EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, Netflix has acquired the action thriller spec Kill Switch from Harrison Query, with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star. Described by sources as falling somewhere between Collateral and Sicario, the film's logline is being kept under wraps. 6th & Idaho's Matt Reeves & Lynn Harris will produce along with Gyllenhaal & Josh McLauglin's Nine Stories banner and Scott Glassgold and his 12:01 Films. Last June, Query set up his political thriller short story “Code Black” at Amazon MGM, with Gyllenhaal set to star, and the triumvirate of 6th & Idaho, Nine Stories and 12:01 aboard to produce. On a pretty incomparable heater lately, Query returns to Netflix after securing a straight-to-series order from the streamer for his A24-produced TV series Trigger Point, following a seven-way bidding war. As previously reported, Joel Edgerton will star, with Jeremy Saulnier directing, and Query showrunning and exec producing the show he created. In December, Query also sold his spec script The Operator to Netflix with Mark Wahlberg starring and producing alongside The Picture Company and 12:01 Films. Last year, Query saw his Amazon MGM action comedy Heads of State, starring John Cena and Idris Elba, debut as the fourth-most-streamed movie of all time for the service. Up next for him is the Paramount+/101 Studios JonBenét Ramsey limited series Unspeakable, starring Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen, which he co-created and executive produced. Query is repped by CAA, Ground Control and Jeff Frankel. After executive producing and starring in Apple's Presumed Innocent and seeing the critically acclaimed series break out as one of Apple's most-watched dramas of all time, Gyllenhaal is back on board as executive producer of the forthcoming second season. He's also returned for a Road House sequel, directed by Ilya Naishuller, after seeing his 2024 Amazon MGM remake from Doug Liman break records with more than 50 million viewers in its first two weekends on Prime Video. On March 6, he'll be seen in Warner Bros.' Frankenstein-inspired gothic crime flick The Bride!, directed by his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal is repped by WME and Carlos Goodman. 6th & Idaho's The Wrecking Crew, starring Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, is currently No. They are repped by CAA and Karl Austen. The sale of Kill Switch continues a fast start to 2026 for Glassgold and his 12:01, having recently packaged and sold the sought-after short story “Grand Rising” to Searchlight, with Lena Waithe adapting and Steve Caple Jr. directing. Up next, he's set to enter production on Drew Hancock's adaptation of Query's bestselling novel, My Wife and I Bought a Ranch, for Amazon MGM Studios. Glassgold's 12:01 is repped by Verve and McKuin Frankel Whitehead. Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy. There's a new king of Tubi in town! We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Sign up for our breaking news alerts We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.

EXCLUSIVE: Tracie Laymon, the filmmaker behind recent SXSW prize-winner Bob Trevino Likes It, has been enlisted to write and direct a live-action Tony the Tattooed Man feature for Mattel Studios. First introduced in 1992, Tony the Tattooed Man was an illustratable muscle-bound action figure, inviting kids to decorate his body with soluble temporary tattoos applied by hand and to continually customize and reimagine his appearance. Laymon aims to reimagine the cult-favorite action figure as the centerpiece of a character-driven drama that blends surreal fantasy with emotional depth. The project will be overseen by Darian Greenbaum and Steve Spohr for Mattel Studios, with Robbie Brenner producing on behalf of Mattel. Ivan Sanchez is also serving as a producer. Brenner, Mattel Studios' President and Chief Content Officer, said: “After seeing Bob Trevino Likes It and the specificity and emotional depth that Tracie brings to her characters, I knew that she was the perfect person to develop Tony the Tattooed Man. Laymon shared, for her part: “I was immediately drawn to Tony the Tattooed Man from the minute I saw his name and then learned about his short-lived journey as a discontinued toy. It is an honor to partner with Mattel, who are true allies for artists, on a film that will help restore our faith in humanity.” Laymon's breakout feature Bob Trevino Likes It, starring John Leguizamo and Barbie Ferreira, premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Audience Award. Following a lonely young woman who strikes up a relationship online with a stranger who shares her father's name, the film was acquired by Roadside Attractions and released in theaters in March of last year. A Texas-native, Laymon spent some of her formative teen years in Russia before returning to the States for college. As a fierce advocate for the inclusion and representation of gender diversity and people with disabilities in front of and behind the camera, her goal is to amplify diverse perspectives through underdog stories. In addition to Tony the Tattooed Man, she is currently writing her next original feature. Mattel Studios recently enlisted Hannah Hafey & Kaitlin Smith to write their live-action Monster High movie, as we first reported early last month. Apple, Skydance and Mattel's live-action Matchbox movie, starring John Cena, is also expected to bow in 2026. Laymon is represented by Verve, Artists First, and Yorn, Barnes, Levine. Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy. It's not their fault, but just reality, and sad. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.

