News

A column chronicling events and conversations on the awards circuit.

As the town starts to shut down for Christmas break next week, fear not: The Oscar season remains in full force as campaigners know the next two weeks leading up to the start of nomination voting is crunch time, the key period when voters will have more time to watch those screeners on the Academy’s digital screening room site.

Despite months of print ads, billboard, TV ads, email blasts, Q&As, receptions, precursor awards from critics groups, Golden Globes and Critics Choice nominations, film festival tributes announced, and whatever else you can think of, the only thing that matters, the only thing is getting those voters to actually see these movies they keep hearing are “contenders” (and that includes Deadline’s own in-person Contenders events in London and Los Angeles as well as virtually for international and documentary films...

If the only stand-up comedy specials you’d ever watched came out in 2024, you might think there are only two kinds: ones that are about being a parent, and ones that are about never being a parent. Are you the kind of comic who’s figured out how to talk about your kids without seeming like you just walked out of a Jim Belushi sitcom, or the kind who’s had to defend your choice not to continue your family name? You have to decide, dammit, Deciiiiiiiide.

If you haven’t checked in with Ilana Glazer in a while, you might be surprised and possibly even a little alarmed to learn that they’ve ended up on the parent side of the divide. But the most astonishing trick in their new special, Human Magic — considering that it opens with a joke about sleep deprivation causing them cognitive decline — is how...

Chicago – Another side of actor Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”) emerges this weekend in a Chicago premiere of his latest film, “The Performance,” at the AMC River East theaters on Saturday, December 14th at 5pm. Piven and his sister Shira – the director and co-writer – will appear for a Q&a moderated by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

Jeremy Piven portrays Harold May, a gifted but underemployed tap dancer in 1930s New York City whose early success is getting swallowed by The Depression. Along with members of his troupe – cynical ladies’ man Benny Worth (Adam Garcia), closeted young hoofer Paul Garner (Isaac Gryn), svelte singer Sira (Lara Wolf), and Carol Conway (Maimie McCoy) – he hopes to find steady employment through a European tour, which leads to a tempting offer to do the act in 1936 Berlin, Germany. Now especially, Harold May again will closet his Jewish roots.

‘The Performance’ at AMC River East

Photo credit: Gvn Releasing

Jeremy Piven,...

With just a few weeks left in 2024, notable films continue to land with Nickel Boys and The Last Showgirl officially jumping into awards season — the former already a two-time winner at the first stop, the Gotham Awards. A few big indie stories are yet to be told, with Babygirl and A Complete Unknown hitting for Christmas, making it possible to opine definitively on the year’s improving indie film market. The Brutalist, also being widely recognized this season, opens next week.

Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross from Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures is the much-nominated film based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It opens at two NYC theaters with an LA expansion Dec. 20, adding other markets into January.

The gripping film is writer/director Ross’s narrative debut after his acclaimed 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening. It world-premiered at Telluride...

In the not-publicly-released trailer for the pilot Doug Ellin hopes to sell, Kevin Connolly pursues an entertainment industry hustle alongside Kevin Dillon. At first glance, it looks like a reboot of Entourage, Ellin’s early-2000s show about a rising actor and his team that starred Connolly, Dillon and others. Then halfway through the trailer, Charlie Sheen shows up.

Connolly, playing a version of himself, needs a hit for his podcast studio. So he approaches Sheen, who is also playing a version of himself. “This could be an amazing opportunity for both of us,” fake Connolly tells fake Sheen. “It could be your get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Ellin has described this project, Ramble On, as being about second acts and redemption. Perhaps those themes are on Ellin’s mind 20 years after Entourage premiered on HBO. He has attempted other projects since then. But that was before the renewed attention Entourage seems to be getting,...

Jeremy Piven is willing to wait. Just look at his new film “The Performance”: The 59-year-old, three-time Emmy winner (for “Entourage”) has spent the last 15 years shepherding the project from short story acquisition to script to screen – and he’s got lots to say about it now.

In “Performance,” Piven who stars as a rising star tap dancer in the 1930s who’s hired to bring his troupe to perform in Nazified Germany. He first attached himself to the Arthur Miller short story over a decade ago by picking up the film option from Miller’s daughter Rebecca. But for all of Piven’s enthusiasm, the topic was just not landing for potential producers.

“If I pitched you as I did for the past over a decade what this film is, you would most likely laugh in my face,” he tells Gold Derby. “I’m a Jewish tap dancer in 1937 that dances for Hitler.

Are Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), and Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”) locked in for the 2025 Oscars Best Actor race?

That seems to be the consensus according to five top Oscar experts from major media outlets: Gold Derby’s Debra Birnbaum, Deadline’s Pete Hammond, Variety’s Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, and Indiewire’s Anne Thompson. Watch their 2025 Oscars slugfest video above.

