Category: Arts and Entertainment

This category is about arts and entertainment.

2020 Golden Globe Awards: Ellen DeGeneres to receive Carol Burnett Award

November 4, 2019

Ellen DeGeneres (Photo by Evans Vestal Ward/NBC)

The following is a press release from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions:

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced that three-time Golden Globe nominee Ellen DeGeneres will receive the Carol Burnett Award. The beloved household name is the second recipient to be honored with the accolade, the first having been its namesake, Carol Burnett. DeGeneres will accept the honor at Hollywood’s Party of the Year(R) on Sunday, January 5, 2020 airing LIVE coast-to-coast from 5:00-8:00 p.m. PT/8:00-11:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to honor Ellen DeGeneres with the Carol Burnett Award,” said Lorenzo Soria, President of the HFPA. “From her sitcoms, to stand-up, to becoming a household staple on daytime television, she is a pioneer who has captivated audiences for nearly 25 years with her undeniable charm and wit. In addition to her television success, she’s an advocate and philanthropist, lending her voice to those who don’t have one, and spreading kindness and joy through the power of her platform. We look forward to celebrating her achievements at this year’s ceremony.”

Chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors, the Carol Burnett Award is presented annually to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the television medium on or off the screen. As the television landscape continues to evolve with more thought-provoking programming, diverse roles and best in class content, the HFPA established the Carol Burnett Award to celebrate the medium’s new Golden Age. Equivalent to its film accolade counterpart, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the top honor was first introduced at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

DeGeneres’ career began as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans. Her acting career in television included roles in several successful sitcoms before being offered a part in “These Friends of Mine” by ABC. Following the first season, the show was renamed “Ellen.” Running from 1994 to 1998, the show garnered record ratings with DeGeneres receiving multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations. In 1997, DeGeneres was the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award and earned a Primetime Emmy Award for writing the critically acclaimed “Puppy Episode” where her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers.

She has made a home for herself in daytime with her hit syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and recently announced the show’s renewal through the 2021-2022 season. Currently, in its seventeenth season, the show has earned a total of 63 Daytime Emmy(R) Awards, including 11 for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show crowning it the record holder in this category. In addition, DeGeneres has won 12 Teen Choice Awards, and she is a 21-time People’s Choice Awards winner, making her the most decorated individual in the 44-year history of the franchise. Most recently, DeGeneres won her fourth Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Host for “Ellen’s Game of Games.”

In November 2016, DeGeneres was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Obama. The prestigious award is the nation’s highest civilian honor and was bestowed on DeGeneres for her extraordinary contributions to notable change and progress in the United States. She was also presented with the 15th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in October 2012.

She also received critical success for her HBO stand-up specials: “The Beginning” received two Primetime Emmy nominations in 2001 and “Here and Now” was nominated for two Primetime Emmys in 2003. In 2018, DeGeneres returned to her stand-up comedy roots after a 15-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed Netflix comedy special, “Relatable.”

DeGeneres’ production company, A Very Good Production (AVGP), is currently producing a wide range of television including NBC’s fan-favorite game show, “Ellen’s Game of Games,” a new NBC special event series, “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways,” NBC’s hit series “Little Big Shots,” “Green Eggs and Ham” for Netflix, Discovery Channel’s “Wildlife Warriors,” and many more. In September 2019, Ellen announced HBO Max, the upcoming direct-to-consumer offering from WarnerMedia, ordered four original series including “Ellen’s Home Design Challenge,” “First Dates Hotel,” “Little Ellen,” as well as the docu-series “Finding Einstein.”

Both on and off-screen, DeGeneres’ humanitarian efforts take center stage. In 2018, DeGeneres established The Ellen Fund, which supports global conservation efforts for critically endangered species. The first initiative of the fund is to build The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. The campus will permanently secure the future of wild gorillas in Rwanda by building on successful field conservation efforts while empowering the people living near the gorillas to thrive in relationship to their ecosystem. This project allows Ellen to carry on the legacy of her hero, visionary scientist Dian Fossey, joining her as a protector and champion of the critically endangered mountain gorilla. DeGeneres has also brought awareness to the anti-bullying issue by creating a PSA titled, “Be Kind.” Overall, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has raised over $95 million for various causes.

Produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the HFPA, the Golden Globe Awards are viewed in more than 210 territories worldwide. Lorenzo Soria is president of the HFPA. Mike Mahan, CEO of Dick Clark Productions and Barry Adelman, Executive VP of Television at Dick Clark Productions will serve as executive producers.

About Hollywood Foreign Press Association

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was founded in 1943 – then known as the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association – by a group of entertainment journalists based in Los Angeles. During World War II, the non-profit organization established a cultural bridge between Tinseltown and millions of cinema fans around the world who demanded drama and inspiration through entertainment. The HFPA continues to do so today with a membership representing more than 55 countries. Since 1944, the group has hosted the annual Golden Globe(R) Awards – the premier ceremony which honors achievements in both television and film. The licensing fees from the Golden Globe(R) Awards has enabled the organization to donate more than $37.5 million to more than 70 entertainment-related charities, film restoration, scholarship programs and humanitarian efforts over the last 25 years. For more information, please visitwww.GoldenGlobes.com and follow us on Twitter (@GoldenGlobes), Instagram (@GoldenGlobes), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoldenGlobes).

About Dick Clark Productions

Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. DCP is a division of Valence Media, a diversified media company with divisions and strategic investments in premium television, wide release film, specialty film, live events and digital media. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

2019 Hollywood Film Awards: recap and photos

November 3, 2019

Al Pacino (left), winner of the Hollywood Supporting Actor Award, and “The Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions:

The 23rd Annual “Hollywood Film Awards” brought together Hollywood’s elite to honor the year’s most talked about and highly anticipated actors, actresses and films, and those who helped bring them to life. The awards ceremony, celebrating its 23rd anniversary as the official launch of the awards season, was hosted by actor and comedian Rob Riggle, and took place at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. In its 23-year history, over 340 of the world’s biggest stars and filmmakers have been highlighted at the “Hollywood Film Awards” and more than 140 of the honorees have gone on to garner Oscar nominations and/or wins.

Rob Riggle  at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for HFA)

Host Rob Riggle infused the ceremony with heart and humor, proving to be a steadfast guide through the evening’s many memorable moments. There was no shortage of standing ovations for both presenters and honorees alike, who included some of the most iconic members of the Hollywood community. Al Pacino took time to acknowledge many of his fellow honorees and friends in the room as he accepted the “Hollywood Supporting Actor Award.”

Martin Scorsese at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for HFA)

After a presentation from her mentor Martin Scorsese, “Hollywood Producer Award” recipient Emma Tillinger Koskoff delivered an emotional speech, offering a tear-filled thank you to the legendary director and producer. “Hollywood Filmmaker Award” honoree Bong Joon Ho, spoke in his native tongue to deliver a universal message that “we use only one language of cinema.”

Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for HFA)

In a touching moment between “Hollywood Career Achievement Award” presenter Nicole Kidman and this year’s honoree Charlize Theron, Kidman remarked that “we don’t get to choose our heroes, but through this journey, I got to work with one of mine!”

Antonio Banderas and Dakota Johnson at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Dakota Johnson took the stage to present Antonio Banderas with the “Hollywood Actor Award,” and reflected upon her realization that Banderas has become one of the most influential people in her life. He accepted by dedicating the award to Dakota, and his daughter Stella, who was in the room to share the night with him.

Cynthia Erivo at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for HFA)

Viola Davis presented Cynthia Erivo with the “Hollywood Breakout Actress Award,” calling her “fearlessness personified” as she takes on the role of Harriet Tubman. Ray Romano brought the laughs as he showered praise upon “Hollywood Breakout Actor” honoree Taron Egerton, pointing out how unfair it is that Egerton is not only endlessly talented, but funny as well.

Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LaBeouf at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019 . (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for HFA)

Christian Bale and Matt Damon turned up to honor their “Ford v Ferrari” director James Mangold, while Robert Downey Jr. was on hand to laud “Honey Boy” actor and screenwriter Shia LeBeouf with the “Hollywood Breakthrough Screenwriter Award.”  Former co-stars Jennifer Garner and Olivia Wilde celebrated Wilde’s “Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award,” each sharing humorous tales of their adventures together on set.

Olivia Wilde at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for HFA)

Kevin Feige and Victoria Alonso joined together to accept the “Hollywood Blockbuster Award,” thanking their amazing writers, directors, and awe-inspiring cast, including presenter Mark Ruffalo. Alicia Keys began her tribute to “Hollywood Song Award” honoree Pharrell Williams by recognizing all of the love in the room, before Williams delivered a powerful speech focusing on the unparalleled contributions made by “The Black Godfather” subject, Clarence Avant. He said that he has opened doors when others would glue them shut and has consistently demanded equality throughout his career.

Finn Wittrock, Renée Zellweger and Jessie Buckley at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

“Judy” co-stars Finn Wittrock and Jessie Buckley were on hand to recognize their leading lady Renée Zellweger with the “Hollywood Actress Award.” She said that the experience of playing Judy Garland was “one of those rare opportunities that essentially make no sense at all, but becomes your greatest accomplishment!”

Laura Dern and Willem Dafoe at the 23rd Annual Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on November 3, 2019. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for HFA)

After an earnest tribute from Jon Hamm, “Hollywood Screenwriter Award” honoree Anthony McCarten joked about finding success when he strayed from his teacher’s advice to write what he knows. He advised others to write what they want to know, that curiosity is what drove him to this project. Willem Dafoe presented his friend and colleague Laura Dern with the “Hollywood Supporting Actress Award,” praising the inspiring way in which she connects to audiences through her compassion.

This year’s award show honored the following:

“Hollywood Career Achievement Award”
Charlize Theron, presented by Nicole Kidman

“Hollywood Actor Award”
Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory, presented by Dakota Johnson

“Hollywood Actress Award”
Renée Zellweger for Judy, presented by Finn Wittrock & Jessie Buckley

“Hollywood Supporting Actor Award”
Al Pacino for The Irishman, presented by Francis Ford Coppola

“Hollywood Supporting Actress Award”
Laura Dern for Marriage Story, presented by Willem Dafoe

“Hollywood Producer Award”
Emma Tillinger Koskoff for The Irishman, presented by Martin Scorsese

“Hollywood Director Award”
James Mangold for Ford v Ferrari, presented by Christian Bale & Matt Damon

“Hollywood Filmmaker Award”
Bong Joon Ho for Parasite, presented by Sienna Miller

“Hollywood Screenwriter Award”
Anthony McCarten for The Two Popes, presented by Jon Hamm

“Hollywood Blockbuster Award”
Avengers: Endgame, presented by Mark Ruffalo

“Hollywood Song Award”
Pharrell Williams for Letter To My Godfather, presented by Alicia Keys

“Hollywood Breakout Actor Award”
Taron Egerton for Rocketman, presented by Ray Romano

“Hollywood Breakout Actress Award”
Cynthia Erivo for Harriet, presented by Viola Davis

“Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award”
Olivia Wilde for Booksmart, presented by Jennifer Garner

“Hollywood Breakthrough Screenwriter Award”
Shia LaBeouf for Honey Boy, presented by Robert Downey Jr.

“Hollywood Animation Award”
Toy Story 4

“Hollywood Cinematography Award”
Mihai Malaimare Jr. for Jojo Rabbit

“Hollywood Film Composer Award”
Randy Newman for Marriage Story

“Hollywood Editor Award”
Michael McCusker & Andrew Buckland for Ford v Ferrari

“Hollywood Visual Effects Award”
Pablo Helman for The Irishman

“Hollywood Sound Award”
Donald Sylvester, Paul Massey, David Giammarco, & Steven A. Morrow for Ford v Ferrari

“Hollywood Costume Design Award”
Anna Mary Scott Robbins for Downton Abbey

“Hollywood Make-Up & Hair Styling Award”
Lizzie Yianni-Georgiou, Tapio Salmi, & Barrie Gower for Rocketman

“Hollywood Production Design Award”
Ra Vincent for Jojo Rabbit

Honoree Portraits are available on the show’s Twitter and Instagram pages. For all information and highlights, please visit the website for the Hollywood Film Awards.