As of February 3, 2026, the 84-year-old mother of “today” anchor Savannah Guthrie is still missing, and now, Guthrie's husband Michael Feldman has broken his silence on the situation, and his comments reveal the heartbroken family's desperation. Page Six reported around 11 AM Tuesday morning that Feldman exclusively told them he does not “have anything new to report” in the search for his mother-in-law, Nancy Guthrie. She was last seen on the night of Saturday, January 31. The outlet says Feldman, a PR and communications consultant, told them he's “just being responsive” but feels “mostly unhelpful.” Page Six also says Feldman thanked them for the “thoughtfulness” of their coverage on the gut-wrenching story. CBS News reported on the morning of Tuesday, February 3 that a law enforcement source familiar with the case told them “a little bit of blood” was found inside the missing octogenarian's Arizona in the Catalina Foothills from which she is believed to have been abducted. Test results to attempt to determine who the blood belongs to are underway, and investigators and crime scene analysts are currently “combing through the house” in search of clues, per the report. CBS says Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously told them he believes Nancy was abducted from her home “in the middle of the night,” and he doesn't believe there's a possibility she could have wondered away because of her mental sharpness and inability to walk far. The Sheriff also said Nancy left behind her essential medications, supporting the theory that she was taken against her will. Gwen Stefani: The singer left a praying hands emoji. Guthrie's longtime “Today” co-anchor Hoda Kotb mas made 3 posts to her own Instagram about the missing person's case. The first one was a picture of the word “Hope,” which she captioned with a pair of heart emojis. Kotb wrote alongside that post, “If you know anything.. pls help.” Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Presented by Amazon Prime, the 2026 GRAMMYs were full of historical wins and fantastic performances. 1 single, “APT.,” keep watching to see everything you missed from the biggest night for music! Here's everything you missed from music's biggest night, presented by Amazon Prime! Rosé and Bruno Mars kicked off the show with “APT,” and Sabrina Carpenter performed her smash hit “Manchild.” Best Rap Album went to Kendrick Lamar, who acknowledged his fellow nominees in his speech. And you know I was gnarly because Katseye took the stage! But the Best New Artist award went to Olivia Dean, who shed tears of joy and shared. And, in just his boxers and socks, Justin Bieber returned to the Grammy stage four years later to perform his hit “Yukon” while wifey Hailey admired proudly from the crowd. A very shocked Jelly Roll took home Best Contemporary Country Album. Lady Gaga brought the magic with “Abracadabra” and then took home Best Pop Vocal Album. Bruno Mars returned to perform his new Hot 100 No. Pharrell received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for all his incredible contributions to music. Reba McEntire made her Grammy performance debut honoring those that have passed, with Post Malone paying tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. Lauryn Hill brought the Fugees back together to honor D'Angelo and Roberta Flack. A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Send us a tip using our anonymous form. A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Send us a tip using our anonymous form.

