Meghan Markle has lost the first round of her legal battle against the publisher of U.K. tabloid The Mail on Sunday. The lawsuit, which was filed by Markle last year, centers on the newspaper’s publication of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. 12 more words
via Meghan Markle Loses First Round of Legal Battle with U.K. Tabloid — Variety
When Harry Friedman first joined “Wheel of Fortune” as a producer in the mid-1990s, the pace of the game show was lumbering. Between puzzles, the crew would have to stop taping, draw huge duvetyn curtains in front of the puzzle board and manually replace each letter in each light box. 7 more words
Sam Petrov has worked on sets as a digital imaging technician for the last two and a half years. In that time, he’s gotten fairly adept at keeping track of his hours, and making sure he maintains his benefits through the Motion Picture Industry health plan. 11 more words
via Film Workers Face Loss of Health Care Due to Coronavirus Shutdown — Variety
From actors scrambling to record ADR in their cars, to showrunners editing episodes over Zoom, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown some of the biggest, most high-budget shows into post-production chaos. 28 more words
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and the world’s richest individual, has been called before the House Judiciary Committee to explain how the ecommerce giant uses data on third-party merchants. 29 more words
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Hollywood,” streaming now on Netflix. When Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan first sat down to write “Hollywood,” their new seven-part limited series about the Golden Age of Tinseltown, they wanted the show to be an investigation into the power of inequality when it came…
via How ‘Hollywood’ Provides an Alternate History of Representation in the Media — Variety
Media executive Matty Simmons, a producer of the influential “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation” comedy movies, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 93. 33 more words
via Matty Simmons, ‘Animal House’ and ‘Vacation’ Producer, Dies at 93 — Variety
The “Parks and Recreation” reunion episode on Thursday night has raised $2.8 million for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The half-hour television special follows Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope as she catches up virtually with her former Parks department co-workers to see how they are holding up under shelter in place and social distancing regulations.…
via ‘Parks and Recreation’ Reunion Special Raises $2.8 Million for Coronavirus Relief — Variety
Warner Bros. Television presidents Susan Rovner and Brett Paul hosted a conference call Wednesday evening to share information about the studio’s current thinking on production after weeks of coronavirus-imposed shutdowns. 28 more words
Following the success of “Sausage Party,” Point Grey principals Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have found their next animated project for adults. Sources tell Variety that Sony Pictures Animation is developing a movie based on the 2018 podcast “Bubble” with Point Grey and “Jumanji’s” Matt Tolmach producing. 10 more words
Festival Reviews 