Showing posts with label Hollywood Reporter. Show all posts
All of the Questions We Have About Chelsea Handler's Netflix Talk Show
Just when the late night shakeup was finally starting to settle down, Chelsea Handler throws everyone for a loop. Since she announced plans to leave her E! talk show Chelsea Lately a few months ago, rumors and speculation regarding her next move have mounted. On Thursday, the comedian revealed that instead of moving to a different network or show format, she had instead inked a deal with Netflix (via Hollywood Reporter). The deal includes a stand up special, which will be released on October 16, a documentary comedy miniseries that will chart her attempts to learn more about a variety of topics, and the streaming platform's first ever late night talk show.
That's right: Handler and Netflix are planning to take the television format with the shortest possible shelf life - a talk show really only exists on a day-to-day basis - and present it on a platform designed to allow people to watch both old and new content whenever they please. Since neither Handler nor the network have revealed exactly what their plans are for a talk show on a site designed for binge watching, we can only assume that they have just as many questions and concerns about the project as we do. And we have a lot of questions…
-How is Netflix planning to release the talk show? Are we talking a nightly or weekly basis, or just full seasons all at once, like they do with their other original programming? If it is full seasons, how will they manage to keep things topical and up-to-date?
-If the show isn't tackling topical issues, is it still a real late night show?
-Can they even call it a late night show if most people won't be watching it late at night, but instead at whatever time of day they please?
-How is Netflix, which mostly traffics in heavily serialized shows, going to get people to watch a show that is often digested in individual segments and viral clips?
-If they do decide to release it on a daily or weekly basis, does that undermine the entire Netflix model?
-If they release things daily, will the episodes go up at night, when a late night show would usually air, or in the morning, when people are likely to be catching up on everythign they missed the night before?
-Would they be released at the same time everywhere, regardless of time zones, or would Netflix roll them out at different times for different zones, the way that late night shows on television would air?
-If Netflix releases episodes on a weekly basis, would they be doing one episode a week, or a week's worth of episodes at one time? If the latter, how will they be able to keep things fresh and topical?
-No matter how the network rolls it out, how important will current events and pop culture news be to a show that doesn't air on a timely basis?
-We're all in agreement that booking the guests is going to be the easiest part of this show, right?
-Will Handler still be able to rely on segments and bits from her show going viral in order to help gain the show attention, since the whole thing will be easily viewable on the Internet anyway?
-Is Handler going to be competing with the other late night hosts in terms of topics, ratings and content? Or is she just in a league of her own right now?
-Will she have to completely overhaul the format of her show for a new medium?
-Will she continue to ignore the questions that people give her for the people she's interviewing?
-Will she finally be allowed to come up with a new way of interacting with and interviewing her guests, since she clearly hates the traditional routine?
-Is the show going to be filmed in front of an audience, or will it only be Handler in the studio? Is it still a late night show without an audience present?
-Is Chuy moving with her?
-Does moving to Netflix show that we don't need any more late night talk shows, since both network and cable channels are filled to the brim with them?
-If Handler is going to Netflix, who's taking Craig Ferguson's spot?
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Angela Bassett to direct new Whitney Houston movie for Lifetime
The new film marks Bassett’s second involvement with Lifetime’s original biopics.
Actress Angela Bassett has signed on to direct a new biopic on the life of late singer Whitney Houston, confirms the Hollywood Reporter.
The movie, with the eponymous title Whitney Houston, will be the Oscar-nominated actress’s directorial debut.
Whitney Houston, which will air on Lifetime, chronicles the singer’s relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown. The Shem Bitterman-penned script explores their initial meeting, their celebrity status and their subsequent rocky marriage.
“I have such regard for both Whitney’s and Bobby’s amazing talents and accomplishments, and I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story,” said Bassett, in a statement. “Their humanity and bond fascinates us all. I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world.”
Sanitsky Company will produce the film, while Larry Sanitsky will serve as executive producer.
Bassett has worked with Lifetime biopics previously. Last year she starred as Coretta Scott King opposite Mary J. Blige as Betty Shabazz, the wives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively.
Bassett’s performance earned her SAG and NAACP award nods.
Houston died on Feb. 12, 2012 of an accidental drowning in her hotel room’s bathtub in Beverly Hills. She was 48.
Lifetime’s biopic, Whitney Houston, premieres in 2015.
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War of Words: George Clooney Exchange Barbs with Casino Owner Steve Wynn
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| (Photo : Reuters/Thomas Mukoya) The war of words between actor George Clooney and Vegas honcho and Republican donor Steve Wynn is heating up.
Hollywood A-lister George Clooney is hitting back after Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn reportedly called the star and other actors "mollycoddled," Time reported.
Wynn and Clooney first clashed in a heated argument in Las Vegas in early April after Wynn reportedly called President Barack Obama a dirty word during a group dinner.
It escalated Friday after Wynn denied making the statement about Obama, saying stars like Clooney are "mollycoddled."
"Artists, actors, people like that - they live in a very strange bubble of their own. They're mollycoddled. They're very privileged," Wynn said in an interview with Bloomberg TV's "Market Makers," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"We're talk about successful artists like George, Barbra Streisand or any other successful artist. They live in a very small world. The people around them are very solicitous and caring for them. They have a world view that everything should be given to everybody because everything has been given to them," he continued.
However, Wynn said that despite actors' negative qualities, he and others in Las Vegas "love them anyway."
Clooney is now responding to the casino mogul's comments, People magazine reported.
"He said I live in a bubble. More of a bubble than Las Vegas? Honestly? He says I'm 'mollycoddled,' that I'm surrounded by people who coddle me. I would suggest that Mr. Wynn look to his left and right and find anyone in his sphere that says anything but 'yes' to him. Emphatically," Clooney said.
"I did not attend a private boys' school, I worked in tobacco fields and in stock rooms, and construction sites. I've been broke more of my life than I have been successful, and I understand the meaning of being an employee and how difficult it is to make ends meet," he added.
Clooney likewise refuted Wynn's denials that he made a statement against Obama.
"He now says he didn't call the president an 'a------.' That is false. He bellowed 'I voted for the a------,' and then called him the same thing several more times as the dinner came to an abrupt end," Clooney said.
The newly-engaged actor also reacted to Wynn's comments that he was "a little into tequila."
"Again there were eight people at the table, eight witnesses. I did in turn, call him the same body part, and walked out. Again he can make up whatever story he wants, but these are the facts. He said I drank 16 shots of tequila. I didn't drink one shot of tequila, not one. We were drinking but it was early and we still had two events to attend," Clooney said.
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