For the latest news, follow the “Hollywood Film Awards” on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #HollywoodAwards.

Twitter: @HollywoodAwards
Facebook: Facebook.com/HollywoodAwards
Instagram: @hollywoodawards

About Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. DCP is a division of Valence Media, a diversified and integrated media company with divisions and strategic investments in television, film, live entertainment, digital media and publishing. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About the Hollywood Film Awards
The Hollywood Film Awards, founded in 1997, were created to celebrate Hollywood and launch the awards season. The recipients of the awards are selected by an Advisory Team for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released during the calendar year. For additional information, visit www.hollywoodawards.com.

2019 American Music Awards: Taylor Swift will perform and receive Artist of the Decade Award; Selena Gomez added as performer

November 1, 2019

The following is a combination of press releases from Dick Clark Productions and ABC:

Dick Clark Productions and ABC  announced that global superstar Taylor Swift will be honored with the coveted Artist of the Decade award at the “2019 American Music Awards” and will deliver an unprecedented performance celebrating the biggest hits of her career. Swift, who has won more American Music Awards than any other artist this decade, is also a five-time nominee this year.  She also holds the record for most American Music Awards wins of any female artist ever, with 23.  The “2019 American Music Awards” will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.

“Taylor’s impact on music this decade is undeniable and her performances on the American Music Awards have been truly spectacular,” said Mark Bracco, Executive Vice President, Programming & Development, dick clark productions.  “We’re thrilled to honor her as our Artist of the Decade and can’t wait for her to blow everyone away with an epic, career-spanning performance unlike any other!”

2019 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS ARTIST CHART FACTS:

  • Swift will take the stage on the heels of her record-breaking release of Lover, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking her sixth No. 1 album on the chart. She is nominated for Artist of the Year; Favorite Music Video; Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock; Favorite Album – Pop/Rock; Favorite Artist – Adult Contemporary.
The American Music Awards is where the world’s biggest artists and pop culture icons come together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers in the contemporary music scene.  As the decade comes to a close, this year’s show celebrates the past ten years with some of the best moments in music and live performances from the biggest names in the industry. From Pop and Rock, to Country, Hip Hop and beyond, it only happens here.
Meanwhile, multi-platinum selling superstar Selena Gomez will take the stage for the world television premiere of her new music at the “2019 American Music Awards,” marking her first live TV performance in two years.  An American Music Award winner, Gomez previously graced the American Music Awards stage in 2014, 2015 and, in 2017 with a haunting performance of “Wolves.”

2019 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS ARTIST CHART FACTS:

  • As a solo artist, Gomez has accumulated over 20 billion streams.  Her new single “Lose You to Love Me” reached number No. 1 at Global Spotify and Apple Music.  Earlier this year, Gomez was featured on “I Can’t Get Enough” with Benny Blanco, J Balvin and Tainy. In 2018, she collaborated with DJ Snake, Ozuna and Cardi B on the global hit “Taki Taki,” which became one of the fastest videos to reach over 100 million views. Her previous five singles “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo, “Bad Liar,” “Fetish,” “Wolves” x Marshmello and “Back to You” all have been certified RIAA platinum or multi-platinum.

American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on Billboard.com, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of September 28, 2018 through September 26, 2019. The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans.

Voting is now open for all American Music Awards categories. Fans can access the official voting ballot for the American Music Awards directly by visiting goo.gle/AMAsVote or by going to Google.com and using the search terms “AMAs Vote” or “[Nominee Name] AMAs Vote.” Fans can submit up to 30 votes per category per day per Google account while voting is open. Voting will close on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 11:59:59 p.m. PST.
The “2019 American Music Awards” is sponsored by T-Mobile.

The “2019 American Music Awards” is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are Executive Producers. Larry Klein is Producer.

For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.

Facebook: Facebook.com/AMAs
Twitter: @AMAs
Instagram: @AMAs
Snapchat: TheAMAs
YouTube: YouTube.com/TheAMAs

Tickets are now on sale at www.axs.com.

About Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album Lover is not only the top-selling album of 2019; it is the highest selling album since reputation was released back in 2017 and broke the record for most simultaneous entries by a female artist in Billboard’s Hot 100 history with all 18 tracks from Lover charting! This is a testament not only to her devoted fans but also to her songwriting prowess. As USA Today said, “Critics are falling in love with Taylor Swift’s latest album Lover.” Rolling Stone hailed, “Lover is a career-topping masterpiece” and “the superstar’s writing is better than it’s ever been” while A.V. Club called Lover, “one of her strongest, most relatable albums to date” and Vulture said, “The old Taylor is back on Lover and the best she’s been in years.”

Swift recently released the title track, “Lover,” with critics raving, “Both aching and achingly pretty, “Lover” effectively transmits its romantic signals by putting the songwriting of Swift — a masterful writer who gets the solo credit here — front and center” (Billboard Magazine) while People Magazine said “Lover” “Might be her most romantic song yet.” Taylor’s socially conscious 2nd single, “You Need To Calm Down,” follows the debut single “ME!,” which broke multiple records to date. With 65.2 million views in 24 hours, Swift now holds YouTube’s most viewed video by any female and solo artist. “ME!” is also the fastest music video to reach 100M views on Vevo (in only 79 hours) and broke the record for the most views in a single day by any artist. In addition to “ME!” and “You Need To Calm Down,” Swift is a ten-time Grammy winner, a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. She is the youngest person in history to win the music industry’s highest honor, the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and is the first female solo artist to win this prestigious award twice. Rolling Stone listed Swift as one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Time magazine featured her on their prestigious 2017 Person of the Year cover, has named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world and included her three times at TIME 100. A Brit and Emmy award winner, Swift is Billboard’s youngest-ever Woman of the Year and the only artist to have been awarded this honor twice. She is the only artist in history to have four consecutive albums sell over one million copies in their week of release (Speak Now, RED, 1989 and reputation) and the only female artist to have six albums each sell at least 500,000 copies in a single week (Fearless, Speak Now, RED, 1989, reputation and Lover). For more information on Taylor Swift and her new album Lover visit TaylorSwift.com.

About the American Music Awards
The American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted award show, features performances from today’s hottest artists and presents fan-voted awards in the music genres of Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Inspirational, Latin, EDM and Soundtrack, and the categories of Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Tour of The Year, Favorite Social Artist and Favorite Music Video. The American Music Awards pays tribute to today’s most influential and iconic artists.  The show is produced by dick clark productions and is seen in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. For more information, visit www.theamas.com, www.dickclark.com or abc.go.com/shows/american-music-awards.

About Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. DCP is a division of Valence Media, a diversified and integrated media company with divisions and strategic investments in television, film, live entertainment, digital media and publishing. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” the longest-running medical drama in prime-time television; riveting dramas “The Good Doctor,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “A Million Little Things” and “Station 19”; the Emmy® Award-winning “Modern Family” and trailblazing comedy favorites “American Housewife,” “black-ish,” “Bless This Mess,” “The Conners,” “The Goldbergs,” and “Schooled”; the popular “Summer Fun & Games” programming block, including “Card Sharks,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Holey Moley” and “Press Your Luck”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank”; “The Bachelor” franchise; long-running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for more than 55 years on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”; as well as the critically acclaimed hit special ”Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’” The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards” and the “American Music Awards.” ABC programming can also be viewed on ABC.com, the ABC app and Hulu

2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: major floats, celebrity appearances announced

November 1, 2019

The following is a press release from NBC:

A spectacle like no other awaits millions, as the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®, the nation’s most cherished holiday tradition, kicks off the holiday season. On Thursday, November 28 at 9 a.m., the time honored phrase Let’s Have a Parade™ will ring from the starting line as the march of fantasy takes to the streets of New York City. With more than 8,000 volunteers dressed as clowns, guiding the flight of larger-than-life character balloons, transporting spectators to new worlds on signature floats, bringing the beat in the nation’s best marching bands and entertaining the crowds as part of dazzling performance groups, the annual march is jam-packed with entertainment. With more than 3.5 million spectators in New York City and more than 50 million television viewers nationwide, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is America’s premiere holiday celebration.

“Spectacle is synonymous with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and each year we aim to create an even bigger one than the last, with incredible must-see entertainment for millions of spectators nationwide,” said Susan Tercero, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Featuring an amazing line-up of high-flying character balloons, jaw-dropping animated floats, world-class marching bands and performance groups, artists covering a variety of musical genres, and of course, the one-and-only Santa Claus, we are ‘Parade Ready’ and can’t wait to take to the streets of New York City to once again herald the arrival of the holiday season.”

For more than nine decades, the magic of the holiday season has begun with the march of the Macy’s Parade, as the spectacle enthrals the nation with its signature mix of whimsical elements and dazzling performances. For the 93rd edition, the line-up will feature 16 giant character balloons; 40 novelty balloons, heritage balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons; 26 floats; 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; and 11 marching bands.

INFLATABLE ICONS
Since 1927, when the Parade’s character balloons first joined the revelry, the inflatables have become a signature element featuring some of the world’s most beloved characters. Over time, the inflatables have morphed from air-filled characters carried on sticks to high-flying giants, balloonheads and even hybrid inflatables with vehicles inside (balloonicles) or tandem tricycles (trycaloons).

New giants joining the line-up this year include Astronaut Snoopy by Peanuts Worldwide, Green Eggs and Ham by Netflix, and SpongeBob SquarePants & Gary by Nickelodeon. In celebration of his 75th birthday, a heritage balloon and fan favorite will return to the Parade as Smokey Bear once again takes to the skies over Manhattan.

In 2005, the Macy’s Parade began to feature what would become a collection of high-flying artwork created in collaboration with renowned contemporary artists. The special series, entitled Macy’s Blue Sky Gallery, has featured some of the art world’s finest creators. This year, for the eighth edition of the series, the world’s most renowned female contemporary artist will take her iconic art to new heights as Yayoi Kusama joins the Macy’s Parade with her Love Flies Up to the Sky balloon. The design was developed by the artist from face motifs that appear in her “My Eternal Soul” series of paintings–a body of work that she began in 2009. Vibrant and animated, the paintings embody Kusama’s innovative exploration of form and revolve around a tension between abstraction and figuration. The artist’s signature dots–which recur throughout her practice—are also featured prominently in the Macy’s Parade balloon design. Previous balloons in the Macy’s Parade Blue Sky Gallery series have included works from famed artists Tom Otterness, Jeff Koons, Keith Haring, Takashi Murakami, Tim Burton, KAWS, and FriendsWithYou™.

Returning giant balloon characters include Diary of A Wimpy Kid® by Abrams Children’s Books; Sinclair Oil’s DINO®; The Elf on the Shelf®; Goku; Illumination Presents Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch; Jett by Super Wings™; Olaf from Disney’s “Frozen 2”; Chase from PAW Patrol®; Pikachu™ by the Pokémon Company International; Pillsbury Doughboy™; Power Rangers Mighty Morphin Red Ranger; Ronald McDonald®; and Trolls. Completing the inflatable lineup is the famed Aflac Duck, Sinclair Oil’s Baby DINOs and the Go Bowling balloonicles, as well as Universal Orlando Resort’s The Nutcracker.

STARS ON PARADE
The Macy’s Parade has must-see entertainment for everyone in the family. Joining the festivities will be stars from a variety of global music genres including Pop, R&B, Country, Latin and K-Pop, with a few noteworthy special appearances thrown in the mix. Appearing or performing onboard one of Macy’s signature floating stages will be Natasha Bedingfield, Black Eyed Peas, Chicago, Ciara, Josh Dela Cruz, Debbie Gibson, former NASA Astronauts Kay Hire & Janet Kavandi, Chris Janson, Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, NHL® Legends Dominic Moore and Eddie Olczyk, the cast & Muppets of Sesame Street, NCT 127, Ozuna, Billy Porter, Kelly Rowland, That Girl Lay Lay, TLC, Tenille Townes, and Chris Young; with an extra special appearance by the one-and-only Santa Claus.

