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John Amos, star of Good Times, Roots, and many more, died Oct. 1 at the age of 84.

Amos was known for playing Florida Evans’ (Esther Rolle) husband James in Good Times, which spun off of Maude, and for playing Gordy Howard the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which helped him break into entertainment in 1970. Other appearances for Amos included several episodes of The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, Future Cop, Hunter, 704 Hauser, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, The District, three episodes of Two and a Half Men, a few episodes in The Ranch and two episodes of Ballers.

He went on to appear in Die Hard 2 (1990), The West Wing, All About the Andersons alongside Anthony Anderson, Men in Trees. He reprised his role as Cleo McDowell in the sequel to 1989’s Coming To America — Coming 2 America (2021). Other film roles include Vanishing Point (1971), Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song...

The Criterion Channel’s at its best when October rolls around, consistently engaging in the strongest horror line-ups of any streamer. 2024 will bring more than a few iterations of their spooky programming: “Horror F/X” highlights the best effects-based scares through the likes of Romero, Cronenberg, Lynch, Tobe Hooper, James Whale; “Witches” does what it says on the tin (and inside the tin is the underrated Italian anthology film featuring Clint Eastwood cuckolded by Batman); “Japanese Horror” runs the gamut of classics; a Stephen King series puts John Carpenter and The Lawnmower Man on equal playing ground; October’s Criterion Editions are Rosemary’s Baby, Night of the Hunter, Häxan; a made-for-tv duo includes Carpenter’s underrated Someone’s Watching Me!; meanwhile, The Wailing and The Babadook stream alongside a collection of Cronenberg and Stephanie Rothman titles.

Otherwise, Winona Ryder and Raúl Juliá are given retrospectives, as are filmmakers Arthur J. Bressan Jr. and Lionel Rogosin.

Anthony Anderson paid tribute to classic TV shows Good Times, Facts of Life, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Miami Vice in the opening musical number on tonight’s Emmys, with the Black-ish star belting out some earworm theme songs from behind his piano.

“No Good Times, no Black-ish,” Anderson said introducing the former’s memorable “ain’t we lucky we got ’em” theme song, the show’s famous “Black Jesus” portrait hanging in the background.

For Miami Vice‘s “In The Air Tonight,” Anderson was joined by blink-182’s Travis Barker on drums.

Anderson made his entrance spoofing Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (re-titled Mr. Anderson’s Neighborhood), changing out of a fur (seemingly) coat for a tux jacket.

Following the brief opening musical number — just snippets from the three theme songs — Anderson, an 11-time Emmy nominee for the ABC sitcom making his Emmy hosting debut, laid down some ground rules (his mother...

The greatly delayed 75th annual Primetime Emmys are only a month away, but the ceremony finally has a host: Anthony Anderson. The “Black-ish” star will helm the January 15, 2024, telecast on Fox, live at 8 p.m. Et/5 p.m. Pt from downtown Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater (formerly the Microsoft) at the L.A. Live complex.

“With our industry’s recent challenges behind us, we can get back to what we love — dressing up and honoring ourselves,” Anderson said in a statement. “And there’s no better celebratory moment to bring the creative community together than the milestone 75th Emmy Awards. When Fox asked me to host this historic telecast, I was over the moon that Taylor Swift was unavailable, and now I can’t wait to be part of the biggest night in television.”

Earlier this fall, Fox announced that Anderson had been named the new host of its upcoming game show “We Are Family,...

We should all be so lucky to live as long as Norman Lear. The legendary television producer marked his 101st birthday Thursday — yes, you read that right: his 101st birthday! — by offering words of wisdom to his 60,000 Instagram followers about the “joy and privilege” of living in the moment.

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“Norman Lear here,...

There’s a song that Paul McCartney claims has what he calls Oss (Optimistic Song Syndrome). Like many other optimistic songs in his catalog, Paul hopes the song gives people hope.

Paul McCartney | Frank Micelotta/Getty Images Paul McCartney thinks optimistic songs are valuable

In his book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that he likes the idea of a song saying that help is coming and there’s a “bright light on the horizon.” He has no evidence, but he likes to believe it. An optimistic song helps to lift his own spirits and hopes that it might help other people move forward too.

