Ahead of her upcoming episode on Thursday, “The Drew Barrymore Show” dropped a teaser with the actress behind Galinda/Glinda, where she was surprised with the iconic wand from the “The Wizard of Oz.”

“I have something that’s extremely exciting and special. It actually was owned by The Smithsonian and now it’s owned in private hands — but for the purposes of our sit-down, they loaned it to us,” Barrymore explained in Tuesday’s preview clip. “Bring out the original Glinda wand, please.”

“Are you serious right now? Thank you guys, it’s been fun,” Grande replied as she feigned an early exit with the prop. “How did you even pull this off? Oh my god, did you break in?”

“I have to give credit to everyone on this show, because literally we were so excited about you coming here, we were like, ‘OK, let’s get the wand, let’s get Nonna,'” Barrymore added. “That is the original wand from ‘Wizard of Oz.’”

Indeed, the starry silver wand was first seen held by actress Billie Burke in the 1939 film. But this isn’t the first time Grande has been in awe over a thrillifying set piece as of late.

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As part of NBC and Peacock’s “Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked,” the “Popular” singer discussed with co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey just how important props and costumes were in bringing their musical film to life.

“I’m excited to attempt to get through airport security with this,” she joked while holding her pink iteration of the wand on the Universal set. “I don’t think I’ll be stopped. We have to take these home. It’s kind of emotional, I don’t want to let go of it.”

“We’re so lucky to have these physically grounding pieces,” Grande added of Elphaba’s broom. “When you put the costume on, when you put her shoes on, when you hold our things and wear our crowns, when we’re supported by such brilliant artists who designed these pieces — that just takes it to the next level.”

“Wicked – Part I” is now playing in theaters. “The Drew Barrymore Show” airs weekdays in syndication on CBS stations.

The post Ariana Grande Receives Glinda’s Original ‘Wizard of Oz’ Wand From Drew Barrymore: ‘Oh My God!’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“We will kick off literally in about a week, some very early, gentle messaging,” Perrette said during a tech and media conference hosted by Wells Fargo on Tuesday. “We’ll start some early messaging to people who we think are definitely in the higher tier of usage.”

Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, Max will offer “a way to essentially add a member,” according to Perrette, who serves as Warner Bros. Discovery’s global streaming chief. He added that it’s an “art and a science” to figure out which Max users are sharing their passwords or if their account is being used in a vacation home or on a business trip.

“We will then start, gradually as we get the data … figuring out, with some explicit and implicit signals … how good we are at detecting and then as we go through [20]25 you’re going to see the filters get tighter and tighter,” Perrette said. “We think that’s a meaningful growth driver, likely more as it … begins to kick in in the back half of [20]25 and into [20]26.”

Perrette cautioned that he didn’t want to “oversell the scale” of the password crackdown and its potential margin for growth, saying “it won’t be Netflix — we haven’t been in the market for 15 years.” Still, the executive predicted the crackdown could translate into “meaningful growth driver on subs and on revenue,” likely beginning the back half of 2025 and into 2026 and 2027.

Perrette also provided several updates on HBO’s upcoming slate of releases, including revealing a February launch date for the third season of Mike White’s “The White Lotus.” He revealed that “The Last of Us” Season 2 slated for spring 2025 premiere while “Game of Thrones” prequel series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is eyeing launching in late 2025.

“Euphoria,” which is gearing up to begin production on its third season in January 2025, is looking at a 2026 premiere date, moving from its previously aimed release date in 2025.

The post Max Password Sharing Crackdown to Kick Off Next Week, WBD Exec Says appeared first on TheWrap.

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger swore Hochman in as the new L.A. DA on Tuesday outside the city’s Hall of Justice. Hochman’s wife Vivienne Vella was also in attendance.

“District attorneys must have only two things as their North Stars: the facts and the law,” DA Hochman told the crowd. “I reject blanket extreme policies on both sides of the pendulum swing — decarceration policies that predetermine that certain crimes and certain criminals are not going to be prosecuted and mass incarceration policies that also are not anchored in the facts and the law.”

His appointment notably comes amid the county’s handling of the Menendez Brothers case. Hochman and Gascón have publicly stated their opposing views on granting Lyle and Erik Menendez clemency and/or resentencing after the success of Netflix’s “Monsters” anthology series. Most recently, their December hearing was postponed until Jan. 30 and 31, 2025.

While Hochman did not mention the brothers specifically in his Tuesday speech, he did discuss the pair with reporters after the press conference. “We’re going to look at all potential eventualities with the Menendez case,” he told TMZ. “But what I want to make crystal clear is two things: One, the Menendez case, though it has received high levels of media attention, will not get preferential treatment.”