The White House has insisted Trump was “joking,” but it certainly didn't seem like he was playing around when he proposed another wild idea to Dan Bongino: that Republicans should “take over” and “nationalize” the nation's voting systems. “We have states that are so crooked and they're counting votes,” Trump continued. There is no evidence that significant fraud occurred during the 2020 election, despite the conspiracy theories Trump has been pushing relentlessly for half a decade. Trump has repeatedly claimed he and his allies have already proved the election was rigged, while simultaneously claiming proof of wrongdoing will soon “come out,” as he did again on Monday. The latest fishing expedition is in Georgia, with federal agents descending on Fulton County last week to seize 2020 election records. Trump directed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to oversee the operation on the ground, an unusual role for a top intelligence official like Gabbard. Fulton County has already said it plans to sue over the administration's raid of its election materials. Justin Bieber's Seven-Minute Rehearsal and More Behind-the-Scenes 2026 Grammys Secrets Chuck Negron, Three Dog Night Co-Founder Who Took Cover Songs to the Top, Dead at 83 Zack de la Rocha, This Is the Moment You Were Made For Trump has been posting a slew of election conspiracies on Truth Social as the situation in Fulton County develops, while continuing to claim publicly that he won the 2020 election. His new idea to “take over” elections from states is — as is the case with many of Trump's ideas since he retook office — unconstitutional. He's also not even just saying that the federal government should oversee elections; he's saying specifically that the Republican Party should “take over.” Trump didn't mention which “15 places” he feels have issues, but we're going to take a wild guess and say he lost all 15 of them in 2020.

We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. In the two decades since acquiring The Muppets, Disney has never appeared to have a clear idea of what to do with Jim Henson's beloved characters. Things started off strong with the 2011 film “The Muppets,” a charmingly nostalgic reboot that went out of its way to remind us why we loved Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo in the first place. The franchise then shifted its efforts to the small screen with Bill Prady and Bob Kushell's 2015 mockumentary series (which was also titled “The Muppets”), which stripped the characters from their vaudeville roots and presented them in a dryly hilarious single-camera sitcom that didn't shy away from adult situations. That series remains one of the boldest and funniest experiments in the franchise's history, but it quickly ran into a roadblock: Many fans didn't want to see these characters grow up. Storylines about Kermit committing infidelity and Fozzie getting confusing dating app results after describing himself as “a bear looking for love” were too far for some purists, and the show was shamefully cancelled after a season. Related Stories Josh D'Amaro Named Successor to Bob Iger as Next Disney CEO ‘Love Story' Trailer: Ryan Murphy Heads Back to the '90s with John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette It's out of character for a conglomerate that's so ravenous for content to sit on a blue-chip IP for so long, but the delay reflects a real predicament: the Muppets are timeless and beloved, but there's a narrow range of situations you can place them in without changing things too much. If the modern Muppet audience isn't broad enough to support consistent theatrical films, and the diehard fanbase doesn't want things to change too much, what do you do? Apparently, you give everyone exactly what they're used to. The half-hour variety show faithfully reassembles the format that made the Muppets household names in the 1970s: a mixture of sketches and musical numbers with a hearty dose of backstage antics as Kermit and his loyal theater troupe put on a show with a rotating celebrity host. Scooter is still the frazzled stage manager, Miss Piggy is still making diva demands about her wardrobe and screen time, and Statler and Waldorf are still roasting the entire product from their box seats. In between performing her hits, she fawns over Miss Piggy and duets with Kermit with the appropriate amount of expressiveness and theatricality. There's no objective way to quantify this, but Carpenter passes the same “human with Muppet-like qualities” eye test that made Jason Segel such a great Muppet co-star a decade ago. More than anything, this iteration of “The Muppet Show” is safe. (Adult topics are occasionally alluded to, but plausible deniability is always there for parents who need to explain why they're laughing.) Most of the jokes are funny, some are hysterical, and a few others fall flat… but that's always been the “Muppet Show” experience. The show is essentially a kid-friendly “Saturday Night Live” with puppets, and its value proposition is not that different from Lorne Michaels' longtime show: a comforting weekly format with an ensemble cast you grow to love, a different celebrity every week, and a collection of sketches of varying quality that will always contain enough gems to keep you somewhat entertained. The pilot is ostensibly a one-off special, though Kermit himself makes it clear that more episodes are in the cards if all goes well. Viewed through that lens, it's hard to dock the first episode too many points for originality. Rogen and company managed to achieve that, providing a nostalgic foundation that should give them as much runway as they want for future experimentation. The real test will be how much they take advantage of that runway — the new special is a fun trip down memory lane, but it's easy to see the throwback format getting old after a while — and how far Disney and Muppet fans will let them go. But even if the pilot proves inconclusive, we should all be grateful to live in a world where new episodes of “The Muppet Show” are being produced. Just like celebrity week on “Sesame Street” is one of the most coveted gigs in Hollywood each year, it's easy to see a world where every A-lister with a project to promote wants to stop by “The Muppet Show” and have Kermit and Scooter barge into their dressing room with a crisis to mitigate. Here's hoping the reboot grows into its own style and a new golden age of Muppets is upon us. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.

