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Variety
Managing Editor for Variety and co-author of Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN; former editor of the Hollywood Reporter
PROFILE
Cynthia Littleton
Guest
FROM Cynthia Littleton
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Can the Weinstein Company be turned into a positive force for women? The Weinstein Company has taken a huge financial hit since assault and harassment allegations came out against co-founder Harvey Weinstein. Now it’s looking for a buyer, and at least two female-led investor groups are in the running. They both want to use the company’s movie and TV revenue to help victims.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Donald Trump Sells Miss Universe Trump’s been leading in the polls, but his politics have been clashing with his some of his business ventures. So today, he announced he’s unloading one of those ventures. Trump has sold the Miss Universe beauty pageant empire. For months, he’s been battling with the TV networks that air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants because of his comments on immigration. We get a primer on the sale.
The Spin-off
HBO Now, Andy Lack's Back, Two Comedies, Two Strategies HBO reveals some details, including the price, behind their new OTT service. Andy Lack returns to NBC News, but that doesn't mean Brian Williams will be coming back. A very sad goodbye to Simpson's co-creator Sam Simon. And we take a look at two new, quirky comedies that were launched with very different strategies.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
TV Pilot Season Shakeup We’re in the middle of March Madness - the basketball tournament - but that’s also a perfect name for TV’s pilot season. This is the height of the network’s annual scramble to produce new shows and roll out their Fall line-ups. It’s a costly and slightly crazy tradition - and it’s only gotten costlier and crazier. For years, network executives have said that they were going to do things a better way. Now it seems like that’s finally started to happen.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Alternatives to Cable There are a head-spinning number of ways to watch TV these days that don’t even involve a cable box. And that’s the argument Comcast is going to make as it defends its acquisition of Time-Warner Cable. We untangle the web of TV alternatives to figure out what our options are and what they will be in the future.
Which Way, L.A.?
After Year in Limbo, SAG Finally Ratifies Contract It's finally over. After a year of bitter in-fighting, the Screen Actors Guild has overwhelmingly approved a new contract . The deal looks much the same as one SAG was offered by the studios last year and which has already been approved by the AFTRA , the Writers' Guild and Directors' Guild . Cynthia Littleton is Deputy Editor of News at Variety , a daily trade publication covering the entertainment industry.
Recommended
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
The Treatment
Hua Hsu: A Floating Chinaman Author Hua Hsu stops by to discuss his book A Floating Chinaman, recounting the life of 1930's actor/writer H.T. Tsiang and his struggles entering the American literary world.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Gov. Jerry Brown: California and China will fight climate change together President Donald Trump reportedly wants the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, and he’s expected to announce a decision soon. California Governor Jerry Brown heads to China to strengthen climate and clean energy ties.