Paul likes writing uplifting songs. He’s often conscious that many people in the world are going through tough times. If he can be a reassuring voice, he thinks that’s incredibly important. For instance, Paul wrote “Great Day” to make himself feel hopeful after The Beatles split,...

“I’ve got one daughter, and you’ve got one daddy,” Edwin (Delroy Lindo) reminds his daughter Paige (Kerry Washington) in the trailer for the new Hulu series “UnPrisoned.” Their relationship is at the heart of the comedy, in which they reunite after Edwin spent 17 years in prison on drug charges. Based on writer and executive producer Tracy McMillan’s own life, the show will chronicle how that reunion unfolds and the impact Edwin has on Paige and her son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana), when he moves in with them. All ten episodes premiere on Friday, March 10. Watch the full trailer above.

The trailer also offers glimpses at the adventures that await the family: Paige pursues a dream of owning a home — and gets a cathartic moment when she takes a sledgehammer to the dated wood paneling in the living room; Edwin teaches Finn how to drive and how to deal...

Paul McCartney loves writing optimistic songs, but he loves it even more when he can write a song that makes him hopeful, not just fans. Here are five songs that made Paul optimistic.

Paul McCartney | Ian Dickson/Getty Images 5. ‘Great Day’

In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that his song “Great Day” made him feel optimistic following The Beatles’ split. After the group’s split, Paul would often sit around in a rut. It was a dark time for him. However, he found the track’s chords while sitting in his kitchen with his children.

“I liked the idea of a song saying that help is coming and there’s a bright light on the horizon,” Paul wrote. “I’ve got absolutely no evidence for this, but I like to believe it. It helps to lift my spirits, to move me forward, and hopefully it might help other people move forward too.

Paul McCartney said he’s made up several songs for his kids that he’s never released. He loved coming up with the tunes, and it made his children’s childhoods special. That’s a perk of having a musician as a father.

Paul McCartney with his kids | Ronald Dumont/Getty Images Paul McCartney used to write songs while his kids played

In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that after the break up of The Beatles, he would often sit around a lot. Most times, Paul sat in the kitchen and wrote songs while his kids played or did their homework.

One day, while watching the kids, he came across the chords for his song “Great Day,” which made him feel optimistic about his post-Beatles days.

Eventually, Paul started writing songs while his wife Linda was working. He liked having one finished by the time she was done so he could surprise her.

Paul McCartney wrote a song that made him feel “optimistic” following The Beatles‘ split. For a while, he didn’t know what to do with himself. How do you follow The Beatles?

Paul McCartney | Bettmann/Getty Images Paul McCartney entered a dark period following The Beatles’ split

You can hear Paul’s desperation to keep The Beatles alive in their song “Get Back.” He thought they could stay together if they tried returning to their roots. However, John Lennon couldn’t contain his excitement about moving on and leaving Paul behind. He was done living in the past.

Eventually, Paul couldn’t deny that The Beatles had grown apart. All their other financial problems aside, they’d become four extremely different people. So Abbey Road was their final album, and Paul quickly got to work on his debut solo album. Despite seeming ready to move on, Paul had entered a rut.

Paul McCartney thinks the lyrics of a Flaming Pie track are similar to The Beatles‘ “It Won’t Be Long.” Despite consciously trying to steer clear of Beatle-like lyrics, they sometimes appeared.

Paul McCartney | David Lefranc/Kipa/Sygma via Getty Images Paul McCartney didn’t want the lyrics of his solo songs to be similar to The Beatles

In 1971, Paul released his first solo single, “Another Day.” In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul wrote that it felt like a big moment for him, “thrilling, though tinged with sadness.” Paul had already released his debut solo album, McCartney, amid The Beatles’ split, but he felt he had something to prove. That feeling didn’t dissipate for a while.

Shortly after releasing “Another Day,” Paul released Ram. Still, Paul was dealing with his former band’s painful split. He confessed later that the period was a disaster, with days at home...

This article was originally published as "Life Is Nothing But Glances" in the Spring 2021 issue of Trafic. It is being presented here through the generosity of the author, newly retitled at his request, and in a new translation by Ted Fendt. It is preceded by a short note shared by Moullet after the death of Jean-Luc Godard:Godard represents, first of all, a search for novelty, one defined by risk and an openness to the possibility of making mistakes over the course of many experiments (over 100 films). For him, a failed film was not a serious matter.Godard made films against: against the milieu from which he came, against dominant rules, and also against himself and his previous films.Godard’s thinking can only be defined by seeing his films, and not through his statements which are often not worthwhile for what they say but for his desire to provoke.