FLOATING WONDERS
Conceived and crafted by the incredible artisans of Macy’s Parade Studio – a design and production facility that includes carpenters, engineers, electricians, painters, animators, sculptors, metal fabricators, scenic and costume designers – this year’s line-up of floats sets an unparalleled stage for entertainment. Gliding down Manhattan, the Parade’s signature floats transport spectators to worlds of wonder through creative design, engineering, and skillful construction. While they may seem to float down the Parade route as three stories tall and several lanes of traffic wide stages, the magic is truly in the design as these floats are built to collapse to no more than 12 ½-feet tall and 8-feet wide in order to travel safely from the New Jersey home of the Parade Studio to the Manhattan starting line via the Lincoln Tunnel each Thanksgiving eve.

This year, five new floats will debut including Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues & You! (Josh Dela Cruz), The Brick-changer by The Lego Group (NCT 127), Home Sweet Home by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® (Tenille Townes), Rexy in the City by COACH® (Billy Porter), and Toy House of Marvelous Milestones by New York Life (Kelly Rowland).

The returning float roster and its scheduled performers and special stars include 1-2-3 Sesame Street® by Sesame Workshop™ (The cast and Muppets of Sesame Street); Big City Cheer! by Spirit of America Productions (Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin); Central Park (Lea Michele); Christmas Cheer is Near by Elf Pets®/The Elf on the Shelf®; Cornucopia; Deck the Halls by Balsam Hill® (Idina Menzel); Everyone’s Favorite Bake Shop by Entenmann’s®; Fantasy Chocolate Factory by Kinder™ (Natasha Bedingfield), Harvest in the Valley by Green Giant® (Chris Janson); Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel (Chicago); Mount Rushmore’s American Pride by South Dakota Department of Tourism (Chris Young); the NHL® Most Valuable Hockey Mom presented by MassMutual (Black Eyed Peas and NHL® Legends Dominic Moore and Eddie Olczyk); Parade Day Mischief by SOUR PATCH KIDS® Candy (Ozuna); Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Nickelodeon (Ciara); Santa’s Sleigh (Santa Claus); Shimmer and Shine by Nickelodeon (Debbie Gibson); Snoopy’s Doghouse by Peanuts Worldwide (Charlie Brown and former NASA Astronauts Kay Hire and Janet Kavandi); Splashing Safari Adventure by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions (TLC); Tom Turkey; and Universal Playground by Universal Kids (That Girl Lay Lay).

Returning for a third year by popular demand, the Macy’s Singing Christmas Tree by Delta Air Lines will feature the harmonious voices of more than 100 Macy’s colleagues and friends from Delta hailing from across the nation and the world. Performing an original song to celebrate the start of the holiday season, the golden-voiced chorus will touch the hearts and uplift the spirits of millions.

STRIKE UP THE BAND AND DANCE
The nation’s best marching bands bring the beat to the holiday revelry. For this year’s 93rd march, 11 of the specially chosen ensembles will ignite coast-to-coast excitement and hometown pride as they step off and perform on the streets of the Big Apple. This year’s bands include Awesome Original Second Time Arounders Marching Band (St. Petersburg, FL), Blue Springs High School Golden Regiment (Blue Springs, MO), Catalina Foothills Falcon Band (Tucson, AZ), Franklin Regional Panther Band (Murrysville, PA), Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States), Madison Central High School Band (Richmond, KY), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. High School’s Kings of Halftime (Lithonia, GA), Morgan State University’s The Magnificent Marching Machine (Baltimore, MD), NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY), Ronald Reagan High School Marching Band (San Antonio, TX), and Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band (Cullowhee, NC).

Entertaining the crowds with their signature exuberance will be the Parade’s signature large and specialty performance groups. Joining the line-up this year are the teen dancers and cheerleaders of Spirit of America Dance Stars and Spirit of America Cheer. These groups together feature more than 1,200 of the very best performers recruited from hometowns nationwide. Days before Thanksgiving, they will gather for the first time in New York City to rehearse their numbers as a group, ahead of their once-in-a-lifetime national spotlight. Adding some wacky 1980s style dancing will be the hilarious 610 Stompers (New Orleans, LA), with modern dance youth talent showcased by The Alvin Ailey School (New York, NY) and the tap dance theatrics of children from The Nice List (New York, NY). Rounding out the performance group line-up and joining select talent performances will be Gamma Phi Circus (Normal, IL), Manhattan Youth Ballet (New York, NY), the dance stars of the world-renowned in-school arts education program National Dance Institute (New York, NY) and Young People’s Chorus of NYC (New York, NY).

A NATIONAL SPECTACLE
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the nation’s biggest and most anticipated holiday celebration. Broadcast nationally on NBC, with millions of families nationwide tuning in to watch the excitement unfold,  the TODAY Show’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will host the three-hour broadcast from 9 a.m. – noon (in all time zones).

To kick off the revelry, a special must-see opening number featuring a who’s who of actors, singers, dancers and more, all joined by the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, will start the Thanksgiving Day party with a smash.

Following the opener, on 34th Street, Broadway’s best shows will take a star turn in front of Macy’s famed flagship with special performances.  In addition, the show-stopping Radio City Rockettes® will bring their signature high-kicking magic to Herald Square.

360 DEGREE INTERACTIVE FUN
For the fourth year, Macy’s, along with NBCUniversal and Verizon, will give viewers an up close and personal second screen experience of the Parade with a 360-degree livestream on Verizon’s YouTube page.  The stream will go live at 8:30 a.m. EST at www.youtube.com/verizon and will run through noon EST. With exclusive access to cameras along the entire Parade route, online spectators will get a glimpse of the magic behind the scenes, as well as a preview of what’s to come as the Parade marches down the streets of Manhattan.

For spectators in New York or those traveling to the city to see it live, the 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade begins at 9 a.m., kicking off from 77th Street and Central Park West. The procession will march to Columbus Circle, turn onto Central Park South and then march down 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas. At 34th Street, the Parade will make its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s Herald Square.

For an insider’s look at the holiday procession, fans nationwide should visit macys.com/parade or regular updates including behind-the-scenes previews, special tours, interactive historical information, and more.  Fans can also follow @macys on various social networks and join the conversation using #MacysParade.

This Thanksgiving, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will bring millions of spectators a dazzling celebration like no other. Start the countdown, in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … Let’s Have a Parade!

Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Hilton is the official hotel of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Ram is the official truck of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Remo is the official drumhead provider of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Under Armour is the official outerwear provider of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2019 National Dog Show: details announced

October 30, 2019

John O’Hurley, Mary Carillo and David Frei (Photo by Simon Bruty)

The following is a press release from NBC:

NBC will celebrate man’s best friend in the 18th anniversary edition of the family-favorite holiday special “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina®,” airing Thanksgiving Day (noon-2 p.m. in all time zones), Nov. 28, following the telecast of NBC’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”

“The National Dog Show Presented by Purina®” will be hosted by award-winning TV personality, author and Broadway star John O’Hurley (“Seinfeld,” “Dancing with the Stars”), and expert analyst and American Kennel Club-licensed judge David Frei, who has officiated at dog shows worldwide. NBC correspondent and sports broadcasting Hall of Famer Mary Carillo will report from inside the show ring, with former U.S. Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir offering behind-the-scenes access as backstage contributors.

“Can you imagine any show lasting 18 years in this world of televised programming?” said O’Hurley. “David and I are grateful to hide behind the shadows of these wonderful creatures that we get to share one day a year. America is greater because of its dogs.”

A new American Kennel Club-sanctioned breed will be included in this year’s competition, bringing the total recognized breeds to 193. The Azawakh (hound group) is a loyal, independent and deeply affectionate sighthound known for its short coat, long and lean appearance and excellent companionship and guardianship. Since 2003, 46 new breeds have been introduced to the event.

Last year, a 3-year-old male Whippet named Whiskey took home the Best in Show title among the seven group winners. Whiskey has more than 20 Best in Show titles and went on to win the American Kennel Club’s National Championship in January.

The “National Dog Show Presented by Purina®” is a beloved holiday tradition for families across the nation. The telecast reached nearly 25 million viewers over Thanksgiving week last year, delivering its third-best score in total viewers since its first broadcast in 2002. The show is part of a five-hour block of family programing on NBC, offering the country’s 65 million pet-owning households a full afternoon of fun entertainment while raising money for canine-related causes. In its unique format, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia offers an open environment for the esteemed event and remains one of the only “benched” dog shows, displaying all 2,000 competing purebred canines to the visiting public.

Continuing the family fun, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) will present a Thanksgiving Day marathon (beginning 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT) of “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina®,” featuring all five Best in Show winners from 2014-18. On Friday, Nov. 29, NBC will present a primetime encore of this year’s “National Dog Show Presented by Purina®” (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).

This year pet lovers are encouraged to share a photo or video of their pet for a chance to be featured during the airing of the “National Dog Show Presented by Purina” on NBC or NBC.com. Fans can use the hashtag #DogThanking and tag @Purina in a post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram that highlights their pet’s courageous and honor-worthy role in the family.

For more information on the “National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” visit: http://www.nationaldogshow.com

Breed descriptions and more information can be found at https://nds.nationaldogshow.com/event-info/the-seven-groups/

Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @NBC.

WarnerMedia Day 2019: All the new HBO Max and HBO shows announced so far

October 29, 2019

HBO Max

The following is a press release from WarnerMedia:

HBO MAX, WarnerMedia’s new streaming platform launching in May of 2020, will offer an impressive direct-to-consumer experience with 10,000 hours of premium content for everyone, ranging from families with young children to adults of all ages. Anchored with and inspired by the legacy of HBO’s excellence, unparalleled quality and innovative, award-winning storytelling, the new offering will bundle all of HBO together with an extensive collection of new original programming produced exclusively for HBO Max (Max Originals), select favorites from WarnerMedia’s enormous portfolio of beloved brands and libraries, and key third-party acquisitions.

HBO Max Social
Twitter: @HBOMax
YouTube: youtube.com/hbomax
Instagram: #HBOMax
Facebook: #HBOMax

MAX ORIGINALS
*Announced Today, October 29, 2019

KIDS AND FAMILY

Adventure Time: Distant Lands
These four new specials will continue the Adventure Time stories that captured imaginations and introduced unlikely heroes Finn and Jake, best buds who traversed the mystical Land of Ooo and encountered its colorful inhabitants.
BMO follows the lovable little robot from Adventure Time. When there’s a deadly space emergency in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, there’s only one hero to call, and it’s probably not BMO. Except that this time it is!
Obsidian features Marceline & Princess Bubblegum as they journey to the imposing, beautiful Glass Kingdom—and deep into their tumultuous past—to prevent an earthshaking catastrophe.
Wizard City follows Peppermint Butler, starting over at the beginning, as just another inexperienced Wizard School student. When mysterious events at the campus cast suspicion on Pep, and his checkered past, can he master the mystic arts in time to prove his innocence?
Together Again brings Finn and Jake together again, to rediscover their brotherly bond and embark on the most important adventure of their lives.
Genre: Animation
Creator: Pendleton Ward
Executive Producer: Adam Muto
Produced by: Cartoon Network Studios

Craftopia
Craftopia is an epic kids crafting competition show hosted by YouTube influencer Lauren Riihimaki (aka LaurDIY). Contestants, nine to fifteen years old, put their imaginations to the test and make their crafting dreams come true in a magical studio. After racing to fill their carts with inspiring materials, crafters meet larger-than-life challenges, making the most amazing creations the world has ever seen.
Genre: Non-fiction
Host: Lauren Riihimaki
Executive Producers: Lauren Riihimaki, Rhett Bachner, Brien Meagher
Produced by: B17 Entertainment

Esme & Roy
Esme & Roy follows a young girl, Esme, and her best monster friend, Roy, on their adventures as the best monstersitters in Monsterdale. Aimed at children ages four to six, it offers a creative new approach to teaching “learning through play” and mindfulness strategies. The series invites children into a colorful world where even the littlest monsters can overcome big challenges together.
Genre: Animation
Produced by: Sesame Workshop

*The Fungies!
A prehistoric comedy, The Fungies! explores Fungietown through the whimsical quests of Seth, a young student at Fungietown Elementary. Seth loves science and sharing his exciting discoveries with all his Fungie friends. But in his search for the ultimate scientific adventure, Seth often stirs up trouble for Fungietown’s colorful inhabitants leading to hilarious and heartwarming surprises.
Genre: Animation
Creator: Stephen Neary
Executive Producer: Rob Sorcher
Produced by: Cartoon Network Studios

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
Set in 1920s Shanghai, this animated series is an epic adventure comedy for the whole family that traces the origins of the Mogwai to the lush and perilous Jade Valley, in the Western Chinese countryside.
Genre: Animation
Writer: Tze Chun
Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sam Register
Co-Executive Producers: Tze Chun, Brendan Hay
Supervising Producer: Dan Krall
Produced by: Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation

*Jellystone
Welcome to the town of Jellystone – a charming place where your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters live, work and play together…but, at the same time, can’t help but stir up trouble for one another. The animated series includes classic characters such as Yogi, Boo Boo, Snagglepuss, Adam Ant, Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw, Magilla Gorilla and more.
Genre: Animation
Executive Producers: Carl Greenblatt, Sam Register
Produced by: Warner Bros. Animation

Karma
Sixteen contestants, ranging in age from 12 to 15, go off the grid to overcome physical challenges, with the laws of karma setting the rules. This adventure competition series, hosted by YouTube sensation Michelle Khare, tests mental and physical stamina as the kids unravel how their social actions impact their success in the game. Focus, giving, humility, growth, connection, change and patience are the path to becoming the “Karma Champion.”
Genre: Non-fiction
Host: Michelle Khare
Showrunner: Fred Pichel
Executive Producers: JD Roth, Adam Greener, Sara Hansemenn
Produced by: GoodStory Entertainment

Little Ellen
This animated children’s show explores the world through the eyes of a hilarious and unpredictable seven-year-old Ellen DeGeneres, on her adventures in her musical hometown of New Orleans. Little Ellen takes big risks and makes big mistakes, but she’s always able to laugh at herself and bounce back when things don’t go as planned.
Genre: Animation
Executive Producers: Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin A. Leman II, Sam Register
Co-Executive Producer: Jennifer Skelly
Producer: Jason Blackman
Produced by: Warner Bros. Animation and Ellen Digital Ventures

*Looney Tunes Cartoons
An all-new Looney Tunes Cartoons series featuring the marquee characters in their classic pairings in simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories. HBO Max has ordered 80 eleven-minute episodes, each comprised of animated shorts that include adapted storylines for today’s audience. Fans can also look forward to holiday-themed specials.
Genre: Animation
Voice Cast Members: Eric Bauza, Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen
Executive Producers: Pete Browngardt, Sam Register
Produced by: Warner Bros. Animation

Mecha Builders
A spin-off of Sesame Street, Mecha Builders features favorite Sesame Street characters as heroes in a robot-animation style.
Genre: Animation
Produced by: Sesame Workshop

The Monster at the End of This Story
Starring lovable, furry Grover from Sesame Street, The Monster at the End of This Story is a new animated version based on the acclaimed children’s picture book, The Monster at the End of This Book.
Genre: Animation Special
Produced by: Sesame Workshop

The Not Too Late Show with Elmo
A family-centric live-action take on a late night talk show, hosted by Elmo and featuring Sesame Street’s many celebrity friends.
Genre: Talk Show
Produced by: Sesame Workshop

Sesame Street
For 50 years, Sesame Street has helped children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder by providing preschoolers with the gold standard in educational programming. Five new 35-episode seasons of this legendary series come to HBO Max.
Genre: Puppets/Live Action
Produced by: Sesame Workshop

*Tig N’ Seek
Tig N’ Seek is about eight-year-old Tiggy and his gadget-building cat, Gweeseek, as they search for the lost items of Wee Gee City. With Tiggy’s cheerful attitude and Gweeseek’s exceptional inventing capabilities, the duo humorously navigate day-to-day dilemmas at the Department of Lost and Found.
Genre: Animation
Creator: Myke Chilian
Executive Producer: Rob Sorcher
Produced by: Cartoon Network Studios

GEN Z

15 Minutes of Shame
Monica Lewinsky and Catfish’s Max Joseph’s documentary takes an in-depth look at the public shaming epidemic in our culture and explores our collective need to destroy one another. The film will feature individuals from around the globe who have been publicly shamed – while exploring the bullies, the bystanders, the media, psychologists, politicians and experts in between.
Genre: Documentary Film
Executive Producers: Monica Lewinsky, Max Joseph, Steve Ascher, Kristy Sabat
Produced by: Six West

Brad & Gary Go To…
The six-episode series will follow Hollywood power couple, Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti, as they go on a jet-setting culinary adventure around the globe, inspired by their Instagram stories that went viral this summer.
Genre: Non-fiction
Cast: Brad Goreski, Gary Janetti
Executive Producers: Brad Goreski, Gary Janetti, Matt Anderson, Nate Green, Cooper Green, Tara Long
Produced by: Purveyors of Pop and Entertainment One (eOne)

*College Girls (wt)
From Mindy Kaling, this comedy follows three 18-year-old freshman roommates at Evermore College in Vermont. A bundle of contradictions and hormones, these sexually active college girls are equal parts lovable and infuriating.
Genre: Comedy
Writer/Showrunner: Mindy Kaling
Executive Producers: Mindy Kaling, Howard Klein
Produced by: Kaling International in association with Warner Bros. Television

*DC Super Hero High
This half-hour comedy executive produced by Elizabeth Banks follows a group of students experiencing the fun and drama of adolescence at a boarding school for gifted kids. These teens are just trying to navigate the pressures of high school, but none of them realize that someday they will become legendary DC super heroes.
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Scott Weinger
Executive Producers: Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Scott Weinger, John D. Beck, Ron Hart
Co-executive Producer: Dannah Shinder
Produced by: Brownstone Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television

Generation Hustle (wt)
From award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, Generation Hustle (wt) is a 10-part HBO Max original from CNN Original Series about the lengths young people will go to for fame, fortune, and power.
Genre: Documentary
Executive Producers: Alex Gibney, Yon Motskin, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello
Produced by: Jigsaw Productions and CNN Original Series

Gossip Girl
Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The prestige series will address just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.
Genre: Drama
Executive Producers: Joshua Safran, Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz; Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo of Alloy Entertainment
Co-executive producer: Lis Rowinski of Fake Empire
Produced by: Warner Bros. Studio

Grease: Rydell High
A joyous musical series set in and around the world of Rydell High, the show reimagines the global smash hit movie with characters old and new. It’s still the 1950s, a world that rocks with big musical numbers and new original songs. It’s the peer pressures of high school, the horrors of puberty, and the rollercoaster of life in middle America with a modern sensibility that will bring it to life for today’s musical lovers.
Genre: Musical
Executive Producers: Picturestart and Temple Hill
Produced by: Paramount Television and Picturestart

*Green Lantern
Inspired by DC Comics’ Green Lantern and introducing characters from this iconic comic, this will be one of the biggest shows Berlanti Productions has ever done.
Genre: Action Drama
Executive Producers: Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter
Produced by: Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television

*Strange Adventures
A superhero anthology executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Strange Adventures will feature characters from across the DC canon. The drama will explore close-ended morality tales about the intersecting lives of mortals and superhumans.
Genre: Drama
Writer/Showrunner: John Stephens
Executive Producers: Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, John Stephens
Produced by: Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television

*Tooned Out
Executive produced by Robert Zemeckis, Tooned Out is a half-hour, hybrid live-action and animated comedy in development for HBO Max. Things get a little cartoony for Mac when he starts seeing iconic cartoon characters, but they’re not just there for laughs, they’re helping him get through a very rough patch in his life.
Genre: Comedy
Creator/Writer: Jared Stern
Executive Producers: Robert Zemeckis, Jared Stern, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine
Produced by: A Stern Talking To Productions and Compari Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Television

UNpregnant
Adapted from the young adult HarperCollins novel of the same name that tells the story of 17-year-old Veronica, who never thought she’d want to fail a test—that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with two solid pink lines. With a promising college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she’d have to make, embarking on a three-day, 900+ mile road trip to New Mexico with her ex-best friend Bailey. The film offers a mix of humor and grounded human emotion as it tackles complicated friendships and the difficult road to adulthood…all while in a stolen car.
Genre: Feature Film
Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Barbie Ferreira
Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
Writers: Jenni Hendriks, Ted Caplan
Executive Producers: Michael McGrath, Lucy Kitada, Jessica Switch
Producers: Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Erik Feig
Produced by: Picturestart and Berlanti Productions

ADULTS

Americanah
Based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-selling novel of the same name, Americanah is an epic love story of a woman born in Nigeria who leaves for America and her extraordinary experiences with love, heartache, adversity and self-discovery.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o
Executive Producers: Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o for Eba Productions; Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardener for Plan B Entertainment; Andrea Calderwood for Potboiler Television; Didi Rea and Danielle Del for D2 Productions; and Nancy Won

Birth, Wedding, Funeral
In each episode, Lisa Ling will immerse viewers in a different country to reveal their cultures through the lens of the three universal rituals—births, weddings, and funerals. In a quest to understand what connects us and celebrate the diversity of deeply-rooted customs around the world, the series is a riveting investigation of the human experience.
Genre: Documentary Series
Host: Lisa Ling
Executive Producers: Lisa Ling, Dan Rather and Philip Kim for News and Guts, and David Shadrack Smith
Produced by: Part2 Pictures

*Bobbie Sue
After being raised among four rowdy brothers in a blue-collar neighborhood, Bobbie Sue, a headstrong young lawyer lands a career-making case with an upper crust law firm, only to realize she’s been hired for optics and not her expertise. But after discovering her powerful client, a lifelong idol of hers, is trying to cover up exploiting workers within her company, Bobbie decides to take both her and the law firm on, caution and etiquette be damned.
Genre: Feature Film
Cast: Gina Rodriguez
Director: Charles Stone III
Executive Producers: Gina Rodriguez, Emily Gipson
Producer: Donald De Line

The Boondocks
Based on the comic strip created by Aaron McGruder, The Boondocks both depicted and presaged the nation’s most roiling cultural issues. HBO Max has two new reimagined seasons and a 50-minute special.
Genre: Animation
Showrunner: Aaron McGruder
Executive Producers: Aaron McGruder, Norm Aladjem for Mainstay Entertainment, Seung Kim, Meghann Collins Robertson.
Produced by: Sony Pictures Animation in partnership with Sony Pictures Television

Bourdain
A documentary film about the uncommon life of the late storyteller, explorer and chef, Anthony Bourdain.
Genre: Documentary Film
Director/Producer: Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville
Consulting Producers: Zero Point Zero Production
Executive produced by: CNN Films and HBOMax
Produced by: Morgan Neville’s Tremolo Productions
Theatrical Distributor: Focus

Circe
An adaptation of Madeline Miller’s International bestseller of the same name, Circe is a modern take on the world of Greek mythology told from the powerful feminist perspective of the goddess Circe, who transforms from an awkward nymph to a formidable witch, able to challenge gods, titans and monsters alike.
Genre: Drama
Writers/Executive Producers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Produced by: Chernin Entertainment in partnership with Endeavor Content

Crime Farm
Crime Farm is a psychosexual love story that follows Selma and Richard Eikelenboom, forensic homicide experts whose marriage thrives on their all-consuming investigations into the depravity of the world’s most notorious criminals. As a seminal case upends the paradigm of their relationship, their unique, unconventional and sometimes dangerous arrangement stretches the boundaries of marriage and science.
Genre: Drama
Executive Producers: Nicole Kidman and Per Saari from Blossom Films; Janine Sherman
Consulting Producers: Selma and Richard Eikelenboom
Produced by: Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films and Warner Horizon Scripted Television

Doom Patrol
With all-new original episodes, the critically acclaimed series features a band of superpowered freaks, part support group, part superhero team, who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Timothy Dalton, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby
Executive Producers: Greg Berlanti, Jeremy Carver
Produced by: Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Studio

Dune: The Sisterhood
An adaptation of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson’s book based in the world created by Frank Herbert’s Dune, Dune: The Sisterhood explores this universe through the eyes of a mysterious order of women, the Bene Gesserit, whose extraordinary mastery of body and mind allow them to expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium.
Genre: Drama
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Executive Producers: Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Dana Calvo; and Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert for the Frank Herbert estate
Co-Producer: Kevin J Anderson

Ellen’s Home Design Challenge
Design aficionado Ellen DeGeneres is giving forward-thinking designers the chance to push their creativity to the limit. DeGeneres will be on hand to weigh in on each challenge and provide humorous, colorful commentary.
Genre: Non-fiction
Executive Producers: Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, Arthur Smith
Produced by: Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television and A. Smith & Co. Productions in association with Telepictures and A Very Good Production

Equal
Equal pays tribute to the epic origin stories of the LGBTQ+ movement. A masterful four-part docuseries that captures the gripping and true backstories of the leaders and unsung heroes, pre-Stonewall, who changed the course of American history through their tireless activism. These warriors gave voice, often in a life-or-death battle, to millions of people yearning for equality and the desire to be themselves.
Genre: Limited Documentary Series
Executive Producers: David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric and Joel Chiodi from Scout Productions; Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter from Berlanti Productions; Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak from That’s Wonderful Productions; Jon Jashni from Raintree Ventures; Mike Darnell and Brooke Karzen from Warner Horizon Unscripted Television.

Expecting Amy (wt)
An unfiltered documentary taking viewers behind-the-scenes as Amy Schumer goes through a difficult pregnancy while on tour. From hospitalizations to going out in front of a crowd of thousands, to quiet moments at home with her family, Schumer shares it all.
Genre: Documentary Film
Cast: Amy Schumer
Producer: Amy Schumer
Editor: Alexander Hammer

First Dates Hotel
Based on the hit UK format, this charming dating series set at an affluent boutique hotel will find single people from multiple generations gathering for an intensive and tailor-made romantic experience. After fun, amusing and potentially disastrous dates, if the potential lovers like each other, they can choose to stay on for a second date in the hopes of finding out if they’re ultimately a match.
Genre: Non-fiction
Executive Producers: Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, Pam Healey, Dan Peirson
Produced by: Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television in association with Shed Media, A Very Good Production and Twenty Twenty Productions Limited

The Flight Attendant
A one-hour thriller series based on the novel by New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalia of how an entire life can change in one night. A flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man – and no idea what happened.
Genre: Thriller
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Rosie Perez, T.R. Knight, Michiel Huisman, Sonoya Mizuno, Rosie Perez, Colin Woodell, Zosia Mamet
Adapted and written by: Steve Yockey
Director: Susanna Fogel
Executive Producer: Steve Yockey, Meredith Lavender, Marcie Ulin, Susanna Fogel, Greg Berlanti, Kaley Cuoco, Sarah Schechter
Co-Executive Producer: Suzanne McCormack
Produced by: Yes, Norman Productions and Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television

Full Bloom
An eight-episode, hour-long competition series hosted by celebrity florist Simon Lycett and featuring America’s budding florists vying to be crowned America’s best. With incredible artistic creations and floristry face-offs, Full Bloom allows audiences to escape into a surreal world, as contestants design and execute some of the most wondrous, Wonka-esque floral creations ever seen.
Genre: Non-fiction
Host: Simon Lycett
Judges: Legendary floristry artists Elizabeth Cronin and Maurice Harris
Created and produced by: Eureka Productions
Executive Producers: Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wes Dening

gen:LOCK
The half-hour animated series focuses on a near-future dystopia undergoing a new, technologically driven world war. Fifty years in the future, an oppressive authoritarian force threatens to conquer the world. A daring team is recruited to pilot a new form of devastating mecha, but they must be willing to sacrifice everything to save the world.
Genre: Animation
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Dakota Fanning, Maisie Williams, Golshifteh Farahani, David Tennant
Executive Producers: Michael B. Jordan and Alana Mayo of Outlier Society; Matt Hullum and Ryan P. Hall of Rooster Teeth

The Greatest Space
A 10-episode epic design competition show features interior designers traveling around the world to transform an eclectic mix of empty rooms into spectacular spaces.
Genre: Non-fiction
Executive Producers: Bertram van Munster, Elise Doganieri, Mark Dziak, David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric
Produced by: New Media Collective (NMC), Scout Productions

Heaven’s Gate
An intimate, four-part series that explores the infamous religious movement and the stranger-than-fiction circumstances that culminated in the biggest mass suicide to ever take place in the U.S.
Genre: Limited Documentary Series
Director: Clay Tweel
Executive Producer: Clay Tweel
Producers: Ross Dinerstein, Chris Bannon, Eric Spiegelman, Peter Clowney, and Erik Diehn for the digital media company Stitcher
Produced by: Campfire and CNN Original Series

The Hos (wt)
Led by patriarch Binh Ho and his wife, Hue Ho, the power couple immigrated from Vietnam to the United States with little money, relying on hard work to establish the ultimate American dream. They have built a multi-million dollar bank, a real estate development company and a new generation of American Hos. The series pulls back the curtain of their lavish Houston lifestyle and showcases the tight family connections that unite them as well as the multi-generational outrageous drama that ensues.
Genre: Non-fiction
Cast: Binh Ho, Hue Ho, Judy Ho, Washington Ho, Lesley Ho, Aunt Tina, Cousin Sammy
Executive Producers: Katy Wallin, Stephanie Bloch Chambers
Co-Executive Producers: Amanda Ly, Rosalina Lydster
Produced by: Wallin Chambers Entertainment in association with Lionsgate Television

Legendary
Competition has never been this ballsy. Legendary will feature voguing “houses,” each comprised of five performers and a leader – the house “parent.” The teams rotate in a round-robin format, and each episode documents a themed ball from start to finish. The winner ultimately achieves “legendary” status in fashion and dance challenges.
Genre: Non-fiction
Executive Producers: David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, Renata Lombardo, Shant Tutunjian
Produced by: Scout Productions

Let Them All Talk (wt)
The story of a celebrated author who takes a journey with some old friends to have some fun and heal old wounds. Her nephew comes along to wrangle the ladies and finds himself involved with a young literary agent.
Genre: Feature Film
Cast: Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hedges, Gemma Chan
Writer: Deborah Eisenberg
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Executive Producers: Ken Meyer, Joseph Malloch
Producer: Gregory Jacobs

Love Life
A 10-episode half-hour romantic comedy anthology series about the journey from first love to last love, and how the people we’re with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever. The series will follow a different protagonist’s quest for love each season, with each episode telling the story of one of their relationships.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Zoe Chao, Peter Vack, Sasha Compere, Scoot McNairy, Hope Davis, James LeGros
Executive Producer: Paul Feig, Anna Kendrick

Made for Love
A 10-episode, half-hour, series adaptation based on the tragicomic novel of the same name. Made for Love is a dark, absurd and cynically poignant story of divorce and revenge. The series shows how far some will go for love – and how much further others will go to destroy it.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Cristin Milioti, Ray Romano, Noma Dumezweni
Adapted by: Patrick Somerville
Director/Executive Producer: S.J. Clarkson

Persona (wt)
A documentary feature produced by CNN Films that explores the riveting and unexpected origin story of America’s obsession with personality testing. Embedded in everything from dating sites to job applications, Persona reveals the profound ways personality testing has formed and influenced the world around us.
Genre: Documentary Film
Produced by: CNN Films

*Raised by Wolves
An epic serialized sci-fi series executive produced and directed by Ridley Scott. The series centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task.
Genre: Sci-fi
Writer/Showrunner: Aaron Guzikowski
Cast: Travis Fimmel, Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Matias Varela, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Jordan Loughran, Aasiya Shah, Ivy Wong
Director: Ridley Scott
Executive Producers: Ridley Scott, Aaron Guzikowski, David W. Zucker, Jordan Sheehan, Adam Kolbrenner, Mark Huffam
Produced by: Scott Free Productions

*Rap Sh*t (wt)
From Issa Rae, Rap Sh*t (wt) is a half-hour comedy series that follows three women – a hip-hop duo and their hustler manager – trying to make it in Miami’s music industry.
Genre: Comedy
Produced by: Issa Rae and Montrel McKay for Issa Rae Productions and Jonathan Barry and Dave Becky for 3 Arts Entertainment

The Scoop (wt)
Produced by CNN Films, this documentary feature will follow the exhilarating and exhausting lives of CNN’s fearless female political reporters as they cover the most unpredictable presidential campaign in American history. This behind-the-scenes documentary draws from unprecedented access to the campaign press corps and reveals how these powerhouse political reporters deal with the candidates as well as with the challenges of life on the road.
Genre: Documentary Film
Produced by: CNN Films

Search Party
Two more seasons of the critically-beloved comedy Search Party comes to HBO Max. Season three finds the gang swept up in the trial of the century after Dory and Drew are charged for the semi-accidental murder of a private investigator. As Elliott and Portia grapple with whether or not to testify as witnesses, the friends are pitted against each other and thrust into the national spotlight as notorious public figures. As Dory’s sanity begins to fracture, it becomes increasingly clear that they may not have brunch together for quite some time.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Alia Shawkat, Meredith Hagner, John Early and John Reynolds
Executive Producers: Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter, Jax Media’s Lilly Burns, Tony Hernandez

*Stand-up Specials Presented by Conan O’Brien
Five new comedy specials that include two hosted by Conan O’Brien showcasing short sets from multiple up-and-coming comics, as well as curated one-hour-long sets from three additional comedians.
Genre: Comedy
Executive Producers: Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross, JP Buck, Adam Sachs
Produced by: Team Coco

Starstruck
Starstruck follows 20-something Rose, a millennial in London, juggling two dead-end jobs and navigating the awkward morning-after when she discovers the complications of accidentally sleeping with a movie star.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Rose Matafeo
Executive Producers: Rose Matafeo, Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett

Station Eleven
A limited series based on Emily St. John Mandel’s international bestseller, Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic saga that follows survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what’s been lost.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Himesh Patel, Mackenzie Davis
Adapted by: Patrick Somerville
Director: Hiro Murai

Superintelligence
Superintelligence tells the story of Carol Peters, to whom nothing extraordinary ever happens. But when she starts getting snarky backtalk from her TV, phone and microwave, she thinks she’s being punked. The world’s first superintelligence has selected her for observation, taking over her life…with a more ominous plan to take over everything. Now Carol is humanity’s last chance before this artificial intelligence-with-an-attitude decides to pull the plug.
Genre: Feature Film
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Brian Tyree Henry, Jean Smart, James Corden
Director: Ben Falcone
Producers: Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Rob Cowan
Produced by: New Line Cinema

Tokyo Vice
Based on Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat starring Ansel Elgort. The drama captures Adelstein’s daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe
Writer: J.T. Rogers
Pilot Director: Michael Mann
Executive Producers: Michael Mann, J.T. Rogers, John Lesher, Alan Poul, Emily Gerson Saines, Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, Destin Daniel Cretton
Produced by: Endeavor Content

HBO ORIGINALS

Previously announced series coming to HBO:

Avenue 5
Avenue 5 is a space tourism comedy set 40 years in the future when the solar system is everyone’s oyster. Hugh Laurie will star as the Captain, and with him in charge, nothing can go wrong.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Zach Woods, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rebecca Front, Suzy Nakamura, Ethan Phillips, Lenora Crichlow
Creator: Veep creator Armando Iannucci (also directs the pilot)
Executive Producers: Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Will Smith

Bad Education
Long Island school superintendent Frank Tassone and his assistant superintendent for business, Pam Gluckin, are credited with bringing Roslyn School District unprecedented prestige, pleasing the board and raising property values in the town. Frank, always immaculately groomed and tailored, is a master of positive messaging, whether before an audience of community leaders or in an office with a concerned student or parent. Frank can do no wrong, until the Roslyn High School newspaper decides to dig deep into some expense reports uncovering an embezzlement scheme of epic proportions, revealing secrets about Frank and forcing the community to question their values and ambitions. Inspired by a true story, Bad Education is a potent dark comedy and commentary on the cost of the pursuit of educational excellence.
Genre: Film
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano
Director: Cory Finley
Writer: Mike Makowsky
Executive Producers: Leonid Lebedev, Caroline Jaczko
Producers: Fred Berger, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Oren Moverman, Mike Makowsky
Produced by: Automatik, Sight Unseen

Betty
Inspired by the critically acclaimed film Skate Kitchen, the series, set against the backdrop of New York City, will follow a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Moonbear, Dede Lovelace, Ajani Russell
Executive Producer/Writer/Director: Crystal Moselle
Executive Producer/Writer: Lesley Arfin
Executive Producer: Igor Srubshchik, Jason Weinberg
Co-Executive Producers: Michael Sherman and Matthew Perniciaro of Bow & Arrow Entertainment
Co-Executive Producer: Rodrigo Teixeira of RT Features
Producer: Izabella Tzenkova of Kotva Films
Producer: Lizzie Nastro
Produced by: Arfin Material, Untitled Entertainment

The Gilded Age
The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and the rise of disparity between old money and new. Against this backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882 – introducing young Marian Brook, the orphaned daughter of a Southern general, who moves into the home of her rigidly conventional aunts in New York City. Accompanied by the mysterious Peggy Scott, an African-American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets caught up in the dazzling lives of her stupendously rich neighbors, led by a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife struggling for acceptance by the Astor and Vanderbilt set. Will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path in this exciting new world that is on the brink of transformation into the modern age?
Genre: Drama
Cast: Christine Baranski, Amanda Peet, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector
Creator/Writer/Executive Producer: Julian Fellowes
Director: Michael Engler
Executive Producers: Gareth Neame, Michael Engler, David Crockett
Produced by: An HBO co-production with NBCU

His Dark Materials
Adapting Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy of the same name, which is considered a modern masterpiece of imaginative fiction, this series follows Lyra, a seemingly ordinary but brave young woman from another world. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and becomes a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Lin-Manuel Miranda, James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen, Anne-Marie Duff, Clarke Peters, Ariyon Bakare, Will Keen, Ian Gelder, Georgina Campbell, Lewin Lloyd, Lucian Msamati, James Cosmo, Daniel Frogson, Tyler Howitt, Ruta Gedmintas, Mat Fraser, Geoff Bell, Simon Manyonda
Executive Producers: Dan McCulloch, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Tom Hooper, Deborah Forte, Toby Emmerich, Carolyn Blackwood, Ben Irving, Piers Wenger
Directors: Tom Hooper, Dawn Shadforth, Otto Bathhurst, Euros Lyn, Jamie Childs

*House Of The Dragon
A Game of Thrones prequel co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, with Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal to partner as showrunners. Based on Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series, which is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen.
Genre: Drama
Creators: George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal
Showrunners: Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik
Director: Miguel Sapochnik (pilot and additional episodes)
Writer: Ryan Condal
Executive Producers: Ryan Condal, George R.R. Martin, Miguel Sapochnik, Vince Gerardis

How To…With John Wilson
How To…With John Wilson is a first person documentary series hosted by an anxious New Yorker who attempts to give everyday advice while dealing with his own personal issues. Acting as both cameraman and narrator, John covertly documents the lives of fellow New Yorkers in a comic odyssey of self-discovery, inevitably making the audience comfortable with the awkward contradictions of modern life.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: John Wilson
Executive Producer/Writer/Director/Narrator: John Wilson
Executive Producers: Nathan Fielder, Clark Reinking

I Know This Much Is True
A family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness set against the backdrop of 20th-century America. The six episode limited drama series is based on Wally Lamb’s New York Times bestseller and award-winning book I Know This Much Is True.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo, Rosie O’Donnell, Archie Panjabi, Imogen Poots, Juliette Lewis, Kathryn Hahn, John Proccacino
Director/Writer/Executive Producer: Derek Cianfrance
Star/Executive Producers: Mark Ruffalo
Executive Producers: Ben Browning & Glen Basner for FilmNation Entertainment
Executive Producers: Wally Lamb, Gregg Fienberg, Anya Epstein, Lynette Howell Taylor
Co-Executive Producers: Jamie Patricof

Industry
Industry is an exhilarating dive into the world of international finance, as seen through the eyes of ambitious 20-somethings struggling to secure their futures. The series follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited set of permanent positions at a top investment bank in London – but the boundaries between colleague, friend, lover, and enemy soon blur as they immerse themselves in a company culture defined as much by sex, drugs, and ego as it is by deals and dividends. As members of the group rise and fall, they must decide whether life is about more than the bottom line.
Genre: Drama
Executive Producer/Writer: Mickey Down
Executive Producer/Writer: Konrad Kay
Executive Producers: Jane Tranter, Lachlan MacKinnon, Ryan Rasmussen
Executive Producer/Pilot Director: Lena Dunham
Produced for HBO and BBC by Bad Wolf

January 22nd
A fearless, frank and provocative drama series exploring the question of sexual consent and where, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, the distinction between liberation and exploitation lies. Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella, a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when she is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Aml Ameen, Adam James, Sarah Niles, Ann Akin, Harriet Webb, Ellie James, Franc Ashman, Karan Gill, Natalie Walter, Samson Ajewole
Executive Producers: Phil Clarke & Roberto Troni for Various Artists Ltd
Executive Producer / Writer / Director / Cast: Michaela Coel for FALKNA Productions
Producers: Simon Maloney, Simon Meyers
Director: Sam Miller
Produced by: Various Artists Ltd and FALKNA Productions

Lovecraft Country
The one-hour drama series based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff, follows Atticus Freeman as he joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. What follows is a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Courtney B. Vance, Wunmi Mosaku, Aunjanue Ellis, Jamie Harris, Abbey Lee, Jamie Chung, Jordan Patrick Smith
Executive Producers: Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, Misha Green, Yann Demange, Daniel Sackheim, Ben Stephenson, Bill Carraro
Showrunner: Misha Green
Produced by: Bad Robot Productions and Monkeypaw Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television

Mare of Easttown
Kate Winslet stars in this limited series as a small-town Pennsylvania detective who investigates a local murder as her life crumbles around her.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, Evan Peters, Cailee Spaeny, David Denman, John Douglas Thompson, Patrick Murney, Ben Miles, James McArdle, Sosie Bacon, Joe Tippett, Neal Huff
Creator/Writer/Showrunner/Executive Producer: Brad Ingelsby
Director/Executive Producer: Gavin O’Connor
Executive Producers: Gordon Gray through Mayhem Pictures; Paul Lee through wiip; Mark Roybal through wiip; Kate Winslet
Produced by: An HBO co-production with wiip

The Nevers
The Nevers is an epic science fiction drama about a gang of Victorian women, known as “The Touched,” who find themselves with unusual abilities, relentless enemies, and a mission that could change the world.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Laura Donnelly, Nick Frost, Denis O’Hare, Olivia Williams, Ann Skelly, Zackary Momoh, Tom Riley, James Norton, Amy Manson, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ben Chaplin, Pip Torrens
Executive Producer/Showrunner/Writer/Director: Joss Whedon
Executive Producers: Bernie Caulfield, Jane Espenson, Doug Petrie

The New Pope
Created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, this drama will mark his second limited series set in the world of the modern papacy, following The Young Pope.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Jude Law, John Malkovich, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier, Maurizio Lombardi, Henry Goodman, Ulrich Thomsen, Mark Ivanir, Massimo Ghini
Creator/Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Producers: Lorenzo Mieli, Mario Gianani for Wildside
Co-Producers: Haut et Court TV and Mediapro
Writers: Paolo Sorrentino with Umberto Contarello and Stefano Bises
Produced by: Sky, HBO, Canal+

The Outsider
Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel of the same name, this dark mystery follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. The crime, however, leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe to be real, as an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, Julianne Nicholson, Yul Vázquez, Jeremy Bobb, Marc Menchaca, Hettienne Park, Michael Esper
Producer: Ben Mendelsohn
Writers: Richard Price, with episodes written by Dennis Lehane and Jessie Nickson-Lopez
Executive Producers: Jason Bateman/Director (first two episodes). Richard Price, Andrew Bernstein (who directs three episodes), Marty Bowen for Temple Hill Entertainment, Jack Bender, Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films, and Dennis Lehane (Episodes 105-110)
Produced by Bateman’s Aggregate Films and Temple Hill Entertainment in association with Civic Center Media.

Perry Mason
Set in 1932 Los Angeles, the series will focus on the origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason, based on characters from Erle Stanley Gardner’s novels. Living check-to-check as a low-rent private investigator, Mason is haunted by his wartime experiences in France and suffering the effects of a broken marriage. L.A. is booming while the rest of the country struggles through the Great Depression — but a kidnapping gone very wrong leads to Mason exposing a fractured city as he uncovers the truth of the crime.
Genre: Drama
Cast: Matthew Rhys, John Lithgow, Tatiana Maslany, Chris Chalk, Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham, Nate Corddry, Veronica Falcon, Andrew Howard, Jefferson Mays, Robert Patrick, Stephen Root Gayle Rankin, Lili Taylor
Showrunners: Ron Fitzgerald, Rolin Jones
Executive Producers: Amanda Burrell, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Ron Fitzgerald, Joe Horacek, Rolin Jones, Tim Van Patten (also Director of multiple episodes)
Producer: Matthew Rhys

The Plot Against America
The Plot Against America is set in an alternate American history and centers on a Jewish family in New Jersey who watch the political rise of Charles Lindbergh, an aviator hero and xenophobic populist who becomes president, defeating Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, and turns the country toward fascism.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, Anthony Boyle, Azhy Robertson, Caleb Malis, John Turturro
Creators: David Simon and Ed Burns both serve as writers and executive producers on the series, as well as Joe Roth, Nina Noble, Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Susan Goldberg and Jeff Kirschenbaum
Co-Executive Producers: Dennis Stratton, Philip Roth

Run
Run centers on Ruby, a woman living a humdrum existence who one day gets a text inviting her to fulfill a youthful pact, promising true love and self-reinvention, by stepping out of her life to take a journey with her oldest flame.
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Merritt Wever; Guest Starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Rich Sommer
Writer: Vicky Jones
Executive Producers: Vicky Jones and Phoebe Waller-Bridge via DryWrite; Emily Leo for Wigwam; and Jenny Robbins. Kate Dennis directed the pilot and executive produces.
Produced by: Entertainment One, DryWrite, Wigwam Films.

The Third Day
The Third Day is a story told over six episodes and in two distinct halves. The first – “Summer,” directed by Marc Munden, sees Sam, a man drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost. The second – “Winter,” directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, follows Helen, a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers, but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Katherine Waterston, Paddy Considine, Emily Watson
Writer/Executive Producer: Dennis Kelly (wrote four episodes)
Executive Producers: Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Plan B Entertainment
Executive Producer: Felix Barrett, Punchdrunk International
Creators: Felix Barrett, Dennis Kelly
Director/Executive Producer: Marc Munden
Director/Executive Producer: Philippa Lowthorpe
Producer: Adrian Sturges
Writers: Kit de Waal and Dean O’Loughlin (wrote two episodes)
Produced by: HBO and Sky Studios in partnership with Plan B Entertainment and Punchdrunk International

The Undoing
A limited series based on the book You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Grace Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. She’s a successful therapist, has a devoted husband and young son who attends an elite private school in New York City. Overnight a chasm opens in her life: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only a chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Edgar Ramirez, Lily Rabe, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Matilda DeAngelis, Noma Dumezweni
Writer/Executive Producer/Showrunner: David E. Kelley through David E. Kelley Productions
Director/Executive Producer: Susanne Bier
Executive Producers: Nicole Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films; Bruna Papandrea for Made Up Stories; Stephen Garrett, Celia Costas

We Are Who We Are
A coming-of-age story about two American teenagers who, along with their military and civilian parents, are living on an American military base in Italy. The series centers on friendship, first-love and all the unknowns of being a teenager, which could happen anywhere, but in this case, happens to be in this little slice of America in Italy.
Genre: Limited Series
Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Jack Dylan Grazer, Alice Braga, Jordan Kristine Seamon
Kid Cudi, Faith Alabi, Spence Moore II, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Taylor, Corey Knight , Tom Mercier, Sebastiano Pigazzi
Showrunner/Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Luca Guadagnino
Writers: Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Giordano, Francesca Manieri
Executive Producers: Lorenzo Mieli, Mario Gianani, Luca Guadagnino, Nick Hall, Riccardo Neri
Producers: Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside (part of Fremantle)
Produced by: HBO and Sky Studios
International Distributor: Fremantle

HBO LIBRARY HIGHLIGHTS

Series
Barry
Big Little Lies
Chernobyl
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Deadwood
Entourage
Euphoria
Game of Thrones
Insecure
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
My Brilliant Friend
Oz
Real Time With Bill Maher
The Righteous Gemstones
Sex and the City
Silicon Valley
Six Feet Under
The Sopranos
Succession
True Blood
True Detective
Veep
Watchmen
Westworld
The Wire
Find all HBO Series: https://www.hbo.com/series/all-series

Movies
Available in first year of launch:
A Star Is Born
Aquaman
Bridesmaids
Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Detective Pikachu
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Glass
Isn’t It Romantic?
It Chapter 2
Joker
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Little
Love Actually
Madagascar
Notting Hill
Rio
Shazam!
Smallfoot
The Town
Us
War of the Worlds

Find all HBO Movies: https://www.hbo.com/movies

HBO MAX LIBRARY HIGHLIGHTS

In addition to a robust slate of originals, HBO Max will feature a vast selection of titles from Warner Media’s brands including library content from Warner Bros. Film and Television Studios, New Line Cinema, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Looney Tunes and more, alongside key third party acquisitions.

Here is a selection that will be available in our first year of launch.

Series
Adam Ruins Everything
Adventure Time
The Alienist
American Dynasties: The Kennedys
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
At Home with Amy Sedaris
The Bachelor
The Bachelorette
Batwoman
The Big Bang Theory
The Boondocks
The Carbonaro Effect
The Closer
CNN Decade Series (The 2000s, The Nineties, etc.)
Conan Travel Specials
Dexter’s Laboratory
Doctor Who
Doom Patrol
Ellen’s Game of Games
Falling Skies
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Friends
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Gossip Girl
The Honourable Woman
Impractical Jokers
The Jetsons
Little Big Shots
Looney Tunes
Mad TV
Miracle Workers
The OC
The Office (British version)
The Powerpuff Girls
Pretty Little Liars
Pride and Prejudice
Primal
Rick & Morty
Rizzoli & Isles
Robot Chicken
Samurai Jack
Sesame Street
The Smurfs
South Park
Steven Universe
This Is Life with Lisa Ling
Top Gear / BBC
United Shades of America with Kamau Bell
The West Wing
Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Movies
13 Going on 30
2001: A Space Odyssey
Austin Powers
The Bodyguard
Casablanca
Chariots of Fire
Citizen Kane
The Color Purple
The Conjuring
Dangerous Liaisons
The Departed
The Dark Knight
DC Films – All live action movies from the past decade
The Departed
Gremlins
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Hairspray
Happy Feet
The Hobbit Trilogy
The Iron Giant
Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Magic Mike
March of the Penguins
The Matrix Trilogy
Million Dollar Baby
Miss Congeniality
Mona Lisa Smile
Ocean’s Eleven
The Right Stuff
Risky Business
Scooby-Doo
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shining
Space Jam
Spirited Away and the entire Ghibli Film Collection
Watchmen
Wonder Woman
When Harry Met Sally
The Wizard of Oz

HBO Max announces launch month, subscription price, more original programs

October 29, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eASkqrwdg7Y

The following is a press release from WarnerMedia:

WarnerMedia today unveiled significant new details about its HBO Max direct-to-consumer strategy on the company’s iconic Warner Bros. lot, revealing a comprehensive offering of programming options for every audience, product features and functionality, and its go-to-market plans.

“With this entire company coming together, we will have one of the most robust collections of premium streaming content that will appeal to all demographics in the household, and be able to achieve incredible scale and reach right out of the gate,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer. “We couldn’t achieve this without AT&T’s unprecedented and enthusiastic support. When you live in a world with ‘dragons’ — it feels very good to have one of your own in the game!”

Launching in May of 2020, WarnerMedia will be making HBO Max available to customers in the U.S. for $14.99 per month. The company is targeting 50 million domestic subscribers and 75 – 90 million premium subscribers by year-end in 2025 across the U.S., Latin America and Europe. At launch, AT&T will immediately offer HBO Max to the roughly 10 million HBO subscribers on AT&T distribution platforms, at no additional charge. HBO Now direct-billed users who subscribe directly through HBONow.com will also have access to Warner Media’s HBO Max product. AT&T customers on premium video, mobile and broadband services will be offered bundles with HBO Max included at no additional charge. We are in active discussions with our distributors and look forward to offering their customers seamless access to this great product.

“We’ve positioned HBO Max in a way that makes sense for our Company, our distribution partners and our customers,” said Tony Goncalves, CEO of Otter Media. “We are creating a company-wide ‘membership-model’ that taps into AT&T’s 170 million direct-to-consumer relationships, 5,500 retail stores and 3.2 billion annual customer touchpoints to achieve scale and reach at launch.”

HBO Max will launch with 10,000 hours of curated premium content including the entire HBO service, bundled with new HBO Max Originals that expand the breadth of the offering targeted at young adults, kids and families.  HBO Max will pull from WarnerMedia’s deep library of fan favorites in its 100-year content collection, including library content from Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. HBO Max will also offer a robust selection of third party acquired series and movie titles that will rival any other streaming offering in the marketplace.

New Max Originals announced today include:

  • The Fungies!, from Stephen Neary and Cartoon Network Studios, is a prehistoric comedy that explores Fungietown through the whimsical quests of Seth, a young student at Fungietown Elementary.
  • Tig N’ Seek from Myke Chilian and Cartoon Network Studios is about 8-year-old Tiggy and his gadget-building cat, Gweeseek, as they search for the lost items of Wee Gee City. With Tiggy’s cheerful attitude and Gweeseek’s exceptional inventing capabilities, the duo humorously navigate day-to-day dilemmas at the Department of Lost and Found.
  • Tooned Out, executive produced by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump; Cast Away; Back to the Future), is a half-hour, hybrid live-action and animated comedy. Things get a little cartoony for Mac when he starts seeing iconic cartoon characters in his life, but they’re not just there for laughs, they’re helping him get through a very rough patch in his life.
  • Looney Tunes Cartoons, an all-new series of 80 eleven-minute episodes and holiday-themed specials from Warner Bros. Animation starring the cherished classic Looney Tunes characters for today’s kids. Iconic characters will include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety, Sylvester, Granny, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Tasmanian Devil, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and many more.
  • Jellystone, a new animated children’s comedy series from Warner Bros. Animation that will welcome viewers to the town of Jellystone, where their favorite Hanna-Barbera characters live, work, play, and stir up trouble together.
  • DC Super Hero High is a half-hour comedy series executive produced by Elizabeth Banks (Charlie’s Angels, Pitch Perfect, Shrill), which follows a group of students experiencing the fun and drama of adolescence at a boarding school for gifted kids. These teens are just trying to navigate the pressures of high school, but none of them realize that someday they will become legendary DC Super Heroes.
  • Rap Sh*t (working title) from Issa Rae (Insecure; A Black Lady Sketch Show) is a half-hour comedy series that follows a female rap group from outside of Miami trying to make it in the music industry.
  • College Girls (working title), the latest series from Mindy Kaling (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Late Night, The Mindy Project, The Office), is a 13-episode half-hour, single-camera comedy following three 18-year-old freshman roommates at Evermore College in Vermont who are equal parts lovable and infuriating.
  • Strange Adventures, a DC Super Hero anthology series executive produced by Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Titans, Doom Patrol), will feature characters from across the DC canon. This one-hour drama series will explore close-ended morality tales about the intersecting lives of mortals and superhumans.
  • A Green Lantern inspired series from Berlanti Productions that will finally introduce characters from this iconic comic in Berlanti’s biggest series yet.
  • A Series of Stand Up Specials presented by Conan O’Brien will feature five new comedy specials. O’Brien will host two specials, featuring short sets from multiple up-and-coming comics while also curating one-hour sets from three comedians. In addition HBO Max has purchased the rights to a one-hour special from comedian James Veitch.
  • Raised by Wolves, an epic serialized sci-fi series executive produced and directed by Ridley Scott (The Martian, Blade Runner, Alien: Covenant) centering on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet.
  • Bobbie Sue is a feature-length film starring Golden Globe® winner Gina Rodriquez (Jane the Virgin) following the story of a headstrong young lawyer who lands a career-making case with an upper crust law firm, only to realize she’s been hired for optics and not her expertise.

New HBO original announced today:

  • House of the Dragon, a 10-episode, straight-to-series order “Game of Thrones” prequel. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series, which is set 300 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen. Co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal. Emmy award winning director Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal will partner as showrunners and will also serve as executive producers along with George R.R. Martin and Vince Gerardis. Sapochnik will direct the pilot and additional episodes of the series, which will be written by Condal.

Newly Acquired and Library Titles:

  • In addition to the new original titles mentioned above, HBO Max also announced today a number of classic and library titles that will be coming to the streamer in its first year of launch, including: South Park, Rick & Morty, The O.C., Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Bachelor, Impractical Jokers, The Closer, Rizzolli and Isles, Major Crimes, The Alienist, The West Wing, United Shades of America with Kamau Bell, This is Life with Lisa Ling, and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
  • In addition, a collection of classics from the libraries of Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Hannah Barbara will be available at launch.

“We are attracting top talent to bring in a wide variety of original ideas, curating the rich library assets of this company, and acquiring the most compelling third-party programming available,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, president, TNT, TBS and truTV.

DEPTH AND BREADTH OF PROGRAMMING

HBO Max, anchored by HBO and its iconic shows, movies, documentaries and specials, will build on HBO’s legacy and offer something for every demographic – from dramas, comedies, sci-fi, and anime to children’s, unscripted, films, documentaries, comedy specials, late-night shows, blockbuster movies and library content – ensuring that everyone in the household has thousands of hours of entertainment at their fingertips.

In addition to series, specials and docs, HBO Max will have 1,800 film titles at launch that will cover every genre, taste and fan interest, including HBO’s vast collection/library of new theatrical hits and beloved classics. Global blockbuster franchises from Warner Bros. including The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Gremlins and the Lego movies will be available in the first year, along with every DC film from the last decade including Aquaman and Joker, and every Batman and Superman movie from the last 40 years.

“We work with an unmatched roster of innovative artists and we couldn’t be happier to be bringing them to HBO Max next year and well into the future,” said Ann Sarnoff, chair and CEO of Warner Bros. “HBO Max will have the pick of the litter here at Warner Bros.”

For a complete list of titles coming to HBO Max please visit here.

FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY

Throughout the year after its initial launch, HBO Max will roll out a variety of new features and functionality not found on any other streaming platforms today, including:

  • Recommended By Humans – HBO Max will combine Human Powered Discovery and analytics in novel ways to make it much easier for viewers to quickly find the content they are passionate about.  Here, talent and influencers will make recommendations to our users about content they love, in the form of short, authentic videos to talk about how they’ve fallen in love with it and why.
  • Co-Viewing – Research shows that many viewers are aware of how viewing with others can throw off their recommendations. HBO Max is solving this co-viewing challenge by allowing viewers to create shared homepages that are completely separate from their personal homepages, but tailored to the group’s likes and needs. They can create shared watch lists and view with members of their household without impacting their personal profiles.

HBO Max will also offer standard direct-to-consumer features, such as:

  • Content Hubs – Content hubs feature clusters of content from recognizable brands that attract passionate audiences.
  • Personalized Profiles & Homepages
  • Kids’ profiles and Parental PIN usage
  • Downloads for offline viewing

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

HBO Max’s leading quality and breadth of content will be fueled by AT&T’s continued investments and resources to ensure the offering is attractive to every household.

Within the first year of launch WarnerMedia plans to expand the service to include an AVOD option, offering consumers access to even more content, with more flexibility to manage the overall price value options on the platform.

The company also announced plans in the future to provide subscribers with unique live, interactive and special event programming as it continues to build out and differentiate HBO Max.