“Now, I'm about to go meet the president of Venezuela,” he continued, referring to Nicolas Maduro, who is currently being detained at MDC. “I have that luck of just being locked up with presidents. About to play chess with them niggas, eat ramen noodles.” Along with Sean “Diddy” Combs, disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Mangione, recent inmates include R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Martin Shkreli. In January, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to MDC after being arrested in a middle-of-the-night raid, prompting international attention and a slew of memes and AI-generated GIFs of Maduro hanging out with Combs behind bars. (In fact, Combs is no longer at MDC — he was moved to FCI Fort Dix in October to finish out his four-year sentence.) Some on social media have joked MDC is the real-life Arkham Asylum, a reference to the fictional psychiatric hospital that houses villains from Batman's Gotham City. Most of the inmates are awaiting their trials and sentencing, with only a small percentage serving time after being found guilty. The federal detention center is famous for its extended lockdowns, lack of outside space, poor medical care, and violent brawls — it's known for being cruel even when compared to other jails. Multiple federal judges have declined to send their defendants there and one lawyer, whose 36-year-old client died after he was injured in a fight while incarcerated, referred to MDC as “hell on earth.” “There is nothing special going on at MDC; it is not a ‘Club Fed' or privileged type of prison,” says criminologist Craig Rothfeld. “It is just one of those moments in time where you have many more high-profile individuals being indicted in the Southern District of New York,” versus other New York federal districts. (State crimes violate local laws whereas federal crimes involve breaking a federal law, or involve a crime that occurs across states like terrorism, tax evasion, or drug trafficking. People are sent to MDC from the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York — which comprise 13 counties, including all five boroughs.) Sean Combs Wrote Personal Letter to Trump Asking for Pardon: Report Trump's Oil Grab Could Lead to More Violence in Venezuela 50 Cent Developing True Crime ‘Gang Wars' Series After Diddy Documentary Rothfeld runs the prison consulting business Inside Outside Ltd. and has worked with clients like Mangione, NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere, and Harvey Weinstein (who is at Rikers) to advise them while they serve their time. He explains how to interact with other inmates as well as prison officials, and how to request items like necessary medical equipment. Formerly incarcerated himself, Rothfeld says he now “mitigates, advocates, and solves problems for incarcerated individuals and their loved ones to help them navigate through arguably the worst period of time in their lives.” Inmates in both the east and west buildings are served the same food, subject to lockdowns, and given the same amount of time to spend on the pay phones — 500 minutes a month with calls limited to 15 minutes each, and a waiting time of one hour between calls. (For comparison's sake, in New York state jails, inmates have virtually unlimited free phone time from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Federal detention centers often have stricter phone policies.) The majority of the inmates are housed in the west building, in two-person, eight-by-10 feet cells with minimal floor space, metal bunk beds, lockers, a fold-down desk and shelf, and a stainless steel combination sink-toilet, known as a comby. There are often 60 cells to a unit, 30 upstairs and 30 downstairs, meaning there can be about 120 people together in a unit sharing showers, public televisions, TVs, wall computers, and pay phones. The west building also contains multiple special housing units (SHU) that are high-security solitary confinement areas with 24-hour monitoring as well as the Special Administrative Measures (SAMS) unit, where inmates requiring very high security are held. The east building houses women, including Maduro's wife, Flores, and a cadre unit, meaning inmates who have been designated to serve their post-trial sentences at MDC and are often given jobs that allow them to move around more freely. Rothfeld explains that these inmates have been deemed low security risks or need to be separated from the general population for their safety. Rather than containing two-person cells, the east building housing is dorm-style barracks, with a more open floor plan where multiple beds are placed next to each other. Tekashi 6ix9ine has said he also spent time in this unit with Combs, Bankman-Fried, and the former president of Honduras. However, celebrity status is not what solely determines where inmates are assigned. In 2021, the Bureau of Prisons permanently closed MCC, due to concerns about its conditions. This left MDC as the sole NYC facility for inmates awaiting arraignment and sentencing. Standing two people to the left of him, in white pants, is former Venezuelan general and military intelligence chief Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal. Carvajal, who faces life in prison, has written a letter to President Donald Trump saying he wants to provide evidence about Venezuela's politicians participating in criminal activity. As soon as Maduro was extradited from Venezuela to MDC, unsubstantiated rumors swirled on X that the president had already met and interacted with Mangione. It's unclear where Maduro is currently being held within MDC, although typically high-profile inmates are held in solitary confinement when they first arrive. And since Carvajal