Johnny Brown, the actor, comedian and singer best known for his role as superintendent Nathan Bookman on the popular 70s sitcom “Good Times,” died Wednesday. He was 84 years old.

Brown’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Broadway actress Sharon Catherine Brown, through a post shared on her Instagram. No further details on Brown’s death are available at this time.

“He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet,” Sharon Catherine Brown wrote. “So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.”

Prior to his sitcom stardom, Brown was a seasoned entertainment veteran, regularly performing in nightclub acts with his future wife, June Russell. Early in his career he dabbled in recording music, releasing the single “Walkin’, Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” for Columbia Records in 1961 and “You’re Too Much in Love...

Paul McCartney will tell the stories behind 154 songs he wrote throughout his career in his upcoming book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, due out November 2nd. The tunes (detailed below) include titles from his work with the Beatles, Wings, and his own solo recordings. It also includes the words to an unrecorded Beatles song, “Tell Me Who He Is,” from the early Sixties; McCartney discovered the handwritten lyrics in a notebook while researching the book.

The anthology features McCartney’s handwritten lyrics, previously unpublished photos, drafts, and drawings. He accompanies...

“Schitt’s Creek” star Emily Hampshire has signed on to star as the title character in a new, updated version of Norman Lear’s 1970s syndicated hit “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.”

Hampshire will also be an executive producer on the project, and co-write the script with Jacob Tierney (“Letterkenny”), who will serve as showrunner. Sony Pictures TV is planning to shop the show to buyers in the coming weeks.

It’s the latest series remake to come out of the Lear cannon, following the recent critically acclaimed reimagining of “One Day at a Time,” and an animated take on “Good Times” that is currently in the works. Lear and Brent Miller’s Act III Prods. is developing the new “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” with Sony, with Lear and Miller as executive producers alongside Hampshire and Tierney.

“Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” reunites Hampshire with Tierney, as Hampshire previously starred in Tierney’s film “The Trotsky.

Another Norman Lear classic is eying a return to TV. Sony Pictures Television is developing a remake of Lear’s acclaimed 1970s series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

It hails from Schitt’s Creek co-star Emily Hampshire, who will co-write, executive produce and star as the title character Mary Hartman; Letterkenny creator Jacob Tierney, who will co-write with Hampshire; and Lear and Brent Miller’s Act III Productions. Tierney will serve as showrunner of the series, which will be shopped to buyers in the coming weeks, I hear.

The updated Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is about a small-town woman (Hampshire) who feels like a nobody in every aspect of her life until she suddenly becomes a “Verified” social media somebody. The remake will bring the original show’s satirical look at consumer culture into today’s social [me]dia world, where “America’s Typical Consumer Housewife” has now become the product consumed...

For 65 years, the work of television creatives has been regularly recognized at the Golden Globes, and there are currently 11 competitive categories devoted to them. The annual telecast is one of very few awards ceremonies during which TV and film nominees are able to mingle and celebrate with each other. However, although the HFPA has treated both groups as equals for many years, they only recently corrected a major oversight.

Since 1952, 66 individuals have received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement in film, but only two have been honored with the equivalent Carol Burnett Award for their impacts on the TV industry. Five-time Golden Globe winner Burnett kicked off the tradition by accepting the inaugural award in 2019, followed by Ellen DeGeneres in 2020. Now, iconic writer and producer Norman Lear has been announced as the newest honoree, and he will be the first one recognized solely for his off-screen contributions.

Lear...

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has chosen to honor one of the hardest — and longest — working men in television history, announcing that the organization will present the Carol Burnett Award to Norman Lear.

As the architect of several of the greatest sitcoms in TV history, including “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Maude,” and “Good Times,” Lear has married humor with biting social commentary in a fashion that revolutionized the industry. While Lear continues to be an active mentor and producer within the community, he has also dedicated himself over the years to both political and social activism.

“Norman Lear is among the most prolific creators of this generation,” HFPA president Ali Sar said in a statement. “His career has encompassed both the Golden Age and Streaming Era, throughout which his progressive approach addressing controversial topics through humor prompted a cultural shift that allowed social and political issues to be reflected in television.