But who will take that fifth slot when nominations are announced on Jan. 17?

“There’s some really dark horses here,” declares Hammond. “There’s a movie called ‘The Performance’ that Jeremy Piven is in. When you see this movie, you go, ‘Woah!’ This guy tap dances like you’ve never seen and it’s a story about the Holocaust and World War II, in a very different way. Boy he’s out there doing this!”

Birnbaum brings up “The Apprentice,...

The premise of The Performance, which is based on a 2002 Arthur Miller short story, is intriguing and more than a little pertinent for these times even though it is set in 1937.

Harold May (who changed his last name from Markovitz) is a struggling entertainer who is tap-dancing his way through life as leader of an American dance troupe. He gets an opportunity that on the surface of things seems irresistible when he is offered more money than he could imagine to perform just one night in Berlin. There is danger there, however, as Harold is a Jewish American and Germany is seeing the rise of Nazism and antisemitism. Nevertheless, he is somewhat in denial thinking he will be immune to all of this, the money is too tempting, and the chance to take this job with his troupe cannot be passed up.

What he doesn’t realize is just exactly...

Meryl Streep hosted a star-studded screening of Emilia Pérez on Wednesday at the San Vicente Bungalows, followed by a Q&a with her Only Murders in the Building co-star Selena Gomez, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

Guests at the intimate gathering included fellow Only Murders alums Martin Short, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Jesse Williams, as well as Nia Vardalos, Jeremy Piven, Jason Bateman, Annette Bening, Pom Klementieff and Thora Birch, among others.

After Streep posed a number of questions to Gomez, the three-time Oscar winner invited questions from the audience. Bening was the first who was called on. A portion of the Q&a appears below.

(L-r) Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Selena Gomez attend the Emilia Pérez screening and Q&a at San Vicente Bungalows on Nov. 20 in West Hollywood.

Emilia Pérez, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, stars Gomez alongside Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz.

Deadline on Monday launched the streaming site for Contenders Film: Los Angeles, its annual all-say awards-season movie showcase that took place November 16 at the DGA Theater in Hollywood.

Click here to launch the streaming site.

This year’s lineup featured the stars and creatives behind 21 movies catching buzz this year, with panelists hitting the stage including Kevin Costner, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong’o, Luca Guadagnino, Pedro Almodóvar, Saoirse Ronan, Brian Tyree Henry, Pamela Anderson, Denis Villeneuve, Steve McQueen, Jason Reitman, and Jeremy Piven and Shira Piven among many more.

They repped the movies Blitz from Apple Original Films; The Fire Inside, My Old Ass, Unstoppable and Challengers from Amazon MGM Studios; Hard Truths from Bleecker Street; Saturday Night from Columbia Pictures; The Wild Robot from DreamWorks Animation; Day of the Fight from Falling Forward Films; The Performance from Gvn Releasing; Thelma from Magnolia Pictures; Anora and Longlegs from Neon; Nickel Boys...

For actor Jeremy Piven and his sister, filmmaker Shira Piven, their film The Performance wasn’t only a long-fought labor of love 15 years in the making, it was the fulfillment of a family legacy.

Appearing together on a panel for The Performance at Deadline’s Contenders Los Angeles event on Saturday, the siblings revealed that the project originated as a notion of their mother, Joyce Hiller Piven, after she read legendary playwright Arthur Miller’s short story about a Jewish American tap dancer tapped to perform in Germany on the eve of World War II.

“My mother is a theater artist, director, actress, and loves reading, and she has stacks of The New Yorker in her apartment,” Shira explained. “She read this story in The New Yorker years ago … and she sent it to Jeremy first, and she said, ‘This is a role for you.’”

Related: 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars,...

Contenders Film: Los Angeles, Deadline’s signature and original Contenders event, kicks off its latest edition this morning at 8:30 a.m. Pt at the DGA Theater in Hollywood, giving awards voters the opportunity to experience up close and personal the story of 21 of the awards season’s most acclaimed movies, and to hear directly from the talent responsible.

If you’re not attending in person, click here to launch the livestream.

The year 2024 has been a challenging one for the film community as the actors and writers strikes of last year threw the industry off balance and delayed many films, stopping some right in the middle of production and making it especially hard to stick to planned release dates. What is remarkable is the number of films that did manage to meet release dates and maintain the highest quality that has brought them to our event today.

What a lineup we have,...

The lineup has been set for Contenders Film: Los Angeles, Deadline’s signature movie awards-season event. The showcase, which will take place Saturday, November 16 in Hollywood at the DGA Theater, features a star-studded lineup of actors and filmmakers behind 21 Oscar-hopeful films that have premiered this year, many first seen at festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Telluride and Toronto.

Deadline’s Contenders is an opportunity, as always, as a one-stop shop for awards voters to experience the story of acclaimed films up close and personal, highlighting what has brought the stars and creatives and their movies to this moment. The all-day event begins with a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. before panels start at 8:30 a.m.