could potentially be used as a key witness against Maduro, it's unlikely they'd be housed in the same unit. It's a common misconception that all the high-profile inmates are housed together, making MDC some sort of special celebrity detention center. In reality, the explanation for why so many big names are all in there together is quite simple: It's because it's New York, explains criminal defense attorney Lance Clarke. “We put all the people in that one place whether you rob the bodega or you're Bernie Madoff,” says Clarke, who is based in Manhattan. Brandon says that typical days are spent reading, working out, listening to music on tablets that can be purchased from the commissary, or watching movies available to rent. Inmates play games like chess to pass the time. No internet access is allowed outside of the jail's email system. There are some inmates who have jobs within the jail. Mangione, for example, has been assigned to clean the showers and bathrooms in his unit. Some detainees who are held for years before their trial only breathe open air in the brief moments getting in and out of the prison van while being transported to and from court. “You're not breathing fresh air,” says Brandon, who adds that the windows are so small it's sometimes hard to tell whether it's day or night. The lack of access to fresh air is what makes MDC distinct from other federal prisons, where inmates are typically allowed an hour a day in outside yards. Sometimes, correctional officers leave the lights on in the tight cell for days, and if they perceive an inmate as having an attitude, Brandon says they use pepper spray through a slot in the cell door. R. Kelly, who was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering charges in September 2021 and was held in MDC from June 2021 to July 2022, sued MDC in 2022 for placing him on suicide watch for what his lawyer claimed were “purely punitive reasons” that violated his Eighth Amendment rights because it was “cruel and unusual punishment.” They have no ability to consult with loved ones or supportive figures. Ironically, individuals on ‘suicide watch' don't even receive psychiatric care.” The Bureau of Prisons said at the time that a staff psychologist placed Kelly on suicide watch after he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. When Rolling Stone reached out for comment on the multiple allegations about the conditions at MDC, they responded in an email that, “for privacy, safety, and security reasons” they could not speak about internal procedures, anecdotal allegations, or conditions of confinement. We make every effort to ensure the physical safety and health of the individuals confined to our facilities through a controlled environment that is secure and humane.” At least three federal judges in recent years have refused to send defendants to MDC because of the conditions and frequent lockdowns, which can leave inmates in their cells for days at a time with no access to showers. In January 2024, federal judge Jesse Furman issued a 19-page decision about MDC's conditions, citing a case in which the jail had refused to transport an inmate for surgery to repair his cheekbone, which another inmate had broken in a fight. In August 2024, a federal judge from the Eastern District of New York said he'd identified “shocking instances of brutal violence” within MDC in just the previous five months, including two homicides, two stabbings, and an assault resulting in fractured eye socket. Just this past December, an inmate died in custody after MDC's medical staff missed a lung cancer diagnosis for an inmate complaining of chest pain. Criminal defense attorney Anna Estevao says there have been multiple accounts of fatal medical diagnoses being missed. “The MDC has a long and documented history of inhumane conditions, including chronic overcrowding, severe understaffing, and woefully inadequate medical care,” Estevao tells me. She adds there have also been repeated reports of maggot-infested meals, and recently an inmate had to be treated medically for choking on a piece of plastic in his food. The Bureau of Prisons did not specifically respond to our request for comment on their food, but in the past they have cited their manual and said MDC “provides nutritionally adequate meals, prepared and served in a manner that meets established government health and safety codes.” They did previously admit in a court document that they'd found weevils in their beans. Combs' lawyers said he was threatened by an inmate with a shiv once. And Clarke says he's gone to see clients whose entire faces have changed from one visit to another because of the violent fights. He won't comment on any specifics regarding his clients, but he's worked with people housed in both the east and west buildings of MDC as well as other facilities like Rikers, where he was held in 2016-17 for financial crimes. He believes “blame doesn't rest with the employees” and staff at MDC, it's a larger problem that needs systemic solutions. “The prison system in general, whether federal or state, is a Byzantine black hole,” says Rothfeld, but he finds MDC particularly “draconian, cruel, and unsanitary.” Hernandez and his friends tried to keep it light as they took a limo to Sunset Park, belting out Justin Bieber's “Baby” and “Hold On” by Lil Tjay. Hernandez's friends turned solemn after he walked into the hulking concrete detention center. ‘Chaos': Behind the Scenes of Amazon's Melania Trump Doc She Was the Jane Doe in R. Kelly's Infamous Tape. Catherine O'Hara, a Comedy Great From ‘SCTV' to ‘Schitt's Creek,' Dead at 71 This story has been updated to reflect the correct location of Industry City. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation.