Norman Lear will receive the Carol Burnett Award at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced today. The pioneering TV creator of All in the Family, Good Times and many other classic sitcoms, becomes the third-ever recipient on the honor.

Lear will accept the award during the Golden Globes telecast on Sunday, Feb. 28, 5 p.m. Pt/8 p.m. Et live on NBC.

“Norman Lear is among the most prolific creators of this generation,” said HFPA President Ali Sar. “His career has encompassed both the Golden Age and Streaming Era, throughout which his progressive approach addressing controversial topics through humor prompted a cultural shift that allowed social and political issues to be reflected in television. His work revolutionized the industry and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is honored to name him as the 2021 Carol Burnett Award recipient.”

The Carol Burnett Award is presented annually for outstanding...

Icon, meet icon. Norman Lear has been tapped to receive the third-ever Carol Burnett Award at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards next month.

The TV legend follows last year’s honoree, Ellen DeGeneres, and Burnett herself, who accepted the inaugural kudo named after her in 2019. Lear will accept the award during the Golden Globes telecast on Feb. 28, although the logistics of the show (and how he’ll receive the honor in these Covid-distanced times) have yet to be revealed.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association created the Carol Burnett award to honor TV notables, as a companion to its film-centric Cecil B. DeMille Award — which this year, as previously announced, will go to Jane Fonda.

“Norman Lear is among the most prolific creators of this generation,” said HFPA President Ali Sar. “His career has encompassed both the Golden Age and Streaming Era, throughout which his progressive approach addressing controversial topics...

“All in the Family” and “One Day at a Time” producer Norman Lear will become the third person to receive the Golden Globes’ annual lifetime achievement award for television, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Thursday.

The Carol Burnett Award, named for the TV star honored with the award in 2019, recognizes “outstanding contributions to the television medium on or off the screen” and is the TV counterpart to the longstanding Cecil B. deMille Award for film.

Lear follows Burnett and daytime TV host Ellen DeGeneres in receiving the trophy.

“Norman Lear is among the most prolific creators of this generation,” HFPA president Ali Sar said in a statement. “His career has encompassed both the Golden Age and Streaming Era, throughout which his progressive approach addressing controversial topics through humor prompted a cultural shift that allowed social and political issues to be reflected in television. His work revolutionized the industry and...

Peacock has put into development a series adaptation of the time-travel romance novel “All Our Wrong Todays” by Elan Mastai, the streamer announced Wednesday.

Originally published in 2017, “All Our Wrong Todays” was the debut novel by Mastai, best known for his work on NBC’s “This Is Us” and the 2013 film “What If” starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan and Adam Driver.

The series is described as a “mind-bending time travel love story that explores alternate versions of ourselves in dramatically surprising and often unexpected ways.”

Mastai will adapt his own novel, with Seth MacFarlane serving as an executive producer on the adaptation under his company Fuzzy Door’s overall deal with UCP. Additional executive producers on the project include Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door and Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor of Pascal Pictures.

Fuzzy Door’s pact with UCP has proved to be a fruitful one for the studio, with...

Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album spent a second week at Number One on the Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums chart. With more than 42,000 song downloads and over 160 million streams, the country star’s set dwarfed the competition — by way of comparison, the Number Two album, Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon, pulled down 58.8 million streams. Wallen’s repeat at Number One marked the first time in the history of the Rs 200 that a country album has led the ranking two weeks in a row.

One of the laughs you heard coming from the studio audience during WandaVision‘s first episode very well may have come from cast member Teyonah Parris herself.

Though Parris would not appear as the Disney+ series’ “Geraldine” until the second episode, “I actually got to be in the live studio audience, watching them film that first episode,” she shares with TVLine. “I got to take a little ‘cheat day’ and absorb it all and watch my amazing castmates, Lizzie [Olsen] and Paul [Bettany] and Kathryn [Hahn], kill it. And then I jumped in with them a little later.”

More from TVLineWandaVision's Elizabeth Olsen...

One of television’s most groundbreaking series hit the airwaves 50 years ago this month, and the small screen hasn’t been the same since. Emmy-winning “All in the Family” is one of the first programs to address sensitive topics previously considered unsuitable for television, one of the first sitcoms to effortlessly blend humor with drama, and one of the most influential programs of all time, impacting not only the industry but pop culture as well.

On January 12, 1971, Norman Lear‘s version of the British sitcom “Till Death Do Us Part” debuted on American television. Week after week, patriarch Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and son-in-law Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner) would argue with each other, as well as a variety of family members and neighbors, over pretty much every hot issue of the day – racism, homosexuality, gun rights, rape, women’s liberation, war,...

“All in the Family” was notable for many things — including the fact that it spawned seven other TV series. The influential sitcom was controversial when it first aired on 50 years ago on Jan. 12, 1971, and it went on to confront numerous issues that hadn’t previously been portrayed on television. The show’s spin-off series continued to break boundaries with discussions of abortion, alcoholism and racism. The characters and mood set by “All in the Family” left a big mark on television history, including these seven spin-offs:

“Maude” (1972-78)

The title character, played by Bea Arthur, was a tall, ultra-liberal feminist who drove Archie crazy; she was introduced in as Edith’s cousin in two “All in the Family” episodes in the 1971-72 season.

The two-part season opener for “Maude” in 1973 dealt with the alcoholism of her husband Walter (Bill Macy). Variety said it “underscored that sitcoms this year are treading...

“WandaVision” wasn’t supposed to be here. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic upending Marvel Studios’ carefully-laid plans, the whacky, sitcom-inspired Disney+ series was expected to cap off the first year of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4, one that included its first foray into episodic television.

Instead, it has to reintroduce the MCU to content-starved Marvel fans who have been waiting (im)patiently since “Spider-Man: Far From Home” swung into theaters some 18 months ago. When “WandaVision” debuts on Friday, it will end the biggest gap between Marvel Studios projects since the powerhouse company was in its earliest days.

“I don’t love that the whole world has been delayed by a year. But if it had to happen, ‘WandaVision’ being our first Disney+ series is perfect,” Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told TheWrap. He heralded the 9-episode series as “a bold declaration of new storytelling medium — which is what television...

The Casting Society of America on Friday unveiled nominations for its 36th annual Artios Awards in the categories of television, theater, short film and short-form series. The noms for the casting honors come ahead of a planned virtual winners ceremony April 15.

The Csa opened its feature film submission period Thursday; noms in those categories will be announced in March.

On the TV side, Netflix leads all networks today with 12 nominations, followed by rival HBO with eight and Hulu with four. Among the nominees include Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president David Rubin, who scored mentions for HBO’s Big Little Lies and Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere. Victoria Thomas earned four noms, for Apple’s The Morning Show and HBO’s Insecure, Watchmen and A Black Lady Sketch Show.

In theater, Jim Carnahan, Karyn Casl and Tara Rubin were among the casting director with multiple noms. Rubin, along with Robi Reed,...

Looking back over the beloved stars we lost in the past year is always emotional, and this year has been especially devastating, given how many members of the entertainment community died due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic hit the music community especially hard, but television and film performers, as well as stage actors and below-the-line workers were also affected. Singer-songwriter John Prine, record producer Hal Willner and “Nashville” actor Allen Garfield all died of coronavirus on April 7. Broadway actor Nick Cordero died on July 5 after a four-month battle with the disease.

Adam Schlesinger, a composer and co-founder of Fountains of Wayne, died on April 1 at 52. Charley Pride, remembered as country music’s first Black superstar, died on Dec. 12 of coronavirus complications.

Movie greats

Chadwick Boseman‘s death due to colon cancer rocked the entertainment industry on Aug. 28. The “Black Panther” star was just 43, and his death came as a...

Despite very chaotic schedules, Gold Derby gathered four top TV showrunners recently for a Meet the Experts panel to discuss their latest projects and careers. Watch our exciting new group webchat above with Katori Hall (“P-Valley”), Aaron Guzikowski (“Raised by Wolves”), Benjamin Cavell (“The Stand”) and Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”). Click on each name above to be taken to their separate interviews during the hour-long panel.

In the chat, we ask about projects that influenced them into joining the crazy world of television and film long before it actually happened for them. For Cavell, he chooses to talk about “The Sopranos.” Hall discusses “Good Times” from the 1970s. Bier chats about an old black-and-white version of “Treasure Island.” Guzikowski mentions the original episodes of “The Twilight Zone.”