The new DA continued, “The second is, I love the fact that the Menendez case has gotten media attention, because what it has done — I’m hoping — is it’s an entry point for people to get involved with the criminal justice system.”

During his swearing in ceremony, Hochman also addressed Los Angeles’ myriad crises — including homelessness, fentanyl, human trafficking, hate crimes and burglary. 

“No longer is this can getting kicked down the road,” he said. “The DA’s Office will partner with federal, state and local law enforcement, government organizations, nonprofits and other groups to seek solutions to problems that have severely affected public safety and the quality of life of residents throughout the county.”

Additionally, Hochman promised to implement Day 1 changes to his predecessor’s more liberal regulations — such as restoring sentencing enhancements and rescinding a prohibition against charging minors with misdemeanors for theft of <$950.

“The solemn and bedrock promise that the government makes to each of you is that it will keep you and your families safe and do so in the most legal, fair, and impartial way possible,” he further noted. “Working with the 2,100 employees of the DA’s Office, the tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, firefighters and first responders, and the hundreds of community organizations and neighborhood associations, we will keep that promise.”

Fellow Republican Schwarzenegger previously served as California’s governor from 2003-2011, though he stated in 2024 he now dislikes both parties.

The post Arnold Schwarzenegger Swears in LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Who Rejects ‘Blanket Extreme Policies on Both Sides’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The refinancing included a $350 million Revolving Credit Facility that replaced the company’s existing revolving credit facility and matures on Dec. 1, 2029, as well as a $1.9 billion Term Loan B facility that matures on Dec. 1, 2031. Barclays, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Texas Capital served as arrangers and bookrunners for the loan.

The deal came after the most lucrative Thanksgiving box office weekend in industry history, with $426 million grossed between Wednesday and Sunday in North America. That is more than $100 million above the previous record of $315 million set on Thanksgiving weekend in 2018.

With a trio of films in Disney’s “Moana 2,” Universal’s “Wicked” and Paramount’s “Gladiator II” fueling the box office boom and films like Disney’s “Mufasa” and Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” set to keep the momentum going at Christmas, Regal and other theater chains are expecting box office grosses to keep improving in the months and years ahead.

“The overwhelmingly positive market reception for this transaction is a
signal of the momentum we are seeing in our business,” Regal Cineworld CEO Eduardo Acuna said in a statement. “In Q3, Regal Cineworld welcomed over
49 million guests to our theatres and generated total revenue of over $1
billion with record-high levels of spend per person on concessions.
With the refinancing transaction, we will save $60 million per year in
interest expense, which puts our successful restructuring squarely in the
past.”

The post Regal Cineworld Refinances Loan After Bankruptcy Restructuring Thanks to Thanksgiving Box Office appeared first on TheWrap.

The Taylor Sheridan hits keep coming. “Landman” secured 14.6 million global multiplatform viewers in its first seven days across Paramount+ and its linear premiere, TheWrap has exclusively learned. Based on households, this marks the biggest global premiere week ever for a Paramount+ original.

Additionally, in its second week, “Landman” reached 2.4 million domestic households, a 60% increase from its previous week. This metric was found by comparing the first day of “Landman” Week 1 to the first day of Week 2. These numbers are based off of internal data from Paramount+, which measured average minute audience for the show’s first seven days, as well as all linear plays of “Landman” (the linear metrics, which were not broken out separately, were measured by VideoAmp).

This continues a massive fall season for MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions. It all started with “Yellowstone” — the second half of Season 5 scored 21 million viewers in the United States in live plus three day viewing, making its return the most-watched installment of “Yellowstone” to date. Its premiere night alone saw 16.4 million viewers in total, according to VideoAmp, marking a 3% increase from Season 5, Part 1.

That was then followed by “Lioness” Season 2, which scored 12.4 million viewers globally across all platforms. This number accounted for viewing on Paramount+, where the series premiered on Oct. 27, as well as its linear preview, which happened the week of Nov. 10, and reflects internal global data from Paramount.

From Sheridan and Christian Wallace, the drama stars Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, the titular landman at an oil company in the boomtowns of West Texas. The series seeks to be a “modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs,” according to a press release for the series, and is based off the 11-part podcast “Boomtown” from Imperative Entertainment and Texas Monthly. In addition to Thornton, the series stars Demi Moore, Jon Hamm and Michael Peña, who appears in a guest role.

New episodes of “Landman” stream every Sunday exclusively on Paramount+.