The entertainment giant formally revealed D'Amaro's promotion Tuesday morning, also elevating Dana Walden to president and chief creative officer. D'Amaro will also be named to the company's board at that time. “Josh D'Amaro possesses that rare combination of inspiring leadership and innovation, a keen eye for strategic growth opportunities, and a deep passion for the Disney brand and its people – all of which make him the right person to take the helm as Disney's next CEO,” said James Gorman, chairman of Disney's board of directors. “Throughout this search process, Josh has demonstrated a strong vision for the company's future and a deep understanding of the creative spirit that makes Disney unique in an ever-changing marketplace. The Board believes he is exceptionally well prepared to guide this global company forward to serve our consumers around the world and create long-term value for shareholders.” Disney Doesn't Plan to Buy More IP Amid Warner Bros. ESPN Valued at $30 Billion As Disney Reveals New Details on NFL Deal “I am immensely grateful to the Board for entrusting me with leading a company that means so much to me and millions around the world,” said Josh D'Amaro. Disney, with its long and illustrious history and dominating cultural influence, is seen as something of a bellwether for the entire entertainment industry, and the naming of a new CEO garners close attention from across the world of business. “Josh D'Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” said Iger. Iger was CEO of Disney from 2005 until 2020, when Bob Chapek (also a veteran of the theme park division) was named his successor in a move that stunned Wall Street and Hollywood, and seemed to come out of left field. A tumultuous few years however, punctuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, led to Iger's surprise return in late 2022. Instead, D'Amaro's elevation to CEO also ends a years-long (and extremely public) succession bake-off, with D'Amaro, Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden frequently cited as the top internal candidates, and the Disney board, led by former Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, also exploring if there were any viable external candidates. By also elevating Walden, Gorman is taking a cue from his own experience at Morgan Stanley, where he held a public succession bake-off, and promoted the two candidates who ultimately did not get the CEO job, keeping them in the fold. “Dana Walden is an excellent leader who commands tremendous respect from the creative community,” Iger added. Disney says that Walden's entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman, and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro, will continue working in their “critical” roles. Disney is an unusual company among the entertainment giants, because it has an experiences division that is a major financial force, and a major complexifier. The successful leadership of that division likely helped in his effort to succeed Iger. “On behalf of the entire Board, we extend our deepest gratitude to Bob Iger for his extraordinary leadership and dedication to The Walt Disney Company,” added Gorman. “The Board asked Bob to return as CEO in 2022 for two critical reasons. Bob has delivered on both priorities, while also guiding Disney through a transformative period with an ambitious strategy that has further strengthened its position as the world's premier entertainment company. After nearly two decades leading Disney, the Iger era has been defined by enormous growth, an unyielding commitment to excellence in creativity and innovation, and exemplary stewardship of this iconic institution.” Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

The Svedka spot features LLM robots and synthetic people. The fembot has been prompted.Svedka's famous robot character, gone from pop culture for nearly 13 years, has returned to the brand's ad campaigns recently and will now appear in a Super Bowl commercial. Pretty much the whole spot has been created with AI.The 30-second commercial features Fembot and her new companion Brobot as they dance in front of a group of human partiers while discovering Svedka products within their casing, in a video that was almost entirely prompted by AI instead of conventionally shot. The pair's TikTok-y dance was selected from among a slew of user submissions as part of a contest (it was won by a 23-year-old Nashville native named Jessica Rizzardi), which puts the commercial at the nexus of more than just one tech-platform trend. Kid Rock to Headline Turning Point USA's MAGA-Friendly Super Bowl Halftime Show “We always knew we were signing up for risk because a vodka ad in the Super Bowl is polarizing to a certain