Other topics we cover in our group discussion include the process of waiting on a new project to debut for the public and critics,...

Leonard Roberts is best known for his roles in the movie “Drumline,” and on the television shows “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “American Crime Story,” “Major Crimes” — and for his performance as D.L. Hawkins on the first season of NBC’s “Heroes.” While the fantasy show debuted in 2006 to immediate blockbuster status, making overnight sensations of many of its stars — including Zachary Quinto, Masi Oka, Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere — Roberts’ time on the show was far more troubled. As he details in his account below, he experienced immediate friction with his main co-star Ali Larter — and perceived indifference from creator and showrunner Tim Kring — that led him to feel singled out as a Black actor, a feeling that only grew more intense after he was fired from the show after its first season.

Variety corroborated Roberts’ account with 10 people who either worked on “Heroes” at the time or were...

Exclusive: NBC is developing Finding Forrester, a drama series based on the 2000 Gus Van Sant movie that starred the late Sean Connery. It hails from The Chi co-executive producers Tj Brady & Rasheed Newson, director Tim Story, NBA star Stephen Curry and his Unanimous Media as well as Sony Pictures Television.

In the film, a black teenager (Rob Brown), a gifted writer and basketball player, lands a scholarship to a prestigious private high school and befriends a reclusive Scottish writer (Connery).

The TV adaptation, written by Brady and Newson and to be directed by Story, is changing up the mentor character, played in the movie by Connery. The series examines the cost of success and the price of redemption through the unique bond between two gifted black writers: a homeless 16-year-old orphan who leverages his basketball skills to hustle his way into an ultra-competitive elite boarding school and a reclusive lesbian...

A series based on “Fried Green Tomatoes” is in the works at NBC, with Reba McEntire attached to star and with Norman Lear executive producing, Variety has learned exclusively.

The hour-long drama project is described as a modernization of the novel and movie that explores the lives of descendants from the original work. When present-day Idgie Threadgoode (McEntire) returns to Whistle Stop after a decade away, she must wrestle with a changed town, estranged daughter, faltering cafe and life-changing secret.

McEntire will executive produce in addition to starring, with Jennifer Cecil attached to write and executive produce. Lear, who was an executive producer on the “Fried Green Tomatoes” film, and his producing partner Brent Miller will executive produce under their Act III Productions banner. Fannie Flagg, author of the original novel and co-writer of the film’s screenplay, will also executive produce. Universal Television will serve as the studio.

The...

Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door is expanding the executive team under president Erica Huggins with the hire of former Marvel Television exec Aimee Carlson as SVP.

Reporting to Huggins, Carlson will work to grow Fuzzy Door’s slate spanning drama, comedy and areas such as science, history, politics and music across film, television, digital and animation. Additionally, Fuzzy Door has brought in 6th & Idaho’s Sam Hoffman as Creative Executive.

Carlson, a 18-year industry veteran, recently served as VP of Original Programming at Marvel Television where she oversaw Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and additional development projects. Prior to Marvel, she was VP of Digital for Ucp and eventually transitioned back to the TV side, developing several Ucp series, including Difficult People, Harmonquest, Childhood’s End, Channel Zero, Umbrella Academy and Happy!.

She is now returning to Ucp where Fuzzy Door is based under the company’s blockbuster deal with Universal Studio Group.

Conchata Ferrell, a three-time Emmy nominee who appeared in more than 200 episodes of Two and a Half Men and was a regular on L.A. Law‘s sixth season, died Monday at Sherman Oaks Hospital of complications following a cardiac arrest. She was 77 as a result She died peacefully surrounded by family.

Ferrell probably is best known for her role as no-nonsense housekeeper Berta on the hit CBS comedy Two and a Half Men. The role earned her a pair of Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy nominations in 2005 and 2007.

“She was a beautiful human,” Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer said. “I’m crying for the woman I’ll miss, and the joy she brought so many.” Added fellow Men star Charlie Sheen, “An absolute sweetheart, a consummate pro, a genuine friend. Berta, your housekeeping was a tad suspect, your ‘people’ keeping was perfect.”

The veteran...

This article is part of an ongoing series that looks at the history of disability issues in television. You can find Part One in the series, about viewers’ recollections of disability on television here; and Part Two on disability in Very Special Episodes here.

When Norman Lear won another Emmy two weeks ago — becoming the oldest Emmy winner in history — it reminded audiences of how vital and revolutionary the showrunner and creator has been for more than 50 years. His television shows in the 1970s changed the landscape, deconstructing everything from gender to race.

But one area that is often overlooked in his career is his work with disability. It’s a statement Lear chuckles at when asked about — to him, it just made sense to include disabled characters and, more importantly, disabled actors, to emphasize the world we lived in.

To hear him tell it, there isn’t a grand...

We've been on the edge of our seats since the 2020 Emmy nominations were announced in July. This year, the Emmys went virtual, opting to have Jimmy Kimmel host from the Staples Center in downtown LA while foregoing a traditional red carpet on Sunday night. In addition to fun cast reunions and hilarious behind-the-scenes moments, there were also some historic wins. Schitt's Creek nabbed nine Emmys out of 15 nominations for its sixth and final season, while Zendaya received her first-ever Emmy win for Euphoria, making her the youngest actress to win in the category. Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones also made history as the first father-daughter duo to win Emmys in the same year. Keep reading for the full list of winners.

Related: Here They Are, the 2020 Emmy Nominations!

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series

Cherry Jones, Succession

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series

Ron Cephas Jones,...

Despite the constant ads leading up to the Emmys saying that the event would take place over 100 different locations in 114 countries there was a moment of disturbing surreality watching the opening minutes of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue. The camera cut to a full auditorium leading many to say “Oh, my God, no one’s wearing a mask.” It’s a feeling that would continue for several minutes over Kimmel’s jokes and, for a moment, we wondered if the ceremony was going to be presented as normal with an audience pre-taped from previous ceremonies. But when Kimmel declared “this isn’t a Maga rally” it was revealed that the auditorium was empty.

It was a rather fitting, if drawn out, bit of poignancy to remind us this year’s ceremony was going to be one of trial and error. Kimmel started off with a series of obvious jokes about the pandemic,...

A relatively subdued Jimmy Kimmel opened Sunday’s Emmys broadcast by lampooning the show’s virtual format in front of an audience composited from old Emmys footage.

“Hello and welcome to the pandemmys,” Kimmel said at the top of the ABC broadcast. “Wow, it’s great to finally see people again. Thank you for risking everything to be here. Thank me for risking everything to be here. You know what they say you can’t have a virus without a host.”

The opening segment also featured a bit with “Ozark” star Jason Batemen as the only real person amid a crowd of MLB-inspired cardboard cutouts, and another with “Morning Show” star and Emmys presenter Jennifer Aniston as a humorous way of explaining the night’s unique at-home format.

Read more of Kimmel’s best jokes below.

"Welcome to the 'Pand-Emmys!'"

"Television is there for you. The world may be...

At the spry age of 98, Norman Lear just made Emmy history, breaking his own record as the award’s oldest winner ever.

And when he’s not working on projects such as “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” on ABC, or a new animated version of “Good Times” for Netflix (which Variety exclusively reported earlier this week), Lear has been a longtime advocate for sustainability in Hollywood. During the second episode of Variety‘s Sustainability in Hollywood event presented by Toyota Mirai, the legend spoke with senior TV editor Michael Schneider with his wife, Lyn Lear, about how they got first got involved in the environmental movement, their involvement in politics and why climate change shouldn’t be politicized.

Lyn shared that women were at the forefront of starting the conversation on sustainability across the industry. The producer of 2014’s Un Climate Summit documentary, “What’s Possible,” Lyn brainstormed...

Norman Lear has been working in television for decades. He’s the creator of classic sitcoms such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and Maude. More recently, he’s been having a blast by recreating episodes of those sitcoms with Live in Front of a Studio Audience specials on ABC, bringing […]

The post TV Legend Norman Lear Broke an Emmy Record That He Previously Held Himself appeared first on /Film.

Andre Braugher cops to being “pretty freaked out” the first season he played the sophisticated but stern Capt. Raymond Holt on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Braugher was a Juilliard-trained actor who had already won two Emmys (including one for landmark drama “Homicide: Life on the Street”) and an Obie Award for performing Shakespeare in the Park — but doing a comedy nonetheless scared him.