Click to RSVP for either attending in person or via livestream.

From the Sundance Film Festival in January the spotlight will be on Magnolia Pictures’ Thelma, with the remarkable 95-year-old star June Squibb on hand with her film.

Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Nick Wechsler (The Boys), Anthony Ingruber (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Aaron Glenane (Danger Close), Carlos Sanson Jr (Legacies), Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat 2), Adolphus Waylee (Nautilus), Richard Brancatisano (The Messenger), Marcus Johnson (Talk to Me), and Jake Ryan star in writer/director Luke Sparke’s upcoming sci-fi horror film Primitive War – and while we don’t have a release date for this one just yet, a featurette has just arrived online to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of it. You can check that out in the embed above.

An adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ sci-fi military book series, Primitive War is set during the Vietnam War and features American soldiers facing off with dinosaurs! The story follows an elite recon unit known as the Vulture Squad. In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam...

And while Spielberg’s Jurassic Park was not a horror movie, the fact that you are isolated on an island with a bunch of dinosaurs definitely sounds scary. In light of that, we are glad to inform you – if you are a fan of horror movies and dinosaurs – that a new horror movie focused on humans battling dinosaurs is coming soon.

Primitive War might not be a title you’ve heard of or a title that will sweep the box office, but the premise certainly seems interesting and we are certain that horror fans will like the movie, which is coming out next year.

The movie’s first teaser trailer has just been released, and that is what actually inspired this report, in which you are going to see the trailer, as well as get all the necessary information about the movie and its cast and crew. So, if you’re interested,...

“Soldiers in Vietnam encountering dinosaurs… that hasn’t really been done.” That’s the premise behind the upcoming action/horror/sci-fi movie Primitive War, coming soon from writer/director Luke Sparke (Occupation Rainfall, Bring Him To Me). The film adapts author Ethan Pettus’ sci-fi military novel, and the first footage has arrived.

Primitive War is expected sometime in 2025, and a behind the scenes featurette this morning gives us our very first look at the film along with insights from the cast and crew.

Watch the Primitive War behind the scenes footage below and expect more soon.

International sales on the movie are being handled by Film Mode.

Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”), Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”, “Lucifer”), Ryan Kwanten and Nick Wechsler (“The Boys“) headline Primitive War.

The official synopsis: “Vietnam. 1968. A search and rescue team known as Vulture Squad is sent to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon.

Dinosaurs and Vietnam War jungle action are both on the agenda in the first footage from “Primitive War” released by producers Sparke Films. The survival thriller stars “Entourage” star Jeremy Piven, Tricia Helfer, Ryan Kwanten and Nick Wechsler.

Written and directed by Luke Sparke, “Primitive War” is adapted from the cult novel of the same name by Ethan Pettus. The story follows Vulture Squad, a recon team sent to a remote jungle valley in 1968 to locate a missing Green Beret platoon, only to find themselves face-to-face with prehistoric predators.

“Primitive War” was filmed on the Gold Coast, Australia, with a mostly local crew, sprawling sets and real jungle locations that add up to a raw, immersive experience.

International sales are handled by Film Mode ahead of the picture’s global release in 2025. “Filming has been pretty darn amazing,” says Kwanten.

In the three-minute featurette, director Sparke recounts his first encounter with Pettus’s novel,...

Exclusive: Jeremy Piven (Entourage), William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Tim McInnerny (Gladiator 2) and singer and actress Pixie Lott (Christmas Karma) are due to star in psychological-thriller Past Life.

Film Mode Entertainment has boarded sales on the project, which is aiming to start filming in February 2025 in Manchester, UK.

Past Life follows Jason Frey (Moseley), an investigative reporter who reluctantly agrees to attend a hypnotism event with his pregnant wife Claira (Lott). Under hypnosis, Jason witnesses a murder through the eyes of a psychotic killer. Haunted by what he has seen, Jason partners with the hypnotist (Piven) to use ‘past life regression’ techniques to investigate a series of unsolved murders from the 1980s while unwittingly reawakening a psychotic killer’s tendencies.

Simeon Halligan (The Blood Lands), head of Manchester genre festival Grimmfest, will direct. Pic was written by Halligan, Dean Lines and Ray Bogdanovich (Hounded). UK BritPop band James are producing the score.

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Emily Ratajkowski is one of the most beautiful and sensational actresses in the film industry. The American model and actress made her acting debut in a short film titled Andrew’s Alteration, but it wasn’t until her role as Tasha in iCarly that she became a known figure in Hollywood. After that, she starred in multiple films and TV shows and while most of them are not critical darlings, fans of the actress love her regardless. So, if you love Ratajkowski’s performances and largely erotic thriller films here are the best movies and TV shows starring Emily Ratajkowski you could watch.

10. Welcome Home Credit – Vertical Entertainment

Welcome Home is a thriller drama film directed by George Ratliff from a screenplay by David Levinson. The 2018 film follows a young couple during their stay at a vacation home...

The Critics Choice Association (Cca) unveiled the winners of the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards at a gala event in New York City on Sunday night. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper” shared the top award of the evening, as the films tied for Best Documentary Feature. It was a huge night for “Super/Man,” which swept all six of its nominated categories, including wins for Best Director for Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, Best Editing for Otto Burnham, Best Score for Ilan Eshkeri, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary.

“The Last of the Sea Women,” “Simone Biles Rising,”and “Sugarcane” each took home two awards. “The Last of the Sea Women” won the awards for Best Cinematography for Iris Ng, Eunson Choo, and Justin Turkowski, and Best Science/Nature Documentary. “Simone Biles Rising” won Best Sports Documentary and Best Limited Documentary Series. “Sugarcane” picked...

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story led the pack of winners, sweeping with six accolades in all of its nominated categories at the ninth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, held today at The Edison Ballroom in New York City. In a surprise moment, the film also shared a win with Netflix’s Will & Harper for best documentary feature.

Also honored during the ceremony was Oscar-nominated documentarian Rory Kennedy, who received the Pennebaker Award, named for the late Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award winner D. A. Pennebaker (The War Room). Pennebaker’s widow and producing partner Chris Hegedus presented the award.

The celebration was live-streamed on platforms YouTube, X and Facebook, with viewing also made available on the Critics Choice Association website beginning at 7 p.m. Et.

Debuting at Sundance Film Festival, Super/Man became a favorite among critics upon its premiere. The movie tells the emotional story of Reeve’s rise...

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper tied for best documentary feature at the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards on Sunday night.

The first film won in all six of the categories in which it was nominated.

In addition to best documentary feature, Super/Man, about the actor who played the Man of Steel and his advocacy for disability awareness after he was paralyzed in a tragic accident, won best director (Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui), best editing (Otto Burnham), best score (Ilan Eshkeri), best archival documentary and best biographical documentary.

Sugarcane, which scored the most nominations this year with eight, won two awards, for best political documentary and best true-crime documentary. The Last of the Sea Women and Simone Biles Rising also won two awards each. The first film, which counts Malala Yousafzai among its producers, won the awards for best cinematography (Iris Ng, Eunson Choo and Justin Turkowski...

A new film is bringing attention to one of Arthur Miller’s lesser known works. “The Performance” tells the story in Miller’s short story of the same name published in The New Yorker in the 1930s. The short story is about Harold May, a Jewish American tap dancer living in Berlin in 1937.

May and his troupe get invited to perform for the Nazi elite, including Adolf Hitler. This puts May in a complex situation where he must decide whether to cooperate with the regime or risk harm to himself and the performers.

Over 80 years later, Shira Piven has directed an adaptation of Miller’s short story into a film starring Jeremy Piven as Harold May. The drama also stars Robert Carlyle, Adam Garcia, and the late Suzanne Shepherd. It depicts the moral dilemma May faced in deciding to perform for the Nazis. The film has already played at film...

Exclusive: Jeremy Piven drama The Performance, which played the Rome and Palm Springs Film Festival, is heading to the AFM after Alliance Media Partners (Amp) boarded international sales rights.

Gvn Releasing is launching the film domestically in December and January.

The well-reviewed period drama, directed by Shira Piven and inspired by Arthur Miller’s short story, tells the story of Harold May, an American Jewish tap dancer in 1937 Berlin. May and the rest of his troupe are scouted by a German attaché who leads them to an exclusive performance for Hitler, putting May at a complex personal and professional cross-roads.

Entourage actor Piven plays May. The film also features Robert Carlyle, Adam Garcia, Steven Berkoff, and the late Suzanne Shepherd.

As we previously reported, the project reps a long-held passion for the Piven family, whose matriarch and director-teacher-actress Joyce Hiller Piven first read the story in the New Yorker and told her children about it.

Project Angel Food's annual Angel Awards returned on Saturday, Sept. 28, to honor six-time Emmy Award winner, five-time NAACP Image Award winner, Golden Globe winner, Debbie Allen Dance Academy and Debbie Allen Middle School founder and philanthropist Debbie Allen with the Humanitarian Angel Award, while Emmy-nominated actor Matt Bomer received the 2024 Angel Award.

Additionally, L.A. Care Health Plan and its CEO, John Baackes, was awarded the Sheryl Lee Ralph Legacy Award. The event, held at Milk Studios in Hollywood while construction is underway on Project Angel Food’s Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Campus, featured a performance by multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer Deborah Cox. Funds raised from the Angel Awards will support the organization’s operating costs, as Project Angel Food prepares and delivers more than 1.5 million medically tailored meals each year to people living with life-threatening illnesses at zero cost.

Actress and comedian Loni Love kicked off the event and...

Project Angel Food is holding a spot for Jesse Williams, Fellow Travelers creator Ron Nyswaner, Sandra Lee, chef Stuart O’Keeffe and Jeremy Piven at its upcoming Angel Awards gala.

Taking place at Milk Studios in Hollywood on Saturday, Sept. 28, the event will mark the organization’s 35th anniversary while shining a light on Debbie Allen (Humanitarian Award), Matt Bomer (Angel Award) and L.A. Care Health Plan and its CEO John Baackes (Sheryl Lee Ralph Legacy Award).

Williams will be on hand to present to onetime Grey’s Anatomy colleague Allen, while Nyswaner will offer up a tribute to his Emmy-nominated star and executive producer from the critically acclaimed Showtime series. Lee and chef Stuart O’Keeffe will present the Sheryl Lee Ralph Legacy Award to L.A. Care Health Plan and Baackes.

Matt Bomer and Ron Nyswaner during the Peabody Awards on June 9, 2024.

Jeremy Piven, who recently starred in and produced The Performance,...

Writer/Director Luke Sparke (Occupation Rainfall, Bring Him To Me) is adapting author Ethan Pettus’ sci-fi military novel Primitive War, testing a military unit’s survival skills against an unlikely enemy: dinosaurs. A new poster and images have been released, introducing the human side of the equation.

The poster, along with images below, teases dino carnage and promises that Primitive War is arriving in 2025.

Jeremy Piven (“Entourage“, Old School), Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”, “Lucifer”), Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”, Glorious) and Nick Wechsler (“The Boys“) are set to headline Primitive War.

The official synopsis: “Vietnam. 1968. A search and rescue team known as Vulture Squad is sent to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon. As they hunt through the primordial depths of the valley, they discover ancient horrors that not only threaten to unravel their minds, but to end their lives as well. Dinosaurs have somehow been unleashed!

Incoming is a teen comedy film written and directed by Dave and John Chernin. The Netflix film follows the story of four teen friends as they go to their first high school party, which turns out to be one of the most memorable nights of their lives. Incoming stars Mason Thames, Raphael Alejandro, Bardia Seiri, Ramon Reed, Bobby Cannavale, Kaitlin Olson, Isabella Ferreira, and Ali Gallo. So, if you loved the carefree vibes, hilarious comedy, and the insane story in Incoming here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Project X (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Warner Bros.

Project X is a found-footage teen comedy film directed by Nima Nourizadeh from a screenplay co-written by Matt Drake and Michael Bacall. The 2012 film follows the story of three high school seniors who decide to throw a party to gain popularity amongst their peers but their plans to throw a...

Back in 2022, it was reported that Jamie Foxx’s directorial debut, All-Star Weekend, was shelved and the reason has pointed to the controversial casting of Robert Downey Jr. in a role that has only been described as “Mexican.” Foxx and Downey Jr. have collaborated in the past and Foxx has been supportive of Downey Jr. when criticisms surface of his satirical role in Tropic Thunder when he appears in black face. Foxx spoke of the shelving, “It’s been tough…with the lay of the land of comedy…We’re trying to break open those sensitive corners where people go back to laughing again.”

While Foxx has moved on to other projects, this past week, he has taken to his YouTube channel to “leak” a trailer for All-Star Weekend. His strategy brings to mind when Ryan Reynolds spent years trying to get a Deadpool movie off the ground and it...

Mr. Throwback is a mockumentary-style comedy series created by Adam Pally and David Caspe. The Peacock series follows the story of Danny Grossman, a down-on-his-luck memorabilia salesman who was the top-rated 6th-grade basketball player in the country and also a teammate and friend with NBA legend Steph Curry. When Danny reaches out to Steph Curry, his life takes an unexpected turn. Mr. Throwback stars Adam Pally, Stephen Curry, and Ego Nwodim in the lead roles with Ayden Mayeri, Julian Sergi, Felix Jerry Droz, and Kyle Gibson starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the sports, comedy, and friendship in Mr. Throwback here are some similar shows you could watch next.

The Comeback (Max & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – HBO

The Comeback is a cringe satirical comedy series created by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King. The HBO series follows the story of Valerie Cherish, a veteran sitcom actor who...

Exclusive: Picked up to series just a day after the 20th year anniversary of the Entourage premiere, NBC’s Suits: L.A. shares a lot more in common with the HBO showbiz comedy than a Los Angeles setting. They also both feature a main character inspired by — and named after — a top Hollywood agent.

Entourage‘s uber agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) being modeled after Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel is well established and part of TV lore. But it’s little known that the central character of Suits: L.A., Ted Black, played by Arrow alum Stephen Amell, was inspired by prominent CAA agent and former ICM Partners managing director Ted Chervin — and the project’s original incarnation was even titled Ted.

“Ted Black is Ted Chervin,” says Literate’s Dennis Kim, Suits and Suits: L.A. creator Aaron Korsh’s former agent and current manager.

Suits: L.A.‘s official logline hints...

Party Down is one of those comedy shows that very few people know about but those who know it, love it and really appreciate the recent revival. The Starz series follows the story of a group of out-of-work actors in Los Angeles who are trying to earn a living by working in a catering company and still hoping to make it big in the industry. Party Down stars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, and Megan Mullally. So, if you loved the group dynamics, cringe comedy, and a bit of dark humor in Party Down, here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Corporate (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Comedy Central

Corporate is a dark comedy series created by Pat Bishop, Matt Ingebretson, and Jake Weisman. The Comedy Central series follows the miserable lives of two downtrodden employees as they die a...

Alternate reality alert! Imagine Jennifer Aniston, rom-com royalty, gracing a different silver screen masterpiece? The name’s not The Morning Show; it’s Serendipity. Yep, the 2001 rom-com movie. But fate, and maybe Rachel Green’s busy schedule, had other plans.

Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show | Apple TV +

Did Friends block Aniston’s path to rom-com glory? Let’s explore this near-miss and the fascinating dance between TV fame and big-screen dreams.

Rachel Green in Serendipity? The Jennifer Aniston Rom-Com You Never Knew Almost Happened Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston in Friends | Apple TV +

Imagine a world where Rachel Green moonlights as a whimsical rom-com leading lady not named Rachel Per Serendipity director Peter Chelsom, this alternate reality almost became our reality.

In a recent interview for the well-loved 2001 romantic comedy, director Chelsie revealed Jennifer Aniston was considered for the role of Sara Thomas in Serendipity. Kate Beckinsale eventually portrayed this.

One of the most beloved characters to ever come out of a Saturday Night Live sketch is MacGruber, played by Will Forte, who went on to appear in his own movie, streaming TV show and several rejected Super Bowl commercials for a soda company we won’t name, but let’s just say it rhymes with “Schmepsi.”

But as hard as it may be to believe, the MacGyver parody wasn’t written for Forte. In fact, it was first conceived of by SNL writer and Lonely Islander Jorma Taccone for one of SNL’s high-profile celebrity guests: the less-than-hilarious Lance Armstrong. In retrospect, missing out on the chance to play MacGruber probably doesn’t even crack the top 50,000 Lance Amrstrong career missteps.

According to Taccone, he originally pitched a sketch in which “Lance Armstrong would play MacGyver’s stepbrother MacGruber.” Unlike his famous relative, MacGruber would defuse bombs, not with paper clips and chewing gum,...

Gerard Butler and Den of Thieves director Christian Gudegast could head to the Big Apple as Butler is in talks to join the filmmaker for the comedic action-thriller Empire State. The upcoming project finds Butler and Gudegast re-teaming after joining forces for 2018’s Den of Thieves, Plane, and London Has Fallen.

According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Empire State focuses on what happens when “the Empire State Building is attacked by a military contractor hellbent on revenge. Navy Seal turned NY firefighter Rhett (Butler) and NYPD Tactical officer Dani (yet to be cast) must put aside their relationship troubles as they work to rescue hostages and save the famous landmark.”

S. Craig Zahler of Bone Tomahawk fame co-wrote the script with Brian Tucker (Secret Invasion).

Butler recently wrapped his role as Stoick for the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon. Mason Thames, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James,...

Intro: It’s a story we’ve all heard before. A group of friends stray off the beaten path and end up having to fight for their lives. This has served as the set-up for many classic horror films and thrillers. Back in the early ‘90s, director Stephen Hopkins used it as the set-up for an action movie that has an awesome cast. Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven, and Stephen Dorff play the friends fighting to survive. Denis Leary is the leader of the criminal gang out for their blood. Unfortunately, not a lot of people went to see the movie when it was released… but they did make the soundtrack a hit. The movie is called Judgment Night, and it’s time for it to be Revisited.

Set-up: Judgment Night started out as a spec script written by Kevin Jarre, whose other credits include Rambo: First Blood Part 2,...

While Joe Biden and Donald Trump have kept their in-person campaigning to a minimum so far this election cycle, third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has done everything he can do steal the spotlight, holding event after event with celebrity supporters. Now he can add another to the roster: actor Kevin Spacey.

Spacey, who faced more than a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct or assault since the #MeToo movement gripped the culture in 2017, appeared to indicate in a tweet on Monday that Kennedy had been there for him at his lowest.

Mike Tyson has appeared in over a few TV shows and movies during his time away from boxing. One of the projects he lent his image to was the television series Entourage. But Tyson was thrown for a loop when Piven started ad-libbing as his character Ari Gold.