AT&T intends to expand HBO Max beyond the U.S., initially prioritizing Latin America and Europe where the company currently has ownership interest in or operates premium HBO networks, and has over-the-top services.

AT&T intends to invest significantly in HBO Max, with an incremental investment of $1.5 to $2 billion in the partial year of 2020 and continued investment in following years.  That investment includes spending for new content, foregone licensing revenue of our content, operating expense for the technology platform, and marketing.

“To build, launch and grow the best streaming platform available requires a major investment and total support,” said John Stankey, AT&T Chief Operating Officer and CEO of WarnerMedia. “We’re making that commitment and putting the strength of our entire company behind this.”

The replay of today’s webcast will be available at WarnerMediaday.com. More information is available at HBOMax.com.

‘To Be of Service’ documentary highlights how service dogs helps military veterans

October 29, 2019

The following is a press release:

To Be of Service
“To Be of Service” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)

“To Be of Service”

Opening In Theaters in New York on November 1 and in LA on November 8, 2019

Featuring Original Song by Grammy Award-winning artist Jon Bon Jovi

Featuring Military Veterans and Their Service Dogs: Greg Kolodziejczyk and Valor, Sylvia Bowersox and Timothy, Tom Moody and Mako, Brandon Lewis and Booth, Phil Bauer and Champ, Walter Parker and Jackson

Directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Josh Aronson (“Sound and Fury”)

Documentary explores the remarkable life changes resulting from the
introduction of trained service dogs into the lives of military veterans
suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Many veterans’ experience of returning home is wrought with depression and a wrenching disconnect from the world they once knew. Family, old friends and jobs seem foreign and the newly returned men and women struggle to function and return to a normal civilian life. Often the meds and therapy provided by the VA hasn’t helped these veterans imprisoned by the wounds of trauma, and they suffer trying to handle even the most mundane of daily tasks. Then, for the lucky ones who are
paired with a service dog, the unconditional love and support offered by these highly trained canines become the bedrock for them to re-engage with the outside world and to learn to feel again. In addition to providing constant companionship, these dogs help veterans navigate their fears. They help them sleep without night terrors, they support them as they face their daily challenges, and, over time, they restore their ability to feel safe, to be independent, to trust and to love again.

In “To Be Of Service” we cross the country to meet veterans just before they are paired with their service dog and learn how profoundly difficult their lives have been. We follow as they are paired with their dog and will re-visit these new battle buddies over the months to see how this deeply bonded friendship brings a return to independence and love for these men and women who have been so traumatized by war.

Since Vietnam the VA has worked to develop treatment programs for veterans suffering from PTSD, including therapy and medications, but, as yet, there is no universally effective protocol. The VA launched a pilot program evaluating the benefits of service dogs for PTSD, which has taken many years to complete, but their conclusions have still not been announced and as yet the VA will not sanction service dogs as a treatment for PTSD and no funding will be forthcoming for dogs.

2019 CMA Awards: Garth Brooks, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson and more added to lineup of perfomers

October 29, 2019

The following is a press release from the CMA Awards and ABC:

“The 53rd Annual CMA Awards” has announced additional performances and collaborations by Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn with Brothers Osborne, Garth Brooks with Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Kacey Musgraves with Willie Nelson, Lady Antebellum and Halsey, Old Dominion, Blake Shelton, and Thomas Rhett. Country Music’s Biggest Night(TM), hosted by Carrie Underwood with special guest hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, airs live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13 (8:00 -11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC.

Brooks & Dunn, an 18-time CMA Awards winner and two-time nominee this year, will perform their hit song “Hard Workin’ Man” with Brothers Osborne, the reigning Vocal Duo of the Year and four-time nominee this year. Brooks & Dunn are also recent inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Garth Brooks, an Entertainer of the Year nominee this year, and Blake Shelton, a three-time nominee this year, will perform their CMA Musical Event of the Year nominated hit, “Dive Bar.”

Three-time nominee this year, Musgraves, welcomes long-time friend and 10-time CMA Awards winner Nelson to the CMA stage to perform a heartwarming collaboration that fans will soon see has been decades in the making. Nelson last performed on the CMA Awards stage in 2012 in honor of receiving the inaugural CMA Lifetime Achievement Award. In a never-before-seen collaboration, Halsey makes her first-ever CMA Awards appearance, joining six-time CMA Awards winner Lady Antebellum to perform a genre-defying mashup.

Female Vocalist of the Year nominee this year, Ballerini is set to perform her latest hit single “homecoming queen?,” while Dan + Shay, a three-time nominee this year, will perform “Speechless” from their CMA Album of the Year nominated album “Dan + Shay.” Old Dominion, reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year and nominee again this year in the category, will bring their hit “One Man Band” to the CMA Awards stage, while Thomas Rhett, a two-time nominee this year, will perform “Remember You Young” from his CMA Album of the Year nominated album “Center Point Road.” In addition to his performance with Brooks, Shelton will also hit the stage to perform his three-time nominated single “God’s Country.”

Previously announced performers include Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Dolly Parton with for KING & COUNTRY and Zach Williams, P!NK and Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban. Additional performers and presenters will be revealed in the coming weeks.

“The 53rd Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer; Alex Rudzinski is the director, and David Wild is the head writer.

For more information on “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards,” please visit CMAawards.com and follow CMA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans can listen to music featuring the CMA Awards nominees and performers on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, Vevo and YouTube. To celebrate “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards,” the official merchandise line featuring tees, sweatshirts and other gifts is now available online. Fans can order by Tuesday, Nov. 5, to receive before the show. Merchandise will also be sold on-site at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

About CMA Awards

The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC is the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA’s other two television properties, “CMA Fest” and “CMA Country Christmas.”

November 4, 2019 UPDATE: Radio and TV personality Bobby Bones, country artist Blanco Brown, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars'” Hannah Brown, country artist Deana Carter, actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth, country artist Janie Fricke, actor/comedian Jim Gaffigan; country artists Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, Midland and Craig Morgan; artist and actress Jennifer Nettles; “Riverdale”‘s Madelaine Petsch; actor, comedian and writer J.B. Smoove; and country artists Pam Tillis, Morgan Wallen and Trisha Yearwood are set to present at “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards.”

November 6, 2019 UPDATE: The Country Music Association has revealed its 2019 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient—iconic country music star Kris Kristofferson. A special tribute is planned during “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards,” featuring a not-to-be-missed performance of Kristofferson’s classic “Me & Bobby McGee” by Dierks Bentley with Sheryl Crow, Chris Janson and John Osborne.

November 7, 2019 UPDATE: Women in Country Music will unite for a historic, not-to-be-missed opening performance at “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards.” The groundbreaking number led by Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton will also feature Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, The Highwomen (comprised of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires), Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Tanya Tucker and Gretchen Wilson, each performing iconic country songs for a monumental decades-spanning medley never before seen.

Country Music’s Biggest Night will also see Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce and Runaway June join together for an epic performance of a recent CMA Song of the Year and CMA Single of the Year for what’s sure to be one of the night’s most-talked-about performances.

November 13, 2019 UPDATE:  “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards” has announced additional performers and presenters to its previously announced lineup. Joe Walsh joins Dierks Bentley alongside Sheryl Crow, Chris Janson and John Osborne for a special performance honoring Kris Kristofferson, the 2019 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Additional presenters include country artists Jimmie Allen and Cody Johnson, “Good Morning America” contributor Lara Spencer, musician Joe Walsh, and actress and producer Reese Witherspoon. Visit CMAawards.com/performers-presenters for a full list of CMA Awards performers and presenters.

Country artists Carly Pearce and Michael Ray will host the CMA Awards pre-telecast, where CMA Musician of the Year will be presented to the winner. In addition, the CMA Music Video of the Year and CMA Musical Event of the Year winners will be recapped, having been announced November 13, live on “Good Morning America.” The CMA Broadcast Awards winners will also be recognized during the pre-telecast.

2019 E! People’s Choice Awards: Pink to receive People’s Champion Award

Pink (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/MTV1617/Getty Images for MTV)

The following is a press release from E!:

E! announced today that global superstar P!NK will be celebrated with “The People’s Champion of 2019” award at the “E! People’s Choice Awards.” P!NK will be recognized for her continued support and work alongside No Kid Hungry, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Planned Parenthood, REVERB, Autism Speaks and Human Rights Campaign, and as an ambassador for UNICEF.

She is also nominated this year for Female Artist of 2019 and Concert Tour of 2019. The “E! People’s Choice Awards” will be broadcast live from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Sunday, November 10 from 9:00-11:00pm ET/PT.

“There are so many wonderful organizations and individuals doing extraordinary things in our communities every single day,” says P!NK. “These are our everyday warriors and champions. They teach us and our children that it’s cool to be kind and that change is possible. I feel honored to be a small part of that change and will continue to be a champion for the truth and for open minds and open hearts.”
“P!NK’s ability to capture a global audience with her music and also encourage them to act on behalf of important causes that affects humankind is awe-inspiring,” said Jen Neal, General Manager, E! News, Live Events and Lifestyle Digital. “As an activist who inspires change for the better, she is the epitome of a People’s Champion, and we are humbled to present her with this award.”

Having recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, marking her ever lasting impression on pop culture and the musical community, P!NK first debuted on the charts in 2000. Since then, she has released eight studio albums and one greatest hits album, selling over 60 Million albums worldwide throughout her career. Her work has been recognized with three Grammy Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, seven MTV Video Music Awards, including being named the 2017 Video Vanguard Award recipient, and was Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2013 and most recently Billboard’s Legend of Live Award. Her latest studio effort Hurts 2B Human marks her third consecutive album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 Chart. P!NK just wrapped her highly acclaimed Beautiful Trauma World Tour where she played over 156 shows in 18 countries ultimately selling over 3 million tickets worldwide. The tour is the 10th highest grossing tour in Billboard’s Boxscore’s history, and the biggest for a woman in over a decade.

The “E! People’s Choice Awards” will be broadcast live from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Sunday, November 10 starting at 9p ET/PT, with “E! Live From The Red Carpet: The E! People’s Choice Awards 2019” kicking off at 7p ET/PT.

“Live From The Red Carpet: The E! People’s Choice Awards 2019” and the “E! People’s Choice Awards” are both produced by Den of Thieves with Executive Producers Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski.

About E!
E! is the only global, multi-platform brand for all things pop culture. The network is currently available to 91 million cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S and 161 countries globally. E! programming includes popular series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Very Cavallari,” “Total Divas,” “Total Bellas,” “Botched,” and “Dating #NoFilter;” topical series “Nightly Pop,” and the return of the “E! True Hollywood Story.” “E! News” airs nightly on the network and is the leading multi-platform publisher delivering breaking entertainment news and pop culture coverage 24/7 across EOnline.com and all digital and social media. The brand’s robust digital programming slate includes “E! News’ The Rundown,” “Face Forward” and “What The Fashion” on Snapchat. E!’s “Live from the Red Carpet” signature events keep fans connected to their favorite stars on pop culture’s biggest nights and E! is also home to the “E! People’s Choice Awards,” the only award show for the people, by the people. E! is a network of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Lifestyle Group, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. For more corporate information, visit www.nbcuniversal.com.

About Den of Thieves
Den of Thieves (DoT) is a television live event, scripted and non-scripted production company founded in 2007 by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager. Since its inception, DoT has become one of the most highly regarded and sought-after production companies in the industry. DoT is the production company of record for the MTV Video Music Awards for the past 13 consecutive years and also holds Executive Producer credits for the “Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour” concert special for Netflix, the People’s Choice Awards on E!, The Gong Show on ABC, the iHeartRadio Music Awards for Turner Broadcasting, the Peabody Awards, and Ken Jeong’s Netflix comedy special “You Complete Me, Ho” directed by John Chu. Aside from spearheading some of the world’s leading premier event shows and specials, DoT is the name behind the production of comedy specials and documentaries for Netflix, Comedy Central, and Apple – to name a few. Beyond that, DoT also produced the multi-network broadcast of Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief in September 2017, in addition to the digital stream of March for Our Lives in March 2018.

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