“Everything’s new. I’d never done it before. Am I any good?” Braugher recalls asking himself. “I remember turning to my wife and asking her, ‘Is this funny?’ And she said, ‘Yes, of course, you’re not being deceived.’ But I kept looking at it, saying to myself, is this good? I couldn’t really judge.”

To fans of the show, it’s immediately apparent how Braugher provides a key ingredient to the balance that makes the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” cast of characters work, from the silly to the sublime.

Kerry Washington is officially an Emmy winner! The Scandal alum received the honor for her work as an executive producer on Tuesday, Sept. 15, during the 2020 Creative Arts Emmys. As fans may know, Washington was an executive producer on ABC's Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: "All In The Family" And "Good Times." During Tuesday's Creative Arts Emmys, the show won the award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). To win the award, the special was up against the 73rd Annual Tony Awards, the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the Oscars and the Super Bowl Liv Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. After hearing the news, Washington took to her Instagram Story to celebrate the...

TV legend Norman Lear just broke his own Emmy record on Tuesday night. At the virtual Creative Arts Emmys ceremony on the Television Academy website, “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” won for Best Variety Special (Live). Lear had won the same award last year at age 97, but his current age of 98 now helps him extend the record as the oldest person to ever win an Emmy. Both featured new live adaptations of “All in the Family,” while the 2019 version had “The Jeffersons” and the one from this past December recreated “Good Times.”

Lear had already won four Emmys for “All in the Family” in the 1970s. In our recent webchat from earlier this summer (watch the exclusive video below), he discusses what it was like to prevail last time after all these years: “Well, I’m a fraction older. These are all individual achievements. This one to share...

Live, from New York, it’s another Emmy for Saturday Night Live! The long-running NBC sketch show won for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series for the fourth straight year on Night Two of the Creative Arts Emmys, presented virtually on Tuesday. (The other nominees were HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show and Comedy Central’s Drunk History.)

Plus, ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience: “All in the Family” and “Good Times” won for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Apple TV+’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series won for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series and HBO’s Last Week...

The second night of the Creative Arts Emmys Awards kicked off Tuesday.

Among the big winners for the night were “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” which won three Emmys. That includes a win for best writing for a variety series. In addition, “Saturday Night Live” walked away with yet another win in the best variety sketch series category, marking one of three wins it scored throughout the night.

The second installment of “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” picked up the award for best live variety special, which it also won last year. The win also made executive producer Norman Lear the oldest Emmy winner ever at 98, beating his own record when he won at 97.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” also picked up two more awards, bringing its total to four so far. Tonight, the show won for best contemporary makeup for a variety, nonfiction or reality program (Non-Prosthetic) as...

Norman Lear was recognized with a win during the second night of 2020’s virtual Creative Arts Emmys on Tuesday for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times.

At 98, Lear has surpassed his own record, set in 2019, as the oldest Emmy winner ever.

Executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel, the live special features performances from holiday-themed episodes of Lear’s hit sitcoms: All in the Family, which ran for nine seasons from 1971 – 79; and Good Times, which ran for six seasons on CBS, also ending in 1979.

Lear, a veteran writer and producer who has been active ...

Norman Lear was recognized with a win during the second night of 2020’s virtual Creative Arts Emmys on Tuesday for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times.

At 98, Lear has surpassed his own record, set in 2019, as the oldest Emmy winner ever.

Executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel, the live special features performances from holiday-themed episodes of Lear’s hit sitcoms: All in the Family, which ran for nine seasons from 1971 – 79; and Good Times, which ran for six seasons on CBS, also ending in 1979.

Lear, a veteran writer and producer who has been active ...

Good Times, the classic 1970s sitcom that was developed by legendary TV pioneer Norman Lear, is getting a new version on Netflix. This reboot will be animated instead of live-action, and will tell a new story that’s inspired by the original series, which ran from 1974 through 1979. Lear, who’s still working in the industry […]

The post ‘Good Times’: Animated Reboot of the 1970s Sitcom is Coming to Netflix appeared first on /Film.

Netflix is rebooting Norman Lear’s classic ’70s sitcom Good Times as an animated series, with a little help from Family Guy auteur Seth MacFarlane.

Lear and MacFarlane will serve as EPs on the project, which follows the Evans family as they navigate today’s world and contemporary social issues. Carl Jones (The Boondocks, The Last O.G.) serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer.

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