from-London René Zellweger, made up "Team Nanci" for the charity walk.

    The trio posed for photos with Ryder – whom Witherspoon calls "incredible" – at the Exposition Park event, and brought along family members for the walk.

    Ryder, who suffers from the disease, was in good spirits but emotional as she chatted with her PR colleagues and famous friends.

    "There's so much that happens to people in life, but it's the way that you deal with it, and she's such, to me, someone that I really admire for the way that they handle things with levity, as much humor as she could possibly muster at any moment," Witherspoon, who was joined by husband Jim Toth and daughter Ava Phillippe at the event, tells PEOPLE of Ryder. "And also, just complete grace."

    The Oscar-winning actress, 39, adds that when Ryder was first diagnosed with ALS, the pair "cried for, like, two hours."

    "So many people are living all over the U.S. and all over the world with this terrible, devastating disease," she says. "We've got to get to the root of where it comes from. Not just deal with the symptoms, like really get to the root of it."

    Zellweger, 46, who says she values the way Ryder has been using her experience to "raise awareness" about the fight to end ALS, adds that the disease "affects all of us."

    "One in a hundred people over the age of 40 will be diagnosed with this disease," she tells PEOPLE, adding, "I mean, there's not anybody who doesn't know somebody who's been affected by ALS or a motor neuron disease."

    Cox, 51, who notes she's known Ryder since 1986, says being "part of" the ALS community makes her "so happy."

    "I have a lot of hope. There's a lot of great new things that are being worked on," she tells PEOPLE. "There is some promising, I don't know, research. I just hope it all works out."

    Miley Cyrus also attended the event, making a surprise appearance on the walk's main stage with Pilates instructor Mari Winsor, who also has ALS.

    The "Wrecking Ball" singer helped Winsor and her team lead an impromptu Pilates workout to Pharrell's hit single "Happy."

    Dramas Produced By Mila Kunis & Reese Witherspoon Set At ABC, Including ‘Black Stiletto’

    ABC has put in development Black Stiletto, a drama written/executive produced by Javier Grillo Marxuach (Lost), from Mila Kunis’ Orchard Farm Prods., and an untitled drama written/executive produced by Rob Long, from Reese Whitherspoon’s Pacific Standard. ABC Studios is behind both projects.

    Black Stiletto, based on the novels by Raymond Benson, follows a young woman’s evolution into a modern-day hero when a family secret from the past is revealed and puts the only family she’s ever known in imminent danger. Kunis will executive produce along with her Orchard Farm Productions partners Cami Curtis, Susan Curtis, and Lisa Sterbakov. Tony Eldridge and Nancy Moonves are are attached as executive producers. Orchard Farm is repped by CAA and Patti Felker. Grillo Marxuach, repped by ICM Partners, rose up through the ranks on Lost and currently is co-executive producer on The 100. He also created and was the showrunner/executive producer of The Middleman. Eldridge and Moonves are repped by CAA.

    The untitled Rob Long project is a romantic mystery involving a billionaire, newly acquitted for the murder of his wife and her lover, and the female detective who almost succeeded in putting him away. Rick Porras and Pacific Standard’s Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea also executive produce.

    Reese Witherspoon & Bruna Papandrea Land Hot Frankfurt Book ‘The Dry’

    Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea’ s Pacific Standard has just closed a deal for film rights to The Dry, a debut novel by Jane Harper that is one of the hot publishing titles in play at this week’s Frankfurt Book Fair. In The Dry, a policeman returns to the drought-stricken town of his youth to bury his childhood best friend, who is the perpetrator of a murder-suicide. Secrets of the cop’s past and why he left home bubble to the surface as he questions the truth of his friend’s crime. The book sold at auction to Christine Kopprasch at Flatiron Books in a three-book deal, and other publishing deals have been made in over a dozen territories. Harper is a business writer for the Herald Sun in Melbourne. Her book won the 2015 Victorian Premier Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript, before publishers began snapping up book rights.

    “When you fall in love, the feeling is undeniable and Jane’s remarkable book possesses my two favorite things: brilliant writing and an Australian setting, ” said Papandrea, an Aussie in her own right.