The post Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Landman’ Sees 14.6 Million Global Multiplatform Viewers in First 7 Days, Biggest Debut for a Paramount+ Original | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.

David Ellison, who will run Paramount as chairman and CEO after the $8 billion transaction closes in the first half of 2025, is also looking to cut staff and trim the amount of original programming at the cable networks, the outlet reports.

As for leadership changes, Bloomberg reports that Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks is expected to stay following the merger, but co-CEO Brian Robbins is expected to depart the company, though a final decision hasn’t been made. The outlet added that the future of co-CEO Chris McCarthy, the third member of the “office of the CEO” remains “less certain.”

The Skydance chief may also explore strategic partnerships that could involve selling off the cable network, but Ellison is not open to selling off CBS, Bloomberg reports. He is also reportedly looking more closely at integrating free, ad-supported streamer Pluto TV into Paramount+.

An insider familiar with the matter emphasized to TheWrap that no decisions have been made.

Another insider familiar with the matter disputed the claim by Bloomberg about McCarthy, telling TheWrap he has been “instrumental” in making some of Paramount and Showtime’s biggest series, from “Yellowstone,” “Lioness,” “Tulsa King,” “Yellowjackets” and “Landman” to the currently running “The Agency” and the upcoming “Dexter: Original Sin.” The insider assured TheWrap that if McCarthy doesn’t end up staying, “he will for sure have options elsewhere.”

Ellison has reportedly discussed putting Skydance chief creative officer Dana Goldberg in charge of the film business. Skydance has hired former Sister global CEO Cindy Holland as an advisor to the company and she is seen as a likely candidate to take over the streaming business, Bloomberg reports.

Representatives for Skydance and Paramount declined to comment.

During a call with investors back in July, Ellison and Jeff Shell, who will serve as Paramount’s president, gave an initial outline for their plans to turn Paramount into a tech hybrid, leverage animation and sports content and rebuild the Paramount+ streaming service.

At the time, the leadership team also said they identified $2 billion in cost efficiencies and synergies as they look to manage Paramount’s declining linear business and would not rule out asset sales, though they did not cite specific assets that could be offloaded.

On that call, Shell referred to Pluto as a “very strong and powerful asset,” while RedBird Capital’s Andy Gordon said a merged Skydance and Paramount sees an opportunity in the tech platforms for Paramount+ and Pluto to drive “a lot more efficiency” and “further cash flow generation.” During a call with reporters in July, Shell referred to CBS as a “cornerstone” asset that would be part of its plans going forward.

The Paramount deal is currently being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission. Petitions to deny the transaction are due by Dec. 16, while oppositions to petitions to deny must be filed no later than Jan. 2 and replies must be filed no later than Jan. 13.

Kayla Cobb contributed to this report

The post David Ellison May Fold Paramount TV Networks Into Single Unit, Co-CEO Brian Robbins Might Exit | Report appeared first on TheWrap.

Rasoulof’s new film is, like many of his previous projects, a complex thriller and piece of docu-fiction. It was filmed in secrecy earlier this year in and around Tehran. Under threat of another prison term, Rasoulof fled in exile to Germany, where post-production was completed. And now the film is Germany’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.

Winner of a special prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, “Sacred Fig” concerns a judge (Missagh Zareh) on the secretive revolutionary court, whose occupation puts him at odds with his daughters (Mahsa Rostami and Setareh Maleki), supporters of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. His wife (actress/activist Soheila Golestani) is divided in her loyalty, especially after the husband’s handgun, kept in a dresser drawer for protection, mysteriously disappears.

The movie, distributed by Neon, is playing in select theaters now. The conversation with Rasoulof (below) was interpreted by Dr. Sheida Dayani.

Your film comments on many big issues, but you’ve chosen the thriller/mystery genre to tell the story. How did you decide on that?

My ideas started with the family – with the husband, the wife, their two daughters. Usually, I start with the ideas and then lock in the characters, but here, I did the opposite. I locked in the characters of the family first. And I thought a lot about the mood of the characters and what each of them reveals to the audience. And that dictated the genre of the film.

There’s enormous tension in the film. There’s even a car chase on the highway. And so much of the plot revolves around a gun that has gone missing from the family’s apartment.  

Yeah, I got a bit of action and thriller aspects in there. My instincts for experimenting told me to do it.

We see social-media footage of protests and brutality in the streets of Tehran during the Women, Life, Freedom movement in 2022, which happens as your story unfolds. How important was the inclusion of these videos?