Mike Tyson once shared what it was like to work on ‘Entourage’ Jeremy Piven | D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

Tyson was one of the many celebrities who made an appearance on the hit HBO show Entourage. There, he shared a scene with Jeremy Piven’s slick-talking agent Ari Gold. When he was offered an opportunity to star in the show, Tyson was more than thrilled. He was slowly building his acting resume over the years, and wanted to prove his worth as a potential actor.

“You better believe I had all my lines down pat,” he once posted on The Player’s Tribune.

But...

Director Luke Sparke has announced the casting for his upcoming sci-fi horror feature Primitive War, based on the novel by Ethan Pettus. Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Piven has been given the lead role, alongside Tricia Helfer, SAG Award Nominee Ryan Kwanten and Nick Wechsler. Together, they’ll be playing US soldiers in 1968 who have been sent to a remote region of Vietnam. They’re an elite recon unit known as Vulture Squad and they only get handed the toughest assignments. All they know is a Green Beret platoon has gone missing in the area, and they’ve been sent to investigate and possibly retrieve them. What they don’t expect, but who possibly could…was that this was the region of 1968 Vietnam that had dinosaurs in it. Well, no wonder we lost. Primitive War will also star Anthony Ingruber, Aaron Glenane, Carlos Sanson Jr

The post Jeremy Piven,...

Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Nick Wechsler (The Boys), Anthony Ingruber (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Aaron Glenane (Danger Close), Carlos Sanson Jr (Legacies), Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat 2), Adolphus Waylee (Nautilus), Richard Brancatisano (The Messenger), Marcus Johnson (Talk to Me), and Jake Ryan have all signed on to star in writer/director Luke Sparke’s sci-fi horror film Primitive War, Deadline reports. An adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ sci-fi military book series, the film will be set during the Vietnam War and feature American soldiers facing off with dinosaurs!

The story follows an elite recon unit known as the Vulture Squad. In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War they are sent to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon. They soon discover they are not alone. Dinosaurs have been let loose in the jungles.

Writer/Director Luke Sparke is adapting author Ethan Pettus’ sci-fi military novel Primitive War, pitting soldiers against dinosaurs…in 1968?! Per Deadline, the sci-fi horror film is lining up a rather robust cast.

Jeremy Piven, Tricia Helfer, Ryan Kwanten and Nick Wechsler (“The Boys“) are set to headline Primitive War.

The dino horror film follows “an elite recon unit known as the Vulture Squad, who, in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War that is sent to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon. They soon discover they are not alone. Dinosaurs have been let loose in the jungles.”

Anthony Ingruber, Aaron Glenane, Carlos Sanson Jr, Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat 2), Adolphus Waylee (Nautilus), Richard Brancatisano (The Messenger), Marcus Johnson and Jake Ryan also star.

“I was captivated by the imagery surrounding Ethan’s book and the story it told. I’ve worked hard...

Exclusive: Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Piven, Tricia Helfer, SAG Award Nominee Ryan Kwanten and Nick Wechsler are set to headline Primitive War, Luke Sparke’s sci-fi horror adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ sci-fi military book series.

The film also includes actors Anthony Ingruber, Aaron Glenane, Carlos Sanson Jr, Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat 2), Adolphus Waylee (Nautilus), Richard Brancatisano, Marcus Johnson and Jake Ryan.

Primitive War follows an elite recon unit known as the Vulture Squad. In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War they are sent to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon. They soon discover they are not alone.

On Thursday, February 29, Starz celebrated the highly anticipated Season 3 of “Bmf” with a red carpet premiere and afterparty at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Los Angeles. Gold Derby associate editor Latasha Ford was on the red carpet to interview stars Da’Vinchi, Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory, La La Anthony, Michole Briana White, Christopher B. Duncan, Jason Louder, Jerel Xavier Alston, Laila Pruitt, Kadianne Whyte and Tammy Corkin, as well as executive producer/showrunner Heather Zuhlke and special guests Ddg, Jeremy Piven, Lil Rel Howery, KaMillion and Funny Marco. Watch the exclusive red carpet interviews above.

See Sam Heughan (‘Outlander’) backstage at the first-of-its-kind ‘Hublander: A Visit to the Highlands’ fan convention

“Bmf” Season 3 continues the storyline of the inspiring true legends of brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi), who fostered one of the most influential crime families in the country known as, Black Mafia Family.

Hello again, everybody. JoBlo.com here bidding you a big Wahoo welcome to Wtf Happened to This Movie?! That’s right, the Cleveland Indians are well on their way to clinching the Al East – which means the 1989 sports comedy Major League is well on its way to becoming a classic of the genre.

But how did Major League reach this status? How did it become one of the most quotable comedies of the decade? How did the cast pull off pitching, swinging and winning like a professional baseball team? How did it go on to represent Cleveland even though it wasn’t even shot there? And why did they have to make those sequels? Well, let’s go juuuuuust a bit outside to find out: Wtf Happened to this Movie?!

You might be surprised to know that Major League comes courtesy of the same guy who won an Oscar for writing The Sting.

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign is being boosted by deep-pocketed supporters of Donald Trump, venture capitalists, conservative Hollywood types, and other celebrities.

Democrats worry the Kennedy campaign could help tank President Joe Biden’s reelection bid and make Trump president again. He is also a danger to public health: Kennedy has spread false conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines and claimed vaccines cause autism.

American Values 2024, a super Pac backing Kennedy, is the most important funding vehicle for his longshot bid for president. The group spent $7 million on a...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued campaign fundraising in Los Angeles Wednesday night with a stand-up comedy event hosted by the independent presidential candidate’s wife and actress Cheryl Hines.

The A Night of Laughter With Rfk Jr. & Friends evening at the Million Dollar Theater included performances by Jeremy Piven, Bobby Lee, Rob Schneider, Tre Stewart, Mike Binder, Erica Rhodes, Dustin Ybarra and radio host and podcaster Adam Carolla.

The benefit event, with an after party for $1000 Silver and $1500 Gold contributors, was part of a string of comedy shows planned for across the U.S. as the Rfk Jr. campaign looks to continue raising campaign funds. The first-time presidential candidate is polling in the mid- to high single digits in key U.S. states, according to RealClearPolitics.

That’s enough to potentially pull votes away from U.S. president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, both of whom are currently expected to be the U.

Exclusive: Academy Award winner Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and former Overbook head Caleeb Pinkett (Cobra Kai) are set to produce a live-action feature adaptation of The Storm Clan, the comic book created by Dallas Jackson and Joe Casey, which marks the first title from Jackson’s new company DJ Classicz Comix.

Jackson and Casey will pen the script, with former Lionsgate exec Jorge Alfaro to serve as an EP.

A sci-fi action adventure story, The Storm Clan watches as an ex-military weapons engineer trains his five adopted children to be undercover hi-tech/martial-arts thieves wearing an invincible bionic-body armor. Previously orphaned, the teenagers gifted with bionic technology see it provide them with the opportunity to protect themselves from the threats of the streets, also empowering them to take advantage of life instead of being taken advantage of, and most importantly, giving them comfort and sense of belonging within a family.

This is going to stun anyone who grew up on 21st century superhero cinema (which kicked off in 2000 with Bryan Singer's "X-Men" and only now seems to be on the wane), but what if I told you that in the 1970s, there were television series dedicated to the Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man, and they weren't the main small-screen pop cultural obsessions for sci-fi/fantasy fans? Not even close.

This is because every kid in America was crazy about "The Six Million Dollar Man."

Based on the novel "Cyborg" by Martin Caidin, "The Six Million Dollar Man" starred Lee Majors as astronaut Steve Austin, who's saved from certain death after the crash of an experimental aircraft when he is transformed into an experimental superhuman being via bionic implants. As the show's opening credits reminded us every week, these scientists made Majors "bigger, stronger, faster." He was as powerful as a bulldozer,...

Months ago, we here at JoBlo started writing about an issue near and dear to the hearts of film fanatics everywhere – the resurgence of physical media. After being shocked by how difficult it was to find the Ron Howard movie Cocoon, I decided to make a list of 10 movies that were difficult to find, but the comments on the article clued me into the fact that the issue of out-of-print classics is far more widespread than I assumed. Last week, I did an article about how movies like The Cannonball Run and Dogma are missing, and in that vein, here are five more cult classics that are surprisingly tough to find.

Ricochet:

This 1992 action film was an early attempt to turn Denzel Washington into an action star. Despite stylish direction by Russell Mulcahy and an unforgettable turn by John Lithgow as the movie’s villain, it was only a modest success.

"Sweetwater", the new biographical sports feature about 'Nat Clifton', the first African-American to sign a contract with the 'National Basketball Association' ('NBA'), is written and directed by Martin Guigui, starring Everett Osborne as 'Clifton', with Cary Elwes, Eric Roberts, Jeremy Piven, Richard Dreyfuss and Kevin Pollak, now streaming on Prime Video:

"....'Nat 'Sweetwater' Clifton'  was originally the main attraction of the entertaining 'Harlem Globetrotters' team, showing superior and amusing ball-handling skills, under the guidance of owner and coach, 'Abe Saperstein'. 

"Then in 1950, during the early days of organized sports, before the ease of crowd-pleasing online casino betting, 'Ned Irish', a 'New York Knicks' executive...

"...and their coach, 'Joe Lapchick', take the initiative and integrate their team with the support of 'NBA' President, 'Maurice Podoloff'...

"...allowing Sweetwater to be the first black man signed to the NBA,  creating a historic moment...

"...delighting millions of fans worldwide.