    Papandrea and Witherspoon have proven adept at sniffing out celluloid-friendly books before they become publishing hits. That includes Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, and the Liane Moriarty novel Big Little Lies. They teamed with Nicole Kidman on that deal and it is taking shape as a major limited series at HBO, with David E. Kelley scripting and Witherspoon starring early next year with Kidman. They also are producing a Fox 2000 adaptation of Gayle Tzemach Lemmon book Ashley’s War: The Untold Story Of A Team of Women Soldiers On The Special Ops Battlefield, with Shame scribe Abi Morgan writing it. Witherspoon and Papandrea just bolstered their producing banner by setting Bad Robot vet Casey Haver as director of development for TV (they have an ABC deal), while they promoted Jeanne Snow to be director of development for film.

    Harper is repped by Intellectual Property Group’s Jerry Kalajian and Clare Forster at Curtis Brown Australia and Writers House’s Daniel Lazar.

    Meet Reese Witherspoon's Newest (and Super Cute) Four-Legged Family Addition!

    (Pic) Reese Witherspoon's brood just added another adorable face into the mix—a sweet bull terrier named LouAnn!

    The blond beauty introduced fans to the newest member of her family through a precious snapshot posted on both Instagram and Twitter.

    "Drum roll please!!!! Introducing the newest member to our family #LouAnn !! #bullterrier #madlyinlove (just look at that face *sigh*)," Witherspoon wrote on IG with a close-up shot of her four-legged pal hanging out in her mama's arms.

    Prior to revealing the exciting news and cute picture on Twitter, Witherspoon led her followers on a little mystery game, by providing riddles before actually announcing the addition.

    She tweeted, "What's white and black and fuzzy and cute and sweet and charming? Any guesses?," which drew a variety of guesses from fans, including "a nun with a beard," a panda and a "North Atlantic narwhal."

    Reese tried to help them out with a clue, and posted a picture showing LouAnn's ear. People still didn't really get it..."Come on guys. It's NOT a moldy Oreo cookie :) clearly!!!," she wrote.

    So, she tried again (Witherspoon clearly loved this). "Clue 3. She rocks an eye patch better than any pirate.... (Last clue! Hehe!)," she tweeted.

    Finally, she posted the sweet snap and wrote, "Drum roll please!!!! Introducing the newest member to our family #LouAnn !! #wegotapuppy #Thankyouforplaying."

    We must say, this was quite the entertaining announcement. Congrats on the new pet, Reese!

    Matthew McConaughey To Present Reese Witherspoon With American Cinematheque Honor

    Matthew McConaughey will present Reese Witherspoon with the midcareer American Cinematheque Award during the organization’s annual gala October 30 at the Hyatt Regency in Century City. Kenny Chesney will perform at the event, which also will honor DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffery Katzenberg with the first-ever Sid Grauman Award.

    McConaughey was the recipient of the 2014 American Cinematheque Award so he knows the drill; Witherspoon in fact was one of his co-stars who offered up tributes to him. The award is given to filmmakers “who [are] fully engaged in his or her work,” and “committed to making a significant contribution to the art of the motion picture.” The Cinematheque said her selection was unanimous, citing her work as both an actress and producer.

    Katzenberg’s inaugural award is for an individual who has made a significant contribution to the Hollywood film industry in the continuing advancement of theatrical exhibition.

    Paul Flattery and Barbara Smith are executive producing this year’s show, Irene Crinita will produce, and Corrine Mann is the event producer.

    Reese Witherspoon climbs up a skyscraper

    Reese Witherspoon faced her fears to race Neil Patrick Harris up a skyscraper suspended in the sky.

    The duo completed the stunt for Harris’ new variety show, “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris,” which debuted on NBC on Tuesday.

    In the clip, the 39-year-old Oscar-winning actress climbed up the sides of the metal structure, walked over obstacles, climbed to the very top and ziplined to the ground.

    “Neil, I’m going to kill you!” she shouted to Harris, 42.

    Once she made it to the ground, Witherspoon looked shaken up and barely able to catch her breath.

    “Oh my God! I need a nap,” were her first words. “Neil, you did not tell me that’s what we were doing.”

    Harris was all smiles.

    Bust a Move: Reese Witherspoon Reveals She's Secretly a Hip-Hop Dance Pro

    (Pic) We know about her contributions to the bend-and-snap movement, and her tutelage under Sofia Vergara in the realm of Latin dance – but it turns out Reese Witherspoon also has some hip-hop moves in her repertoire.

    The Wild actress, 39, graces the October cover of Women's Health, and tells the magazine that her best-kept secret is her hip-hop skills.

    "I am a bit of a hip-hop dancer," Witherspoon confesses. "That's sort of a secret a lot of people don't know."

    That she likes to dance – or as she puts it, "I've got a dance in my heart at all times" – is not such a well-kept secret.

    The subject of Witherspoon's skills on the dance floor came up during her press run with Vergara while promoting their film Hot Pursuit.

    In an interview with Pridesource.com, the actress joked that her bend-and-snap routine from Legally Blonde "legitimized my dance moves" and added that "Sofia's taught me how to Latin dance.

    "You didn't need me to teach you anything," Vergara said. "You knew already."

    Dance also plays a big role in Witherspoon's exercise routine. Her training at Body by Simone "incorporates dance, strength training and stretching, and it's all in an hour, which is perfectly doable for me," Witherspoon tells Women's Health.

    She also runs, spins and does yoga to stay fit, noting that for her, "physical strength is important."

    How Reese Witherspoon is helping women in Hollywood

    (Cover, Pic) Chances are you’ve seen one of Reese Witherspoon‘s female-centric movies.

    The Oscar winner started her production company Pacific Standard Films to push for strong female characters and create more opportunities for women in Hollywood.

    “I really feel like if I can help one other woman tell her story, or help one other woman get a show on a network, or make a movie about something that she’s passionate about then I’ve done my job,” she told Women’s Health for the magazine’s 10th anniversary issue. “It’s hard to get to the place where I’m at, but it feels really good to be able to use the opportunities that I’ve had and the relationships that I have in order to create new opportunities for other creative women.”

    Among the titles her company helped bring to the big screen are “Gone Girl,” starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck, and “Wild,” in which Witherspoon portrays writer Cheryl Strayed on her journey of self-discovery up the Pacific Crest Trail.

    “[“Wild”] is a real spiritual movie and I’m ready to tell more meaningful stories,” she said of the project that earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination last year.

    Next on tap for the company are a few more books to adapt to the screen: the new thriller “Luckiest Girl Alive,” by Jessica Knoll, and “Ashley’s War,” about female soldiers on the Special Ops battlefield in Afghanistan.

    “I’m really inspired by those women and excited to bring their story to the screen,” she said, “We have a lot of different projects — women who are astronauts, women who are working on Wall Street — we are just trying to diversify the idea of how you see women on screen and portraying real women, all ethnicities, all ages. It’s a really exciting time.”

    Reese Witherspoon Takes a Lunch Meeting With Lena Dunham—Find Out What They Might Be Working on Together!

    (Pic) What are Reese Witherspoon and Lena Dunham up to? The Academy Award winner, 39, and the Golden Globe winner, 29, had lunch with Dunham's writing and producing partner, Jenni Konner, at Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills Tuesday.

    Konner was seen holding a manuscript of the upcoming novel All Is Not Forgotten, and Witherspoon's production company, Pacific Standard, is in the process of turning the book into a movie. Author Wendy Walker's thriller "centers on a teenager's rape in suburban Connecticut and the efforts by her parents and psychiatrist to help her recall the details of the attack," Variety recently reported.

    The subject matter in All Is Not Forgotten shares similarities to what Dunham wrote about in her 2014 memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, so it's possible she was sharing more of her story with Witherspoon. After the meeting, Witherspoon left with a letter from Dunham addressed to her 15-year-old daughter, Ava Phillippe.

    Neither Witherspoon nor Dunham has publicly revealed the reason for Tuesday's afternoon meeting. Regardless, Witherspoon has been a fan of Dunham's for several years. While promoting the movie Wild in September 2014, she thanked Dunham for promoting female empowerment and encouraging women to own their own sexuality. "I think she's changing cultural attitudes with her honestly and willingness to bare all," she said at the Toronto Film Festival. That same month, as part of Vogue's 73 Questions series, Witherspoon said she hoped to make an appearance on HBO's Girls. Asked about it in a Howard Stern interview, Dunham, said, "I love Reese and the idea of working with her. We're friends and I adore her, but she's never outright asked. But now I'm going to use this as an entree."

    After Dunham's interview, Witherspoon tweeted in response, "Hey @lenadunham all I gotta say is you write the script and I'm there girl! #Seriouslytho."

    In February, Allison Williams revealed that her character, Marnie Michaels, had been influenced by one of Witherspoon's most iconic characters: Tracy Flick from Election. "Lena says 'Tracy' a lot when she's directing me—that's Marnie's thing. One aspect of Tina Fey's genius is in Mean Girls, when someone says to Lindsay Lohan's character, 'You're, like, really pretty.' She says, 'Thank you.' The other girl says, 'So you agree? You think you're really pretty?' Like you're not supposed to like yourself," the actress, 27, told Glamour. "You're not supposed to be confident."

    #IntoTheWoods: Reese Witherspoon Reunites with Wild Collaborators Laura Dern & Cheryl Strayed for Walk in the Wilderness

    (Pic) And a Wild reunion it was!

    It hasn't even been a year since the movie Wild hit theaters, but it looks like Reese Witherspoon is already missing the movie's team. So, naturally, the star called for a reunion and, luckily for us, took to Instagram to let us see.

    The 39-year-old actress Tweeted a photo of herself alongside Laura Dern, who played her on-screen mother Bobbi, and Cheryl Strayed, the hiker-turned author whom Witherspoon portrayed in the film, which was based on Strayed's eponymous novel about her 1,100-mile hike of self-discovery along the Pacific Crest Trail.

    "#IntoTheWoods #WildReunion @LauraDern @CherylStrayed (Guess where???)" the caption accompanying the photo reads.

    The pic shows the three walking along a path in a wooded area, surrounded by trees and shrubs.

    Earlier this month, the star took to Instagram to post an adorable throwback photo from her middle school days as a cheerleader – proving that she was a star long before we knew her name.

    She recently used her star power, and Southern drawl, to narrate Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee's first novel since the classic To Kill a Mockingbird.

    Reese Witherspoon Wishes Look-Alike Mom Happy Birthday with Sweet Instagram Photo

    (Pic) Reese Witherspoon took to Instragram to wish her mother, Betty, a happy birthday – and the uncanny resemblance is enough to make one do a double-take!

    "To my wonderful, sweet mother for her birthday! The epitome of Southern grace & charm!!!" she captioned the sweet selfie of them looking like twins.

    They are aren't the only doppelgängers in the family: Witherspoon's own 15-year-old daughter, Ava Phillipe, is her spitting image as well!

    This isn't the first time the 39-year-old mother of three has given her mom a social media shout-out. Earlier this year, she posted a screenshot of her texts the day of the Oscars, flaunting how supportive her mom has been of her career.

    Witherspoon has always been very vocal about just how much she values her family relationships. In fact, it was her traditional Southern upbringing that helped inspire her lifestyle line Draper James (named after her grandparents).

    Growing up with a working mother who maintained a strong household has given the Hot Pursuit actress a model on how to keep a strong family unit, despite her hectic work schedule.

    "There are some sacrifices you make, and it hurts your heart sometimes, but my kids tell me they're proud of what I've accomplished, and that just means everything," she told Southern Living in its September issue. "I grew up with a working mom, and I have so much respect for the things she did as a nurse and a teacher. I would never begrudge her that."

    Gimme That! Reese Witherspoon's Favorite $65 Sneakers

    (Pic) Reese Witherspoon is a lady who knows what she likes. And what she likes are those Puma Match Lo Sneakers.
  • As the Draper James mastermind, you might think the 39-year-old would be more inclined to wear shoes from her own line. But seeing as the newbie retail hotspot has yet to add a 'shoes' category to its online shelves, it's only right that Reese would settle on a sporty pair of Puma's white sneakers.
  • And while her footwear du choix certainly look worthy of a Serena Williams Wimbledon match, the tennis shoes ring in at an ultra-budget friendly $65 a pop (hooray!). The super afforable, crisp white walkers feature sleek navy accents and a leather exterior, and have added a laid-back-chic effect to no less than three of Reese's summer outfits.
  • Repurposing a breezy white striped tank top, Reese paired her Pumas with the top on two separate occasions, opting for a cream skirt combo and then a denim shorts ensemble. Then again, the Oscar-winner slipped on a summer-perfect blouse in the form of a navy checkered number, and finished off the causal-cool style with light wash jeans and—what else?—a refreshing Starbucks iced coffee.
  • Needless to say, these classic sneakers make the ideal shoe pairing for any sleek, nonchalant look. Which makes us think that Puma's newest creative director—Rihanna—might have had a hand in the design process.

    Reese Witherspoon Posts #TBT Cheerleader Pic – and We're Flipping Over It

    (Pic) All salute General Witherspoon!

    Wild star Reese Witherspoon took to Instagram on Throwback Thursday to post a cute vintage photo from her middle school cheerleading days, proving she's always been a star.

    "#TBT to my days as a proud General #cheernation #firstsquad #lilgeneral," the actress captioned the pic, referencing her time as a cheerleader for the Harding Academy Generals, class of 1990, in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Little Reese was already modeling at the time – she got her first gig when she was 7 years old – and she later won the Ten-State Talent Fair at age 11. Always a good student, Witherspoon went on to graduate from the all-girls Harpeth Hall School, and attend Stanford University as an English literature major.

    She recently lent her Southern drawl to narrate Harper Lee's highly anticipated Go Set a Watchman, the acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird author's first publication since 1960.

    Witherspoon also starred in the summer buddy comedy Hot Pursuit with Sophia Vergara, and is attached to play the lead in Paul Feig's upcoming Wish List.

    Reese Witherspoon's New Movie Role Is Cold!

    Reese Witherspoon is getting ready to scare you.

    The Oscar winner will star in Cold, a "dark thriller with supernatural elements," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    Witherspoon will produce the Lionsgate film with her Pacific Standard Films production company with Bruna Papandrea.

    Pacific Standard has been on quite a roll since its launch last year with Gone Girl and Wild.

    "The place and the position that I've had I feel a responsibility to take care of others, help tell more women's stories [and] get the word out there that women are complex, dynamic [and] interesting," Witherspoon told me in October. "We're not just one thing or another."

    It was recently announced that Witherspoon will star in and co-produce Tink, a live-action movie about Peter Pan's Tinker Bell character.

    Big Little Lies, a limited HBO series, will co-star Witherspoon and fellow Oscar winner Nicole Kidman.

    Witherspoon also teased in October that she was getting ready to direct a film.

    "I've actually been thinking about it," she said. "I'm actually working on a project right now."

    Reese Witherspoon: ‘No One’s Really Doing Parenting Perfectly – You Do the Best You Possibly Can’

    (Cover) Reese Witherspoon says she’ll never be able to juggle motherhood and a career “perfectly,” but approval from her kids makes everything worth it.

    “No one’s really doing it perfectly,” Witherspoon tells Southern Living of finding balance in its September cover story, which hits stands Aug. 21. “I think you love your kids with your whole heart, and you do the best you possibly can.”

    The Wild star and Draper James founder, 39, is the mother of three children: daughter Ava, 15, and son Deacon, 12, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, and son Tennessee, 2½, with husband Jim Toth.

    “But, you know, right now I’m feeling sad missing my little 2-year-old, and my daughter’s about to finish her freshman year of high school, and my son has a golf tournament this weekend that I hope I don’t miss,” the actress continues.

    Witherspoon, who tells the magazine she lives by her grandmother’s motto of “if you look good, you feel good,” says support from her children make difficult decisions easier.

    "There are some sacrifices you make, and it hurts your heart sometimes, but my kids tell me they’re proud of what I’ve accomplished, and that just means everything,” she says in the interview. “I grew up with a working mom, and I have so much respect for the things she did as a nurse and a teacher. I would never begrudge her that.”

    The actress, who recently bought a house in Nashville — “Everything is a little bit slower here, and I think I’m ready for that in my life again. When I’m here my brain relaxes” — says being back where she grew up brings out her drawl.