This is a complex issue because I was telling the story of a family that’s transforming based on the events that were happening outside, but I was making a clandestine film and I couldn’t shoot outdoors, so I needed the real-life footage. 

I also wanted to express how social media is so significant for the new generation to stay in touch with each other — and as a way to survive and breathe. At the same time, I was showing the difference between what social media captures and what the state TV shows people, which are total distortions of reality.

Actress Soheila Golestani, who plays the wife and mother, is also an activist. She still lives in Iran, is that right?

Yes, she does. She’s a very strong woman. She has been to prison before and she deliberately wants to stay in Iran to continue doing what she has been doing during the Women, Life, Freedom movement. I completely understand her because I also tried to stay in Iran. It took me seven years to make this decision to get out. It was as if I was reaching a cliff’s edge.

What does the International Feature Oscar selection mean to you?

The meaning of this choice is that we can see human stories beyond language and nationality. The entire post-production happened in Germany. I don’t have any Iranian ID cards; it’s been years since they took them away from me. But Germany gave me identification papers.

And if you had stayed in Iran, the film would never have been chosen. 

Of course not. I had never in my life thought about the Oscars because my entire career in cinema was in opposition to the Iranian government. And it’s the government that chooses what films go to the Oscars. They would never choose a film of mine or a film of (fellow detained director) Jafar Panahi. He could have received an Oscar for his film “Offside” in 2006, but they deprived him of that. And hopefully, independent filmmakers like us can have similar experiences in the future. 

And there is one part of this that is kind of funny, actually. After Germany picked the film as the Oscar selection, I believe the Iranian government stepped back a little. Because they realized that the more pressure they put on the film, the more it helps the film to go forward. That is the message this choice sends. 

A version of this story first appeared in the SAG Preview/Documentaries/ International issue of TheWrap awards magazine.

Read more from the SAG Preview/Documentaries/International issue here.

The post Iranian Director of ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Explains How He Landed His First Oscar Submission – By Fleeing to Germany appeared first on TheWrap.

The first two episodes of the latest live-action Lucasfilm series are now streaming on Disney+, and within those two episodes, there are some surprising connections to some beloved Disney theme park attractions.

In “Skeleton Crew,” we follow a group of youngsters – Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Fern, Kyriana Kratter as KB and Robert Timothy Smith as adorable alien Neel – as they discover a hidden spaceship and take off for parts unknown. They encounter a crusty old droid SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost) and a rascally Force-user (Jude Law) as they attempt to get back home and uncover the hidden mystery of their suburban planet.

In the first episode, the kids go to school and their bus driver might look familiar. It’s an RX droid, the type of robot that was introduced in Star Tours, the Disney Parks attraction that debuted at Disneyland in 1987 and what was known as Disney-MGM Studios and Tokyo Disneyland (both in 1989). That attraction’s droid, RX-24, was played, warmly by Paul Reubens, who got to reprise his role when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019. By then Rex, as he’s known to the fans, found a new line of work – this time as a DJ in the Star Wars land’s cantina.

In the years since RX droids have been seen recently in “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” but chances are that if you rode the original attraction, every time one of those droids pops up, you get a kick of nostalgia. (“Skeleton Crew” effortless evokes cinema – and theme park attractions – of the bygone era of the 1980’s.)

There’s more! In episode two, the gang winds up at a rough-and-tumble waystation, populated by rogues and rapscallions. It’s basically a space port by way of the cantina from the original “Star Wars” – full of colorful and dangerous creatures and characters. At one point, the kids spot a positively magical creature – a fuzzy red alien with a long tail and butterfly wings.

If the creature rings any bells, it’s because the creature is the same species as Fuzzball, one of the main characters from “Captain EO,” a 3D movie that opened alongside the original Star Tours at Disneyland and EPCOT Center in 1986. Fuzzball is the cohort of Michael Jackson’s title character, a captain who is drawn to a dark planet run by a witchy Anjelica Huston. (He brings light to the dark planet via music and dance, obviously.)

“Captain EO” was, famously, co-written and overseen by George Lucas, who also shepherded the creation of Star Tours, with visual effects provided by Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic. But up until now they have been two separate universes. Now “Skeleton Crew” canonizes Fuzzball and his species as being part of the “Star Wars” galaxy. Does this mean Michael Jackson’s Captain EO also exists in the same space ports as Luke, Han and the gang? But more importantly, with only two of the eight episodes streaming, what other Disney Parks references will pop up?

The post ‘Skeleton Crew:’ How the New ‘Star Wars’ Show Connects to the Disney Parks appeared first on TheWrap.

Two months after accusing the Tony-winning Broadway show of copying “the heart and soul” of their book “Making Rumours” about the iconic band, Caillat and co-author Steven Stiefel have filed to adjourn the initial conference ahead of Thursday’s scheduled date.

“The parties have resolved the dispute in principle as to all claims and defendants, and are working to commit their agreement to writing,” the pair wrote in Tuesday’s filing, which was obtained by TheWrap. They also noted they plan to ultimately finalize their resolution ahead of their proposed rescheduled conference date of Dec. 23 as they are all in mutual consent.

The initial lawsuit accused Adjmi of “uncannily” duplicating events from their 2012 book about the 1977 album “Rumours” for his play, including famed fights and break-ups. “Stereophonic” does indeed feature two couples and five members, both British and American.

“Mr. Adjmi implicitly acknowledges having read ‘Making Rumours,’ calling it an ‘excellent book,’ but incredulously proclaims that ‘[a]ny similarities to Ken Caillat’s excellent book are unintentional,'” Caillat’s suit claimed.

“Stereophonic” won five Tonys in June: Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play for Will Brill, Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Scenic Design of a Play.

It is currently playing at the John Golden Theatre in New York City.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this reporting.

The post Fleetwood Mac Producer, ‘Stereophonic’ Playwright Reach Copyright Lawsuit Resolution appeared first on TheWrap.

RaMell Ross won the Best Director award for his narrative debut, “Nickel Boys.”

Marianne Jean-Baptiste won the Best Actress award for her scorching performance in Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” while Adrien Brody won Best Actor for “The Brutalist.”

Kieran Culkin was named Best Supporting Actor for his role in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain.” Carol Kane was honored as Best Supporting Actress for “Between the Temples.”

As the first major critics group to announce its awards, the NYFCC was able to give a little attention to its winners in a year in which few of the major categories have strong frontrunners. “The Brutalist,” a three-and-a-half hour drama starring Brody as an architect who comes to the United States after fleeing Europe during World War II, has been a critical favorite since its debut at the Venice Film Festival in August.

In the acting categories, Culkin and Brody are considered locks for Oscar nominations, while Jean-Baptiste is on the bubble and Kane is a real longshot.

Meanwhile, Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ wordless “Flow” was chosen as the year’s best animated film over big-studio productions like “Inside Out 2,” “The Wild Robot” and “Moana 2.”

“No Other Land,” the documentary filmed over five years by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers in Gaza, won the award for non-fiction film a little more than 12 hours after it won in the same category at the Gotham Awards. Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light” did the same thing in the Best International Film category.

Sean Baker, on the other hand, won the screenplay award for “Anora” the day after his film came into the Gotham Awards as the most-nominated movie but failed to win anything.

Annie Baker’s “Janet Planet” was named the year’s best first film. Jomo Fray won the cinematography award for the way he implemented Ross’ point-of-view approach in “Nickel Boys.”

Since 1938, the winner of the NYFCC has gone on to win Best Picture more than two dozen times, but the two groups have agreed more infrequently in recent years. The last time the critics chose the eventual Oscar winner was 12 years ago, when “The Artist” won both awards. Since then, the NYFCC has gone for the likes of “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Boyhood,” “Carol,” “La La Land,” “Roma,” “First Cow,” “Drive My Car,” “Tar” and a pair of Martin Scorsese movies, “The Irishman” and last year’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Over the last 20 years, the NYFCC winner has been nominated for the top Oscar 17 times, with the only exceptions being “United 93” in 2007, “Carol” in 2016 and “First Cow” in 2020.

The New York Film Critics Circle consists of 45 critics based in New York City. The group was founded in 1935 and has been voting on the year’s best films since 1936. Next year marks the organization’s 90th anniversary, a milestone that will be celebrated when the NYFCC holds its awards ceremony on Jan. 8, 2025.

The winners:
Best Film: “The Brutalist”
Best Director: RaMell Ross, “Nickel Boys”
Best Actor: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Best Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths”
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Best Supporting Actress: Carol Kane, “Between the Temples”
Best Screenplay: Sean Baker, “Anora”
Best Animated Film: “Flow”
Best International Film: “All We Imagine As Light”
Best Non-Fiction Film: “No Other Land”
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, “Nickel Boys”
Best First Film: “Janet Planet”
Special Award: To Save and Project: The MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation
Student Awards: Alexander Swift (Undergraduate, Vassar) and Drew Smith (Graduate, NYU)

The post ‘The Brutalist’ Wins Top Award From New York Film Critics – Complete List of Winners appeared first on TheWrap.