degree,” Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, told The Hollywood Reporter. “So the rest of it was ‘we might as well create conversation. (The message is subtly coded when Brobot drinks Svedka and short-circuits.) Vodka is indeed a bit of a lift for a broad Super Bowl ad — the game usually features beer commercials, not plugs for harder drinks (Smirnoff is joining Svedka as the first vodka brand to advertise at the game in three decades). And because vodka itself isn't a product with as many built-in possibilities as some other products, the company decided to lean in to the techno aspects. “For us its never been an efficiency play, it's been a storytelling play; that's why we've always had strong hands on the keyboard,” she said of the spot, which will air just after halftime. The milestone is a culmination of an increasingly AI presence in Big Sports advertising. And there will be ads from chatbot companies themselves, like a reported 60-second OpenAI spot. But a full tableau of AI images appears to be Svedka's domain alone. GenAI has become an increasingly large force in other big-budget ad campaigns, with equally forceful criticism to match. )Advertising experts say there will be more ads made with AI throughout the year as brands seek to cut costs. But its presence there will almost certainly open the door to other high-profile uses. As for this particular airing, a backlash isn't out of the question, though that doesn't mean viewers won't be watching or talking about the ad, which in the upside-down logic of Madison Avenue can sometimes bring more value than a genially tolerated ad that everyone forgets. Asked about the potential for criticism, Saunders made few bones. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

Guthrie continued, “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Guthrie was last seen on Saturday evening when she had dinner with her eldest daughter, Annie, likely to celebrate her 84th birthday. After a friend noticed she was absent from church on Sunday, Nancy's children were contacted. They quickly realized something was wrong and contacted authorities. According to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, the mother of three was likely “harmed” as she was abducted from her bed. “[Nanos] would not tell us the extent of those injuries,” NBC News reporter Liz Kreutz said on Monday, February 2. “I was just in the neighborhood where this happened with some members of the community driving around with a photo of Nancy, desperately trying to find anyone who may have seen her.” The family revealed that Nancy is without her life-saving medication, which Nanos explained “could be fatal.” Guthrie's disappearance is “not dementia-related,” the Sheriff said during a press conference. “She's very alert, of good, sound mind — just some physical ailments that limit her ability to move around.” Despite being described as “sharp as a tack,” Nanos added, “From what the family has told us and everything we have learned, she could not walk out of that home 50 yards. The “Today” host shared a statement with her colleagues on Monday, thanking investigators and fans for their support. “We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900.” Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Daily Show isn't above conspiracy theories. Hell, they recently hired Whitney Cummings, who has been crashing out on all sorts of made-up shit for the last few years, ranting about how COVID-19 was a bioweapon and that she thinks homeless people were paid to start the Los Angeles wildfires. Not even Jon Stewart is immune to going off about the widely discredited “lab leak” theory every now and then. When it comes to the granddaddy of conspiracy theories, the secret cabal of billionaire pedophiles, all roads lead to Epstein. He played the hits: Elon Musk spending Christmas Day begging Epstein for an island invite; Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announcing that he never had anything to do with Epstein after 2005, only to spend many sleepless nights emailing the most notorious sex trafficker in history. The host even found his own name in the files when a producer corresponding with Epstein suggested that Stewart narrate a Woody Allen documentary. But after creating a penis-shaped map of the powerful participants in Epstein's orbit, Stewart can't find any path to justice for the girls and women Epstein abused. With the Trump DOJ essentially saying the Epstein investigation is over, it's hard to imagine anyone facing any consequences for asking Epstein about girls or visiting him on pedophile island. The administration would rather focus on defunding Sanctuary Cities and sending masked agents to cities around the country to kidnap and kill