    “Early on, someone said, ‘Well, you’re never gonna get a job with an accent like that.’ I learned to change it up, but it’s like a pair of slippers that I put on when I’m at home. I start to talk more and more Southern. My kids know when I’m serious. I get really Southern,” Witherspoon jokes.

    Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon Talk Shop During a (Very Glamorous) Business Meeting

    (Pic, Pic2) Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon have both managed to parlay successful acting careers into thriving business ventures, and the friendly boss ladies met on Friday to talk shop — and dole out some serious praise on social media.

    “This southern beauty @reesewitherspoon is on to something w @draperjamesgirl -I got schooled today on all things Southern @honest HQ,” Alba, 34, wrote on Instagram Friday, captioning a shot of the pair sitting together at The Honest Company’s home base in Santa Monica.

    Witherspoon, 39, launched Draper James in May, and the shopping website named after her grandparents offers everything from jewelry to clothes to gifts and home items with a distinctly Southern flair.

    Her new venture follows in the footsteps of Alba’s wildly successful Honest Company, which recently reached the $1 billion valuation mark after its 2012 launch — even as it weathers a recent controversy involving the effectiveness of its sunscreen.

    Clearly inspired by Alba’s success, Witherspoon said she’s now officially an Honest convert.

    “Spent a fun day with this impressive bosslady @jessicaalba at the @honest HQ! I was blown away by how they are making our households safer and chemical free! I’m converting my whole house to #honest !” she wrote beside a photo of the smiling duo.

    Reese Witherspoon & Bruna Papandrea’s Pacific Standard Inks ABC Studios Deal

    Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea’s three-year-old production company Pacific Standard is making a foray into broadcast television with an overall deal at ABC Studios. The two-year pact, which is exclusive in broadcast, comes on the heels of Pacific Standard’s first TV greenlight, for limited series Big Little Lies, which recently received a straight-to-series order at HBO. The adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s best-selling novel, written by David E Kelley, stars Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.

    Under the deal with ABC Studios, which is run by EVP Patrick Moran, Witherspoon and Papandrea plan to hire a dedicated TV executive to work alongside Pacific Standard creative executive Jeanne Snow.

    ABC Studios, home of such female-centered dramas as Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, recently departed Revenge and the upcoming Quantico, toplined by Priyanka Chopra, is a good fit for Witherspoon and Papandrea, who have built their company with the goal of helping make films with strong female leads. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Patrick and his team at ABC Studios, a company who genuinely share our goal of creating great roles for women, ” Witherspoon and Papandrea said.

    Since Pacific Standard Films’ launch in 2012, the company produced features Wild, which earned Witherspoon an Oscar nomination, David Fincher’s thriller Gone Girl, as well as the Warner Bros. summer comedy Hot Pursuit. The company also will produce Disney’s Tink, a live-action take on the classic Peter Pan character Tinker Bell, in which Witherspoon will star in the title role, and Pale Blue Dot at Fox Searchlight. Pacific Standard’s feature development slate also includes Ashley’s War at Fox 2000, Luckiest Girl Alive at Lionsgate, and All Is Not Forgotten at Warner Bros.

    In TV, the company has Supreme Courtship, an adaptation of the book by Christopher Buckley, set up at Sony Pictures TV’s TriStar Television.

    “As evidenced by Reese and Bruna’s award-winning film track record, their eye for material is unparalleled,” Moran said. “We’re very excited to be their television partners.”

    The deal was brokered by CAA.

    Her Outfit Costs What?! Reese Witherspoon's $1,037 Summer-Perfect Street Style

    (Pic) Two words: Draper James. Sound familiar? That's the name of Reese Witherspoon's new clothing, accessories and home goods line, and it's every inch as chic as the actress herself. Which is why it makes perfect sense that the 39-year-old has stepped up as her brand's best street style model this summer.

    Most recently, she donned this effortlessly chic Draper James ensemble while running errands in Los Angeles, and instantly inspired a serious case of outfit envy. While none of the pieces alone are overwhelmingly expensive, the look head-to-toe will take a serious chunk out of your wallet.

    Looking pretty in polka dots, the Oscar-winner sported a classic black and white blouse with crisp white jeans, which ring in at $145 and $175 respectively. She opted for a summer-perfect pair of nude platform wedges in the form of these Paul Andrew beauties. However, at a hefty $372, they're not exactly the budget-friendly shoe buy.

    Adding a punchy pop of color to the ensemble, Reese opted for a sweet Draper James cherry tote for $165. And tying the look together, she slipped on a trendy pair of sapphire aviators. And if these $177 Ilesteva Leonard mirrored sunnies look familiar, then it's probably because you've seen similar versions on Beyoncé, Cara Delevingne and Vanessa Hudgens, who are all big fans of the brand.

    And there you have it: Reese's summer-chic street style for $1,037.

    Breaking it down piece-by-piece:
    Draper James top - $175
    Draper James denim - $145
    Paul Andrew shoes - $372
    Draper James tote - $165
    Illesteva aviators - $177

    Reese Witherspoon Goes to the Salon for Some 'Baby Blonde,' Here's the Result

    (Pic) Reese Witherspoon‘s Instagram feed is filled with beautiful vacation photos, book suggestions, entertaining ideas and, of course, a ton of outfit inspiration. And the 39-year-old actress just used the social media platform to debut her latest hair change.

    Witherspoon visited celebrity colorist Lorri Goddard to freshen up her signature blonde shade.

    “Nothing like a great salon day! Thank you @lorrigoddard_ for my baby blonde and @cervandohair for my rockin’ cut ! #summerstyle,” she captioned the photo above.

    Goddard, who’s also the woman behind Nicole Richie and Elizabeth Olsen’s blonde manes, responded to the actress: “THANK YOU! I So Adore @reesewitherspoon Beautiful Lady !!! ?????? @brazilianbondbuilder #b3 @goddardbragg” (Note: Brazilian Bond Builder is a product that can be mixed into haircolor to help prevent breakage and keep hair healthy during and after the coloring process.)

    For her cut, it looks like Witherspoon shaved an inch or two from her ends and added a few layers thanks to hairstylist Cervando Maldonado.

    The actress opens up about her style and new Draper James line in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, where she reveals she still lives by Elle Woods style and beauty mantra.

    “When you look good, you feel good,” the actress tells PEOPLE. “I know that’s what Elle Woods says, but it’s true! When you look good, you feel good.”

    Reese Witherspoon Still Lives by Elle Woods's Style Mantra: 'When You Look Good, You Feel Good'

    (Pic) We remember Legally Blonde‘s Elle Woods for her flexibility (read: the Bend and Snap) and her festive designer wardrobe (she was an early adopter of the matchy-matchy outfits trend). Turns out, Reese Witherspoon still turns to her famous big screen alter ego — and everyone’s favorite Delta Nu — for fashion wisdom.

    “When you look good, you feel good,” the actress tells PEOPLE. “I know that’s what Elle Woods says, but it’s true! When you look good, you feel good.”

    Witherspoon’s grandmother, Dorothea Draper, who inspired the actress’s Draper James line along with her grandfather, Williams James, also followed a similar style rule.

    “She was just sort of this quintessential Southern lady,” Witherspoon explains. “She didn’t leave the house without feeling somewhat put together. That doesn’t mean she was dressed to the nines at all moments, but she pulled herself together and her presentation to the world was like, ‘I’ve got my stuff together.’ But it’s a good lesson as a young person: It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life, but you’ve got to show your best self to the world.”

    The busy mom of three says she doesn’t have time to lay her outfits out the night before, but she somehow manages to always look perfectly polished and put together in pieces from Draper James, including a mix of bright pencil skirts, gingham dresses and magnolia-covered shirts.

    While the preppy vibe of the collection might not mix with some of the laid-back street style in L.A., Witherspoon maintains it’s important to stay true to your own signature style.

    “I’ve always been Southern… so I’ve always been attracted to that J.Crew preppy look with more color and sense of humor, even when there are boho vibes going on in California. I don’t feel comfortable in cutoff jean shorts. I think they’re really cute; they’re just not my personal style,” she explains. “I wanted to do something that was quintessentially Southern, [for the] girl who has traveled the world but has decided to come home. Whenever I’m in Nashville, that’s how people dress.”

    For more on the star’s style advice, plus all the scoop on Draper James, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on stands everywhere Friday.

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