people. They've given him creepy cards with pubic hair. “I gotta be honest, I'm just not sure anybody is going to be held accountable for any of this.” In addition to discussing Epstein, Stewart also interviewed Heather Ann Thompson, whose new book, Fear And Fury: The Reagan Eighties, The Bernie Goetz Shootings, And The Rebirth Of White Rage, has more than a few parallels with our current hellscape. Recommended for You1February games preview: Resident Evil's latest frights cap off a busy month2Netflix fell backwards into KPop Demon Hunters' success3The Monkees' psychedelic Head trip revolutionized the pop-star ego death4What the Game Of Thrones universe really needed was a smaller story5Jujutsu Kaisen's most incisive episode cuts the patriarchy to bits

Announced earlier today, the RiffTrax crew will be returning to the Satellite of Love for four brand-new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The RiffTrax Experiments will celebrate RiffTrax's 20 years of movie mockery by bringing Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy back to where their journey began, aboard a spaceship where they're forced to watch schlock until they go insane. This also means the return of the original voices of Tom Servo and Crow, with Corbett and Murphy shoving their hands up the butts of their beloved plastic bots and controlling their characters once again. Since the show ended in 1999, Mystery Science Theater split into various movie-commentary groups, including Cinematic Titanic, RiffTrax, and MST3K. It had previously been owned by Hodgson and Shout! “Creating your own comedic art form like MST3K is deeply fulfilling and fun—but that doesn't mean I'm required to work on it every day for the rest of my life,” Hodgson said of the sale. “This move feels like the best way to encourage MST3K to find its future, while I find mine, including the chance to focus on some new and different projects with fewer moving parts.” Unfortunately, all this good news means there will be no RiffTrax live shows this year. Fans will have to settle for one of the new MST3K episodes landing in theaters as a Fathom Event later this year. Like many MST3K projects before it, this one will be crowdfunded. For more information on rewards, contributing, and updates, visit Kickstarter. Recommended for You1February games preview: Resident Evil's latest frights cap off a busy month2Netflix fell backwards into KPop Demon Hunters' success3The Monkees' psychedelic Head trip revolutionized the pop-star ego death4What the Game Of Thrones universe really needed was a smaller story5Jujutsu Kaisen's most incisive episode cuts the patriarchy to bits

The NFL commissioner is asked whether Bunny would make a political statement during halftime, like he did at Sunday's Grammys. While Bad Bunny used one of his Grammy acceptance speeches on Sunday night to condemn escalated operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the country, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't seem to be expecting to hear the same message this Super Bowl Sunday. During a pre-Super Bowl press conference on Monday (Feb. 2), Goodell was asked a two-part question: whether he expected ICE agents to be present at Super Bowl events around San Francisco or at Levi's Stadium during Sunday's game and whether he thought Bad Bunny would repeat the same anti-ICE sentiment of his Grammy speech during the halftime show. After saying he expects the same high security standard at and around the game as any other year, Goodell conveyed to reporters that the Super Bowl is not a time for divisive political statements — and said he believed Bad Bunny “understood” that assignment.op “Bad Bunny – I think it was demonstrated last night – is one of the greatest artists in the world,” Goodell said of Bunny, who picked up three new Grammy Awards on Sunday night, including album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. “That's one of the reasons we chose him. And I think artists in the past have done that. When Bunny made his first speech at Sunday's Grammys telecast, accepting best música urbana album for DTMF, he started by referencing the “ICE Out” message worn by dozens of musicians on small black-and-white buttons that night. “Before I say thanks to God, I'm gonna say ICE Out!” he declared as the room gave him a standing ovation. I know it's tough not to hate on these days. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the prospect of an ICE presence at the Super Bowl and reaffirms his support for Bad Bunny as a halftime performer.https://t.co/g9HaCPpBj6pic.twitter.com/InqhZlhiwL A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Send us a tip using our anonymous form. A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation.